The detection of losses of special nuclear materials has been the subject of much research in recent years. The standard industry practice using ID/LEID will detect large magnitude losses. Time series techniques such as the Kalman Filter or CUSUM methods will detect small magnitude losses if they occur regularly over a sustained period of time. To date no technique has been proposed which adequately addresses the problem of detecting a small magnitude loss occurring in a single period. This paper proposes a method for detecting a small magnitude loss. The approach makes use of the influence function of Hempel. The influence function measures the effect of a single inventory difference on a group of statistics. An inventory difference for a period in which a loss occurs can be expected to produce an abnormality in the calculated statistics. This abnormality is measurable by the influence function. It is shown that a one period loss smaller in magnitude than the LEID can be detected using this approach.

A review of the idea of using plasma-loaded electron rings as buildup targets for future compact-toroid machines is presented. Present experiments at Cornell University and Nagoya University are analyzed, and the need for auxiliary heating to reach interesting temperatures is described. Consideration of the effect of two-stream instability, toroidal field, and plasma containment are discussed.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) have applied a systems engineering approach to provide the NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement (IE) with improved methods and guidance for evaluating the physical protection systems of licensed nuclear facilities.

This report gives an overview of the Safeguard Vulnerability Analysis Program (SVAP) developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. SVAP was designed as an automated method of analyzing the safeguard systems at nuclear facilities for vulnerabilities relating to the theft or diversion of nuclear materials. SVAP addresses one class of safeguard threat: theft or diversion of nuclear materials by nonviolent insiders, acting individually or in collusion. SVAP is a user-oriented tool which uses an interactive input medium for preprocessing the large amounts of safeguards data. Its output includes concise summary data as well as detailed vulnerability information.

This paper summarizes a quantitative tool developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to aid the NRC in establishing Material Control and Accounting (MC and A) regulations for safeguarding Special Nuclear Material (SNM). Illustrative Value-Impact results of demonstrating the methodology at a facility handling SNM to evaluate alternative safeguards rules is given. The methodology developed also offers a useful framework for facility designers to choose safeguards measures that meet the NRC's criteria in a cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the methodology requires very modest computing capability and is straightforward to apply.

Recent measurements of nonsolar isotopic patterns for the elements neon and (perhaps) magnesium in cosmic rays are interpreted within current models of stellar nucleosynthesis. One possible explanation is that the stars currently responsible for cosmic-ray synthesis in the Galaxy are typically super-metal-rich by a factor of two to three. Other possibilities include the selective acceleration of certain zones or masses of supernovas or the enhancement of /sup 22/Ne in the interstellar medium by mass loss from red giant stars and planetary nebulas. Measurements of critical isotopic ratios are suggested to aid in distinguishing among the various possibilities. Some of these explanations place significant constraints on the fraction of cosmic ray nuclei that must be fresh supernova debris and the masses of the supernovas involved. 1 figure, 3 tables.

Modern techniques, such as fault tree analysis, can be used to obtain engineering descriptions of specific fire protection systems. The analysis allows establishment of an optimum level of fire protection, and evaluates the level of protection provided by various systems. A prime example: the application to fusion energy experiments.

Modifications of steels currently accepted in the Code appear to provide improved mechanical properties. These steels may permit the fabrication of larger diameter vessels with thinner section sizes and improved reliability and integrity. Adapting current specifications should expedite Code approval. Finally the challenge of improving welding procedures and adapting processes for field applications will result in higher quality weldments.

Two rather disjoint scenarios for Type I supernovae are presented. One is based upon mass accretion by a white dwarf in a binary system. The second involves a star having some 8 to 10 times the mass of the sun which may or may not be a solitary star. Despite the apparent dissimilarities in the models it may be that each occurs to some extent in nature for they both share the possibility of producing substantial quantities of /sup 56/Ni and explosions in stars devoid of hydrogen envelopes. These are believed to be two properties that must be shared by any viable Type I model.

