Progress is reported for a program whose goals are to demonstrate an experimental upgraded gas turbine powered automobile which meets the 1978 Federal Emissions Standards, has significantly improved fuel economy, and is competitive in performance, reliability, and potential manufacturing cost with the conventional piston engine powered, compact-size American automobile. Initial running of the upgraded engine took place on July 13, 1976. The engine proved to be mechanically sound, but was also 43% deficient in power. A continuing corrective development effort has to date reduced the power deficiency to 32%. Compressor efficiency was increased 2 points by changing to a 28-channel diffuser and tandem deswirl vanes; improved processing of seals has reduced regenerator leakage from about 5 to 2.5% of engine flow; a new compressor turbine nozzle has increased compressor turbine stage efficiency by about 1 point; and adjustments to burner mixing ports has reduced pressure drop from 2.8 to 2.1% of engine pressure. Key compressor turbine component improvements are scheduled for test during the next quarterly period. During the quarter, progress was also made on development of the Upgraded Vehicle control system; and instrumentation of the fourth program engine was completed by NASA. The engine will be used for development …

The seafloor nuclear power supply (SNPS) concept has been proposed by Atomics International (AI) and Lockheed Petroleum Services, Ltd. (LPS) as a source of electrical energy for subsea pumping of petroleum products. It consists of a small nuclear reactor, moderated by zirconium hydride (ZrH) and cooled by liquid metal (NaK), which drives a 3-MW turbine/generator system using toluene as the working fluid. Arthur D. Little, Inc., was selected to assess the technical and economic feasibility of a SNPS, and to determine if potential applications for a SNPS might exist in offshore-oil-field development schemes where conventional power supplies could not be used. It was determined that the concept is technically feasible, with regard to the nuclear, marine, electrical, and petroleum engineering aspects. However, its initial cost of $14 million and operating expenses of $900,000 per year are considerably more in each case than the costs of conventional alternative power supplies. For the type of field development proposed as an example by LPS, a combination of gas turbines and dc cables would cost about $8 million. Fuel in the form of gas from the wells would be available at near-zero cost in almost all cases of field development, so that operating expenses …

Radiation shielding is a key subsystem in tokamak reactors. Design of this shield must evolve from economic and technological trade-off studies that account for the strong interrelations among the various components of the reactor system. These trade-offs are examined for the bulk shield on the inner side of the torus and for the special shields of major penetrations. Results derived are applicable for a large class of tokamak-type reactors.

In February 1976, the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) announced a greatly expanded waste management program for defense and commercial radioactive waste. In that announcement, ERDA indicated that the Oak Ridge Operations Office (ORO) of ERDA would have lead responsibility for overall coordination of the expanded commercial geologic disposal program and that an Office of Waste Isolation (OWI) would be created within Union Carbide Corporation-Nuclear Division (UCC-ND) with the responsibility for program management of that activity. This bibliography lists many of the documents authored since 1958 by UCC-ND's technical personnel, consultants, and subcontractors as part of the geologic waste disposal programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the current National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program. Future editions will contain new documents as well as other prior-year documents which, because of our schedule, we were unable to identify, locate, and include in this first edition. Longer-range plans include broadening the scope of coverage to include documents authored by other NWTS Program participants. This edition, as well as future editions, will list only those documents that have been processed through ERDA's Technical Information Center for public availability from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia. Full reference and citation information appears …

Progress in a program for optimizing automotive accessory systems to achieve greater vehicle fuel economy and improved accessory performance is reported. The major technical accomplishments during this reporting period were: all candidate advanced air conditioning concepts were evaluated; advanced air conditioning and hybrid accessory drive component trade-studies were completed; improved alternator, water pump and power steering system concepts were evaluated; the vehicle integrated accessory systems trade-study was completed; and the technical summary report for the Phase V Automotive Accessory Systems Optimization Program was initiated. (LCL)