At the end of each swing shift, the Hanford Meteorological Station (HMS), operated by Pacific Northwest Laboratory, archives a set of daily weather observations. These weather observations are a summary of the maximum and minimum temperature, total precipitation, maximum and minimum relative humidity, total snowfall, total snow depth at 1200 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and maximum wind speed plus the direction from which the wind occurred and the time it occurred. This summary also indicates the occurrence of rain, snow, and other weather phenomena. The SUM computer code is used to archive the summary and apply quality assurance checks to the data. This code accesses an input file that contains the date of the previous archive and an output file that contains a daily weather summary for the current month. As part of the program, a data entry form consisting of 21 fields must be filled in by the user. The information on the form is appended to the monthly file, which provides an archive for the daily weather summary. This volume describes the implementation and operation of the SUM computer code at the HMS.

Experience taught the Atomic Energy Commission how to select the best possible sites for its production facilities. AEC officials learned from the precedents set by the wartime Manhattan Project and from their own mistakes in the immediate postwar years. This volume discusses several site selections. The sites covered are: (1) the Hanford Reservation, (2) the Idaho reactor site, (3) the Savannah River Plant, (4) the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, (5) the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, (6) the Fernald Production Center, (7) the PANTEX and Spoon River Plants, (8) the Rocky Flats Fabrication Facility, and (9) the Miamisburg and Pinellas plants. (JDH)

Methodology has been developed for the isolation and characterization of pigment-proteins from chloroplast membranes. Characterization of these pigment-proteins has increased our understanding of mechanisms regulating the efficiency of photosynthetic light harvesting during photosynthesis. Incorporation of isolated pigment-protein complexes into model membranes has allowed simulation of grana stacks; these structural features of chloroplasts play a key role in maintaining appropriate interactions among light-harvesting assembles to regulate photosynthetic solar energy conversion.

Recent technical progress in fusion research has been sufficient to encourage the development of conceptual designs for fusion power systems. These design efforts suggest that more attention should be paid to the safety and environmental effects of the radioactivity induced in the structural materials by the fusion neutrons. In particular, radioactivity from neutron activation of the structural components of a fusion power system will be a concern for occupational exposure of personnel. Careful choice of structural materials can significantly reduce this exposure. We propose the Remote Maintenance Rating (RMR) as a numerical means of comparing materials and machine designs with respect to occupational exposures. The RMR is defined as the dose rate at the surface of a uniformly activated, thick, infinite slab with the same composition and density as the machine component. We used the RMR rating system to evaluate the suitability of several different iron-based alloys. The specific fusion power system design used in our evaluation was a conceptual design from the Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS). We determined that HT-9 is significantly better in terms of radiological dose rates at early times than the other iron-based alloys (by a factor of 3 to 7). We also calculated the …

The Project Surveillance and Maintenance Plan (PSMP) describes the procedures that will be used by the US Department of Energy (DOE), or other agency as designated by the President to verify that inactive uranium tailings disposal facilities remain in compliance with licensing requirements and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for remedial actions. The PSMP will be used as a guide for the development of individual Site Surveillance and Maintenance Plans (part of a license application) for each of the UMTRA Project sites. The PSMP is not intended to provide minimum requirements but rather to provide guidance in the selection of surveillance measures. For example, the plan acknowledges that ground-water monitoring may or may not be required and provides the (guidance) to make this decision. The Site Surveillance and Maintenance Plans (SSMPs) will form the basis for the licensing of the long-term surveillance and maintenance of each UMTRA Project site by the NRC. Therefore, the PSMP is a key milestone in the licensing process of all UMTRA Project sites. The Project Licensing Plan (DOE, 1984a) describes the licensing process. 11 refs., 22 figs., 8 tabs.

The classical two-dimensional close-packed triangular lattice, with nearest-neighbor spring forces, is a convenient standard material for the investigation of dislocation motion and plastic flow. Two kinds of calculations, based on this standard material, are described here: (1) Molecular Dynamics simulations, incorporating adiabatic strains described with the help of Doll's Tensor, and (2) Continuum Dynamics simulations, incorporating periodic boundaries and dislocation interaction through stress-field superposition.

In the past two years, conceptual designs for fusion energy research devices have focussed on compact, high magnetic field configurations. The concept of sliding electrical joints in the large magnets allows a number of technical advantages including enhanced mechanical integrity, remote maintainability, and reduced project cost. The rationale for sliding electrical joints is presented. The conceptual configuration for this generation of experimental devices is highlghted by an approx. 20 T toroidal field magnet with a flat top conductor current of approx. 300 kA and a sliding electrical joint with a gross current density of approx. 0.6 kA/cm/sup 2/. A numerical model was used to map the conductor current distribution as a function of time and position in the conductor. A series of electrical joint arrangements were produced against the system code envelope constraints for a specific version of the Ignition Studies Project (ISP) which is designated as 1025.

