Report issued by the Argonne National Laboratory discussing acoustic-boiling-detection techniques. As stated in the abstract, "this report summarizes literature through June 1967 concerning acoustic methods. In the acoustic method for boiling detection, either acoustic waveguides or high-temperature acoustic sensors are recommended" (p. 1). This report includes tables, and illustrations.

A set of OS/370 Basic Assembly Language programs is described which provides a FORTRAN IV interface with OS/370 Macros.

Vapor explosions were produced by injecting small quantities of water into a container filled with molten sodium chloride. Minimum explosion efficiencies, as evaluated from reaction-impulse measurements, were relatively large. Subsurface movies showed that the explosions resulted from a two-step sequence: an initial bulk-mixing phase in which the two liquids intermix on a large scale, but remain locally separated by an insulating gas-vapor layer; and a second step, immediately following breakdown of the gas layer, during which the two liquids locally fragment, intermix, and pressurize very rapidly. The experimental results were compared with various mechanistic models that had been proposed to explain vapor explosions. Early models seemed inconsistent with the results. More recent theories suggest that vapor explosions may be caused by a nucleation limit or by dynamic mixing combined with high surface-heat-transfer rates. Both types of models are consistent with the results.

Progress report describing the research and management efforts of Argonne National Laboratory's program on high-performance lithium/metal sulfide batteries during the period July-December 1975. The batteries are being developed for two applications: off-peak energy storage in electric utility networks and electric-vehicle propulsion. The battery designs for the two applications differ, particularly in cell configuration and electrode design because of the differing performance requirements.

A simple conduction model with phase change has been developed for the transient analysis of a fuel pin based on average properties and lumped-parameter techniques. The transient behavior of fuel and cladding can be accurately described by simple analytical expressions that agree with conventional numerical approaches for under-cooling transient analysis. If it be assumed that the heat-transfer resistance between the fuel and cladding remains the same for both steady-state and transient periods, the phase-change problem for fuel and cladding melting can be significantly simplified. BY using the predetermined average overall heat-transfer coefficient across a fuel pin in the steady-state period, the average transient fuel and cladding temperatures can be formulated analytically. For loss of flow at constant power, the start of melting and complete melting for both the fuel and cladding can be estimated with considerable accuracy.

The methods applied or proposed for risk assessment of nuclear reactors are reviewed, particularly with respect to their applicability for risk assessment of future commercial fast breeder reactors. All methods are based on the calculation of accident consequences for relatively few accident scenarios. The role and general impact of uncertainties in fast-reactor accident analysis are discussed. The discussion shows the need for improvement of the methodology. A generalized and improved risk-assessment methodology is outlined and proposed (accident-spectra-progression approach). The generalization consists primarily of an explicit treatment of uncertainties throughout the accident progression. The results of this method are obtained in form of consequence distributions. The width and shape of the distributions depend in part on the superposition of the uncertainties. The first moment of the consequence distribution gives an improved prediction of the ''average'' consequence. The higher-consequence moments can be used for consideration of risk aversion. The assessment of the risk of one or a certain number of nuclear reactors can only provide an ''isolated'' risk assessment. The general problem of safety risk assessment and its relation to public acceptance of certain modes of power production is a much broader problem area, which is also discussed.

Hydrogen from the radiolysis of water by dissolved fission products is stripped from the solution and collected by bubbling carbon dioxide through the solution. Quantitative measurements of the G value for hydrogen show that the yield is essentially the same as would be obtained by external gamma radiolysis of nonradioactive solutions of the same chemical composition. The hydrogen yield can be enhanced by addition of a hydrogen-atom donor, such as formic acid, to the solution. The yield of hydrogen from fission-waste solutions is discussed with respect to the question of whether it represents a significant energy source.

Studies of unprotected loss-of-flow accidents in the CRBR for various rates of flow coast-down and with various options in the SAS 3A code did not lead to conditions for a violent disassembly. Maximum fuel temperatures using the SLUMPY module for disassembly were in the range 4000-4500 deg C. An approximate treatment of the LOF-driven TOP accident, not properly modeled by SAS 3A, indicates the possibility of some increase in accident severity. The effect of fission gas in dispersing fuel was not taken into account in these calculations. Parameter variations included the presence or absence of axial fuel expansion and of clad motion and use of the moving coolant film model versus the static film model. Study of severe pipe rupture accidents with scram indicated that pin power density and fuel-clad conductance were important parameters in determining what coolant flow rate was needed to prevent boiling after the rupture. It appears that for the CRBR when engineering hot channel factors are considered, this fraction would have to exceed 25 percent.

