Estimated risk from exposure to radon decay products in US homes (open access)

Estimated risk from exposure to radon decay products in US homes

Recent analyses now permit direct estimation of the risks of lung cancer from radon decay products in US homes. Analysis of data from indoor monitoring in single-family homes yields a tentative frequency distribution of annual-average /sup 222/Rn concentrations averaging 55 Bq m/sup -3/ and having 2% of homes exceeding 300 Bq m/sup -3/. Application of the results of occupational epidemiological studies, either directly or using recent advances in lung dosimetry, to indoor exposures suggests that the average indoor concentration entails a lifetime risk of lung cancer of 0.3% or about 10% of the total risk of lung cancer. The risk to individuals occupying the homes with 300 Bq m/sup -3/ or more for their lifetimes is estimated to exceed 2%, with risks from the homes with thousands of Bq m/sup -3/ correspondingly higher, even exceeding the total risk of premature death due to cigarette smoking. The potential for such average and high-level risks in ordinary homes forces development of a new perspective on environmental exposures.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Nero, A.V. Jr.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Experiments and prospects for induction linac drivers (open access)

Experiments and prospects for induction linac drivers

In the last three years, the US program in Heavy Ion Fusion has concentrated on understanding the induction linac approach to a power-plant driver. In this method it is important that the beam current be maximized throughout the accelerator. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the space-charge limit in the AG transport system in the linac and, also, to achieve current amplification during acceleration to keep pace with the kinematical increase of this limit with energy. Experimental results on both these matters and also on the use of multiple beams (inside the same accelerating structure) will be described. A new examination of the most attractive properties of the induction linac for a fusion driver has clearly pointed to the advantage of using heavy ions with a charge-state greater than unity - perhaps q = 3 may be an optimum. This development places even greater importance on understanding space-charge limits and mechanisms for emittance growth; also, it will require a new emphasis on the development of a suitable ion source.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: D., Keefe
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Conceptual design of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider: RHIC (open access)

Conceptual design of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider: RHIC

The complete Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) facility will be a complex set of accelerators and beam transfer equipment connecting them. A significant portion of the total facility either exists or is under construction. Two existing Tandem Van de Graaff accelerators will serve for the initial ion acceleration. Ions with a charge of -1 would be accelerated from ground to +15 MV potential, pass through a stripping foil, and accelerate back to ground potential, where they would pass through a second stripping foil. From there the ions will traverse a long transfer line to the AGS tunnel and be injected into the Booster accelerator. The Booster accelerates the ion bunch, and then the ions pass through one more stripper and then enter the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS), where they are accelerated to the top AGS energy and transferred to the collider. Bending and focusing of ion beams is to be achieved by superconducting magnets. The physics goals behind the RHIC are enumerated, particularly as regards the study of quark matter and the characteristics of high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. The design of the collider and all its components is described, including the injector, the lattice, magnet system, cryogenic and vacuum systems, …
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Future accelerator technology (open access)

Future accelerator technology

A general discussion is presented of the acceleration of particles. Upon this foundation is built a categorization scheme into which all accelerators can be placed. Special attention is devoted to accelerators which employ a wake-field mechanism and a restricting theorem is examined. It is shown how the theorem may be circumvented. Comments are made on various acceleration schemes.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Sessler, Andrew M.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Erosion and Redeposition Experiments in the PISCES Facility (open access)

Erosion and Redeposition Experiments in the PISCES Facility

The modification of surfaces during exposure to plasma bombardment is a critical issue in the development of limiter and wall materials for fusion confinement experiments. Controlled studies of the erosion and redeposition of materials during high flux and fluence plasma exposure are now possible in the PISCES facility. PISCES is a continuously operating plasma device which has achieved hydrogen plasma densities of over 10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/ and electron temperatures of 5 to 24 eV over large areas. Ion fluxes of 10/sup 17/ to 10/sup 19/ cm/sup -2/ sec/sup -1/ and fluences of up to 10/sup 23/ cm/sup -2/ have been used to bombard biased samples inserted into the plasma. The plasma parameters can be selected to produce simple sputtering, or redeposition by the ionization and recycling of the sputtered target materials. Collaborative studies on the performance of Cu and Cu-Li alloys (with ANL), stainless steel (with SNLL), and graphite (with IPP at Garching, and SNLL) have been undertaken. Surface topography modification is always observed after a sufficient fluence is achieved. The net erosion rate is significantly lower during redeposition than one would expect from classical sputtering yields. The transport and deposition of different materials by the plasma to the …
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Goebel, D. M.; Hirooka, Y.; Conn, R. W.; Leung, W. K.; Campbell, G. A.; Bohdansky, J. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nondestructive measurements in support of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant at Rockwell Hanford Operations: problems and methods (open access)

