Progress with the entrained flow cyclonic reactor at SERI is detailed. Feedstocks successfully used include wood flour and fairly large sawdust. Preliminary results show that relatively complete vaporization of the biomass is realized and that the yields of tar or gas can be varied over quite a range with trends following first order kinetic concepts.

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.

Many problems of physical interest have solutions which are generally quite smooth in a large portion of the region of interest, but have local phenomena such as shocks, discontinuities or large gradients which require much more accurate approximations or finer grids for reasonable accuracy. Examples are atmospheric fronts, ocean currents, and geological discontinuities. In this thesis we develop and partially analyze an adaptive finite difference mesh refinement algorithm for the initial boundary value problem for hyperbolic systems in one space dimension. The method uses clusters of uniform grids which can ''move'' along with pulses or steep gradients appearing in the calculation, and which are superimposed over a uniform coarse grid. Such refinements are created, destroyed, merged, separated, recursively nested or moved based on estimates of the local truncation error. We use a four-way linked tree and sequentially allocated deques (double-ended queues) to perform these operations efficiently. The local truncation error in the interior of the region is estimated using a three-step Richardson extrapolation procedure, which can also be considered a deferred correction method. At the boundaries we employ differences to estimate the error. Our algorithm was implemented using a portable, extensible Fortran preprocessor, to which we added records and pointers. …

The Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability code ADPIC is used to calculate dose and ground deposition from mitigated and unmitigated high explosive detonation of a radiation dispersal device. Comparisons are made assuming differing particle size and activity distributions associated with the mitigation effort.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward (1) developing alternative concepts for components of molten carbonate fuel cells and (2) improving understanding of component behavior.

This report describes the fuel cell research and development activities at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) during the period October through December 1980. These efforts have been directed toward (1) developing alternative concepts for components of molten carbonate fuel cells, and (2) improving understanding of component behavior. The principal focus has been on development of ..gamma..-LiAlO/sub 2/ sinters as electrolyte structures. Green bodies were prepared by tape casting and then sintering ..beta..-LiAlO/sub 2/; this has produced ..gamma..-LiAlO/sub 2/ sinters of 69% porosity. In addition, a cathode prepared by sintering lithiated nickel oxide was tested in a 10-cm square cell. Although the bimodal pore distribution in the cathode successfully provided agglomerates flooded with electrolyte and open pores for gas passage, the cathode dimensional variations prevented good contact with the tile, which was stiffer than normal. The tile was prepared using an improved synthesis procedure, which resulted in high-surface-area ..gamma..-LiAlO/sub 2/ particles; but, because the carbonate content was the same as used in previous tests, the tile was less compliant. The cell had excellent seals because dimensional changes associated with in situ cathode reactions were eliminated.

Work covered in this report includes the activities associated with the status of the simulated reactor helium supply systems and testing equipment. The progress in the screening test program is descibed; this includes: screening creep results and metallographic analysis for materials thermally exposed or tested at 750/sup 0/, 850/sup 0/, 950/sup 0/ and 1050/sup 0/C (1382/sup 0/, 1562/sup 0/, 1742/sup 0/, and 1922/sup 0/F) in controlled-purity helium. The status of creep-rupture in controlled-purity helium and air and fatigue testing in the controlled-purity helium in the intensive screening test program is discussed. The results of metallographic studies of screening alloys exposed in controlled-purity helium for 3000 hours at 750/sup 0/C and 5500 hours at 950/sup 0/C, 3000 hours at 1050/sup 0/C and 6000 hours at 1050/sup 0/C and for weldments exposed in controlled-purity helium for 6000 hours at 750/sup 0/C and 6000 hours at 1050/sup 0/C are presented and discussed.

From 1962 to 1971, the United States Air Force (USAF) sprayed various herbicide mixtures (chemicals that kill plants) in South Vietnam. The purpose of the spraying was to defoliate jungle growth to deprive the Communist forces of ground cover, and to destroy enemy crops to restrict food supplies. The most extensively used of these herbicide mixtures was known as Agent Orange, a 50:50 mix of two common herbicides called 1,4,5-T and 2,4-D (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). The third chemical present in the mixture in small amounts was TCDD, an inevitable by-product of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T. This chemical, called tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin or simply "dioxin," is highly toxic to laboratory animals when administered in its pure form. CRS has been unable to locate any report of a human death from exposure to pure TCDD. This report discusses the human health effects that have occurred from exposure to TCDD, as well as related Congressional concerns.

