Argonne News 01/22

January 22, 1996

Argonne Newsis published weekly for the employees of Argonne National Laboratory by the Office of Public Affairs.

Some of this week's stories

Lab's materials science papers
rank in Science Watch's top 10

Argonne ranks in the top 10 materials science research facilities in terms of "high-impact" papers on the subject, according to a recentScience Watch newsletter.

The newsletter examined the institutions whose research reports received the most citations in other scientific papers. It also averaged the number of citations per paper. A high number of citations can indicate that an author or document has had a major impact on the field.

Argonne's research reports in materials science from 1990 through 1994 were cited 663 times, sixth among all the institutions represented. On average, each of those paper was cited 28.8 times, ranking the laboratory seventh.

Science Watch assessed papers published in 150 journals of materials science and technology. Highly cited materials-science papers fromScience andNature were also included, for a total of about 1,500 recent research reports.

The laboratory's most cited materials scientist was Richard W. Siegel, formerly of the Materials Science Division and now with Nanophase Technologies, a spinoff company in Darien based on Argonne research. Siegel's 11 papers on nanophase materials, published from 1990-94, were cited 294 times, ranking him fourth of all the "high-impact authors" listed.

Nanophase materials are composed of metal or ceramic grains less than 50 nanometers (two-millionths of an inch) in diameter, about one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair and more than 100 times smaller than powders used to make conventional ceramics. Resulting materials are stronger, more ductile and easier to form.

Nanophase ceramics and metals have been synthesized and studied at Argonne since 1985.

`Enchanted Evening' ticket sales
enter final week

Tickets for Argonne Club's "One Enchanted Evening"of dining and dancing will be sold in Argonne-East's Building 213 cafeteria at lunchtime during the week of Jan. 22.

Marking the beginning of Argonne's 50th anniversary, the event will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Willowbrook Ballroom, 8900 S. Archer Road, Willow Springs.

Bob Benson and the Willowbrook Orchestra, featuring torch singer Nancy Hays, will perform "the romantic hits of yesteryear," including selections by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.

Tickets are $30 per person and include hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dessert. A cash bar will be available. Seating is limited.

For more information, call Morgenthaler at ext. 2-2725.

Argonne at 50: Revolutionary reactor
makes a splash aboard U.S.S.Nautilus

The second in a biweekly series of articles recalling key events in the history of Argonne National Laboratory. Founded as America's first national laboratory in 1946, Argonne is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 1996 .

Forty-two years ago, on Jan. 21, 1954, the culmination of one of Argonne National Laboratory's most important early research projects slid down a ramp into the icy waters off Groton, Conn. aboard the U.S.S. Nautilus. Today, descendants of the revolutionary nuclear reactor aboard the the world's first atomic-powered submarine provide electricity to homes and businesses around the world.

Argonne scientists and engineers performed much of the early materials research and design and feasibility studies for theNautilus reactor. Some of that reactor's basic concepts are used in today's commercial nuclear power plants.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Argonne is a direct descendant of the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, where Enrico Fermi oversaw the construction and testing of the world's first reactor, Chicago Pile 1. By the late 1940s, Argonne was already one of the world's premier centers of nuclear power research and development.

Nuclear power was still in its infancy when the decision was made to use an atomic reactor to power a submarine. Chicago Pile 1 had been built only six years before Argonne's Naval Reactor Division was formed in 1948. Over the next six years, the division helped turn the atomic ship engine from a concept into a reality.

Researchers faced many difficult problems in trying to design a high-efficiency nuclear reactor that would fit into the tight confines of a submarine hull and produce enough energy to drive the ship.

They settled on using high-pressure water to cool the reactor core, a scheme very different from previous reactors.

Argonne metallurgists had to combat the corrosive nature of high-temperature water, which was aggravated by high radiation inside the reactor. Their extensive tests of metals and alloys improved the general understanding of water corrosion. To monitor the reactor's condition, Argonne created and tested many new instruments, including neutron, hydrogen and leak detectors.

The first prototype, Submarine Thermal Reactor Mark I, was completed in 1953 by Westinghouse Corp. at what is now the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. STR Mark II was installed in theNautilus, launched the following year.

