Results of the Marysvale detailed geochemical survey are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 397 stream sediment samples and 160 radiometric readings. Statistical and areal distributions of uranium and possible uranium-related variables are displayed. A generalized geologic map of the area is provided, and pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed. Stream sediments containing significant amounts of soluble uranium (greater than or equal to 16.93 ppM) occur in numerous areas, the most prevalent being in the western portion of the survey area, within and surrounding the Mount Belknap Caldera. Thorium, beryllium, cerium, manganese, molybdenum, niobium, potassium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium occur in concentrations greater than or equal to 84th percentile in many sediment samples taken from within and surrounding the Mount Belknap Caldera. The uranium and related variables are associated with highly silicic intrusions and extrusions of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, as well as hydrothermal activity which has occurred in the Marysvale volcanic field.

This is the eighth quarterly technical progress report for a program in which the objective is to evolve and define an accessory drive system that will minimize system power consumption of driven accessories on an internal combustion engine in a passenger automobile. The initial program phases established concept feasibility, determined potential fuel savings, and selected a drive system design for concept mechanization. The current Phase IV carries the program through prototype fabrication and bench, engine, and vehicle tests. The final program objective is a detail drive system design and a demonstrated overall vehicle fuel savings potential. The major technical accomplishments during this reporting period were: the test vehicle was successfully driven to and from Ann Arbor, Michigan from Phoenix with the drive system installed; accessory drive hardware was calibrated, disassembled and reviewed for wear after round trip from Phoenix to Ann Arbor, Michigan; MADS governor performance was analyzed and parameters were varied to demonstrate flexibility available in modifying accessory drive input/output characteristics; and a task list that matched smaller, lower cost accessory components, with the accessory drive equipped vehicle, was prepared. Major emphasis during the remainder of the program will be in this area. (LCL)

The assumptions made, analysis methods used, and preliminary results of research to determine the design specifications for a hybrid electric-powered and internal combustion engine-powered vehicle that would optimize the fuel economy of passenger automobiles are described. Information is included on body and component design, selection of spark-ignition engine and Ni-Zn batteries, life-cycle costs and life-cycle fuel consumption. (LCL)

None

Flue gas conditioning approaches for the Brayton-cycle heat recovery system are discussed. This revision incorporates the results of recent AiResearch tests on the subatmospheric system (SAS) turbocompressor, as well as the Electric Power Research Institute sponsored tests on ceramic fiber filters. The two primary purposes of the gas conditioning evaluation are: to determine the need for protecting the Brayton-cycle turbocompressor and heat exchanger from the potential damaging effects of erosion and deposition, and to determine what type of approach should be used for cleanup, if protection by flue gas conditioning is required.

The objective of this research program is to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of producing solar-cell-quality sheet silicon. We plan to do this by coating one surface of carbonized ceramic substrates with a thin layer of large-grain polycrystalline silicon from the melt. During the quarter, significant progress was demonstrated in several areas: (1) a 10-cm/sup 2/ cell having 9.9 percent conversion efficiency (AM1, AR) was fabricated; (2) the Honeywall-sponsored SCIM coating development succeeded in producing a 225-cm/sup 2/ layer of sheet silicon (18 inches x 2 inches); and (3) 100 ..mu..m-thick coatings at pull speed of 0.15 cm/sec wer$obta9ned, although apoproximately 50 percent of the layer exhibited dendritic growth. Other results and accomplishments during the quarter are reported in detail. (WHK)

Progress is reported on the following research projects: the effect of estrogen on platelet aggregability and thrombus formation; the antithrombotic effect of platelet inhibiting agents in a bench model of artificial kidney; the arrest of hemorrhage in severely alloimmunized thrombocytopenic patients; and in vivo elution of /sup 51/Cr from labeled platelets induced by antibody. (HLW)

A two-step curve is expected in the potentiometric titration of Fe(II)-Sn(II) mixtures with Ce(IV) in H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. Each end point should indicate the respective oxidation of Sn(II) and Fe(II). However, experimentally only one end point was found; it corresponded to the total oxidation of Sn(II) and Fe(II). When this oxidation-reduction reaction was carried out in the presence of Cl/sup -/, the theoretical behavior was observed. The present study was done to ascertain if monovalent anions other than Cl/sup -/ have a similar effect on this oxidation-reduction system. The monovalent species F/sup -/, Br/sup -/, and SCN/sup -/ were selected for this study, and the results indicate that each affects the rate of reaction relative to the ease of oxidation of the individual ions.

