Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is located south of Albuquerque on Kirtland Air Force Base. Because radionuclides are potentially released from its research activities, SNL has a continuing environmental monitoring program which analyzes for cesium-137, tritium, uranium, alpha emitters, and beta emitters in water, soil, air, and vegetation. Measured radiation levels in public areas were consistent with local background in 1983. The Albuquerque population received an estimated 0.250 person-rem from airborne radioactive releases, whereas it received greater than 49,950 person-rem from naturally occurring radionuclides. 23 references, 6 figures, 15 tables.

The 3081/E project was formed to prepare a much improved IBM mainframe emulator for the future. Its design is based on a large amount of experience in using the 168/E processor to increase available CPU power in both online and offline environments. The processor will be at least equal to the execution speed of a 370/168 and up to 1.5 times faster for heavy floating point code. A single processor will thus be at least four times more powerful than the VAX 11/780, and five processors on a system would equal at least the performance of the IBM 3081K. With its large memory space and simple but flexible high speed interface, the 3081/E is well suited for the online and offline needs of high energy physics in the future.

A method is described for the imaging of the interior of a water filled metallic pipe using acoustical techniques. The apparatus consists of an array of 20 acoustic transducers mounted circumferentially around the pipe. Each transducer is pulsed in sequence, and the echos resulting from bubbles in the interior are digitized and processed by a computer to generate an image. The electronic control and digitizing system and the software processing of the echo signals are described. The performance of the apparatus is illustrated by the imaging of simulated bubbles consisting of thin walled glass spheres suspended in the pipe.

Work this quarter focused on staged liquefaction. The effect of residence time on conversion in single pass experiments was found to be quite different for the subbituminous Belle Ayr Mine and bituminous Illinois No. 6 coals studied. With bituminous coal, conversion to soluble material is quite high and the limit of conversion is approached in only a few minutes. With a subbituminous coal, however, conversion is much lower and the limit of conversion is approached much more slowly. Short contact time (SCT) dissolution of Belle Ayr coal was studied as a possible first stage in a two-stage process. Conversion, hydrocarbon gas yield and hydrogen consumption were increased as residence time or temperature were increased. Conversion was also significantly increased by partial slurry recycle. Pyrite was found to be the most effective slurry catalyst for increasing conversion, followed by ammonium molybdate emulsion and finally nickel-molybdenum on alumina. Illinois No. 6 coal was liquefied in two stages. Conditions in the first stage dissolution were varied to determine the effect on upgradability in the second stage. An SCT (6 minute) coal dissolution stage is preferred over one at 30 minutes because hydrocarbon gas yield was much lower while overall oil yields for the …

The feasibility and cost/benefit of using materials other than stainless steel for in-vessel neutron shielding in large LMFBRs were investigated. Canned vibratorally compacted B/sub 4/C powder shields were found to be much more economical than stainless steel (a savings of $1.1M in loop plant designs and $9.4M in pool plant designs). The helium gas pressure buildup in B/sub 4/C shields placed around LMFBR in-vessel components (direct reactor heat exchangers in a loop reactor and intermediate heat exchangers in a pool reactor) would only be 0.04 atm after 40 y of reactor operation (with 80% dense powder). The irradiation-induced swelling of the B/sub 4/C would only be 0.002%. No adverse reactor impact would occur if the B/sub 4/C escaped from the B/sub 4/C shields.

The study reported herein contains the results of Task 1 of a four-task study entitled Criteria for Evaluating Engineered Facilities. The overall objective of this study is to ensure that the criteria needed to evaluate five alternative low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal methods are available to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Agreement States. The alternative methods considered are belowground vaults, aboveground vaults, earth mounded concrete bunkers, mined cavities, and augered holes. Each of these alternatives is either being used by other countries for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal or is being considered by other countries or US agencies. In this report the performance requirements are listed, each alternative is described, the experience gained with its use is discussed, and the performance capabilities of each method are addressed. Next, the existing 10 CFR Part 61 Subpart D criteria with respect to paragraphs 61.50 through 61.53, pertaining to site suitability, design, operations and closure, and monitoring are assessed for applicability to evaluation of each alternative. Preliminary conclusions and recommendations are offered on each method's suitability as an LLW disposal alternative, the applicability of the criteria, and the need for supplemental or modified criteria.

