ML20236J755

Thirty-Second Annual Progress Rept,Penn State Breazeale Reactor,Jul 1986 - June 1987

ML20236J755
Person / Time
Site:	Pennsylvania State University
Issue date:	06/30/1987
From:	Flinchbaugh T, Totenbier R, Voth M PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV., UNIVERSITY PARK, PA
To:
Shared Package
ML20236J739	List: ML20236J736 ML20236J743 ML20236J755
References
NUDOCS 8711060268
Download: ML20236J755 (72)

Text

7 PENNSTATE A

B3EAZ:EAL:E 3:EACTOR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING 1

THIRTY-SECOXJ AXXUK7 PROGRESS RE?O3T

'~

AUGUST 1987

'I

/

1 CONTRACT DE-ACO2-76ER03409 PSBR 315-4987103 YA'288tR8;s888o, PDR mummmmmmm-ummmmm-

7:

t r:,

1. 9',

E 1

l 9,.c.

i s

c Ti(IRTY-SECOND ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT i

PENN STATE BREAZEALE REACTOR i

r,

.i

(;

(,

/

r s'

l j

July 1, 1986 to June 30, 1987 s

y ' 8, l

l Submitted to:

i

.I

.l

)

/

, 'q ) United States Department of Energy j

b l

/

at,d (I

r

.ng

,. The]? pennsylvania State University.

1 ri '.

6

(

-; / r,.

.,/

't h j

j j

- Q.,

r (Y \\

By:

3 t

/

1

(

)

C Marcus !!. Voth,(Director),

1,.

,P.obert E. Totenbier and!

(

Terry L.cFlinchbaugh (Editors) j Ps,lm State Breazeale Reactor '

e'bep'artda't pr Nuclear Engineering.

The Pennsyynnia State University l

' University Park, PA 16802 s-(

r

1. r August 198.7

{

/-

q c'

l

,,4 Contract DE-AC02-76ER03409 i

PSBR 315-4987104

't

(

e-

/

(

l f

'1 i

ft l

. \\

i

.P

/

[

\\

i

.i %.

3l < 6.

3 s et

' h d

I t

TABLE'0F CONTENTS l

. a.

}

7 Pay L( ~t peFm................. f I..INThbDUCTIOk-M.d.Voti.. 1 II.. PERSONNEL - I. B. McMaster, L. Frye............. 3 I III REACTOR OPERATIONS -~R. E. Totenhier, T. L. Flinchbaugh.. 9 h7 I. EDUCATION AND TRAINING - T. LL Flinchbaugh, C. C. Rusnak. 17 IV.'( GAMML IRRADTdTION FACILITY - I. J. Bonner..... 15 i-r 'V / 3 .25 4 2 U J '. NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY SCIENCE CENTER - D. E. Hughes. VII. RADIONUCLEAR APPLICATIONS LABORATORY - D. C. Raupach. 27 f. V III'. LOW LEVEL RADIATION MONITORING LABORATORY - B. Ford.. 29 IX. ANGULAR-CORRELATIONS LABORATORY - G. L. Catchen. 33 X. FACILITY RESEARCH UTILIZATION - R. E. Totenbier, T. L. F1tnchbaugh. 35 A. University Research Utilizing the Facilities of the Pem State Breazeale Reactor.. 36 B. IndOtp151 Research Utilizing the Facilities of the ,i,?. Penn State Breazeale Reactor... 53 APPENDIX A. Faculty, Staff,, Students, and Industries Utilizing j l the Facilities:of the Penn State Sreazeale Reactor - R. E. Totenbier, T. L. Flinchbaugh... 55 APPENDIX B, ' Formal Group Tours - A. M. Harshtnan.... 63 1 ) I s: Lm i I 4 i s> s {.. iii g _______________________J

q e i gi s J F TABLES Table Page 1 Personnel.... 5 2 Reactor Operation Data.. 13 ] 3 Reactor Utilization Data.. 14 4 Coba]t-60 Utilization Data.............. 16 5 College and High School Groups..... 22 i i i ( 4 4 I 1 l ( l i l FIGURES Figure Page 1 Organization Chart. 8 iv

x--. I -l r i h I P-l R I E F A .i L C i L 1 E i-j l .i l l 4 I I i l' i i 4 1 i I

k.......

.f PREFACE Administrative responsibility for the Penn State Breazeale Reactor' resides in the Department of Nuclear Engineering in the College of Engineering. 1 It is operated as a facility of the University that is available to all i of its colleges for education and research programs. In addition, the j facility is made available to assist other educational institutions, l government. agencies, and industries having common and compatible needs and objectives to provide services that are essential in meeting research, development, education, and training needs. The Thirty-second Annual Progress Report of the operation of The Pennsylvania State University Breazeale Reactor is submitted in accordance with the requirements of Contract DE-AC02-76ER03409 with the United States -Department of Energy. This report also provides the University administration j with a summary of the. utilization of the facility for the past year, j A special word of recognition and appreciation is due to Bob Totenbier, who retired at the end of this fiscal year. Bob edited this report, up to the time of his retirement, as well as reports for 11 previous years. Thanks are also due to Terry Flinchbaugh, who took over as editor and followed this report thiough publication. The contribution of Anne Harshman for typing this report is also recognized and appreciated. Special thanks are extended to those responsible for the individual sections as listed in the Table of Contents and to the individual facility users whose research summaries are l compiled in Section X. i l l V

._,7__---__--- 1 l l i 'l .i -i 4 1 i tt ) 4 T i R 0 D U C i.- I O N i ,.1 I t i i

I. INTRODUCTION The 1986-87 year for the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) was characterized by transition, productivity, and aspiration. Af ter 31 years of operation, some transition is expected. Of the 19 full-time staff positions, six saw changes during the year; three were newly hired and three were promoted from within. Contributing to the transition was the fact that the Director began the year with only one month on the job, a new Nuclear Engineering Department Head was appointed mid-year, and a new Administrative Aide joined the department in the fall. Steps were taken to adapt to an era of transition without impacting the safe operation of the facility and the quality of resident instruction, continuing education, and university-wide research provided. The transition increased the work load as the staff had to cope with the loss of experience and simultaneously train and license new staff members. The staff not only met these challenges but reached a new level of productivity in the services provided. The number of reactor users increased by 33% per shift and the total number of samples increased by 325 per shift. Without exception, the staff rose to the occasion to provide high quality professional service. While the PSBR has had a long and noteworthy history, it faces the future with youthful aspirations. Radon studies, neutron radiography applications, and angular correlation applications are in their relative infancy and show great promise. The influx of facility users attests to the growing recognition of the need for nuclear techniques in other disciplines. Facilities and equipment are being maintained in good repair and periodically updated to meet the needs. The PSBR was especially fortunate during the past year to receive a financial commitment from the Philadelphia Electric Company l to replace the 22 year old reactor control system with a state-of-the-art, l computer-based cor+ system. This will provide better and more reliable l service to re" aers, improve operations, expand student laboratory opportunities, and crette new types of research to pursue. The PSBR staff can be proud of their accomplishments in 1986-87 and look forward with new aspirations to the next year. 1

{.c{T Jr ? .j l

I I

'I .] l b .q .P . E R S q 0 N N t C L t i i

II. PERSONNEL There have been a number of changes in PSBR personnel during the reporting period. R. E. (Bob) Totenbier retired from University and PSBR service effective June 30, 1987. Bob has served the PSBR since June 1,1956. A Search Committee has been formed and is actively seeking a replacement. Daniel E. Hughes has been promoted to Research Assistant, replacin6 John L. Penkala. Dan's promotion was effective September 15, 1986. Terry L. Flinchbaugh has been promoted to Operations and Training Manager. Terry's position incorporates the operations duties previously done by R. E. Totenbier and the training duties formerly done by John L. Penkala. Walter E. Johnson was hired, effective January 1987, as Reactor Supervisor / Nuclear Education Specialist to fill the position vacated by Dan Hughes' promotion. Jeff Armstrong transferred to the PSBR from Physical Plant to assume the vacant position of Custodian / Driver. Susan K. Ripka was promoted from receptionist to facility secretary in February 1987 to replace Pat Armagast who resigned to become a full-time student. Anne Harshman accepted the position of receptionist effective March 1987, thus filling the position vacated by Susan Ripka's promotion. Sam Griffith has accepted a lab technician position in the Low-Level Radiation Monitoring Laboratory (LLRML). Two work study students have accepted positions on special assignments - Jim Davis at the LLRML and Mark Rutherford at the PSBR. Laura Frye has assumed the position of Administrative Aide replacing Donna Nicely who acceptrd a position in the College of Education. 3

-On January 1, 1987, several changes occurred in the membership of the Penn State Reactor Safeguards Committee. J. A. Blakeslee assumed the chair of the committee. A. H. Foderaro of Nuclear Engineering and L. J. Pilione of the Physics Department were appointed as new members to replace R. E. Bland, former chair, and A. J. Baratta, both of whom retired from the Committee after serving two consecutive 3-year terms. M. H. Voth replaced S. H. Levine in the Ex-officio position held by the PSBR Director. I j i l 4

I f TABLE 1 Personnel f Faculty and Staff Title ~

• • 'J.J. Bonner Senior Nuclear Education Specialist /

Affiliate Instructor f G.L. Catchen Assistant Professor i

• • T.L.

F11nchbaugh Operations and Training Manager B.C. Ford Supervisor, Low-Level Radiation Monitoring Laboratory 9 L.E. Frye Administrative Aide l S, Griffith Lab Technician I

• • D.E.'Hughes Research Assistant j

W.A. Jester Professor

• W.E. Johnson Reactor Supervisor / Nuclear Education 4

Specialist

• • I.B. McMaster Research Assistant / Deputy Director t

l 4

• D.C. Raupach Reactor Supervisor / Reactor Utilization Specialist l
• K.E. Rudy Senior Engineering Aide Mechanical i

] Services

• C.C. Rusnak Project Assistant l

t 5 j i

m.;, ') ? I D.F. Ryan Environmental Analyst

• • R.E. Totenbier Research Assistant / Operations Supervisor I

(Retired 6/30/87)

• D.S. Vonada Electronic Designer i
  • M.H. Voth Associate Professor / Director c

i 1 )

• Licensed Operator 1

'** Licensed Senior Operator j -) 4 ) l l i l l 1 i l l i 6 p

a \\ i L- .i i Clerical Staff Title 1 A.M. Harshman Secretary and Receptionist L S.K. Ripka Facility Secretary I 1 1 Technical Service Staff title j; J. Armstrong Custodian / Driver j R,L. Eaken Experimental and Maintenance Mechanic I l Penn State Reactor Safeguards Committee J. A. Blakeslee - Chairman, Assistant Superintendent of Plant, PP&L Susquehanna Steam Electric Station 1 A.H. Foderaro - Professor, Nuclear Engineering i R.W. Granlund - Health Physicist, Intercollege Research Programs and Facilities k i l. H.R. Jacobs - Professor and Department Head, Mechanical Engineering l. l E.S. Kenney - Professor, Nuclear Engineering i L'.J. Pilione - Associate Professor, Physics D.A. Ross - Special Projects Director, General Public Utilities R.E. Totenbier - Operations Supervisor, Penn State Breazeale Reactor M.H. Voth - Ex-officio, Director, Penn State Breazeale Reactor - D. White - Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering 7 i

