On 12 June 1998, the Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) learned from news reports about the accidental release of cesium-137 from a steel mill near Algeciras, Spain. We used the U.S. Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) gridded data for meteorological input into our diagnostic models. To better resolve near-release location and coastal meteorological conditions, we blended four days of WMO surface and upper air observations with the gridded data. Our calculations showed the plume initially traveled eastward over the Mediterranean Sea, turned northward into central Europe, and was split by the Alps. We determined the timing and amount of cesium released by fitting our modeled air concentrations to the available set of measurements. Accuracy statistics from a small set of ratios of measured to computed air concentrations paired in space and time were similar to those achieved from larger data sets in previous ARAC model evaluation studies on the continental scale.

A laser imaging approach is presented that utilizes the adaptive property of photorefractive materials to produce a real-time measurement of ultrasonic traveling wave surface displacement and phase in all planar directions simultaneously without scanning. The imaging method performs optical lock-in operation. A single antisymmetric Lamb wave mode image produces direct quantitative determination of the phase velocity in all planar directions showing plate stiffness anisotropy. Excellent agreement was obtained with modeling calculations of the phase velocity in all planar directions for an anisotropic sheet material. The approach functions with diffusely scattering surfaces, subnanometer motions and at frequencies from Hz to GHz.

This paper describes the successes and challenges associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permitting of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's (INEEL) Waste Experimental Reduction Facility (WERF) hazardous and mixed waste incinerator. Topics to be discussed include facility modifications and problems, trial burn results and lessons learned in each of these areas. In addition, a number of challenges remain including completion and final issue of RCRA Permit and implementation of all the permit requirements. Results from the trial burn demonstrated that the operating conditions and procedures will result in emissions that are satisfactorily protective of human health, the environment, and are in compliance with Federal and State regulations.

Using the eight guiding principles of Integrated Safety Management (ISM) - Worker Involvement - will move the work force on a forward path from just doing work to doing work safely. This path can be achieved by changing the safety culture in the work place. The work force is more likely to accept a process that will allow them to be accountable for their own safety if they feel ownership through Worker Involvement. The marrying of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and ISM will give workers this ownership. One of the concerns in implementing ISM is that, unless you keep it simple by applying the five core functions and eight guiding principles, you may over load the work force with more information then they need. If you can show them how their job applies to the five core functions, along with using VPP to change their safety culture, you will build a work force that will set the standards for doing work safely. Using INEEL's experience, this paper focuses on input from the work force and the culture necessary to implement ISM.

Sludge generated during surface-water transport or biological treatment of selenium laden agricultural drainage water contains high concentrations (20-100 mg/kg) of selenium. Finding safe and economical sludge disposal methods requires understanding of the biogeochemical processes that change selenium speciation (after placed at a disposal site). Two experiments, each comparing 3 treatments for sludge disposal has resulted in data on changes in selenium speciation spanning an eight year period. Treatments included direct application to upland soils and application with tillage to depths of 15 cm and 30 cm. Soil cores, soil water samples and groundwater monitoring were used to track changes in selenium speciation and transport of re-oxidized forms of selenium. Measurements demonstrate the slow re-oxidation of reduced forms of selenium, largely elemental and organically associated forms, to selenate and selenite. Downward transport of these re-oxidized forms of selenium are driven by winter rains. Field measured re-oxidation rates for these field trials are presented and compared to selenium re-oxidation rates in formerly ponded areas at Kesterson Reservoir, California.

The difficulties in designing a cooperative team are significant. Several of the key questions that must be resolved when designing a cooperative control architecture include: How do we formulate, describe, decompose, and allocate problems among a group of intelligent agents? How do we enable agents to communicate and interact? How do we ensure that agents act coherently in their actions? How do we allow agents to recognize and reconcile conflicts? However, in addition to these key issues, the software architecture must be designed to enable multi-robot teams to be robust, reliable, and flexible. Without these capabilities, the resulting robot team will not be able to successfully deal with the dynamic and uncertain nature of the real world. In this extended abstract, we first describe these desired capabilities. We then briefly describe the ALLIANCE software architecture that we have previously developed for multi-robot cooperation. We then briefly analyze the ALLIANCE architecture in terms of the desired design qualities identified.

