The principal conclusions that can be made based on the estimated costs reported in this paper are twofold. First, hybrid reactors operating symbiotically with conventional fission reactors are a potentially attractive supply alternative. Estimated hybrid energy system costs are slightly greater than estimated costs of the most attractive alternatives. However, given the technological, economic, and institutional uncertainties associated with future energy supply, differences of such magnitude are of little significance. Second, to be economically viable, hybrid reactors must be both fuel producers and electricity producers. A data point representing each hybrid reactor driver-blanket concept is plotted as a function of net electrical production efficiency and annual fuel production. The plots illustrate that the most economically viable reactor concepts are those that produce both fuel and electricity.

Commercial nuclear power has grown to the point where 13 nations now operate commercial nuclear power plants. Another four countries should join this list before the end of 1980. In the Nonproliferation Alternative Systems Assessment Program (NASAP), the US DOE is evaluating a series of alternate possible power systems. The objective is to determine practical nuclear systems which could reduce proliferation risk while still maintaining the benefits of nuclear power. Part of that effort is the development of a data base denoting the energy needs, resources, technical capabilities, commitment to nuclear power, and projected future trends for various non-US countries. The data are presented by country for each of 28 non-US countries. This volume contains compiled data on Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain.

Contract management, technical monitoring and in-house research conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy, Division of Energy Storage as described. The status of each project within four major areas of investigation is summarize. Activities deal with: (1) Electrolytic Production of Hydrogen; (2) Hydrogen Storage Systems; (3) Hydrogen Storage Materials; and (4) Systems Studies/End-Use Applications. The BNL programmatic responsibilities encompass the direction of 17 contractors and a $3,200,000 budget.

The general operations and accomplishments of the Geothermal Loop Experimental Facility during the period from January 1, 1979 through March 31, 1979 are summarized. The construction and installation of a reactor clarifier/media filter system to treat the effluent brine continued. Startup is expected during the next reporting period. Operations of the facility evaluated the two stage flash cycle characteristics of brines from the second production well (Woolsey No. 1). The results were similar to the characteristics of the first production well (Magmamax No. 1) that were reported previously. The 1979 test program has been initiated and preliminary results documented.

The cost of thermionic converters has been estimated in support of the cost calculations for thermionic topping of central station powerplants. These calculations supersede the previous calculations made in 1975 and use a design concept similar to the current configuration of flame-heated converters. The cost of converters was estimated by obtaining quotations from manufactureres whenever possible. The selling cost was found to be $110 per kilowatt.

The engineering and economic feasibility of utilizing geothermal heat from the Heber KGRA for space heating/cooling and water heating for domestic and industrial process applications within the City of El Centro was investigated. The analysis proceeds through an engineering survey of present conventional energy utilization within the City to identify and evaluate those end uses which could potentially utilize geothermal heat as a substitute for fossil fuel or electrically produced heating and cooling. A general engineering and economic evaluation of heat and cold delivery alternatives followed including evaluations of geothermal fluid transmission options, alternative refrigeration techniques, heat and cold transmission media options, probable systems interfaces, materials evaluations, projected conventional energy costs, life cycle costs for existing conventional systems, projected pricing requirements for privately and municipally developed geothermal resources, the relative distribution costs of heat delivery options, and estimated residential and commercial retrofit costs. A cost-effective plan for large-scale utilization of geothermal energy in El Centro for district heating/cooling and industrial applications was developed from this evaluation and preliminary conclusions drawn. Institutional barriers and environmental impacts associated with geothermal development in the City were also evaluated. Potentially adverse impacts were identified along with mitigating measures that should either completely eliminate or …

Individual projects are indexed separately. (PCS)

Several 20 cm diameter silicon ingots, up to 6.3 kg, have been cast with good crystallinity. It has been found that the graphite heat zone can be purified by heating it to high temperatures in vacuum. This is important in reducing costs and purification of large parts. Electroplated wires with 45 ..mu..m synthetic diamonds and 30 ..mu..m natural diamonds have shown good cutting efficiency and lifetime. During slicing of a 10 cm x 10 cm workpiece, jerky motion occurred in the feed and rocking mechanisms. This problem is being corrected and at the same time modifications are being made to reduce the weight of the bladehead by 50%.

