Between mid-May and late June 1976, 3409 water and water-transported sediment samples were collected from 1781 locations spread over an approximate 17000-km/sup 2/ area of northwestern Montana. All of the samples were analyzed for total uranium at the LASL, using standardized procedures and rigorous quality controls, the waters by fluorometry and the sediment (and those waters with greater than 10 ppb uranium) by delayed-neutron counting methods. All of the field collection, treatment, and packaging of the samples was performed following strict LASL specifications. The uranium concentrations measured in the waters range from undetectable (less than 0.2) ppb to 173.6 ppb, but average only 0.66 ppb. The low uranium concentrations in the waters of this area are thought to be due primarily to a general lack of readily soluble uranium and dilution with spring runoff. Those locations which did have abnormally high uranium were examined more closely, and follow-up field examinations are recommended in the vicinity of some of these sites. The uranium content of the sediment samples range from 0.5 ppM to 52.2 ppM and average 4.56 ppM. Sample locations with high and/or anomalous uranium values were examined with respect to the local geology, water chemistry, and other relevant factors. …

From abstract: Between mid-May and late June 1976, 3409 water and water-transported sediment samples were collected from 1781 locations spread over an approximate 17 000 kilometer area of northwestern Montana. All of the samples were analyzed for total uranium at the LASL, using standardized procedures and rigorous quality controls--the waters by fluorometry and the sediment (and those waters with >10 parts per billion uranium) by delayed-neutron counting methods.

Report providing information about the water resources of the Munabo Valley in southeastern Puerto Rico, including the principal source of water, chemical composition, hydraulic conductivities, average transmissivity, and suggestions for water supplementation.

Newsletter issued by the Advisory Council for Technical-Vocational Education in Texas discussing news, events, and other relevant information related to technical and vocational education for adults in Texas.

Laser plasma experiments at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory have progressed very rapidly and have achieved new milestones in both the implosion and DT gain in laser fusion targets. New diagnostic methods were also developed for determining the state of the compressed fuel and the plasma processes which are occurring in the absorption and scattering of the laser light incident on the laser fusion pellets. A review of the program is given. (MOW)

The Multicomponent Mass Transfer (MMT) Model is a generic computer code, currently in its third generation, that was developed to predict the movement of radiocontaminants in the saturated and unsaturated sediments of the Hanford Site. This model was designed to use the water movement patterns produced by the unsaturated and saturated flow models coupled with dispersion and soil-waste reaction submodels to predict contaminant transport. This report documents the theorical foundation and the numerical solution procedure of the current (third) generation of the MMT Model. The present model simulates mass transport processes using an analog referred to as the Discrete-Parcel-Random-Walk (DPRW) algorithm. The basic concepts of this solution technique are described and the advantages and disadvantages of the DPRW scheme are discussed in relation to more conventional numerical techniques such as the finite-difference and finite-element methods. Verification of the numerical algorithm is demonstrated by comparing model results with known closed-form solutions. A brief error and sensitivity analysis of the algorithm with respect to numerical parameters is also presented. A simulation of the tritium plume beneath the Hanford Site is included to illustrate the use of the model in a typical application. 32 figs.

Combined NMR, spin-echo and Moessbauer experiments have been performed to obtain hyperfine field distributions of the transition metal and metalloid elements in splat-cooled amorphous Fe/sub 79/P/sub 21//sub -x/B/sub x/ alloys. These distributions are related to the local environments of the elements. The NMR signals are observed in the low frequency range 20-60 MHz and all the nuclei, i.e. Fe, P and B, may contribute to the spectral distribution. The resolution of the spectra into that due to Fe and (P + B) nuclei was made possible by using samples prepared with an Fe/sup 56/ isotope. The Fe distribution thus obtaned shows general agreement with the Moessbauer field distribution. From a careful analysis of the NMR data, the hyperfine field at the B nuclei in these amorphous alloys is found to range from 24 to 26 KG increasing with B content. An upper limit of 8 KG for the half-width is attributed to this distribution. The Moessbauer spectra of the Fe/sup 57/ nuclei resemble those for the crystalline Fe/sub 75/P/sub 25//sub -x/B/sub x/ alloys. A fit of the spectra shows a field distribution which suggests the presence of structure. Such a structure may correspond to various Fe sites, also seen in …

Four low cost solar collector designs have been produced for use in solar assisted heat pump systems. Three principles guided the design: the use of air as the heat transfer medium, the use of on-site easy-to-install construction rather than modularized prefabricated construction, and the collection of solar energy at reduced temperatures.

