The objective of this program is to provide an overall evaluation of a novel process concept for mild gasification by completing work in three major tasks: (1) Laboratory-Scale Experiments, (2) Bench-Scale Tests, and (3) Proof-of-Concept Tests and Evaluation (optional). During this quarter, experimental work involving zinc chloride as a potential recirculating catalyst for coal, initiated in the previous quarter, was continued. The design of an all-quartz laboratory-scale isothermal free-fall reactor was completed, and construction was begun. One free-fall experiment was performed in an existing stainless-steel free-fall reactor with methanol-treated Illinois No. 6 high-volatile bituminous coal. 1 ref., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Report on research and exchange of views among 24 mathematicians for investigations of the theory of singular Sturm-Liouville equations, the asymptotic analysis of the Titchmarsh-Weyl m(λ)-coefficient, and the qualitative theory of non-linear differential equations.

Report on the current status of X-ray computed tomography and the principal advantages of CT scanning.

In this report, we establish that the use of an automated theorem- proving program to study deep questions from mathematics and logic is indeed an excellent move. Among such problems, we focus mainly on that concerning the construction of fixed point combinators--a problem considered by logicians to be significant and difficult to solve, and often computationally intensive and arduous. To be a fixed point combinator, THETA must satisfy the equation THETAx = x(THETAx) for all combinators x. The specific questions on which we focus most heavily ask, for each chosen set of combinators, whether a fixed point combinator can be constructed from the members of that set. For answering questions of this type, we present a new, sound, and efficient method, called the kernel method, which can be applied quite easily by hand and very easily by an automated theorem-proving program. For the application of the kernel method by a theorem-proving program, we illustrate the vital role that is played by both paramodulation and demodulation--two of the powerful features frequently offered by an automated theorem-proving program for treating equality as if it is ''understood.'' We also state a conjecture that, if proved, establishes the completeness of the kernel method. From …

A guide to the use of a collection of software tools for data dependency analysis and program transformation, written in Fortran and for a Unix environment.

The observation of an anti-Stokes satellite in the spectrum of light backscattered from a CO{sub 2} laser plasma is reported. Its origin is found to be Thomson scattering of the incident light from a counterpropagating mode-coupled plasma wave. The parent electron and ion waves in the mode-coupling process were driven by stimulated Raman and Brillouin backscattering. The parent and daughter plasma waves were detected by ruby laser Thomson scattering. A computer simulation modeling the experiment shows further cascading of the Stokes backscattered light to lower frequencies, apparently due to its rescattering by another, higher phase velocity, counterpropagating coupled mode. Comparisons with theoretical predictions are presented. 16 refs., 4 figs.

This report describes technical progress during the past twelve months on DOE Contract DE-FG-87ER25030 and requests support for the third year. The project involves study of the theoretical properties and computational performance of techniques that solve linear and nonlinear programs by means of nonlinear transformations. The group at the Systems Optimization Laboratory (SOL) were the first to recognize the connection between Karmarkar's projective method and the logarithmic barrier method. It is now generally recognized that essentially all interior-point methods for linear programming inspired by Karmarkar's method are closely related to application of Newton's method to a sequence of barrier functions. Each barrier function is defined from the objective function and a barrier term that is infinite along the boundary of the feasible region. As the weight on the barrier term is reduced to zero, the solution of the subproblem becomes closer to the solution of the original problem.

This report examines developments in the use of computer-based technologies, analyzes key trends in hardware and software development, evaluates the capability of technology to improve learning in many areas, and explores ways to substantially increase student access to technology. The role of the teacher, teachers’ needs for training, and the impact of Federal support for educational technology research and development are reviewed as well.

This technical memorandum explains, the United States has spent relatively little effort in applying them to operations. Just as important as cost saving technologies are appropriate management methods, or strategies, to put these technologies to work. In some cases, OTA has found, cost savings could be achieved by streamlining operations and reducing the burden of documentation and reporting requirements that have slowly expanded over the years.

This report has gathered information on agricultural production throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, looked closely at specific, promising technologies such as agroforestry, small-scale irrigation, soil and water management, and the improved use of animals. As a result, it seems clear that low-resource agriculture has a sizable potential to contribute to increased African food security. Also, it is clear that low-resource agriculture must be enhanced in order to reach its full potential. This report identifies ways that U.S. development assistance can aid this process.

This report contains the results of that analysis. A review of critical intergovernmental issues for the Department of Transportation and State Governments has been added to the basic questions about the adequacy of Federal standards and programs. During the course of the study, it became clear that the report would have to consider how policy is implemented, and consequently, the relationship between the Department of Transportation and the States, which have become important partners in Federal safety programs.

