Seismic monitoring (SM) at the Hanford Site was established in 1969 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) under a contract with the US Atomic Energy Commission. Since 1980, the program has been managed by several contractors under the US Department of Energy (USDOE). Effective October 1, 1996, the Seismic Monitoring workscope, personnel, and associated contracts were transferred to the USDOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). SM is tasked to provide an uninterrupted collection and archives of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) located on and encircling the Hanford Site. SM is also tasked to locate and identify sources of seismic activity and monitor changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data compiled are used by SM, Waste Management, and engineering activities at the Hanford Site to evaluate seismic hazards and seismic design for the Site.

Automatic control of fine coal cleaning circuits has traditionally been limited by the lack of sensors for on-line ash analysis. Although several nuclear-based slurry analyzers are available, none have seen widespread acceptance. This is largely due to the fact that nuclear sensors are expensive and tend to be influenced by changes in seam type and pyrite content. In this investigation, an image analysis technique is used for on-line determination of ash content in fine coal slurries. The ash content of a flotation tailings stream is correlated to the mean gray level of the slurry. Based on a 90% prediction interval, an analysis of sensor performance indicates an accuracy of 73 {+-} 4% ash over a range from 65 - 90% ash. While this result is comparable to existing nuclear-based analyzers, the video-based system is only a fraction of the cost. The sensor is currently being used to monitor the column flotation tailings stream at the Middle Fork preparation plant owned and operated by Pittston Coal Company.

The Environmental Technology Section (ETS) of the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) collects, archives, and analyzes basic meteorological data supporting a variety of activities at SRS. These activities include the design, construction, and operation of nuclear and non-nuclear facilities, emergency response, environmental compliance, resource management, and environmental research. This report contains tabular and graphical summaries of data collected during 1995 for temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind, barometric pressure, and solar radiation. Most of these data were collected at the central Climatology Facility. Summaries of temperature and relative humidity were generated with data from the lowest level of measurement at the Central Climatology Site tower (13 feet above ground). (Relative humidity is calculated from measurements of dew-point temperature.) Wind speed summaries were generated with data from the second measurement level (58 feet above ground). Wind speed measurements from this level are believed to best represent open, well-exposed areas of the Site. Precipitation summaries were based on data from the Building 773-A site since quality control algorithms for the central Climatology Facility rain gauge data were not finalized at the time this report was prepared. This report also contains seasonal and annual summaries of joint occurrence frequencies for selected wind speed categories …

This Proceedings contains the presentations made during the program of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Institute on Mining Health, Safety and Research held at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, on August 26-28, 1996. The Twenty-Seventh Annual Institute on Mining, Health, Safety and Research was the latest in a series of conferences held at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, cosponsored by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, United States Department of Labor, and the Pittsburgh Research Center, United States Department of Energy (formerly part of the Bureau of Mines, U. S. Department of Interior). The Institute provides an information forum for mine operators, managers, superintendents, safety directors, engineers, inspectors, researchers, teachers, state agency officials, and others with a responsible interest in the important field of mining health, safety and research. In particular, the Institute is designed to help mine operating personnel gain a broader knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of mining health and safety, and to present them with methods of control and solutions developed through research. Selected papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology database.

The Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC) developed a triboelectrostatic separation (TES) process which is capable of removing mineral matter from coal without using water. A distinct advantage of this dry coal cleaning process is that it does not entail costly steps of dewatering which is a common problem associated with conventional fine coal cleaning processes. It is the objective of this project to conduct a series of proof-of-concept (POC) scale tests at a throughput of 200-250 kg/hr and obtain scale-up information. Prior to the POC testing, bench-scale test work will be conducted with the objective of increasing the separation efficiency and throughput, for which changes in the basic designs for the charger and the separator may be necessary. The bench- and POC-scale test work will be carried out to evaluate various operating parameters and establish a reliable scale-up procedure. The scale-up data will be used to analyze the economic merits of the TES process. At present, the project is at the stage of engineering design (Task 3). Work accomplished during this reporting period are summarized as follows: (i) An on-line tribocharge analyzer has been developed to study triboelectrification. (ii) The effects of aeration rate, feed rate and particle size on …

This paper discusses Sandia National Laboratories` development of new technologies for use in the Vietnam War - specifically the seismic sensors deployed to detect troop and vehicle movement - first along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and later in perimeter defense for American military encampments in South Vietnam. Although the sensor story is a small one, it is interesting because it dovetails nicely with our understanding of the war in Vietnam and its frustrations; of the creation of new technologies for war and American enthusiasm for that technology; and of a technological military and the organizational research and a m am development structure created to support it. Within the defense establishment, the sensors were proposed within the context of a larger concept - that of a barrier to prevent the infiltration of troops and supplies from North Vietnam to the South. All of the discussion of the best way to fight in Vietnam is couched in the perception that this was a different kind of war than America was used to fighting. The emphasis was on countering the problems posed by guerrilla/revolutionary warfare and eventually by the apparent constraints of being involved in a military action, not an outright war. …