A fluidized-bed, reductive decomposition process has been developed for regenerating calcium sulfate, a product of fluidized-bed combustion. The effect of process operating variables on the extent of regeneration and on the SO2 levels in the off-gas has been determined, and a process model has been proposed. A process for regenerating spent SO2 sorbents has been developed on a PDU scale. Tymochtee dolomite that had been sulfated during fluidized-bed combustion of coal is regenerated (reductive decomposition of calcium sulfate to calcium oxide and SO2) by the incomplete combustion of either methane or coal in a fluidized-bed reactor.

Transient thermal phenomena in Pb/PbO2 (lead-acid) batteries during charging processes were investigated. Mathematical models were formulated for the studies of heat transfer behavior across the electrode/electrolyte interface within a porous PbO2 electrode during charging, thermal behavior and temperature distribution over a lead-acid battery during different charging processes designed for electric-vehicle propulsion application, and cooling methods for lead-acid batteries during recharge cycles. Numerical solutions show that the heat transfer across the solid electrode and the electrolyte within the porous electrode is so fast that their temperatures may be regarded as the same. The results also show that, in a lead-acid battery designed for electric-vehicle propulsion, the heat generated in the cell during fast charging processes may cause a noticeable rise of temperature in the cell if the heat is not removed properly. The studies of heat-removal processes indicate that incorporation of cooling tubes within the cell cannot effectively remove the heat being released from the cell. However, the heat may be removed effectively by circulation of electrolyte through the battery. Numerical solutions are provided for the engineering evaluation of heat-removal design during battery cycling processes.

The current status of the HYCSOS chemical heat pump and energy conversion system based on metal hydrides is described. Heat transfer fluid loops were insulated and modified for isothermal operation. Software development for HYCSOS manual mode operation was completed. Routines to handle data acquisition, logging, compression, correction and plotting, using a Tektronix Graphics system with flexible disk data storage, provide a rapid and versatile means of presenting HYCSOS data for analysis. Advanced concept heat exchangers to improve the heat transfer of the hydride bed with the heat transfer fluid are discussed. Preliminary tests made with a LaNi5 loaded aluminum foam test unit showed that heat transfer properties are very markedly improved. Thermodynamic expressions are applied to the selection of alloys for use in HYCSOS. The substitution of aluminum for nickel in AB5 type alloys is shown to reduce hysteresis and permits the use of potentially lower cost materials with added flexibility for the optimization of engineering design and performance characteristics of the hydride heat pump system. Transient thermal measurements on hydride beds of CaNi5 and LaNi5 show no deterioration with cycling. Relatively slow heat transfer between the hydride beds and heat transfer fluid in the coiled tube heat exchangers is …

This report surveys waste production rates and disposal practices at EBR-II, a small-scale liquid-metal fast breeder reactor, for the past decade. Normal airborne wastes have been reduced by switching to low-sulfur fuel oil in auxiliary boilers and converting to use of reactor steam for part of the plant space heating. Atmospheric releases of gaseous radioactive wastes initially increased during the implementation of program for testing reactor fuels to and beyond cladding breach; but the effluent rates have now been reduced to far below permissible limits by use of a cryogenic distillation column. EBR-II's small production of liquid radioactive waste is handled by evaporation, followed by disposal of the evaporator sludge as solid waste. Liquid-waste releases meet all applicable state and federal standards. Solid wastes are sent to two storage/disposal areas- one of which is reserved primarily for storage of materials containing sodium, pending development of a facility for disposal of the sodium.

This report evaluates abnormal and accident conditions postulated for the EBR-II cover-gas cleanup system (CGCS). Major considerations include loss of CGCS function with a high level of cover-gas activity, loss of the liquid-nitrogen coolant required for removing fission products from the cover gas, contamination of the cover gas from sources other than the reactor, and loss of system pressure boundary. Calculated exposures resulting from the maximum hypothetical accident (MHA) are less than 2% of the 5-Rcm limit stipulated in U. S. Regulation 10 CFR 100; i.e., a person standing at any point on an exclusion boundary (area radius of 600 m) for 2 h following onset of the postulated release would receive less than 0.45 Rem whole-body dose. The on-site whole-body dose (10 m from the source) would be less than 16 Rem.

The Community Systems Program is concerned with conserving energy and scarce fuels through new methods of satisfying the energy needs of American communities. These programs are designed to develop innovative ways of combining current, emerging, and advanced technologies into Integrated Community Energy Systems (ICES) that could furnish any, or all, of the energy-using services of a community. The key goals of the Community System Program then, are to identify, evaluate, develop, demonstrate, and deploy energy systems and community designs that will optimally meet the needs of various communities. Integrated systems offer considerable potential for fuel substitution, thereby allowing the use of non-scarce fuel resources that would not be economically usable in smaller unintegrated systems. Input energy sources for such systems may include low-grade waste heat, solid and liquid wastes, solar and geothermal heat, seawater heat dissipation, and use of less-scarce fuels, such as coal and biomass. A Grid-Connected ICES uses a central co-generation plant and distribution system to provide heating, cooling, and electrical energy services. During 1977, contracts for the following Grid-Connected ICES (G-C ICES) demonstration teams were negotiated: City of Independence, Missouri; Clark University; City of Trenton, New Jersey; Health Education Authority of Louisiana (HEAL); and University of Minnesota. …

The available thermodynamic information is reviewed for three categories of materials that meet essential criteria for use as breeding blankets in deuterium-tritium (D-T) fueled fusion reactors: liquid lithium, solid lithium alloys, and lithium-containing ceramics. The leading candidate, liquid lithium, which also has potential for use as a coolant, has been studied more extensively than have the solid alloys or ceramics.

