First wall/blanket/shield design and optimization system (BSDOS) has been developed to provide a state-of-the-art design tool for fast accurate analysis. In addition, it has been designed to perform several other functions: (1) allowing comparison and evaluation studies for different concepts using the same data bases and ground rules, (2) permitting the use of any figure of merit in the evaluation studies, (3) optimizing the first wall/blanket/shield design parameters for any figure of merit under several design constraints, (4) permitting the use of different reactor parameters in the evaluation and optimization analyses, (5) allowing the use of improved eingineering data bases to study the impact on the design performance for planning future research and development, and (6) evaluating the effect of the data base uncertainties on the design performance. BSDOS is the first design and optimization system to couple the highly interacting neutronics, heat transfer, thermal hydraulics, stress analysis, radioactivity and decay-heat analyses, tritium balance, and capital cost. A brief description of the main features of BSDOS is given in this paper. Also, results from using BSDOS to perform design analysis for several reactor components are presented. 17 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

A rate-theory approach is applied to interpreting observations on the precipitation of Kr injected into Ni at temperatures between 25 and 560/degree/C. At temperatures of 400/degree/C or higher, the implanted Kr precipitates evolve into a bi-modal size distribution containing small solid precipitates and an additional population of larger, faceted bubbles. The calculations explore the dependence of the observed bi-modal distribution on the maximum size of the solid Kr precipitates and the effect of this dependence on bubble mobility. The analysis suggests that during the irradiation, whereas the large bubbles move by surface diffusion, the solid Kr precipitates are immobile. The relevance of the Kr-Ni interaction on the solid Kr precipitates size cutoff is discussed. 18 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

The scientific feasibility, technological inevitability, and economic necessity of fusion as an energy source are discussed.

This work addresses an important objective of the TSTA-demonstrating that the large tritium inventories required for fusion reactors can be routinely handled, without radiation exposure to operating personnel and without significant environemtnal releases. The techniques by which TSTA has achieved low releases and personnel exposures include high-integrity primary piping systems that exclude contact between tritium and organic materials, a secondary containment system that encloses all primary tritium piping in a controlled environment, an efficient, all-purpose tritium waste-treatment plant with 100% availability, and ultrasensitive, real-time diagnostics for anticipating and preventing releases, and for detection and location of tritium leaks in a low-risk mode. 5 refs., 11 figs., 2 tabs.

Argonne National Laboratory has the largest US program for the development of blanket technology. The goals of the program are to resolve critical issues for different blanket concepts, to develop the understanding and predictive capability of blanket behavior, and to develop the technology needed to build and operate advanced fusion blankets. The projects within the program are liquid metal MHD, breeder neutronics, tritium oxidation, transient electromagnetics, FLIBE chemistry, and insulator coatings. The present status and recent results of the projects are described.

The gamma-ray bump observed between 0.5 and 2 MeV in the spectrum of Cygnus X-1 can be interpreted as the thermal emissions from a hot (kT)approximately)400 keV) pair-dominated cloud. We argue that the X-rays and gamma rays are produced in separate emission regions, and calculate the photon-photon pair production rate from X-ray and gamma-ray interactions in the vicinity of Cyg X-1 by employing a simplified geometry for the two emitting regions.

The requirements of tritium technology are centered in three main areas, i.e., (1) fuel processing, (2) breeder tritium extraction, and (3) tritium containment. The gaseous tritium stream from the breeder tritium extraction system is significantly different from the plasma exhaust stream and, therefore, may have important impact on the operation of the fuel processing system. For some blankets, such as aqueous solution blanket, the blanket tritium stream may dominate the fuel processing system in terms of component size and power consumption. The importance of the blanket interface to a fuel processing experiment, such as TSTA, has been identified. The initial work to define the blanket processing system, which is proposed to be added as part of TSTA, will be discussed here.

This paper trys to explain the rapid increase in the apparent size of the rubidium isotope nuclei around the magic number N = 50. Droplet and deformation models are used to evaluate the measured data. 6 refs., 4 figs.

TEM images of the martensite structure in Nb/sub 3/Sn were recorded at various temperatures between 12 and 30/degree/K. The transition to the superconducting state was observed by a slight deflection of the electron beam due to a perturbation of the magnetic field of the objective lens at the sample. The primary interest is in irradiation effects due to fast neutrons from a fusion reactor, and therefore ion irradiation conditions that are somewhat comparable to this were selected. These consisted of 50 keV Xe/sup /plus// irradiations to simulate neutron produced cascades in a near surface region and 1.5 Mev Kr/sup /plus// to produce cascade damage through a greater sample thickness. Defect images were obtained as a function of ion dose at 13/degree/K using both fundamental and superlattice dark-field reflections in two-beam conditions. For 50 keV Xe/sup /plus// irradiations at 13/degree/K the defect yields were quite low at low ion doses where individual defect cascades are well separated. At higher ion doses when significant cascade overlap is present, defect density and contrast became greater than expected. Annealing to room temperature produced a large increase in defect density. Irradiation by 1.5 MeV Kr/sup /plus// at 15/degree/K removed the martensite structure by an ion …

