In cooperation with the American Physical Society, the Computer Research and Applications Group (CIC-3 -- see Section 13 for an acronym glossary) at Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed and deployed a journal archive system called, The Physical Review OnLine Archive (PROLA). It is intended to be a complete, full service on-line archive of the existing issues of the journal Physical Review from its inception to the advent of a full-service electronic version. The fundamental goals of PROLA are to provide screen-viewable and printable images of every article, full-text and fielded search capability, good browsing features, direct article retrieval tools, and hyperlinking to all references, errata, and comments. The research focus is on transitioning large volumes of paper journals to a modern electronic environment.

The mission of the Criticality Safety Information Resource Center (CSIRC) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the preservation of primary documentation supporting criticality safety. In many cases, but not all, this primary documentation consists of experimentalists` logbooks. Experience has shown that the logbooks and other primary information are vulnerable to being discarded. Destruction of these logbooks results in a permanent loss to the criticality safety community.

This month`s issue contains articles entitled PEREGRINE: Improving Radiation Treatment for Cancer; The Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell; Better Flash Radiography Using the FXR; and Nuclear Weapons, Information Project.

The Northwest region of the United States contains extensive canal systems that transport water for hydropower generation. Nuisance plants, including algae, that grow in these systems reduce their hydraulic capacity through water displacement and increased surface friction. Most control methods are applied in an ad hoc fashion. The goal of this work is to develop cost-effective, environmentally sound, long-term management strategies to prevent and control nuisance algal growth. This paper reports on a multi-year study, performed in collaboration with the Pacific Gas & Electric Company, to investigate algal growth in their canal systems, and to evaluate various control methodologies. Three types of controls, including mechanical, biological and chemical treatment, were selected for testing and evaluation. As part of this study, water quality data were collected and algal communities were sampled from numerous stations throughout the distribution system at regular intervals. This study resulted in a more comprehensive understanding of conditions leading to the development of nuisance algal growth, a better informed selection of treatment plans, and improved evaluation of the effectiveness for the control strategies selected for testing.

This paper describes experiences at Los Alamos National Laboratory during the process of planning and executing decommissioning and decontamination activities on a number of properties constructed as part of the Manhattan project. Many of these buildings had been abandoned for many years and were in deteriorating condition, in addition to being contaminated with asbestos, lead based paints and high explosive residues. Due to the age and use of the structures they were evaluated against criteria for the National Register of Historic Places. This process is briefly reviewed, along with the results, as well as actions implemented as a result of the condition and safety of the structures. A number of the structures have been decontaminated and demolished. Planning is still ongoing for the renovation of one structure, and the photographic and drawing records of the properties is near completion.

The Automated Information Alarm System is a joint effort between Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory to demonstrate and implement, on a small-to-medium sized local area network, an automated system that detects and automatically responds to attacks that use readily available tools and methodologies. The Alarm System will sense or detect, assess, and respond to suspicious activities that may be detrimental to information on the network or to continued operation of the network. The responses will allow stopping, isolating, or ejecting the suspicious activities. The number of sensors, the sensitivity of the sensors, the assessment criteria, and the desired responses may be set by the using organization to meet their local security policies.

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) contains the environmental sample collection objectives and criteria for conducting site investigation activities at the Area 9 Landfill, Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 453/Corrective Action (CAS) 09-55-001-0952, which is located at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR). The TTR, included in the Nellis Air Force Range, is approximately 255 kilometers (140 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The Area 9 Landfill is located northwest of Area 9 on the TTR. The landfill cells associated with CAU 453 were excavated to receive waste generated from the daily operations conducted at Area 9 and from range cleanup which occurred after test activities.