A marvel of its day, theNautilus was the world's first true submarine, capable of operating underwater almost indefinitely. Previous submarines were really "diving boats," dependent on air-breathing diesel engines for long-distance travel and short-lived battery power for slow underwater mobility.

Nuclear reactors do not need air, so they operate just as efficiently underwater as on the surface.Nautilus could travel 50,000 miles without refueling or overhauling and could stay submerged for many days while traveling at up to 20 knots. It was 323 feet (98.4 meters) long and carried a crew of 105.

In August 1958, under the direction of Commander William R. Anderson,Nautilus made the first polar transit from Point Barrow, Alaska, to the Greenland Sea, traveling 1,830 miles under the polar ice cap and demonstrating the potential of nuclear-powered submarines.

Nautilus was decommissioned in 1980. It is now on public display at the shipyards where it was built.

The ship's reactor and its operating procedures became the prototype for most of world's commercial nuclear power plants. These plants now supply more than 20 percent of the United States' electricity. The Naval Reactor Program also inspired efficient safety and control methods -- essential with the limited crew in a submarine. Former U.S. Navy "nucs" operate many of the nation's nuclear power plants today.

Argonne Director to speak
at chemical society meeting

Argonne Director Alan Schriesheim will speak on "Perpetual Motion: America's National Labs in Transition" at the American Chemical Society's monthly meeting Friday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 p.m.

The meeting is open to the public and will take place at the Wellington of Arlington, 2121 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights.

Schramm to discuss
`Frontiers in Cosmology'

David Schramm will speak on "Frontiers in Cosmology" at an Argonne Topics seminar at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 23, in the APS Conference Center Auditorium (Building 402).

This just in: Schramm will be available for informal discussion before his talk, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Schramm is the University of Chicago's Louis Block Professor in Division of Physical Sciences and vice-president for research.

His research has focused on the theoretical studies of astrophysics, cosmology and dark matter. He has also studied stellar evolution and supernovae, neutrino astrophysics, nucleochronology, black holes and particle physics. Schramm's recent research on cosmic rays, published inScience magazine, hints at a cosmological source for the most energetic cosmic rays.

Schramm was named the University of Chicago's vice-president for research in October 1995. He is responsible for coordinating academic and scientific relationships with Argonne. He leads the university's analysis of, and response to, government science and research policies. Working with the provost, Schramm chairs the University Research Council and oversees the Office of Research Administration.

For more information on the Argonne Topics seminar series, contact Jill Morgenthaler (OPA) at ext. 2-2725.

Exercise may cause `unusual sights'

A sitewide emergency simulation exercise will take place Friday, Jan. 26 at Argonne-East.

Employees may notice an increase in radio transmissions that day, as well as unusual activity and vehicles in the 200 area.

Argonne honored for support
of national guard, reservists

The Illinois Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has recognized Argonne for the laboratory's leadership and initiative in support of employees in the Illinois National Guard and armed forces reservists.

The laboratory was presented with the State Chairman Award and recognized for its support, through personnel policies and procedures, of military training for those in the guard and reserves. Argonne was one of 10 employers honored by the committee during its annual awards banquet held in Springfield.

Interest rates set
for retirement plans

Current rates for fixed interest accounts in Argonne's retirement plans are:

Fund Contributions made from Rate Earned, Thru
TIAA Regular 01/01/96 -02/29/96 6.25%, 02/29/96
TIAA Supplemental 01/01/96 -02/29/96 5.75%, 02/29/96
Prudential Fixed
Interest Account*		 07/01/95 - 06/30/96 6.89%, 06/30/96
Prudential Guaranteed
Interest Account		 01/01/96 - 03/31/96 5.65%, 12/31/97
UNUM (Old Account) 01/01/96 -12/31/96 3.50%, 12/31/96
UNUM "NO Load"** 02/01/96 - 12/31/96 5.75%, 12/31/96

* Non-Staff Retirement Plan Only
** The minimum guaranteed interest rate for 1996 is 5 percent for this account

Deadline Information

Deadline for all materials isMonday at 5 p.m.

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