The environmental levels of radioactivity and other pollutants found in the vicinity of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) during 1979 are summarized. As an aid in the interpretation of the data, the amounts of radioactivity and other pollutants released in airborne and liquid effluents from Laboratory facilities to the environment are also indicated. The environmental data includes external radiation levels; radioactive air particulates; tritium and iodine concentrations; the amounts and concentrations of radioactivity in and the water quality of the stream into which liquid effluents are released; the concentrations of radioactivity in sediments and biota from the stream; the concentrations of radioactivity in and the water quality of ground waters underlying the Laboratory; and concentrations of radioactivity in milk samples obtained in the vicinity of the Laboratory.

A computer code is presented which uses a discountted cash flow methodology to obtain an average product price for an industtrial process. The general discounted cash flow method is discussed. Special code options include multiple treatments of interest during construction and other preoperational costs, investment tax credits, and different methods for tax depreciation of capital assets. Two options for allocating the cost of plant decommissioning are available. The FORTRAN code listing and the computer output for a sample problem are included.

The energy-related education activities administered in FY 1979 by DOE are described: projections for FY 1980 are also given. This document provides assistance for DOE program managers who wish to use the educational process in their operations, and it provides guidance and information to educators and the general public about DOE energy-related education activities. The education activities are classified as energy information (curriculum packages, studies, workshops and forums conferences, other materials), energy skills development, institutional resource enhancement, and other activities. A chart gives the category of activity, type of audience, and type of services provided. (RWR)

Task 2 involved the establishment of an engineering and economic model for the evaluation of various options in water electrolysis. The mode, verification of the specific coding and four case studies are described. The model was tested by evaluation of a nearly commercial technology, i.e., an 80-kW alkaline electrolyte system, operating at 60/sup 0/C, which delivers approximately 255 SLM, hydrogen for applications such as electrical generation cooling or semiconductor manufacturing. The calculated cost of hydrogen from this installed non-optimized case system with an initial cost to the customer of $87,000 was $6.99/Kg H/sub 2/ ($1.67/100 SCF) on a 20-yr levelized basis using 2.5 cents/kWh power costs. This compares favorably to a levelized average merchant hydrogen cost value of $9.11/Kg H/sub 2/ ($2.17/100 SCF) calculated using the same program.

In this report, some implications of applying the ALARA concept to cask designs for transporting spent fuel, high-level commercial and defense waste, and remote-handled transuranic waste are investigated. The XSDRNPM, one-dimensional radiation transport code, was used to obtain potential shield designs that would yield total dose rates at 1.8 m from the cask surface of 10, 5, and 2 mrem/h. Gamma shields of depleted uranium, lead, and steel were studied. The capacity of the casks was assumed to be 1, 4, or 7 elements or canisters, and the wastes were 1, 3, 5, and 10 years old. Depending on the dose rate, the cask empty weights and lifetime transportation costs were estimated.

Progress is reported concerning preparation of a materials handbook for fusion, creep-fatigue of first-wall structural materials, test results on miniature compact tension fracture toughness specimens, austenitic stainless steels, Fe-Ni-Cr alloys, iron-base alloys with long-range crystal structure, ferritic steels, irradiation experiments, corrosion testing, and hydrogen permeation studies. (FS)

This progress report is divided into two parts. In Part A, the results of the first three progress reports which dealt with the separation of H/sub 2//CH/sub 4/ and H/sub 2//CH/sub 4//CO mixtures resulting from coal gasification processes are briefly summarized. The separation calculations were performed for ideal, cryogenic, clathrate (gas-hydrate), and absorption/stripping separation processes. The cryogenic separation indicates the least energy requirement. Work on this phase of the program has been concluded. An experimental coal gasification program is being undertaken. In Part B, a review smmary of existing and developing coal gasificaton processes is presented. The relative merits of gasifier type, heating method, operating mode, process conditions, and gasifying medium are considered. This is followed by a qualitative appraisal of several selected coal gasification processes based upon the above considerations. It is intended that this report will help focus attention on those areas in which significant process improvements can be realized. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for future work.