The turbine tests and results for the Brayton cycle subatmospheric system (SAS) are summarized. A scaled model turbine was operated in the same environment as that which a full-scale SAS machine would experience from the hot effluent flue gas from a glass container furnace. The objective of the testing was to evaluate the effects of a simulated furnace flue gas stream on the turbine nozzles and blades. The following specific areas were evaluated: erosion of the turbine nozzles and blades from the dust in the flue gas, hot corrosion from alkali metal salts in the dust and acid vapor (sulfur trioxide and hydrogen chloride) in the flue gas, and fouling and flow blockage due to deposition and/or condensation from the flue gas constituents.

There has been a great deal of progress in recent years on the development of solid state and KrF lasers, light ion diodes, and heavy ion accelerators for use as drivers in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) facilities. Two relatively new entries in the ICF driver derby are the free electron laser (FEL) and the compact torus (CT). The status and remaining technological challenges of each potential driver are described. The author discusses driver performance criteria for various reactor applications and then gives his informed opinion in a qualitative rating of the six drivers for each application.

The Gulf Management Sciences Group (GMSG) in Pittsburgh was asked to provide assistance in performing a confidence analysis for the SRC-II demonstration plant as required by the Department of Energy. Specifically, the contract says to discuss confidence levels for plant operating and capital costs; plant operability and technical risk. It was decided that the best way to obtain estimates for these variables would be through interviews of people with substantial experience in the field. Each subject was first asked what modifications he envisioned being made to the current plant design. Discussion was limited to major systems that might require partial redesign and comments concerning the plant in general. The interviewees were next asked to estimate the probability of success for the project, given that the modifications they envisioned were in fact made. The modes of the combined distributions of the interview results indicate that the respondents in general felt that the base case estimates represented the most probable outcomes with the possible exception of the capital cost estimate. On the other hand, the respondents consistently judged that there is a chance that the demonstration plant will perform significantly worse than the base case for each of the variables that were …

The problems encountered while developing loading methods for the ORNL water-cooled research reactors are discussed. The methods used to program the fuel loading for the LITR and ORR are described as well as the experimental methods that produced the data necessary for the solution of these problems. (auth)

ABS>Measures are outlined that are taken to control occupational radiation exposure incurred in the routine operation of a reactor and in the conduct of activities associated with its operation. Those measures taken to minimize the frequency and effects of minor radiation and contamination incidents are also discussed. (C.H.)

Microbubble column flotation (MCF) was developed at the Virginia Center for Coal and Minerals Processing (VCCMP) for the selective recovery of fine particles. Bench-scale test work conducted at VCCMP, largely under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), showed that the technology worked well for both coal and mineral applications. For the technology to be commercially successful, however, a full-scale demonstration of the MCF technology was deemed necessary. This report summarizes the results of work performed under the DOE project entitled In-plant Testing of Microbubble Column Flotation.'' The objectives of this research and development effort were to duplicate the bench-scale performance of the MCF process in a full-scale unit, to verify the scale-up procedure developed in an earlier project, and to demonstrate the applicability of the MCF technology to the coal industry.

The use of an existing, low temperature, geothermal resource to heat the Chamber of Commerce offices in Marlin, Texas is described. A secondary purpose of the project is to attract new industries and businesses to Marlin via this alternate energy show-piece demonstration of a simple and practical application of Texas' low temperature geothermal resource.

Early in this report period, the PDU was operated for a short time (one-half hour) before downstream constrictions prompted termination. The problem was traced to malfunction of the wetted-wall by-product condenser owing to the zinc chloride having a higher-than-anticipated viscosity near its melting point. Since then, a number of problems, minor in origin but major in effect, have hampered operation of the PDU. Steps are being taken to correct these deficiencies of design or mode of operation as they are revealed. Mathematical models were developed for testing against the data on the removal of zinc from silicon granules by vacuum heat treatment. With a suitable model confirmed, it will be possible to extrapolate the results to the larger particle size and different zinc content expected in the eventual product.

Development of the liquid carbon dioxide process for the cleaning of coal was performed in batch, variable volume (semi-continuous), and continuous tests. Continuous operation at feed rates up to 4.5 kg/hr (10-lb/hr) was achieved with the Continuous System. Coals tested included Upper Freeport, Pittsburgh, Illinois No. 6, and Middle Kittanning seams. Results showed that the ash and pyrite rejections agreed closely with washability data for each coal at the particle size tested (-200 mesh). A 0.91 metric ton (1-ton) per hour Proof-of-Concept Plant was conceptually designed. A 181 metric ton (200 ton) per hour and a 45 metric ton (50 ton) per hour plant were sized sufficiently to estimate costs for economic analyses. The processing costs for the 181 metric ton (200 ton) per hour and 45 metric ton (50 ton) per hour were estimated to be $18.96 per metric ton ($17.20 per ton) and $11.47 per metric ton ($10.40 per ton), respectively for these size plants. The costs for the 45 metric ton per hour plant are lower because it is assumed to be a fines recovery plant which does not require a grinding circuit of complex waste handling system.

