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The retrospective evaluation methodology is being developed to monitor progress in energy conservation projects and to evaluate their success at completion. The criteria for evaluation will vary according to the project, the anticipated role that the federal government expects to play in development and commercialization, and the level of technology development. Evaluation guidelines are presented and their application is illustrated using a residential water heater refit kit; energy conservation in restaurants; and a national infrared thermography program. (MCW)

The Geothermal Development Program at Lawrence Livermore Lboratory has produced several novel expanders for liquids of low to medium temperatures (approx. 180/sup 0/C). A unique radial outflow reaction turbine (RORT) has been developed and laboratory-tested; results indicate that 50% engine efficiency is achievable. This work has led to a new concept called the velocity pump reaction turbine (VPRT), which could significantly increase the gross engine efficiency of the RORT, VPRT and its modifications are a unique family of turbines created specifically for expanding liquids to produce shaft work at potential engine efficiencies of up to 70%. Such devices, if used between the two separation stages of a double-flash system, could increase the overall power output by 15 to 20%, reducing power costs by at least 10% for about a 3% increase in capital costs. Geothermal applications are discussed with emphasis on geopressured resources. Also, these machines are suitable for utilizing solar heated fluids and waste heat sources from industrial processes.

The limits of blade tolerances are defined. The standard blades are T-2 thickness tolerance: T-O blades are unacceptable. Further testing is necessary to demonstrate feasibility or infeasibility of T-1 blades. Good results have been obtained by using a slurry fluid consisting of mineral oil and a lubricity additive. Cost would be about $0.25 per gallon per run, 1/4 of the cost goal. Adjustments of the formulation and fine tuning of the cutting process with the new fluid are necessary. Test results and consultation indicate that the blade breakage encountered with water based slurries is unavoidable. Two full capacity (974 wafer) runs have been made on the large prototype saw. Both runs resulted in extremely low yield, however, the reasons for the low yields were lack of proper technique rather than problems with machine function. Finally, the tests on the effect of amount of material etched off of an as-sawn wafer on solar cell efficiency have been completed. The results agree with previous work at JPL in that the minimum material removed per side that gives maximum efficiency is on the order of 10 ..mu..m.

The retrospective evaluation methodology, designed to measure the accomplishments of the Buildings and Community Systems projects that are either on-going or completed, is described. The Threshold Screening system and risk analysis methodologies are briefly described. The result of the addition of the retrospective (in-process) evaluation methodology to the threshold/risk analysis and resource allocation methodology is one system by which a project can be screened when it is proposed, monitored in its development, and evaluated at its completion. This report describes the methodology at this early point in its development.

Progress in the development of LMFBR breeding blanket design parameters is reported under the following headings: an improved Dancoff factor prescription and breed/burn blanket management.

Using surface traces, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy, Ti-, Co-, Ni-, and Fe-base alloys were evaluated for erosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) after exposure at about 104{sup 0}C to the nozzle exhaust from acidified geothermal brine. Examples of erosion, SCC, and corrosion are shown. Results are evaluated in terms of synergism between erosion, corrosion, and stress. Repassivation kinetics might play a key role in the formation and growth of erosion cavities. Of the materials tested, the Ti-base alloys appear to have the best combination of resistance to SCC and erosion/corrosion in high-salinity, highly mineralized, acidified, two-phase nozzle exhaust.

This study examines and analyzes several classes of incidents in which decision makers are confronted with adversaries. The classes are analogous to adversaries in a material control system in a nuclear facility. Both internal threats (bank frauds and embezzlements) and external threats (aircraft hijackings and hostage-type terrorist events were analyzed. (DLC)

Fluidized bed incineration and waste immobilization processes are being developed to process the types of waste expected from nuclear facilities. An air classification system has been developed to separate tramp metal from shredded combustible solid waste prior to the waste being fed to a fluidized-bed pilot-plant incinerator. Used organic ion exchange resin with up to 55 percent water has been effectively burned in the fluidized bed incinerator. Various methods of feeding waste into the incinerator were investigated as alternatives to the present compression screw; an extrusion ram was found to suffer extensive damage from hard particles in tested waste. A bench-scale continuous waste immobilization process has been operated and has produced glass from incinerator residue and other types of waste materials.

A key element of the National Energy Plan is the conversion of industrial boiler fuels from natural gas and oil to coal. But widespread conversion to coal is not taking place in the industrial sector. This study identifies the important factors that restrict the acceptance of coal in industry and examines some alternatives to conventional on-site combustion. An analysis of the economic and environmental barriers is made along with a discussion of financial and logistical constraints. The results indicate that the lack of substantial economic incentives, increased risks due to intensified capital requirements, and the absence of a clear environmental policy make coal a poor choice for most of industry. The proposed tax provisions of the National Energy Plan would improve the economic incentives to convert to coal, but for most industrial energy users the incentives will still be too small and the risks too large. Alternatives to conventional on-site facilities considered are central community steam generation and an area coal terminal. These concepts appear promising for some regions of the country.