The effects of the thermally-induced cracking and subsequent relocation of UO/sub 2/ fuel pellets on the thermal and mechanical behavior of light-water reactor fuel rods during irradiation are quantified in this report. Data from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Pacific Northwest Laboratory Halden experiments on instrumented fuel assemblies (IFA) IFA-431, IFA-432, and IFA-513 are analyzed. Beginning-of-life in-reactor measurements of fuel center temperatures, linear heat ratings, and cladding axial elongations are used in a new model to solve for the effective thermal conductivity and elastic moduli of the cracked fuel column. The effective thermal conductivity and elastic moduli for the cracked fuel were found to be significantly reduced from the values for solid UO/sub 2/ pellets. The calculated fuel-cladding gap remained relatively constant (closed) with respect to power level, indicating that the fuel fragments do not retreat from the cladding when the power/temperature is reduced. Recommendations are made pertaining to the work required to further refine the model. 30 refs., 81 figs., 8 tabs.

Sodium hypochlorite reacts readily with hydrogen sulfide to convert the sulfide ion into free sulfur in a neutral or acid solution and to the sulfate ion in an alkaline solution. Sodium hypochlorite can be generated on site by processing geothermal brine in electrolytic cells. An investigation to determine if this reaction could be economically used to remove hydrogen sulfide from geothermal noncondensible gases is reported. Two processes, the LO-CAT Process and the Stretford Process, were selected for comparison with the hypochlorite process. Three geothermal reservoirs were considered for evaluation: Niland KGRA, Baca KGRA, and The Geysers KGRA. Because of the wide variation in the amount of hydrogen sulfide present at The Geysers, two different gas analyses were considered for treatment. Plants were designed to process the effluent noncondensible gases from a 10 MW/sub e/ geothermal power plant. The effluent gas from each plant was to contain a maximum hydrogen sulfide concentration of 35 ppb. Capital costs were estimated for each of the processes at each of the four sites selected. Operating costs were also calculated for each of the processes at each of the sites. The results of these studies are shown.

This analysis was conducted to assess the impact of load management on the future need for intermediate- and peak-generating technologies (IPTs) such as combustion turbines, pumped storage, and cycling coal plants. There will be a reduced need for IPTs if load-management activities such as time-of-use pricing, together with customer-owned energy-storage devices, hot-water-heater controls, and interruptible service, can economically remove most of the variation from electric-power demands. Therefore, the analysis assesses the need for IPTs in an uncertain future, which will probably include load management and time-differentiated electricity prices. Section 2 provides a condensed description of the models used in the analysis. (Details and data sets are contained in the appendixes.) Results of sensitivities on growth rates, model parameters, and appliance saturations are discussed in Section 3, which also contains the analysis of the potential impacts of customer energy storage, appliance control, and time-of-use pricing. The future need for intermediate and peaking technologies is analyzed in Section 4.

This analysis was conducted to assess the impact of load management on the future need for intermediate- and peak-generating technologies (IPTs) such as combustion turbines, pumped storage, and cycling coal plants. There would be a reduced need for IPTs if load-management activities such as time-of-use pricing, together with customer-owned energy-storage devices, hot-water-heater controls, and interruptible service can economically remove most of the variation from electric power demands. The objective of this analysis is to assess the need for IPTs in an uncertain future, which will probably include load management and time-differentiated electricity prices. The analysis is exploratory in nature and broad in scope. It does not attempt to predict the future or to model precisely the technical characteristics or economic desirability of load management. Rather, its purpose is to provide research and development planners with some basic insights into the order of magnitude of possible hourly demand shifts on a regional basis and to determine the impact of load management on daily and seasonal variations in electricity demand.

Solar thermal electric power generation systems and industrial process heat systems generating steam through flash vaporization require a constant outlet temperature from the collector field. This constant temperature is most efficiently maintained by adjusting the circulating fluid flow rate. Successful design of analog controllers for this regulation requires knowledge of system dynamics and the nonlinear nature of the system parameters. Simplified models relating deviations in outlet temperature to changes in inlet temperature, insolation, and fluid flow rate illustrate the basic responses and the distributed-parameter nature of line focus collectors. Detailed models are used to develop transfer functions and frequency response curves useful for design.