Combining direct and thermal power conversion results in a 52% gross plant efficiency with DT fuel and 68% with advanced DD fuel. We maximize the fraction of fusion-yield energy converted to kinetic energy in a liquid-lithium blanket, and use this energy directly with turbine generators to produce electricity. We use the remainder of the energy to produce electricity in a standard Rankine thermal power conversion cycle.

We examine the scaling of implosion symmetry, ablation pressure, and hydrodynamic efficiency with the wavelength of the laser, using a recent theoretical analysis of ablative laser driven implosions as a tool. Symmetrization by a hot atmosphere is most effective for long wavelength lasers, whereas ablation pressure and hydrodynamic efficiency are best for shorter laser wavelengths.

We have carried out further investigations of technical issues associated with using a compact torus (CT) accelerator as a driver for inertial confinement fusion (ICF). In a CT accelerator, a magnetically-confined torus-shaped plasma is compressed, accelerated and focused by two concentric electrodes. Here, we evaluate an accelerator point design with a capacitor bank energy of 9.2 MJ. Modeled by a O-D code, the system produces a xenon plasma ring with a radius of 0.73 cm, a velocity of 4 x 10/sup 7/ m/s, and a mass of 4.4 ..mu..g. The plasma ring energy available for fusion is 3.8 MJ, a 40% driver efficiency. Ablation and magnetic pressures of the point design, a due to CT acceleration, are analyzed. Pulsed-power switching limitations and driver cost analysis are also presented. Our studies confirm the feasibility of producing a ring to induce fusion with acceptable gain. However, some uncertainties must be resolved to establish viability.

The objective of this research is to investigate the technical feasibility of producing solar-cell-quality sheet silicon which could meet the DOE cost goals. The Honeywell approach is to coat one surface of carbonized ceramic substrates with a thin layer of large-grain polycrystalline silicon from the melt. Results and accomplishments which occurred during the quarter can be summarized as follows: (1) two major problems associated with SCIM-coating wide (10-cm) substrates were identified and solved; (2) the longitudinal temperature profile in SCIM-II has been improved to prevent substrate warping, buckling, and cracking; (3) the transverse temperature profile in SCIM II has been improved to produce more uniform coatings; (4) a strategy to eliminate effects of thermal stress has been developed; (5) the best SOC cell has a total-area conversion efficiency of 10.5% (AM1, AR), for a cell area of 5 cm/sup 2/; (6) a number of experiments are being investigated for improving cell efficiency; (7) for the slow-cooldown experiment, the average efficiency of 29 AR-coated cells was 9.9%, with a standard deviation of 0.3%; (8) encouraging results were obtained on SOC material that had been treated in a hydrogen plasma at Sandia; and (9) thermal modeling has proven to be beneficial in …

This report summarizes investigations of factors that significantly influence the transport of actinide cations in the groundwater environment. Briefly, measurements of diffusion coefficients for Am(III), Cm(III), and Np(V) in moist US soils indicated that diffusion is negligible compared to mass transport in flowing groundwater. Diffusion coefficients do, however, indicate that, in the absence of flowing water, actinide elements will migrate only a few centimeters in a thousand years. The remaining investigations were devoted to the determination of distribution ratios (K/sub d/s) for representative US soils, factors influencing them, and chemical and physical processes related to transport of actinides in groundwaters. The computer code GARD was modified to include complex formation to test the importance of humic acid complexing on the rate of transport of actinides in groundwaters. Use of the formation constant and a range of humic acid, even at rather low concentrations of 10/sup -5/ to 10/sup -6/ molar, significantly increases the actinide transport rate in a flowing aquifer. These computer calculations show that any strong complexing agent will have a similar effect on actinide transport in the groundwater environment. 32 references, 9 figures.

Inspection of valves on stored uranium hexafluoride (UF{sub 6}) cylinders was initiated at the three diffusion plant sites in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio as the result of the discovery of valve defects and evidence of valve leaks at the Oak Ridge K-25 plant. The coordinated inspection culminated in the identification of additional factors related to long-term safe storage of UF{sub 6}, and plans for correction of such deficiencies are presently being developed and implemented. These corrective actions supplement existing programs aimed at assurance of safe storage as summarized in the report.

The institutional impediments to market penetration by fuel cells are briefly discussed including the following topics: (1) ownership of fuel cell and related franchise limitations; (2) backup arrangements; (3) economic effects; (4) fuel policy; (5) regulatory proceedings; and (6) competitive response. (WHK)