This long-term surveillance plan (LTSP) describes the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) long-term care program for the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Mexican Hat, Utah, disposal site. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed regulations for the issuance of a general license for the custody and long-term care of UMTRA Project disposal sites in 10 CFR Part 40. The purpose of this general license is to ensure that the UMTRA Project disposal sites will be cared for in a manner that protects the public health and safety and the environment. Before each disposal site is licensed, the NRC requires the DOE to submit a site-specific LTSP. The DOE prepared this LTSP to meet this requirement for the Mexican Hat disposal site. The general license becomes effective when the NRC concurs with the DOE`s determination of completion of remedial action for the disposal site and the NRC formally accepts this LTSP. This LTSP describes the long-term surveillance program the DOE will implement to ensure that the Mexican Hat disposal site performs as designed. The program is based on two distinct types of activities: (1) site inspections to identify potential threats to disposal cell integrity, and (2) monitoring of …

This paper makes use of wind data collected at the Savannah River Site`s (SRS`s) Central Climatology Station (CCS) and lightning data from Global Atmospherics, Inc. (Palm Bay, FL) collected during calendar year 1995. These data are used to determine the number of times per year that radiological workers near high-level waste tanks can expect to obtain atmospheric conditions which permit an uninterrupted four-hour shift subject to environmentally driven safety procedures implemented at the SRS.

OAK A271 Rockwell International Hot Laboratory decontamination and dismantlement interim progress report 1987-1996. The Rockwell International Hot Laboratory (RIHL) is one of a number of former nuclear facilities undergoing decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL). The RIHL facility is in the later stages of dismantlement, with the final objective of returning the site location to its original natural state. This report documents the decontamination and dismantlement activities performed at the facility over the time period 1988 through 1996. At this time, the support buildings, all equipment associated with the facility, and the entire above-ground structure of the primary facility building (Building 020) have been removed. The basement portion of this building and the outside yard areas (primarily asphalt and soil) are scheduled for D&D activities beginning in 1997.

To assure the continued safe and reliable operation of a nuclear power station, it is essential that accurate online information on the current state of the entire system be available to the operators. Such information is needed to determine the operability of safety and control systems, the condition of active components, the necessity of preventative maintenance, and the status of sensory systems. To this end, ANL has developed a new Multivariate State Estimation Technique (MSET) which utilizes advanced pattern recognition methods to enhance sensor and component operational validation for commercial nuclear reactors. Operational data from the Crystal River-3 (CR-3) nuclear power plant are used to illustrate the high sensitivity, accuracy, and the rapid response time of MSET for annunciation of a variety of signal disturbances.

Most of the facilities of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) can be classified as Hazard Category 3, or less, according to the U.S. Department of Energy Standard 1027- 92. Because of the limited amount of radioactive material stored within it, a Category 3 facility is defined as being capable of only localized significant consequences; thus, the safety of the facility and its operating personnel can be ensured with operational controls that are less strict and rigid than would be the case with facilities requiring limiting conditions for operations (LCOs). Therefore, during a recent upgrade of safety analysis reports (SARS) for Hazardous Waste Management (HWM) facilities and the Materials Management Area (MMA), the LCOs prepared for the technical safety requirements (TSRS) were rewritten as administrative controls. This paper presents the results, and some of the lessons learned, of this rewriting endeavor.

This Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) provides an overview of the quality assurance program for Building 327. The program applies to the facility safety structures, systems, and components and to activities that could affect safety structures, systems, and components. Adherence to the quality assurance program ensures the following: US Department of Energy missions and objectives are effectively accomplished; Products and services are safe, reliable, and meet or exceed the requirements and expectations of the user; Hazards to the public, to Hanford Site and facility workers, and to the environment are minimized. The format of this Quality Assurance Program Plan is structured to parallel that of 10 CFR 83 0.120, Quality Assurance Requirements. This Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) provides information on how the Quality Assurance Program is implemented for the 324 Building B-Cell Safety Cleanout Project (BCCP). This QAPP is responsive to the Westinghouse Hanford Company Quality Assurance Program and Implementation Plan, WHC-SP 113 1, for 10 CFR 830.120, Nuclear Safety Management, Quality Assurance Requirements; and DOE Order 5700.6C, Quality Assurance. This QAPP supersedes PNNL PNL-MA-70 QAP Quality Assurance Plan No. WTC-050 Rev. 2, issue date May 3, 1996.

This Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) provides an overview of the quality assurance program for Building 324. This plan supersedes the PNNL Nuclear Facilities Quality Management System Description, PNL-NF-QMSD, Revision 2, dated March 1996. The program applies to the facility safety structures, systems, and components and to activities that could affect safety structures, systems, and components. Adherence to the quality assurance program ensures the following: US Department of Energy missions and objectives are effectively accomplished; Products and services are safe, reliable, and meet or exceed the requirements and expectations of the user; Hazards to the public, to Hanford Site and facility workers, and to the environment are minimized. The format of this Quality Assurance Program Plan is structured to parallel that of 10 CFR 83 0.120, Quality Assurance Requirements.

The effect of strain rate, temperature, grain size, and texture on the substructure and mechanical response of high-purity polycrystalline titanium is presented. The compressive stress-strain response of 20 and 240 {mu}m grain size high-purity Ti was found to depend on both the applied strain rate; 0.001 {le} {epsilon} {le} 7500 s{sup -1}, and the test temperature; 77 {le} T {le} 873 K. The rate of strain hardening in Ti is seen to increase with increasing strain rate. The substructure of high-purity Ti deformed at high-strain-rate or quasi-statically at 77K displayed a higher incidence of deformation twinning than during quasi-static deformation at 298K.

Experimental critical configurations are reported for several dozen spherical and hemispherical single-unit assemblies of plutonium metal. Most were solid but many were hollow-centered, thick, shell-like geometries. All were constructed of nested plutonium (mostly {sup 2139}Pu) metal hemispherical shells. Three kinds of critical configurations are reported. Two required interpolation and/or extrapolation of data to obtain the critical mass because reflector conditions were essentially infinite. The first finds the plutonium essentially fully reflected by a hydrogen-rich oil; the second is essentially unreflected. The third kind reports the critical oil reflector height above a large plutonium metal assembly of accurately known mass (no interpolation required) when that mass was too great to permit full oil reflection. Some configurations had thicknesses of mild steel just outside the plutonium metal, separating it from the oil. These experiments were performed at the Rocky Flats Critical Mass Laboratory in the late 1960s. They have not been published in a form suitable for benchmark-quality comparisons against state-of-the-art computational techniques until this paper. The age of the data and other factors lead to some difficulty in reconstructing aspects of the program and may, in turn, decrease confidence in certain details. Whenever this is true, the point is acknowledged. The …

Central Europe has experienced environmental degradation for hundreds of years. The proximity of countries, their shared resources, and transboundary movement of environmental pollution, create the potential for regional environmental strife. The goal of this project was to identify the sources and sinks of environmental pollution in Central Europe and evaluate the possible impact of transboundary movement of pollution on the countries of Central Europe. In meeting the objectives of identifying sources of contaminants, determining transboundary movement of contaminants, and assessing socio-economic implications, large quantities of disparate data were examined. To facilitate use of the data, the authors refined mapping procedures that enable processing information from virtually any map or spreadsheet data that can be geo-referenced. Because the procedure is freed from a priori constraints of scale that confound most Geographical Information Systems, they have the capacity to generate new projections and apply sophisticated statistical analyses to the data. The analysis indicates substantial environmental problems. While transboundary pollution issues may spawn conflict among the Central European countries and their neighbors, it appears that common environmental problems facing the entire region have had the effect of bringing the countries together, even though opportunities for deteriorating relationships may still arise.

Strontium distribution coefficients (K{sub d}`s) were measured for 20 surficial sediment samples collected from selected sites at the Idaho national Engineering Laboratory (INEL). The measurements were made to help assess the variability of strontium K{sub d}`s found at the INEL as part of an ongoing investigation of strontium chemical transport properties of surficial and interbedded sediments at the INEL. The investigation is being conducted by the US Geological Survey and Idaho State University in cooperation with the US Department of Energy. Batch experimental techniques wee used to determine K{sub d}`s of surficial sediments using a synthesized aqueous solution representative of wastewater in waste disposal ponds at the INEL. Strontium K{sub d}`s of the 20 surficial sediments ranged from 36 {+-} 1 to 275 {+-} 6 milliliters per gram. These results indicate significant variability in the strontium sorptive capacities of surficial sediments at the INEL. Some of this variability can be attributed to physical and chemical properties of the sediment itself; however, the remainder of the variability may be due to compositional changes in the equilibrated solutions after being mixed with the sediment.

