Eighteen papers are included, one of which was previously abstracted for EDB. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the remaining seventeen papers for Energy Research Abstracts (ERA); ten of the papers are included in Energy Abstracts for Policy Analysis (EPA).

An apparatus and method for injecting a substance, such as a radiopharmaceutical, into the bloodstream of a subject is described. The apparatus comprises an injection means, such as a servo controlled syringe, a means for measuring the concentration of that substance in the subject's bloodstream, and means for controlling the injection in response to the measurement so that the concentration of the substance follows a predetermined function of time. The apparatus of the subject invention functions to inject a substance into a subject's bloodstream at a rate controlled by an error signal proportional to the difference between the concentration of the substance in the subject's bloodstream and the predetermined function.

Power conditioning systems for high peak and average power, high repetition rate discharge excited lasers involve operation of modulator components in unconventional regimes. Reliable operation of switches and energy storage elements under high voltage and high di/dt conditions is a pacing item for laser development at the present time. To test and evaluate these components a Modulator Component Test Facility (MCTF) was constructed. The MCTF consists of a command charge system, energy storage capacitors, thyratron switch with inverse thyratron protection, and a resistive load. The modulator has initially been operated at voltages up to 60 kV at 600 Hz. Voltage, current, and calorimetric diagnostics are provided for major modulator components. Measurements of thyratron characteristics under high di/dt operation are presented. Commutation energy loss and di/dt have been measured as functions of the tube hydrogen pressure.

Super-smooth rounded or formed articles made of thermoplastic materials including various poly(methyl methacrylate) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers are produced by immersing the articles into a bath, the composition of which is slowly changed with time. The starting composition of the bath is made up of at least one solvent for the polymer and a diluent made up of at least one nonsolvent for the polymer and optional materials which are soluble in the bath. The resulting extremely smooth articles are useful as mandrels for laser fusion and should be useful for a wide variety of other purposes, for example lenses.

A high efficiency photoionization detector using tetraaminoethylenes in a gaseous state having a low ionization potential and a relative photoionization cross section which closely matches the emission spectrum of xenon gas. Imaging proportional counters are also disclosed using the novel photoionization detector of the invention. The compound of greatest interest is TMAE which comprises tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene which has a measured ionization potential of 5.36 +- 0.02 eV, and a vapor pressure of 0.35 torr at 20/sup 0/C.

The successful design of full-scale, open-cycle, coal-fired MHD generators for baseload electrical production requires a detailed understanding of the plasma chemical and plasma dynamic characteristics of anticipated combustor and channel fluids. Progress in efforts to model the efficiency of an open-cycle, coal-fired MHD channel based on the characterization of the channel flow as well as laboratory experiments to validate the modeling effort is reported. In addition, studies related to understanding arcing and corrosion phenomena in the vicinity of an anode are reported.

The Spin Spectrometer at the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility (HHIRF) is a multidetector ..gamma..-ray spectrometer consisting of 72 separate NaI detector elements closely packed in a 4..pi.. geometry. The basic apparatus was constructed at Washington University and has been installed and implemented at the HHIRF at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The spectrometer was designed especially for the investigation of the mechanisms of heavy-ion induced nuclear reactions and of the structure of nuclei with high angular momentum. The data acquisition system is described. (WHK)

The characteristics and design and environmental requirements are specified for a solar cogeneration facility at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas. Characteristics of the system and major elements are described, and applicable standards, codes, laws and regulations are listed. Performance requirements for the total system and for each individual subsystem are presented. Survival requirements are given for various environmental extremes, with consideration given to lightning protection and effects of direct or adjacent lightning strikes. Air quality control standards are briefly mentioned. The facility operates in two principal modes: energy collection and energy utilization. The plant is capable of operating in either mode independently or in both modes simultaneously. The system is also operational in transitional and standby/inactive modes. (LEW)