Nondestructive measurements in support of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant at Rockwell Hanford Operations: problems and methods

The 234-5Z Analytical Laboratory, located in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site, has been requested to provide waste package measurement capability for both the Plutonium/Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant and Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). The requested WIPP values are sensitive to changes in isotopic distribution. Unfortunately, the determination of the isotopic distribution of an individual waste item or drum is difficult. The problems and uncertainties encountered in providing the values are discussed. Also, examples of calculations for the WIPP-WAC are shown.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Westsik, G.A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of Acoustic Flow Instruments for Solid/Gas Pipe Flows (open access)

Development of Acoustic Flow Instruments for Solid/Gas Pipe Flows

Two nonintrusive acoustic flow sensing techniques are reported. One technique, passive in nature, simply measures the bandpassed acoustic noise level produced by particle/particle and particle/wall collisions. The noise levels, given in true RMS voltages or in autocorrelations, show a linear relationship to particle velocity but increase with solid concentration. Therefore, the passive technique requires calibration and a separate measure of solid concentration before it can be used to monitor the particle velocity. The second technique is based on the active cross-correlation principle. It measures particle velocity directly by correlating flow-related signatures at two sensing stations. The velocity data obtained by this technique are compared with measurements by a radioactive-particle time-of-flight (TOF) method. A multiplier of 1.53 is required to bring the acoustic data into agreement with the radioactive TOF result. The difference may originate from the difference in flow fields where particles are detected. The radioactive method senses particles mainly in the turbulent region and essentially measures average particle velocity across the pipe, while the acoustic technique detects particles near the pipe wall, and so measures the particle velocity in the viscous sublayer. Both techniques were tested in flows of limestone and air and 1-mm glass beads and air at …
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Sheen, S. H. & Raptis, A. C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anti p-nucleus interaction (open access)

Anti p-nucleus interaction

Status and future prospects of antiproton-nucleus scattering experiments are presented. These scattering experiments were conducted at antiproton beam momentums of 300 and 600 MeV/c on target nuclei of /sup 6/Li, /sup 12/C, /sup 16/O, /sup 18/O, /sup 40/Ca, /sup 48/Ca, and /sup 208/Pb. Antiproton-proton reactions investigated antiproton-nucleus bound or resonant states in antiproton reactions with d, /sup 6/Li, /sup 12/C, /sup 63/Cu, and /sup 209/Bi. Inelastic scattering experiments investigated the spin-isospin dependence of the NN interactions. 19 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab. (DWL)
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Peng, J.C.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cost Reductions in Absorption Chillers. Final Report, June 1984-May 1985 (open access)

Cost Reductions in Absorption Chillers. Final Report, June 1984-May 1985

Absorption chillers have great difficulty competing with the electric-driven compression alternative, due in part to modest operating efficiencies and largely to high first costs. This project is an assessment of the possibility of lowering the costs of absorption chillers dramatically by the use of low material intensity in the design of a new generation of these machines. Breakeven costs for absorption chillers, their heat exchangers and heat exchanger materials were established which will allow commercial success. Polymeric and metallic materials appropriate to particular components and which meet the cost goals were identified. A subset of these materials were tested and ordered by success in tolerating conditions and materials found in absorption chiller applications. Conceptual designs which indicate the practicality of the low material intensity approach were developed. The work reported here indicates that there is a high probability that this apporach will be successful.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Leigh, R. W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Large-scale high-efficiency air stripper and recovery well network for removing volatile organic chlorocarbons from ground water (open access)

Large-scale high-efficiency air stripper and recovery well network for removing volatile organic chlorocarbons from ground water