FUNCTIONAL i ORGANIZATIONAL CHART Department Head (Klevans) Administrative Ass't. (Frye) 1 Director (Voth) Deputy Director (McMaster) i Facility Researchers / Technical Advisors ~l 1 (Jester, Catchen) } j { l { 1 Operations Clerical Low Level Radiation j j (Totenbier, Ripka, Harshman Monitoring Laboratory i Flinchbaugh) (Ford, Ryan, Griffith) l l 1 I l ~ Operational Support Research and Radionuclear i (Bonner, Johnson)- Technology Applications ~j J Transfer Laboratory (Hughes) (Raupach, Johnson) l i i I I i Mechanical Support Academic Gamma Irradiation 1 (Rudy, Eaken, Instruction Facility ~~] Armstrong) (Hughes, Bonner) (Bonner) .I l l Electronic Support Training Programs Neutron Radiography ~J l ~ (Vonada) (Flinchbaugh) Science Center (Hughes) l l 1 Angular Correlation _ Close Cooperation Laboratory _j (Catchen) Report Route FIGURE 1 l l 8

i;: \\ 1_ 1 't !;j l l 1 R E i A. l C-T 0 f ' R 0 a 1 p-E R A -1 T ] 4 0 l 1 5 .. C r i: ^ m__ i

III. REACTOR OPERATIONS l Research reactor operation began at Penn State in 1955. In December of 1965 the original core, which operated at a maximum power level of 200 KW, was replaced by a more advanced TRIGA core, capable of operation at 1000 KW. The present core may also be operated in a pulse fashion in which the power level is suddenly increased.from less than 1 KW to up to 2000 MW for short '(milliseconds) periods of time. TRIGA stands for Training, Research, Isotope Production, built by General Atomic Company. Utilization of the Reactor falls into three major categories: Educational utilization is primarily in the form of laboratory classes conducted for graduate, undergraduate, associate degree candidates, and numerous high school science groups. These classes will vary from the irradiation and analysis of a sample to the calibration of a reactor control rod. Research accounts for a large portion of reactor time which involves Radionuclear Applications, Neutron Radiography, a myriad of research programs by faculty and graduate students throughout the University, and { various applications by the industrial sector, f Training programs for Reactor Operators and Reactor Supervisors are continuously offered and can be tailored to meet the needs of the .I 1 participants. Individuals taking part in these programs fall into such ] l categories as foreign trainees, graduate students, and power plant j l operating personnel. The PSBR core, containing about 74 pounds of Uranium-235, in a I non-weapons form, is operated at a depth of approximately 18 feet in a pool of I demineralized water. The water provides the needed shielding and cooling for l-the operation of the reactor. It is relatively simple to expose a sample by merely positioning it in the vicinity of the reactor at a point where it will receive the desired radiation dose. A variety of fixtures and jigs are available for such positioning. Various containers and irradiation tubes can be used to keep samples dry. Three pneumatic transfer systems with different neutron levels offer additional possibilities. 9

In normal steady state operation at 1000 kilowatts, the thermal neutron-flux available varies from approximately 1 x10 3 n/cm2 sec at the edge of the 1 / 1 / core to approximately. 3 x 10 3 n/cm2 sec in the central region of the core. l When considering the pulse mode of operation, the peak flux for a maximum j 16 n/cm2 sec with a pulse width of 15 maec at /,- 1 pulse is approximately 6 x 10 / 4 maximum. Support facilities include a machine shop, electronic shop, laboratory l space, and fume hoods. \\, . STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 1 Tables 2 and 3 list Reactor Operation Data and Reactor Utilization 1 Data-Shift Averages, respectively, for.the past two years. In table 2, the Critical time is a summation of the hours the reactor was operating at some ] power level. The Suboritical time is the total hours that the reactor key and console instrumentation was on and under observation, less the Critical time. The Critical time increased by about 13% with no substantial change in Subcritical time. Mega-watt hours of operation and grams of Uranium-235 used 'l increased 26%, reflecting more hours of operation at higher power levels. Fuel Movement is always done with the reactor suboritical and is a subtotal of i Suberitical time. Even though the reactor staff did perform the biennial l TRIGA fuel inspection this year, the hours spent moving fuel decreased from the previous year. This is because one shortened refresher course was conducted for the Three Mile Island Two operating crew rather than the I two extensive courses offered the previous year. These programs involved extensive shuffling of fuel in order to simulate the conditions that might be encountered in dismantling the damaged TMI Unit Two reactor core; safety j procedures that would insure that the reactor would remain subcritical were stressed. The Number of Pulses reflects demands of undergraduate labs, researchers, and utility operator training groups. The increase in the Number of Pulses reflects the increased use for research purposes. Square waves are used I 10 l l L

l~ s primar'ily for demonstration purposes for public groups touring the facility, researchers, and utility operator training programs; a small decrease in the Number of Square Waves was noted.' The number of Scrams Planned as Part of Experiments increased. The Unplanned. Scrams Resulting from Personnel Action showed a slight decrease; the majority of this type of scram is by students in the NucE 444 course, Nuclear Reactor Operations Laboratory, and by operator trainees in utility training programs. Although the PSBR operating staff makes every effort to point out the types of personnel actions that will result in a scram, the large number of trainees that operate the reactor virtually eliminates the possibility of error free operation. It should be pointed out that a scram shuts down the reactor before a safety limit is reached. The increase in Unplanned Scrams Resulting from Abnormal System Operation reflected operational problems with a pneumatic transfer system. A design change in this system ~has eliminated those malfunctions. Table 3, Part A, Reactor Usage, indicates Hours Critical and Hours Subcritical, and also Hours Shutdown such as for instruction or experimental setup. Occasionally a component failure prohibits reactor operation. The necessary repair time is included in Reactor Usage as Reactor Not Available to reflect total reactor utilization on a shif t basis. Total Hours Per Shift'of reactor use remained nearly the same as the previous year. f Part B gives a breakdown of the Type ~of Usage in Hours. The Nuclear Engineering Department and/or the Reactor Facility receives compensation for j Industrial Research and Service, for which there was an increase, and for l Industrial Training Programs, for which there was a decrease. The other categories, University Research and Service and Instruction and Training are i provided without charge. University Research and Service is not limited to ] Penn State. Occasionally personnel from other universities make use of the j facilities. The Instruction and Training category includes all formal I i I university classes involving the reactor, experiments for other university and high school groups, demonstrations for tour groups, and in-house reactor operator training. l L 11 j l l. _____-__-_-_--_.D

Part C shows a 75% increase in Pneumatic Transfer Samples and a 42% Increase-in the Total. Number of Samples, both due in part to a 33% increase in the Number of Users per shift. The decrease in Sample Hours reflects fewer samples requiring long term exposures. The Part C statistics indicate that the reactor was more productive during its hours of operation. Part D . indicates the number of 8 Hour Shifts increased slightly. l l l . INSPECTIONS AND AUDITS-During September of 1986, Jerome A. Blakeslee of the Pennsylvania-Power and Light Company and a member of the Penn State Reactor Safeguards Committee, conducted an audit of the PSBR to fulfill this requirement of the committee charter. -The reactor staff has implemented changes suggested by that report, all of which exceed NRC requirements. I i i During January of 1987, an NRC routine-safety inspection was conducted of ) activities authorized by the facility R-2 license. No violations were observed. 1 12

TABLE 2 Reactor Operation Data July 1, 1985 - June 30, 1987 85-86 86-87 A. Hours of Reactor Operation 1. Critical 471 533 2. Suberitical 500 495 3 Fuel Movement 112 47 B. Number of Pulses 125 166 C. Number of Square Waves 93 85 D. Energy Release (MWH) 192 245 E. Grams U-235 consumed 10 13 F. Scrams 1. Planned as Part of Experiments 73 167 2. Unplanned - Resulting F;'om a) Personnel Action

• 14 12 b) Abnormal System Operation 3

6 "The majority of these occurred during operation by trainees I l 13 ? L. N

TABLE 3 Reactor Utilization Data Shift Averages July 1, 1985 - June 30, 1987 l 85-86 86-87 A. Reactor Usage 1. Hours Critical 1.9 2.2 2. Hours Suboritical 2.0 1.9 l 3 Hours Shutdown 2.2 2.1 l 4 Reactor Not Available 0.5 0.2 TOTAL HOURS PER SHIFT 6.6 6.4 B. Type of Usage - Hours 1. Industrial Research and Service 1.0 23 ~ 2. University Research and Service 0.9 0.9 3 Instruction and Training 1.6 1.3 4 Industrial Training Programs 1.6 0.6 5. Calibration and Maintenance 1.6 1.4 C. Users / Experiments 1. Number of-Users 2.1 2.8 2. Pneumatic Transfer Samples 1.2 2.1 3 Total Number of Samples 3.3 4.7 4 Sample Hours 1.6 13 D. Number of 8 Hour Shifts 249 257 14

G A M M A I R R A D I A T I 0 F A C I L I T Y

IV. GAMMA IRRADIATION FACILITY The University, in March of 1965, purchased 23,600 curies of Cobalt-60 to provide a pure source of gamma rays. In November of 1971, the University obtained from the Natick Laboratories, 63,537 curies of Cobalt-60 in the form of aluminum clad sourec~ rods. These source rods have decayed through several half-lives, leaving a July 1, 1987 total of 9408 curies. In this facility, the sources are stored and used in a pool 16 feet x 10 feet, filled with 16 feet of demineralized water. The water provides a shield which is readily worked through and allows great flexibility in using the sources. Due to the number of rods and size of the pool, it is possible to set up several irradiators at a time to vary the size of the sample that can be irradiated, or vary the dose rate. Experiments in a dry environment are possible by use of either a vertical tube or by a diving bell type apparatus. The Cobalt-60 facility is designed with a large amount of working space around the pool and has two laboratory rooms equipped with work benches, fume hoods, and the usual utilities. Maximum exposure rates of 347 KR/Hr in a 3" ID Tube and 202 KR/Hr in a 6" ID Tube are available as of July 1, 1987. Additional facilities include a Hot Laboratory consisting of two identical " Hot Cells." The two feet thick high density concrete walls provide sufficient shielding to allow up to 1000 curies of radioactive materials to be safely handled through the use of remote manipulators. Hot cell source #1/72 has an activity of 101 curies as of July 1, 1987. Table 4 compares the past two years' utilization of the Cobalt-60 facility in terms of time, numbers, and daily averages. 15

TABLE 4 Cobalt-60 Utilization Data July 1, 1985 - June 30, 1987 35-86 86-87 A. Time Involved (Hours) = 1. Set-Up Time 43 94 2. Total Sample Hours 4,558 14,842 8. Numbers Involved 1. Samples Run 687 3,063 2. Different Experimenters 32 34 3 Configurations Used 3 3 C. Per Day Averages A 1. Experimenters 1.1 0.81 2. Samples 2.9 12.8 16

--m_---,,,----. ---_-r-,, E D U-C A T I O N A N. D T R A I N I tl G

V. EDUCATION AND TRAINING During the past yetc, the Penn State Breazeale Reactor was used for a variety of educationa,1 tervices; inhouse training, utility training programs, formal laooratory courses, and many continuing education programs and tours. Inhouse training activities were the most extensive in many years with two reactor staff members and one continuing education staff member participating in the operater training program, which ran from February to T. L. 'linchbaugh developed and coordinated the training program with June. e instructional assistance t rem staff members J. J. Bonner, D. E. Hughes, I. B. McMaster, D. C. Raupach, K. E. Rudy, and R. E. Totenbier. The program culminated with NRC exams during the first week in June. M. H. Voth obtained a senior operator's license, and W. E. Johnson and C. C. Ruanak both received operator's licenses. Inhouse reactor operator requalification consisted of an oral examination on abnormal and emergency procedures given by T. L. Flinchbaugh. All operating personnel were requalified. During this past reporting period, the PSBR operating staff and Nuclear Engineering faculty completed a total of 10 training programs for 69 trainees from four utilities. Six one-day Licensed Operator Requalification Programs were conducted for 39 people from GPU Nuclear. Labs were developed and cupervised by S. H. 'Levine and T. L. Flinchbaugh. Three three-day Reactor Start-Up Experience Programs were offered: two ( for Boston Edison Company for 20 people and one for Nebraska Public Power District for five people. A five-day Reactor Start-Up Experience Program was offered for five shift technical advisors from The Philadelphia Electric Company. 17

