This supplement to the NRA Distributed Access User's manual (PNL-7877), November 1991, describes installation and use of Version 1.1 of the software package; this is not a replacement of the previous manual. Version 1.1 of the NRA Distributed Access Package is a maintenance release. It eliminates several bugs, and includes a few new features which are described in this manual. Although the appearance of some menu screens has changed, we are confident that the Version 1.0 User's Manual will provide an adequate introduction to the system. Users who are unfamiliar with Version 1.0 may wish to experiment with that version before moving on to Version 1.1.

This supplement to the NRA Distributed Access User`s manual (PNL-7877), November 1991, describes installation and use of Version 1.1 of the software package; this is not a replacement of the previous manual. Version 1.1 of the NRA Distributed Access Package is a maintenance release. It eliminates several bugs, and includes a few new features which are described in this manual. Although the appearance of some menu screens has changed, we are confident that the Version 1.0 User`s Manual will provide an adequate introduction to the system. Users who are unfamiliar with Version 1.0 may wish to experiment with that version before moving on to Version 1.1.

This report describes the technical progress on a project to design and construct a multichannel geophone array that improves tomographic imaging capabilities in both surface and underground mines. Especially important in the design of the array is sensor placement. One issue related to sensor placement is addressed in this report: the method for clamping the sensor once it is emplaced in the borehole. If the sensors (geophones) are not adequately coupled to the surrounding rock mass, the resulting data will be of very poor quality. Improved imaging capabilities will produce energy, environmental, and economic benefits by increasing exploration accuracy and reducing operating costs.

The Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Office maintains two distinct records handling areas. One of the areas is maintained by a Technical Assistance Contractor (TAC), and is referred to as the UMTRA Project Document Control Center (UPDCC). The UPDCC manages all UMTRA records except those dealing with contracts, personnel, budgeting, finance, and any other documents which are of a purely administrative nature. The second area, the UMTRA Project Administrative Files Collection (UPAFC), contains all those records listed above that are not managed by the UPDCC. This Records Management Plan (RMP) for the UPAFC will be the framework for identifying the elements and activities that relate to the management and operational aspects involved in the handling of UPAFC. Guidelines for the program will be obtained from US Department of Energy (DOE) Orders. DOE Orders implement the guidelines issued by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the final authority for records management. The RMP will address the life cycle of records, including their creation, maintenance, use, and disposition.

Mine-to-Mill optimization is a total systems approach to the reduction of energy and cost in mining and mineral processing operations. Developed at the Julius Krutschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) in Queensland, Australia, the Mine-to-Mill approach attempts to minimize energy consumption through the optimization of all steps in the size reduction process. The approach involves sampling and modeling of blasting and processing, followed by computer simulation to optimize the operation and develop alternatives. The most promising alternatives are implemented, and sampling is conducted to quantify energy savings. In the current project, the primary objective is to adapt the JKMRC Mine-to-Mill technology to the aggregates industry. The second phase of this project is being carried out at the Pittsboro Quarry located south of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This quarry is owned by 3M Corporation and operated by Luck Stone. Based on lessons learned from the first phase work, long-term monitoring ({approx} three months) of all quarry operations is being carried out to minimize the impact of geological changes during the mining process. To date, the blasting and processing operations have been audited and modeled, the long-term monitoring of current Luck Stone practice has been completed, and a modified blasting approach has been …

This project seeks a fundamental understanding and major improvement in cesium separation from high-level waste by cesium-selective calixcrown extractants. Systems of particular interest involve novel solvent-extraction systems containing specific members of the calix[4]arene-crown-6 family, alcohol solvating agents, and alkylamines. Questions being addressed bear upon cesium binding strength, extraction selectivity, cesium stripping, and extractant solubility. Enhanced properties in this regard will specifically benefit applied projects funded by the USDOE Office of Environmental Management to clean up sites such as the Savannah River Site (SRS), Hanford, and the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory. The most direct beneficiary will be the SRS Salt Processing Project, which has recently identified the Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) process employing a calixcrown as its preferred technology for cesium removal from SRS high-level tank waste.