Many types of home electronic equipment draw electric power when switched off or not performing their principal functions. Standby power use (or ''leaking electricity'') for most appliances ranges from 1 - 20 watts. Even though standby use of each device is small, the combined standby power use of all appliances in a home can easily exceed 50 watts. Leaking electricity is already responsible for 5 to 10 percent of residential electricity use in the United States and over 10 percent in Japan. An increasing number of white goods also have standby power requirements. There is a growing international effort to limit standby power to around one watt per device. New and existing technologies are available to meet this target at little or no extra cost.

Direct Chemical Oxidation (DCO) is an ambient-pressure, low-temperature (<100 C), and aqueous-based process for general-purpose destruction of the organic fraction of hazardous or mixed waste. It uses the peroxydisulfate anion (S{sub 2}O{sub 8}{sup 2{minus}}) in acid or base solutions. The byproduct of the oxidation reaction, typically sodium or ammonium hydrogen sulfate, may be recycled electrolytically to produce the oxidant. The oxidation kinetic reaction is first order with respect to the peroxydisulfate concentration, expressed in equivalents. The rate constant is constant for nearly all dissolved organic compounds: k{sub a} = 0.01 {+-} 0.005 min{sup {minus}1}. This reflects a common rate-determining step, which is the decomposition of the peroxydisulfate anion into the chemically active derivative, the sulfate radical anion, SO{sub 4}{sup {minus}}. This decomposition is promoted in DCO by raising the operating temperature into the range of 80-100 C. Rates are given for approximately 30 substances with diverse functional groups at low concentrations, and for a number of solid and liquid wastes typical of nuclear and chemical industries. The process has been scale up for treatment studies on chlorinated hydrocarbons, in which the hydrolysis of solvent mixtures was followed by oxidation of products in a series of stirred tank reactors. Cost estimates, …

Nuclear power can provide a significant contribution to electricity generation and meet other needs of the world and the US during the next century provided that certain directions are taken to achieve its public acceptance. These directions include formulation of projections of population, energy consumption, and energy resources over a responsible period of time. These projections will allow assessment of cumulative effects on the environment and on fixed resources. Use of fossil energy resources in a century of growing demand for energy must be considered in the context of long-term environmental damage and resource depletion. Although some question the validity of these consequences, they can be mitigated by use of advanced fast reactor technology. It must be demonstrated that nuclear power technology is safe, resistant to material diversion for weapon use, and economical. An unbiased examination of all the issues related to energy use, especially of electricity, is an essential direction to take.

Bridge pins were used in the hanger assemblies for some multi-span steel bridges built prior to the 1980's, and are sometimes considered fracture critical elements of a bridge. During a test on a bridge conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), ultrasonic field inspection results indicated that at least two pins contained cracks. Several pins were removed and selected for further examination. This provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about these pins and the application of x-ray systems at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), as well as to learn more about the application of different detectors recently obtained by LLNL. Digital radiographs and computed tomography (CT) were used to characterize the bridge pins, using a LINAC x-ray source with a 9-MV bremsstrahlung spectrum. We will describe the performance of two different digital radiographic detectors. One is a detector system frequently used at LLNL consisting of a scintillator glass optically coupled to a CCD camera. The other detector is a new amorphous silicon detector recently acquired by LLNL.

As reported previously [1], Jefferson Lab is building a free-electron laser capable of generating a continuous wave kilowatt laser beam. The driver-accelerator consists of a superconducting, energy-recovery accelerator. The initial stage of the program was to produce over 100 W of average power with no recirculation. In order to provide maximum gain the initial wavelength was chosen to be 5 mu-m and the initial beam energy was chosen to be 38.5 MeV. On June 17, 1998, the laser produced 155 Watts cw power at the laser output with a 98% reflective output coupler. On July 28th, 311 Watts cw power was obtained using a 90% reflective output coupler. A summary of the commissioning activities to date as well as some novel lasing results will be summarized in this paper. Present work is concentrated on optimizing lasing at 5 mu-m, obtaining lasing at 3 mu-m, and commissioning the recirculation transport in preparation for kilowatt lasing this fall.

The approximate validity of the constituent counting rules to few GeV photoreactions has been known for many years. It is now generally accepted that perturbative QCD, which leads to these rules, cannot be applicable in this low energy and momentum transfer regime. Cross section and polarization measurements now underway show promise to lead to the underlying physics. Initial experiments on deuteron photodisintegration and pion electroproduction are now in progress, and are expected to be followed by several other measurements.