This report deals with the mathematical analysis of damping measurements performed at PEP. The experiment involved beam position measurements as a function of time following an initial excitation or displacement. The motion was predictably described as a linear combination of exponentially damped sinusoids representing the motion in both the horizontal and vertical directions. A variety of mathematical techniques were applied in order to determine the damping coefficients themselves, and their relationship to beam and accelerator parameters such as current and chromaticity. The most reliable of these methods involved an application of the convolution theorem for Fourier transforms in order to filter out unwanted oscillations by their characteristic frequencies. This method, when applied to the experimental data, yielded damping coefficients that were consistent with the Head Tail Instability model. 25 figures.

The currently available maintenance systems which can be applied, in various combinations, to large-volume in-cell maintenance operations are: (1) contact, (2) overhead cranes, (3) power manipulators, (4) mechanical master/slave manipulators, and (5) servomanipulators. The requirements for reprocessing plant maintenance are reviewed, and the capabilities of remote maintenance systems are described. A basic trade-off analysis of these remote maintenance systems considering reprocessing plant requirements is given. Justification is given for selecting the overhead crane/servomanipulator-based maintenance concept as the option most desirable for future large reprocessing plant maintenance. 23 references, 6 tables.

The problem of automatic camera tracking of mobile objects is addressed with specific reference to remote manipulators and using either fixed or mobile cameras. The technique uses a kinematic approach employing 4 x 4 coordinate transformation matrices to solve for the needed camera PAN and TILT angles. No vision feedback systems are used, as the required input data are obtained entirely from position sensors from the manipulator and the camera-positioning system. All hardware requirements are generally satisfied by currently available remote manipulator systems with a supervisory computer. The system discussed here implements linear plus on/off (bang-bang) closed-loop control with a +-2/sup 0/ deadband. The deadband area is desirable to avoid operator seasickness caused by continuous camera movement. Programming considerations for camera control, including operator interface options, are discussed. The example problem presented is based on an actual implementation using a PDP 11/34 computer, a TeleOperator Systems SM-229 manipulator, and an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) camera-positioning system. 3 references, 6 figures, 2 tables.

Measurements of natural beryllium-7 (/sup 7/Be) were made in field vegetation and rainwater at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation throughout the months of July 1982 to June 1983. Laboratory experiments were also conducted on the adsorption and desorption of /sup 7/Be, cesium-137 (/sup 137/Cs), lead-210 (/sup 210/Pb), and iodine-131 (/sup 131/I) to the foliage of fescue, 3 varieties of beans, and loblolly pine. The field loss of artificially applied /sup 7/Be to field fescue was also measured. The weathering half-life (T/sub W/) was found to be 36.5 days during November-January 1982-1983; no difference was found in the loss of /sup 7/Be during the months March-May 1983, T/sub W/ = 38.5 days. The loss of sulfur-35 (/sup 35/S) was studied concurrently with the spring loss of /sup 7/Be; the T/sub W/ for /sup 35/S was much smaller, equal to 18.4 days. The interception fraction, r, was determined experimentally in the field using the flux of /sup 7/Be in rainwater incident upon clover; the mean value was 0.172. Total deposition velocities were estimated using monthly /sup 7/Be rainwater concentrations and quarterly air concentrations; the yearly average was 1.66 cm/sec. An equation for predicting vegetation concentrations was derived for /sup 7/Be …

This annual report presents brief summaries of research activities during 1982 to 1983. Program activities have been individually entered into EDB. They include research medicine, radiosurgery, environmental physiology, radiation biophysics, and structural biophysics. (ACR)

This report describes a microcomputer-based, single-project financial analysis program: BREEDER. BREEDER is a user-friendly model designed to facilitate frequent and rapid analyses of the financial implications associated with alternative design and financing strategies for electric generating plants and large-scale prototype breeder (LSPB) reactors in particular. The model has proved to be a useful tool in establishing cost goals for LSPB reactors. The program is available on floppy disks for use on an IBM personal computer (or IBM look-a-like) running under PC-DOS or a Kaypro II transportable computer running under CP/M (and many other CP/M machines). The report documents version 1.5 of BREEDER and contains a user's guide. The report also includes a general overview of BREEDER, a summary of hardware requirements, a definition of all required program inputs, a description of all algorithms used in performing the construction-period and operation-period analyses, and a summary of all available reports. The appendixes contain a complete source-code listing, a cross-reference table, a sample interactive session, several sample runs, and additional documentation of the net-equity program option.