The Savannah River Plant (SRP) produces special nuclear materials for the US Government. Since 1958, chemical wastes generated by an aluminum forming/metal finishing process used to manufacture fuel and target assemblies were discharged to a settling basin. This process waste stream contained acids, alkalis, metals, and chlorinated degreasing solvents. In 1981, these solvents, specifically trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, were discovered in monitor wells near the settling basin. A monitor well network was installed to define the vertical and horizontal extent of the plume. The current inventory of total chlorocarbons in the saturated zone is approximately 360,000 pounds within the 100 ppB contour interval. During 1983, air stripping technology was evaluated to remove these solvents from the ground water. A 20-gpm ground water pilot air stripper with one recovery well was tested. Performance data from this unit were then used to design a 50-gpm production prototype air stripper. This unit demonstrated that degreaser solvent concentrations in ground water could be reduced from 120,000 ppB to less than the detection limit of 1 ppB. Data from these two units were then used to design an air stripper column that would process contaminated ground water at a rate of 400 gpm. Water is fed …
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Boone, L F; Lorfenz, R; Muska, C F & Steele, J L
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Description of a high temperature downhole fluid sampler (open access)

Description of a high temperature downhole fluid sampler

Downhole fluid samplers have been used for years with limited success in high temperature geothermal wells. This paper discusses the development and operating principles of a high temperature downhole fluid sampler, reliable at obtaining samples at temperatures of up to 350/sup 0/C. The sampler was used successfully for recovering a brine sample from a depth of 10,200 ft in the Salton Sea Scientific Drilling Project well.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Solbau, R.; Weres, O.; Hansen, L. & Dudak, B.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
SLAC low emittance accelerator test facility (open access)

SLAC low emittance accelerator test facility

SLAC is proposing to build a new Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) capable of producing a 50 MeV electron beam with an extremely low geometric tranverse emittance (1.5 x 10/sup -10/ rad.m) for the purpose of testing new methods of acceleration. The low emittance will be achieved by assembling a linear accelerator using one standard SLAC three-meter section and a 400 kV electron gun with a very small photocathode (40 microns in diameter). The photocathode will be illuminated from the back by short bursts (on the order of 6 ps) of visible laser light which will produce bunches of about 10/sup 5/ electrons. Higher currents could be obtained by illuminating the cathode from the front. The gun will be mounted directly against the accelerator section. Calculations show that in the absence of an rf buncher, injection of these 400 keV small radius electron bunches roughly 30/sup 0/ ahead of crest produces negligible transverse emittance growth due to radial rf forces. Acceleration of the electrons up to 50 MeV followed by collimation, energy slits and focusing will provide a 3.2 mm long waist of under 1.5 ..mu..m in diameter where laser acceleration and other techniques can be tested.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Loew, G. A.; Miller, R. H. & Sinclair, C. K.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Off-nadir optical remote sensing from satellites for vegetation identification (open access)

Off-nadir optical remote sensing from satellites for vegetation identification

Today's satellite remote sensing systems rely heavily on spectral signatures for scene identification from nadir observations. We propose to use angular signatures as complementary scene identifiers when off-nadir sensing is possible. Specifically, the hot spot (Heiligenschein) of plant canopies is recognized as an atmosphere-invariant angular reflectance signature that carries information about the plant stand architecture which may be useful for instant crop identification from off-nadir satellite measurements.
Date: May 30, 1986
Creator: Gerstl, S.A.W.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Future e/sup +/e/sup -/ linear colliders and beam-beam effects (open access)

Future e/sup +/e/sup -/ linear colliders and beam-beam effects

Numerous concepts, ranging from conventional to highly exotic, hae been proposed for the acceleration of electrons and positrons to very high energies. For any such concept to be viable, it must be possible to produce from it a set of consistent parameters for one of these ''benchmark'' machines. Attention is directed to the choice of parameters for a collider in the 300 GeV energy range, operating at a gradient on the order of 200 MV/m, using X-band power sources to drive a conventional disk-loaded accelerating structure. These rf power sources, while not completely conventional represent a reasonable extrapolation from present technology. The choice of linac parameters is strongly coupled to various beam-beam effects which take place when the electron and positron bunches collide. We summarize these beam-beam effects, and then return to the rf design of a 650 GeV center-of-mass collider. 14 refs.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Wilson, Perry B.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Present optics options for TeV colliders (open access)

Present optics options for TeV colliders

A practical approach for implementing TeV collider optics with high luminosities pounds approx. = 10/sup 33/ (cm/sup 2/ s)/sup -1/ but without large pinch effects is given using current alternatives. Characteristics are considered that constrain the optics and the types and orders of magnets required. A modified linac FoDo cell based on permanent magnet hybrid quadrupoles is discussed. Similarly, a demagnifying, permanent magnet telescopic system that allows variation of beta, eta and energy is suggested for the final focus. The basic cell for low emittance damping rings can also be constructed solely from permanent magnets. Small diameter, low permeability, high field permanent magnets have proven useful for injection and extraction lines and are also compatible with the large particle near the interaction regions as well as with exotic experiments for production and use of secondary beams or for multi-bunch coalescing schemes for control of longitudinal bunch distribution. An 8-10 GeV prototype cell and final focus experiment is proposed to verify and study such systems as well as do some interesting physics tests. One example, which could be used with the PEP storage ring, would convert an external electron beam into a photon beam to avoid beamstrahlung effects - a major …
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Spencer, J.E.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Canopy hot-spot as crop identifier (open access)