This report summarizes work completed by Golder Associates under Task 2 - Site Suitability specifically for modeling of fluid flow and mass transport in sedimentary basins containing thick shale or salt. It also describes ongoing and future work on the above topic. The purpose of the study is to develop a general model for a nuclear waste repository situated in a deep sedimentary basin environment. The model will be used in conjunction with Golder's fluid flow and mass transport codes to study specific aspects of nuclide transport by groundwater flow.

The action assessed is the guaranty of a loan by DOE to finance geothermal exploration, development, and testing by Mapco Geothermal, Inc. and Republic Geothermal, Inc. in the Westmorland area of Imperial County, California. Initial drilling and flow testing of up to three production wells will occur in the exploratory phase. Exploration is proposed for either or both of two portions of the leasehold area. If exploration confirms the presence of a viable resource in the Sweetwater area, the preferred site based on limited temperature data, then up to 19 new production wells and three new injection wells may be drilled and tested there in preparation for the construction of a 55-MW double-flash electric power plant. If, however, the Sweetwater resource proves infeasible, further exploration and possible full-field development may occur instead at the Dearborn-Kalin-Landers area. At this site, up to 19 new production wells and three new injection wells may be drilled and tested, with six existing wells also used for injection. This environmental assessment chiefly addresses effects of the drilling and testing program. In summary, this paper discusses the proposed action, describes the existing environment and discusses the potential environmental impacts. 75 refs. (LSP)

Major cations, anions, trace elements and dissolved organic C were measured in percolate from retorted oil shale collected from irrigated lysimeters in the field at Anvil Points, Colorado, over a two year period. The investigations indicated that chemical equilibrium was not established over the monitoring period and major changes occurred in percolate composition as a function of applied water volume and water residence time in the shale. Field and laboratory studies indicated that several factors contributed to changes in the chemistry of the shale on weathering, including recarbonization of the surface horizons with atmospheric CO/sub 2/ and the activities of microorganisms in surface and subsurface horizons. However, the principal mechanism responsible for the decreases in pH and salt concentrations appeared to be the conversion of major quantities of sulfide in the retorted shale to sulfate through a thiosulfate intermediate.

The quantized circulation of rotating superfluid helium 4 was measured by monitoring the time rate of precession of the plane of vibration of a vibrating wire lying along the cylindrical axis of the container. (GHT)

Extensive modifications were made to the TRIM (TRansport of Ions in Matter) Monte Carlo computer code which simulates the ion irradiation of amorphous solids. The original FORTRAN code was translated into BASIC for use on minicomputers with 32 K words of memory. Versions have been written to simulate very low-energy irradiations and the irradiation of binary alloys. Furthermore, a version was written which added the capability of following a lateral direction, in addition to the penetration depth of an ion. Subsequently, a version was written to simulate the production of collision cascades. Details of these modifications were discussed and examples of their use were given.

The successful performance of the CWP is of crucial importance to the overall OTEC system; the pipe itself is considered the most critical part of the entire operation. Because of the importance the CWP, a project for the analysis and design of CWP's was begun in the fall of 1978. The goals of this project were to study a variety of concepts for delivering cold water to an OTEC plant, to analyze and rank these concepts based on their relative cost and risk, and to develop preliminary design for those concepts which seemed most promising. Two representative platforms and sites were chosen: a spar buoy of a Gibbs and Cox design to be moored at a site off Punta Tuna, Puerto Rico, and a barge designed by APL/Johns Hopkins University, grazing about a site approximately 200 miles east of the coast of Brazil. The approach was to concentrate on the most promising concepts and on those which were either of general interest or espoused by others (e.g., steel and concrete concepts). Much of the overall attention, therefore, focused on analyzing rigid and compliant wall design, while stockade (except for the special case of the FRP stockade) and bottom-mounted concepts received …