A study of self-cooled lithium blankets was carried out to define the performance of these blankets and to determine the potential to operate at the maximum possible values of the performance parameters. The main design parameters considered during the course of the study were the tritium breeding ratio, the blanket energy multiplication factor, the energy fraction lost to the shield, the total blanket thickness, the reflector material selection, and the compositions of the different blanket zones. Another study was carried out to determine materials, compositions, arrangements, and thickness of the shield zone for the reference blanket. Helium and water-cooled shields were optimized for the inboard and outboard sections of the reactor. Based on the above two studies, the reference blanket and shield configurations were developed for the ANL Tokamak Power Systems Study. The helium-cooled shield was selected for use with liquid metal blankets to reduce safety concerns related to lithium-water reactivity. This helium-cooled shield provides shielding characteristics similar to a conventional water-cooled shield. The analyses and results from these studies are the subject of this paper. 12 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Sub-keV x-ray photoabsorption cross section measurements in transmission have been made using synchrotron radiation beam lines on the VUV storage ring at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and on the SPEAR storage ring at Stanford. The experimental considerations associated with making absolute measurements are reviewed, along with techniques for resolving difficulties. Suggestions for future measurements are included.

The potential for experimentally studying B physics at the proposed INFN 100 TeV ELOISATRON (Euroasiatic Long Intersecting Superconducting Accelerator Synchrotron) is compared with possibilities at 40 TeV at the Superconducting Super Collider. The effect of the increase in center of mass energy on the production and decay of B mesons has been investigated, particularly with respect to the accummulation of large samples of B hadron decays necessary for the detection of CP violating effects. 13 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

Lithium orthosilicate (Li/sub 4/SiO/sub 4/) powder was synthesized by the solid-state reaction of lithium oxide with amorphous silica, and the effects of fabrication parameters on the structural characteristics of the product were investigated. Processing considerations such as milling media, drying technique, calcination time and temperature, pressing behavior, sintering time and temperatures, and impurity concentration were addressed. The initial powder particle size was observed to be important in achieving high sintered density, with densities as high as 98% TD achieved with a particle size of approximately 1 ..mu..m. 9 refs., 6 figs.

This work describes modifications made to a commercial piezoelectric valve to make it sufficiently tritium compatible for the TFTR trritium injection scenario. The results of testing the valve for leakage and performance following a series of progressively more severe tritium exposures are also presented. Finally, a proposal for a totally radiation-compatible piezoelectric valve, suitable for tritium-burning fusion machines of the future, is decribed. 9 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of a human cell contains all the information required for specifying that cell, or indeed the whole person, and constitues the human genome. Programs are now underway to obtain genetic linkage maps and physical maps of human chromosomes containing the DNA, and large scale efforts will soon begin to provide detailed sequences. The challenges involved in assembling these data into a knowledge base are examined. Computations will play a key role in enabling the scientists to understand the information contained in sequence data. Pattern recognition and string matching algorithms will be of particular importance. Recent results in the use of adaptive networks for pattern detection will be presented. 19 refs.

This six-volume report contains 140 papers out of the 164 that were presented at the Fifteenth Water Reactor Safety Information Meeting held at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, during the week of October 26-29, 1987. The papers are printed in the order of their presentation in each session and describe progress and results of programs in nuclear safety research conducted in this country and abroad. This report, Volume 6, discusses decontamination and decommissioning, accident management, and the Three Mile Island-2 reactor accident. Thirteen reports have been cataloged separately.

A new tritium recovery concept from lithium has been developed as part of the US/Japan collaboration on Reversed-Field Pinch Reactor Design Studies. This concept combines the ..gamma..-gettering process as the front end to recover tritium from the coolant, and a molten salt recovery process to extract tritium for fuel processing. A secondary lithium is used to regenerate the tritium from the gettering bed and, in the process, increases the tritium concentration by a factor of about 20. That way, the required size of the molten salt process becomes very small. A potential problem is the possible poisoning of the gettering bed by the salt dissolved in lithium. 16 refs., 6 figs.

A conceptual design of a D-T fusion facility for continuous production of 14-MeV neutron wall loading from 5 to 10 MW/m/sup 2/ at the plasma surface is presented. In this design, D-T neutrons are produced in a linear, two-component plasma formed by neutral beam irradiation of a fully ionized warm plasma target. The beam energy, which is deposited in the center, is transferred to the warm plasma mainly by electron drag and is conducted along the target plasma column to end regions where it is absorbed in neutral gas at high pressure. The target plasma is operated in a regime where electron thermal conduction along the column is the controlling energy-loss process. The loss rate is minimized by adjusting the diameter and length of the plasma column. A substantial gradient in T/sub e/ along the column results in recombination of the plasma to gas in the end-regions before impact on the end walls. The resultant hot gas is cooled by contact with large-area heat exchangers. In this way, the large steady-state heat load from the injected neutral beams is diffused and removed at tolerable heat flux levels. The reacting plasma is essentially an extrapolation of the 2XIIB high-..beta.. plasma to …

