In this paper, we present a broad comparison of studies for a selected set of parameters for different nuclear reactor types including the next generation. This serves as an overview of key parameters which provide a semi-quantitative decision basis for selecting nuclear strategies. Out of a number of advanced reactor designs of the LWR type, gas cooled type, and FBR type, currently on the drawing board, the Advanced Light Water Reactors (ALWR) seem to have some edge over other types of the next generation of reactors for the near-term application. This is based on a number of attributes related to the benefit of the vast operating experience with LWRs coupled with an estimated low risk profile, economics of scale, degree of utilization of passive systems, simplification in the plant design and layout, modular fabrication and manufacturing. 32 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we are studying above ground oil shale retorting and have developed the LLNL Hot-Recycled-Solid (HRS) process as a generic second-generation, rapid pyrolysis retorting system in which recycled shale is the solid heat carrier. In 1984--1987, we operated a 1 tonne-per-day HRS pilot plant to study retorting chemistry in an actual recirculation loop. In 1989 we upgraded our laboratory pilot plant to process 4 tonne-per-day of commercially sized shale, allowing us, for the first time, to study pyrolysis and combustion using the full particle size. With the new facility we are able to produce enough oil for detailed characterization studies, can evaluate environmental consequences, and begin answering the many bulk solid handling questions concerning scale-up of the HRS process. In this paper we report on operations of our laboratory (4TU) pilot plant and plans for a field test unit (FTU) at approximately 100 tonne-per-day scale to be sited in the western United States. 3 refs., 11 figs.

A total of 31 samples from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), including materials of aluminum, vanadium, and steel trunnions were analyzed by ultra-low-level gamma spectroscopy. The study quantified particle induced activations of {sup 22}Na, {sup 46}Sc, {sup 51}Cr, {sup 54}Mn, {sup 56}Co, {sup 57}Co, {sup 58}Co, and {sup 60}Co. The samples of trunnion sections exhibited increasing activity toward the outer end of the trunnion and decreasing activity toward its radial center. The trunnion sections did not include end pieces, which have been reported to collect noticeable {sup 7}Be on their leading surfaces. No significant {sup 7}Be was detected in the samples analyzed. The Underground Counting Facility at Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) was used in this work. The facility is 50 ft. underground, constructed with low-background shielding materials, and operated as a clean room. The most sensitive analyses were performed with a 90%-efficient HPGe gamma-ray detector, which is enclosed in a purged active/passive shield. Each sample was counted for one to six days in two orientations to yield more representative average activities for the sample. The non-standard geometries of the LDEF samples prompted the development of a novel calibration method, whereby the efficiency about the samples surfaces (measured with point …

A detailed plasma spectroscopy postprocessor for H-, He-, and Li-like ions with 6 {le} Z {le} 26 has been constructed. The structure of the code and the physics contained within it will be described and a sample application given. 15 refs., 5 figs.

The effects of the longitudinal wall impedance instability in a heavy ion beam are of great interest for heavy ion fusion drivers. We are studying this instability using the R-Z thread of the WARP PIC code. We describe the code and our model of the impedance due to the accelerating modules of the induction LINAC as a resistive wall. We present computer simulations which illustrate this instability. 2 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

A selection of opportunities for neutrino physics from a source generated from pions that decay in flight and at rest is described. The present source at LAMPF has a duty factor of about 6%; improvements in opportunities that emerge from a source using a pulse 0.25 {mu}sec long from a proton storage ring are also described. 7 refs., 9 figs.

During the 1988--89 Tevatron Collider run the CDF detector has collected data for an integrated luminosity of 4.4 pb{sup {minus}1}. The sample has been used to search for the top quark in several topologies. Preliminary results show that a top mass below 89 GeV is excluded at the 95% confidence level, thus extending the limit of 77 GeV previously published by CDF. 14 refs., 8 figs.

A Pulsed Lepton Source is being considered at the LAMPF facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The source plan is described together with a description of the components and performance as they exist at present. 9 figs.

A design study for a Pion Linac (PILAC) at LAMPF is under way at Los Alamos. We present here a reference design for a system of pion source, linac, and high-resolution beam line and spectrometer that will provide 10{sup 9} pions per second on target and 200-keV resolution for the ({pi}{sup +}, K{sup +}) reaction at 0.92 GeV. A general-purpose beam line that delivers both positive and negative pions in the energy range 0.4-1.1 GeV is included, thus opening up the possibility of a broad experimental program as is discussed in this report. A kicker-based beam sharing system allows delivery of beam to both beam lines simultaneously with independent sign and energy control. Because the pion linac acts like an rf particle separator, all beams produced by PILAC will be free of electron (or positron) and proton contamination. 4 refs., 6 figs.