The primary function of the Standard-E+ Hydrogen Monitoring System (SHMS-E+) is to determine tank vapor space gas composition and gas release rate, and to detect gas release events. Characterization of the gas composition is needed for safety analyses. The lower flammability limit, as well as the peak burn temperature and pressure, are dependent upon the gas composition. If there is little or no knowledge about the gas composition, safety analyses utilize compositions that yield the worst case in a deflagration or detonation. Knowledge of the true composition could lead to reductions in the assumptions and therefore there may be a potential for a reduction in controls and work restrictions. Also, knowledge of the actual composition will be required information for the analysis that is needed to remove tanks from the Watch List. Similarly, the rate of generation and release of gases is required information for performing safety analyses, developing controls, designing equipment, and closing safety issues. This report outlines the computer system design layout description for the Standard-E+ Hydrogen Monitoring System.

This report reviews the safety characteristics of hydrogen as an energy carrier for a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), with emphasis on high pressure gaseous hydrogen onboard storage. The authors consider normal operation of the vehicle in addition to refueling, collisions, operation in tunnels, and storage in garages. They identify the most likely risks and failure modes leading to hazardous conditions, and provide potential countermeasures in the vehicle design to prevent or substantially reduce the consequences of each plausible failure mode. They then compare the risks of hydrogen with those of more common motor vehicle fuels including gasoline, propane, and natural gas.

Description of the Proposed Activity/REPORTABLE OCCURRENCE or PIAB: This ECN changes the computer systems design description support document describing the computers system used to control, monitor and archive the processes and outputs associated with the Hydrogen Mitigation Test Pump installed in SY-101. There is no new activity or procedure associated with the updating of this reference document. The updating of this computer system design description maintains an agreed upon documentation program initiated within the test program and carried into operations at time of turnover to maintain configuration control as outlined by design authority practicing guidelines. There are no new credible failure modes associated with the updating of information in a support description document. The failure analysis of each change was reviewed at the time of implementation of the Systems Change Request for all the processes changed. This document simply provides a history of implementation and current system status.

The Interactive Computer-Enhanced Remote Viewing System (ICERVS) is a software tool for complex three-dimensional (3-D) visualization and modeling. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the use of robotic and telerobotic systems in remote and/or hazardous environments, where spatial information is provided by 3-D mapping sensors. ICERVS provides a robust, interactive system for viewing sensor data in 3-D and combines this with interactive geometric modeling capabilities that allow an operator to construct CAD models to match the remote environment. Part I of this report traces the development of ICERVS through three evolutionary phases: (1) development of first-generation software to render orthogonal view displays and wireframe models; (2) expansion of this software to include interactive viewpoint control, surface-shaded graphics, material (scalar and nonscalar) property data, cut/slice planes, color and visibility mapping, and generalized object models; (3) demonstration of ICERVS as a tool for the remediation of underground storage tanks (USTs) and the dismantlement of contaminated processing facilities. Part II of this report details the software design of ICERVS, with particular emphasis on its object-oriented architecture and user interface.

One of the major functions of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) is to characterize wastes in support of waste management and disposal activities at the Hanford Site. Analytical data from sampling and analysis, along with other available information about a tank, are compiled and maintained in a tank characterization report (TCR). This report and its appendices serve as the TCR for single-shell tank 241-C-109. The objectives of this report are: (1) to use characterization data in response to technical issues associated with tank 241 C-109 waste; and (2) to provide a standard characterization of this waste in terms of a best-basis inventory estimate. The response to technical issues is summarized in Section 2.0, and the best-basis inventory estimate is presented in Section 3.0. Recommendations regarding safety status and additional sampling needs are provided in Section 4.0. Supporting data and information are contained in the appendices.

This document summarizes the information on the historical uses, present status, and the sampling and analysis results of waste stored in Tank 241-T-107. This tank is listed on the Ferrocyanide Watch List. This report supports the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-44-05.