A northern and east-northern parts of Kazakstan Republic are utterly favorable for a placing of seismic stations. There is a very low level of natural and industrial seismic noise. Rocks of Kazakh epi-Hercynian platform have a very good transmissive properties. Geophysical observatories (GOs), now belonging to the Institute of Geophysical Researches of National Nuclear Center of Kazakstan Republic (IGR NNC RK), were established in especially selected low-noise places of Northern Kazakstan, in accordance with Soviet program for nuclear weapons test monitoring. In 1994, these GOs were transferred by Russian Federation into the possession of Kazakstan. A location of GOs is shown on the Fig. 1. According to the studying of seismic noises, jointly implemented by scientists from IGR and IRIS, places, where a `Borovoye` and `Kurchatov` seismic stations are located, are among the best places for seismic observations in the world. A seismic arrays exist in `Borovoye` and `Kurchatov` observatories - in two observatories out four (`Aktiubinsk`, `Borovoye`, `Kurchatov` and `Makanchi`). These two observatories are described in this report. A history of geophysical observatories, conditions of equipment operations (climatic, geological and so on) are presented in this report, as well as it is described the equipment of GOs and seismic …

In other work, the generalized counting quantum Turing machine (GCQTM) was studied. For any N this machine enumerates the first 2{sup N} integers in succession as binary strings. The generalization consists of associating a potential with read 1 steps only. The Landauer Resistance (LR) and band spectra were determined for the tight binding Hamiltonians associated with the GCQTM for energies below the potential height. Here these calculations are extended to energies both above and below the barrier height. For parameters and potentials in the electron region, the LR fluctuates rapidly between very high and very low values as a function of momentum. The rapidity and extent of the fluctuations increases rapidly with increasing N. For N = 18, the largest value considered, the LR shows good transmission probability as a function of momentum with numerous holes of very high LR values present. This is true for energies both above and below the potential height. It is suggested that the main features of the LR can be explained by coherent superposition of the component waves reflected from or transmitted through or across the 2{sup N-1} potentials present in the distribution. If this explanation is correct, it provides a dramatic illustration of …

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating the effects of nuclear testing in underground test areas (the UGTA program) at the Nevada Test Site. The principal focus of the UGTA program is to better understand and define subsurface radionuclide migration. The study described in this report focuses on the development of tools for generating maps of hydrogeologic characteristics of subsurface Tertiary volcanic units at the Frenchman Flat corrective Action Unit (CAU). The process includes three steps. The first step involves generation of three-dimensional maps of the geologic structure of subsurface volcanic units using geophysical logs to distinguish between two classes: densely welded tuff and nonwelded tuff. The second step generates three-dimensional maps of hydraulic conductivity utilizing the spatial distribution of the two geologic classes obtained in the first step. Each class is described by a correlation structure based on existing data on hydraulic conductivity, and conditioned on the generated spatial location of each class. The final step demonstrates the use of the maps of hydraulic conductivity for modeling groundwater flow and radionuclide transport in volcanic tuffs from an underground nuclear test at the Frenchman Flat CAU. The results indicate that the majority of groundwater flow through the volcanic section …

Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company (LMITCO) used a systems engineering approach to take the first step toward defining a requirements baseline for all indirect work at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The intent of this effort was to define the requirements for indirect work, identify the activities necessary to meet the requirements, and to produce defensible cost estimates for the work. The result of this effort is a scrubbed-down, defensible budget for all indirect work in FY 1997. Buying power for each dollar of direct work was increased by $.02. Recommendations are identified for improvements to this process in FY 1998. The purpose of this report is twofold. First is to report the final results of the 1996 ICRB process, and second is to document the process used such that incremental improvements may be made in future years. Objectives, processes, and approaches are described to provide a trail for future boards. Appendices contain copies of board composition, documentation of the process, as well as the actual training materials.

Eight Mine Weather Stations (MWS) installed at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to monitor the underground ventilation system are helping to simulate real-time ventilation scenarios. Seasonal weather extremes can result in variations of Natural Ventilation Pressure (NVP) which can significantly effect the ventilation system. The eight MWS(s) (which previously collected and stored temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity data for subsequent NVP calculations) were upgraded to provide continuous real-time data to the site wide Central monitoring System. This data can now be utilized by the ventilation engineer to create realtime ventilation simulations and trends which assist in the prediction and mitigation of NVP and psychrometric related events.