A novel approach for the fabrication and assembly of a solid oxide fuel cell system is described which enables effective scaling of the fuel delivery, mainfold, and fuel cell stack components for applications in miniature and microscale energy conversion. Electrode materials for solid oxide fuel cells are developed using sputter deposition techniques. A thin film anode is formed by codeposition of nickel and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). This approach provides a mixed conducting interfacial layer between the nickel electrode and electrolyte layer. Similarly, a thin film cathode is formed by co-deposition of silver and yttria-stabilized zirconia. Additionally, sputter deposition of yttria-stabilized zirconia thin film electrolyte enables high quality, continuous films to be formed having thickness on the order of 1-2 {micro}m. This will effectively lower the temperature of operation for the fuel cell stack significantly below the traditional ranges at which solid oxide electrolyte systems are operated (600--1000 C), thereby rendering this fuel cell system suitable for miniaturization. Scaling towards miniaturization is accomplished by utilizing novel micromaching approaches which allow manifold channels and fuel delivery system to be formed within the substrate which the thin film fuel cell stack is fabricated on, thereby circumventing the need for bulky manifold components which …

A study is made of the effects of stable stratification on the fine-scale features of the flow in an evolving stable boundary layer (SBL). Large-eddy simulation (LES) techniques are used so that spatially and temporally varying and intermittent features of the turbulence can be resolved; traditional Reynolds-averaging approaches are not well suited to this. The LES model employs a subgrid turbulence model that allows upscale energy transfer (backscatter) and incorporates the effects of buoyancy. The afternoon, evening transition, and nighttime periods are simulated. Highly anisotropic turbulence is found in the developed SBL, with occasional periods of enhanced turbulence. Energy backscatter occurs in a fashion similar to that found in DNS, and is an important capability in LES of the SBL. Coherent structures are dominant in the SBL, as the damping of turbulent energy occurs more at the smaller, less organized scales.

This paper describes the successes and challenges associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permitting of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's (INEEL) Waste Experimental Reduction Facility (WERF) hazardous and mixed waste incinerator. Topics to be discussed include facility modifications and problems, trial burn results and lessons learned in each of these areas. In addition, a number of challenges remain including completion and final issue of the RCRA Permit and implementation of all the permit requirements. Results from the trial burn demonstrated that the operating conditions and procedures will result in emissions that are satisfactorily protective of human health, the environment, and are in compliance with Federal and State regulations.

A laser imaging approach is presented that utilizes the adaptive property of photorefractive materials to produce a real-time measurement of ultrasonic traveling wave surface displacement and phase in all planar directions simultaneously without scanning. The imaging method performs optical lock-in operation. A single antisymmetric Lamb wave mode image produces direct quantitative determination of the phase velocity in all planar directions showing plate stiffness anisotropy. Excellent agreement was obtained with modeling calculations of the phase velocity in all planar directions for an anisotropic sheet material. The approach functions with diffusely scattering surfaces, subnanometer motions and at frequencies from Hz to GHz.

The purpose of this work is to develop a low cost, non-intrusive, mass flow measurement sensor for two-phase flow conditions in geothermal applications. The emphasis of the work to date has been on a device that will monitor two-phase flow in the above-ground piping systems. The flashing brines have the potential for excessive scaling and corrosion of exposed surfaces, which can reduce the effectiveness of any measurement device. A major objective in the work has been the development of an instrument that is less susceptible to the scaling and corrosion effects. The focus of the project efforts has been on transducer noise analysis, a technology initiated at the INEEL. A transducer sensing a process condition will have, in addition to its usual signal, various noise components superimposed upon the primary signal that can be related to flow. Investigators have proposed that this technique be applied to steam and liquid water flow mixtures where the signal from an accelerometer mounted on an external pipe surface is evaluated to determine flow rate.

