This report summarizes progress from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program during fiscal year 1997. In addition to a programmatic and financial overview, the report includes progress reports from 218 individual R&D projects in eleven categories. Theses reports are grouped into the following areas: materials science and technology; computer sciences; electronics and photonics; phenomenological modeling and engineering simulation; manufacturing science and technology; life-cycle systems engineering; information systems; precision sensing and analysis; environmental sciences; risk and reliability; national grand challenges; focused technologies; and reserve.

In 1996 the Kalispell Natural Resource Department (KNRD) in conjunction with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) continued the implementation of a habitat and population enhancement project for bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), westslope cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). A habitat and population assessment was conducted on Browns Creek a tributary of Cee Cee Ah Creek, one of the priority tributaries outlined in the 1995 annual report. The assessment was used to determine the type and quality of habitat that was limiting to native bull trout and cutthroat trout populations. Analysis of the habitat data indicated high amounts of sediment in the stream, low bank cover, and a lack of winter habitat. Data collected from this assessment was used to prescribe habitat enhancement measures for Browns Creek. Habitat enhancement measures, as outlined in the recommendations from the 1995 annual report, were conducted during field season 1996. Fencing and planting of riparian areas and in stream structures were implemented. As a precursor to these enhancement efforts, pre-assessments were conducted to determine the affects of the enhancement. Habitat quality, stream morphology and fish populations were pre-assessed. The construction of the largemouth bass hatchery was started in October …

The overall goal of this project was to improve the efficiency of miscible C0{sub 2} floods and enhance the prospects for flooding heterogeneous reservoirs. This objective was accomplished through experimental and modeling research in three task areas: (1) foams for selective mobility control in heterogeneous reservoirs,( 2) reduction of the amount of C0{sub 2} required in C0{sub 2} floods, and (3) low IFT processe and the possibility of C0{sub 2} flooding in fractured reservoirs. This report provides results from the three-year project for each of the three task areas.

In order to develop a clearer understanding of the demographics of the U.S. particle physics workforce, the US Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the Division of Particles and Fields of the American Physical Society commissioned a survey and census of particle physicists employed in the United States. This survey and census were conducted in 1995, with an update of the census in April 1997. The agencies and the scientific community were represented for the 1995 efforts by Dr. Robert Woods (DOE), Dr. William Chinowsky (NSF), and Prof. Uriel Nauenberg (DPF); for the current census, by Dr. Robert Diebold (DOE), Dr. Marvin Goldberg (NSF), and Dr. Patricia Rankin (NSF). The survey/census were carried out with the assistance of the Particle Data Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In order to obtain an accurate study of the current workforce and of future needs, we requested that all HEP physicists fill out and return the 1995 survey. There were 2494 respondents. For the 1997 census, a representative of each university and laboratory was asked to provide information on all persons at that institution who spend at least 50% of their research time on particle physics. In some cases this includes …

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grand Junction Office (GJO) occupies a 61.7-acre facility along the Gunnison River near Grand Junction, Colorado. This site was contaminated with uranium ore concentrates and mill tailings during vanadium refining activities of the Manhattan Engineer District, and during sampling, assaying, pilot milling, storage, and brokerage activities conducted for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission`s domestic uranium procurement program. The DOE Defense Decontamination and Decommissioning Program established the GJO Remedial Action Project (GJORAP) to clean up and restore the facility lands, improvements, and underlying aquifer. WASTREN-Grand Junction is the site contractor for the facility and the remedial action contractor for GJORAP. Building 11 and the underlying soil were found not to be radiologically contaminated; therefore, the building can be released for unrestricted use. Placards have been placed at the building entrances indicating the completion of the radiological release survey and prohibiting the introduction of any radioactive materials within the building without written approvals from the GJO Facilities Operations Manager. This document was prepared in response to a DOE-GJO request for an individual final release report for each GJO building.

Jet mixer pumps are currently the baseline technology for sludge mobilization and mixing in one-million gallon double-shell tanks at the Hanford and Savannah River Sites. Improvements to the baseline jet mixer pump technology are sought because jet mixer pumps have moving parts that may fail or require maintenance. Moreover, jet mixers are relatively expensive, they heat the waste, and, in some cases, may not mobilize enough of the sludge. This report documents a thorough literature search for commercially available applicable mixing technologies that could be used for double-shell tank sludge mobilization and mixing. Textbooks, research articles, conference proceedings, mixing experts, and the Thomas Register were consulted to identify applicable technologies. While there are many commercial methods that could be used to mobilize sludge or mix the contents of a one-million gallon tank, few will work given the geometrical constraints (e.g., the mixer must fit through a 1.07-m-diameter riser) or the tank waste properties (e.g., the sludge has such a high yield stress that it generally does not flow under its own weight). Pulsed fluid jets and submersible Flygt mixers have already been identified at Hanford and Savannah River Sites for double-shell tank mixing applications. While these mixing technologies may not …