In May 1985, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit was issued for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. As a condition of the permit, a Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program ( BMAP) was developed to demonstrate that the effluent limitations established for the Y-12 Plant protect the classified uses of the receiving stream (East Fork Poplar Creek; EFPC), in particular, the growth and propagation of aquatic life (Lear et al. 1989). A second objective of the BMAP is to document the ecological effects resulting from the implementation of a water pollution control program designed to eliminate direct discharges of wastewaters to EFPC and to minimize the inadvertent release of pollutants to the environment. Because of the complex nature of the discharges to EFPC and the temporal and spatial variability in the composition of the discharges, a comprehensive, integrated approach to biological monitoring was developed. A new permit was issued to the Y-12 Plant on April 28, 1995 and became effective on July 1, 1995. Biological monitoring continues to be required under the new permit. The BMAP consists of four major tasks that reflect different but complementary approaches to evaluating the effects of the Y-12 Plant discharges on the aquatic …

This system (3D-ICAS) is being developed as a remote system to perform rapid in situ analysis of hazardous organics and radionuclide contamination on structural materials. It is in the final phase of a 3-phase program to support Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) operations. Accurate physical characterization of surfaces and radioactive and organic contamination is a critical D&D task. Surface characterization includes identification of dangerous inorganic materials such as asbestos and transite. 3D-ICAS robotically conveys a multisensor probe near the surfaces to be inspected, using coherent laser radar tracking, which also provides 3D facility maps. High-speed automated organic analysis is provided by means of gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer sensor which can process a sample without contact in one minute. Volatile organics are extracted directly from contaminated surfaces without sample removal; multiple stage focusing is used for high time resolution. Additional discrimination is obtained through a final stage time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The radionuclide sensors combines {alpha}, {beta}, and {gamma} counting with energy discrimination of the {alpha} channel; this quantifies isotopes of U, Pu, Th, Tc, Np, and Am in one minute. The Molecular Vibrational Spectrometry sensor is used to characterize substrate material such as concrete, transite, wood, or asbestos; this can be used to …

From April through October 1994, a study was conducted in the Moline, Illinois-Bettendorf, Iowa area to measure bioaerosol concentrations in 44 homes housing a total of 54 asthmatic individuals. Air was sampled 3 to 10 times at each home over a period of seven months. A total of 852 pairs of individual samples were collected indoors at up to three locations (basement, kitchen, bedroom, or living room) and outside within two meters of each house.

This report is divided into four aspects relating to water pollution problems in the Mississippi River Basin. They are: collaborative cluster research projects, in which investigators employ a synergistic approach to the solution of problems; initiation research projects, in which a single investigator is involved ; technical support activities, which involve anything that is required to support the research; and the research training and education core, which is designed to develop courses with emphasis on environmental studies. This report presents the objectives and accomplishments of the various research projects for July 1, 1996--September 30, 1996.

The ``Environmental Management Technology Leveraging Initiative,`` a cooperative agreement between the Global Environment and Technology Foundation and the Department of Energy-Morgantown Energy Technology Center, has completed its second year. This program, referred to as the Global Environmental Technology Enterprise (GETE) is an experiment to bring together the public and private sectors to identify, formulate, promote and refine methods to develop more cost-effective clean-up treatments. Working closely with Department of Energy officials, National Laboratory representatives, business people, academia, community groups, and other stakeholders, this program attempts to commercialize innovative, DOE-developed technologies. The methodology to do so incorporates three elements: business assistance, information, and outreach. A key advance this year was the development of a commercialization guidance document which can be used to diagnose the commercialization level and needs for innovative technologies.

The purpose of this Highlights Report is to present a brief overview of the Laboratory`s significant research accomplishments during the fiscal year 1995. The activities covered in this report include advances on the large projects, such as the discovery of the Enhanced Reversed Shear mode on the TFTR and the engineering design developments in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, as well as the significant progress made in plasma theory, small-scale experiments, technology transfer, graduate education, and the Laboratory`s outreach program in science education.

With passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the United States embarked on a policy for controlling acid deposition that has been estimated to cost at least $2 billion. Title IV of the Act created a major innovation in environmental regulation by introducing market-based incentives - specifically, by allowing electric utility companies to trade allowances to emit sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}). The National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) has been tasked by Congress to assess what Senator Moynihan has termed this {open_quotes}grand experiment.{close_quotes} Such a comprehensive assessment of the economic and environmental effects of this legislation has been a major challenge. To help NAPAP face this challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sponsored development of an integrated assessment model, known as the Tracking and Analysis Framework (TAF). This section summarizes TAF`s objectives and its overall design.