Instrumentation was designed for monitoring the state of charge of sealed lead--acid cells during discharge. This monitor utilizes the cell voltage during discharge, compensating for variations in load current and temperature. The discharge voltage is converted to a linear function of state of charge by a nonlinear amplifier. Statistics are given for the uncertainty in the monitor. Below 80% state of charge the monitor is accurate to better than +-5% state of charge at all currents in the C to C/10 range. 9 figures, 12 tables.

The neutron-induced fission cross section for /sup 242m/Am(152y) was measured at the Livermore 100-MeV electron linac in the neutron energy range of 0.01 eV to 20 MeV. Fission fragments were detected using a hemispherical fission chamber. The neutron flux was measured below 10 keV using lithium glass scintillators. Above 10 keV, the /sup 242m/Am fission cross section was measured relative to the /sup 235/U fission cross section. Below 20 eV, the data were fit with a sum of single-level Breit-Wigner resonances. Results for the distribution of fission widths, the average fission width, and the average level spacing are presented. The fission cross section in the 100 MeV range is compared with previous measurements. 11 references.

The major unresolved problem in the nuclear industry is the ultimate disposition of the waste products of light water reactors. The study demonstrates the feasibility of designing a very hard spectrum actinide burner reactor (ABR). A 1100 MW/sub t/ ABR design fueled entirely with actinides reprocessed from light water reactor (LWR) wastes is proposed as both an ultimate disposal mechanism for actinides and a means of concurrently producing usable power. Actinides from discharged ABR fuel are recycled to the ABR while fission products are routed to a permanent repository. As an integral part of a large energy park, each such ABR would dispose of the waste actinides from 2 LWRs.

The air in certain work areas at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant is monitored for selected radionuclides to assure safety from toxic effects to personnel in the area. Some of the radionuclides that are determined are shown with their Radiation Protection Standard (RPS) values by means of a table. The RPS is the maximum average airborne contamination to which personnel may be exposed for one week without respiratory protection and is expressed as disintegrations per minute (dpm) per cubic meter (m/sup 3/) of air. It is desirable to make reliable measurements at a level which is 10% of the RPS to ensure that the detection limits are well below the RPS. Thorium, neptunium, plutonium, and uranium all have alpha emitting isotopes and it is their alpha activity which is measured. Results are tabulated.

Changes in ozone and other minor constituents resulting from eleven year variations in the solar flux between 180 and 300 nm reported by Heath and Thekaekara (8) are presented. Results were computed using a one-dimensional time dependent model that allows for all major feedbacks and time delays which may result from changing photolysis rates in the O/sub x/--NO/sub x/--HO/sub x/--ClO/sub x/ system. Since the 1950's the chlorine content of the stratosphere has been increasing. The effect of this increase on ozone variability during the last two solar cycles is analyzed. Expected variations in O/sub 3/ resulting from changes in the uv flux are compared to available measurements of total O/sub 3/.

This paper describes the basic design and philosophy of a real-time, interferometer phase-detection system used on the 2XIIB and TMX magnetic-fusion experiments at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. This diagnostics system is now a satellite to a host computer and uses high-speed, emitter-coupled logic techniques to derive data on real-time phase relationships. The system's input signals can be derived from interferometer outputs over a wide range of reference frequencies. An LSI-11 microcomputer is the interface between the high-speed phase-detection logic, buffer memory, human interaction, and host computer. Phase data on a storage CRT is immediately displayed after each experimental fusion shot. An operator can interrogate this phase data more closely from an interactive control panel, while the host computer is simultaneously examining the system's buffer memory or arming the system for the next shot.

Topping cycles could boost the energy efficiencies of a variety of systems by using what is now waste heat. One such topping cycle uses a ceramic helical expander and would require that a reaction-bonded silicon nitride (RBSN) rotor be bonded to a shaft of TZM (Mo-0.5 wt % Ti-0.08 wt % Zr). Coupon studies show that TZM can be bonded to RBSN at 1300/sup 0/C and 69 MPa if there is an interlayer of MoSi/sub 2/. A layer of finely ground (10 ..mu..m) MoSi/sub 2/ facilitates bond formation and provides a thicker bond interface. The hardness and grain structure of the TZM and RBSN were not affected by the temperature and pressure required to bond the coupons.

