Approximately 1223 pieces of component failure-rate data, under 136 subject categories, have been compiled from published literature and computer searches of a number of data bases. Component selections were based on potential applicability to facilities for reprocessing spent nuclear fuels. The data will be useful in quantifying fault trees for probabilistic safety analyses and risk assessments.

The common approach to leakage area measurements in residential housing through pressurization of an entire structure with a blower door. However, this technique does not provide quantitative measurements of the leakiness of individual building components. By pressurizing individual components, it is possible to determine the distribution of leakage within a structure. The studies described in this paper involved measurement of the leakage areas of fireplaces, bathroom and kitchen exhaust vents, electrical outlets and leakage in the ducts of forced air distribution systems. Component leakage measurements were made in a total of thirty-four houses in Atlanta, Georgia, Reno, Nevada and the San Francisco Bay area. Damperless fireplaces and ductwork were found to be the most significant sources of leakage in the western houses. In the Atlanta houses, where cooling loads dominate, the significant leakage area was in the ductwork of the distribution system for central air conditioning that passes through the unconditioned space in the attic and crawlspace.

Neutral beam injection experiments on PLT and PDX have been conducted over a wider range in parameter space than previously. On PLT H/sup 0/ beams have been injected into well-confined high toroidal field, high density Ohmic plasmas, giving n/sub e/(0) tau/sub Ee/ products during injection of up to 5 x 10/sup 12/ sec cm/sup -3/. tau/sub Ee/ is found to rise slowly with increasing density in these experiments. Comparing these results with earlier (1979) discharges, which showed much lower heating efficiency, the importance of starting with a hot Ohmic plasma and a peaked density profile is striking. On PDX high power injection experiments over a range in plasma current have shown a significant variation with current of both ion heating and total stored plasma energy. Transport analysis of these results indicates that global confinement drops little when I/sup p/ is varied from 480 to 320 kA, but as I/sup p/ falls to 200 kA, tau/sub E/ deteriorates significantly.

The benefits and applications of five irrigation technologies are explored: mobile drop-tube irrigation, computerized scheduling, reduced-pressure center pivots, well design and development, and automated gated-pipe systems. Perhaps the most promising of the new irrigation technologies is the low-energy, precision-application (LEPA) system. This mobile system used one-half the energy of conventional sprinkler systems and distributes water with greater efficiency through a series of low-pressure drop tubes suspended above the crop. Computerized methods of irrigation scheduling have been developed to help farmers conserve water and energy. Special computer programs determine when a crop needs water and how much to apply for optimal plant growth, thus preventing the unnecessary costs of pumping more water than the crop needs. Field test results show that replacing traditional scheduling methods of irrigation with computerized scheduling can reduce energy and water use by as much as 35%. The irrigation industry is actively promoting reduced-pressure water application methods, particularly for center-pivot systems. Reduced-pressure systems expend less energy but produce the same crop yields as conventional high-pressure systems, as long as excessive water runoff does not occur. If well design and development techniques are applied when a well is drilled into an unconsolidated acquifer, the well's life expectancy, as …

This technical memo documents the construction of a cold iron superconducting test magnet. The superferric magnet design was based on a concept sketch provided by Bob Wilson. Construction and dunk testing of the magnet in a liquid helium dewar took place in a time period of less than one week. The magnet operated successfully to its design field of 2 Tesla with no training.

The objective of this study was to determine the cost-benefits of a vibratory finishing process, developed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), which has been used successfully to remove a variety of transuranic (TRU) contaminants from surfaces of metallic and nonmetallic wastes. Once TRU contaminants are removed, the metallic and nonmetallic materials can be disposed of as low-level waste (LLW). Otherwise, these materials would be disposed of in geologic repositories. This study provides an economic evaluation of the vibratory finishing process as a possible method for use in decontaminating and decommissioning retired facilities at Hanford and oher sites. Specifically, the economic evaluation focuses on a scoping design for a mobile, trailer-contained facility, which could be used in the field in conjunction with decontamination and decommissioning operations. The capital cost of the mobile facility is estimated to be about $1.09 million including contingency and working capital. Annual operating costs, including disposal costs, are estimated to be $440,000 for processing about 6340 ft/sup 3//yr of pre-sectioned, TRU-contaminated material. Combining the operating cost and the capital cost, annualized at a discount rate of 10%, the total annual cost estimate is $602,000. The unit cost for vibratory finishing is estimated to be about $11/ft/sup 3/ …

Monthly newsletter of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, discussing the field of underground water. Topics include profiles of water conservation research, annual pre-plant soil moisture survey data, annual Winter Water Level measurement data, and information about the latest water conservation tips.

