Analog studies of Icelandic geothermal fields have shown that the design of nuclear waste repositories in basalt can benefit by comparison to the data base already available from the development of these geothermal fields. A high degree of similarity exists between these two systems: their petrology, groundwater geochemistry, mineral solubilities, hydrologic parameters, temperature ranges, water-rock redox equilibria, hydrothermal pH values, and secondary mineralogies all show considerable overlap in the range of values. The experimentally-simulated hydrothermal studies of the basaltic nuclear waste repository rocks have, at this time, produced a data base that receives a strong confirmation from the Icelandic analog. Furthermore, the Icelandic analog should eventually be employed to extrapolate into higher and lower temperatures, into longer time-base chemical comparisons, and into more realistic mineral deposition studies, than have been possible in the laboratory evaluations of the nuclear waste repository designs. This eventual use of the Icelandic analog will require cooperative work with the Icelandic Geological Survey. 46 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

This paper presents a description of a bounce-averaged Fokker-Planck quasilinear model for the kinetic description of tokamak plasmas. The non-linear collision and quasilinear resonant diffusion operators are represented in a form conducive to numerical solution with specific attention to the treatment of the boundary layer separating trapped and passing orbit regions of velocity space. The numerical techniques employed are detailed in so far as they constitute significant departure from those used in the conventional uniform magnetic field case. Examples are given to illustrate the combined effects of collisional and resonant diffusion.

The balance of ionizing radiation energy incident on an object being processed is discussed in terms of energy losses, influencing the amount really absorbed. To obtain the amount of heat produced, the absorbed energy is corrected for the change in internal energy of the system and for the heat effect of secondary reactions developing after the initiation. The temperature of a processed object results from the heat evolved and from the specific heat of the material comprising the object. The specific heat of most materials is usually much lower than that of aqueous systems and therefore temperatures after irradiation are higher. The role of low specific heat in radiation processing at cryogenic conditions is stressed. Adiabatic conditions of accelerator irradiation are contrasted with the steady state thermal conditions prevailing in large gamma sources. Among specific questions discussed in the last part of the paper are: intermediate and final temperature of composite materials, measurement of real thermal effects in situ, neutralization of undesired warming experienced during radiation processing, processing at temperatures other than ambient and administration of very high doses of radiation.

A finite element method is introduced for solving the neutron transport equations. Our method falls into the category of Petrov-Galerkin solution, since the trial space differs from the test space. The close relationship between this method and the discrete ordinate method is discussed, and the methods are compared for simple test problems.

The main objectives of this research were to make Illinois No. 6 coal liquid or soluble with inexpensive reagents (e.g., solvolysis with methanol and acids), without high pressure equipment, and to see if our soluble products would be more reactive than whole coal in liquefaction processes. These efforts are unpromising. However, efforts to make coal soluble by oxidation with nitric acid gave encouraging results. When Illinois No. 6 and Wyodak coals were allowed to stand in sunlight for 282 days, 27% of the original weight and 32% of the original carbon were lost. Concurrent experiments in the dark at 24/sup 0/C indicate that these coals are fairly stable in air in the dark; light causes most of the oxidation. The solubility properties of these aged coals will not be available before the end of this grant period. Several other minor lines of work, some very interesting, are summarized in order of decreasing significance. 1 figure, 6 tables.

The Physical Data Group of the Computational Physics Division of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has as its principal responsibility the development and maintenance of those data that are related to nuclear reaction processes and are needed for Laboratory programs. Among these are the Magnetic Fusion Energy and the Inertial Confinement Fusion programs. To this end, we have developed and maintain a collection of data files or libraries. These include: files of experimental data of neutron induced reactions; an annotated bibliography of literature related to charged particle induced reactions with light nuclei; and four main libraries of evaluated data. We also maintain files of calculational constants developed from the evaluated libraries for use by Laboratory computer codes. The data used for fusion calculations are usually these calculational constants, but since they are derived by prescribed manipulation of evaluated data this discussion will describe the evaluated libraries.

We show that the mass eigenvectors of the neutrino mass matrix have definite CP quantum numbers whether or not CP is conserved, and we examine the conditions under which a mixture of even and odd CP eigenstates will occur.

The Hawaii Geothermal Resources Assessment Program was initiated in 1978. The preliminary phase of this effort identified 20 Potential Geothermal Resource Areas (PGRA's) using available geological, geochemical and geophysical data. The second phase of the Assessment Program undertook a series of field studies, utilizing a variety of geothermal exploration techniques, in an effort to confirm the presence of thermal anomalies in the identified PGRA's and, if confirmed, to more completely characterize them. A total of 15 PGRA's on four of the five major islands in the Hawaiian chain were subject to at least a preliminary field analysis. The remaining five were not considered to have sufficient resource potential to warrant study under the personnel and budget constraints of the program.

The octupole anchor is a very promising alternative to the usual quadrupole designs. The most critical unsolved problem is stabilization of the trapped particle mode. The anchor magnetic field is low because MHD stabilization is by hot electrons, thus permitting relatively small magnet currents and conductor cross sections. Increasing the field to a sufficient level to permit operation of the thermal barrier and electrostatic plug required for trapped particle mode stabilization would require much more massive magnets, higher ECRH power, and the much more complex operating scenario associated with standard quadrupole operation. Despite these complications, the absence of a long transition (with an axial minimum in B) between the central cell and the octupole makes the option attractive.

As part of an effort to assess and understand the performance and chemical durability of Savannah River Plant (SRP) waste glass, an International Glass Study was undertaken. That study found important similarities, based on correlations of composition and leaching performance, among many difference defense and commercial waste glass compositions being studied world-wide. In addition, the beneficial effect of waste on glass performance was confirmed for the systems evaluated. This paper discusses those results.

This report discusses results of testing to improve uranium recovery from the process streams in an electroplating facility. Cylindrical uranium slugs are used as irradiation targets in the production reactors at the Savannah River Plant. These slugs are first chemically etched, nickel plated, encased in aluminum, inspected, and individually pressure tested. An improved process was developed to recover the uranium from the acidic etching streams for controlling pH and the PO4 to U ratio so that the precipitation of the uranium as hydrogen uranyl phosphate was maximized.

The Large Slurry Fed Melter (LSFM) at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant recently completed two years of service and was shut down for evaluation. This paper reviews the melter operating history and describes the condition of the refractories and metal components. The excellent condition of the LSFM verifies the expected performance of the materials of construction and indicates that a two year melter life is achievable in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF).

A modified IAEA leach test was used to evaluate the relative performance of potential saltstone formulations. The effects of sample size and leach rates for specific ions were determined. Nitrite, nitrate, sodium, and sulfate are listed in order of decreasing leach rates and effective diffusivities for saturated leaching of saltstone. This paper discusses the results of the testing.