The methodology that has been developed to analyze the impact of possible government actions on the development of small-scale hydroelectric power in the United States is described. The application of the methodology to a specific region of the United States is also described. Within the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) region, the methodology has been used to evaluate the significance of some of the existing institutional and economic constraints on hydroelectric development at existing dams. The basic process for the analysis and evaluation is estimation of the hydroelectric energy that can be developed for a given price of electricity. Considering the present constraints and a geographical region of interest, one should be able to quantify the potential hydroelectric energy supply versus price. Estimates of how the supply varies with possible changes in governmental policies, regulations, and actions should assist the government in making decisions concerning these governmental functions relative to hydroelectric development. The methodology for estimating the hydroelectric supply at existing dams is included.

This report presents highlights of activities in the Theoretical (T) Division from October 1976-January 1979. The report is divided into three parts. Part I presents an overview of the Division: its unique function at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) and within the scientific community as a whole; the organization of personnel; the main areas of research; and a survey of recent T-Division initiatives. This overview is followed by a survey of the 13 groups within the Division, their main responsibilities, interests, and expertise, consulting activities, and recent scientific accomplisments. The remainder of the report, Parts II and III, is devoted to articles on selected research activities. Recent efforts on topics of immediate interest to energy and weapons programs at LASL and elsewhere are described in Part II, Major National Programs. Separate articles present T-Divison contributions to weapons research, reactor safety and reactor physics research, fusion research, laser isotope separation, and other energy research. Each article is a compilation of independent projects within T Division, all related to but addressing different aspects of the major program. Part III is organized by subject discipline, and describes recent scientific advances of fundamental interest. An introduction, defining the scope and general nature of …

The report identifies problems inhibiting large scale multiparty cogeneration development and suggests means to reconcile the parties' differing interests. The analytical approach adopted for structuring ownership arrangements for a cogeneration project, once engineering studies confirm that the requisite technical advantages exist, is to attempt to resolve three specific issues: (1) identification of the potential participants (industrial customers, the electric utility serving the area, equipment vendors and erectors, design and engineering firms, fuel suppliers and transporters, passive investors, governmental interests, insurance carriers, and others); (2) selection of one or more of the three principal roles which each participant may play: (a) purchaser of project output, (b) provider of other commitments to support financing of the project, and (c) investor in the project; and (3) as to those participants taking an ownership role in the project, deciding whether one participant will act as sole owner or, if joint ownership is selected, deciding which of two structural formats they prefer: (a) an undivided interest approach in which each participant is responsible for and bears the full burden of providing its proportionate share of funding for the project; or (b) a project-entity approach in which each participant owns an interest in a newly organized …

The results of a study to examine the line focus central receiver alternative for solar thermal generation of electric power on a commercial scale are presented. The baseline concept consists of the following elements: (1) a solar collector (heliostat) whose geometry is the equivalent of a focused parabolic cylinder. The heliostat reflecting surface is composed of an array of flexible rectangular mirror panels supported along their long edges by a framework which rotates about an axis parallel to the ground plane. The mirror panels in one section (18.3 meters by 3.05 meters (60 feet by 10 feet)) are defocused in unison by a simple mechanism under computer control to achieve the required curvature. Two sections (110 meters/sup 2/(591 feet/sup 2/)) are controlled and driven in elevation by one control/drive unit. (2) A linear cavity receiver, composed of 61-meter (200-foot) sections supported by towers at an elevation of 61 meters (200 feet). Each section receives feedwater and produces turbine-rated steam. The cavity is an open cylinder 1.83 meters (6 feet) in inside diameter, with a 1.22 meter (4 foot) aperture oriented at 45 degrees to the collector field. (3) Heliostat control, consisting of a local controller at each heliostat module which …

The Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) operated by the Westinghouse Hanford Company for the United States Department of Energy is currently developing, fabricating, and evaluating automated fuel fabrication equipment. This program has as its major goals: reduced personnel exposure, improved safeguards/accountability and improved fuel performance. One of the automated equipment items which has been fabricated is a fuel pellet inspection system. This system inspects fuel pellets for surface flaws and measures pellets for length, diameter, and weight at a rate of one pellet per second. The inspected pellets are sorted automatically and the results of the inspection are transmitted to a central computer for trend analysis and verification of accountability data.