A detailed study of angular distributions arising from D{anti D}, D* anti D} , and D*{anti D}* production at {radical}s= 4.028 GeV is made, including the subsequent decays D*{yields}D{pi} and D* {yields} D{gamma}. The production amplitudes are unique except for the D*{anti D}* case, where there are two p-wave amplitudes (S = 0, 2) and one small f-wave amplitude (S = 2). It is shown that observations of the angular distributions and correlations of the {pi}{sup 0}'s and {gamma}'s from the D* {yields} D{pi}{sup 0} and D* {yields} D{gamma} decays provide an effective way of measuring the p-wave amplitudes. These amplitudes are a reflection of the underlying hadronic interactions among the charmed and uncharmed quarks.

The construction of an apparatus designed to detect stable fractional charges on matter, if they exist, to the level of 10/sup -24/ per nucleon is reported and discussed. The charges on a stream of highly consistent droplets produced by the apparatus are determined by accurate measurement of the deflection of the droplets in falling through a static electric field. Maintenance of certain parameters of operation calculated to limit the random effects of electrical and aerodynamical disturbances on the droplets indicate a precision in the measurement of the charge on a droplet of 0.02e can be attained. 7 figures.

This program is concerned with nickel/solder metallization of silicon solar cells. Work in this second quarter of the program extension comprised portions of four experimental tasks. The task to study nickel plating on silicon oxide films has led to the finding that the plating solution dissolves oxide before depositing nickel. The electron microprobe study of nickel penetration of silicon has shown that sintering can be conducted for long times at 300/sup 0/C but that problems may arise above this temperature, even though there is no significant penetration of nickel into silicon below about 450/sup 0/C. Measurements on cells fabricated using plating times in the four to fourteen minute range indicate no degradation of cell properties as a result of contact with the plating solution in this time range, but do show evidence of poor contact quality if the nickel plate is either too thick or too thin. The task to assess the Motorola plating process is in its early stages, but it is evident that the process is a very complex and time consuming one.

Ascorbic acid, at nontoxic concentrations, causes a substantial reduction in the ability of avian tumor viruses to replicate in both primary avian tendon cells and chicken embryo fibroblasts. The virus-infected cultures appear to be less transformed in the presence of ascorbic acid by the criteria of morphology, reduced glucose uptake, and increased collagen synthesis. The vitamin does not act by altering the susceptibility of the cells to initial infection and transformation, but instead appears to interfere with the spread of infection through a reduction in virus replication and virus infectivity. The effect is reversible and requires the continuous presence of the vitamin in the culture medium.

Intense beams of multi-GeV high atomic weight ions are being actively investigated as possible ignitors for pellet fusion reactors. Beam transport models were developed for the final focussing of these beams in the reactor chamber, and investigated the role of microinstabilities, filamentation, conductivity, multiple scattering, and knockon electrons. Two propagation windows exist, namely the vacuum window at pressures below about 10/sup -3/ - 10/sup -4/ torr and a window around 1 torr. The 1 torr window (which is desirable from a reactor viewpoint) became less certain this year due to our discovery of the major role played by knock-on electrons which are sufficiently numerous to produce a reversed (ion-defocussing) magnetic field ahead of the ion pulse. Unless most of the knock-on current is wiped out by self-fields, this effect appears to eliminate use of self-pinched ion beams, and may degrade ballistic mode spot sizes as well. Intermediate energy knock-on electrons (0.3 less than or equal to v/sub z//V/sub b/ less than or equal to 1) may also dominate the electrical conductvity in the ion pulse, and will influence micro-instability and filamentation calculations.