A research program to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of producing solar-cell-quality sheet silicon by coating inexpensive ceramic substrates with a thin layer of polycrystalline silicon is described. The coating methods to be developed are directed toward a minimum-cost process for producing solar cells with a terrestrial conversion efficiency of 12 percent or greater. By applying a graphite coating to one face of a ceramic substrate, molten silicon can be caused to wet only that graphite-coated face and produce uniform thin layers of large-grain polycrystalline silicon; thus, only a minimal quantity of silicon is consumed. A dip-coating method for putting silicon on ceramic (SOC) has been shown to produce solar-cell-quality sheet silicon. This method and a continuous coating process also being investigated have excellent scale-up potential which offers an outstanding cost-effective way to manufacture large-area solar cells. A variety of ceramic materials have been dip-coated with silicon. The investigation has shown that mullite substrates containing an excess of SiO/sub 2/ best match the thermal expansion coefficient of silicon and hence produce the best SOC layers. With such substrates, smooth and uniform silicon layers 25 cm/sup 2/ in area have been achieved with single-crystal grains as large as 4 mm …

A nondestructive technique, using penetrating x radiation, has been developed to measure the density uniformity of low-Z, compressible materials that is independent of material thickness. Thickness independence is achieved by simultaneously monitoring the transmitted and scattered x rays. Results on samples of pressed carbon materials have demonstrated that there is the expected linear relationship between measured quantities and material density, independent of material thickness, and that this is a viable means of measuring density uniformity.

CCTV-MTI (closed circuit television--moving target indicator) monitors represent typical components of access control systems, as for example in a material control and accounting (MC and A) safeguards system. This report describes a performance model for a CCTV-MTI monitor. The performance of a human in an MTI role is a separate problem and is not addressed here. This work was done in conjunction with the NRC sponsored LLL assessment procedure for MC and A systems which is presently under development. We develop a noise model for a generic camera system and a model for the detection mechanism for a postulated MTI design. These models are then translated into an overall performance model. Measures of performance are probabilities of detection and false alarm as a function of intruder-induced grey level changes in the protected area. Sensor responsivity, lens F-number, source illumination and spectral response were treated as design parameters. Some specific results are illustrated for a postulated design employing a camera with a Si-target vidicon. Reflectance or light level changes in excess of 10% due to an intruder will be detected with a very high probability for the portion of the visible spectrum with wavelengths above 500 nm. The resulting false alarm …

A major milestone was completed in the Oceans Engineering area with the successful deployment of the Test Farm. All systems were installed by 29 September 1978, and a detailed systems checkout is now underway prior to a full start-up of the Test Farm. Compatibility of the Test Farm with the planned transport and attachment procedures of the Macrocystis pyrifera plants has been completed and planting will begin on the full structure during the month of October. Success was also achieved in the Inoculum Development phase of the program with the production of two methane enrichments, one grown on an acetate medium and the other on a mixed acid substrate. These will be used in future mixed inoculum digester studies as an attempt to significantly decrease detention time.

The effectiveness of quadrupole vs. solenoidal focusing in suppressing the image displacement instability in linear induction electron accelerators is discussed. A brief explanation of the instability is presented; a criterion is derived for the magnitude of the solenoidal magnetic field required to suppress the instability. Two quadrupole arrangements are treated, and criteria derived for the magnitude of the pole-face field required to suppress the instability. For one arrangement the required pole-face field is less than one-half the required solenoidal field, suggesting that quadrupole focusing may have a practical advantage.

The objectives of this program are to evaluate candidate alloys for Very High Temperature Reactor Nuclear Process Heat (NPH) and Direct Cycle Helium Turbine (DCHT) applications, in terms of the affect of simulated reactor primary coolant (helium containing small amounts of various other gases), high temperatures, and long time exposures, on the mechanical properties and structural and surface stability of selected candidate alloys. A second objective is to select and recommend materials for future test facilities and more extensive qualification programs. Work covered includes the activities associated with the procurement of the materials for the screening test program and information from vendor certification for the materials received for the nuclear process heat candidate alloys. The design modifications to the helium purification system and the construction status of the simulated reactor helium supply system, testing equipment, and analysis instrumentation and equipment are discussed. Finally, the status and details of the data management are presented.

Progress is reported in the design of the 50 MT/year experimental facility for the preparation of high-purity silicon by the zinc vapor reduction of silicon tetrachloride in a fluidized bed of seed particles to form a free-flowing granular product. Progress is reported in the design of the silicon tetrachloride purification facility, the zinc/ZnCl/sub 2/ by-product condenser and also non-conventional items, the fluidized bed, zinc feed system, zinc vaporizer, and electrolytic cell.