An appraisal was made of the concept of isolating high-level radioactive waste in the vadose zone of alluvial-filled valleys and tuffaceous rocks of the Basin and Range geomorphic province. Principal attributes of these terranes are: (1) low population density, (2) low moisture influx, (3) a deep water table, (4) the presence of sorptive rocks, and (5) relative ease of construction. Concerns about heat effects of waste on unsaturated rocks of relatively low thermal conductivity are considered. Calculations show that a standard 2000-acre repository with a thermal loading of 40 kW/acre in partially saturated alluvium or tuff would experience an average temperature rise of less than 100{sup 0}C above the initial temperature. The actual maximum temperature would depend strongly on the emplacement geometry. Concerns about seismicity, volcanism, and future climatic change are also mitigated. The conclusion reached in this appraisal is that unsaturated zones in alluvium and tuff of arid regions should be investigated as comprehensively as other geologic settings considered to be potential repository sites.

Hot-cell tests were conducted using (U,Pu)O{sub 2} fuels that had been irradiated to about 5.2 TJ/kg (U + Pu) [60 MWd/kg (U + Pu)] in an effort to characterize the insoluble residues that remained after the fuel pellets had been dissolved in HNO{sub 3} and in HNO{sub 3}-KF. The composition, particle size range, and density of the material were determined by newer analytical techniques, including spark-source mass spectrometry, neutron activation, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray fluorescence, combined with older methods such as sedimentation and powder density by water displacement.

This section contains edited copies of site-visit and other reports prepared by CCAWG members. Some of the hand-out materials prepared by DOE contractors and others are included (without explication) to permit readers the construction of a coherent picture of work in progress.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) provided a technical critique of the draft report, NRC Staff Evaluation of Pressurized Thermal Shock, dated September 13, 1982. This report provided the basis for the NRC near-term regulatory position on pressurized thermal shock {PTS) and recommended a generic screening criteria for welds in the vessel beltline region. The PNL staff concluded that the screening criteria were adequate to meet the intent of the NRC safety goal and to retain past predictions of vessel reliability. The conclusion was based on selecting the plant-specific nilductility transition reference temperature (RT{sub NDT}) in the conservative manner described within the staff report. Conservative and unconservative factors were mentioned throughout the NRC staff report. The PNL staff has listed these factors together with unknown (may be either conservative or unconservative) factors and estimated, where possible, the range in °F RT{sub NDT}. The unknown factors were so widespread that the PNL staff recommended that specific conservatisms not be reduced until the unknowns are further resolved.

This report has been prepared for the In Situ Waste Disposal Program Tank Assessment Task (WG-11) as part of an investigation to evaluate the long-term performance of waste storage tanks at the Hanford Site. This report, prepared by the Portland Cement Association, presents the results of four years of concrete degradation studies which exposed concrete and reinforcing steel, under load and at 180 F, to simulated double-shell slurry, simulated salt cake solution, and a control solution. Exposure length varied from 3 months to 36 months. In all cases, examination of the concrete and reinforcing steel at the end of the exposure indicated there was no attack, i.e., no evidence of rusting, cracking, disruption of mill scale or loss of strength. Radioactive waste resulting from the chemical processing of reactor fuel for recovery of special nuclear materials (primarily plutonium), has been accumulating at the Hanford Site since 1944. The defense waste is currently being stored in underground waste tanks and in capsules stored in water basins. Current U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) strategy is to emphasize development and implementation of technology for removal, solidification, and final disposition of defense waste at the Savannah River Site first, then at the Hanford Site. …

This study examines some physical mechanisms which impose limits on the possible existence of two-phase flow in a horizontal pipe. With the aid of this analysis and the use of the Martinelli variable, X, a method is developed which determines the range of possible void fractions for a given two-phase flow. This method affords a means of direct comparison among void fraction correlations, as well as between correlation predictions and experimental results. In this respect, four well-known void fraction correlations are compared against each other and with experimental results obtained in the Brown University Two-Phase Flow Research Facility.

The purpose of this quarterly technical progress report is to document work completed on the nominal 65 Megawatt (Mwe gross) Heber Geothermal Binary Demonstration Project, located at Heber, California, during the period of October 1, 1982--December 31, 1982. The work was performed by San Diego Gas and Electric Company under the support and cooperation of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute, the Imperial Irrigation District, the California Department of Water Resources, and the Southern California Edison Company. Topics covered in this quarterly report include progress made in the areas of Wells and Fluid Production and Injection Systems, Power Plant Design and Construction, Power Plant Demonstration, and Data Acquisition and Dissemination.

Numerical studies of laminar natural convection at high Ra numbers in shallow enclosures are reported. In these studies the working fluid is allowed to interact with the horizontal walls. It is shown that even a small amount of heat loss from these walls can lead to a flow structure qualitatively different from the more commonly studied situation where the horizontal walls are adiabatic. This is particularly important in applications where the mass transfer and flow structure are of interest. The results highlight the difficulty in practice of both approximating the adiabatic horizontal wall condition, and interpreting experimental data.