This brochure presents a broad look at photovoltaic-powered buildings. It includes residential and commercial systems, both stand-alone and connected to utility power, that are located in urban, near-urban, and rural settings around the world. As photovoltaic (PV) technology continues to improve and costs drop, opportunities for PV will multiply. PV systems for buildings, such as those shown here, represent one of the strongest near-term markets.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grand Junction Office (GJO) occupies a 61.7-acre facility along the Gunnison River near Grand Junction, Colorado. This site was contaminated with uranium ore concentrates and mill tailing during vanadium refining activities of the Manhattan Engineer District, and during sampling, assaying, pilot milling, storage, and brokerage activities conducted for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission`s domestic uranium procurement program. The DOE Defense Decontamination and Decommissioning Program established the GJO Remedial Action Project (GJORAP) to clean up and restore the facility lands, improvements, and underlying aquifer. WASTREN-Grand Junction is the site contractor for the facility and the remedial action contractor for GJORAP. Building 29 and the underlying soil were found not to be radiologically contaminated; therefore, the building can be released for unrestricted use. Placards have been placed at the building entrances indicating the completion of the radiological release survey and prohibiting the introduction of any radioactive materials within the building without written approvals from the GJO Facilities Operations Manager. This document was prepared in response to a DOE-GJO request for an individual final release report for each GJO building.

This report describes the Offsite Radiation Safety Program. This laboratory operated an environmental radiation monitoring program in the region surrounding the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and at former test sites in Alaska, Colorado, Mississippi, Nevada, and New Mexico. The surveillance program is designed to measure levels and trends of radioactivity, if present, in the environment surrounding testing areas to ascertain whether current radiation levels and associated doses to the general public are in compliance with existing radiation protection standards. The surveillance program additionally has the responsibility to take action to protect the health and well being of the public in the event of any accidental release of radioactive contaminants. Offsite levels of radiation and radioactivity are assessed by sampling milk, water, and air; by deploying thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs); and using pressurized ionization chambers (PICs). No nuclear weapons testing was conducted in 1996 due to the continuing nuclear test moratorium. During this period, R and IE personnel maintained readiness capability to provide direct monitoring support if testing were to be resumed and ascertained compliance with applicable EPA, DOE, state, and federal regulations and guidelines. Comparison of the measurements and sample analysis results with background levels and with appropriate standards and regulations …

In 1995 the Kalispel Natural Resource Department (KNRD) in conjunction with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) initiated the implementation of a habitat and population enhancement project for bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Habitat and population assessments were conducted in seven tributaries of the Box Canyon reach of the Pend Oreille River. Assessments were used to determine the types and quality of habitat that were limiting to native bull trout and cutthroat trout populations. Assessments were also used to determine the effects of interspecific competition within these streams. A bull trout and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) hybridization assessment was conducted to determine the degree of hybridization between these two species. Analysis of the habitat data indicated high rates of sediment and lack of wintering habitat. The factors that contribute to these conditions have the greatest impact on habitat quality for the tributaries of concern. Population data suggested that brook trout have less stringent habitat requirements; therefore, they have the potential to outcompete the native salmonids in areas of lower quality habitat. No hybrids were found among the samples, which is most likely attributable to the limited number of …

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The objective of this cooperative research effort between Washington University, Ohio State University and Exxon Research and Engineering Company is to improve the basis for scale-up and operation of slurry bubble column reactors for syngas conversion and other coal conversion processes by increased reliance on experimentally verified hydrodynamic models. The first year of this three year program was spent on developing and tuning the experimental tools that can provide accurate measurement of pertinent hydrodynamic quantities, such as velocity field and holdup distribution, for validation of hydrodynamic models. Advances made in preparing the unique Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracing (CARPT) technique for use in high pressure systems are described in this report The work done on developing a reliable beat transfer coefficient measurement probe at operating conditions of interest is also described. Finally, the work done in preparing the Exxon pilot plant facilities for high pressure runs and pertinent hydrodynamic measurements is outlined together with preliminary studies of matching the fluid dynamics program predictions and data in a two dimensional column.