The objective of this project is to evaluate hot gas particle control technologies using coal-derived as streams. This will entail the design, construction, installation, and use of a flexible test facility which can operate under realistic gasification and combustion conditions. The major particulate control device issues to be addressed Include the integration of the particulate control devices into coal utilization systems, on-line cleaning, techniques, chemical and thermal degradation of components, fatigue or structural failures, blinding, collection efficiency as a function of particle size, and scale-up of particulate control systems to commercial size. The conceptual design of the facility was extended to include a within scope, phased expansion of the existing, Hot Gas Cleanup Test Facility Cooperative Agreement to also address systems integration issues of hot particulate removal in advanced coal-based power generation systems. This expansion included the consideration of the following modules at the test facility in addition to the original Transport Reactor gas source and Hot Gas Cleanup Units: 1 . Carbonizer/Pressurized Circulating, Fluidized Bed Gas Source; 2. Hot Gas Cleanup Units to mate to all gas streams; 3. Combustion Gas Turbine; 4. Fuel Cell and associated gas treatment. This expansion to the Hot Gas Cleanup Test Facility is …

The Department of Energy (DOE) Information Architecture, Volume 2, Baseline Analysis, is a collaborative and logical next-step effort in the processes required to produce a Departmentwide information architecture. The baseline analysis serves a diverse audience of program management and technical personnel and provides an organized way to examine the Department`s existing or de facto information architecture. A companion document to Volume 1, The Foundations, it furnishes the rationale for establishing a Departmentwide information architecture. This volume, consisting of the Baseline Analysis Summary (part 1), Baseline Analysis (part 2), and Reference Data (part 3), is of interest to readers who wish to understand how the Department`s current information architecture technologies are employed. The analysis identifies how and where current technologies support business areas, programs, sites, and corporate systems.

The objective of drillhole ER-12-1 was to determine the hydrogeology of paleozoic carbonate rocks and of the Eleana Formation, a regional aquitard, in an area potentially downgradient from underground nuclear testing conducted in nearby Rainier Mesa. This objective was addressed through the drilling of well ER-12-1 at N886,640.26 E640,538.85 Nevada Central Coordinates. Drilling of the 1094 m (3588 ft) well began on July 19, 1991 and was completed on October 17, 1991. Drilling problems included hole deviation and hole instability that prevented the timely completion of this borehole. Drilling methods used include rotary tri-cone and rotary hammer drilling with conventional and reverse circulation using air/water, air/foam (Davis mix), and bentonite mud. Geologic cuttings and geophysical logs were obtained from the well. The rocks penetrated by the ER-12-1 drillhole are a complex assemblage of Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian sedimentary rocks that are bounded by numerous faults that show substantial stratigraphic offset. The final 7.3 m (24 ft) of this hole penetrated an unusual intrusive rock of Cretaceous age. The geology of this borehole was substantially different from that expected, with the Tongue Wash Fault encountered at a much shallower depth, paleozoic rocks shuffled out of stratigraphic sequence, and the presence of …

New ideas and opportunities fostering the advancement of technology are occurring at an ever increasing rate. It, therefore, seems appropriate that a vehicle be available which fosters the development of new ideas and technologies, promotes the early exploration and exploitation of creative and innovative concepts, and develops new fundable R and D projects and programs if BNL is to carry out its primary mission and support the basic Department of Energy activities. At Brookhaven National Laboratory one such method is through its Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program. This discretionary research and development tool is critical in maintaining the scientific excellence and vitality of the Laboratory. Additionally, it is a means to stimulate the scientific community, fostering new science and technology ideas, which is the major factor in achieving and maintaining staff excellence and a means to address national needs within the overall mission of the DOE and BNL. The Project Summaries with their accomplishments described in this report reflect the above. Aside from leading to new fundable or promising programs and producing especially noteworthy research, they have resulted in numerous publications in various professional and scientific journals and presentations at meetings and forums.

The High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program was formally authorized by passage, with bipartisan support, of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, signed on December 9, 1991. The original Program, in which eight Federal agencies participated, has now grown to twelve agencies. This Plan provides a detailed description of the agencies` FY 1996 HPCC accomplishments and FY 1997 HPCC plans. Section 3 of this Plan provides an overview of the HPCC Program. Section 4 contains more detailed definitions of the Program Component Areas, with an emphasis on the overall directions and milestones planned for each PCA. Appendix A provides a detailed look at HPCC Program activities within each agency.