The AERIN computer code is a mathematical expression of the ICRP Lung Model. The code was developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to compute the body organ burdens and absorbed radiation doses resulting from the inhalation of transuranic isotopes and to predict the amount of activity excreted in the urine and feces as a function of time. Over forty cases of internal exposure have been studied using the AERIN code. The code, as modified, has proven to be extremely versatile. The case studies presented demonstrate the excellent correlation that can be obtained between code predictions and observed bioassay data. In one case study a discrepancy was observed between an in vivo count of the whole body and the application of the code using urine and fecal data as input. The discrepancy was resolved by in vivo skull counts that showed the code had predicted the correct skeletal burden.

The strength to particle size relationship for specially fabricated graphites has been demonstrated and rationalized using fracture mechanics. In the past, similar studies have yielded empirical data using only commercially available material. Thus, experimental verification of these relationships has been difficult. However, the graphites of this study were fabricated by controlling the particle size ranges for a series of isotropic graphites. All graphites that were evaluated had a constant 1.85 g/cm/sup 3/ density. Thus, particle size was the only variable. This study also considered the particle size effect on other physical properties; coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), electrical resistivity, fracture strain, and Young's modulus.

This report addresses the breeder reactor fuel fabrication development overview.

Experimental and theoretical studies of field reversal in a mirror machine are reported. Plasma-gun experiments demonstrate that reversed-field plasma layers are formed. Low energy plasma flowing behind the initially produced plasma front prevents tearing of the layer from the gun muzzle. MHD simulation shows that tearing can be obtained by impeding the slow plasma flow with a plasma divider. It is demonstrated theoretically that a field-reversed mirror imbedded in a multipole field can be sustained in steady state with neutral-beam injection even in the absence of impurities. MHD stability analysis shows that growth rates of elongated reversed-field theta-pinch configurations decrease with axial extension, which indicates the importance of including finite Larmor radius in the analysis. Tilting-mode criteria are improved by proper shaping, and a problimak shape is proposed. Tearing mode stability of reversed-field theta-pinches is greatly enhanced by flux exclusion. Self-consistent, 1-1/2-dimensional transport codes have been developed, and initial results are presented.

A three-dimensional thermal analysis has been performed using finite difference techniques to determine the near-field response of a baseline spent fuel repository in a deep geologic salt medium. A baseline design incorporates previous thermal modeling experience and OWI recommendations for areal thermal loading in specifying the waste form properties, package details, and emplacement configuration. The base case in this thermal analysis considers one 10-year old PWR spent fuel assembly emplaced to yield a 36 kw/acre (8.9 w/m/sup 2/) loading. A unit cell model in an infinite array is used to simplify the problem and provide upper-bound temperatures. Boundary conditions are imposed which allow simulations to 1000 years. Variations studied include a comparison of ventilated and unventilated storage room conditions, emplacement packages with and without air gaps surrounding the canister, and room cool-down scenarios with ventilation following an unventilated state for retrieval purposes. At this low power level ventilating the emplacement room has an immediate cooling influence on the canister and effectively maintains the emplacement room floor near the temperature of the ventilating air. The annular gap separating the canister and sleeve causes the peak temperature of the canister surface to rise by 10/sup 0/F (5.6/sup 0/C) over that from a …

We have designed, built, and characterized uv preilluminated gas switches for a trigger circuit and a low inductance discharge circuit. These switches have been incorporated into a 54 x 76 x 150 cm pulser module to produce a 1 Ma output current rising at 5 x 10/sup 12/ amps/sec with 1 ns jitter. Twenty such modules will be used on the Nova Inertial Confinement Fusion Laser System for plasma retropulse shutters.

The blanket is linked to the H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ vaporization units and SO/sub 3/ decomposition reactor with either sodium or helium. The engineering and safety problems associated with these choices are discussed. This H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ step uses about 90% of the TMR heat and is best close-coupled to the nuclear island. The rest of the process we propose to be driven by steam and does not require close-coupling. The sodium loop coupling seems to be preferable at this time. We can operate with a blanket around 1200 K and the SO/sub 3/ decomposer around 1050 K. This configuration offers double-barrier protection between Li-Na and the SO/sub 3/ process gases. Heat pipes offer an attractive alternate to provide an additional barrier, added modularity for increased reliability, and tritium concentration and isolation operations with very little thermal penalty.