Work in three areas dealing with the utilization of ethanol as fuel for farm and construction diesels is summarized. The first part is a review of what is known about the retrofitting of diesels for use of ethanol and the combustion problems involved. The second part is a discussion of the work that has been done under the contract on the performance of a single-cylinder, open-chamber diesel using solutions and emulsions of diesel fuel with ethanol. Data taken include performance, emissions and cylinder pressure-time for diesel fuel with zero to forty percent ethanol by volume. Analysis of the data includes calculation of heat release rates using a single zone model. The third part is a discussion of work done retrofitting a multicylinder turbocharged farm tractor diesel to use ethanol by fumigation. Three methods of ethanol introduction are discussed; spraying ethanol upstream and downstream of the compressor and prevaporization of the ethanol. Data on performance and emissions are given for the last two methods. A three zone heat release model is described and results from the model are given. A correlation of the ignition delay using prevaporized ethanol fumigation data is also given. Comparisons are made between fumigation in DI and …

This report reviews the literature relevant to allocation of functions and presents a procedure for the allocation process applicable to nuclear power plant control rooms. An historical perspective of man's relationship with technology is given as background. Methods and models that have been developed to aid the allocation process are then considered, followed by examples of real-world applications. The relationship of allocation of function to the system development process is outlined. The report then turns to the proposed procedure of the allocation process.

Plutonium-239, 240 and americium-241 were measured in the mussel Mytilus californianus from the region of Coos Bay, OR. The flesh of this species has a plutonium concentration of about 90 fCi/kg, and an Am-241/Pu-239, 240 ratio that is high relative to mixed fallout, ranging between two and three. Transuranic concentrations in sediment, unfiltered water, and filterable particulates were also measured; none of these materials has an Am/Pu ratio as greatly elevated as the mussels, and there is no apparent difference in the Am/Pu ratio of terrestrial runoff and coastal water. Sediment core profiles do not allow accumulation rates or depositional histories to be identified, but it does not appear that material characterized by a high Am/Pu ratio has ever been introduced to this estuary. Other bivalves (Tresus capax and Macoma nasuta) and a polychaete (Abarenicola sp.) do not have an elevated Am/Pu ratio, although the absolute activity of plutonium in the infaunal bivalves is roughly four times that in the mussels.

The Dry Deposition Intercomparison Experiment conducted in September, 1981, was designed by the Illinois State Water Survey as a pilot effort to evaluate various methods of measuring pollutant dry deposition. A more extensive experiment was planned for June, 1982, when additional and improved techniques were to be implemented. The 1981 study focused on sulfate aerosol, while the 1982 experiment will consider a wider range of particulate substances and some gases. At issue is whether traditional monitoring methods using surrogate surfaces to collect dry deposition can routinely provide estimates in agreement with results from applications of intensive micrometeorological techniques. This report summarizes the micrometeorological data gathered in 1981 by Argonne National Laboratory.

Results for 1981 of the LBL Environmental Monitoring Program are given. Data include monitoring results for accelerator-produced radiation, airborne and waterborne radionuclides, and nonradioactive pollutants. Population doses resulting from LBL operations are given in terms of accelerator-produced and airborne radioactivities. Trends in the environmental impacts of LBL operations are discussed in terms of accelerator-produced, airborne, and waterborne radionuclides. (ERB)

The report consists of brief progress reports describing thirty-five research projects conducted during FY 1981-1982 in the areas of geothermal energy, ocean thermal energy conversion, biomass, wind energy, solar energy, and hydrogen storage. (ACR)

The code ADENA, which approximately calculates fission-product beta and gamma decay energies and spectra in 19 or fewer energy groups from a mixture of /sup 235/U and /sup 239/Pu fuels, is described. The calculation uses aggregate, adjusted data derived from a combination of several experiments and summation results based on the ENDF/B-V fission-product file. The method used to obtain these adjusted data and the method used by ADENA to calculate fission-product decay energy with an absorption correction are described, and an estimate of the uncertainty of the ADENA results is given. Comparisons of this approximate method are made to experimental measurements, to the ANSI/ANS 5.1-1979 standard, and to other calculational methods. A listing of the complete computer code (ADENA) is contained in an appendix. Included in the listing are data statements containing the adjusted data in the form of parameters to be used in simple analytic functions. These fitted parameters can be abstracted for other uses such as in spatial neutron depletion or thermal hydraulics codes.