The Workshop on Core and Sample Curation was held to discuss the best means of handling, distributing, and advertising samples and data collected during a Continental Scientific Drilling Program (CSDP) and to establish better communication between sample curators regarding common problems. It was geneerally agreed that CSDP samples should be handled, on a regional basis, by existing data systems and sample repositories judged to have adequate staff and support. Repository design, sample handling procedures, and sample accounting systems were discussed. Across North America, support for curation of geological samples was varied, but it was strongest within states or regions with well-established energy and mineral industries. A well-supported repository pays for itself through the circulation and preservation of samples and stratigraphic information. A national CSDP must have a well-established curatorial policy and system of regional repositories to circulate information and samples throughout the scientific community. Well-curated samples and data are a national resource with considerable benefits for industry and academia. Attendees agreed to form a Society of Geoscience Curators to maintain communication between curators from private, government, and university repositories and core research laboratories.

Electricity rates are given for selected cities in each state, first of the Southern Solar Energy Center region and then of the rest of the US, for an average residence that uses 1000 kWh a month. (LEW)

A study is done on the application of a tower-focus solar cogeneration facility at the US Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas. Solar-heated molten salt is to provide the steam for electricity and for room heating, room cooling, and domestic hot water. The proposed solar cogeneration system is expected to save the equivalent of approximately 10,500 barrels of fuel oil per year and to involve low development risks. The site and existing plant are described, including the climate and plant performance. The selection of the site-specific configuration is discussed, including: candidate system configurations; technology assessments, including risk assessments of system development, receiver fluids, and receiver configurations; system sizing; and the results of trade studies leading to the selection of the preferred system configuration. (LEW)

Ductile long range ordered alloys having high critical ordering temperatures exist in the (V,M)(Fe,Ni,Co)/sub 3/ system having the composition comprising by weight 20.6 to 22.6% V, 14 to 50% Fe, 0 to 64% Co, and 0 to 40% Ni, and 0.4 to 1.4% M, where M is a metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, and their mixtures. These modified alloys have an electron density no greater than 8.00 and exhibit marked increases at elevated temperature in ductility and other mechanical properties over previously known ordered alloys.

A device is described for indicating and preventing damage to voltage cells such as galvanic cells and fuel cells connected in series by detecting sequential voltages and comparing these voltages to adjacent voltage cells. The device is implemented by using operational amplifiers and switching circuitry is provided by transistors. The device can be utilized in battery powered electric vehicles to prevent galvanic cell damage and also in series connected fuel cells to prevent fuel cell damage.

This report considers the HTGR-PS/C application to producing alumina from bauxite. For the size alumina plant considered, the 1170-MW(t) HTGR-PS/C supplies 100% of the process steam and electrical power requirements and produces surplus electrical power and/or process steam, which can be used for other process users or electrical power production. Presently, the bauxite ore is reduced to alumina in plants geographically separated from the electrolysis plant. The electrolysis plants are located near economical electric power sources. However, with the integration of an 1170-MW(t) HTGR-PS/C unit in a commercial alumina plant, the excess electric power available (approx. 233 MW(e)) could be used for alumina electrolysis.

A nuclear fuel processing solution containing: (1) hydrocarbon diluent; (2) tri-n-butyl phosphate or tri-2-ethylhexyl phosphate; and (3) monobutyl phosphate, dibutyl phosphate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phosphate, di-2-ethylhexyl phosphate, or a complex formed by plutonium, uranium, or a fission product thereof with monobutyl phosphate, dibutyl phosphate, mono-2-ethylhexyl phosphate, or di-2-ethylhexyl phosphate is contacted with silica gel having alkali ions absorbed thereon to remove any degradation products from said solution. The principal impurities removed from TBP solvent by the process of this invention are monobutyl phosphate, dibutyl phosphate, UO/sub 2//sup 2 +/, Pu/sup 4 +/, and fission products of plutonium and uranium complexed with monobutyl phosphate or dibutyl phosphate. Nitric acid is also removed from the TBP solution by the treated silica gel. Conventional adsorption column techniques are applicable for the process of the invention.

A conductor and method of making the conductor are provided for use in winding electrical coils which are cooled by a fluid communicating with the conductor. The conductor is cold worked through twisting and reshaping steps to form a generally rectangular cross section conductor having a plurality of helical cooling grooves extending axially of the conductor. The conductor configuration makes it suitable for a wide variety of winding applications and permits the use of simple strip insulation between turns and perforated sheet insulation between layers of the winding.