The optical model code 2PLUS and the statistical model codes COMNUC and CASCADE were used to compute neutron cross sections for Cm-245 and Cm-247 between 10 keV and 10 MeV. Cross sections for elastic and inelastic scattering, radiative capture, fission, and the (n,2n) reactions were computed. The parameters for the fission model were selected to yield agreement with the cross sections from the Physics-8 bomb shot. Pu-239 cross sections were calculated and compared with existing cross section evaluations to demonstrate the validity of the calculational methods.

This report addresses the DCHX working fluid recovery system study.

A computer code, FCUP, was developed at EG and G during the period from 1973 to the present to compute proton currents produced by a time- and energy-dependent neutron flux striking a CH/sub 2/ foil and knocking protons into a detector placed at an angle with respect to the target foil and the neutron beam. This report describes the methods of calculation used and the physical assumptions and limitations involved and suggests possibilities for improving the calculations.

The problems and potentials for using daylighting to provide illumination in building interiors are reviewed. It describes some of the design tools now or soon to be available for incorporating daylighting into the building design process. It also describes state-of-the-art methods for analyzing the impacts daylighting can have on selection of lighting controls, lighting energy consumption, heating and cooling loads, and peak power demand.

The purpose of this work is the development and testing of a new family of methods for calculating the spatial dependence of the neutron density in nuclear systems described in two-dimensional Cartesian geometry. The energy and angular dependence of the neutron density is approximated using the multigroup and discrete ordinates techniques, respectively. The resulting FORTRAN computer code is designed to handle an arbitrary number of spatial, energy, and angle subdivisions. Any degree of scattering anisotropy can be handled by the code for either external source or fission systems. The basic approach is to (1) approximate the spatial variation of the neutron source across each spatial subdivision as an expansion in terms of a user-supplied set of exponential basis functions; (2) solve analytically for the resulting neutron density inside each region; and (3) approximate this density in the basis function space in order to calculate the next iteration flux-dependent source terms. In the general case the calculation is iterative due to neutron sources which depend on the neutron density itself, such as scattering interactions.

A general overview of the four diagnostic techniques is given. Prospects for each technique are discussed. (MOW)

The design of a diesel exhaust gas purification system is presented. It will provide 2000 scfm of dry, anerobic gas (essentially nitrogen) for use in air drilling operations where drill pipe corrosion is a problem, such as geothermal applications. The system is operable in the field and may be transported via highways. It will operate at ambient temperatures up to 110/sup 0/F and requires no water - diesel fuel is used to combust excess oxygen and to generate electricity for the system. Gas production costs, including capital amortization, operations, fuel and maintenance (for reasonable utilization) are about $1.50/1000 scf.

The current process for the fabrication of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ heat sources includes precipitation of small particle plutonium oxalate crystals (4 to 6 ..mu..m diameter), a calcination to PuO/sub 2/, ball milling, cold pressing, granulation (60 to 125 ..mu..m), and granule sintering prior to hot pressing the fuel pellet. A new two-step direct-strike Pu(III) oxalate precipitation method which yields mainly large well-developed rosettes (50 to 100 ..mu..m diameter) has been demonstrated in the laboratory and in the plant. These large rosettes are formed by agglomeration of small (2 to 4 ..mu..m) crystals, and after calcining and sintering, were directly hot pressed into fuel forms, thus eliminating several of the powder conditioning steps. Conditions for direct hot pressing of the large heat-treated rosettes were determined and a full-scale General Purpose Heat Source pellet was fabricated. The pellet had the desired granule-type microstructure to provide dimensional stability at high temperature. 27 figures.