The Senior Feactor Operators on the PSBR. staff, J. J. Bonner, D. E. Hughes, T. L'. F11nchbaugh, I. B. McMaster, D. C. Raupach, and R. E. Totenbier, providad the console instruction An all programs and the coordination of all programs was done by T. L. Flinchbaugh. M. H. Voth and A. J. Baratta provided lectures for some of the programs. The Nuclesr Concepts and Energy Resources Institute (NCERI) was held for the seventeenth consecutive year during the summer of 1986. This four-week program for secoridary science teachers was a six-credit course offered as NucE 3 4978. Fourteen secondary science teachers and one Energy Technology Project . staff person attendeu the Institute. The teachers came from the*etates of Maryland, New York, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The program was suppor'ced by Baltimore Gas and Electric, Cleveland Illuminating Company, Duquesne Light Company, Edison Electi'io Institute, New York Power Authority, New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, Philadelphia Electric Ccmpany (through a grant to the Limerick Community Education Program), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and West Valley Demonstration Project. Dr. W. F. Witzig was the Project Director for the Institute. The program was cocedinated by C. Rusnak with J. Bonner as the main lecturer. Other classroom instruction was provided by Nuclear Engineering Department personnel and the University dealth Physicist, R. Granlund. Laboratory experiments were conducted at the Penn State Breazoale Reactor under the direction of reactor, continuing education (Rusnak), and Health Physics personnel. The laboratory experiments included characteristics of ionizing radiation, handling of radionuclides, and the " Approach to Critical" experimant. The institute is designed to prepare secondary science teachers to meet the academic needs of students in the fundamentals of nuclear physics, radiological health, and radionuclides applications in the physical and life scieneas. Laboratory experience is an important aspect of the Institute as teachers are able to have hands-on experience working with radioactive material. Discussion and problem solving sessions along with a field trip to fossil and nuclear fueled electric generating stations are included in the program schedule. As in previous institutes, the participants in NCERI were 18 I

h, qe j encouraged to return with their high school classes for a one-day field trip

1. j.

to the PSBR. j' The University Reactor Sharing Program is sponsored by th'e U.S. ,k ( e/i Department of Energy. The purpose of this program is to increase the p availability of university nuclear reactor facilities t$oken-reactor owning i I The University', Reactor paryN; hroy, ram main Y colleges and universities.' g objectives are to strengthen nuclear science and 'eng Is Natructionand! n to provide research opportunities for other educational ins itutions includi'ng 8 universities, colleges, junior colleges, technical schools, and high schools. Under the 1986-1987 University Reactor. Sharing Program a total of 524 students participated. Experiments were conducted at the psf 58,,,fo'r Grove City College, Wilkes College, Lycoming College, Juniata College, aM 29 Nigh School groups (see table 5). Candace Rusnay was the main coordinator'and instructor i 6 i for.the program. Other instruction was providert by Jospph Bonner, Dale Raupach, and Ken Sahadewan. ' i) i o 0 Y rN i,,' Q All groups, including reactor sharing groups, who toured the reactor facility are listed in Appendix B. The reactor operating sthff and continuing ^ education staff conducted 91 tours for 1801 persons. The Reactor Physics Laboratory course, NucE 451 Mas taudt ir Fall 19361 Semester by E. S. Kenney and W. A. Jester. The readgce was d$ed)for 51 \\' Y 1 hours b by 32 students with major assistance from the reaptor of rating [ crew. An elective NucE 444 course, Nuclear Reactor Operations LaboratMly, P designed to give the student an opportunity to correlate classrcom theory wi.th l actual reactor operation situations controlled by the student, was offered during Fall 1986 Semester for 12 students b.y T. L. Flinchby.ph and D, E. .Hughes. Each student performed a number of reactor stirtups and the reactor was used for 42 hours. i Eight associate degree students from the Penn State Beaver Campus visited i the reactor twice during the Fall 1986 Senester as a part of the NucE 802 course, Elements of Nuclear Technology. On the first visit, the students observed a checkout of the reactor instrumentation, and then each student .)(' I ) i i l 19 i

._ 7 F _ l y q \\\\ \\ + 1 \\ h \\' / .. j ( m u

i. ('

\\, / / 8 8 performed 'eit'ner a reactor startup or,pdeer change.- On the'second visit, the l The reactor / as used for a group did a suboritical multiplication exper.' rent. h total of six hours, and instruction was provided by R. E. Totenbker and T. L. Fl$nchbaughofth6reactorstaff. \\' .p[ ping the Spring 1987. Semester, NucE 450, Radiation Detection and 'l '~'bteasurement, was taught by G. L. Catchen. The reactor was used for seven. hours by 39 studentn, with assistance from the reactor operating crew. 4 Also, during the Spring 1967 Semester,'!1ucE 505, Reactor Instrumentation and Control, used the reactor for a one poour }.1boratory for 12 students. The course was taught by E. S. Kenney., l s: h t i [ The PSBR operating staff also served'the Nuclear Engineering Department l and other University departments and colleges in the follcuing ways. l i a)- \\. Six of A. Hower's Entomology 456 students utilized the Cohp1t-60 t facility for two hours for their class projects. i h, /, V s ('/ Eight health physics graduate students from the University of Pittsburgh

f. led reactor facility laboratories anct toured the reactor; facility in a four-hour program conducted by thc Penn State Health Phyalas staff.

{ 2 1 A Physics 559 graduate lab taught by W. W. Prutt used the reactor for i o sample irradiation during tha Fall 1986 Semester and the Spring 1937 Semester. Two stuc'ents used the reactor-for$a total of j <,, our hours, Y Professor E. S. Kenney i n gradbate assistant R. Gould used the facility Hot Cells for their "Radiatiori Visiord project. Their experimental setup was used for demonstrations for both Ploj,ect Fermi members and for a Project t Fermi-sponsored workshop on radiation' mcnitoring and dosimetry. 3, 1 t ) A 15 minute Health Physics Orientat y n;alide presentation was given to apprecimately 700 people to familiarize vitftors to the PSBR with some simplc / radiation concepts and the alarm and evacuation system. f ( 0 l t i 20 1

o. r m.

O+ ,4 2 ,u m m n;> l 1 In'hanuary, 3'1 University' Police Services personnel were given training and repraining sessions by J. J. Bonner at the PSBR to ensure familiarity with JP the rabilities. 7, .Astisting the reactor opertttng staff'and continuing education staff in carrying out>the above mentioned educational programs are several other staff ' members. S.. K. Ripka and ' A. M. 'llarshman provide secretarial services, D. S. .Vonada providae electronic design and maintenance serv. ices, and K. E. Rudy, R. L. Eaken', and J.'Armstrong provide mechanical ma.intenance services. 1 During the past year, the PSBR operating staff ras maintained operator competence and safe facility operation through training and requalification, f and shared the many man-years of operating experience with operator trainees l from utilities.y qhe reactor and continuing education staffs have. disseminated knowledge direct' y -bis the general public through tours and indirectly through l prograE2,such as Nuclear Concepts for high19chool teachers. Many educational opportunities have been provided to students in university courses both l' <

• nuclear and non-nuclear.

t t t I. l l l 21 l l

TABLE 5 College and High School Groups 1986-1987 Academic Year School & Number of Activities & Date Teacher Students PSBR Instructor 10/16 Punxsutawney HS 22 ATC, Silver Decay . Bill Stuchell C. Ruanak 10/31 .Chartiers-Houston HS 31 ATC, Silver Decay-Helen Wicker C. Ruanak 11/07 Williamson,HS 41 ATC, Radiation Basics Donna Puskar C. Rusnak 11/13 Wyommissing MS 8 ATC, Silver Decay Charles Bell C. Rusnak -12/09 Bald Eagle Area HS 40 Radiction. Basics Guy Anderson C. Rusnak 01 /21 Jersey Shore Area SHS 12 ATC, Gamma Spectroscopy James W. Allen C. Rusnak 02/06 Grier School 6 ATC, Silver Decay Mimi Wutz C. Rusnak 02/11 Cumberland Valley HS 17 ATC, Silver Decay Raymond L. Trump C. Ruanak { 02/12 Lycoming College 3 ATC, Silver Decay, NAA William E. Keig C. Rusnak i l 02/18 State College HS 11 Radiation Basics Sara Bressler C. Rusnak 03/05 Exeter HS 9 ATC, Gamma Spectroscopy Robert Murray C. Ruanak .03/10 Daniel Boone Area HS 17 ATC, Silver Decay Larry Tobias C. Rusnak 103/18 Elkland Area HS/ 28 ATC, Radiation Basics Cowanesque HS C. Rusnak Michael Deats 03/20 Horseheads HS 23 ATC, Silver Decay Larry Josbena J. Bonner 03/23 Southern Huntingdon County HS 14 ATC, Silver Decay George R. Harper C. Rusnak 22

63/24 . Westmont: Hilltop.HS 27 ATC, Silver Decay Thomas Moore C. Rusnak -03/26. Red Land HS. 29 ATC, Silver Decay George E. Farley C. Rusnak .03/27 Wilkes College 3 .ATC, Silver Decay Dr. Roger Maxwell C..Ruanak 03/30 Berwick Area SHS 12 ATC, Gamma Spectroscopy j I Robert Foster C. Rusnak 4 04/02. . Grove City College 5 ATC, NAA Richard Leo C. Rusnak 04/03 St. Marys Area HS 33 ATC, Silver Decay William Scilingo C. Rusnak 04/10 Carmichaels Area SHS 12 ATC Pat Gibson C. Rusnak I 04/13 Huntingdon Area HS 18 ATC Michael Long C. Rusnak ) 04/15 Bellefonte HS 16 ATC, Silver Decay Walter R. Young, Jr. C. Rusnak-04/16 Marion Center HS 9 ATC, Silver Decay John E. Petrosky C. Rusnak 04/24 Harbor Creek HS 9 ATC, Silver Deccy Carolyn Ruth C. Rusnak l 04/24 Titusville HS 4 ATC, Silver Decay James S. McQueer C. Rusnak 04/28 Juniata College 4 ATC, Silver Decay Dr. Norm Siems C. Rusnak ) 04/29 Warren Area HS 34 ATC, Silver Decay Bob Giffin C. Rusnak l 05/14 State College HS 14 Radiation Basics Sara Bressler C. Rusnak 1 05/27 South-River HS 8 ATC, Silver Decay Diane Householder C. Rusnak 23

i i 05/28 Chestnut Ridge HS 9 ATC, Gamma Spectroscopy David Popp C. Rusnak l l 29 High Schools 509 Students in Colleges 15 Students TOTALS 33 Groups 5211 Students l I i i i - l 24

N. E U T S l R C-l- 0 I L L N E N. R C . i-A E i D i I C. 0 E G N R T A E P R H Y L i-l 1 l i l I i l^ ) j ___o

VI. NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY SCIENCE CENTER Neutron Radiography Science Center, NRSC, is the new name for the Beam Sole Laboratory that is a part of the PSBR. A well collimated beam of neutrons, thermalized by a D 0 thermal column, is passed into the NRSC for use 2 in non-destructive testing and evaluation. The major work now being done is utilizing a Real Time Neutron Image Intensifier, by Precise Optics Inc., for real time radiography. The beam is also being used for static neutron radiography and neutron attenuation studies. There is also equipment available to digitize the real time radiography images for image processing. Funds have been granted by the U. S. Department of Energy, with matching ' funds from the University, to procure and upgrade equipment in the HRSC. The proposal was to design and establish a Neutron Radiography Science Center at The Pennsylvania State University Breazeale Nuclear Reactor which will be used to: 1) educate students and the public on an important use of neutrons from a research reactor,

2) establish a demonstration center, " Neutrons in Action," to show that their use is beneficial to mankind, and

3) expand the use of neutron radiography in research, both as a tool for improving the development of U. S. industrial products and to develop new information in other fields of science and engineering.

