Results are presented of work performed on the Advanced Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor Materials Evaluation and Development Program. The objectives of this program are to evaluate candidate alloys for Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Nuclear Process Heat (NPH) and Direct Cycle Helium Turbine (DCHT) applications, in terms of the effect 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. Included are the activities associated with the status of the simulated reactor helium supply system, testing equipment and gas chemistry analysis instrumentation and equipment. The progress in the screening test program is described, including screening creep results and metallographic analysis for materials thermally exposed or tested at 750, 850, and 950/sup 0/C.

Pulverized coal has been an increasing important source of energy over the past century. Most large utility boilers, all modern coking plants, and many industrial boilers and blast furnaces employ pulverized coal as a major feed stream. In periods of oil shortages, such as during World Wars I and II, the concept of adding powdered coal to oil for use in combustion equipment originally designed for oil has been actively pursued but rarely used. Over this same period of time, there have been attempts to use air suspensions of coal dust in diesel engines in Germany, and in turbines in various countries. The economic advantages to be enjoyed by substitution of powdered coal in oil are not generally realized. Oil costs at $30/bbl represent a fuel value of about $5.00/10/sup 6/ Btu; coal at $25/ton is equivalent to approximately $1.00/10/sup 6/ Btu. Although capital costs for the use of coal are higher than those associated with the use of oil, coal is clearly becoming the least costly fuel. Not only are considerable cost advantages possible, but an improvement in balance of payments and an increase in reliability of fuel supplies are other potential benefits. It is therefore recommended that increased …

The goal of this project is to find countermeasures to protect High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, in exit ventilation ducts, from the heat and smoke generated by fire. Initially, methods were developed to cool fire-heated air by fine water spray upstream of the filters. It was recognized that smoke aerosol exposure to HEPA filters could also cause disruption of the containment system. Through testing and analysis, several methods to partially mitigate the smoke exposure to the HEPA filters were identified. A continuous, movable, high-efficiency prefilter using modified commercial equipment was designed. The technique is capable of protecting HEPA filters over the total time duration of the test fires. The reason for success involved the modification of the prefiltration media. Commercially available filter media has particle sorption efficiency that is inversely proportional to media strength. To achieve properties of both efficiency and strength, rolling filter media were laminated with the desired properties. The approach was Edisonian, but truncation in short order to a combination of prefilters was effective. The application of this technique was qualified, since it is of use only to protect HEPA filters from fire-generated smoke aerosols. It is not believed that this technique is cost effective in …

This document basically represents a comparison between theory and practice of capacity-expansion planning in the electric-utility industry. The purpose of the comparison is to provide avenues for further exploration in utility decision making. The focus of the Phase II study is upon the role of uncertainty in the decision-making process. The Phase I effort was directed at modeling the Averch-Johnson theory of the regulated utility. Part I of this report reviews the Anderson study (D. Anderson, Models for Determining Least-Cost Investments in Electricity Supply). The Anderson paper has become a standard reference for capacity-planning studies in the electric-utility industry. Part II examines uncertainty and the behavior of the firm. Part III reviews 5 models of electric-utility capacity planning under uncertainty, and Part IV is concerned with capacity-planning models in practice.

This interim report summarizes results from the Tandem Mirror Experiment (TMX) during the period January to July 1980 and describes the physics experiments, the machine operation, and the diagnostics that were added to TMX during this period. This operating period followed the initial proof-of-principle TMX experiments and predated the ongoing final experiments preceding TMX shutdown for modification to TMX Upgrade. The results described in this report include measurements of plasma parameters and plasma behavior which confirm the initial TMX results that demonstrated that the tandem mirror configuration can be generated and sustained by neutral beam injection and that the tandem mirror configuration improves confinement of magnetic mirror systems.

Cracking in ASTM A106-B and A106-C feedwater piping was detected near the inlet to the steam generators in a number of pressurized water reactor plants. We received sections with cracks from nine of the plants with the objective of identifying the cracking mechanism and assessing various factors that might contribute to this cracking. Variations were observed in piping surface irregularities, corrosion-product, pit, and crack morphology, surface elmental and crystal structure analyses, and steel microstructures and mechanical properties. However, with but two exceptions, namely, arrest bands and major surface irregularities, we were unable to relate the extent of cracking to any of these factors. Tensile and fracture toughness (J/sub Ic/ and tearing modulus) properties were measured over a range of temperatures and strain rates. No unusual properties or microstructures were observed that could be related to the cracking problem. All crack surfaces contained thick oxide deposits and showed evidence of cyclic events in the form of arrest bands. Transmission electron microscopy revealed fatigue striations on replicas of cleaned crack surfaces from one plant and possibly from three others. Calculations based on the observed striation spacings gave a value of ..delta..sigma = 150 MPa (22 ksi) for one of the major cracks. …

As part of the CAD-CAM development project, this report discusses the mathematics underlying the program QUADRIC, which does computations on objects modeled as Boolean combinations of quadric half-spaces. Topics considered include projective space, quadric surfaces, polars, affine transformations, the construction of solids, shaded image, the inertia tensor, moments, volume, surface integrals, Monte Carlo integration, and stratified sampling. 1 figure.

