The overall goal of this program is to provide the basis for designing a practical electrochemical solar cell based on the II-VI compound semiconductors. Emphasis is on developing new electrolyte redox systems and electrode surface modifications which will stabilize the II-VI compounds against photodissolution without seriously degrading the long-term solar response. The bulk electrode material properties are also being optimized to provide the maximum solar conversion efficiency and greatest inherent electrode stability. Factors limiting the short circuit current of the n-CdSe/methanol/ferro-ferricyanide system to 17.5 mA/cm/sup 2/ have been identified. The principal limiting factor is apparently specific adsorption of hexacyanoferrate species on the electrode surface which occurs at higher redox couple concentrations and slows the overall charge transfer process. Ion pairing also occurs, resulting in a low mass transport rate (smaller diffusion coefficients and increased solution viscosity), and probably enhances the degree of specific adsorption. Improvements in the performance of this system will require mitigation of the interactions between the redox species and the electrode surface, e.g., via electrolytes with reduced ion-pairing tendencies or the use of electrode surface films. Photoelectrochemically generated polypyrrole films have been shown to protect CdX photoanodes from dissolution while permitting electron exchange with the electrolyte. Current …

Totals of 1580 water and 1720 sediment samples were collected from 1754 locations in the quadrangle. Elemental concentration, field measurement, weather, geologic, and geographic data for each sample location are listed for waters in Appendix I-A and for sediments in Appendix I-B. Uranium/thorium ratios for sediment samples are also included in Appendix I-B. All elemental analyses were performed at the LASL. Water samples were initially analyzed for uranium by fluorometry. All water samples containing more than 40 parts per billion (ppB) uranium were reanalyzed by delayed-neutron counting (DNC). A supplemental report containing the multielement analyses of water samples will be open filed in the near future. Sediments were analyzed for uranium and thorium as well as aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, dysprosium, europium, gold, hafnium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, niobium, potassium, rubidium, samarium, selenium, scandium, silver, sodium, strontium, tantalum, terbium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, zinc, and zirconium. Basic statistics for 40 of these elements are presented. All sediments were analyzed for uranium by delayed-neutron counting. Other elemental concentrations in sediments were determined by neutron-activation analysis for 30 elements, by x-ray fluorescence for 12 elements, and by …

A solar site test module using the Rockwell AIM 65 micro-computer is described. The module is designed to work at any site where an IBM site data acquisition system (SDAS) is installed and is intended primarily as a troubleshooting tool for DOE/NASA commercial solar heating and cooling system demonstration installations. It collects sensor information (temperatures, flow rates, etc.) and displays or prints it immediately in calibrated engineering units. It will read one sensor on demand, periodically read up to 10 sensors or periodically read all sensors. Performance calculations can also be included with sensor data. Unattended operation is possible to, e.g., monitor a group of sensors once per hour. Work is underway to add a data acquisition system to the test module so that it can be used at sites which have no SDAS.

The capability to deposit 10- to 12-..mu..m-thick aluminum films with less than 2 percent thickness uniformity (defined as standard deviation/average thickness) on large nonplanar and planar polyimide substrates has been developed using physical vapor deposition (PVD). A technique called shadow masking was developed to provide this consistent deposit uniformity over the entire substrate surfaces (greater than 2000 cm/sup 2/). The specific dimensions of a shadow mask for each substrate are generated from a computer-reduced plot of beta-backscatter thickness measurements of a previous deposit. With this developed method, initial thickness uniformities of 9.7 and 24.7 percent obtained for the nonplanar and planar deposits were improved to 1.07 and 1.80 percent, respectively.

This paper gives a brief description of the geometry and parameters of the PLT tokamak, reviews some of the last four years' results that are particularly relevant to plasma-boundary interactions, and then concentrates on two specific problems.