Canopy hot-spot as crop identifier

Illuminating any reflective rough or structured surface by a directional light source results in an angular reflectance distribution that shows a narrow peak in the direction of retro-reflection. This is called the Heiligenschein or hot-spot of vegetation canopies and is caused by mutual shading of leaves. The angular intensity distribution of the hot-spot, its brightness and slope, are therefore indicators of the plant's geometry. We propose the use of hot-spot characteristics as crop identifiers in satellite remote sensing because the canopy hot-spot carries information about plant stand architecture that is more distinctive for different plant species than, for instance, their spectral reflectance characteristics. A simple three-dimensional Monte Carlo/ray tracing model and an analytic two-dimensional model are developed to estimate the angular distribution of the hot-spot as a function of the size of the plant leaves. The results show that the brightness-distribution and slope of the hot-spot change distinctively for different leaf sizes indicating a much more peaked maximum for the smaller leaves.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Gerstl, S. A. W.; Simmer, C. & Powers, B. J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
ALT-I Pump Limiter Experiments With ICRF Heating on TEXTOR. Revision. (open access)

ALT-I Pump Limiter Experiments With ICRF Heating on TEXTOR. Revision.

The ALT-I (Advanced Limiter Test-I) was installed on TEXTOR to benchmark the ability of a pump limiter as an efficient particle collector and to determine the physics of pump limiter operation. Experiments continue to show its capability of removing particles from the plasma edge under different operating conditions. In this paper we report first experimental results using ALT-I in conjunction with high power ICRF heating. The particle removal rate increases as the edge flux and density increase during the ICRF pulse. For a head geometry that collects flux from both electron and ion drift sides, the plasma temperature rise is asymmetric with electron temperature on the electron side increasing more than on the ion side during the ICRF pulse. When ALT-I is the major limiter, the particle fluxes on both sides increase by about the same factor and the particle flux on the ion side is always larger, by a factor of 1.5 to 2 than on the electron side during both ohmic and ICRF periods. The degradation of particle confinement inferred from Langmuir probe measurement is more than a factor of two at a maximum achieved power of 2 MW.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Leung, W. K.; Goebel, D. M.; Conn, R. W.; Dippel, K. H.; Finken, K. H. & Thomas, G. J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
ALT-I Pump Limiter Experiments With ICRF Heating on TEXTOR (open access)

ALT-I Pump Limiter Experiments With ICRF Heating on TEXTOR

The ALT-I (Advanced Limiter Test-I) was installed on TEXTOR to benchmark the ability of a pump limiter as an efficient particle collector and to determine the physics of pump limiter operation. Experiments continue to show its capability of removing particles from the plasma edge under different operating conditions. In this paper we report first experimental results using ALT-I in conjunction with high power ICRF heating. The particle removal rate increases as the edge flux and density increase during the ICRF pulse. For a head geometry that collects flux from both electron and ion drift sides, the plasma temperature rise is asymmetric with electron temperature on the electron side increasing more than on the ion side during the ICRF pulse. When ALT-I is the major limiter, the particle fluxes on both sides increase by about the same factor and the particle flux on the ion side is always larger, by a factor of 1.5 to 2 than on the electron side during both ohmic and ICRF periods. The degradation of particle confinement inferred from Langmuir probe measurement is more than a factor of two at a maximum achieved power of 2 MW.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Leung, W. K.; Goebel, D. M.; Conn, R. W.; Dippel, K. H.; Finken, K. H. & Thomas, G. J.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wind Load Reduction for Heliostats (open access)

Wind Load Reduction for Heliostats

This report presents the results of wind-tunnel tests supported through the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) by the Office of Solar Thermal Technology of the US Department of Energy as part of the SERI research effort on innovative concentrators. As gravity loads on drive mechanisms are reduced through stretched-membrane technology, the wind-load contribution of the required drive capacity increases in percentage. Reduction of wind loads can provide economy in support structure and heliostat drive. Wind-tunnel tests have been directed at finding methods to reduce wind loads on heliostats. The tests investigated primarily the mean forces, moments, and the possibility of measuring fluctuating forces in anticipation of reducing those forces. A significant increase in ability to predict heliostat wind loads and their reduction within a heliostat field was achieved.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Peterka, J. A.; Hosoya, N.; Bienkiewicz, B. & Cermak, J. E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Geology of the Platanares Geothermal Site, Departamento De Copan, Honduras, Central America. Field Report (open access)