Electron Cyclotron Current Drive (ECCD) is considered a leading candidate for current profile control in Advanced Tokamak (AT) operation. Localized ECCD has been clearly demonstrated in recent proof-of-principle experiments on DIII-D. The measured ECCD efficiency near the magnetic axis agrees well with standard theoretical predictions. However, for off-axis current drive the normalized experimental efficiency does not decrease with minor radius as expected from the standard theory; the observed reduction of ECCD efficiency due to trapped electron effects in the off-axis cases is smaller than theoretical predictions. The standard approach of modeling ECCD in tokamaks has been based on the bounce-average calculations, which assume the bounce frequency is much larger than the effective collision frequency for trapped electrons at all energies. The assumption is clearly invalid at low energies. Finite collisionality will effectively reduce the trapped electron fraction, hence, increase current drive efficiency. Here, a velocity-space connection formula is proposed to estimate the collisionality effect on electron cyclotron current drive efficiency. The collisionality correction gives modest improvement in agreement between theoretical and recent DIII-D experimental results.

In the early 1990s, in collaboration with the School of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed dynamic underground stripping (DUS), a method for treating subsurface contaminants with heat that is much faster and more effective than traditional treatment methods. more recently, Livermore scientists developed hydrous pyrolysis/oxidation (HPO), which introduces both heat and oxygen to the subsurface to convert contaminants in the ground to such benign products as carbon dioxide, chloride ion, and water. This process has effectively destroyed all contaminants it encountered in laboratory tests. With dynamic underground stripping, the contaminants are vaporized and vacuumed out of the ground, leaving them still to be destroyed elsewhere. Hydrous pyrolysis/oxidation technology takes the cleanup process one step further by eliminating the treatment, handling, and disposal requirements and destroying the contamination in the ground. When used in combination, HPO is especially useful in the final polishing of a site containing significant free-product contaminant, once the majority of the contaminant has been removed.

Neoclassical tearing modes are found to limit the achievable beta in many high performance discharges in DIII-D. Electron cyclotron current drive within the magnetic islands formed as the tearing mode grows has been proposed as a means of stabilizing these modes or reducing their amplitude, thereby increasing the beta limit by a factor around 1.5. Some experimental success has been obtained previously on Asdex-U. Here the authors examine the parameter range in DIII-C in which this effect can best be studied.

Due to spatial localization of electron cyclotron wave injection in DIII-D, electrons heated in an off-axis region must toroidally transit the tokamak 25--50 times before re-entering the heating region. This distance is of the order of the mean free path. The effect of such RF localization is simulated with a time-dependent Fokker-Planck code which is 2D-in-velocity, 1D-in-space-along-B, and periodic in space. An effective parallel electric field arises to maintain continuity of the driven current. Somewhat surprisingly, the localized current drive efficiency remains equal to that for a uniform medium.

In a variety of discharge conditions on DIII-D it is observed that rf electron heating reduces the toroidal rotation speed and core ion temperature. The rf heating can be with either fast wave or electron cyclotron heating and this effect is insensitive to the details of the launched toroidal wavenumber spectrum. To date all target discharges have rotation first established with co-directed neutral beam injection. A possible cause is enhanced ion momentum and thermal diffusivity due to electron heating effectively creating greater anomalous viscosity. Another is that a counter directed toroidal force is applied to the bulk plasma via rf driven radial current.

The current CEBAF Master Oscillator (MO) uses a quartz-based 10 MHz reference to synthesize 70 MHz and 499 MHz, which are then distributed to each of the klystron galleries on site. Due to the specialized nature of CEBAF's MO requirements, it has been determined that an in-house design and fabrication would provide a cost-effective alternative to purchasing or modifying vendor equipment. A Global Positioning System (GPS) disciplined, Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) based MO is proposed which incorporates low-cost consumer RF components, designed for cellular communications. A 499 MHz Dielectric Resonant Oscillator (DRO) Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) is phase-locked to a GPS-disciplined 10 MHz reference, and micro-tuned via a DDS, in an effort to achieve the lowest phase noise possible.

The authors construct a supersymmetric theory of flavor based on the discrete gauge group (D{sub 6}){sup 2}, where D{sub 6} describes the symmetry of a regular hexagon under proper rotations in three dimensions. The representation structure of the group allows one to distinguish the third from the lighter two generations of matter fields, so that in the symmetry limit only the top quark Yukawa coupling is allowed and scalar superpartners of the first two generations are degenerate. Light fermion Yukawa couplings arise from a sequential breaking of the flavor symmetry, and supersymmetric flavor-changing processes remain adequately suppressed. They contrast the model with others based on non-Abelian discrete gauge symmetries described in the literature, and discuss the challenges in constructing more minimal flavor models based on this approach.