The emergence of the Satellite Power System (SPS) concept as a way of augmenting the dwindling energy sources available for commercial power usage involved such a large and unprecendented technological program that detailed assessment and feasibility studies were undertaken in an attempt to specify the true impact such a program would have. As part of the issues addressed, a comprehensive environmental impact study was initiated that involved an unprecedented scope of concerns ranging from ground-level noise and weather modifications to possible planetary-scale perturbations caused by SPS activity in distant Earth orbits. This report describes results of a study of an intermediate region of the Earth's environment (the ionosphere) where large-scale perturbations are caused by routine rocket activity. The SPS program calls for vast transportation demands into and out from the ionosphere (h approx. = 200 to 1000 km), and thus the well-known effect of chemical depletions of the ionosphere (so-called ionospheric holes) caused by rocket exhaust signaled a concern over the possible large-scale and long-term consequences of the induced effects.

The DP West Plutonium Facility operated by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico was decontaminated between April 1978 and April 1981. The facility was constructed in 1944 to 1945 to produce plutonium metal and fabricate parts for nuclear weapons. It was continually used as a plutonium processing and research facility until mid-1978. Decontamination operations included dismantling and removing gloveboxes and conveyor tunnels; removing process systems, utilities, and exhaust ducts; and decontaminating all remaining surfaces. This report describes glovebox and conveyor tunnel separations, decontamination techniques, health and safety considerations, waste management procedures, and costs of the operation.

This document presents initial estimates of potential human health effects from inhalation of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) that may be released from a future hypothetical industry producing about 600,000 bb1/day of synthetic fuel by direct liquefaction of coal. The assessment approach starts wth general assumptions that are then refined in a tiered sequence that considers available epidemiological, environmental and chemical data. The uncertainties involved in such an evaluation have been quantified where possible at this early stage of health risk analysis. Many surrogate data bases were considered for application to coal liquefaction including coke oven, British gas retort, roofing tar and asphalts, and cigarette smoke. The coke oven data base was selected for this assessment because the chemical and physical nature of coke oven emissions are judged to more closely approximate potential coal liquefaction emissions. Utilizing the extensive epidemiological data base for coke oven workers as a surrogate model, health effects from release of coal liquefaction NMHC may be quantified. This method results in estimates of about 1 x 10/sup -3/ excess cancer deaths/yr to an industrial work force of 7800 persons and 5 x 10/sup -2/ excess cancer deaths/yr in the U.S. population as a whole from NMHC that boil …

Inadvertent intrusion into natural or man-made toxic or hazardous material deposits as a consequence of activities such as mining, excavation or tunnelling has resulted in numerous deaths and injuries in this country. This study is a preliminary investigation to identify and document instances of such fatal or injurious intrusion. An objective is to provide useful insights and information related to potential hazards due to future intrusion into underground radioactive-waste-disposal facilities. The methodology used in this study includes literature review and correspondence with appropriate government agencies and organizations. Key categories of intrusion hazards are asphyxiation, methane, hydrogen sulfide, silica and asbestos, naturally occurring radionuclides, and various mine or waste dump related hazards.

Based in large part of the lack of specific information about the nature and magnitude of health impacts that could occur from commercialization of a coal liquefaction industry, DOE initiated a broad-based program to study the potential health and environmental fate and effects of process streams from several coal liquefaction process options. Responsibility for this research was assigned to OHER. Specific results of this research program that are important for the purpose of this analysis include findings that: the toxicity and teratogenic potential of coal liquids boiling below 450/sup 0/F is small; mutagenic and carcinogenic activity is typically expressed in coal liquids boiling above 750/sup 0/F; and mutagenic and carcinogenic activity increases markedly in coal liquids boiling above 800/sup 0/F. Based on the above findings, OHER funded research to evaluate the effect of various hydrotreatment levels on the biological activity of coal-derived liquids. Studies using the Ames assay or mammalian cell transformation assays indicated that hydrotreatment was effective in reducing biological activity of coal-derived liquids. Skin-painting studies demonstrated that carcinogenicity was also reduced by hydrotreatment. Studies in progress are evaluating the effects of hydrotreatment severity on biological activity. However, it appears reasonably clear that health risks can be reduced by …

This manual is intended for both technical and non-technical people who want to use the PCDAS remote network control and data acquisition software. If you are unfamiliar with remote data collection hardware systems designed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), this introduction should answer your basic questions. Even if you have some experience with the PNL-designed Field Data Acquisition Systems (FDAS), it would be wise to review this material before attempting to set up a network. This manual was written based on the assumption that you have a rudimentary understanding of personal computer (PC) operations using Disk Operating System (DOS) version 2.0 or greater (IBM 1984). You should know how to create subdirectories and get around the subdirectory tree.