This report documents the results of two Hanford groundwater scenario studies. The first study examines the hydrologic impact of increased groundwater recharge resulting from agricultural development in the Cold Creek Valley located west of the Hanford Reservation. The second study involves recovering liquid radioactive waste which has leaked into the groundwater flow system from a hypothetical buried tank containing high-level radioactive waste. The predictive and control capacity of the onsite Hanford modeling technology is used to evaluate both scenarios. The results of the first study indicate that Cold Creek Valley irrigationis unlikely to cause significant changes in the water table underlying the high-level waste areas or in the movement of radionuclides already in the groundwater. The hypothetical tank leak study showed that an active response (in this case waste recovery) can be modeled and is a possible alternative to passive monitoring of radionuclide movement in the unlikely event that high-level waste is introduced into the groundwater.

Methods are described for the location of an object by using angle-measuring systems, distance-measuring systems, or a mix of the two. With reasonable assumptions on the statistics of the data errors in these systems, an analysis is presented which yields the statistics of the errors in object location; a data weighting scheme is shown which minimizes the variance of the location errors; and, as an aid to designers of such systems, a computer program is described which computes and plots location error contours for desired configurations. 11 figs., 1 table.

A sample of titanium metal powder QC 1779 was subjected to five different treatments of dyring and moisture exposure to estimate the effectiveness of normal drying and handling procedures used in the pyrotechnics processing. The treatments were drying in air, drying in two different vacuum furnaces, exposure to normal humidity, and exposure to 100 percent humidity. Statistical evaluation of the NMR results indicates that there is a significant difference between the moisture content of each treatment. Although the combined effects of temperature, pressure, humidity, and treatment time were not studied in a designed manner to determine their significance on the effectiveness of the drying techniques and moisture uptake by sample QC 1779, the experimental evidence does indicate that all four variables do affect the results of the treatments. 2 figures, 6 tables.

This project is directed toward the examination and comparison of the effects of neutron irradiation on LMFBR Program fuel materials. Characterization of unirradiated and irradiated fuels by analytical chemistry methods will continue, and additional methods will be modified and mechanized for hot cell application. Macro- and microexaminations will be made on fuel and cladding, using the shielded electron microprobe, emission spectrograph, radiochemistry, gamma scanner, mass spectrometers, and other analytical facilities. New capabilities will be developed in gamma scanning, analyses to assess spatial distributions of fuel and fission products, mass spectrometric measurements of burnup and fission gas constituents and other chemical analyses. Microstructural analyses of unirradiated and irradiated materials will continue, using optical and electron microscopy and autoradiographic and x-ray techniques. Special emphasis will be placed on numerical representation of microstructures and its relationship to fabrication and irradiation parameters. New etching and mounting techniques will be developed for high burnup materials.

Addition of minute amounts of oxygen to a thermionic energy converter results in a significant performance improvement. The presence of oxygen reduces the collector work function and decreases the cesium pressure required to obtain a given current density from the emitter. In addition, oxygen additive diodes have the practical benefits of increased interelectrode spacing and improving converter power density and efficiency with polycrystalline electrodes. The motivation for the studies described was to provide insight into the activation processes by characterizing the chemical and physical structures of the tungsten oxide collector surfaces from four thermionic diodes in different states of activation: initial, preactivated, activated, and post-activated. The primary tool for these investigations was Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) with sputtering capability, which provided chemical composition information as a function of distance through each of the tungsten oxide layers. This study has resulted in several important insights into the activation mechanisms. First, converter performance is correlated with layer thickness and with the oxygen concentration. Second, deconvolution of the ESCA spectra shows that four oxidation states of tungsten (0, +2, +4 and +6) are present at all stages of activation. Third, the cesium distributions indicate that this element is present throughout the …

The principal purposes of this report are: (1) identification of the jurisdiction areas of the Federal pipeline-regulating agencies, and (2) examination of the amenability of the regulatory system to the introduction of energy-conservative new technology into the pipeline industry. The history, scope, and agency structure of state and Federal regulation are recounted and some gaps, overlaps, and ambiguities are identified. The only significant inhibitory effects upon technological innovation are found to derive from the FPC and ICC limits upon profit, the 1941 Justice Department consent decree limiting dividends to shipper-owned pipelines, and the income tax rules governing recovery of investment credits and startup losses. Effects of these limits are explored by simulation studies using the Systems, Science and Software pipeline economic model (PEM). Two new concepts of regulation are proposed which would neutralize the inhibitory effect of the present regulatory system and would motivate pipeline operators to conserve energy: (1) use of a ''national equivalent value'' in the economic tradeoff analyses which justify entry of a technological innovation into the rate base (valuation), and (2) a ''valuation allowance'' which would reverse the presently often-existing situation and insure that the pipeline operator would realize a greater profit from saving energy than …

