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The purpose of this study was to investigate the movement and hydrologic stability of the domes, to identify the domes which appear suitable for further study and consideration, and to outline the additional information needed to evaluate these domes. The growth of the interior salt domes appears to have slowed with geologic time and to have halted altogether. The Bullard, Whitehouse, and Keechi domes probably are not subject to significant dissolution at the present time. However, caprock found at Bullard and Whitehouse indicates that salt dissolution occurred at some period during the past 50 million years since Wilcox was deposited. It is recommended that shallow water wells be drilled and tested. (DLC)

An extensive literature search was made to locate technical publications and computer programs relating to wellbore temperatures during drilling operations. The search confirmed the need for knowledge of transient and steady state circulating temperatures in the design of geothermal bits. Two approaches were used in calculating borehole temperatures. The steady state solution of Holmes and Swift was programmed and 2100 cases calculated for various borehole configurations. For transient temperature studies, calculations were made for ten borehole configurations. These calculations help emphasize the need for better high temperature bit performance and improved engineering procedures in drilling. The conclusions and recommendations are based on latest available technology for calculating wellbore temperatures.

A light, rugged monitor has been developed for special nuclear materials (SNM) searches at material-access and protection-area exits. This monitor accepts gamma-ray pulses from a NaI(Tl) detector, integrates for a preset counting interval (typically 0.3 s), and produces an audible alarm whenever the counts in the interval exceed the trip level that is a preset multiple of the stored background count. Because the monitor is silent except when the alarm is operating, personnel with little special training can conduct more effective searches in a noisy and distracting environment than they can with conventional audible monitoring of individual radiation counts. The monitor is also more sensitive than conventional monitors that provide audible indication of the count rate.

An equilibrium analysis has been made of the fission-product cesium in the primary coolant loop of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). The species distributions that result at equilibrium have been calculated for various conditions of reactor operation. The cesium species considered were the monomer, dimer, oxides, hydroxides, and the hydride. The effect of cesium sorption isotherms on graphite also was included in the analysis. During normal reactor operations, the abundant species of cesium were calculated to be elemental cesium, Cs, and the monomeric hydroxide, CsOH. Under most conditions of steam ingress, the abundant species was calculated to be CsOH. Cesium adsorbed onto graphite was stable under all steam-ingress conditions considered. Thermal transients above 1500/sup 0/K were required for equilibrium transport of cesium from the core to the coolant. The analysis was carried out using the complex equilibrium code QUIL, designed and written with special emphasis on features that make it applicable to the fission-product problem.

The construction of an Intersecting Storage Accelerator Facility (ISA or ISABELLE) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is proposed. ISABELLE will permit the exploration of proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies continuously variable from 60 to 400 GeV and with luminosities of 10/sup 32/ to 10/sup 33/ cm/sup -2/ sec/sup -1/ over the entire range. An overview of the physics potential of this machine is given, covering the production of charged and neutral intermediate vector bosons, the hadron production at high transverse momentum, searches for new, massive particles, and the energy dependence of the strong interactions. The facility consists of two interlaced rings of superconducting magnets in a common tunnel about 3 km in circumference. The proton beams will collide at eight intersection regions where particle detectors will be arranged for studying the collision processes. Protons of approximately 30 GeV from the AGS will be accumulated to obtain the design current of 10A prior to acceleration to final energy. The design and performance of existing full-size superconducting dipoles and quadrupoles is described. The conceptual design of the accelerator systems and the conventional structures and buildings is presented. A preliminary cost estimate and construction schedule are given. Possible future options such as proton-antiproton, proton-deuteron …

It has been demonstrated in three separate field demonstrations that the PTC (Petroleum Technology Corporation) system can be employed to safely manufacture and inject large quantities of liquid explosive into natural or hydraulically induced fractures in typical hydrocarbon bearing formations. The producing capability of the first test well, Hampshire No. 10, was not enhanced by chemical explosive fracturing stimulation. Analysis of pressure buildup tests results conducted before and after the second field demonstration indicate that Hampshire No. 18's flow potential was increased by a factor of 1.66 by the chemical explosive fracturing stimulation test. A commercial well was not, however, obtained. Even though most of the open hole section of the third test well, Columbia No. 20117-T, could not be cleaned out, the gas production rate was increased three-fold and the formation's capacity to produce (''kh'' factor) was increased tenfold. Again, however, a commercial well was not obtained.