Ten years ago, the Advanced Light Source (ALS) existed as a set of drawings, calculations, and ideas. Four years ago, it stored an electron beam for the first time. Today, the ALS has moved from those ideas and beginnings to a robust, third-generation synchrotron user facility, with eighteen beam lines in use, many more in planning or construction phases, and hundreds of users from around the world. Progress from concepts to realities is continuous as the scientific program, already strong in many diverse areas, moves in new directions to meet the needs of researchers into the next century. ALS staff members who develop and maintain the infrastructure for this research are similarly unwilling to rest on their laurels. As a result, the quality of the photon beams the authors deliver, as well as the support they provide to users, continues to improve. The ALS Activity Report is designed to share the results of these efforts in an accessible form for a broad audience. The Scientific Program section, while not comprehensive, shares the breadth, variety, and interest of recent research at the ALS. (The Compendium of User Abstracts and Technical Reports provides a more comprehensive and more technical view.) The Facility …

The Electric Power Monthly (EPM) presents monthly electricity statistics for a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the electric utility industry, and the general public. The purpose of this publication is to provide energy decisionmakers with accurate and timely information that may be used in forming various perspectives on electric issues that lie ahead. The EIA collected the information in this report to fulfill its data collection and dissemination responsibilities as specified in the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275) as amended. 63 tabs.

This DOE-funded research into seismic detection of natural fractures is one of six projects within the DOE`s Detection and Analysis of Naturally Fractured Gas Reservoirs Program, a multidisciplinary research initiative to develop technology for prediction, detection, and mapping of naturally fractured gas reservoirs. The demonstration of successful seismic techniques to locate subsurface zones of high fracture density and to guide drilling orientation for enhanced fracture permeability will enable better returns on investments in the development of the vast gas reserves held in tight formations beneath the Rocky Mountains. The seismic techniques used in this project were designed to capture the azimuthal anisotropy within the seismic response. This seismic anisotropy is the result of the symmetry in the rock fabric created by aligned fractures and/or unequal horizontal stresses. These results may be compared and related to other lines of evidence to provide cross-validation. The authors undertook investigations along the following lines: Characterization of the seismic anisotropy in three-dimensional, P-wave seismic data; Characterization of the seismic anisotropy in a nine-component (P- and S-sources, three-component receivers) vertical seismic profile; Characterization of the seismic anisotropy in three-dimensional, P-to-S converted wave seismic data (P-wave source, three-component receivers); and Description of geological and reservoir-engineering data that …

This periodical covers the results of inspections performed by the NRC`s Special Inspection Branch, Vendor Inspection Section, that have been distributed to the inspected organizations during the period from October 1996 through December 1996.

The Coal and Electric Data and Renewables Division; Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy prepares the EPM. This publication provides monthly statistics at the State, Census division, and U.S. levels for net generation, fossil fuel consumption and stocks, quantity and quality of fossil fuels, cost of fossil fuels, electricity retail sales, associated revenue, and average revenue per kilowatthour of electricity sold. In addition, data on net generation, fuel consumption, fuel stocks, quantity and cost of fossil fuels are also displayed for the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) regions. The EIA publishes statistics in the EPM on net generation by energy source; consumption, stocks, quantity, quality, and cost of fossil fuels; and capability of new generating units by company and plant.

Designated as the first of seven National Environmental Research Parks (NERPs) by the Atomic Energy Commission (now the Department of Energy), the Savannah River Site (SRS) is an important ecological component of the Southeastern Mixed Forest Ecoregion located along the Savannah River south of Aiken, South Carolina. Integral to the Savannah River Site NERP are the DOE Research Set-Aside Areas. Scattered across the SRS, these thirty tracts of land have been set aside for ecological research and are protected from public access and most routine Site maintenance and forest management activities. Ranging in size from 8.5 acres (3.44 ha) to 7,364 acres (2,980 ha), the thirty Set-Aside Areas total 14,005 acres (5,668 ha) and comprise approximately 7% of the Site`s total area. This system of Set-Aside Areas originally was established to represent the major plant communities and habitat types indigenous to the SRS (old-fields, sandhills, upland hardwood, mixed pine/hardwood, bottomland forests, swamp forests, Carolina bays, and fresh water streams and impoundments), as well as to preserve habitats for endangered, threatened, or rare plant and animal populations. Many long-term ecological studies are conducted in the Set-Asides, which also serve as control areas in evaluations of the potential impacts of SRS operations …

This appendix provides the radionuclide inventory data used for the Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 6 Performance Assessment (PA). The uncertainties in the radionuclide inventory data are also provided, along with the descriptions of the methods used to estimate the uncertainties.