Recovery of methane from Gulf Coast geopressured-geothermal reservoirs does not appear to be profitable without a rise in natural gas prices to offset high production costs. If injection into the production reservoir becomes necessary to maintain productivity and to minimize subsidence, the injection pumping costs approach and even exceed the value of the recoverable methane. An option aimed at reducing the injection pump operating costs is to maintain a higher than normal pressure at the production wellhead to reduce the injection-pumping work load. This option, however, is considerably less attractive if that portion of methane still dissolved at elevated pressure cannot be recovered. Therefore, there is a strong incentive to devise methods for extracting methane at high pressures and temperatures. Liquid extraction with a very low water-soluble organic is a technically feasible method and looks promising as an applicable process. A candidate solvent is hexadecane, a paraffinic hydrocarbon with the necessary phase-equilibrium thermodynamic properties to satisfy the technical requirements for such an operation, without any obvious economic barriers. Gas stripping is another technically feasible method, but the economics do not look favorable because of gas dissolution losses. Freon refrigerants were considered because of their ease of product-stripping gas separation and …

Fourteen papers are included. A separate abstract was prepared for each one. (MHR)

This paper discusses the formation, maintenance, and microstability of thermal barriers, which have been introduced as a means for improving tandem mirror reactor performance at reduced technological demands. It also describes calculations of tandem mirror central-cell ..beta.. limits due to MHD ballooning modes.

The development and initial performance testing of an advanced integrated safeguards system at the Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant (BNFP) is described. The program concentrates on the integration and coordination of physical security and nuclear materials control and accounting at a single location. Hardware and software for this phase have been installed and are currently being evaluated. The AGNS/DOE program is now in its third year of development at the BNFP.

Preliminary results are presented of a numerical analysis to study the open-cycle mist flow process for ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). Emphasis in the analysis is on the mass transfer and fluid mechanics of the steady-state mist flow. The analysis is based on two one-dimensional models of the mist lift process: a single-group model describes a mist composed of a single size of drops and a multigroup model considers a spectrum of drop sizes. The single-group model predicts that the lift achieved in the mist lift process will be sensitive to the inlet parameters. Under conditions that lead to maximum lift in the model for a single drop size, the multigroup model predicts significantly reduced performance. Because the growth of drops is important, sensitivity of the predicted performance of the mist lift to variations in the collision parameters has been studied.

Analyzing power data have been obtained for {sup 3}He({vector p},p){sup 3}He elastic scattering at seven energies between 30 and 50 MeV at laboratory angles between 20° and 160°. Errors are typically less than 0.01. These results supplement earlier differential and total reaction cross-section and analyzing power data and new data obtained with a polarised {sup 3}He target.

An important question regarding the technique of angle-resolved photoemission (ARP) is the extent to which it can be used to determine experimental valence-band dispersion relations E{sub i}({rvec k}) for single crystalline solids. In the case of the 3d and 4d transition metals, studies of copper, nickel, palladium, and silver, show that a model based on the assumption of direct interband transitions (direct-transition model) may be used, in conjunction with an appropriate final-state dispersion relation E{sub f}({rvec k}), to elucidate E{sub i}({rvec k}) for these materials along several high symmetry lines (primarily {Gamma}{Lambda}L) in k-space. To answer this question more generally, we have undertaken an extensive study of the valence band structures of other transition metals along various k-space lines. To date, studies have been extended to the (111) faces of the 5d metals Pt and Au along with the Pt(100) ((5 x 20) surface structure) face, and the (110) and (100) faces of Ag. The experiments were all conducted at SSRL, using synchrotron radiation in the range 6 eV < h{nu} < 34 eV. The results of these studies, combined with our previous Ag(111) work at these energies, allow us to invoke important conclusions concerning the relationships between ARP data, …

Two theorems on the asymptotic distribution of a histogram density estimator based on randomly determined spacings introduced by Van Ryzin in 1973 are stated and proved. One theorem gives conditions for the pointwise asymptotic normality of the density estimator for points in the support of the density at which the density is continuously differentiable. A second theorem gives conditions for the pointwise asymptotic normality of the density estimator with a faster convergence rate for points in the support of the density at which the density is twice continuously differentiable. The results are used to compare the relative asymptotic efficiencies of the histogram estimator with the kernal method of density estimation.