Begun in 1970, the Amchitka Radiobiological Program is a continuing program to collect biological and environmental samples for radiometric analyses. This report is an account of the program for Calendar Year 1975. Results of analyses for samples collected in August 1975 have been added to the tables that summarize the results of analyses of samples collected from 1970 to 1975 and include analyses for gamma-emitting radionuclides in air filters, freshwater, birds, lichens, marine algae, marine invertebrates, fish, aufwuchs, and freshwater moss and plants; strontium-90 (/sup 90/Sr) in rats, birds, and soil; /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu in sand, soil, marine algae and fish; and tritium (/sup 3/H) in seawater, freshwater, and biological organisms. Monitoring of background radiation with survey instruments was added to the Laboratory's program in 1974 and the results of the 1974 and 1975 surveys are included in this report. It is concluded from the results of analyses of samples collected between September 1969 and August 1975 as reported in this and the five previous progress reports, that there were no radionuclides of Milrow or Cannikin origin in the water, plants, or animals of Amchitka Island.

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Light water reactor safety activities performed during October--December 1975 are reported. The blowdown heat transfer tests series of the Semiscale Mod-1 test program was completed. In the LOFT Program, preparations were made for nonnuclear testing. The Thermal Fuels Behavior Program completed a power-cooling-mismatch test and an irradiation effects test on PWR-type fuel rods. Model development and verification efforts of the Reactor Behavior Program included developing new analysis models for the RELAP4 computer code, subroutines for the FRAP-S and FRAP-T codes, and new models for predicting reactor fuel restructuring and zircaloy cladding behavior; an analysis of post-CHF fuel behavior was made using FRAP-T.

Relaxation techniques which have been used in connection with the factorization iterative methods are reviewed. Known properties are summarized, and new ones are obtained. A precise meaning is given to the notion of iterative procedures of order q, and the two-parameters overrelaxation technique of Woznicki is shown to be a factorization iterative method of the second order; some consequences of this fact are developed. Other results include the refinement of known properties of the extrapolation principle and estimations of the powers of the Oliphant relaxation technique for consistently ordered matrices and of the Chebyshev technique for Stieltjes. 4 figures.

The objectives of the work are to develop mathematically and computationally founded for the design of highly efficient and reliable multidimensional neutron transport codes to solve a variety of neutron migration and radiation problems, and to analyze existing and new methods for performance. As new analytical insights are gained, new numerical methods are developed and tested. Significant results obtained include implementation of the integer-preserving Gaussian elimination method (two-step method) in a CDC 6400 computer code, modes analysis for one-dimensional transport solutions, and a new method for solving the 1-T transport equation. Some of the work dealt with the interface and corner problem in diffusion theory. (RWR)

Highly accurate finite difference schemes are developed for Laplace's equation with the Dirichlet boundary condition on general bounded regions in R/sup n/. A second order accurate scheme is combined with a deferred correction or Richardson extrapolation method to increase the accuracy. The Dirichlet condition is approximated by a method suggested by Heinz-Otto Kreiss. A convergence proof of his, previously not published, is given which shows that, for the interval size h, one of the methods has an accuracy of at least O(h/sup 5/./sup 5/) in L/sub 2/. The linear systems of algebraic equations are solved by a capacitance matrix method. The results of our numerical experiments show that highly accurate solutions are obtained with only a slight additional use of computer time when compared to the results obtained by second order accurate methods.