Efficient recovery of petroleum reserves from existing oil wells has been proven to be difficult due to the lack of robust instrumentation that can accurately and reliably monitor processes in the downhole environment. Commercially available sensors for measurement of pressure, temperature, and fluid flow exhibit shortened lifetimes in the harsh downhole conditions, which are characterized by high pressures (up to 20 kpsi), temperatures up to 250 C, and exposure to chemically reactive fluids. Development of robust sensors that deliver continuous, real-time data on reservoir performance and petroleum flow pathways will facilitate application of advanced recovery technologies, including horizontal and multilateral wells. This is the final report for the four-year program ''Optical Fiber Sensor Technologies for Efficient and Economical Oil Recovery'', funded by the National Petroleum Technology Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, and performed by the Center for Photonics Technology of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech from October 1, 1999 to March 31, 2003. The main objective of this research program was to develop cost-effective, reliable optical fiber sensor instrumentation for real-time monitoring of various key parameters crucial to efficient and economical oil production. During the program, optical fiber sensors were demonstrated for …

Compounds of Cd-Si-As required for sputtering targets and evaporation charges were synthesized by direct fusion. These include CdSiAs/sub 2/, Cd/sub 3/As/sub 2/, CdAs/sub 2/ and SiAs. Polycrystalline ingots of CdSiAs/sub 2/ were found to be porous, with the chalcopyrite structure, and with minor amounts of other phases such as CdAs/sub 2/, SiAs,As and Cd/sub 3/As/sub 2/. Sputtered films were formed in a single target RF system. A homogeneous CdSiAs/sub 2/ target was initially used, followed by composite targets consisting of CdAs/sub 2/ + Si. Films from the latter targets were superior to the others and were more extensively studied. As deposited films were amorphous, off stoichiometry, with resistivities over 10/sup 8/..cap omega..-cm and band gaps of approx. 1.4 eV. Subsequent reactive heat treatments in the 515/sup 0/ to 615/sup 0/C range resulted in crystalline films, resistivities of 1 to 10 ..cap omega.. cm, CdSiAs/sub 2/ compositions within 1% of stoichiometry, energy gap of approx. 1.55 eV, absorption coefficient of 2 x 10/sup 4/cm/sup -1/ at 0.6 ..mu..m, but with poor mechanical properties (mainly cracking). A Ta/Si0/sub 2/ substrate proved to be the best for these films. Thermal evaporation studies of CdSiAs/sub 2/ established that effusion is preferential toward Cd between …

Dr. Nello Pace was interviewed by representatives of the US DOE Office of Human Radiation Experiments (OHRE). Dr. Pace was selected fro the interview because of the positions he held with the US Navy, at the University of California, Berkeley, and as Director of the White Mountain Research Station near Bishop, California. Following a brief biographical sketch, Dr. Pace related his remembrances concerning tritium injections experiments in animals and humans during World War II, the development of Medical Physics Degree Programs at UC Berkeley, conducting the first radiation survey at Nagasaki after the bomb, and the establishment of a research laboratory at White Mountain. He also offers reflections on Shields Warren and comments on the public`s attitudes towards radiation both then and now.

This report is a transcript of an interview of Dr. Henry I. Kohn by representatives of the US DOE Office of Human Radiation Experiments. Dr. Kohn was selected for this interview because of the positions he held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of California at San Francisco, and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kohn discussed his remembrances of his experiences in blood chemistry of animals and patients exposed to radiation, and his remembrances of several radiobiologists.

The first commercial production of power from geothermal energy, at The Geysers steamfield in northern California in June 1960, was a triumph for the geothermal exploration industry. Before and since, there has been a search for further sources of commercial geothermal power in The Geysers--Clear Lake geothermal area surrounding The Geysers. As with all exploration programs, these were driven by models. The models in this case were of geothermal regimes, that is, the geometric distribution of temperature and permeability at depth, and estimates of the physical conditions in subsurface fluids. Studies in microseismicity and heat flow, did yield geophysical information relevant to active geothermal systems. Studies in stable-element geochemistry found hiatuses or divides at the Stoney Creek Fault and at the Collayomi Fault. In the region between the two faults, early speculation as to the presence of steamfields was disproved from the geochemical data, and the potential existence of hot-water systems was predicted. Studies in isotope geochemistry found the region was characterized by an isotope mixing trend. The combined geochemical data have negative implications for the existence of extensive hydrothermal systems and imply that fluids of deep origin are confined to small, localized systems adjacent to faults that act as …