The NRSC at the PSBR is being utilized by several funded projects. The largest of these is the Chrysler Challenge Fund Project, " Investigation of the Internal Flow in a Torque Converter," with Dr. John M. Cimbala the principal investigator. It has received funding for two more years. Another is a FERMI funded project called, " Feasibility Study of Nuclear Industry Valves to Determine Failure Modes Using Neutron Radiography," with Dr. S. H. Levine as the principal investigator. Copes Vulcan Valve Co. and j the Anchor / Darling Valve Co. have provided valves for this study. 25 i

A third project which is just in the initial stages is named, "Nine Mile Point I Boroflex Coupon Analysis," with Dr. Marcus H. Voth and Mr. John A. Nevshemal the principal investigators. The Center has been very busy and there is every indication that utilization will continue at the same level or increase, l i I I I J l -l i 26 .__-_ -~_

I J 4 1 R l A I- .\\ 0 N U I C L-L L A E B A 0-i RR 'A A T .P 0 P R L Y I C 1 l A T I 0 N S \\ f-

l V VII. RADIONUCLEAR APPLICATIONS LABORATORY Personnel of the Radionuclear Applications Laboratory provide consulting and technical assistance to those University research personnel who wish to utilize some type of radionuclear. technique in their research. The majority of these research projects involve some sort of neutron activation procedure, but the staff is qualified to provide services in radioactive tracer ' techniques, radiation gauging, radiation processing, and the production of radioisotopes for laboratory or radio-nuclear medicine use. Neutron Acti'vation Analysis Workshops were conducted for classes from Grove City College and Lycoming Coll'ege. The workshops demonstrated the analytical capability of neutron activation analysis and the safe handling of i radioactive samples produced by the reactor. t On December 15, 1986, a Neutron Activation Analysis Workshop was conducted at the reactor with five researchers in attendance. Professor William W. Pratt of the Physics Department assisted again this year with the workshop. His lecture on thermal neutron activation of samples was a very l valuable addition to the workshop. The workshop began with morning lectures by Dr. Pratt, Dr. Gary Catchen, and Dale Raupach. Dale Raupach conducted a Neutron Activation Analysis laboratory experiment in the afternoon. A tour of l the facility was conducted at the end of the experiment. Laboratory personnel continue to supply support for the operation of the reactor facility. Thermal and fast-neutron dosimetry is performed on an as-needed basis, and flux mapping is performed for the various irradiation facilities used for irradiating samples. Rad-waste water was analyzed for gamma-emitting radioisotopes and air monitor filters were analyzed to determine the radioisotopes deposited on them. j l Analyses of samples were performed for students and faculty members who had only a few samples which needed to be analyzed and did not have time to do their own analyses. The departments which provided most of these samples for analyses were Polymer Science, Geology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, and the Materials Research Laboratory. 27 _m____________________

Analysis of samples was performed for researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Cornell University Eleven Basialic volcanic powder samples .were analyzed for Professor fuchael B1kerman, Associate Professor of Geology, University of Pittsburgh, and sixteen sewage sludge samples were analyzed fer l' Professor Donald J. Lisk, College of Agriculture, Cornell University. A large. quantity of semiconductor and electronic devices were received l l from industrial suppliers which required irradiation, dosimetry, trace element analysis, packaging, and return shipment. These sources were provided by personnel of the laboratory. One of the large semiconductor producers supplied a large quantity of silicon wafers for neutron activation analysis. This analytical technique was used to help find the source of contamination f ( which was causing problems in their production of semiconductors. A new set of calibration sources has been acquired from the Natio'nal Bureau of Standards. These sources were purchased for a recalibration of all j the gamma detector-analyzer systems used by the radionuclear applications personnel. l 28

L 0 l W L E V E L. j r R L A A j l D B-3 1 0 A R- ) T A I T 0 0 N R Y { M j 0 a N I 1 1 l 0 i h R T L G i ____ o

f VIII. LOW LEVEL RADIATION MONITORING LABORATORY The staff of the Low Level' Radiation Monitoring Laboratory (LLRML) a provides analytical and environmental radiation monitoring services to community water suppliers, private laboratories., utilities, and researchers at the University. The LLRML di established in 1979 to assist the water supply companies of Pennsylia 3 ting their Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. It is currently 9*rtified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PA DER) t perform radiological analyses on drinking water. Analyses for v which.the ?Aboratory is certified are: gross alpha, gross beta, strontium-89 and -90, radium-226 and -228, cesium-134 and -137, cobalt-60, ruthenium-106, zino-65, and tritium. One requirement to maintain PA DER certification is participating in the U. S. Enviror. mental Protection Agency's (EPA) Inter-Comparison Program. This program involves the analysis of blind samples which have been spiked with the radionuclides for which the laboratory is c6rtified. Results from these analyses are then submitted for comparison with all other participating laboratories. .Since 1982, the LLRML has been analyzing a portion of the environmental samples collected from the vicinity of the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company's (PP&L) Steam Electric Station at Berwick. This program is designed to. ensure quality control by splitting samples with the utility's principal analytical laboratory. Samples representative of the water ingestion and -airborne pathways, as well as TLDs, are analyzed for gross alpha, gross beta, gamma smitters, and tritium. 4 The LLRML has been analyzing samples for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia since 1983 These are environmental samples, consisting mainly of vegetables, soils, mammal foods, and mammals. The samples are I collected from the area surrounding PP&L's Steam Electric Station at Berwick, t and are analyzed using gamma spectroscopy. A spiked sample program was established in 1985 by PP&L. This program is l used to ensure analytical quality control of both the sending and receiving I 1 29 l

laboratories. The LLRML prepares samples of known isotopic concentrat. ion, analyses them, and then ships them to PP&L's analytical laboratory for analysis as blind samples. The laboratory was involved in four research projects this year. The l first'was a cooperative study with Cornell University which looked at the l cesium-134 and -137 content of bees and cheese samples which were collected from Oregon, California, Ohio, and New York both prior to and after the accident at Chernobyl. A ' project, which is. t unded by FERMI, in cooperation with the Philadelphia . Electric Company, is developing a method to separate and quantify pure beta emitting isotopes from reactor discharge water. Cation exchange r:~ ins are being used to concentrate and isolate those' beta emitters of interest, principally strontium-89 and -90. Two research projects that are currently underway are concerned with radon gas. The first is a DOE funded project with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences studying the generation and mobility of radon in Goll Work on this project will include gamma spectroscopy measurements of soil samples and assistance in the field measurements of soil radon. A second research project involving radon is being conducted in cooperation with the University's Air Environment Studies Center. A constant radon environment will be generated and monitored while experiments are being conducted to demonstrate the effects of radon gas on lung tissue. Several new pieces of equipment were purchased for the laboratory this year which will speed the turn-around time for sample analysis. These include a Tennelec Low Background Oas-Flow Proportional Counter, which is used to detect alpha and beta activity, and is the instrument most often used in radiochemical analyses. A new Ludlum portable ratemeter/ scaler, which counts Lucas-cells used for radium-226 analyses, brings our total of these I instruments to three. I The LLRML is currently developing the capability to monitor the environment for radon gas. A multichannel analyzer with a sodium-lodide 30

t \\ detector has been installed, which can count EPA charcoal canisters, the type most commonly used for the evaluation of radon concentrations in homes. Continuous and grab radon samples can be collected and analyzed using a Pylon AD-5 portable radiation monitor. The laboratory will apply to the EPA for certification for~these analyses during the coming year. 4 I' l i I. I l 1 I 1 31

T H E A N G UL LA AB T0 R CA 0T R0 RR EY L A T I 0 N S

,q. IX. THE ANGULAR CORRELATIONS LABORATORY ~ l The Angular Correlations Luboratory has been in operation for 'approximately 18 months. The.leboratory, which is located in Room 116 of the PSBR, is under the direction of Professor Gary L. Catchen. The laboratory contains a four-detector-apparatus for making Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) Spectroscopy measurements. The apparatus measures four coincidence:: i simultaneously using cesium fluoride detectors, and it will be upgraded soon i to measure eight coincidences. The detectors and electronics provide a nominal time resolution of 1 nsec FWHM, which places the measurements at the state-of-the-art in the field of Perturbed Angular Correlation Spectroscopy. PAC Spectroscopy is a branch of the research field known as hyperfine - interactions. In this field, th6 applications are to use nuclear properties to probe the structure of a system. In particular, stable nuclei are used in l the case of the Mossbauer effect; and radioactive nuclei in the case of PAC. The system may be either a metal or alloy, or a semiconductor, or an insulator, or a macromolecule in either the solid state or in colution. More specifically, solid-state PAC measurement systems can be used to characterize defects and dopant interactions. Measurements on macromolecule such as metalloproteins in solution can give information about the strength of and the symmetry of ligand fields when there are static interactions between the PAC probe nuclei and the extranuclear electrons. When the extranuclear fields vary rapidly in time, the nuclear interaction gives a measure of the rotation correlation time. The PAC technique is based on the properties of several nuclei such as 181Hf, Ill In, and 111mCd that emit two gamma-rays in a cascade. After the t' emission of the first gamma-ray and before the second is emitted, these nuclei exist in quantum states having relatively long lifetimes,1-100 ns. Thi's l intermediate state has either a magnetic dipole moment or an electric l quadrupole moment, or both. When one of these ruoments interacts with the fields or the field gradients produced by the extranuclear electrons, the c interaction affects or perturbs the emission probability of the second j i i gamma-ray. That is, the spatial correlation of the emission of the second gamma-ray with the first, which exists in the absence of the extranuclear fields, is affected in a theoretically predictable manner. Measuring the time l l l 33

t interval between the two emissions produces the primary experimental information. i.e., the time distributions. Analysis of these distributions in the' case of a static quadrupole interaction gives a measure of the electric field gradients produced by the electrons in the vicinity of the decaying nuclei. Similarly, in a time-varying interaction, a measure of the rotational correlation time can be obtained. An inherent advantage of the PAC technique is that it is truly a tracer technique. For example, to probe a semiconductor system, 50-100 uci of 111 In 12 would be used. This activity represents roughly 10 atoms plus carrier-(stable) atoms. Thus, the system to be studied can be made large enough, say several grams in mass, so that the PAC probe atom concentration remains ' insi gnifi cant. As a result, dopant interactions in semiconductors can be studied in which the dopant concentr.ations are varied. ' Currently several research projects are underway at Penn State Using I 131 Hf as the probe, the microscopic effects of polarizing ferroelectrics such as bat 103 are under investigation. Work on the preparation of and the measurement of several types of thin films of technological importance, such as hafnium carbide, is in progress. Doping of III-V semiconductors such as GaAs or InSe with lil In, is also being studied so that the interactions of defects and dopants in these materials can be studied. i l l j l I l J u l L

h ,:..c p .c A C l I L-I T-Y i u E S l c. i E A R C q H I'l U .i T l I 1 L --c I 1: Z A T i I' { s 0 N .) l t w