Neutrons are produced at the Rotating Target Neutron Source-II (RTNS-II) by deuteron bombardment of a rotating tritium target. Tritium is released from these targets into the accelerator vacuum system. The vacuum system exhaust is first scrubbed and then vented via the facility stack. Tritium emission from the facility in normal operation with vacuum system exhaust flowing through the scrubber is extremely low, <1 mCi/day. Releases from by-passing the tritium scrubber during roughing of the vacuum system and from accelerator maintenance account for nearly all of the annual 10 Ci release from the facility. Routine target changes have been the cause of most tritium uptake by personnel. A target shipping system has been devised for transport of these targets.

The purpose of this study is to provide an evaluation of possible international and domestic uses for the Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant, located in South Carolina, at the conclusion of the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation. Four generic categories of use options for the Barnwell plant have been considered: storage of spent LWR fuel; reprocessing of LWR spent fuel; safeguards development and training; and non-use. Chapters are devoted to institutional options and integrated institutional-use options.

The final report of DBS Corporation on the model simplification project is presented. The purpose of the project is to develop computer-assisted model simplification. The contributions of DBS to this project where an initial overall project assessment, contributions to design principles and testing procedures, specific experimental designs, and initial test results. The main contributions of DBS to this project were in the area of LP matrix scaling, and particularly in the potential usefulness of shadow price information for model simplification. An algorithm for obtaining approximate shadow price information was developed and subjected to initial small-scale testing with promising results.

Information on monitoring activities is reported in two sections for EDB/ERA/INIS. The first section covers all information reported except Appendix D, which gives details of sampling and analytical procedures for environmental monitoring used at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. A separate abstract was prepared for Appendix D. (JGB)

Work on this project is focused on developing design and licensing information for the model facility. Three major subcontracts have been approved by DOE and the design effort is progressing satisfactorily on the security system, rack design, and the soils structural and seismic design which these contracts cover. Licensing activities are progressing satisfactorily. About 50% of the Environmental Report is drafted and issued for preliminary review. Approximately 15% of the Safety Analysis Report has been drafted.

Two blanket types are being studied: a lithium-sodium pool boiler and a lithium-oxide- or lithium-sodium pool boiler and a lithium-oxide- or aluminate-microsphere moving bed. For each, a wide variety of current technology was considered in handling the tritium. Here, we show the pool boiler with the sulfur-iodine thermochemical cycle first developed and now being piloted by the General Atomic Company. The tritium (T/sub 2/) will be generated in the lithium-sodium mixture where the concentration is approx. 10 ppM and held constant by a scavenging system consisting mainly of permeators. An intermediate sodium loop carries the blanket heat to the thermochemical cycle, and the T/sub 2/ in this loop is held to 1 ppM by a similar scavenging system. With this design, we have maintained blanket inventory at 1 kg of tritium, kept thermochemical cycle losses to 5 Ci/d and environmental loss to 10 Ci/d, and held total plant risk inventory at 7 kg tritium.

The potential for generation of toxic gases from lead-acid batteries has long been recognized. Prior to the current interest in electric vehicles, there were no studies specificaly oriented to toxic gas release from traction batteries, however. As the Department of Energy Demonstration Project (in the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Program) progresses, available data from past studies and parallel health effects programs must be digested into guidance to the drivers and maintenance personnel, tailored to their contact with electric vehicles. The basic aspects of lead-acid battery operation, vehicle use, and health effects of stibine and arsine to provide electric vehicle users with the information behind the judgment that vehicle operation and testing may proceed are presented. Specifically, it is concluded that stibine generation or arsine generation at rapid enough rates to induce acute toxic response is not at all likely. Procedures to guard against low-level exposure until more definitive data on ambient concentrations of the gases are collected are presented for both charging the batteries and driving the vehicles. A research plan to collect additional quantitative data from electric traction batteries is presented.

The results are presented of work performed on the Advanced Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor Materials Evaluation and Development Program. The objectives of this program are to evaluate candidate alloys for Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Nuclear Process Heat (NPH) and Direct Cycle Helium Turbine (DCHT) applications, in terms of the effect 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 in this report includes the activities associated with the status of the simulated reactor helium supply system, testing equipment, and gas chemistry analysis instrumentation and equipment. The status of the data management system is presented. In addition, the progress in the screening test program is described.

Work on the AFR spent fuel storage program is focused on developing design and licensing information for the model facility. To date, the design effort is proceeding on schedule. A subcontract for soils and structural design of the fuel transfers canal is ready for DOE review. Proposals for high-density rack design to bring the model facility up to a nominal 1750 MTU capacity have been received and are being reviewed internally. This subcontract should be available for DOE review in early February. A security subcontract has been awarded to International Energy Associates Limited and the preliminary design effort is underway. Licensing activities are progressing satisfactorily. Review of the governing local, state, and federal regulations has been completed. Format and schedule for the safety analysis report and the environmental report have been established.