The Nash Draw Brushy Canyon Pool in Eddy County New Mexico is a field demonstration in the U. S. Department of Energy Class IH Program. Advanced reservoir characterization techniques are being used at the Nash Draw project to develop reservoir management strategies for optimizing oil recovery from this Delaware reservoir. Analysis, interpretation, and integration of recently acquired geological, geophysical, and engineering data revealed that the initial reservoir description was too simplistic to capture the critical features of this complex formation. As a result of the analysis, a proposed pilot area was reconsidered. Comparison of seismic data and engineering data have shown evidence of discontinuities in the area surrounding the proposed injector. Analysis of the 3-D seismic has shown that wells in the proposed pilot are in an area of poor quality amplitude development. The implication is that since amplitude attenuation is a function of porosity, then this is not the best area to be attempting a pilot pressure maintenance project. Because the original pilot area appears to be compartmentalized, the lateral continuity between the pilot wells could be reduced. The 3-D seismic interpretation indicates other areas may be better suited for the initial pilot area. Therefore, the current focus has …

As part of the Advanced Technologies for International and Intermodal Ports of Entry (ATIPE) Project, a diverse group of stakeholders was engaged to help identify problems experienced at inland international border crossings, particularly those at the US-Mexican border. The fundamental issue at international ports of entry is reducing transit time through the required documentation and inspection processes. Examples of other issues or problems, typically manifested as time delays at border crossings, repeatedly mentioned by stakeholders include: (1) lack of document standardization; (2) failure to standardize inspection processes; (3) inadequate information and communications systems; (4) manual fee and tariff collection; (5) inconsistency of processes and procedures; and (6) suboptimal cooperation among governmental agencies. Most of these issues can be addressed to some extent by the development of advanced technologies with the objective of allowing ports of entry to become more efficient while being more effective. Three categories of technologies were unambiguously of high priority to port of entry stakeholders: (1) automated documentation; (2) systems integration; and (3) vehicle and cargo tracking. Together, these technologies represent many of the technical components necessary for pre-clearance of freight approaching international ports of entry. Integration of vehicle and cargo tracking systems with port of entry …

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grand Junction Office (GJO) occupies a 61.7-acre facility along the Gunnison River near Grand Junction, Colorado. This site was contaminated with uranium ore concentrates and mill tailings during vanadium refining activities of the Manhattan Engineer District, and during sampling, assaying, pilot milling, storage, and brokerage activities conducted for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission`s domestic uranium procurement program. The DOE Defense Decontamination and Decommissioning Program established the GJO Remedial Action Project (GJORAP) to clean up and restore the facility lands, improvements, and underlying aquifer. WASTREN-Grand Junction is the site contractor for the facility and the remedial action contractor for GJORAP. Building 54 and the underlying soil were found not to be radiologically contaminated, and can be released for unrestricted use. Placards have been placed at the building entrances indicating the completion of the radiological release survey and prohibiting the introduction of any radioactive materials within the building without written approvals from the GJO Facilities Operations Manager. This document was prepared in response to a DOE-GJO request for an individual release report for each GJO building.

Time-resolved mass spectrometry and time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy are used to study the ultrafast photodissociation dynamics of chlorine dioxide, an important constituent in stratospheric ozone depletion. Chapter 1 introduces these pump/probe techniques, in which a femtosecond pump pulse excites a molecule to a dissociative state. At a later time, a second femtosecond probe pulse ionizes the molecule. The resulting mass and photoelectron spectra are acquired as a function of the delay between the pump and probe pulses, which follows the evolution of the molecule on the excited state. A comparison to other techniques used to study reaction dynamics is discussed. Chapter 2 includes a detailed description of the design and construction of the experimental apparatus, which consists of a femtosecond laser system, a molecular beam time-of-flight spectrometer, and a data acquisition system. The time-of-flight spectrometer is specifically designed to have a short flight distance to maximize the photoelectron collection efficiency without degrading the resolution, which is limited by the bandwidth of the femtosecond laser system. Typical performance of the apparatus is demonstrated in a study of the time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of nitric oxide. The results of the time-resolved mass spectrometry experiments of chlorine dioxide are presented in Chapter 3. Upon excitation …

The purpose of this independent assessment was to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with an independent verification (IV) that the soil at the Grand Junction Projects Office (GJPO) complies with applicable DOE guidelines. Oak Ridge National Laboratory/ Environmental Technology Section (ORNL/ETS) which is also located at the GJPO, was assigned by DOE as the Independent Verification Contractor (IVC). The assessment included reviews of the decontamination and decommissioning plan, annual environmental monitoring reports, data in the pre- and post-remedial action reports, reassessment reports and IV surveys. Procedures and field methods used during the remediation were reviewed, commented on, and amended as needed. The IV surveys included beta-gamma and gamma radiation scans, soil sampling and analyses. Based on the data presented in the post-remedial action report and the results of the IV surveys, the remediation of the outdoor portions of the GJPO has achieved the objectives. Residual deposits of uranium contamination may exist under asphalt because the original characterization was not designed to identify uranium and subsequent investigations were limited. The IVC recommends that this be addressed with the additional remediation. The IVC is working with the remedial action contractor (RAC) to assure that final documentation WM be sufficient for …