Factual data are provided regarding 5 electric power supply interruptions that occurred in the Boston Metropolitan area during April to June, 1979. Common to all of these outages was the failure of an underground cable as the initiating event, followed by multiple equipment failures. There was significant variation in the voltage ratings and types of cables which failed. The investigation was unable to delineate a single specific Boston Edison design operating or maintenance practice that could be cited as the cause of the outages. After reviewing the investigative report the following actions were recommended: the development and implementation of a plan to eliminate the direct current cable network; develop a network outage restoration plan; regroup primary feeder cables wherever possible to minimize the number of circuits in manholes, and to separate feeders to high load density areas; develop a program to detect incipient cable faults; evaluate the separation of the north and south sections of Back Bay network into separate networks; and, as a minimum, install the necessary facilities to make it possible to re-energize one section without interfering with the other; and re-evaluate the cathodic protection scheme where necessary. (LCL)

This document basically represents a comparison between theory and practice of capacity-expansion planning in the electric-utility industry. The purpose of the comparison is to provide avenues for further exploration in utility decision making. The focus of the Phase II study is upon the role of uncertainty in the decision-making process. The Phase I effort was directed at modeling the Averch-Johnson theory of the regulated utility. Part I of this report reviews the Anderson study (D. Anderson, Models for Determining Least-Cost Investments in Electricity Supply). The Anderson paper has become a standard reference for capacity-planning studies in the electric-utility industry. Part II examines uncertainty and the behavior of the firm. Part III reviews 5 models of electric-utility capacity planning under uncertainty, and Part IV is concerned with capacity-planning models in practice.

Environmental control technologies are essential elements to be included in the overall design of Imperial Valley geothermal power systems. Environmental controls applicable to abatement of hydrogen sulfide emissions, cooling tower drift, noise, liquid and solid wastes, and induced subsidence and seismicity are assessed here. For optimum abatement of H{sub 2}S under a variety of plant operating conditions, removal of H{sub 2}S upstream of the steam turbine is recommended. The environmental impact of cooling tower drift will be closely tied to the quality of cooling water supplies. Conventional noise abatement procedures can be applied and no special research and development are needed. Injection technology constitutes the primary and most essential environmental control and liquid waste disposal technology for Imperial Velley geothermal operations. Subsurface injection of fluids is the primary control for managing induced subsidence. Careful maintenance of injection pressure is expected to control induced seismicity. (MHR)

Recommended pressure boundary condition modifications are described for the computer code K-FIX, which has been published in the report LA-NUREG-6623 and released to the National Energy Software Center in April 1977.

High-temperature electronics is needed for geothermal well-logging tools, jet engine monitors, nuclear reactor instruments, and fossil fuel exploration and production systems. The step-by-step fabrication technology of thick-film hybrids useful for at least 1000 hours at 275/sup 0/C is described. Hybrid technology, qualified to standard military specifications, was modified both in materials and fabrication processes to achieve this high-temperature operation. In addition to documenting this Sandia-developed technology, various alternate approaches are described to increase the versatility and applicability of these methods.

Near- and long-term prospects that geopressured/geothermal energy sources could become a viable alternative fuel for electric power generation were investigated. Technical questions of producibility and power generation were included, as well as economic and environmental considerations. The investigators relied heavily on the existing body of information, particularly in geotechnical areas. Statistical methods were used where possible to establish probable production values. Potentially productive geopressured sediments have been identified in twenty specific on-shore fairways in Louisiana and Texas. A total of 232 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of dissolved methane and 367 x 10/sup 15/ Btu (367 quads) of thermal energy may be contained in the water within the sandstone in these formations. Reasonable predictions of the significant reservoir parameters indicate that a maximum of 7.6 TCF methane and 12.6 quads of thermal energy may be producible from these potential reservoirs.

The objective of this task is to utilize the continuous-flow bench-scale coal liquefaction reactor system at CSM to investigate the rate of reaction of different coals at different processing conditions. Particularly, reaction rates at short residence times are to be measured in a Continuous Flow Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), and this information used to model reactions in the Plug Flow Reactor (PFR) section of the unit. Work during the past 6 months has focused on completing modifications to the unit itself, as the bench-scale system was originally designed to be operated at residence times just under 30 minutes. The new residence times are to be, at the least, just less than 6 minutes. The experimental portion will be a comparative study of the effect of different processing conditions on the rate of coal liquefaction. During the past six months, work on the continuous unit has been confined to modifications and system tune-up.