The recommendations of the panel towards the TMX and MFTF experiments and future construction are outlined. (MOW)

A study was made to assess the possibility of a vapor explosion in a liquid-fed glass melter and during off-standard conditions for other vitrification processes. The glass melter considered is one designed for the vitrification of high-level nuclear wastes and is comprised of a ceramic-lined cavity with electrodes for joule heating and processing equipment required to add feed and withdraw glass. Vapor explosions needed to be considered because experience in other industrial processes has shown that violent interactions can occur if a hot liquid is mixed with a cooler, vaporizable liquid. Available experimental evidence and theoretical analyses indicate that destructive glass/water interactions are low probability events, if they are possible at all. Under standard conditions, aspects of liquid-fed melter operation which work against explosive interactions include: (1) the aqueous feed is near its boiling point; (2) the feed contains high concentrations of suspended particles; (3) molten glass has high viscosity (greater than 20 poise); and (4) the glass solidifies before film boiling can collapse. While it was concluded that vapor explosions are not expected in a liquid-fed melter, available information does not allow them to be ruled out altogether. Several precautionary measures which are easily incorporated into melter operation procedures …

The solution for electrostatic potential within a simply modeled tandem mirror thermal barrier is seen to exhibit a sheath at each edge of the cell. The formation of the sheath requires ion collisionality and the analysis assmes that the collisional trapping rate into the barrier is considerably slower than the barrier pump rate.

This report addresses the technical progress for the Basalt Waste Isolation Project for the second quarter of fiscal year 1980. Seismic design values were developed for preliminary repository design purposes; 0.25 g horizontal and 0.125 g vertical maximum accelerations for surface, zero-period conditions. Preliminary seismic data indicate broad, smooth areas exist in the bedrock surface in the western portion of the Cold Creek syncline and a gently undulating bedrock surface in the eastern portion. Test results indicate hydraulic property values fall within the range previously reported for sedimentary and interflow zones in basalt formations at the Hanford Site. Preliminary results of available hydrochemical data obtained from several borehole sites indicate that little, if any, vertical mixing of groundwaters is taking place across this stratigraphic boundary. Multiple barrier studies indicate that the primary candidate canister/overpack alloys are TiCode-12, Inconel 625, Incoloy 825, and Zircaloy 2. Low-carbon steel and cast iron are among the list of secondary candidate canister alloys. Laboratory tests of borehole plug designs have shown that it is feasible to design a composite plug system that will satisfactorily seal a nuclear waste repository in Columbia River basalt. The National Lead Industries, Inc., NLI-1/2 Universal Spent Fuel Shipping Cask was …

WIPP 30 was drilled in east-central Eddy County, New Mexico, in NW 1/4, Sec. 33, T21S, R31E, to obtain drill core for the study of dissolution of near-surface rocks. The borehole encountered from top to bottom, the Dewey Lake Red Beds (449' including artificial fill for drill pad), Rustler Formation (299'), and the upper 160' of the Salado Formation. Continuous core was cut from the surface to total depth. Geophysical logs were taken the full length of the borehole to measure acoustic velocities, density, and distribution of potassium and other radioactive elements. Information from this borehole will be included in an interpretive report on dissolution in Nash Draw based on combined borehole data, surface mapping and laboratory analyses of rocks and fluids. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes and to then be converted to a repository. The WIPP will also provide research facilities for interactions between high-level waste and salt. Administration policy as of February 1980 is to hold the WIPP site in reserve until the first disposal site can be chosen from several potential sites, including the WIPP.

It has been proposed to install approximately 35,000 square feet of linear parabolic trough collectors on the roof of a corrugator plant. The collectors are to collect 5500 lbs/hr of steam to drive the corrugator. Each of the subsystems are described, and for each subsystem the possible safety hazards are identified, and recommendations are made to either eliminate or control the hazards at an acceptable level. Specific systems discussed are the master control system and data aquisition system, the collector, and heat transfer system. Fire safety, protection of personnel from burns and eye injury, and lightning protection are discussed. (LEW)

The bearing-pack shaft investigation was conducted to analyze bending and cycle fatigue stresses and resonance. The bending stresses produced were considered to be minimal, and the cycle fatigue stress was less than the material's endurance level. Resonating frequencies were estimated to be sufficiently high to preclude problems.