Plastic crystal behavior is observed in semiconducting CsPb and NaSn at high temperature (600 and 500 C, respectively). This behavior is associated with M{sub 4}{sup 4{minus}} or A{sub 4}M{sub 4} structural units orientationally disordering about 50 C below the melting point where translational disorder sets in. This orientational disorder is different in the two phases, exhibiting jump reorientations in CsPb and a more isotropic behavior in NaSn. In other Zintl compounds such as KPb, there is a single melting point where orientational and translational disorder sets in simultaneously; the classification of the different Zintl compounds into these two different kinds of behavior will require calorimetry or neutron diffraction below the melting point. (DLC)

The physics goals of the SSC are presented and the capabilities of the SSC to achieve them are assessed. New gauge bosons, electroweak symmetry breaking, supersymmetry, and quark substructure are the primary targets for particle physics research and the SSC is the most effective means to find them. 2 refs., 4 figs.

Monitoring the thermal and hydrologic processes that occur during thermal environmental remediation programs in near real-time provides essential information for controlling the process. Geophysical techniques played a crucial role in process control as well as for characterization during the recent Dynamic Underground Stripping Project demonstration in which several thousand gallons of gasoline were removed from heterogeneous soils both above and below the water table. Dynamic Underground Stripping combines steam injection and electrical heating for thermal enhancement with ground water pumping and vacuum extraction for contaminant removal. These processes produce rapid changes in the subsurface properties including changes in temperature fluid saturation, pressure and chemistry. Subsurface imaging methods are used to map the heated zones and control the thermal process. Temperature measurements made in wells throughout the field reveal details of the complex heating phenomena. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) provides near real-time detailed images of the heated zones between boreholes both during electrical heating and steam injection. Borehole induction logs show close correlation with lithostratigraphy and, by identifying the more permeable gravel zones, can be used to predict steam movement. They are also useful in understanding the physical changes in the field and in interpreting the ERT images. Tiltmeters provide additional …

We describe a point-centered diffusion discretization for 3-D unstructured meshes of polyhedra. The method has several attractive qualities, including second-order accuracy and preservation of linear solutions. A potential drawback to the scheme is that the diffusion matrix is asymmetric, in general. Results of numerical test problems illustrate the behavior of the scheme.

A total of 31 samples from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), including materials of aluminum, vanadium, and steel trunnions were analyzed by ultra-low-level gamma spectroscopy. The study quantified particle induced activations of {sup 22}Na, {sup 46}Sc, {sup 51}Cr, {sup 54}Mn, {sup 56}Co, {sup 57}Co, {sup 58}Co, and {sup 60}Co. The samples of trunnion sections exhibited increasing activity toward the outer end of the trunnion and decreasing activity toward its radial center. The trunnion sections did not include end pieces, which have been reported to collect noticeable {sup 7}Be on their leading surfaces. No significant {sup 7}Be was detected in the samples analyzed. The Underground Counting Facility at Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) was used in this work. The facility is 50 ft. underground, constructed with low-background shielding materials, and operated as a clean room. The most sensitive analyses were performed with a 90%-efficient HPGe gamma-ray detector, which is enclosed in a purged active/passive shield. Each sample was counted for one to six days in two orientations to yield more representative average activities for the sample. The non-standard geometries of the LDEF samples prompted the development of a novel calibration method, whereby the efficiency about the samples surfaces (measured with point …

The computer code FLOWTRAN-TF is used to analyze hypothetical hydraulic accidents for the nuclear reactor at the Savannah River Site. During a hypothetical Large Break Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA), reactor assemblies would contain a two-phase mixture of air and water which flows downward. Reactor assemblies consist of nested, ribbed annuli. Longitudinal ribs divide each annulus into four subchannels. For accident conditions, air and water can flow past ribs from one subchannel to another. For FLOWTRAN-TF to compute the size of those flows, it is necessary to know the local void fraction in the region of the rib. Measurements have previously been made of length-average void fraction in a ribbed annulus. However, no direct measurements were available of local void fraction. Due to the lack of data, a test was designed to measure local void fraction at the rib. One question addressed by the test was whether void fraction at the rib is solely a function of azimuthal-average void fraction or a function of additional variables such as pressure boundary conditions. This report provides a discussion of this test.

The beams in a Heavy Ion beam driven inertial Fusion (HIF) accelerator must be focused onto small spots at the fusion target, and so preservation of beam quality is crucial. The nonlinear self-fields of these space-charge-dominated beams can lead to emittance growth; thus a self-consistent field description is necessary. We have developed a multi-dimensional discrete-particle simulation code, WARP, and are using it to study the behavior of HIF beams. The code`s 3d package combines features of an accelerator code and a particle-in-cell plasma simulation, and can efficiently track beams through many lattice elements and around bends. We have used the code to understand the physics of aggressive drift-compression in the MBE-4 experiment at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL). We have applied it to LBL`s planned ILSE experiments, to various ``recirculator`` configurations, and to the study of equilibria and equilibration processes. Applications of the 3d package to ESQ injectors, and of the r, z package to longitudinal stability in driver beams, are discussed in related papers.

A new algorithm for space charge emission has been developed to provide the correct (to a few percent) Child-Langmuir steady-state current limits as the number of mesh points in the voltage gap drops to O(10). Further, the transient behavior of such flows compares well with idealized, analytic cases, lending confidence as we extend these algorithms into full RZ geometry with curved emitting surfaces to investigate transient characteristics of realistic injector designs.