A detonator-activated ball shutter for closing an aperture in about 300 ..mu..seconds is disclosed. The ball shutter containing an aperture through which light, etc., passes, is closed by firing a detonator which propels a projectile for rotating the ball shutter, thereby blocking passage through the aperture.

The Regional Seismic Test Network program was established to provide a capability for detection of extremely sensitive earth movements. Seismic signals from both natural and man-made earth motions will be analyzed with the ultimate objective of accurately locating underground nuclear explosions. The Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, has designed an unattended seismic station capable of recording seismic information received at the location of the seismometers installed as part of that specific station. A network of stations is required to increase the capability of determining the source of the seismic signal and the location of the source. Current plans are to establish a five-station seismic network in the United States and Canada. The Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, has been assigned the responsibility for deploying, installing, and operating these remote stations. This Operation Plan provides the basic information and tasking to accomplish this assignment.

From abstract: "Survey of the Soviet effort in underground coal gasification and summarizes research conducted at the Podmoskovnaya Station until its close in 1963."

Annual report of the Argonne National Laboratory Radiological and Environmental Research Division regarding activities related to the Center for Human Radiobiology. This report discusses an inquiry into the mechanisms and dosimetry for induction of malignancies by radium, and studies of individuals exposed to radium and thorium, as well as to other radionuclides,.

Response-surface techniques have been developed for obtaining probability distributions of the consequences of postulated nuclear reactor accidents. In these techniques, probability distributions are assigned to the system and model parameters of the accident analysis. A limited number of parameter values (called knot points) are selected and input to a deterministic accident-analysis code. The results of the deterministic analyses are used to generate analytical functions (called response surfaces) that approximate the accident consequences in terms of selected system and model parameters. The response-surface methodology of this report includes both systematical and random knot-point selection schemes, second- and third-degree response surfaces, functional transformations of both input parameters and consequence variables, smooth synthesis of region-wise response surfaces and the treatment of random conditions for conditional distributions. The computer code PROSA-2 developed for implementing these techniques is independent of the deterministic accident-analysis codes.

A comparative economic analysis was made of four solidification processes for liquid high-level radioactive waste. Two processes produced borosilicate glass monoliths and two others produced metal matrix composites of lead and borosilicate glass beads and lead and super-calcine pellets. Within the uncertainties of the cost (1979 dollars) estimates, the cost of the four processes was about the same, with the major cost component being the cost of the primary building structure. Equipment costs and operating and maintenance costs formed only a small portion of the building structure costs for all processes.

An airborne high sensitivity gamma-ray spectrometer and magnetometer survey was conducted over ten (10) areas over northern California and southwestern Oregon. These include the 2/sup 0/ x 1/sup 0/ NTMS quadrangles of Roseburg, Medford, Weed, Alturas, Redding, Susanville, Ukiah, and Chico along with the 1/sup 0/ x 2/sup 0/ areas of the Coos Bay quadrangle and the Crescent City/Eureka areas combined. This report discusses the results obtained over the Eureka/Crescent City, California, map area. Traverse lines were flown in an east-west direction at a line spacing of six (6) miles. Tie lines were flown north-south approximately eighteen (18) miles apart. A total of 16,880.5 line miles of geophysical data were aquired, compiled, and interpreted during the survey, of which 349.5 line miles are in this area. The purpose of this study is to acquire and compile geologic and other information with which to assess the magnitude and distribution of uranium resources and to determine areas favorable for the occurrence of uranium in the United States.

During an investigation of the Troy Lock and Dam, New York, a core was recovered that contained part of a metal anchor that had been grouted into foundation rock. Since this grout was about 63 years old and had presumably been continuously below the water table, it provided an opportunity to study the effect of this environment for this period of time on the phase composition and microstructure of this grout. The phase composition of the grout was studied by x-ray diffraction; its microstructure was studied by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the grout had a normal composition and microstructure; the environmental conditions had not had a significant effect on either composition or microstructure. The original water content had been fairly high as would be expected.