In neutron dosimetry, calculations enable one to predict the response of a proposed dosimeter before effort is expended to design and fabricate the neutron instrument or dosimeter. The nature of these calculations requires the use of computer programs that implement mathematical models representing the transport of radiation through attenuating media. Numerical, and in some cases analytical, solutions of these models can be obtained by one of several calculational techniques. All of these techniques are either approximate solutions to the well-known Boltzmann equation or are based on kernels obtained from solutions to the equation. The Boltzmann equation is a precise mathematical description of neutron behavior in terms of position, energy, direction, and time. The solution of the transport equation represents the average value of the particle flux density. Integral forms of the transport equation are generally regarded as the formal basis for the Monte Carlo method, the results of which can in principle be made to approach the exact solution. This paper focuses on the Monte Carlo technique.

The results of an investigation of human factors engineering and human reliability applications to LNG release prevention and control are reported. The report includes a discussion of possible human error contributions to previous LNG accidents and incidents, and a discussion of generic HF considerations for peakshaving plants. More specific recommendations for improving HF practices at peakshaving plants are offered based on visits to six facilities. The HF aspects of the recently promulgated DOT regulations are reviewed, and recommendations are made concerning how these regulations can be implemented utilizing standard HF practices. Finally, the integration of HF considerations into overall system safety is illustrated by a presentation of human error probabilities applicable to LNG operations and by an expanded fault tree analysis which explicitly recognizes man-machine interfaces.

This report contains the input data and computer results for the Geologic Simulation Model. This model is described in detail in the following report: Petrie, G.M., et. al. 1981. Geologic Simulation Model for a Hypothetical Site in the Columbia Plateau, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington. The Geologic Simulation Model is a quasi-deterministic process-response model which simulates, for a million years into the future, the development of the geologic and hydrologic systems of the ground-water basin containing the Pasco Basin. Effects of natural processes on the ground-water hydrologic system are modeled principally by rate equations. The combined effects and synergistic interactions of different processes are approximated by linear superposition of their effects during discrete time intervals in a stepwise-integration approach.

The Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI) is studying the possibility of burying canisterized unreprocessed spent fuel in a deep geologic repository. One aspect of this study is an assessment of the possible spent fuel waste forms. The fuel performance portion of the Waste Form Assessment was to evaluate five candidate spent fuel waste forms for postemplacement performance with emphasis on their ability to retard the release of radionuclides to the repository geology. Spent fuel waste forms under general consideration were: (1) unaltered fuel assembly; (2) fuel assembly with end fittings removed to shorten the length; (3 rods vented to remove gases and resealed; (4) disassembled fuel bundles to close-pack the rods; and (5) rods chopped and fragments immobilized in a matrix material. Thirteen spent fuel waste forms, classified by generic stabilizer type, were analyzed for relative in-repository performance based on: (1) waste form/stabilizer support against lithostatic pressure; (2) long-term stability for radionuclide retention; (3) minimization of cladding degradation; (4) prevention of canister/repository breach due to pressurization; (5) stabilizer heat transfer; (6) the stabilizer as an independent barrier to radionuclide migration; and (7) prevention of criticality. The waste form candidates were ranked as follows: (1) the best waste form/stabilizer combination …

This volume contains thermal data for some deep wells in Kansas. (MHR)

This volume contains regression analyses of thermal gradients computed for 1980 and 1981 with respect to unconsolidated sediments and with respect to water table. (MHR)

This volume contains BHT correction factor analysis, repeatability study of control well, and an analysis of thermal logging method, including thermal data for some deep wells in Kansas. (MHR)

This volume contains regression analyses of thermal logging data, usable and non-usable, for 1980 and 1981. (MHR)

The following regional geological and geophysical studies are reported: establishment of a geothermal gradient data base from approximately 45,000 bottom hole temperatures recorded from well logs and interpretation of this data in terms of regional geology and establishment and interpretation of a second data base of geothermal gradients from thermal logging data from 144 holes of opportunity in the state. (MHR)