Geology of the Platanares Geothermal Site, Departamento De Copan, Honduras, Central America. Field Report

Platanares is located 16 km west of Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras, along the Quebrada del Agua Caliente. The thermal manifestations are along faults in tuffs, tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, and lavas of the Padre Miguel Group. These tuffs are silicified near the faults, are fractured, and may provide the fracture permeability necessary for the hydrothermal system. Tuffs are overlain by a wedge of terrace gravels up to 60 m thick. Quaternary conglomerates of the Quebrada del Agua Caliente are cemented by silica sinter. The Platanares area contains numerous faults, all of which appear to be extensional. There are four groups of faults (N80/sup 0/E to N70/sup 0/W, N30/sup 0/ to 60/sup 0/W, N40/sup 0/ to 65/sup 0/E, and N00/sup 0/ to 05/sup 0/W). All hot springs at this site are located along faults that trend mostly northwest and north. Twenty-eight spring groups were described over an area of 0.2 km/sup 2/; half were boiling. Based on surface temperatures and flow rates, between 0.7 and 1.0 MW thermal energy is estimated for the area. The increased temperature of the stream flowing through the thermal area indicates that several megawatts of thermal energy are being added to the stream. We recommend that …
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Heiken, G.; Eppler, D.; Wohletz, K.; Flores, W.; Ramos, N. & Ritchie, A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of alternative treatments for spent fuel rod consolidation wastes and other miscellaneous commercial transuranic wastes (open access)

Evaluation of alternative treatments for spent fuel rod consolidation wastes and other miscellaneous commercial transuranic wastes

Eight alternative treatments (and four subalternatives) are considered for both existing commercial transuranic wastes and future wastes from spent fuel consolidation. Waste treatment is assumed to occur at a hypothetical central treatment facility (a Monitored Retrieval Storage facility was used as a reference). Disposal in a geologic repository is also assumed. The cost, process characteristics, and waste form characteristics are evaluated for each waste treatment alternative. The evaluation indicates that selection of a high-volume-reduction alternative can save almost $1 billion in life-cycle costs for the management of transuranic and high-activity wastes from 70,000 MTU of spent fuel compared to the reference MRS process. The supercompaction, arc pyrolysis and melting, and maximum volume reduction alternatives are recommended for further consideration; the latter two are recommended for further testing and demonstration.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Ross, W.A.; Schneider, K.J.; Oma, K.H.; Smith, R.I. & Bunnell, L.R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Lamb Shift in Heliumlike Uranium (U/sup 90 +/) (open access)

Lamb Shift in Heliumlike Uranium (U/sup 90 +/)

We report a preliminary value of the Lamb shift in two-electron heliumlike U/sup 90 +/ of 69.1 (8.0) eV which is in agreement with the theoretical value of 75 eV for the one-electron Lamb shift at Z = 92. 8 refs., 2 figs.
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Munger, C. & Gould, H.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Standard method for economic analyses of inertial confinement fusion power plants (open access)

Standard method for economic analyses of inertial confinement fusion power plants

A standard method for calculating the total capital cost and the cost of electricity for a typical inertial confinement fusion electric power plant has been developed. A standard code of accounts at the two-digit level is given for the factors making up the total capital cost of the power plant. Equations are given for calculating the indirect capital costs, the project contingency, and the time-related costs. Expressions for calculating the fixed charge rate, which is necessary to determine the cost of electricity, are also described. Default parameters are given to define a reference case for comparative economic analyses.
Date: May 30, 1986
Creator: Meier, W. R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Progress at LAMPF. Progress report, January-December 1985 (open access)

Progress at LAMPF. Progress report, January-December 1985

Research performed at LAMPF during 1985 is reported in the areas of: nuclear and particle physics; atomic and molecular physics; materials science; radiation-effects studies; biomedical research and instrumentation; nuclear chemistry; radioisotope production; and physics theory. Also reported are the status of LAMPF-II, facility development work, and accelerator operations. (LEW)
Date: May 1, 1986
Creator: Allred, J.C. & Talley, B. (eds.)
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library