The selection of a material for a practical device is generally guided by a number of criteria, including cost, size, difficulty of fabrication, durability, driver requirements, and system constraints. A quantitative analysis can usually be made for comparison, or a figure of merit can be computed. In the case of materials for electrooptical (EO) devices the choice is often made based on the availability of materials meeting some minimum system requirement. For fast EO deflectors, where a large number of resolvable spots is required, the choice of materials is quite limited. A model of just such a device is proposed; it is based on the resolution of 400 spots and reasonable boundary conditions. The model predicts that to be successful, an EO material must be chosen that has a linear EO coefficient (r/sub 33/) of at least 336 pm/V. A survey was conducted of the EO materials which are generally available. Based on the model and the survey, Czochralski crystal growth of strontium barium niobate (SBN:60) is recommended. Although SBN:60 does not have the largest EO coefficient, it may be the easiest to grow in the required size and optical quality, thus satisfying the availability criterion. It should be borne …

The EE Technical Review has two purposes - to inform readers of various activities within the Electronics Engineering Department and to promote the exchange of ideas. The articles, by design, are brief summaries of EE work. The articles included in this report are as follows: Overview - Nova Control System; Centralized Computer-Based Controls for the Nova Laser Facility; Nova Pulse-Power Control System; Nova Laser Alignment Control System; Nova Beam Diagnostic System; Nova Target-Diagnostics Control System; and Nova Shot Scheduler. The 7 papers are individually abstracted.

Coal liquids obtained from the SRC-II process and fractions prepared from these liquids have been assayed in a number of in vivo and in vitro systems for biological activity. The in vitro systems includes: (1) the standard Ames Salmonella typhimurium reverse mutation assay, (2) the S. typhimurium fluctuation test; (3) forward mutation assay in S. typhimurium (8-Ag) test; (4) prophage induction (INDUCTEST); (5) Syrian hamster ovary (SHE) cell transformation assay; and (6) Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutation assay. In addition, both initiation/promotion (I/P) and chronic skin-painting assays were used as measures of tumorigenesis. In general, materials shown to be carcinogenic in the chronic skin-painting assay were also positive in the other assays. The failure of the Ames assay to respond to the neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fraction of SRC-II heavy distillate (HD) was a notable exception. Quantitatively, the Ames assay was more sensitive to nitrogen-containing compounds (particularly primary aromatic amines) and less sensitive to mixtures of PAH. The mammalian systems, both in vitro and in vivo, showed greater responses to the neutral PAH than to the nitrogen-containing compounds. Activity in all biological systems increased with increasing boiling point of the material tested. The I/P assay ranked the materials …

This report presents results of studies on the effects of fractional distillation on the genotoxic potential of Solvent Refined Coal (SRC-II) liquids. SRC-II source materials and distilled liquids were provided by Pittsburg and Midway Coal Mining Co. Fractional distillations were conducted on products from the P-99 process development unit operating under conditions approximating those anticipated at the SRC-II demonstration facility. Distillation cuts were subjected to chemical fractionation, in vitro bioassay and initial chemical analysis. Findings are discussed as they relate to the temperature at which various distillate cuts were produced. This document is the first of two status reports scheduled for 1981 describing these studies.

The background and the results to date of the Department of Energy program to identify and evaluate the radiological conditions at sites formerly utilized by the Corps of Engineers' Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) are summarized. The sites of concern were federally, privately, and institutionally owned and were used primarily for research, processing, and storage of uranium and thorium ores, concentrates, or residues. Some sites were subsequently released for other purposes without radiological restriction. Surveys have been conducted since 1974 to document radiological conditions at such sites. Based on radiological surveys, sites are identified in this document that require, or are projected to require, remedial action to remove potential restrictions on the use of the property due to the presence of residual low-level radioactive contamination. Specific recommendations for each site will result from more detailed environmental and engineering surveys to be conducted at those sites and, if necessary, an environmental impact assessment or environmental impact statement will be prepared. Section 3.0 describes the current standards and guidelines now being used to conduct remedial actions. Current authority of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to proceed with remedial actions and the new authority required are …