l X. FACILITY RESEARCH UTILIZATION j i Research continues to utilize the major portion of the available operation time of the reactor and the Cobalt-60 Facility. A wide variety of research projects are currently in progreso as indicated on the following pages. For convenience, the' University oriented research projects are j arranged alphabetically by authors under the alphabetically listed departments in Section A. Theses, publications, and papers follow the research description to which they pertain. In addition, Section B provides examples J of industrial research utilizing the facility. 1 The reporting of research Information to the editor of this report is at the option of the researcher, and therefore the research projects in sections A and B are only representative of the research at the facility. The projects i described involved 2 papers,11 publications, 10 Master's theses, and 6 doctoral theses. The examples cited are not to be construed as publications or announcements of research. The publication of research utilizing the facility is the prerogative.of the researcher. j Appendix.A lists all university, industrial, and other users of PSBR facilities, including those listed in sections A and B. Names of personnel are arranged alphabetically under their department and colle6e or under their company or other affiliation. During the past year, 72 faculty and staff members, 39 graduate students, and 7 undergraduate students have used the facility for research. This represents a usage by 26 departments or sections in~5 colleges of the University. In addition. 33 individuals from 19 industries, research organizations, or other universities were involved in research projects. \\ l 35 )

i A. - UNIVERSITY RESEARCH UTILIZING THE FACILITIES OF THE PENN STATE BREAZEALE NUCLEAR REACTOR Anthropology Department PALE 0 NUTRITION AND STATUS IN THE LATE CLASSIC PERIOD POPULATION OF COPAN, HONDUrsAS Parti cipants: J. Hatch R. Geldel D. Raupach Services Provided: Neutron irradiation; Radiation Counters; Laboratory Space In complex societies with an agricultural subsistence base, the higher ranking' members of society (elite) enjoy econom.c advantages over the lower ranked population (commoners). One manifestation of these advantages is better dietary provisioning. The elite generally consume a more nutritious diet than commoners, and are more likely to maintain an adequate food intake during periods of food shortages. Such dietary variations produce physiological effects, including differences in skeletal concentrations of certain trace elements. Bone samples from human burials at Copan are being examined for concentrations of copper, zinc, iron, cobalt, strontium, manganese, vanadium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium via NAA. A two-step irradiation program (one minute via the rabbit system and one hour via the central thimble oscillator) is used to maximize detection of this set of elements. The pH and NAA of burial soil samples will provide a means to evaluate the possibility of diagenetic effects on skeletal trace elements. Skeletal concentrations of nutritionally sensitive trace elements will be integrated with other biocultural indications of status to increase our understanding of Maya society. Biology Department OSMOREGULATION IN ESTUARINE TURTLES Participant: W. A. Dunson Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation; Isotope Production In tidal creeks of the eastern shore of Virginia, the snapping . turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is the primary freshwater turtle that intrudes into saline waters. Hatchlings derived from eggs of snapping turtles living in a saline creek grew significantly faster in 35% sea water, but slower in fresh water than those from a freshwater marsh. Hatchlings from the saline creek could not grow in saliaities above 41% sea water (as compared to 64% for hatchling terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin). Subadult and adult snappers immersed in sea water for extended periods undergo a continual, gradual loss in body water and an j i 36 )

increase in plasma osmotic pressure. There is no evidence for extracloacal excretion via a salt gland. Salt marsh populations of 1 snapping turtles represent a very early stage in evolution for an estuarine life. Behavioral osmoregulation appears to be important since adults move between the more and less saline portions of the creek, avoiding long-term exposure to potentially lethal salinities. The integument is quite permeable to water (about 280 mol/cm2.h), but i essentially impermeable to sodium. Body water efflux and net water loss in seawater are inversely proportional to body mass. Thus, larger' q turtles have a considerable advantage over smaller ones in attempting to osmoregulate in saline water. Publication: Estuarine populations of the snapping turtle (chelydra) as a model for the evolution of marine adaptations in reptiles, Dunson, William A., Lopeia, 1986(3): 741-756. i Sponsor: National Science Foundation, $74,500 Biology Department 1 OSM0 REGULATION IN A* FRESHWATER BEETLE

Participants:

W. A. Dunson M. P. Frisbie Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation; Isotope Production L Sodium and water balance of Dytiscus verticalis in fresh water were l investigated under three feeding regimes: unfed, and fed a diet either I low or high in sodium chloride. Unfed sodium influx was 0.13 and sodium efflux was 0.74 pmoles/100 gwm.h (isotopically measured over 6.5 h and 8-20 d, respectively). These values are low in comparison with most freshwater animals. The electrical potential difference across beetles in artificial soft water (ASW) was 53.6 my (inside negative). This predicted a flux ratio (J n/Jout) 60 times lower than the measured ratio, i indiccting that Na+ was actively transported into the beetles.

However, sodium influx did not show saturation kinetics over an external concentration range to 1725 uM and unred beetles failed to arrest net sodium loss to baths that were initially distilled water or ASW, even when bath sodium concentrations reached 75-298 pM.

The long-term rate of net sodium loss ranged from 0.61 (isotopic determination) to 4.4 pmoles/ 100 gwm.h (chemical determination, beetles pre-fed a high sodium diet, i HSD) for four sets of animals. Beetles decreased sodium efflux during a period of fasting. During subsequent feeding, HSD fed beetles increased J sodium efflux while beetles fed a low sodium diet (LSD) maintained low j rates of sodium efflux. HSD fed beetles demonstrated increased body j sodium, hemolymph sodium concentration, and expanded extracellular fluid, relative to LSD fed beetles. Thus beetles cannot achieve sodium balance in fresh water without dietary sodium input, although they are able to regulate sodium loss dependent on sodium intake. 37 l l n

l h 4 --Doctoral. Thes'is : " Osmoregulation' in'a Freshwater Beetle," Frisbie, M. P.,1987, Biology Department, W. A..Dunson,-advisor. Biology Department . Na' BALANCE ~IN hN ACID-TOLERANT SUNFISH Participant s : R.'Gonzalez . Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation; Isotope Production ~ Net. sodium flux (Jnet), sodium influx (Jin), and sodium efflux - (Jout)L were measured in two sunfish, Enneacanthus obseus (acid-tolerant) and Lepomis gibbosus (less acid-tolerant), during 24 h exposure to soft water'or pH 4.0 and 3.5. E. obesus exhibited a mild transitory disturbance at both pH values, caused by inhibited J n and slightly i stimulated Jout.. Body'and plasma ion concentrations of E. obesus were measured : Weekly.during exposures for five weeks to ' acidified Artificial Soft Water (ASW).- Body ' sodium concentration declined 30% during a two ' week exposure to pH 3.5,-but no further during the next three' weeks. Exp6sure to pH 4.0 had no_ effect on body sodium. concentration during the entire five weeks. Plasma sodium concentration declined 15% over a three week period at pH.3 5; there was no further change in the next two weeks. p Plasma potassium concentrations, which were measured after four and five weeks at pH 5.8 and 3 5 in ASW, were not significantly different. In a

separate two-week long experiment, plasma sodium concentration of E.

obesus in ASW was correlated with pH between 3.5 and 7.5. This effect was mainly due to increases above pre-treatment levels at pH 4.5 and above. Increased ambient sodium and calcium concentrations had no effect on body sodium concentration of E. obesus at pH 5.8, but mitigated the effects of exposure to pH 3.5. Increased calcium concentrations up to 25 pM at pH 3.5 increased body sodium concentration, but. higher concentrations had no additional effect. Body potassium concentration and body water concentration of E. obesus were linearly related to body sodium concentration under a wide variety of external conditions. This suggests the presence of a mechanism by which E. obesus regulates plasma sodium levels and body fluid compartments in response to sodium loss. In contrast to E. obesus, L. gibbosus showed larger sodium losses at low pH i resulting from greater acceleration of Jout; those exposed to pH 3 5 died in.less than 12 h. L. gibbosus also had reduced body and plasma sodium concentrations at pH 4.5 and below; those at pH 4.0'were the lowest. Body potassium concentration of L. gibbosus was reduced in those fish exposed to pH 4.0 and below, but body water was increased. 38 i Eu_________________

Chemistry Department PREPARATION OF POLY (ORGANOPHOSPHAZENES) HYDROGELS AND MEMBRANES

Participants:

H. R. Allcock S. Kwon J. J. Bonner Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation Poly (organophosphazenes) can be crosslinked by high energy radiation. 6vCo gamma-rays create the radical of alkyl branches and these radicals can be coupled to form intermolecular chain linkages. These grafted linkages caused the crosslinking and insolubility of polymer. These insoluble or swelled film can be used as biomedical hydrogels or membranes. + Doctoral Thesis: " Poly (organophosphazenes) Membranes and Hydrogels as Potential Carrier Macromolecule for Biologically Active Agents," Kwon, S., Chemistry Department. Dr. H. R. Allcock, advisor. (In progress) 'Publi ca tion : " Radiation Crosslinking of Poly (organophosphazenes)," H. R. Allcock, S. Kwon, M. Gebura, and R. J. Fitzpatrick, Polymer Preprints, Vol. 28, No. 1, 321, 1987. Chemistry Department PREPARATION OF POLY (OROANOPHOSPHAZENE) ELECTROLYTE HOSTS

Participants:

H. Allcock G. Riding J. Bennett J. Bonner Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation Poly (orgCoY-radiationcreatesalkylradicalbrancheswhichcanbe anophosphazenes) can te cross-linked by high energy l 6 radiation. coupled to form graft linkages. These linkages cause the cross-linking of the polymer and create a material with greater structural strength and suitability as an electrolyte host. 39

1 l-l , Chemistry Department l OAMMA RAY INDUCED DECOMPOSITION OF MON 0 SILANE

Participants:

F. W. Lampe l M. V. Piserchio l R. Fisher l J. J. Bonner Services Provided: Oamma Irradiation l l SiH4 admixed with Ar, Kr, or He is irradiated with X-rays to cause l decomposition of SiH4 to the gaseous products H > S1 8, and higher 2 26 I s11 anes and the deposition of amorphous silicon flims. The use of the inert gas permits a variation of the dose rate to SiH4 over a relative range of about 1-20. Sponsor: Department of Energy, $240,000 for three years Engineering Science Department RADIATION EFFECTS IN MOS (METAL-0XIDE-SEMICONDUCTOR) DEVICES Parti cipants: M. A. Jupina H. S. Witham Y. Y. Kim P. M. Lenahan J. J. Bonner Services Provided: Oamma Irradiation M. A. Jupina and H. S. Witham are using this research as part of a Master's Degree in Engineering Science, while Y. Y. Kim is pursuing a Doctor's Degree in Electrical Engineering. P. M. Lenahan is serving as advisor for all three. These graduate students are studying point defects that arise from radiation damage in the SiO2 and at the SiO /Si interface of the MOS 2 system. This system is used in the Microelectronics Industry in producing VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated) Chips. Entomology Department ENTOMOLOGY 456 CLASS

Participants:

A. Hower and six students Services Provided: Oamma Irradiation Assessment of gamma radiation as a mortality and sterility factor for the Phonia fly and Masca domestica, respectively. 40 l i

Food Science Department UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT

Participants:

R. B. Beelman L. G. Edwards Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation Briefly, looked at the effect of irradiation on malo lactic bacteria in wine system. Found that the bacteria were killed at 100 Krad. Food Science Department EFFECT OF GAMMA IRRADIATION ON DDT PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD OIL

Participants:

M. Kroger B. Bag Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation '.i Preliminary observations have indicated that organic chlorine pesticide residues are destroyed by gamma irradiation. This work is being conducted to determine the dose effecting complete destruction or removal of various concentrations of DDT added to t'ood oil. Also, the lowest dose at which some damage or loss is observed will be ascertained. Pesticide residue determinations are accomplished by sample extraction, clean-up, and gas-liquid chromatography, Materials Research Laboratory EFFECT OF RADIATION ON TWINNING IN QUARTZ

Participants:

S. M. Shiau R. E. Newnham D. C. Raupach P. Moses G. Dayton Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation; Gamma Irradiation l The Dauphine twinning behavior of quart 7 subjected to irradiation was studied at room temperature and elevated temperatures. The presence of defects produced by irradiation was utilized to pin the domain wall motion. Both neutrons and gamma-rays were employed for this investigation. The stress required to nucleate an appreciable volume of twins is about twice as high for irradiated crystals than those 41 ____-__-___m.._

i unieradiated. However, the coercive stress required for causing a. complete orientation switch was not much different between irradiated and unirradiated crystals. Doctoral Thesis: "The Effect of Radiation on Twinning in Quartz," Shiau, S.,

1986, Materials Research Laboratory, R. E. Newnham, advisor.

