Major accomplishments are listed: 1. It was found that molten sodium hydroxide (in place of mixed sodium and potassium hydroxides) followed by dilute sulfuric acid wash gave Gravimelt coal with the usual amount of sulfur and mineral matter removal but there was no MAF heat content loss over the small amount required for replacement of sulfur atoms by oxygen atoms in the coal structure - e.g., these samples had both measured heat content and MAF heat content in excess of 1400 Btu/lb. Therefore, the selectivity of the Gravimelt Process appears to be very high. 2. It was found that demineralized and desulfurizd Gravimelt coal has significantly less alkali metals content than the input coal. 3. Kentucky No. 11 coal was reduced in sulfur content to a level of 0.10 lbs of sulfur (0.20 lbs of sulfur dioxide)/10/sup 6/ Btu with an ash content of 0.21% in a cumulative reaction time of 60 minutes. This represents a 96% reduction in sulfur and a 97% reduction in ash. This product is significantly lower in sulfur content and ash than are typical synthetic or conventional liquid boiler fuels. 4. The Gravimelt Process was tested on Illinois No. 6 coal giving essentially identical results …

A general expression has been derived to enable calculation of the calibration error resulting from simulator-solar AMX spectral mismatch and from reference cell-test cell spectral mismatch. The information required includes the relative spectral response of the reference cell, the relative spectral response of the cell under test, and the relative spectral irradiance of the simulator (over the spectral range defined by cell response). The spectral irradiance of the solar AMX is assumed to be known.

A study of basic combustion and pollutant formation processes for pulverized solid fossil fuels has been initiated. The solid fossil fuels under consideration for this research include such solid fuels as non-bituminous coal types, solvent refined coal, combustion char, petroleum coke, oil shale and tar sand. The potential industrial application of pulverized fuels other than coal provides some promise for relief from present and future conventional fuel shortages. Utilization problems with these fuels such as flame stability, fuel handling, pollutant emission and ash and slag formation in large-scale furnaces may be fundamentally addressed in laboratory reactors using properly scaled operating variables. An extensive literature search was begun to assess current knowledge relative to utilization of these fuels. This review will provide a basis for selection of three solid fuels for testing. Pertinent information from industrial contacts will also be used in the fuel selection. The criteria to be used in the selection of these fuels include availability for economic industrial use, adaptability, grindability, flame stability, entrainability, uniformity, applicability to direct firing with air, solidity with heating, availability to the BYU Combustion Laboratory, cost, other physical characteristics affecting their use, industrial input and recommendations, and DOE approval. The existing laboratory coal …

Installation of the cell preparation station into its new enclosure is now complete and operation verification tests have been performed. The detailed layout drawings of the Automated Lamination Station have been produced and construction has begun. All major and most minor components have been delivered by vendors. The station framework has been built and assembly of components is underway. The final drawings for the Automated Vacuum Chamber are being completed and the first in-house components are being fabricated.

The objective of the BNL Neutral Beam Program is to develop a 250 keV neutral beam system suitable for heating and other experiments in toroidal or mirror plasma devices. The system is based on acceleration and neutralization of negative hydrogen ions produced in and directly extracted from a source. The objective of source studies is to develop a module delivering 10 A of negative ion currents, with pulse lengths ranging from several seconds duration up to a steady-state operation. The extracted current density should be several hundred mA/cm/sup 2/, and the source should operate with power and gas efficiencies acceptable from the beam line point of view. The objective of beam extraction and transport studies is to design a system matching the 10 A source module to the acceleration stage. The 250 keV acceleration studies cover several options, including a d.c. close-coupled system, a large aperture d.c. system matched to the source by a bending magnet, a multiaperture d.c. system following a multiaperture strong focusing transport line, and a MEQALAC structure.

Charge efficiencies were determined for ESB EV-106 lead-acid batteries by measurements made under widely differing conditions of temperature, charge procedure, and battery age. The measurements were used to optimize charge procedures and to evaluate the concept of a modified, coulometric state-of-charge indicator. Charge efficiency determinations were made by measuring gassing rates and oxygen fractions. A novel, positive displacement gas flow meter which proved to be both simple and highly accurate is described and illustrated.

Preparations are being made to ready the equipment for the test program. The main effort described in this report pertains to the redesign of the main shaft bearing and seal system.

Fragility functions are cumulative distribution functions (cdfs) of strengths at failure. They are needed for reliability analyses of systems such as power generation and transmission systems. Subjective opinions supplement sparse test data for estimating fragility functions. Often the opinions are opinions on the percentiles of the fragility function. Subjective percentiles are likely to be less biased than opinions on parameters of cdfs. Solutions to several problems in the estimation of fragility functions are found for subjective percentiles and test data. How subjective percentiles should be used to estimate subjective fragility functions, how subjective percentiles should be combined with test data, how fragility functions for several failure modes should be combined into a composite fragility function, and how inherent randomness and uncertainty due to lack of knowledge should be represented are considered. Subjective percentiles are treated as independent estimates of percentiles. The following are derived: least-squares parameter estimators for normal and lognormal cdfs, based on subjective percentiles (the method is applicable to any invertible cdf); a composite fragility function for combining several failure modes; estimators of variation within and between groups of experts for nonidentically distributed subjective percentiles; weighted least-squares estimators when subjective percentiles have higher variation at higher percents; and …

The objectives of this research involve the design, development, and testing of a new type of photon detection system which can provide, simultaneously, magnitude and positional data regarding a radioactive source, without utilizing a high-Z collimator. This system employs the principle of active collimation, i.e., the geometric configuration of crystal elements results in certain members being shielded from oblique-angle rays, thereby providing spatial resolution characteristics. Inasmuch as events occurring in the promontory shielding crystals can be used to determine activity levels of the emitter, a greater counting efficiency is attainable than that with other currently available systems. Owing to optical and scintillation characteristics, and amplifier parameters, along with masking of the common PM tube, each of the five scintillation crystals in the detector configuration produces a separate, delineable spectral peak.

Weekly report of the Texas Crop and Livestock Reporting Service on turkey poult numbers in Texas and compared with other states. It includes compiled statistics across six consecutive weeks, from the week ending December 13 to the week ending January 10, during 1980 and 1981 for turkey eggs set and poults hatched.