SPEC is the name of the operating system designed to control the NMR spectrometers in lab. SPEC is actually one large program which handles many functions necessary to control each spectrometer. The program handles all I/O with peripheral devices such as the console ('terminal' or 'CRT'). The program carries out its operations by accepting commands which each invoke specific subroutines to perform their function. There are a total of 60 commands in SPEC, each carrying out a different function. Because so many commands make SPEC a very large program, not all of the program is core resident. Rather, each command calls in an overlay handler which loads into memory the appropriate overlay from the disk and begins execution of the command. Thus SPEC is an independent disk based operating system. The commands in SPEC are capable of operating the microprocessor based pulse programmer, starting and acquiring data from the spectrometer data acquisition system, storing data on disk and manipulating it mathematically, displaying and plotting data. All arithmetic operations within SPEC are performed on integers. Since the DATA GENERAL computers are 16 bit machines operating in two's complement mode, the integer range is +32767. Many of the mathematical operations of SPEC …

This note summarizes the design and construction techniques used for the Gradient Search Coil.

A lithium chloride open cycle absorption chiller has been designed, built and tested. Solution reconcentration takes place in a small counter-current packed column supplied with solar heated air. Removal of non-condensable gases that enter the chiller dissolved in the strong solution and the make-up refrigerant streams is accomplished by a liquid-jet ejector and a small vacuum pump. Cooling capacities approaching 1.4 tons and COP levels of 0.58 have been achieved at non-optimum operating conditions. Test results from preliminary system operation suggest that mass transfer processes in both the packed column reconcentrator and the absorber are controlled by concentration gradients in the lithium chloride solution. Liquid phase controlled mass transfer dictates an operating strategy different from the previously assumed gas phase controlled process to obtain maximum rates of evaporation in the packed column. Determination of optimal operating conditions leading to decreased electrical power consumption and improved cooling capacity and coefficient of performance will require further analysis and testing.

GEOTHERM sample file contains 225 records for Colorado. Three computer-generated indexes are found in appendices A, B, and C of this report. The indexes give one line summaries of each GEOTHERM record describing the chemistry of geothermal springs and wells in the sample file for Colorado. Each index is sorted by different variables to assist the user in locating geothermal records describing specific sites. Appendix A is sorted by the county name and the name of the source. Also given are latitude, longitude (both use decimal minutes), township, range, section, GEOTHERM record identifier, and temperature (/sup 0/C). Appendix B is sorted by county, township, range, and section. Also given are name of source, GEOTHERM record identifier, and temperature (/sup 0/C). Appendix C is first sorted into one-degree blocks by latitude, and longitude, and then by name of source. Adjacent one-degree blocks which are published as a 1:250,000 map are combined under the appropriate map name. Also given are GEOTHERM record identifier, and temperature (/sup 0/C). A bibliography is given in Appendix D.

Water samples collected from geothermal power production wells at Cerro Prieto, Mexico, were analyzed for selected elements by dc argon plasma emission spectroscopy. Spectral interferences due to the presence of high concentrations of Ca, Si, Na and K in these waters affected the apparent concentration values obtained. These effects were evaluated and correction techniques were developed and applied to the analytical values. Precipitates present in the samples at the time of analysis adversely affected the accuracy, precision and interpretability of the data.

This thesaurus of terminology associated with the geopressured geothermal energy field has been developed as a part of the Geopressured Geothermal Information System data base. It is a compilation of terms displaying synomymous, hierarchical, and other relationships between terms. These terms, which are called descriptors, constitute the special language of the information retrieval system - the system vocabulary. The function of this thesaurus is to provide a standardized vocabulary for the information storage and retrieval system to facilitate both the indexing and subject-searching processes. In indexing, a thesaurus is used to translate the natural language of the document to be indexed into the standardized system vocabulary and to place the document at the appropriate level of generality or specificity in relation to the other documents in the data base. In subject retrieval, the thesaurus is used to match the natural language used in search requests with the system vocabulary and to find the most appropriate term to represent a concept.

A Test Plan Report has been prepared which details all the tests proposed for the 1983 operational season. One of these tests evaluates the thermal recycle mode which would be employed in a commercial configuration. In this mode, the condensate stream en route to the resaturator is passed back to the first gas cooler. The gas to liquid heat exchanger heats the condensate prior to resaturation. The analytical system simulation model, developed under this program, has been used to assess the operation of this mode and to select baseline conditions for the proposed test. Analysis of the data and results from tests conducted during the 1982 season has continued. In specific application, particularly power generation, the need exists to accommodate unanticipated contingency conditions. The response of the gasifier to such an occurrence was tested in 1982. Validation of the component models for the gasifier and the acid gas removal system has continued. Several enhancements to the gasifier model in the devolatilization zone are being added to increase accuracy. Improvements in the representation of the CO/sub 2/ absorption rate in the acid gas removal system model are being incorporated. A simplified combined cycle system model, integrated control system, and operator interface …