Recent designs for mirror fusion reactors with good power balance include ambipolar potential plugs to reduce end losses and thermal barriers to maintain a difference in electron temperature between the large-volume central cell plasma and the confining end plugs. These designs led to several new requirements for D/sup 0/ neutral beams derived from negative ions at energies of 150 to 200 keV and possibly higher. Such beams are required for injection of fat ions into the plugs and the barrier and for charge-exchange pumping of thermal ions diffusing into the barrier. Negative ions are preferred for these purposes because of their relatively high efficiency of neutralization and their high purity of single-energy D/sup -/. Examples of injector designs for Tandem Mirror Next Step (TMNS) and Tandem Mirror Reactors (TMR) are presented.

The operation, maintenance and modifications to the Westinghouse gasification process development unit during the quarter are reviewed. The tests of the gasifier-agglomerator included direct coal feed as well as oxygen-blown gasification of a char or coal bed. Then the whole system was tested in single and double stage operation. Laboratory support involved fluidized bed test facilities at ambient temperature and at design temperature for devolatilization and gasification studies. Other laboratory systems were related to thermal analysis and pressurized high temperature studies of gasification and gas cleaning. (LTN)

Progress is reported in the research project aimed at investigation of the basic chemical kinetics and mechanisms in catalytic hydrogenation of lignite suspended in a carrier oil in a continuous reactor operating at steady state. Specifically, the research is designed to study the overall conversion rate and the elemental transformation from the raw materials into products under surface reaction cntrolling conditions and to postulate the reaction mechanisms of hydroliquefaction and hydrogasification of lignite based upon the results obtained. A delay of six months in the delivery of a new slurry pump has prevented extension of the range of available residence times in the continuous stirred tank reactor. A quick-feed mechanism installed on the batch autoclave permits more accurate determination of running times at constant temperature. A detailed study of decomposition of carrier oil (anthracene oil) sowed that gasification of the oil was considerably greater at high temperatures than previously expected. Future runs will be limited to conditions under which the carrier oil loss is a relatively small fraction of the oil generated from lignite.

Demonstrations of improved fuel management and burnup are being performed in the Fort Calhoun reactor. More efficient fuel management will be achieved through the implementation of a low leakage concept called SAVFUEL (Shimmed And Very Flexible Uranium Element Loading), which is expected to reduce uranium requirements by 2 to 4%. The burnup will be increased sufficiently to reduce uranium requirements by 5 to 15%. Four fuel assemblies scheduled to demonstrate the SAVFUEL duty cycle and loaded into the core in December 1978 were inspected visually prior to their second exposure cycle. In addition, seventeen fuel assemblies were inspected after their fourth exposure cycle having achieved assembly average burnup up to 36 GWD/T. One assembly has been reinserted into Cycle 6 for a fifth exposure cycle. The preliminary results of all visual fuel inspections which appear to show excellent fuel rod performance are presented in this report. This report also contains the results of a licensing activity which was performed to allow insertion of a highly burned assembly into the reactor for a fifth irradiation cycle.

The Osmo-Hydro Power (OHP) or Pressure-Retarded Osmosis (PRO) heat engine is a possible means for producing economical electric power from low-temperature heat sources. The engine utilizes semipermeable membranes to cause the permeation of a solvent from a dilute low-pressure solution to a concentrated high-pressure solution. The potential energy thus acquired is converted to useful energy by means of a turbogenerator. The process can be considered as one in which the free energy of mixing is converted to useful power. By appropriate application of a heat source and a heat sink, the original dilute and concentrated solutions are recovered, thus completing the heat engine cycle. The results of this initial project to study osmotic power generation from waste heat indicate what research paths must be followed to continue the development of distillation and conjugation as unmixing methods. In addition, precipitation and stratification have been shown to be desirable because of the possibility of readily matching a binary system with either a membrane presently available or one readily modified from an existing membrane. The OHP heat engine in its ultimate development would have the following general characteristics: it would be able to utilize low-grade heat sources, such as unconcentrated solar energy or …

The performance characteristics of single pass and multipass storage laser amplifiers are presented and compared. The effects of the multipass amplifier parameters on the extraction characteristics are examined. For a wide range of conditions the multipass amplifier is found to provide high energy gain and high efficiency simultaneously. This is a significant advantage over the single pass laser amplifier. Finally, three specific storage laser amplifier systems, flashlamp pumped V:MgF/sub 2/, XeF laser pumped Tm:Glass, and photolytically pumped Selenium, are examined. The performance characteristics for each of the three systems are calculated and compared.

The measurement of angles plays an important role in practically every discipline of optics, including prism manufacture, optical assembly and alignment. It is the purpose of this paper to review some of the angle measurement techniques and how they are used in optical testing.

This report on the control program to minimize beryllium levels in Laboratory workplaces includes an outline of beryllium surface, soil, and air levels and an 11-y summary of sampling results from two high-use, high-explosive test firing bunkers. These sampling data and other studies demonstrate that the beryllium control program is functioning effectively.