Publication: "The Effect of Radiation on Twinning in Quartz," S. Shiau and R. E. Newnham, Mat. Res. Bull., 22, pp. 227-234, 1987. Sponsor: National Science foundation, $60,000 per year Mechanical Engineering Department i AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INTERNAL FLOW IN A TORQUE CONVERTER

Participants:

J. M. Cimbala S. H. Levine D. Sathianathan D. E. Hughes F. W. Schmidt H. R. Jacobs Services Provided: Neutron Radiography Until now, non-intrusive flow observations could only be made via a visual path. In the case of components shrouded by metal, such as an automobile torque converter, this entails the construction of transparent models, and the use of an appropriate optical technique. Not only would this be prohibitively expensive, but such a model would not be wholly satisfactory in duplicating the operating conditions. Phase I of the research was conducted from July 1986 through March 1987. During this period we have successfully demonstrated that thermal neutron radiography can indeed be used as a non-intrusive flow visualization tool for the study of fluid flows shrouded by metal. This " proof-of-concept" phase involved the identification of suitable ambient fluids, fluid and solid tracer particles, and the demonstration of flow visualization in several simple test flows. This technique should prove useful in studying flow characteristics in components such cs valves, engines, carburetors, etc. In phase II of the research, which began in April 19t!. our primary emphasis is on applying the techniques developed in phase I to visualize the flow patterns inside an operating automobile torque converter. 42

v i l' \\ I:. e s r Doctoral Thesis: /l 4 ,/ " Neutron Radiography as a Flow Visualization Tool," Sathiantthan, D., Ph.D. thesis, Mechanical Engineering Department, J. M. Cimbala, advisor.' (In progress) ,/ 0 Publication: "Streakline Flow Visualization with Neutron Radiography," J. M. CimbaAa and D. Sathianathan, Submitted to Experiments in Fluids, May, 1987. Sponsor: Chrysler Challenge Fund, $272,509 for 33 months ' e .I,

r#

. 9 N' Nuclear Engineering Department r INVESTIGATION OF THE MICROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF ADVANCED CERAMIC MATERIjtLS / USING PERTURBED ANGULAR CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY '( '

Participants:

G. L. Catchen W. Heubner B. E. Scheetz s L. H. Menke, Jr. i K. Jamil M. Blaszkiewicz l, s Services Provided: Neutton Irradiation; Angular Correlation Laboratory A* 1, PAC spectroscopy is being used to measure electric field gradients (efgs) in several technologically important ceramic materials which include calcium zirconium phosphate, a high-temperature super-ionic )h ' conductor, and fresnoite, a pyroelectric artificial osineral. > The measured ergs are used to develop structural models' that describe details about the electronic and vibrational dayrees of freedom in these ceramics. These models may be used by the cerhmic scientists, who collaborate on this project to develop better formul(calons of these materials. Publication: Catchen, G. L., L. H. Menke, Jr., M. Blaszkiewicz, K. Jamil, D. K. Agrawal, W. Heubner, and H. A. McKinstry, " A Structural Characterization of a High Temperature, Ionic Conducting Ceramic Using Perturbed Angular h, Correlation Spectroscopy," submitted to Phys. Rev. B. Nuclear Engineering Department RELEASE OF TRITIUM FROM LITHIUM COMPOLMDS DURING IRRADIATION IL i (

Participants:

W. Diethorn f A. Dulloo K. Alam 43

' 7 /Xp.. f. i \\ Services Provided:' Neutron Irradiation; Radiation Counters; Laboratory Space; . Isotope Production'; ? lux Monitoring! i [, ,3 The purpose of Mis research is to study the release // tritium 3 from lithium compounds du"ing irradiation. It is believedJtliat there are two release rechanisms that control the amount of tritium role. sed; I' recoil release and bulk diffusion. The first mechanism should 43 (1. independent of temperature whereas'the aecond depends on temperf are. 3 ~, Over the,past ' year, we have been building an apparatus capable of

measuring the tritium released from lithium carbonate powder at h L

' terhrntures 'up to 500*F. < The construction phase is complete, andbe are ~ 'Ouirently performing experiments in the TRIGA. r l Nasters Theses: c" Thy Development and Evaluation of a Sweep Gas Production and Radioassay Systi:n for In-Pile Generated Tritium," Skiles, S.K.,1985, Nuclear Engineering Pepartment, W. S. Diethorn, advisor. I, ' y' l "Tritfum Release from Lithium Carbonada During Pulsed Neutron f Irrachtion," Oulloo, A. R., Nuclear Engineering Depar'tment, W. S. .I, Dieth en, advipcr. (In progress) et Pubficationy ) l 'i 1 " Radioassay of ' Sweep Gas Tritium During In-Pile Generation," S. K. Skiles and W1 l3. Nethorn, Fusion Technology, Vol. 8, pp. 2108-2110, Sep.1985. \\ k ,r Sponsor: FTWIhroject,$20,000 r t / l. Nucl, ear Engineering Department,, / p ' ( T ~< 'r BADIATION VISION PROJECT / / o

Participants:

R. Gould E. S. Kenney 'f/ r ServibisProvIded: Hot Cells The Department,of N4elear Engineering received funding for the development of a p"ototype device that could produce a two dimensional l map [ofaradioactivesourcedistribution. The system, constructed of I l mater 11als on hahd.within the Department, basically employs two collimated i ionization chambers mounted on a rotating cross beam. As the beam rotates, a computer reads the dose rate from each detector along with a i positionsignalfromthescanner. A trigonometric triangulation , calculation is used to, produce a two dimensional map. The present system l

acans from tgn positiona in order to eliminate artifacts.

l g y -[ The red.ution of the Wurrent system is approximately one to two j ' rwhes, and %ill be improved with a custom collimator and shield design, i ( i l andthepurd[mcofamatchedpairofhighqualitydetectors. l j-- y '\\ 0", 't I 3 44 ' i. o l i )r )

-r Masters Thesis: "The Development of' a Prototype Radiation Field Mapping System," Could, ~R.,. Masters Thesis, 1987, Nuclear Engineering Department, E. S. Kenney, j . advisor. (In progress) Sponsor: Project FERMI, $15,000 ] Nuclear Engineering Department i MONIT HING OF THE FALLOUT FROM THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

Participants:

W. . Jester l i P. Boyle Services Provided: Low Level Monitoring Starting April 30, 1986, and continuing through May 21, 1986, a high volume air sampler was used to collect a 24 hour dust sample. Each sample was then counted for 12 hours using the gamma ray spectroscopy facilities of the'LLRML. Results were reported daily to the news media through the University's Department of Public Information. Below is an exampl6 of one set of results that shows (in pico curies per cubic meter) the. peak level of fallout seen at' University Park. Beginning of collection period: 11 May 86 @ 1504 hr End of co?.lection period: 12 May 86 @ 1500 hr I Total volume: 2745m3 Isotope Concitttration (pC1/m3) 1* Standard Deviation Be-7 0.186 0.006 K-40 0.032 0.003 Mo-99* 0.0020 0.0004 Ru-103 0.044 0.001 1-131 0.440 0.002 1-132 0.030 0.001 j -Te-132 0.040 0.001 Xe-131 m 0.071 0.014 Cs-134 0.076 0.001 Cs-136 0.016 0.001 Cs-137 0.167 0.001 Ba-140 0.01 2 0.001 La-140 0.01 5 0.001 Ra-226 (Pb-214 4 0.002 0.001 Th-232(Pb-212) 0.135 0.001 "This isotope not previously present, i 45 i

Nuclear Engineering Department THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR THE SEPARATION AND DETECTION OF PURE BETA EMITTING ISOTOPES FROM REACTOR DISCHARGE WATER

Participants:

W. A. Jester B. C. Ford D. F. Ryan Services Provided: Low Level Monitoring; Laboratory Space; Isotope Production The purpose of this project is to devise an improved method based on icn chromatography for the separatipn and subsequent detection of pure 9 r, 90Sr, and 32, beta emitting radionuclides including S p Sponsor: FERMI, $17,547 Nuclear Engineering Department DEVELOPMENT OF A RADON DAUGHTER IRRADIATION CHAMBER

Participants:

W. A. Jester S. Grif fith Services Provided: Low Level Monitoring; Laboratory Space The purpose for this study is to develop a chamber in which a controlled level of radon-222 and its alpha emitting daughters, including l polonium-218 and polonium-214, can be maintained. This chamber will-I subsequently be used to irradiate living lung cells. Sponsor: Six month funding from Environmental Resources Research Institute, $10,000 l Nuclear Engineering Department ESTABLISHING AN ULTRA-SENSITIVE RADIONUCLIDES DETECTION SYSTEM FOR LOW LEVEL RADIATION MONITORING RESEARCH

Participants:

W. A. Jester B. S. Lee Services Provided: Radiation Counters; Low Level Monitoring; Laboratory Space A large NaI(Tl) annulus is being used to suppress background and compton scattered photons seen in normal gamma ray spectroscopy of environmental samples. The developed system should provide a significant improvement in detecting low levels of radioactivity in such samples, j i Sponsor: FERMI., $18,834 46

1 f Nuclear Engineering Department RADIATION EFFECTS ON METAL OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS .Part i ci pants : E.'S. Kenney A. J. Baratta. R. Lutz M. Meltzer j Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation; Gamma Irradiation Solid state devices for space application must be able to withstand. gamma and neutron exposure. Advances in technology now allow such devices to operate in gamma environments involving radiation dosec in the megarad region. Concern for neutron hardness of such devices has I recently arisen. This project examines the neutron hardness of these devices in an enhanced fast neutron field. Testing to date has verified device hardness in high intensity gamma fields. The effects of neutrons on device performances have been observed. Tests to date show that device characteristics are altered in i even moderate dose levels. Work is proceeding to determine the cause of l these effects and to suggest possible hardening techniques. I l^ Masters Theses: l I - " Radiation Dosimetry in Mixed Gamma / Neutron Fields," Mark Meltzer,1987, l Nuclear Engineering Department, E. S. Kenney, advisor. (In progress) i " Effects of Temperature on the Radiation Hardness of MOSFETS," Rex Lutz, 1987, Nuclear Engineering Department, E. S. Kenney, advisor. (In progress) Paper: " Reactor Neutron Hardness of Active MOSFET Arrays," A. J. Baratta, E. S. i Kenney, to be presented in the July 28-31, 1987 POSTER session of the IEEE Nuclear Space and Radiation Effects Conferer.ce. Sponsor: U. S. Naval Research Lab, $55,934 Nuclear Engineering Department A PROGRAM TO STUDY VALVE FAILURE USING NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES

Participants:

S. H. Levine D. E. Hughes K. Kozaczek Services Provided: Neutron Radiography A new program has been started at the PSBR to study failures in valves used by the nuclear industry. A bibliography review has been initiated and is partially complete. Three valves have been received 47 l l

from Copes Vulcan and the Anchor / Darling Valve Companies. The first valve to be studied is a butterfly valve,.approximately 2" in diameter. An aluminum enclosure for the valve has been constructed to hold the valve and fluids in the neutron beam for taking real-time neutron radiographs. The aluminum. enclosure allows a mixture of two fluids to be pressurized independently or together at the inlet of the valve. In -addition, the fluids can be inlet to the enclosure in a time sequence to permit better visualization of a potential leak in the valve. By this means, new techniques are being developed to trace leaks in valves and to determine other types of valve malfunctions. Sponsor: FERMI, $28,297 Nuclear Engineering Department AN INVESTIGATION OF TWO-PHASE MIXTURES WITH A PULSED ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER Pa'ticipants: G. E. Robinson r l A. J. Baratta l' T. G. Hughes M. J. Murphy Services Provided: Laboratory space at reactor L . The purpose of this research was to investigate the potential of a pulsed ultrasonic system for identifying the flow regimes and void fraction of a two phase liquid flow.- The system used throughout the research operates by pulsing an ultrasonic beam into a test medium and monitoring its return. A group of experiments were conducted by placing stationary objects of known shape, size, and composition into the ultrasonic transducer's beam field and photographing the resulting oscilloscope trace. The results of these experiments were then used to evaluate the capability of the system to discriminate between various simulated two phase flow regimes. The response characteristics of the system were further examined in a second group of experiments where the transducer was applied to a series of simulated two-phase flows. The two phase flows simulated included bubbly flow, slug flow, and annular flow. This investigation indicates that a pulsed ultrasonic system can be used to monitor and characterize two phase flow. The experiments outlined have shown that specific variations in flow patterns produce recognizable changes in the transducer output. Masters Thesis j l "An Investigation of Two-Phase Mixtures with a Pulsed Ultrasonic ) . Transducer," Murphy, M.J., 1987, Nuclear Engineering Department, G. E. l Robinson, T. G. Hughes and A. J. Baratta, advisors. Sponsor: Work done in conjunction with Applied Research Lab. 48

f Nuclear Engineering' Department i GENERATION AND MOBILITY OF RADON IN SOIL

Participants:

A. W. Rose E. J. Ciolkosz W. A. Jester B. C. Ford l Services-Provided:. Low Level Monitoring; Activation Analysis The objective of this research is to understand the radon distribution in soils. Factors probably causing large variations of radon gas in soils which will be studied include: (1). Regional and local variations in geochemical behavior of U, Ra, and other Rn ancestors in soil; (2) Large variations in proportion of radon emanated to soil air; (3) Existence of seasonal or permanent impermeable horizons in soils; and (4) Thermal convection of soil air or slopes. Sponsor: U. S. Department of Energy, $100,000 Plant Pathology Department i . BIOLOGY, MYCOT0XICOLOGY, AND TAXONOMY OF FUSARIUM SPECIES I

Participants:

P. E. Nelson l T. A. Toussoun. L. V. Klotz B. Wertz N. B. Onylke Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation Research is in progress on the-biology of Fusarium species j associated with pasture plants, the occurrence of possible toxigenic Fusarium species in feeds in Pennsylvania, and on Fusarium wilt diseases i of ornamental plants. Some of these projects are in cooperation with I researchers in the U.S.A, Australia, and the Republic of South Africa; others are carried on by Fusarium Research Center personnel and graduate students. 1 Information on the distribution of potential toxigenic Fusarium species and the percentage of the population of Fusarium species that are potential producers of mycotoxins is lacking. It is important to compile this information in order to determine the potential of Fusarium mycotoxins as factors in animal and poultry diseases. Fusarium moniliforme has beer, implicated in the etiology of esophageal cancer in Linxian County, Honan Province, China and in 3 q Transkei, southern Africa. Other Fusarium species have also been q implicated in formation of several carcinogenic nitrosamines in cornbread inoculated with this fungus and incubated in the presence of small amounts of nan 0. Several isolates of F. moniliforme also have been 2 shown to be mutagenic. The predominant Fusarium species infecting corn 49 l

s in southern Africa is F. moniliforme followed by F. subglutinans, and F. graminearum. Research has shown that there is a higher mean level of infection by F. moniliforme of corn produced in the area of Transkei with a high-incidence of esophageal cancer (31%) as compared with corn produced in a low-incidence area (13%). Workers in the Transkei conclude that seed-borne fungi of corn, such as F moniliforme, may play a role in the etiology of esophageal cancer by producing mutant and/or carcinogenic j mycotoxins in infected corn.- A recent Foport has also shown that a L strain of F. moniliforme is carcinogenic. Since F. moniliforme is one of j the most common and widespread fungi in corn and other food grains in the i U.S. and the world, there is a need for intensive study of the distribution and properties of this Fusarium species and closely related species. I Masters Thesis: l "The Etiology of Fusarium species in Corn Kernels and in Soil," Jeschke, N.,1987, Fusarium Research Center, Department of Plant Pathology, P. E. Nelson, advisor. Doctoral Thesis: " Ecology and Toxicology of Fusarium species Associated with Sorghum and Millet in Central Africa," Jeschke, N., Fusarium Research Center, Department of Plant Pathology, P. E. Nelson, advisor. (In progress) Publications: ( " Fusarium polyphialidicum a new species from South Africa," Marasas, W. F. O., P. E. Nelson, T.'f. Toussoun, and P. S. van Wyk, Mycologia 78 684-688, 1986. Incidence and distribution of Fusarium species in shelled corn from Pennsylvania and Maryland, Jeschke, N., and P. E. Nelson, Phytopathology 76:654 (Abstr.), 1986. Isolating, identifying, and producing inoculum of pathogenic species of Fusarium, Nelson, P. E., T. A. Toussoun, L. W. Burgess, W. F. O. Marasas, and C. M. Liddell, pp. 54-59. In X. D. Hickey (ed.), Methods of Evaluating Pesticides for Cont"o1 of Plant Pathogens. Amer. Phytopathol. Soc. & Soc. Nematol., St. Paul, Minn., 1986. Natural occurrence of moniliformis and fusarin C in corn screenings known to be hepatocarcinogenic in rats, Thiel, P. G., W. C. A. Gelderblom, W. F. O. Marasas, P. E. Nelson, and T. M. Wilson, J. Agric. Food Chem. l 34:773-775, 1986. l l l Spontaneous mutability and colony morphology of Gibberella baccata, j Lawrence, E. B., P. E. Nelson, and T. A. Toussoun, Can. J. Genet. Cytol. j 28:932-941, 1986. 50

J ll Polymer Science Department 1 FTIR STUDIES OF HYDROGEN-BONDED POLYPIACETYLENES l ~

Participants:

'P.? Painter B. Thomson Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation Gamma' irradiation was used to polymerize diacetylene' monomers. The monomers 3 and 4-BCMU were exposed to gamma radiation for one week,. l enabling high~ conversion to the polymer. Subsequent experiments, which j included acetone working to remove residual monomer and. chloroform soaking to dissolve polymer, were designed to help explain the origin of the split C=0 absorption in the IR spectra of polymer films. Such j splitting is strong in crystalline monomer spectra as a result of crystal field splitting, but weak splitting persists in the spectra of cast polymer films, which are amorphous. The origin of the splitting in polymer is probably caused by intrachain transition dipole coupling, between urethane C-0 group. ] I Solid State Science Department CARBON-POLYMER COMPOSITE THERMISTORS

Participants:

L. L. Rohlfing + R. E. Newnham A. Halliyal J. J. Bonner Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation Composite PTC thermistors, produced from a carbon black / polyethylene composition,' exhibit a PTC of resistance measuring 6-8 j orders of magnitude at 120*C, Room temperature resistivities are less than 10 ohm-cm at 20-30 volume percent carbon. The composites are irradiated (gamma source) to maintain their high post PTC resistance to .) l 2000C. The electrical properties of these composites are examined as a l function of temperature, voltage, and thermal cycling. A second, insulating filler is added to the composite mixture as a method of optimizing the overall electrical properties and thermal stability, as well as maintaining high post PTC resistance without irradiation. j Masters Thesis: " Carbon-Polymer Composite Thermistors," L. L. Rohlfing,1987, Solid State Science Department, R. E. Newnham and A. Halliyal, advisors. (In progress) 4 51

Paper: 4 " Improvements in Carbon-Polyethylene Composite Thermistors," L. L. Rohlfing, R. E. Newnham, A. Halliyal, S. M. Pilgrim. Presented American Ceramic Society Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, April 30, 1987. Sponsor: National Science Foundation; Naval Research Laboratory Veterinary Science Department SWINE NATURAL KILLER CELLS: CLONING AND PRODUCTION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

Participants:

F. G. Ferguson Services Provided: Gamma Irradiation We find the Cobalt-50 irradiation facility useful to our immunology laboratory when we have a need for viable lymphocytes that are altered by irradiation so they cannot divide. These " feeder cells" are added to certain cell cultures to aid in establishing and maintaining cell growth. -Irradiated, altered lymphocytes are used also in mixed lymphocyte cultures as the source of antigen to. sensitize cells from the same species having different histocompatibility loci. Sensitivity is measured in a cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay using target cells with the same histocompatibility antigens as the irradiated cells. Sponsor: United States Department of Agriculture, $100,000 l 1 1 l i 1 52 l l \\

J j B.. INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH UTILIZING THE FACILITIES OF THE PENN STATE BREAZEALE REACTOR The facilities of the Penn' State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) are made available to state, federal, and industrial organizations for use in their research and development programs. Some typical examples follows: RCA/ Aerospace and Defense / Communication and Information Systems Division ' Philip C. Basile, Hardware Engineering t .The reactor facilities were utilized to subject two high power, 100W, amplifier modules to progressively increasing neutron fluence j levels. These modules operating at 225.to 400 MHz are under investigation {' for use in a military, nuclear environment program at RCA. After eacn exposure the modules were returned to RCA and the RF gain and efficiency ] data was recorded to characterize module performance. l l Also participating in the experiment were. Dennis De Mayo and Dr. Geords Drucker. D. C. Raupach is responsible for the exposures and dosimetry at the PSBR. I Raytheon Company D. F. Stransky, Jr. T. C. O'Connor Tne Defense Systems Hardening Group of the Raytheon Equipment Division's Survivability / Vulnerability Section has and continues to make great use of the Pennsylvania State University's Breazeale Reactor. Our use of the reactor has consisted of the passive neutron exposure of various digital and linear integrated circuits. These exposures are being performed in order to predict the response of these integrated circuits as part of our overall system hardening effort. D. C. Raupach is responsible for the exposures and dosimetry at the PSBR. Raytheon Company, Equipment Development Laboratories S. R. Collins B. J. Johnson R. B. Johnson l l Radiation Hardened Precision Voltage Reference (PVR) Development; USAF-Ballistic Missile Office; Small Missile Alternate Inertial i Navigation System Program, under subcontract to General Electric, Ordnance Systems Division. Utilization of the Penn State Breazeale Nuclear Reactor played a key role in determining the relationship of irradiation temperature and bias to PVR voltage stability through neutron exposure. The large sample volume available in the 2" x 6" exposure tube allowed the implementation i of a temperature controlled specimen fixture capable of providing 53

i. 1 electrical. bias during exposure. PVil stability as a function of irradiation temperature, pre-post electrical' characterization temperature, and the presence of bias during irradi~ation was studied. The results of. these investigations highlighted test simulation methods which have successfully emulated the results obtained from in-situ testing at fast burst reactors. { s 1 54

i

i.

a u. ,.2 i e f .i i l i 1 a A 4 P P i E N. D-I - X A

~ y-q I APPENDIX A i 1 . Personnel involved in research utilizing the facilities of the Penn State l g Breazeale Reactor. { i COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 1 Agronomy Pollag,.J. M. Ciolkosz, Edward J. Professor of Soil Microbiology Professor Chanmugathas, P. Melo, Ilda F. Graduate Student Graduate Student Dairy and Animal Science Abrams, Stephen M. Stumpfle, Deborah Professor Undergraduate Entomology i Hower, A. Trump, Blake A. Professor Undergraduate Food Science l Bae, Byoung Ho

Edwards, L.,

G. Graduate Student Undergraduate Beelman, R. B. Kroger, Manfred Professor Professor i Edwarde .C. G. Lee, Jae S. Graduate Student Visiting Scholar Horticulture Benson, Jodie Craig, Richard University Scholar Professor Plant Pathologg W. C. A. Gelderblom P. G. Thiel Medical Research Council Medical Research Council Tygerberg, South Africa Tygerberg, South Africa Klotz, Lois V. Toussoun, T. A. Senior Research Aide Professor C. M. Liddell VanWyck, P.S. Graduate Student Lecturer, University of Orange Free University of Sydney, Australia State, Bloemfontaine, South Africa 55

V i

Nelson, Paul E.