Silane pyrolysis in a continuous flow pyrolyzer is a simple process that is currently being developed for producing solar cell grade silicon. The process involves complex phenomena, however, including thermal decomposition of silane, nucleation and growth of silicon particles, and mass and heat transfer. Modeling the effects of transport phenomena on silane pyrolysis in a continuous flow pyrolyzer is discussed. One- and two-dimensional models are developed to predict velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles in the reactor. The one-dimensional model has been implemented as a computer code.

The objectives of this contract were: (1) to determine the feasibility of silicon epitaxial growth on low-cost silicon substrates for the development of silicon sheet capable of producing low-cost, high efficiency solar cells; (2) to achieve a goal of 12% (AM-0) efficient solar cells fabricated on thin epitaxial layers (<25 ..mu..m) grown on low-cost substrates; and (3) to evaluate the add-on cost for the epitaxial process and to develop low-cost epitaxial growth procedures for application in conjunction with low-cost silicon substrates. The basic epitaxial procedures and solar-cell fabrication and evaluation techniques are described, followed by a discussion of the development of baseline epitaxial solar-cell structures, grown on high-quality conventional silicon substrates. This work resulted in the definition of three basic structures which reproducibly yielded efficiencies in the range of 12 to 13.7%. These epitaxial growth procedures and baseline structures were then used to grow diagnostic layers and solar cells on four potentially low-cost silicon substrates. A description of the crystallographic properties of such layers and the performance of epitaxially grown solar cells fabricated on these materials is given. The major results were the achievement of cell efficiencies of 10.6 to 11.2% on multigrained substrates and approx. 13% on a low-cost …

Local air velocity measurements were obtained with a laser Doppler anemometer near flow blockages in an unheated 7 x 7 rod bundle. Sleeve blockages were positioned on the center nine rods to create an area reduction of 90% in the center four subchannels of the bundle. Experimental results indicated that severe flow disturbances occurred downstream from the blockage cluster but showed only minor flow disturbances upstream from the blockage. Flow reversals were detected downstream from the blockage and persisted for approximately five subchannel hydraulic diameters. The air velocity profiles were in excellent agreement with water velocity data previously obtained at essentially the same Reynolds number. Subchannel average velocity predictions obtained with the COBRA computer program were in good agreement with subchannel average velocities estimated using the measured local velocity data.

The goals of this project were: (1) To train twenty teams, each from a different region, to organize and run workshops to build inexpensive, practical solar greenhouses. (2) To help create working solar greenhouse experts in the field available to respond to their community's needs. (3) To establish a national model program for solar greenhouse construction workshops. (4) To determine whether the barn-raising style used in the greenhouse construction workshops could be taught in the format of a 3 1/2 day seminar with a follow-up workshop. (5) To determine whether the audio-visual exhibit and printed materials used in the seminar were effective. (MOW)

This report supplements the treatment of waste management issues provided in the Generic Environmental Statement on the use of recycle plutonium in mixed oxide fuel in light water cooled reactors (GESMO, NUREG-0002). Three recycle and three no-recycle options are described in this document. Management of the radioactive wastes that would result from implementation of either type of fuel cycle alternative is discussed. For five of the six options, wastes would be placed in deep geologic salt repositories for which thermal criteria are considered. Radiation doses to the workers at the repositories and to the general population are discussed. The report also covers the waste management schedule, the land and salt commitments, and the economic costs for the management of wastes generated.