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Tank 241-A-105 is one of 149 single shell tanks constructed at Hanford to contain and store highly radioactive wastes originating from the processing of spent nuclear reactor fuel. Radiation detection and temperature monitoring devices installed beneath the tank indicate that several episodes of leakage of waste from the tank have occurred. The aim of this study was to evaluate the previous estimates and reanalyze the data to provide a more accurate estimate of leakage from the tank. The principal conclusions of this study are as follows: Earlier investigators estimated leakage prior to August 1968 at 5,000 to 15,000 gallons. Their estimate appears reasonable. Leakage while the tank was being sluiced (8/68--11/70) probably exceeded 5,000 gallons, but probably did not exceed 30,000 gallons. Insufficient data are available to be more precise. Cooling water added to the tank during the sprinkling phase (11/70 -- 12/78) was approximately 610,000 gallons. Sufficient heat was generated in the tank to evaporate most, and perhaps nearly all, of this water. Radionuclides escaping into the soil under the tank cannot be estimated directly because of many uncertainties. Based on a range of leakage from 10,000 to 45,000 gallons, assumed compositions, and decayed to 1/1/91, radioactivity under the …

Dissolved dense nonaqueous-phase liquid plumes are persistent, widespread problems in the DOE complex. At the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, dissolved trichloroethylene (TCE) is disappearing from the Snake River Plain aquifer (SRPA) by natural attenuation, a finding that saves significant site restoration costs. Acceptance of monitored natural attenuation as a preferred treatment technology requires direct evidence of the processes and rates of the degradation. Our proposal aims to provide that evidence for one such site by testing two hypotheses. First, we believe that realistic values for in situ rates of TCE cometabolism can be obtained by sustaining the putative microorganisms at the low catabolic activities consistent with aquifer conditions. Second, the patterns of functional gene expression evident in these communities under starvation conditions while carrying out TCE cometabolism can be used to diagnose the cometabolic activity in the aquifer itself. Using the cometabolism rate parameters derived in low-growth bioreactors, we will complete the models that predict the time until background levels of TCE are attained at this location and validate the long-term stewardship of this plume. Realistic terms for cometabolism of TCE will provide marked improvements in DOE's ability to predict and monitor natural attenuation of chlorinated organics at …

This report summarizes progress on OHER human health, biological, and general life sciences research programs conducted at PNL in FY 1990. The research develops the knowledge and scientific principles necessary to identify understand, and anticipate the long-term health consequences of energy-related radiation and chemicals. Our continuing emphasis is to decrease the uncertainty of health risk estimates from existing and developing energy-related technologies through an increased of understanding of how radiation and chemicals cause biological damage. The sequence of this report of PNL research reflects the OHER programmatic structure. The first section, on human health research, concerns epidemiological and statistical studies for assessing health risks. The next section contains reports of biological research in laboratory animals and in vitro cell systems, including research with radionuclides and chemicals. The general life sciences research section reports research conducted for the OHER human genome research program.

In this report results of work on establishment of a data base of regional seismic recordings from earthquakes, chemical explosions and nuclear explosions in the former Soviet Union are described. This work was carried out in the Complex Seismological Expedition (CSE) of the Joint Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The recording system, methods of investigations and primary data processing are described in detail. The largest number of digital records was received by the permanent seismic station Talgar, situated in the northern Tien Shan, 20 km to the east of Almaty city. More than half of the records are seismograms of underground nuclear explosions and chemical explosions. The nuclear explosions were recorded mainly from the Semipalatinsk test site. In addition, records of the explosions from the Chinese test site Lop Nor and industrial nuclear explosions from the West Siberia region were obtained. Four records of strong chemical explosions were picked out (two of them have been produced at the Semipalatinsk test site and two -- in Uzbekistan). We also obtained 16 records of crustal earthquakes, mainly from the Altai region, close to the Semipalatinsk test site, and also from …

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) serve as the primary directive for assuring the safe handling, transportation, and disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste generated at Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The WIPP WAC address fulfillment of WIPP`s operational safety and performance assessment criteria, compliance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements, and preparation of waste packages that meet all transportation criteria. At individual generator sites, preparation of transuranic waste for final disposal at WIPP includes characterizing the waste to meet the requirements of the transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) and certifying waste containers to meet the WIPP WAC and the Transuranic Package Transporter-II Authorized Methods for Payload Control (TRAMPAC). This paper compares the quality assurance and quality control requirements specified in the WIPP WAC, QAPP, and TRAMPAC and discusses the potential to consolidate activities to comply with the TRU waste characterization and certification program requirements.