Calculations of disruption time and energy dissipation have been obtained by simulating the plasma as an electrical conducting loop that varies in resistivity, current density, major radius. The calculations provide results which are in good agreement with experimental observations. It is believed that this approach allows engineering designs for disruptions to be completed in large tokamaks such as INTOR or FED.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) was used to measure the electron spin lattice relaxation times, T/sub 1/, of transition metal ions in aqueous solution. Saturation which is induced in the electron spin system is transferred to the solvent proton spins by dipole-dipole interactions. The change in the polarization of the proton spins is much larger than it is in the electron spins. The change in proton polarization is easily measured by proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). In one experimental arrangement the sample solution was continuously flowed through a microwave cavity to the NMR coil. The NMR was observed with a continuous wave NMR spectrometer. In a second arrangement the whole sample tube was moved from within the microwave cavity to the NMR coil in less than 40 ms by a blast of compressed air. The NMR was then observed with a pulse-Fourier-transform spectrometer. With the second arrangement a mean-square microwave magnetic field at the sample of more than 10 G/sup 2/ is obtainable with 14 W of microwave power. Measurements of DNP at 9 GHz were made on aqueous solutions of VO/sup 2 +/, Mn/sup 2 +/, Cr(CN)/sub 6//sup 3 -/, Cu/sup 2 +/ and Cu(ethylenediamine)/sub 2/(H/sub 2/0)/sub 2//sup 2 +/ …

A preliminary exploration is given of the legal and economic considerations surrounding the formation and operation of some form of utility-sponsored collective buying arrangement for heliostats. Particular attention is focused on considerations of federal antitrust law surrounding collective buying and other joint operations by electric utilities. Attention is also given to considerations suggested by the economic theory of monopsony (markets with a single buyer) and oligopsony (markets with a small number of buyers). The advantages and disadvantages of such arrangements are examined from the viewpoints of the buyer and the seller. (LEW)

A cost study is described which compared the economics of four dry/wet cooling systems to use at the existing Raft River Geothermal Plant. The results apply only at this site and should not be generalized without due consideration of the complete geothermal cycle. These systems are: the Binary Cooling Tower, evaporative condenser, Combin-aire, and a metal fin-tube dry cooling tower with deluge augmentation. The systems were evaluated using cooled, treated geothermal fluid instead of ground or surface water in the cooling loops. All comparisons were performed on the basis of a common plant site - the Raft River 5 MWe geothermal plant in Idaho. The Binary Cooling Tower and the Combin-aire cooling system were designed assuming the use of the isobutane/water surface condenser currently installed at the Raft River Plant. The other two systems had the isobutane ducted to the evaporative condensers. Capital credit was not given to the system employing the direct condensing process. The cost of the systems were estimated from designs provided by the vendors. The levelized energy cost range for each cooling system is listed below. The levelized energy cost reflects the incremental cost of the cooling system for the life of the plant. The estimates …

Quarterly newsletter of the Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences discussing news, events, and research as well as other information related to mental heath.

The state of the laboratory address by LLNL Director Roger Batzel is summarized, and a breakdown of the laboratory funding is given. The Livermore defense-related committment is described, including the design and development of advanced nuclear weapons as well as research in inertial confinement fusion, nonnuclear ordnance, and particle beam technology. LLNL is also applying its scientific and engineering resources to the dual challenge of meeting future energy needs without degrading the quality of the biosphere. Some representative examples are given of the supporting groups vital for providing the specialized expertise and new technologies required by the laboratory's major research programs. (GHT)

Several analytical and numerical studies that address injection and thermal breakthrough in fractured geothermal reservoirs are described. The results show that excellent thermal sweeps can be achieved in fractured reservoirs, and that premature cold water breakthrough can be avoided if the injection wells are appropriately located.

Bimonthly newsletter of the Center for Energy Studies at the University of Texas at Austin discussing activities of the Center and other energy-related news.

Progress is described in the following areas: nuclear cross sections and related quantities; methods for generating and validating multigroup cross-section libraries; methods for reactor and shield analysis; methods for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis; integral experiments and nuclear analyses (integral experiments supporting fusion reactor designs, nuclear analyses supporting fusion reactor designs, high-energy particle transport calculations, integral experiments supporting gas-cooled fast breeder reactor designs, nuclear analyses supporting gas-cooled reactor designs, nuclear analyses supporting utilization of light-water reactors, and integral experiment analyses supporting surveillance dosimetry improvement program); energy economics modeling and analysis; safety and reliability assessments for nuclear power reactors; and information analysis and distribution. Publications and papers presented are listed. (WHK)