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The objective of this research is to provide the DoD with a framework based on a systematic, risk-based approach to assess impacts for management of natural resources in an ecosystem context. This risk assessment framework is consistent with, but extends beyond, the EPA's ecological risk assessment framework, and specifically addresses DoD activities and management needs. MERAF is intended to be consistent with existing procedures for environmental assessment and planning with DoD testing and training. The intention is to supplement these procedures rather than creating new procedural requirements. MERAF is suitable for use for training and testing area assessment and management. It does not include human health risks nor does it address specific permitting or compliance requirements, although it may be useful in some of these cases. Use of MERAF fits into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process by providing a consistent and rigorous way of organizing and conducting the technical analysis for Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) (Sigal 1993; Carpenter 1995; Canter and Sadler 1997). It neither conflicts with, nor replaces, procedural requirements within the NEPA process or document management processes already in place within DoD.

An ignition in an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactor results in X-ray spectra and ion fluxes moving toward the chamber wall with different velocities. During flight, parts of the energy will be deposited either in the residual and/or protective chamber gas or in the initial vapor cloud developed near the wall surface from vaporization. The deposited energy will be re-radiated to the chamber wall long after the ignition process. The exact amount of energy deposited/radiated and time of deposition are key issues in evaluating the chamber response and the economical feasibility of an ICF reactor. The radiation processes in the protective gas layer or in the vapor cloud developed above the first wall play an important role in the overall dynamics of the ICF chamber. A self-consistent field method has been developed to calculate ionization potentials, atom and ion energy levels, transition probabilities, and other atomic properties used to calculate thermodynamic and optical characteristics of the plasma by means of collisional-radiation equilibrium (CRE). The methodology of solving radiation transport equations in spherical geometry and the dependence of results on the chosen theoretical model are demonstrated using the method of inward/outward directions.

Investigation of the interactions of plutonium dioxide with water vapor and with an oxygen-hydrogen mixture show that the oxide is both chemically reactive and catalytically active. Correspondence of the chemical behavior with that for oxidation of uranium in moist air suggests that similar catalytic processes participate in the mechanism of moisture-enhanced corrosion of uranium and plutonium. Evaluation of chemical and kinetic data for corrosion of the metals leads to a comprehensive mechanism for corrosion in dry air, water vapor, and moist air. Results are applied in confirming that the corrosion rate of Pu in water vapor decreases sharply between 100 and 200 degrees C.