The public health risk and economic impact of dampness and mold exposures was assessed using current asthma as a health endpoint. Individual risk of current asthma from exposure to dampness and mold in homes from Fisk et al. (2007), and asthma risks calculated from additional studies that reported the prevalence of dampness and mold in homes were used to estimate the proportion of U.S. current asthma cases that are attributable to dampness and mold exposure at 21% (95% confidence internal 12-29%). An examination of the literature covering dampness and mold in schools, offices, and institutional buildings, which is summarized in the appendix, suggests that risks from exposure in these buildings are similar to risks from exposures in homes. Of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the U.S., approximately 4.6 (2.7-6.3) million cases are estimated to be attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the home. Estimates of the national cost of asthma from two prior studies were updated to 2004 and used to estimate the economic impact of dampness and mold exposures. By applying the attributable fraction to the updated national annual cost of asthma, the national annual cost of asthma that is attributable to dampness and …

Abstract. Few attempts have been made to experimentally address the extent to which temporal or spatial variation in food availability influences avian habitat use. We used an experimental approach to investigate whether bird use differed between treated (arthropods reduced through insecticide application) and control (untreated) forest canopy gaps within a bottomland hardwood forest in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. Gaps were two- to three-year-old group selection timber harvest openings of three sizes (0.13, 0.26, and 0.50 ha). Our study was conducted during four bird use periods (spring migration, breeding, post-breeding, and fall migration) in 2002 and 2003. Arthropods were reduced in treated gaps by 68% in 2002 and 73% in 2003. We used mist-netting captures and foraging attack rates to assess the influence of arthropod abundance on avian habitat use. Evidence that birds responded to arthropod abundance was limited and inconsistent. In 2002, we generally captured more birds in treated gaps of the smallest size (0.13 ha) and fewer birds in treated gaps of the larger sizes. In 2003, we recorded few differences in the number of captures in treated and control gaps. Foraging attack rates generally were lower in treated than in control gaps, indicating that …

This report summarizes progress in OHER biological research and general life sciences research programs conducted at PNL in FY 1992. The research develops the knowledge and fundamental principles necessary to identify, understand, and anticipate the long-term health consequences of energy-related radiation and chemicals. Our continuing emphasis is to decrease the uncertainty of health risk estimates from energy-related technologies through an increase understanding of the ways in which radiation and chemicals cause biological damage. Descriptors of individual research projects as detailed in this report one separately abstracted and indexed for the database.

This report summarizes progress in OHER biological research and general life sciences research programs conducted at PNL in FY 1992. The research develops the knowledge and fundamental principles necessary to identify, understand, and anticipate the long-term health consequences of energy-related radiation and chemicals. Our continuing emphasis is to decrease the uncertainty of health risk estimates from energy-related technologies through an increase understanding of the ways in which radiation and chemicals cause biological damage. Descriptors of individual research projects as detailed in this report one separately abstracted and indexed for the database.

This report has been prepared to make available and archive background scientific data and related information on climate, ambient air quality, and ambient noise levels collected during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. The US Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice in the Federal Register on May 17, 1994 withdrawing its Notice of Intent of February 14, 1992, to prepare the HGP-EIS. Since the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. The report presents a general description of the climate and air quality for the islands of Hawaii (henceforth referred to as Hawaii), Maui, and Oahu. It also presents a literature review as baseline information on the health effects of hydrogen sulfide. the scientific background data and related information is being made available for use by others in conducting future scientific research in these areas. This report describes the environmental resources present in the areas studied (i.e., the affected environment) and does not represent an assessment of environmental impacts.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Transmission Reliability Program is supporting the research, deployment, and demonstration of various wide area measurement system (WAMS) technologies to enhance the reliability of the Nation’s electrical power grid. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was tasked by the DOE National SCADA Test Bed Program to conduct a study of WAMS security. This report represents achievement of the milestone to develop a generic WAMS model description that will provide a basis for the security analysis planned in the next phase of this study.

At present the IAEA designs its safeguards approach with regard to each type of nuclear facility so that the safeguards activities and effort are essentially the same for a given type and size of nuclear facility wherever it may be located. Conclusions regarding a state are derived by combining the conclusions regarding the effectiveness of safeguards for the individual facilities within a state. In this study it was convenient to define three zones in a state with a closed light-water-reactor nuclear fuel cycle. Each zone contains those facilities or parts thereof which use or process nuclear materials of the same safeguards significance: low-enriched uranium, radioactive spent fuel, or recovered plutonium. The possibility that each zone might be treated as an extended material balance area for safeguards purposes is under investigation. The approach includes defining the relevant features of the facilities in the three zones and listing the safeguards activities which are now practiced. This study has focussed on the fresh-fuel zone, the several facilities of which use or process low-enriched uranium. At one extreme, flows and inventories would be verified at each material balance area. At the other extreme, the flows into and out of the zone and the inventory …