Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward seeking alternative cathode materials to NiO for molten carbonate fuel cells.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward (1) evaluating the dissolution of NiO cathodes in molten carbonate fuel cells and (2) seeking alternative cathode materials. Solubility data were taken for NiO in a cathode environment, and previously operated cells were examined for nickel transfer. A literature search was made for prospective alternative cathode materials, and synthesis of new materials was begun. Apparatus was assembled for conductivity measurements on cathode materials.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward (1) improving understanding of component behavior in molten carbonate fuel cells and (2) developing alternative materials and concepts for components. The principal focus was changed during this period from the development of cathodes fabricated from NiO and electrolyte supports of sintered y-LiA102 to an investigation of NiO cathode dissolution and deposition and a search for alternative cathode materials.

This report presents a diagnostic automation that can be used to investigate classes of systems without feedback loops. This report shows the input needed for the automation, the algorithm used, and the PROLOG program for the simulation.

Elbow assemblies and adjacent piping from the loops A and B core spray injection lines of Quad Cities Units 1 and 2 Boiling Water Reactors have been examined in order to determine the nature and causes of coolant leakages and flaw indications detected during hydrostatic tests and subsequent ultrasonic inspections. The elbow assemblies were found to contain multiple intergranular cracks in the weld heat-affected zones. The cracking was predominantly axial in orientation in the forged elbow and wedge components, whereas mixed axial and circumferential cracking was seen in the wrought piping pieces. In at least two instances, axial cracks completely penetrated the circumferential weld joining adjacent components. Based upon the observations made in the present study, the failures were attributed to intergranular stress corrosion cracking caused by the weld-induced sensitized microstructure and residual stresses present; dissolved oxygen in the reactor coolant apparently served as the corrosive species. The predominantly axial orientation of the cracks present in the forged components is believed to be related to the banded microstructure present in these components. The metallographic studies reported are supplemented by x-radiography, chemical analysis and mechanical test results, determinations of the degree of sensitization present, and measurements of weld metal delta ferrite …

ANL/HTP is a computer code for the simulation of heat pipe operation, to predict heat pipe performance and temperature distributions during steady state operation. Source and sink temperatures and heat transfer coefficients can be set as input boundary conditions, and varied for parametric studies. Five code options are included to calculate performance for fixed operating conditions, or to vary any one of the four boundary conditions to determine the heat pipe limited performance. The performance limits included are viscous, sonic, entrainment capillary, and boiling, using the best available theories to model these effects. The code has built-in models for a number of wick configurations - open grooves, screen-covered grooves, screen-wrap, and arteries, with provision for expansion. The current version of the code includes the thermophysical properties of sodium as the working fluid in an expandable subroutine. The code-calculated performance agrees quite well with measured experiment data.

This report reviews the research activities in Applied Mathematical Sciences at Argonne National Laboratory for the period April 1, 1982, through March 31, 1983. The body of the report discusses various projects carried out in three major areas of research: applied analysis, computational mathematics, and software engineering. Information on section staff, visitors, workshops, and seminars is found in the appendices.

In the process of learning how to write code for the Denelcor HEP, we have developed an approach that others may well find useful. We believe that the basic synchronization primitives of the HEP (i.e., asynchronous variables), along with the prototypical patterns for their use given in the HEP FORTRAN 77 User's Guide, form too low-level a conceptual basis for the formulation of multiprocessing algorithms. We advocate the use of monitors, which can be easily implemented using the HEP primitives. Attempts to solve substantial problems without introducing higher-level constructs such as monitors can produce code that is unreliable, unintelligible, and restricted to the specific dialect of FORTRAN currently supported on the HEP. Our experience leads us to believe that solutions which are both clear and efficient can be formulated using monitors.

As part of the Solar Reliability and Materials Program at Argonne National Laboratory, the atmospheric corrosion of candidate batten and enclosure materials were tested on outdoor racks parallel to the tilted solar-collected panels at nine National Solar Data Network (NSDN) sites, located in mild marine, mild industrial, and rural environments. The candidate materials evaluated include galvanized steel (G-90), aluminized steel (Type 2), aluminum (6061), and white polyester painted steel. Data analyses predicted that all the first three materials will last more than 20 years in the nine sites tested. However, repainting of the painted steel is probably needed within five years in a mild marine environment and five to ten years in a mild industrial or rural environment.