Based on analysis of /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ fixation kinetics and assays of enzymes related to C/sub 4/ metabolism (NAD-ME, NADP-ME, NAD-MDH, NADP-MDH, AST, ALT), leaves and regenerated plants of Euphorbia degeneri exhibit a modified NADP-ME-type photosynthesis. Apparently, both aspartate and malate are used for transport of CO/sub 2/ to bundle sheath cells. Callus grown on either non-shoot-forming or shoot-forming media fixes CO/sub 2/ into RPP-cycle intermediates and sucrose, as well as malate and aspartate. /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ pulse/chase kinetics show no significant loss of label from C/sub 4/ acids throughout a one minute chase. Analysis of PEPCase revealed the presence of 2 isoenzymes in both leaf and regenerated plant tissues (K/sub m/ (PEP) = 0.080 and 0.550) but only one isoenzyme in callus (K/sub m/ = 0.100). It appears that C/sub 4/ photosynthesis does not occur in callus derived from this C/sub 4/ dicot but is regenerated concomitant with shoot regeneration, and ..beta..-carboxylation of PEP in callus, mediated by the low K/sub m/ isoenzyme of PEPCase, produces C/sub 4/ acids that are not involved in the CO/sub 2/ shuttle mechanism characteristic of C/sub 4/ photosynthesis. 161 references, 19 figures, 12 tables.

A standard Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) subassembly used in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) was investigated, by remote techniques, for fuel bundle distortion by both nondestructive and destructive methods, and the results from both methods were compared. The non-destructive method employed neutron tomography to reconstruct the locations of fuel elements through the use of a maximum entropy reconstruction algorithm known as MENT. The destructive method consisted of ''potting'' (a technique that embeds and permanently fixes the fuel elements in a solid matrix) the subassembly, and then cutting and polishing the individual sections. The comparison indicated that the tomography reconstruction provided good results in describing the bundle geometry and spacer-wire locations, with the overall resolution being on the order of a spacer-wire diameter. A dimensional consistency check indicated that the element and spacer-wire dimensions were accurately reproduced in the reconstruction.

The resolution of technical issues generated by the accident at Three-Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) will inevitably be of long range benefit. Determination of the fuel debris dispersal in the TMI-2 reactor system represents a major technical issue. In reactor recovery operations, such as for the safe handling and final disposal of TMI-2 waste, quantitative fuel assessments are being conducted throughout the reactor core and primary coolant system.

Coal combustion fly ash from both conventional pulverized coal combustion (PCC) and fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) have been characterized as to their organic constituents and microbial mutagenic activity. The PCC fly ash was collected from a commercial utility generating plant using a low sulfur coal. The FBC fly ash was from a bench-scale developmental unit at the Grand Forks Energy Technology Center. Bulk samples of each fly ash were extracted using benzene/methanol and further separated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Subfractions from the HPLC separation were analyzed by gas chromatography using both element-specific nitrogen-phosphorus detectors and flame ionization detectors. Microbial mutagenicity assay results indicated that the crude organic extracts were mutagenic, and that both the specific activity and the overall activity of the PCC material was greater than that of the FBC material. Comparison of results from assays using S. typhimurium, TA1538NR indicated that nitrated polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) were responsible for much of the mutagenic activity of the PCC material. Similar results were obtained for assays of the FBC organic extract with standard and nitroreductase-deficient strains of S. typhimurium, TA100 and TA1538. Mutagenically active HPLC fractions were analyzed using high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) and GC mass spectrometry (GC/MS), …

A prototype coincidence counter developed to assay fast breeder reactor fuel was used to measure four fast-flux test facility subassemblies at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory in Richland, Washington. Plutonium contents in the four subassemblies ranged between 7.4 and 9.7 kg with corresponding /sup 240/Pu-effective contents between 0.9 and 1.2 kg. Large count rates were observed from the measurements, and plots of the data showed significant multiplication in the fuel. The measured data were corrected for deadtime and multiplication effects using established formulas. These corrections require accurate knowledge of the plutonium isotopics and /sup 241/Am content in the fuel. Multiplication-corrected coincidence count rates agreed with the expected count rates based on spontaneous fission-neutron emission rates. These measurements indicate that breeder fuel subassemblies with /sup 240/Pu-effective contents up to 1.2 kg can be nondestructively assayed using the shift-register electronics with the prototype counters. Measurements using the standard Los Alamos National Laboratory shift-register coincidence electronics unit can produce an assay value accurate to +-1% in 1000 s. The uncertainty results from counting statistics and deadtime-correction errors. 3 references, 8 figures, 8 tables.