This special report considers the implications of new developments in biological sciences for the freedoms and protections embedded in our Bill of Rights. It is one of a series of publications coming from OTA’s Constitutional Bicentennial Project, begun in 1987 at the request of the House Committee on the Judiciary and its Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice.

This report responds to a request from the Technology Assessment Board—the congressional oversight body for the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)–prompted by the balance-of-trade and other economic implications of these events. The report describes the conditions the domestic and world copper industry faced during the early 1980s. It documents the steps U.S. copper companies took to improve their position so dramatically in the mid-980s, and evaluates the industry’s present and possible future status, including relative costs of production and the elements of those costs.

Oxygen supplementation is the process by which naturally occurring dissolved oxygen (DO) is supplemented with enriched oxygen to restore or enhance DO levels in water. In aquaculture this is usually done with relatively pure oxygen and the result has significant potential to improve fish health, aid hatchery economic considerations, or both. For example, oxygen supplementation can preclude both hypoxia and gas bubble disease, as well as allow more fish to be reared in the same space or water or both. However, the concepts and technology in oxygen supplementation are evolving rapidly and direct communication with the user groups would foster technology transfer and improve implementation. Therefore we undertook and now report a survey of organizations that either currently use or plan to use oxygen supplementation. Additionally we included various pertinent material, including literature sources, lists of consultants and equipment manufacturers and some current research in oxygen supplementation.

A workshop to discuss opportunities for research using the Advanced Light Source (ALS) was held as a part of the first annual ALS users meeting at the Berkeley Convention Center, Berkeley, California, June 2--3, 1988. The participants were from university and governmental laboratories, and some of those attending had had experience using synchrotron light sources. Because the Earth Science interests had not been voiced or considered in previous workshops or meetings of the ALS groups, it was the principal task of the group to explore the capabilities of the ALS appropriate to the Earth Sciences, to identify areas of research where the ALS would be of significant benefit, and to provide input regarding desired insertion devices. Discussions of synchrotron radiation phenomena and applications of synchrotron radiation in earth sciences have been highlighted in the literature and in a recent report of a workshop held at Argonne National Laboratory. A summary outline of some typical potential uses and the information to be gained from the use of synchrotron radiation is given. This is not an exhaustive list of earth sciences applications, but indicates the breadth of applications that can be addressed: (A) X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) Spectroscopy (Oxidation state …

Radiation protection programs for workers are based, in the United States, on a hierarchy of limitations stemming from Federal guidance approved by the President. This guidance, which consists of principles, policies, and numerical primary guides, is used by Federal agencies as the basis for developing and implementing their own regulatory standards. The primary guides are usually expressed in terms of limiting doses to workers. The protection of workers against taking radioactive materials into the body, however, is accomplished largely through the use of regulations based on derived guides expressed in terms of quantities or concentrations of radionuclides. The values of these derived guides are chosen so as to assure that workers in work environments that conform to them are unlikely to receive radiation doses that exceed the primary guides. The purpose of the present report is to set forth derived guides that are consistent with current Federal radiation protection guidance. They are intended to serve as the basis for regulations setting upper bounds on the inhalation and ingestion of, and submersion in, radioactive materials in the workplace. The report also includes tables of exposure-to-dose conversion factors, for general use in assessing average individual committed doses in any population that is …

A lattice model is developed for the prediction of structure and thermodynamic properties at free polymer melt surfaces and polymer melt/solid interfaces. Density variations in the interfacial region are taken into account by introducing voids in the lattice, in the spirit of the equation of state theory of Sanchez and Lacombe. Intramolecular energy (chain stiffness) effects are explicitly incorporated. The model is derived through a rigorous statistical mechanical and thermodynamic analysis, which is based on the concept of availability. Two cases are considered: ''full equilibrium,'' whereby the interfacial polymer is taken as free to exchange heat, work and mass with a bulk polymer phase at given temperature and pressure; and ''restricted equilibrium,'' whereby a thin polymer film is allowed to equilibrate locally in response to ambient temperature and pressure, but in which chains do not necessarily have the same chemical potential as in the unconstrained bulk. Techniques are developed for calculating surface tension, adhesion tension, density profiles, chain shape, bond orientation, as well as the distribution of segments of various orders in the interfacial region. 28 refs., 6 figs.