ASHRAE Standard 94-77, Method of Testing Thermal Storage Devices Based on Thermal Performance, was developed to allow manufacturers of thermal energy storage devices to compare their products in a meaningful way. When Standard 94-77 was used for thermal energy storage products based on latent heat storage, the Standard was found to be inadequate for comparison of these devices. Standard Project Committee SPC 94.1 was established to devise a Standard that would be adequate for comparing latent heat systems. The purpose of this report is to describe several alternatives to Standard 94-77 and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. The discussion focuses on two proposed replacement standards and includes experimental results for each. The experimental results are from tests conducted on a PCM storage tank that uses sodium thiosulfate as the PCM and water as the heat transfer fluid. The experimental arrangement is discussed in detail.

This report summarizes the information base that was collected and reviewed in preparation for carrying out an analysis of the compatibility with regulations of waste management technologies for disposal of Hydrogen-3, Iodine-129, Carbon-14, and Krypton-85. Based on the review of this literature, summaries are presented here of waste-form characteristics, packaging, transportation, and disposal methods. Also discussed are regulations that might apply to all operations involved in disposal of the four nuclides, including the processing of irradiated fuel in a fuel reprocessing plant, packaging, storage, transport, and final disposal. The compliance assessment derived from this information is reported in a separate document.

Waste forms of hydrogen-3, iodine-129, carbon-14, and krypton-85 separated from fuel reprocessing streams and procedures for managing them were analyzed regarding compliance with regulations. Transportation of these wastes in certain DOT-specification packagings would be permissible, but some of these packagings may not be acceptable in some disposal situations. Transportation of gaseous krypton-85 in a currently certified cylinder is possible, but a fuel reprocessor may wish to ship larger quantities per package. Disposal of tritium using a package designed by a DOE contractor and shallow land burial, in accord with the regulations of 10 CFR 61, seems practicable. Although 10 CFR 61 permits shallow land burial of iodine-129, the concentration limit requires distribution in a volume that may seem impractical to commercial fuel reprocessors. The concentration limit of 10 CFR 61 for shallow land burial of carbon-14 requires distribution in a lesser, although still large, volume. For both iodine-129 and carbon-14, management as high-level waste offers the advantage of smaller volumes. Similar advantages may be offered by greater confinement or non-near surface concepts for disposal. The concrete waste forms developed for these nuclides may not meet technical criteria being formulated for geologic disposal. The lack of accommodation of krypton-85 at disposal …

A fully coupled solution algorithm for pressure-linked fluid flow equations earlier found to be rapidly convergent in laminar flows has been extended to calculate turbulent flows. The governing mean flow equations are solved in conjunction with a two-equation (k - epsilon) turbulence model. A number of two-dimensional recirculating flows have been computed and it is shown that the calculation procedure is rapidly convergent in all the cases. The calculations have been compared with published experimental data; their agreement is in accord with other published experiences with the (k - epsilon) model in similar flows.

An accelerator group was established at ANL by the request of KFA-Juelich to carry out a conceptual design study and cost estimate for a rapid-cycling synchrotron as a possible first stage program on spallation neutron sources at KFA-Juelich. This set of notes is the individual notes which form the basis of the final report under this proposal prepared in January 1983. This document contains 37 papers/notes for Advanced Accelerator Development - Neutron Source Series Notes...numbered AAD-N-1 through AAD-N-37. Each note or paper is written by various authors.

Fluid damping plays an important role for structures submerged in fluid, subjected to flow, or conveying fluid. This design guide presents a summary of calculational procedures and design data for fluid damping for circular cylinders vibrating in quiescent fluid, crossflow, and parallel flow.

A process is being developed by the Sodium Waste Technology Program at ANL-W to remove metallic sodium from scrap and waste. The final step in the process is the removal of residual metallic sodium by evaporation at temperatures up to 482 C (900 F) and at pressures of about 10⁻² torr (1.3 Pa). Efficient operation of this process requires that the operators have a method to indicate the completion of the evaporation. This end point would signify when the chamber and scrap and waste is free of metallic sodium. It was determined that a measure of the vacuum was not sufficiently sensitive, and a research effort was undertaken to select an on-line monitoring device. In this effort, three promising methods were reviewed. The use of quadrupole mass spectrometer was recommended and an on-line device was designed for use in a Sodium Process Demonstration (SPD) Plant.