Precipitation chemistry in central North American appears to e controlled by interaction between soil-derived alkaline dust and gaseous NH/sub 3/ from the cultivated prairie and anthropogenic acid aerosols from the urban-industrial Lower Great Lakes-Ohio Valley region. Analyses of major ions and trace metals in precipitation event and snow core samples along a 600-km transect from the North Dakota prairie to the northeastern Minnesota forest indicate that loadings and concentrations of Ca/sup + +/, Mg/sup + +/, P/sub tot/, Al, Fe, M/sub n/, and other soil-derived material decrease with increasing distance from the prairie. Acidity is highest in the east and decreases to the west. Sulfate has natural sources in the west and anthropogenic sources in the east; its concentration was least at sites in the middle of the transect. Acidity increased and inputs of soil-derived elements decreased during winter when snow and freezing temperatures reduced alkaline influxes to the region. Atmospheric inputs of N and P may be beneficial to nutrient-poor ecosystems. However, precipitation in the eastern portions of the region which are highly sensitive to acid inputs, is approaching levels of acidity known to cause adverse effects. Any increase in acid loading will increase this danger.

Progress in HTGR studies is reported in the following areas: HTGR chemistry; fueled graphite development; prestressed concrete pressure vessel development; structural materials; HTGR graphite studies; and evaluation of the pebble-bed HTR.

The objective of this experimental study was to determine how the mineralogical and physical characteristics of host rock formations are affected by environmental conditions anticipated for compressed air energy storage (CAES) in porous, permeable rock. In this study, Galesville sandstone cores were reacted in autoclave pressure vessels supporting one of four environments: dry air; heated, air-water vapor; heated, nitrogen-water vapor mixtures; and heated, compressed, liquid water. The simulated CAES environments were maintained in autoclave pressure vessels by controlling the following independent variables: temperature, pressure, time, oxygen content, carbon dioxide content, nitrogen content, and liquid volume. The dependent variables studied were: apparent porosity, gas permeability, water permeability, and friability. These variables were measured at ambient temperature and pressure before and after each sandstone sample was reacted in one of the CAES environments. The experiments gave the following results: the Galesville sandstone exhibited excellent stability in dry air at all temperatures tested (50/sup 0/ to 300/sup 0/C); and significant physical alterations occurred in sandstone samples exposed to liquid water above 150/sup 0/C. Samples shielded from dripping water exhibited excellent stability to 300/sup 0/C; sandstone may be a suitable storage media for heated, humid air provided elevated temperature zones are relatively free of …

A study was made to examine the conceptual feasibility of a molten-salt power reactor fueled with denatured /sup 235/U and operated with a minimum of chemical processing. Because such a reactor would not have a positive breeding gain, reductions in the fuel conversion ratio were allowed in the design to achieve other potentially favorable characteristics for the reactor. A conceptual core design was developed in which the power density was low enough to allow a 30-year life expectancy of the moderator graphite with a fluence limit of 3 x 10/sup 26/ neutrons/m/sup 2/ (E > 50 keV). This reactor could be made critical with about 3450 kg of 20% enriched /sup 235/U and operated for 30 years with routine additions of denatured /sup 235/U and no chemical processing for removal of fission products. A review of the chemical considerations assoicated with the conceptual fuel cycle indicates that no substantial difficulties would be expected if the soluble fission products and higher actinides were allowed to remain in the fuel salt for the life of the plant.

Effort since the last progress report (September 1979) has been directed toward assessing the potential short and long term benefits of continued development and application and medical research of emission computed tomograhy (ECT). This report contains a review of existing ECT technology, including functional descriptions of current and proposed image systems, for both sngle-photon ECT (SPECT) and positron ECT (PECT) approaches. Medical research and clinical topics to which ECT has been, or may be, applied are presented. One such area of investigation involves the effects of stroke. The application of ECT to laboratory research, and to clinical diagnosis and prognosis, of stroke may result in improved management of the disease. An illustration of the potential savings in the cost of management of stroke due to the effects of applied ECT research is included. The results represent a compilation of data collected from conversations with, and conference presentations by, ECT users, researchers and image system designers, and from a review of the literature.