This study explores the viability of a stochastic approach to air quality regulations. The stochastic approach considered here is one which incorporates the variability which exists in sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/) emissions from coal-fired power plants. Emission variability arises from a combination of many factors including variability in the composition of as-received coal such as sulfur content, moisture content, ash content, and heating value, as well as variability which is introduced in power plant operations. The stochastic approach as conceived in this study addresses variability by taking the SO/sub 2/ emission rate to be a random variable with specified statistics. Given the statistical description of the emission rate and known meteorological conditions, it is possible to predict the probability of a facility exceeding a specified emission limit or violating an established air quality standard. This study also investigates the implications of accounting for emissions variability by allowing compliance to be interpreted as an allowable probability of occurrence of given events. For example, compliance with an emission limit could be defined as the probability of exceeding a specified emission value, such as 1.2 lbs SO/sub 2//MMBtu, being less than 1%. In contrast, compliance is currently taken to mean that this limit …

After the introduction of a law prohibiting the start-up of any new nuclear power plant until the utility had shown that the waste produced by the plant could be taken care of in an absolutely safe way, the Swedish nuclear utilities in December 1976 embarked on the Nuclear Fuel Safety Project, which in November 1977 presented a first report, Handling of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Final Storage of Vitrified Waste (KBS-I), and in November 1978 a second report, Handling and Final Storage of Unreprocessed Spent Nuclear Fuel (KBS II). These summary reports were supported by 120 technical reports prepared by 450 experts. The project engaged 70 private and governmental institutions at a total cost of US $15 million. The KBS-I and KBS-II reports are summarized in this document, as are also continued waste research efforts carried out by KBS, SKBF, PRAV, ASEA and other Swedish organizations. The KBS reports describe all steps (except reprocessing) in handling chain from removal from a reactor of spent fuel elements until their radioactive waste products are finally disposed of, in canisters, in an underground granite depository. The KBS concept relies on engineered multibarrier systems in combination with final storage in thoroughly investigated stable geologic …

This progress report summarizes work accomplished from April to June 1984. Topics discussed include: high-resolution, high sensitivity spectroscopies and advanced methodologies for measurement of toxic effluents from energy technologies.

From January to December 1983, the Los Alamos Safeguards and Security Program was involved in the activities described in the first four parts of this report: Nuclear Facility Support, Security Development and Support, Safeguards Technology Development, and International Safeguards. Part 1 covers efforts of direct assistance to the Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensee facilities. This assistance includes consultation on materials accounting problems, development of specialized techniques and instruments, and comprehensive participation in the design and implementation of advanced safeguards systems. In addition, a series of training courses in various aspects of safeguards makes the technology more accessible to those who must apply it. Part 2 treats activities aimed at the security of information and computer systems. Our focus this peiod was on continuing the activities of the Computer Security Center, which provides the basis for encouraging and disseminating this emerging technology, and on the development and demonstration of secure computer systems. Part 3 describes the broad development efforts essential to continuing improvements in the practice of safeguards. Although these projects are properly classified as developmental, they address recognized problems that commonly occur in operating facilities. Finally, Part 4 covers international safeguards activities, including both support …

The Western Research Institute plan for addressing oil shale plant siting methodology calls for identifying the available resources such as oil shale, water, topography and transportation, and human resources. Restrictions on development are addressed: land ownership, land use, water rights, environment, socioeconomics, culture, health and safety, and other institutional restrictions. Descriptions of the technologies for development of oil shale resources are included. The impacts of oil shale development on the environment, socioeconomic structure, water availability, and other conditions are discussed. Finally, the Western Research Institute plan proposes to integrate these topics to develop a flow chart for oil shale plant siting. Western Research Institute has (1) identified relative topics for shale oil plant siting, (2) surveyed both published and unpublished information, and (3) identified data gaps and research needs. 910 refs., 3 figs., 30 tabs.

This atlas of the wind energy resource is composed of introductory and background information, a regional summary of the wind resource, and assessments of the wind resource in each state of the region. Background is presented on how the wind resource is assessed and on how the results of the assessment should be interpreted. A description of the wind resource on a regional scale is then given. The results of the wind energy assessments for each state are assembled in this chapter into an overview and summary of the various features of the regional wind energy resource. An introduction and outline are provided for in the descriptions of the wind resource given for each state. Assessments for individual states are presented. The state wind energy resources are described in greater detail than is the regional wind energy resource, and features of selected stations are discussed. This preface outlines the use and interpretation of the information found in the state chapters.