A nodal method is developed for the solution of the neutron-diffusion equation in two- and three-dimensional hexagonal geometries. The nodal scheme has been incorporated as an option in the finite-difference diffusion-theory code DIF3D, and is intended for use in the analysis of current LMFBR designs. The nodal equations are derived using higher-order polynomial approximations to the spatial dependence of the flux within the hexagonal-z node. The final equations, which are cast in the form of inhomogeneous response-matrix equations for each energy group, involved spatial moments of the node-interior flux distribution plus surface-averaged partial currents across the faces of the node. These equations are solved using a conventional fission-source iteration accelerated by coarse-mesh rebalance and asymptotic source extrapolation. This report describes the mathematical development and numerical solution of the nodal equations, as well as the use of the nodal option and details concerning its programming structure. This latter information is intended to supplement the information provided in the separate documentation of the DIF3D code.

Computer graphic representation of the antigen-binding sites of two Bence-Jones proteins (antibody light chain diners), Loc (left) and Mcg (right). The spheres represent individual amino acids. Each binding site is composed of two variable domains and each domain consists of framework segments and the hyper-variable segments which confer the specificity to the antibody molecule.

Three series of tests are performed to evaluate the effects of tube to tube-support-plate (TSP) clearance on tube dynamic characteristics and instability phenomena for tube arrays in crossflow. Test results show that, for relatively large clearances, tubes may possess TSP-inactive modes in which the tubes rattle inside some of the tube-support-plate holes, and that the natural frequencies of TSP-inactive modes are lower than those of TSP-active modes, in which the support plates provide knife-edge type support. Tube response characteristics associated with TSP-inactive modes are sensitive to tube-to-TSP clearance, TSP thickness, excitation amplitude, tube alignment, and the fluid inside the clearance. In addition, tube response is intrinsically nonlinear, with the dominance of TSP-inactive or TSP-active modes depending on the magnitudes of different system parameters. In general, such a system is difficult to model; only a full-scale test can provide all the necessary characteristics. A tube array supported by TSPs with relatively large clearances may be subjected to dynamic instability in some of the TSP-inactive modes; tube response characteristics and impact forces on TSPs for a tube row are studied in detail in this report. Tube displacements associated with the instability of a TSP-inactive mode are small; however, impacts of the tube …

The need to understand concrete behavior under high temperatures in the nuclear industry has become rather acute. For this purpose, a constitutive model of concrete especially developed for this severe environment is indispensable. This report reviews the presently available constitutive models of concrete at standard-temperature conditions and considers their advantages and drawbacks. A rather simple but effective approach is selected to treat concrete behavior at high temperatures. Special emphasis is devoted to the modeling of concrete up to and including failure. The derived constitutive model is checked with biaxial and triaxial benchmark experimental results. Very good agreement is obtained.

This report summarizes the work completed on a project concerned with engineering models in dynamic plasticity. The concept of the endochronic theory of viscoplasticity and its subsequent improvement are discussed briefly. Applications and extensions of the theory to various dynamic problems are presented. In particular, the strain-rate effect in the improved endochronic theory and its application to wave propagation problems are discussed. Comparing the numerical results with other calculations and experimental data, it appears that endochronic theory provides a promising representation of realistic material behavior. At the same time endochronic theory is often numerically more efficient than other formulations.

Annual report of the environmental monitoring program at Argonne National Laboratory, discussing activities and findings of the group.

This is the second report describing an ongoing environmental surveillance program conducted at the Palos Park Forest Preserve near Chicago, Illinois. The Preserve was a site of a nuclear research laboratory (Site A) from 1943 to 1956 and a radioactive waste burial site (Plot M) from 1944 to 1949. An extensive radiological characterization of the site was conducted from February 1976 to August 1977, and tritium in the form of water was found to be the only radionuclide that migrated from the nuclear facilities. The results were published in US Department of Energy Report DOE/EV-0005/7. The present report summarizes the earlier findings and gives the detailed results of the work from August 1977 through December 1981. The vertical and horizontal distribution of tritium within the glacial till was determined from measurements of tritium in soil moisture. Chemical and radiochemical analyses were performed on a number of wells in the area. Tritiated water continued to be the only species that was observed to have migrated from the Plot M area. Migration from the Site A area was not observed. The concentration of tritium at the Red Gate Woods well, 1200 ft down-gradient from Plot M, continued to show the seasonal fluctuations …

Tests are conducted for tubes conveying fluid for six types of support conditions. The objectives are to understand the dynamic characteristics of such systems for different support conditions and to explore the methods to control tube stability. Transition from one instability mechanism to another is examined, and the feasibility of using feedback control to increase the critical flow velocity is demonstrated.