The ability to bond together two or more silicon wafers greatly expands the variety and complexity of silicon microstructures that can be designed and fabricated. At LLNL, microstructures have been used for many years as hardware in scientific experiments. The activity has recently been expanded into other areas to include microinstruments for biomedical applications and for chemical analysis. Both high temperature (1100{degrees}C) bonding techniques have been used, depending on the application. This paper discusses these applications with emphasis on the most extensive which is the fabrication of microchannel coolers for diode arrays.

A novel computer code is being developed to generate system level designs of radiofrequency ion accelerators with specific applications to machines of interest to Accelerator Driven Transmutation Technologies (ADTT). The goal of the Accelerator System Model (ASM) code is to create a modeling and analysis tool that is easy to use, automates many of the initial design calculations, supports trade studies used in accessing alternate designs and yet is flexible enough to incorporate new technology concepts as they emerge. Hardware engineering parameters and beam dynamics are to be modeled at comparable levels of fidelity. Existing scaling models of accelerator subsystems were used to produce a prototype of ASM (version 1.0) working within the Shell for Particle Accelerator Related Code (SPARC) graphical user interface. A small user group has been testing and evaluating the prototype for about a year. Several enhancements and improvements are now being developed. The current version of ASM is described and examples of the modeling and analysis capabilities are illustrated. The results of an example study, for an accelerator concept typical of ADTT applications, is presented and sample displays from the computer interface are shown.

Minimum critical fissile concentrations are calculated for U-233, U-235, Pu-239, and Am-242m mixed homogeneously with hydrogen at temperatures to 15,000K. Minimum critical masses of the same mixtures in a 1000 liter sphere are also calculated. It is shown that propellent efficiencies of a gas core fizzler engine using Am-242m as fuel would exceed those in a solid core engine as small as 1000L operating at 100 atmospheres pressure. The same would be true for Pu-239 and possibly U-233 at pressures of 1000 atm. or at larger volumes.

Correlations of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) data in deaerated water with temperature, stress, metallography, and processing for laboratory test specimens are presented. Initiation time data show that a low temperature anneal and resulting absence of grain boundary carbides result in a material having increased susceptibility to SCC. Data also show that hot worked and annealed Alloy 600 is more resistant than cold worked and annealed material, both having carbide decorated grain boundaries. In absence of grain boundary carbides, both materials are equally susceptible. Low temperature thermal treatment (1100F) reduces SCC susceptibility with or without grain boundary decoration. Weld metal data and data correlations developed from 700 double U-bends are presented. Data demonstrate the effect of increased carbon content to improve SCC resistance. The data shows that the general relation of time, temperature and strain for wrought material is followed for the weld metal. The weld process used did not affect the SCC susceptibility of EN-82 which showed a greater resistance to SCC than EN-62. Stress relief of weld deposits showed an improvement for wrought material. Heat affected zone resistance was improved if the starting material received a high temperature anneal (1850 to 2000F). Range of SCC initiation times for weld …

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has generated and disposed of large volumes of hazardous and radioactive waste as a result of 50 years of nuclear weapons production. DOE is now faced with the problem of remediating its more than 13,000 hazardous waste sites. To be effective for the good of the environment and public health, our nation`s hazardous waste policy must first address several questions: What is the level of risk at federal facilities? (Is remediation really necessary?) Can and should institutional controls be incorporated into the cleanup process? How effective are cleanup technologies? What cleanup standards should be used? What will be done with waste generated during remediation? How do we obtain appropriate stakeholder involvement? Once these questions are answered and a more reliable, predictable policy has been developed, the waste management and environmental restoration program may not be an unwanted drain on America`s pocketbook, and we may have a cleaner country as well.

A 'proof-of-principle' Nb{sub 3}Sn superconducting dual-bore dipole magnet was built from racetrack coils, as a first step in a program to develop an economical, 15 Tesla, accelerator-quality magnet. The mechanical design and magnet fabrication procedures are discussed. No training was required to achieve temperature-dependent plateau currents, despite several thermal cycles that involved partial magnet disassembly and substantial pre-load variations. Subsequent magnets are expected to approach 15 Tesla with substantially improved conductor.

Large quantities of radioactive wastes have been generated at the Hanford Site over its operating life. The wastes with the highest activities are stored underground in 177 large (mostly one million gallon volume) concrete tanks with steel liners. The wastes contain processing chemicals, cladding chemicals, fission products, and actinides that were neutralized to a basic pH before addition to the tanks to prevent corrosion of the steel liners. Because the mission of the Hanford Site was to provide plutonium for defense purposes, the amount of plutonium lost to the wastes was relatively small. The best estimate of the amount of plutonium lost to all the waste tanks is about 500 kg. Given uncertainties in the measurements, some estimates are as high as 1,000 kg (Roetman et al. 1994). The wastes generally consist of (1) a sludge layer generated by precipitation of dissolved metals from aqueous wastes solutions during neutralization with sodium hydroxide, (2) a salt cake layer formed by crystallization of salts after evaporation of the supernate solution, and (3) an aqueous supernate solution that exists as a separate layer or as liquid contained in cavities between sludge or salt cake particles. The identity of chemical species of plutonium in …