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ORNL Review v19n4

Vol. 19, No. 4, ( 1986)
  • Sizing Up Contaminated Properties: A Saga of ORNL's Western Pioneers. Employees at ORNL's new office in Grand Junction, Colorado, have surveyed hundreds of radon-emitting properties for DOE's Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. The office also is responsible for several innovations that are expected to save the project millions of dollars.
  • Genetic Risks of Using Ethylene Oxide. New ORNL studies on the mutagenicity of ethylene oxide in mice suggest that regulations may be needed to limit brief exposures to the gas, which is widely used by health care workers to sterilize medical supplies.
  • Human Gene Therapy: A Look at a Cutting Edge of Biomedical Science. Gene therapy—implanting appropriate genes in cells to correct genetic disorders—is being considered for widespread use in humans with inherited diseases. The author, who is a member of a national committee that considers the technical, ethical, and social implications of this biomedical technology, discusses the technical merits and problems of human gene therapy and current recommendations on its future use.
  • Survey Sampling: A Useful Tool for Scientific Investigation. Scientists at ORNL have used statistics and survey sampling to ensure accuracy in their research results. Examples include determining the proportion of transuranic wastes in waste mixtures and estimating the size of fish populations at various sites. The author presents a primer on conducting a survey.
  • Nuclear Sleuthing at ORNL: A New Look at Neutron Activation Analysis. Scientists at ORNL have helped develop neutron-activation analysis, which has been used for 50 years to identify and quantify elements, such as uranium, in materials. They will advance the science at the expanded NAA facility at the High Flux Isotope Reactor.
  • ORNL's Forays into Forensic Activation Analysis. In the 1960s ORNL activation-analysis experts helped evaluate the evidence from the Kennedy assassination and two highly publicized murder trials.
Departments
  • News Notes. ORNL's involvement in CERN physics experiment; plans for ACTO, a nuclear-plant advanced controls facility; another Large Coil Test Program milestone.
  • Technical Capsules. ORNL's three IR 100 award-winning projects; new method of detecting wear in motor-operated valves; designing a reactor for space.
  • Take a Number
  • Awards and Appointments
ORNL Review v19n3

Vol. 19, No. 3, ( 1986)

 Departments
ORNL Review v19n2

Vol. 19, No. 2, ( 1986)
  • State of the Laboratory—1985: How Service Groups Support Research. In this updated report of his February 10, 1986, address to the staff, ORNL Director Herman Postma salutes the work of the Laboratory's support and services organizations in maintaining ORNL as a high-quality research facility. Services mentioned by Postma range from computerized library services and health risk information to the fabrication of large-scale breeder test equipment. Technical highlights include the development of a novel bioelectronic photosynthetic material for water splitting, an analytical technique to aid in the design of more efficient absorption heat pumps for heating and cooling buildings, a "smarter" robot, a method of using "bugs" to liquefy coal, and a computerized ultrasonic system for mapping "hot spots" on properties in the West having radioactive uranium mill tailings. Postma also notes ORNL's award-winning achievements.
  • Superconducting Magnets for Fusion Energy: The Story Behind the Six Coils. The International Fusion Superconducting Magnet Test Facility at ORNL now contains its full array of six large superconducting magnet coils. The coils were designed and built under ORNL's direction over the past 10 years by groups in Japan, Switzerland, the European Atomic Energy Community, and three U.S. firms. This article presents the story behind the coils and the status of the testing program to compare the technical performance, reliability, and economics of different coil designs that could be used to contain plasmas in fusion devices that could generate useful electrical power.
Departments
  • Books. Global Energy: Assessing the Future is reviewed by Bud Perry of the Energy Division.
  • News Notes. ORNL and Japan collaborate on fission R&D; isotope facilities named nuclear historic landmark; inventors honored; technology-transfer workshop sparks industrial interest.
  • Take a Number
  • Awards and Appointments
ORNL Review v19n1

Vol. 19, No. 1, ( 1986)

 Departments
  • Editorial. The nuclear power option must be kept alive
  • Awards and Appointments
  • Take a Number
  • News Notes. Six ORNL-UT Distinguished Scientists appointed; Voyager space probe (which is carrying an ORNL-made alloy) has close encounter with Uranus; ORNL officials tell congressional committees of budget impacts
  • Books. The Nuclear Connection: A reassessment of Nuclear Power and Nuclear Proliferation_ (edited by Alvin Weinberg et al.) is reviewed