Data are reported on the cycling of /sup 36/Cl-labeled DDT in an old field ecosystem. Data are included on the content of DDT retained in samples of soil, plants, invertebrates, and tissues of small mammals. The body burden of DDT in both earthworms and slugs decreased during the six-year period whereas that of isopods increased, indicating that the food chain sources of the compound differ among soil invertebrates. (CH)

Research progress is reported on radiation effects on Nb/sub 3/Sn composite wires, thermal conductivity of radiation damaged MgO, thermal conductivity of neutron irradiated superconducting V, and crystal growth. (JRD)

The BSR operated at an average power level of 1,996 kw for 31.93 percent of the time during the report period. Water-quality control in both the reactor primary and secondary cooling systems was satisfactory. An unscheduled shutdown occurred on October 31, 1975, because of water loss from the pool at a rate of 1.6 gpm, apparently due to several small leaks. The reactor fuel was transferred to the OGR Canal Storage and the pool water level lowered to the pool floor. Defective areas in the concrete pool walls and floor are being chipped, grouted and sealed in preparation for applying fiberglass and repainting. Pool repairs accounted for 98 percent of the downtime reported. The PCA was not used during this report period and remains in a secured condition.

The BSR operated at an average power level of 1,878 kw for 38.00 percent of the reporting period. Water-quality control in both the reactor primary and secondary cooling systems was satisfactory. There were two unscheduled shutdowns during the quarter. The PCA was not used during the report period and remains in a secured condition.

This study reviews and assesses the technology of oil spill spreading, retention and cleanup and proposes research needs in these areas. Sources of oil spills are analyzed and the difficulty of gathering meaningful statistics is discussed. Barrier technology is reviewed and problem areas analyzed. Natural and forced biodegradation and natural and chemical dispersion of oil spills are considered. Research recommendations are categorized under the following two headings (1) Preventive techniques and (2) Containment, Cleanup and Dispersion.

Several new or poorly characterized neutron-rich nuclides were produced and studied at the Brookhaven Medium Energy Intense Neutron facility, MEIN. /sup 190/W decays with T/sub 1/2/ = 30.0 +- 1.5 min, E/sub beta/ = 0.93 +- 0.07 MeV, and ..gamma..'s of 157.6 and 162.1 keV. /sup 196/Os decays with T/sub 1/2/ = 35.0 +- 0.4 min and ..gamma..'s at 126.1, 200.7, 207.0, 257.0, 315.3, 407.6, 522.2, and 628.9 keV. /sup 230/Ra decays with T/sub 1/2/ = 93 +- 2 min to 122 +- 3 sec /sup 230/Ac; ..gamma..-ray energies and intensities are tabulated. A decay scheme is proposed for /sup 190/W, and many of the transitions following the decay of /sup 230/Ac are between known levels in /sup 230/Th.

Various factors that can affect thermal blooming in stagnation zones are examined, including stagnation-zone motion, longitudinal air motion in the neighborhood of the stagnation zone, and the effects of scenario noncoplanarity. Of these effects, only the last offers any reasonable hope of reducing the strong thermal blooming that normally accompanies stagnation zones; in particular, noncoplanarity should benefit multipulse more than cw beams. The methods of treating nonhorizontal winds hydrodynamically for cw and multipulse steady-state sources are discussed. Pulse ''self-blooming'' in the triangular pulse approximation is discussed in the context of both single and multipulse propagation. It is shown that self-blooming and multipulse blooming cannot be treated independently.

Commercial refractories of alumina, magnesia, zirconia, and silica, as well as samples of graphite, thoria, beryllia, boron carbide, and quartz, were tested for compatibility with high-temperature and boiling sodium. Samples were exposed either to static sodium at 850/sup 0/C for five hours or to boiling sodium for about an hour. Graphite, thoria, beryllia, boron carbide, and refractories with high alumina or magnesia contents, but with low silica and chromic oxide contents, were found to be compatible with high-temperature and boiling sodium. Sample compatibility with sodium decreased with an increase in the silica content of the sample. Samples with large silica content failed completely. Bricks with high zirconia content did not withstand exposure to boiling sodium, but high-fired zirconia crucibles appeared to be in good condition after sodium exposure. Except for the results with the high-zirconia bricks, the results of the ANL experiments with refractory bricks are in good agreement with those obtained in sodium compatibility experiments done at Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division. 36 Figs.