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University of California Engineering and Sciences Extension From the time of the first nuclear explosion, thoughts have turned t o using this iicw power for constructive and scientific purposes. The successful development of thermonuclear explosivcs and ths extension to release of fusion energy witha smell fission contribution has added additional impetus to ideas for possible duccd per unit of energy rc lease because fusion fuels are cheap and abundznt and, (2) radioactivity effects can be rcduccd because the products of fusion explosions are inherently radioactive and therefore some limitation on total activity produced can bc exercised. A s an indication of what has been accomplished, the AEC has announced that charges for the dctonation and associated s afc ty studies of million ton cxplosion would be about $1,000,000. costs of the chcepest chen i ccl explosive for which a million tons would cost at least $400,000,000. In addition,the President onnounced that explosions inthe million ton range can be produced i n which only 5% of the energy release is from the radioactive fission reaction. The inportence of the newer developments are (1) costs can be r e - This night be compared with The AEC inits wcapons development program hns dctonated a large number of explosions renging i n energy rc las e from I few ttns of tons up to several millions of tous TM: equivalent. Thesl-5 explosions have occurred under water, Underground, on the surface, End high inthe air. about the opc rational effects of air-blast on structures, rcadioactivc fallout and flrsh.Asa consequecce, proved methods are available for forecasting mcgnitudes of c ffcc ts 02 cir - blast on light structures like windows at long, distances, which i s coroplicated by the fact that ue te oro logical conditions drastic cl ly affect the r csu lts.Similarly,the prediction of fallout patterns has provcd t o be succcssful. In this experience much has been learned Inthe last fcw years eight explosions have been set off underground at thc Ncvcdn Test Site. From this experience it has been learned under what conditions radioactivity mcy be couplete l y trcppcd underground. Also mecsurements of ground notioil and seismic: studies have permitted the cvaluatioii of the expccted c ffcc ts of such explosions on surface and underground installations axid therefore safe distances for operation. Thrce of the explosions were at shallow depths with thE; rc sul t that craters were formed which indicated the earth-noving potential of thc Bcscd on this expericnce, a program, the PK MX ARE program, has been dcvcloped t o review various pos sibi li tics of constructive applications of nuclear explosivcs. So -far, two concrcte proposr.ls f o r experiments have been approved by t h c United IS tc tc s Atomic Energy Comission. cz (1) the Chariot expcrirnent i s dcsigncd t o develop more information on thc rn cnrth-moving cc pcb ili ties of nuclear explosions. It i s planned as a small harbor -,a Lxpcriincnt i n northwcstern Alcska. tl thrcc 20 kiloton arid two 200 kiloton explosions buried t o contain most of thu F radioactivity to provide a channel 250 yards by 600 ycrds orld c turning basin 600 yards by 1000 yards. The prescnt plan cnvisugcs t h c dctonation of
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.* (2) the .Gnome experiment planned for New Mexico is designed as a first step inthe study of the power production possibilities of nuclear explosives.. In this experiment, a few kiloton exp los iom will be set off ina deep bed of natural salt with the hope of producing a subterranean heat reservoir from which the extraction of encrgy can be studied. I n addition, an isotope production experiment using t h e neutrons released by the reaction will be included. An additional experiment i s planned t o study the possibility of releasing oil If successful, a pool of o i l would be formed which could then from the Athabaskn tar sands by exploding u device below the oil bearing layer t o looscn and heat it. bc pumped tothe surface. Other projects in the:early study phase are experiments to shatter oil shale formations t o permit retorting in place, water resource development, and low-grade oi*c studies. Longer range programs envisage experiments i n various media toget duction of fresh water from salt water, and experiments t o explore the feasibility of causing important chemical reactions to occur.
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University of California Engineering and Sciences Extension Nuclear Technology Survey (July 1959) ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION REGULATIONS AFFECTING INDUSTRY James R. Mason, Chief Division of Licensing and Regulation The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 gave the Atomic Energy Commission authority for peaceful uses of atomic energy. The cri teri at o distribute radioisotopes for the use of radiGisotopes were not well defined at this time and the progrtim was carried out by administrative orders to.radioisotope users. Formnl criteria for distribution of radioisotopes were published in April The regulation was revised i n accordance with thi- Atomic Energy Act of1951. 1954 and Title 10, Codc of Fc der al Regulztions, Part 30, "Licensing of Byproduct Material" became an c ffcc ti ve regulation in Februclry 1956. established the criteria for issuance of lice nsk s.A license is issucd ifthe (1) Proposed a use authorized by the act. (2) Equipment and facilities edequate to protect health and miuimize danger to life or property. (3) Personnel qualified by training and cxptxiencc t o use the material forth t proposcd use i n such manner as to protect health and minimize danger to lift ! or propcrty. The Commission's rc gul c tory program includes the review of all devices conMcnufzcturcrs of such devices art rcquired t o subuit dctailling byproduct mcterial. t nil cd information on the design specifications, lubcling, and use of th? devices. These include sealcd sourccs, radiography equipment, All licensees are rcquircd t o neet the provisions of Title 10, Codc. of monitoring, the signs and labels which licensees tmst have, then quire nc nts for disposal of wtistts, an2 the kind of records which liccnsccs nust kacp. This regulation des crib cs the ptr miss i ble rc dio tion dose I n order t o deterr:iinr. if licensel:s m e conducting thcir program within the scope of the regulations md thc terms and coriditions of the irl icc n sts,a program of inspection was st c lr ted in 1957. the type acd quantity of iso't@pes t o bs uscd. For tre-cer studies,a regular that thc radio iso to pts mcly be hmdled safely End eff ict i vil y. The fcc ili ties foy c::rrying out nn industrial radioisotope progrcm vary with