This annoted bibliography contains 1131 citations. It represents reports, papers, and articles appearing over the past eighteen years covering topics from the scientific and technical aspects of geopressured geothermal reservoirs to the social, environmental, and legal considerations of exploiting those reservoirs for their energy resources. Six indexes include: author, conference title, descriptor, journal title, report number, and sponsor. (MHR)

This report reviews the motivation for high spatial resolution in dynamic positron emission tomography of the head and the technical problems in realizing this objective. We present recent progress in using small silicon photodiodes to measure the energy deposited by 511 keV photons in small BGO crystals with an energy resolution of 9.4% full-width at half-maximum. In conjunction with a suitable phototube coupled to a group of crystals, the photodiode signal to noise ratio is sufficient for the identification of individual crystals both for conventional and time-of-flight positron tomography.

This investigation consisted of the following 6 tasks: (1) improve the instrumentation for the sulfur functional groups analysis and make it more reliable. (2) create a set of reference standards of sulfur-containing compounds. (3) examine the sulfur groups distribution in untreated and desulfurized coals. (4) examine the sulfur functionalities in raw and processed coals, i.e., liquefied coals. (5) determine the distribution of sulfur functionalities in modified coals. (6) prepare computer programs for calculations related to the distribution of sulfur functional groups in coal. Each task is discussed and results are presented. Appendix A contains the computer program used to interpret the data. 31 references, 56 figures, 17 tables.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS 41) activities emphasize the advanced HTGR modular reactor system (MRS) for reformer (R) and steam cycle/-cogeneration (SC/C) applications. This report describes progress in system performance for a 250-MW(t) MRS-R and a 300-MW(t) MRS-SC/C plant; it details the groundrules and parameters for the FY-83 nuclear core design and examines and compares fuel cycle economics. This report gives results from a study on decay heat removal transients for the MRS-R and MRS-SC/C variants. It evaluates the bypass valve system and the number and location of helium circulators, and it describes the progress on circulator component design, a prestressed concrete vessel steel closure design, and plant licensing and safety. Under the Advanced Technology Transfer Task (WBS 15), this report includes a section on a pebble bed reactor (PBR) MRS core heatup thermal model analysis. This report also gives the results of a survey on candidate reformer tube materials from GA Technologies Inc. to identify acceptable substitute materials for Inconel 617 to alleviate possible cobalt activation and carburization problems.

The use of snubbers for safety related piping systems has increased significantly during the last decade. A corresponding increase in snubber requirements (criteria) has also occurred. A review of these criteria indicates inconsistencies and contradictions, and reflects how rapidly knowledge and experience has been gained and applied. This study reviews and summarizes existing criteria, illustrates inconsistencies and recommends research to resolve conflicts.

Fuel and fission-product interactions with the fuel-pin cladding is an area of concern and has been evaluated in the past principally by in-cell optical metallographic and electron-microprobe examinations. The applicability of three techniques for preparing specimens to reveal the microstructural details and local microchemistry of the fuel/cladding interface under conditions of high-resolution-scanning transmission-electron microscopy has been investigated. The specimen preparation techniques were designed to preserve the fuel/cladding interface and provide and maintain a specimen surface free from smearable alpha contamination. One of the techniques, Ni plating of a fuel cladding sample, preserved the entire cladding cross-section for examination. An Fe-oxide layer on the cladding inner surface was found in specimens prepared by this method. All three techniques of specimen preparation are described in some detail, along with their advantages and disadvantages.

The Doublet III tokamak is to be reconfigured by replacing its indented (doublet) vacuum vessel with a larger one of a dee-shaped cross section. This change will permit significantly larger elongated plasmas than is presently possible and will allow higher plasma current (up to 5 MA) and anticipated longer confinement time. Reactor relevant values of stable beta and plasma pressure are predicted. This modification, while resulting in a significant change in capability, utilizes most of the existing coils, structure, systems and facility.

NOVANET is a control system oriented fiber optic local area network that was designed to meet the unique and often conflicting requirements of the Nova laser control system which will begin operation in 1984. The computers and data acquisition devices that form the distributed control system for a large laser fusion research facility need reliable, high speed communications. Both control/status messages and experimental data must be handled. A subset of NOVANET is currently operating on the two beam Novette laser system.

This GEOTHERM sample file contains 643 records for Utah. Records may be present which are duplicates for the same analyses. A record may contain data on location, sample description, analysis type (water, condensate, or gas), collection condition, flow rates, and the chemical and physical properties of the fluid. Stable and radioactive isotopic data are occasionally available. Some records may contain only location and temperature. This compilation should contain all the chemical data for geothermal fluids in Utah available as of December, 1981. 7 refs. (ACR)