Numerical plasma simulations have been carried out to study: (1) the turbulent spectrum and anomalous plasma transport associated with a steady state electrostatic drift turbulence; and (2) the anomalous energy transport of electrons due to shear-Alfven waves in a finite-..beta.. plasma. For the simulation of the steady state drift turbulence, it is observed that, in the absence of magnetic shear, the turbulence is quenched to a low level when the rotational transform is a rational number, while the turbulent level remains high for an irrational rotational transform.

Reaction kinetic measurements on the hydrochlorination of SiCl/sub 4/ and mg silicon metal in the presence of a copper catalyst were last reported as a function of reaction temperature, reactor pressure and H/sub 2//SiCl/sub 4/ ratio, 3 SiCl/sub 4/ + 2 H/sub 2/ + Si ..-->.. 4 SiHCl/sub 3/. The same reaction was repeated at a lower catalyst loading of 2 wt%. In the presence of 2 wt% cuprous chloride (based on silicon metal), the hydrochlorination reaction rate is doubled to give about the same performance as those obtained at a higher copper catalyst loading. The effect of particle size distribution of the mg silicon metal on the hydrochlorination reaction rate was studied. Reaction kinetic measurements were made on 150 x 400 mesh Si and on 32 x 65 mesh Si in addition to the standard 65 x 150 mesh Si used in previous studies. Results of these experiments show that the reaction rate is essentially independent of the silicon metal particle size. Thus, the reaction occuring on the Si metal surface is the rate-determining step. Mass transfer via diffusion of reactants and product is not rate-limiting. A plausible mechanism of the hydrochlorination reaction is discussed.

Application of liquid photoresist by dip coating was investigated as potentially more reliable and repeatable than the current roller coating process. Resist viscosity, extraction rate, and substrate orientation were found to affect applied resist thickness and uniformity. The data accumulated in this effort will be used in future work to develop an improved photoresist application process.

A quantitative study of mixing, which utilized the exit age distribution theory, has been completed for bench-scale annular and raschig ring filled tanks, in addition to a pilot-scale annular tank. A study of mixing and fluid flow in a full-scale, single-entry, raschig ring filled tank also was initiated. Results showed the bench-scale raschig ring filled tank approached plug-flow (no mixing) behavior. In a bench-scale annular tank, regardless of whether fluid entered tangentially or nontangentially, the vessel approached continuously stirred tank reactor behavior (perfect mixing). The pilot-scale annular tank approached continuously stirred tank reactor behavior only when tangential entry was used. Mixing in the full-scale raschig ring filled tank he tank did not approach eithr the perfect or the no mixing situations. Instead, the tank had a flow pattern in which solution channeled through a small volume of the tank, leaving the regions outside the channel effectively inactive.

A detailed description of the SERI Advanced Component Research Facility (ACRES) is given. Background information explicates the facility's history, developed around the two Omnium-G parabolic dish concentrators. The Omnium-G concentrators and electrical power plant are described. The purpose and a detailed descripttion of ACRES is also given. Included is a description of the measurement capabilities, the controls, and each component of the facility.

The activity reported herin is the proposed system study to examine the dynamic relationship of integrated ac/dc systems wherein the existence of direct current circuit breakers is postulated.

Experiments designed to heat electrons by Landau damping of waves at approximately twice the lower hybrid frequency have been carried out on Doublet IIA. This objective is in contrast to other lower hybrid experiments which are designed to heat ions using frequencies corresponding to the lower hybrid resonance frequency. Up to 500 kW of rf power was applied to discharge with approximately 100 kW ohmic input using parallel wavelengths chosen to optimize the spatial distribution of the power deposition based on linear or quasi-linear Landau damping.