The principal purposes of this report are to identify the jurisdiction areas of the federal pipeline regulating agencies, and to examine the amenability of the regulatory system to the introduction of energy-conservative new technology into the pipeline industry. The history, scope, and agency structure of state and federal regulation are recounted and some gaps, overlaps, and ambiguities are identified. The only significant inhibitory effects upon technological innovation are found to derive from the FPC and ICC limits upon profit, the 1941 Justice Department consent decree limiting dividends to shipper-owned pipelines, and the income tax rules governing recovery of investment credits and startup losses. Effects of these limits are explored by simulation studies using the Systems, Science and Software pipeline economic model (PEM). Two new concepts of regulation are proposed which would neutralize the inhibitory effect of the present regulatory system and would motivate pipeline operators to conserve energy: one, the use of a national equivalent value in the economic trade-off analyses which justify entry of a technological innovation into the rate base (valuation); and two, a valuation allowance which would reverse the presently often-existing situation and insure that the pipeline operator would realize a greater profit from saving energy than …

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The project described provides a manpower review of national, state and local needs for safety skills, and projects future manning levels for transportation safety personnel in both the public and private sectors. Survey information revealed that there are currently approximately 121,000 persons employed directly in transportation safety occupations within the air carrier, highway and traffic safety, motor carrier, pipeline, rail carrier, and marine carrier transportation industry groups. The projected need for 1980 is over 145,000 of which over 80 percent will be in highway safety. An analysis of transportation tasks is included, and shows ten general categories about which the majority of safety activities are focused. A skills analysis shows a generally high level of educational background and several years of experience are required for most transportation safety jobs. An overall review of safety programs in the transportation industry is included, together with chapters on the individual transportation modes.

A method was developed for determining trace uranium in aqueous wastes from processing nuclear reactor fuels. Uranium (VI) is determined colorimetrically with the metal indicator Arsenazo III, after removing fission product interferences by solvent extraction of ammonium nitrate solutions with tributyl phosphate in xylene. The range of the method is 0 to 5 ..mu..g uranium/ml in the final extraction, with a standard deviation of +- 0.1 ..mu..g uranium/ml.

This report is over the SALT I anti-ballistic missile agreement between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., implications of continuing that agreement, and SALT II negotiations.

A brief summary of the main points of a detailed study of diffractive production of resonance systems undertaken recently is presented. The A1 system is emphasized, but it is noted that the remarks can be readily generalized to other diffractive reactions such as ..pi..p ..-->.. A/sub 3/ p, pp ..-->.. ''N*(1400)''p, and Kp ..-->.. ''Q''p. The spins, parities, amplitude phase, and phase shift are among the properties considered. 4 references. (JFP)

The ratios of isoscalar and electromagnetic transition rates to the lowest 2/sup +/ state in neutron-excess nuclei are compared to predictions based on the ratios of isovector and isoscalar transition strengths determined from microscopic effective-charge theory in which giant-quadrupole core-polarization contributions are included with a schematic model. The near equality of the isoscalar (determined from (..cap alpha..,..cap alpha..')) and electromagnetic transition rates is explained, and it is shown that shell effects may be large but that they are compensated for in part by core-polarization effects. A comparison to data for single-closed-shell nuclei is consistent with the schematic-model prediction that the remaining shell effects are systematically different for neutron- versus proton-valence nuclei.

Fourteen experiments on the Loss-of-Fluid Test (LOFT) facility pressure suppression system (PSS) are analyzed in relation to the vertical load generated on the suppression tank in the first 0.5 sec of the transient. Variations in principle parameters affecting the generation of vertical loads were included in the experiments. The internal and external vent submergences are identified from the analysis as being parameters which are first order in influencing the magnitude of the vertical load. These parameters are geometric in nature and depend only on PSS design. Physical parameters of total energy input and rate of energy input to the dry well, which influence the dry well pressurization, also are identified as being first order in influencing the magnitude of the vertical loads. The vertical load magnitude is a direct function of these geometric and physical parameters. The analysis indicates that a small value in any one of the parameters will cause the vertical load to be small and to have little dependence on the magnitude of the other parameters. In addition, the phenomena of nonuniform nonsynchronized vent inlet pressures, which have origins that are either geometric, physical, or a combination of both, act as a significant vertical load reduction mechanism.

The Geothermal Loop Experimental Facility was shut down in March, 1977, for the refurbishment of the facility and the injection well. Heavy scaling, which occurred in the facility brine systems as well as in the injection well, necessitated periodic plant shutdowns and cleanings. Various means of scale cleaning and controls were accomplished and evaluated for cost effectiveness. Initial indications showed that operations were satisfactory. Initial operational stability, and heat and mass balance testing of the Geothermal Loop Experimental Facility (GLEF) were accomplished. Operational stability was demonstrated but heat and mass balance test data were not satisfactory primarily due to off design facility operation. Testing was also hampered by pump failures, injection strainer cleaning difficulties and instrumentation problems.

New bearing and seal designs are outlined, as well as the progress made on developing test facilities for full-size bearing and seal assemblies. (MHR)