The conditions attendant on the deep land burial of nuclear waste products raise a number of possible scenarios to cover the necessary 10,000 years of burial. However, no matter what kind of futuristic scenario obtains, it is desirable to develop an information system indicating the locale and nature of the deposit site and the types of materials stored, along with forewarnings not to interefere with the sites. A variety of such informational sites are suggested. Attention then turns to the recipients of such messages, recognizing from the outset that the psychological/perceptual makeup of individuals across the next 300 or so generations is virtually impossible to predict, particularly since new technologies may well alter that makeup in the furture. Nevertheless, current evidence suggests that certain human characteristics may be considered universal, and that these suggest the incorporation of selected sign signification into the message system. There are other such characteristics that, while probably not intrinsic, can probably be acquired with a minimum of formal training. That still leaves much of the message content to be deliberately created and, hence, learned. The common trefoil or other developed biohazardous signs emerge as the best candidates for a generic base symbol for the buried …

The Department of Energy created the Human Interference Task Force (HITF) in 1980 to investigate the problems connected with the postclosure, final marking of a filled nuclear waste repository. The task of the HITF is to devise a method of warning future generations not to mine or drill at that site unless they are aware of the consequences of their actions. Since the likelihood of human interference should be minimized for 10,000 years, an effective and long-lasting warning system must be designed. This report is a semiotic analysis of the problem, examining it in terms of the science or theory of messages and symbols. Because of the long period of time involved, the report recommends that a relay system of recoding messages be initiated; that the messages contain a mixture of iconic, indexical, and symbolic elements; and that a high degree of redundancy of messages be employed.

Four interim technical research memoranda are presented that describe the results of numerical simulations designed to investigate the dynamics of energetic plasma beams propagating across magnetic fields.

The concept of the Lasertron can be most easily described by referring to the figures. A short bunch of electrons (short in time compared to the period of an rf cycle), is emitted from the cathode and accelerated by a dc potential toward the anode. An rf cavity, located just past the anode aperture, is the output cavity. The rf frequency is determined by the pulse rate of the electron bunches. Although other types of solid-state cathodes are possible, if a photo-cathode is used, then the light source will likely be a fast pulsing laser, hence the name Lasertron. The device cannot be properly called a Laser klystron since that name implies the waves of rf current by which a dc beam is bunched. In the Lasertron, the electrons are emitted bunched and it is only necessary to accelerate them before space charge forces cause too much debunching.

Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (RIS) can b defined as a state-selective detection process in which tunable lasers are used to promote transitions from the selected state of the atoms or molecules in question to higher states, one of which will be ionized by the absorption of another photon. At least one resonance step is used in the stepwise ionization process, and it has been shown that the ionization probability of the spectroscopically selected species can nearly always be made close to unity. Since measurements of the number of photoelectrons or ions can be made very precisely and even one electron (or under vacuum conditions, one ion) can be detected, the technique can be used to make quantitative measurements of very small populations of the state-selected species. Counting of individual atoms has special meaning for detection of rare events. The ability to make saturated RIS measurements opens up a wide variety of applications to both basic and applied research. We view RIS as a specific type of multi-photon ionization in which the goal is to make quantitative measurements of quantum-selected populations in atomic or molecular systems. 16 references.

The kinetic Alfven wave is studied in a cylindrical force-free plasma with self-consistent magnetic fields. This equilibrium represents a reversed field pinch or a spheromak. The stability of the wave is found to depend on the ratio of the electron drift velocity to the Alfven velocity. This ratio varies inversely with the square root of the plasma line density. The critical line density using the Spitzer-Harm electron distribution function is found for reversed field pinches with deuterium plasmas to be approximately 2 x 10/sup 18/ m/sup -1/ and is 5 x 10/sup 17/ m/sup -1/ in spheromaks with hydrogen plasmas. The critical line density is in reasonable agreement with experimental data for reversed field pinches.

A new concept for above-ground retorting of oil shale was disclosed by A.E. Harak in US Patent No. 4,340,463, dated July 20, 1982, and assigned to the US Department of Energy. This patent titled System for Utilizing Oil Shale Fines, describes a process wherein oil shale fines of one-half inch diameter and less are pyrolyzed in an entrained-flow reactor using hot gas from a cyclone combustor. Spent shale and supplemental fuel are burned at slagging conditions in this combustor. Because of fines utilization, the designation Use It All Retorting Process (UIARP) has been adopted. A preliminary process engineering design of the UIARP, analytical tests on six samples of raw oil shale, and a preliminary technical and economic evaluation of the process were performed. The results of these investigations are summarized in this report. The patent description is included. It was concluded that such changes as deleting air preheating in the slag quench and replacing the condenser with a quench-oil scrubber are recognized as being essential. The addition of an entrained flow raw shale preheater ahead of the cyclone retort is probably required, but final acceptance is felt to be contingent on some verification that adequate reaction time cannot be obtained …