Wertz, Betsy Professor Senior Research Aide Onyike, N..B.. Wilson, T. M. I Graduate Assistant Former Associate Professor, . Veterinary Science Veterinary Science Bhagyam,RanhitC~ 'Ferguson, Frederick G. Research' Associate'- Pest Docteral1 Professor COLLEGE OF ELBTH AND HINERAL SCIENCE I Cerag_!c Science and Engineering Euebner, Wayne Assistant Professor i Geochemistry and Mineralogg l Rose,-Arthur W. Welt, Frederick Professor Graduate Student Geology Diodato, David M. Graduate Student f I ~Geosciences i l Kump, Lee R. l Assistant Professor Metallurgy l-Bartges, Charles W. Ryba, Earle Graduate Student Associate Professor Rebis, Richard E. Undergraduate Petrology Eggler, David H. Professor i: Polymer Science Painter, Paul Thomson, Barry l Professor Post Doctoral Student 56 1l'

i u COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Engineering Science and Mechanics . Jupina, Mark A. Warren, William L. Graduate Student Graduate Student i Kim, Yong Yum - Witham, Howard S. Graduate Student Graduate Student Lenahan, Patrick M. Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering Cimbala, John M. Sathianathan, Dhushy Assistant Professor Graduate Student j l ? Jacobs, Harold R. Schmidt, Frank W. Professor Professor -Roberts, Ray ' Graduate Student Nuclear Engineering Alam, Khalid M. Johnson, Walter E. Graduate Student Nuclear Education Specialist / Reactor Supervisor Baratta, Anthony J. t Associate Professor Kenney, Edward S. Professor Bonner, Joseph J, Senior Nuclear Education Kozaczek, Kris Specialist / Affiliate Instructor Graduate Student Boyle, Patrick A. Lee, B. S. Lab. Technician Graduate Student Blaszkiewicz, Michael Levine, Samuel.H. Graduate Student Professor Catchen, Gary L. Lutz, Rex Assistant Professor Graduate Student Diethorn, Ward S. Meltzer, Mark Professor Graduate Student Dulloo,.Abdul R. Menke, Lorenz M. Gradnate Student Graduate Student u ) Flinchbaugh, Terry L. McMaster, Ira B. Operations and Training Manager Facility Deputy Director 57 w

Ford, Bonnie C. Murphy, Michael J. Supervisor, LLRML Graduate Student Gillen, Thomas G. Raupach, Dale C. Graduate Student Reactor Supervisor / Reactor Utilization Specialist Gould, Robert Graduate Student Robinson, Gordon.E. Associate Professor Griffith, Sam Lab Technician Ryan, Dave F. Research Technologist, LLRML Hughes, Dan E. Research Assistant Rusnak, Candace C. Project Assistant Hug, Martin T. Undergraduate Totenbier, Robert E. Research Assistant Jamil, Khalid Graduate Student Voth, Mark H. Facility Director Jester, William A. Professor Wilusz, Chris Technology Education Assistant COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS Anthropology Beckerman, Steven Hatch James W. Assistant Professor Associate Professor Geldel, Richard A. Miller, Patricia E. Graduate Student Graduate Student l COLLEGE OF SCIENCE l Biology Dunson., W. Gonzalez, Richard { Professor Graduate Student l l Frisbie, Malcolm P. l Graduate Student Chemistry Allcock, H. R. Kwon, S. Pro t'essor Graduate Student j { 58 )

-l l ~.Be astt, Jordan Lampe, F. W. -] ' Undergraduate Profcssor '. Fisher, R.. Piserchio, M. .Research Assistant Research Assistant j l Fitzpatrick, R. J. . Riding,'Geoff, H. ] Graduate Student Research Assistant Gebura, Marie Graduate Student h Physics ] 1 Bunasi, Derek L. Pratt, William W. ' Graduate Student Professor Pilione, Lawrence J. l Associate Professor INTERCOLLEGIATE RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES Health Physics Ford, William T. Hollenbach, Donald H. Health Physics Assistant Health. Physics Assistant Granlund, Rodger W. University Health Physicist INTERDISCIPLINARY Applied Research Lab Hughes, Thomas G. Lin, Thomas F. Research Associate Research Associate l. Ecology ' Rott1ers, Donald V. Graduate Student Environmental Resources Research Institute j: McDonnell, Archie J, Materials Research Lab ' Dayton, Gordon Sheetz, P>arry E. Resear-ch Associate Senior Research Associate 59

g- [U is t 9 p y

- 4 l'

Moses,' Paul ~ Shiau.,'S, M. L Hieroprocessor Specialist Graduate Student [ h-Newnham, Robert E. t ' Professor Solid State Sciences lL ' Halliyal, Arvind-Rohlfing, Lori L. Research Associate. . Graduate Student Pilgrim, Steven M. Runt, James P. ~ Graduate Student Associate Professor p h L INDUSTRIES Anchor / Darling Valve Company Chrysler Corporation Copes Vulcan Valve Company Honeywell il' Griessel, J, O'Donnell, J. { International Rectifier Spring, Kyle L Lockheed ~ Van Patton, Brad l Mikkelson, Inc. .J Mikkelson, Ed Pennsylvania Power and Light 1 La Buz Graham, Bernard W. Philadelphia Electric Company j Bleisten, Charles D. L ( l Raytheon d Abarca, L'ouis Mikulski, Chric Collins, S. R. Morris, Jake R. Diette, Robert N. O' Conner, T. 1 i j 60

l ) l l Errig, J. Rutstein, Michael D. ] Enriquez, G. J. Sabo, Jennifer L. j ~ Johnson,.B. J. Stransky, Donald F. 1 Johnson, R. B. Surro, Joseph M. j i RCA l ) Basile, P. C. DeMayo, Dennis ] Brucker, George Merges, John i ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES Patrick, Ruth Ii U. S. NAVAL RESEARCH LAB j MISCELLANEOUS Bikerman, Michael Lisk, Donald J. I Associate Professor of Geology Professor - College of Agriculture University of Pittsburgh Cornell University j k Brigden, M. Wutz, Mimi l Professor of Plant Science Science Teachcr l University of Connecticut Grier School j Tyrone, PA i Hrebernik, Alex Various Co-60 irradiations for l Horticultural Hobbyist high school classes' research projects 1 4 l 1 d 1 61 1 l

..{ a -7g - f i h 5, u e i, l 4 ( l l .l i A - ;l 4 P P E l L,' 4 1 D l 1 I X l 'B l- . i

.- g c t 1. APPENDIX.B FORMAL GROUP' TOURS 1 1986 Participants l July 12 Alumni. 3 15 Vocational Agriculture Teachers' Spouses 13 15 Conservation Leadership School (2) 47 1 16 Penn State Science Fiction Society 10 16 NucE 420 14 23 Lehigh valley Partnership in Educati'on (2) 46 4 - 31 Harrisburg Hospital 11 Aug 1 Enter 2000 (2) 35

5 Conservation School Group (2) 45 7

State College YMCA Day Camp 20 14 GPU Nuclear 4 i L 26 Upciose-16 l 27 Freshman Tour 9 28 NucE 444 Organizational Meeting 10 28 Nuclear Concepts Sponsors 5 28 Freshman Tour 11 29 Freshman Tour 5 Sept 13 Campaign for Penn State (2) 8 23 ANS Meeting 13 23 Thln Film Lab 8 25 Maintenance and Operations 6 Oct' 1 FERMI 11 1 NucE 401 16 2 IPAC 9 3 NET 802 9 9 PEco, Limerick 2 9 Society of Automotive Engineers 8 12 Parents Day (3) 36 16 Punxsutawney High School 23 j f 20 Speech Communication 100 11 1 I 63

o. 20 Engineering Graphics-50 (2) -33 - 25 American Society of Women Engineers 10 ~ 25 Physics Society ~ 17 29 Brad *ord Area High School 35 31 University Scholars .10 31-Chartiers-Houston High School 31 Nov .3 Junior. Science Symposium (2) 22 7 Williamson High School (2) 41 13 Wyomissing High School 8 Dec 9 Bald Eagle High School (2) 40 15 Neutron Activation Workshop 1 - 1987 Jan '13 Police Services 14 13 -NucE 445 7 14 .Methacton High School 7 15 NucE 445.(2) 8 20 Police Services 17-21 Jersey Shore High School 12 Feb 3 Entomology 456 8 11 Cumberland Valley High School 17 12 Lycoming College 3 i 16 Grier School 6 18 State College Senior High School 11 21 Engineering Open House (12) 395 23 Engineering Graphics 50 (2) 35 Mar 5 Exeter High School 9 10 Daniel Boone High School 17 12 Lycoming College 15 16 Neutron Radiography 11 18 Science Technology and Society Teachers 9 18 Elkland High School 24 18 Cowanesque High School 8 19 State College High School 25 20 Horseheads High School 23 20 Science Technology and Society Teachers 11 23 Southern Huntingdon High School 14 64

t 'N I I 24

Westmont' High School

27 12 6 '

Redland High School 25 ) 27. Wilks College 3 30 Berwick Area High School 12 t 1 Apr. 2 Grove City College 5 j 2 Old Forge High School 26 ) 3 St. Mary's High School 9 3 Ridgeway High School 24 6 Cub Scout Pack 383 16 J-10 Carmichael High School 12 =! 13 Huntingdon High School' 18 l 15 Bellefonte High School 16 16 Marion Center High School 9 24 Harbor Creek High Schcol 9 24 Titusville High Schoal 6 l 28 Juniata College (2) 6 L 29 Belleville Mennonite School 10 i l l 29 Warren Area High School (2) 36-29 OSHA 5 May 6 Cub Scouts 16 11 Juniata Valley High School 25 3 FERMI 11 1 14 State College High School 14 20 Cub Scout Pack 383, Our Lady of Victory School 25 h 27 South River High School 8 j l 28 Chestnut Ridge High School 10 I ) i\\ Total 91 Croups 1,801 l 1 i I l j l l 65 I}}