The results are presented of a program of validation of the unit cell homogenization prescriptions and codes used for the analysis of Zero Power Reactor (ZPR) fast breeder reactor critical experiments. The ZPR drawer loading patterns comprise both plate type and pin-calandria type unit cells. A prescription is used to convert the three dimensional physical geometry of the drawer loadings into one dimensional calculational models. The ETOE-II/MC²-II/SDX code sequence is used to transform ENDF/B basic nuclear data into unit cell average broad group cross sections based on the 1D models. Cell average, broad group anisotropic diffusion coefficients are generated using the methods of Benoist or of Gelbard. The resulting broad (approx. 10 to 30) group parameters are used in multigroup diffusion and S(su n) transport calculations of full core XY or RZ models which employ smeared atom densities to represent the contents of the unit cells.

Test data from an in-pile failure experiment of high-power LMFBR-type fuel pins in a simulated $3/s transient-overpower (TOP) accident are reported and analyzed. Major conclusions are that (1) a series of cladding ruptures during the 100-ms period preceding fuel release injected small bursts of fission gas into the flow stream; (2) gas release influenced subsequent cladding melting and fuel release (there were no measurable FCI's (fuel-coolant interactions), and all fuel motion observed by the hodoscope was very slow); (3) the predominant post-failure fuel motion appears to be radial swelling that left a spongy fuel crust on the holder wall; (4) less than 4 to 6 percent of the fuel moved axially out of the original fuel zone, and most of this froze within a 10-cm region above the original top of the fuel zone to form the outlet blockage. An inlet blockage approximately 1 cm long was formed and consisted of large interconnected void regions. Both blockages began just beyond the ends of the fuel pellets.

As part of the studies preliminary to the acquisition of additional computing capability at Argonne National Laboratory, six groups of jobs were run on the IBM 370/195 at the Applied Mathematics Division of Argonne National Laboratory, on an Amdahl 470V/6 at the Amdahl manufacturing facilities in Sunnyvale, California, and on an IBM 370/168 MODEL 3 at the IBM Field Support Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. This report compares the performance of the IBM 370/168 MOD 3 with that of the other two machines. Differences in machine configurations were minimized. The memory size of each machine was identical, the I/O configurations were as similar as possible, and the same versions of OS/MVT 21.7 and ASP 3.1 were used on all three machines. This allowed the comparison to be based on the relative performance of the three CPUs.

This report examines the dynamic elastic response of flawed and unflawed reactor subassembly ducts. A plane- strain finite-element analysis is presented for hexagonal ducts containing either internal corner cracks or external midflat cracks. Two geometric loading conditions are considered: uniform internal pressurization and point loads applied at opposite midflats. The time dependence of these loads was chosen as a Heaviside step function for the worst-case situation and as a triangular pulse to simulate the more likely condition.

A computer program (ARDISC, the Argonne Dispersion Code) is described which simulates the migration of nuclides in porous media and includes first order kinetic effects on the retention constants. The code allows for different absorption and desorption rates and solves the coupled migration equations by arithmetic reiterations. Input data needed are the absorption and desorption rates, equilibrium surface absorption coefficients, flow rates and volumes, and media porosities.

The DOE-1 computer program under development by Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory is used to examine energy consumption in a typical middle-class household in Cincinnati, Ohio. The program is used to compare energy consumption under different structural and environmental conditions including various levels of insulation in the walls and ceiling, double and single glazing of windows, and thermostat setback schedules.

Biaxial creep-fatigue test data for Type 316 stainless steel tubes at 1100*Y are presented. The specimens were subjected to constant internal pressure and fluctuating axial strain with and without hold times in tension as well as compress ion. The results show that internal pressure significantly affects diametral ratchetting and axial stress range. Axial tensile hold is found to he more damaging than axial compressive hold even cinder a biaxial state of stress.

Quarterly report on batteries being developed for electric-vehicle propulsion and for stationary energy storage applications.

Quarterly report of the Argonne National Laboratory Chemical Engineering Division regarding activities related to properties and handling of radioactive materials, operation of nuclear reactors, and other relevant research. This report includes fuel cycle studies in advanced solvent extraction techniques focused on development of centrifugal contactors for use in Purex processes and dispersion of liquids by explosions.