Peat, the precursor of coal, is composed primarily of plant components and secondarily of inorganic matter derived from a variety of sources. The elemental, mineralogic, and petrographic composition of a peat is controlled by a combination of both its botanical and depositional environment. Inorganic contents of peats can vary greatly between geographically separated peat bogs as well as vertially and horizontally within an individual bog. Predicting the form and distribution of inorganic matter in a coal deposit requires understanding the distribution and preservation of inorganic matter in peat-forming environments and diagenetic alterations affecting such material during late-stage peatification and coalification processes. 43 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

The first national users meeting for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory - held November 13-14, 1986, at Argonne - brought together scientists and engineers from industry, universities, and national laboratories to exchange information on the design of the facility and expectations for its use. Presented papers and potential participating research team (PRT) plans are documented in these proceedings. Topics covered include the current status of the project, an overview of the APS conceptual design, scientific opportunities offered by the facility for synchrotron-radiation-related research, current proposals and funding mechanisms for beam lines, and user policies. A number of participants representing universities and private industry discussed plans for the possible formation of PRTs to build and use beam lines at the APS site. The meeting also provided an opportunity for potential users to organize their efforts to support and guide the facility's development.

The Target-4 neutron source at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) has recently been commissioned and used as a )open quotes)white)close quotes) source of fast neutrons from 1 to 500 MeV. A 90-meter flight path at a neutron production angle of 15 degrees has been characterized for neutron flux and spectral shape. The flux and shape agree well with calculated values showing that this is indeed an intense and useful white neutron source. Initial measurements of the /sup 12/C(n,p) reaction at forward angles have been made in the energy range 50 to 500 MeV. The results point the way to improve detector schemes and to a program of (n,p) cross section measurements in the energy range where preequilibrium processes dominate much of the charged-particle emission spectra. 3 refs., 2 figs.

A novel, nonobstructive diagnostic technique for high energy H/sup minus/D/sup minus/ ion beams is described. This scheme employs spectroscopic techniques designed to measure beam profile, perpendicular velocity spread (i.e., divergence), and orientation of multiMeV H/sup minus/ beams. The basic principle of this method is to photoneutralize a small portion of the H/sup minus/ beam in a way such that the photodetachment process results in the formation of excited hydrogen atoms in the n = 2 levels. Observation of fluorescence from spontaneous decay of H(sp) andor induced deacy of H(2s) can be readily used to determine beam profile. Doppler broadening measurements can be used to determine velocity spread from which beam emittance is calculated. With off-the-shelf instruments resolutions of 1 mm for beam profile and 2 x 10/sup minus/2) ..pi.. cm-mrad are possible. For photodetachment, the best commercially available laser is found to be ArF eximer laser. The analysis is performed for the 200 MEV BNL Linac. The laser, which has a pulse duration which has a pulse duration which is of 10/sup minus/5) of the linac can produce sufficient signal at a negligible beam loss. In addition, measurements of minute Doppler shifts of this Lyman-Alpha radiation by a spectrograph could …

Astrophysical r-process calculations of transbismuth elements are of interest because certain actinide pairs can be treated as chronometers in determining the duration of nucleosynthesis. For one such calculation where a particularly long galactic age was derived, 21 + 2 - 4 Gyr, we present evidence that the effect of beta-delayed fission appears to be seriously overestimated in uranium decay chains with A = 252 to 257. With this conclusion, it follows that this estimate of the galactic age must be considered more uncertain than if the calculated rates of beta-delayed fission were found to be acceptable. The nuclear level structure of 238Np has been investigated using the 237Np(n,..gamma..)238Np reaction and the alpha decay of 242mAm as experimental probes. Having established a level scheme for 238Np that includes 47 excited levels and 93 secondary transitions, we find a high degree of correspondence between the experimental band structure and that of a semi-empirical model developed to predict excitations in odd-odd deformed nuclei. 35 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

Initial results are presented for the determination of a global medium-energy nucleon-nucleus phenomenological optical-model potential using a relativistic Schroedinger representation. The starting point for this work is the global phenomenological optical-model potential of Schwandt )ital et al.), which is based on measured elastic scattering cross sections and analyzing power for polarized protons ranging from 80 to 180 MeV. This potential is optimally modified to reproduce experimental proton reaction cross sections as a function of energy, while allowing only minimal deterioration in the fits to the elastic cross sections and analyzing powers. Further modifications in the absorptive potential were found necessary to extrapolate the modified potential to higher energies. The final potential is converted to a neutron-nucleus potential by use of standard Lane model assumptions and by accounting approximately for the Coulomb correction. Comparisons of measured and calculated proton reaction and neutron total cross sections are presented for /sup 27/Al, /sup 56/Fe, and /sup 208/Pb. Medium-energy optical-model potentials for complex projectiles are briefly discussed in an appendix. 7 refs., 20 figs