This report represents the results of an experimental survey of the factors that affect leaching from several types of solidified low-level radioactive waste forms. The goal of these investigations was to determine those factors that accelerate leaching without changing its mechanism(s). Typically, although not in every case,the accelerating factors include: increased temperature, increased waste loading (i.e., increased waste to binder ratio), and decreased size (i.e., decreased waste form volume to surface area ratio). Additional factors that were studied were: increased leachant volume to waste form surface area ratio, pH, leachant composition (groundwaters, natural and synthetic chelating agents), leachant flow rate or replacement frequency and waste form porosity and surface condition. Other potential factors, including the radiation environment and pressure, were omitted based on a survey of the literature. 82 refs., 236 figs., 13 tabs.

Over the past few years several proposals have been prepared to investigate the potential hazard of ferrocyanide-nitrate reactions that may occur in some Hanford waste tanks. In 1988 Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) decided to perform some of the suggested experimental work. Based on the proposal submitted in July, 1988, it was agreed to do a portion of the work during FY 1988. This report summarizes the results of that work, provides a preliminary analysis of the results, and includes recommendations for further study. The work completed consists of a brief literature search, preparation and analysis of several cesium nickel ferrocyanide, Cs{sub 2}NiFe(CN){sub 6}, oxdiation studies using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetry (TG), and small scale explosion tests.

The UMass group has concentrated on using electromagnetic probes, particularly the electron in high-energy scattering experiments at the Stanford Liner Accelerator Center (SLAC). Plans are also being made for high energy work at the Continuous Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). The properties of this accelerator should permit a whole new class of coincidence experiments to be carried out. At SLAC UMass has made major contributions toward the plans for a cluster-jet gas target and detector system at the 16 GeV PEP storage ring. For the future CEBAF accelerator, tests were made of the feasibility of operating wire drift chambers in the vicinity of a continuous electron beam at the University Illinois microtron. At the same time a program of studies of the nuclear structure of more complex nuclei has been continued at the MIT-Bates Linear Accelerator Center and in Amsterdam at the NIKHEF-K laboratory. At the MIT-Bates Accelerator, because of an unforeseen change in beam scheduling as a result of problems with the T{sub 20} experiment, the UMass group was able to complete data acquisition on experiments involving 180{degrees} elastic magnetic scattering on {sup 117}Sn and {sup 41}Ca. A considerable effort has been given to preparations for a future experiment at …

This Closure Plan for Solid Waste Storage Area 6 (SWSA 6) a disposal area for low-level radioactive wastes and hazardous materials, of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) describes how portions of SWSA 6 will be closed under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Interim Status per 40 CFR 265 Subpart G (TN Rule 1200-1-11-.05(7)). An overview is provided of activities necessary for final closure and corrective measures for all of SWSA 6. Results of surface waters and groundwater sampling are provided.

A screening study was performed on a laboratory scale downfired combustor to determine the effect of various variables on the effectiveness of the reburning process as a technique for NO{sub x} abatement. The objective was to define optimum conditions under which reburning can be used and to be able to compare the reburning performance of our combustor to that reported by others. For this purpose, a statistically designed parametric investigation was conducted to determine how a set of controlled variables (primary and secondary stoichiometric ratios, location of the reburn zone and primary fuel load) would affect the reduction in NO emissions in a classical reburning configuration. Also, the effects of other variables (NO in the primary zone, temperatures in the primary, reburn and burnout zones and the residence time in the reburn zone) were also investigated. No optimum configuration was identified in this study. Nevertheless, this study provides insight into the parameters associated with reburning.

We analysed the effect of precipitation on the dissolution and transport rates of a nondecaying contaminant. Precipitation near the waste surface can have a profound effect on dissolution and transport rates. The mass-transfer rate at the waste surface is controlled by the solid-liquid reaction rate to an extent determined by the modified reaction-rate modulus, ..cap alpha... At later times extending to steady state, the mass-transfer rate depends on the location of the precipitation front r/sub p/ and on the solubility ratio C/sub o//C/sub p/. A precipitation front very near the waste surface can change the dissolution mechanism from solubility-diffusion-controlled to chemical-reaction-rate controlled. Precipitation limits the concentration of the contaminant at r > r/sub p/ to C/sub p/, steepening the concentration gradient for dissolution on the waste package side of the front and flattening the gradient for transport in the region outside the front. This increases the rate of contaminant transport from the waste to the front while decreasing the rate of transport away from the front, when compared to the situation without precipitation. The difference in the transport rates at the front is the rate of precipitation. For large changes in solubility, most of the contaminant is immobilized by precipitation, …

Abstract: This document gives a description of the calibration of liquid-in-glass thermometers at the National Bureau of Standards. The calibration equipment and procedures used at NBS are discussed in detail. Calculations and stem-temperature corrections are shown and a discussion of the sources of error encountered in calibration and estimates of uncertainties is presented.