This report describes work performed by the author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Pure Science at Columbia University.

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. Activity during this twenty-second program quarter has continued to emphasize development towards correcting a power deficiency in the Upgraded Engine. Efforts are also being directed towards reducing fuel usage through improved heat recovery and towards improving the mechanical reliability and control of the engine.

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Progress from January 1 to March 31, 1978, is reported in design of the 50 MT/year experimental facility for the preparation of high-purity silicon by the zinc vapor reduction of silicon tetrachloride in a fluidized bed of seed particles to form a free-flowing granular product. The design of the experimental facility has been concluded and sent to JPL for evaluation. It is also being critiqued by an independent pilot plant design group at BCL. Detailed analyses of equipment and construction costs have led to an estimate of $1.5 million for construction of the facility in an available building at BCL. Although the design was frozen for purposes of cost estimation, some improvements have been made since, and others are contemplatd before it is necessary to freeze the design for construction. Representative flow sheets and related equipment drawings are shown.

Measurements of hydridation of thin films are described. Film deposition by rf sputtering is discussed and studies of microstructure changes due to hydridation are presented. The influence of factors such as alloy composition, microstructural details, surface layers or contaminants and physical properties on hydriding characteristics such as the kinetics of hydrogen absorption and desorption, quantities absorbed, heats of hydriding and the effects of long-term absorption-desorption cycling were studied. (GHT)

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In order to improve the security of handling special nuclear materials at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, a sensitive acoustic emission detector has been developed that will detect forcible entry through block or tile walls, concrete floors, or concrete/steel vault walls. A small, low-powered processor was designed to convert the output from a sensitive, crystal-type acoustic transducer to an alarm relay signal for use with a supervised alarm loop. The unit may be used to detect forcible entry through concrete, steel, block, tile, and/or glass.

As a part of this study, B and W was to develop fluid bed system design bases and parameters using any and all sources available. The design parameters used for the fluid bed boiler designs in this study were actually developed by B and W as part of their in-house AFB development program and also as a part of the subject design study. To properly carry out the assessment portion of the work it was essential to develop an understanding of the basic interrelationship of variables in order that the final comparisons would be of consistent and realistic as possible. Inputs to meet this goal were largely based on available literature, B and W experience, and engineering judgment. In some cases we also had to venture into some theoretical development work if published results appeared incomplete. The key subject areas to be covered in subsequent pages are listed: General, Fluidizing Velocity Requirements, FBC Feed Particle Size Requirements, Calculated Slip Velocities as a Function of Particle Size and Dispersed Density, Heat Transfer Equations, Heat Transfer to Horizontal Tubes in Shallow Fluidized Beds, Combustion Efficiencies, Sulfur Capture, Freeboard Performance, Distributor Plate Design, and Economic Considerations.

This paper examines the fidelity of a dielectric, encapsulated magnetic probe in the adverse plasma environment encountered in plasma focus experiments. The ionization of the surface of the probe produces a conductive layer that tends to shield it from external magnetic fields. The solution of the wave equation is used to show the allowed regions of conductivity, sigma, and thickness, d, for the ionized layer. The results show that as d approaches the penetration depth, delta = (..omega mu..sigma)/sup /sup 1///sub 2//, severe attenuation and distortion results, rendering the probe useless. When d is much less than delta, we encounter attenuation only, which also may be too severe for use. Finally, an experiment is described, which allows the experimenter to determine the fidelity of the probe.

The report summarizes the Light Duty Vehicle Fuel Consumption Model developed for the Office of Conservation and Advanced Energy Systems Policy in the Department of Energy. The purpose of the model is to estimate annual passenger auto (PA) and non-passenger auto (NPA) fuel consumption through 1986. The model is intended to: (1) provide information on future estimated petroleum demand for the majority of the US transportation sector; and (2) generate a better understanding of the trends in fuel consumption in light of fuel economy standards issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA). The model also is designed to provide disaggregated data for PA's and NPA's in order to anayze their relative importance in estimating total fuel consumption and to calculate the proportion of diesel, leaded, and unleaded fuels in total fleet consumption.

This final discussion summarizes the investigation performed throughout the project on geothermal applications to agricultural operations, and the study work done on the suggested follow-on project. The purpose of the studies was to determine whether an economically feasible project could be developed utilizing the geothermal aquifer for heating and cooling of a greenhouse complex, or the heating of a number of municipal buildings.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

The exposure of noncellulosic ultrafiltration membranes to a radioactive environment simulating up to 24 months of exposure to a beta dose of 10 ..mu..Ci/cm/sup 3/ and a gamma dose of 10/sup -5/ ..mu..Ci/cm/sup 3/ did not show any conclusive evidence of membrane degradation. Viscosity measurements for control membranes and irradiated membranes indicate no changes in polymer molecular weight were caused by the radiation exposure. This, in turn, suggests no physical or mechanical degradation took place. A continuous run on the ultrafiltration pilot plant was completed. The run lasted 33.5 hr; during this period, the flux declined from 4 gal/min to 0.8 gal/min while rejection of alpha activity increased slightly. A total of 20,000 gal were processed through the ultrafiltration system. The small laboratory column tests were continued with uranium-233 and americium-241. Several new resins were being evaluated along with the same type of resin as used before with uranium-233 and plutonium-238. Tests were continued with the 2-in. Engineering Columns using ultrafiltration product spiked with uranium-233.

The ultrasonic imaging system described herein was developed to measure chest-wall thickness and the percentage of fat in the chest and around other body organs. The system uses pulse-echo techniques to transmit and detect sound waves reflected from the interfaces of body organs and adjacent tissue. A computer draws these interfaces on color scans, and a code is used to exponentially average data from several points on each scan to find the average thicknesses of the chest wall and fat layers. These average thicknesses are then used to adjust x-ray calibration factors for plutonium lung counters. The correction factor for three subjects measured for fat content ranging from 12.6 to 22.2% was 18 to 41%. The ultrasonic system also defines the shape and position of the kidneys and liver so we are able to more accurately place detectors on the body during in-vivo radiation measurements. We have also developed a technique for displaying the interfaces from a series of ultrasonic chest scans to produce a topographical map that enables us to better understand the shape and contour of the lung and chest-wall interface.

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Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John L. Hill, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; The statute of limitations in the Texas Employment Commission Act.

The DT fusion neutron irradiation of two ORNL magnesium oxide crystals and eleven BNL-LASL superconductor wires is described. The sample position and neutron dose record are given. The maximum neutron fluence on any sample was 2.16 x 10/sup 16/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/.