This talk is about how to avoid turning swords into Superfund sites. The problem we address is the potential conflict between the desire to take advantage of the greater international security brought by the end of the Cold War by entering arms control agreements requiring various military weapons to be dismantled, and the desire to avoid further degrading the environment in the process of destroying them. We will use as an illustration of these issues the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which is intended to cause the destruction of all chemical weapons in the world. First, we will provide a brief overview of the CWC, then we will focus in on its environmental provisions, and, finally, we will discuss potential conflicts with United States law and how they might be resolved.

The 216-U-8 Crib was constructed in 1952 and received waste from 1952 to 1960 as described in Appendix A. This description of work details the field activities associated with the characterization of the vitrified clay pipe (VCP) delivery line to the 216-U-8 Crib and subsurface soil sampling along the pipe route in the 200 West Area of Hanford U Plant. It will serves as a field guide for those performing the work. Soil sampling locations will be determined by a combination of radiological surface surveys and internal camera surveys of the VCP line. Depending on the condition of the pipeline and field conditions, the objectives are as follows: examine the internal condition of the VCP with a survey camera to the extent allowed by field conditions; determine precise location and depth of the VCP; document VCP integrity; document gamma radiation profile through the VCP; and correlate any relationships between surface contamination zones at grade above the VCP to identify breaches in the pipe integrity.

This procedure will verify that the 221-B liquid effluent monitoring system, installed near the east end of the 6-in. chemical sewer header, functions as intended by design. TK-900B was installed near stairwell 3 in the 221-B electrical gallery by Project W-007H. The system is part of BAT/AKART for the BCE liquid effluent system.

K-Basin uses ion exchange modules and ion exchange (IX) columns for removing radionuclides from the basin water. When the columns and modules are loaded, they are removed from service, drained and stored. After a few IX columns accumulate in storage, they are moved to a burial box. One of the burial box contains 33 columns and the other, six. The radionuclides act on the liquid left within and adhering to the beads to produce hydrogen. This report describes the generation rate, accumulation rate and significance of that accumulation. This summary also highlights those major areas of concern to the external (to Westinghouse Hanford Company [WHC]) reviewers. Appendix H presents the comments made by the external reviewers and, on a separate sheet, the responses to those comments. The concerns regarding the details of the analytical approach, are addressed in Appendix H and in the appropriate section.

This document is a plan which serves as the contractual agreement between the Characterization Program, Sampling Operations, WHC 222-S Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and PNL 329 Laboratory. The scope of this plan is to provide guidance for the sampling and analysis of vapor samples from tank 241-BY-103.

This analysis examines activities associated with the installation of isolation barriers in the K Basins at the Hanford Reservation. This revision adds evaluation of barrier drops on stored fuel and basin floor, identifies fuel which will be moved and addresses criticality issues with sludge. The safety assessment is made for the activities for the preparation and installation of the discharge chute isolation barriers. The safety assessment includes a hazard assessment and comparisons of potential accidents/events to those addressed by the current safety basis documentation. No significant hazards were identified. An evaluation against the USQ evaluation questions was made and the determination made that the activities do not represent a USQ. Hazard categorization techniques were used to provide a basis for readiness review classifications.

The authors have developed compact collisional-radiative models to describe the ionization balance and excitation mechanisms in neon-like selenium x-ray laser plasmas. These models can be used for calculations of the ionization dynamics, detailed emission spectra, and gain coefficients. Careful attention has been paid to indirect processes such as dielectronic recombination, excitation-autoionization, and resonant excitation. They discuss the importance of different atomic processes and model approximations in the ionization balance and gain calculations. These results will be compared to experimental measurements and to previous calculations.

This project specific quality assurance program plan establishes the responsibility for the implementation of QA requirements, defines and documents the QA requirements associated with design, procurement, and construction, and defines and documents the degree of QA reviews and verifications on the design and construction necessary to assure compliance to project and DOE requirements. Revision 2 updates the QAPP to provide concurrence with approved work scope deletion. In addition, the Quality Assurance Program Index is being updated to reflect the current Quality Assurance Program requirements per DOE Order 5700.6C.

Project W-113 will provide the equipment and facilities necessary to retrieve suspect transuranic (TRU) waste from Trench 04 of the 218W-4C burial ground. As part of the retrieval process, waste drums will be assayed, overpacked, vented, head-gas sampled, and x-rayed prior to shipment to the Phase V storage facility in preparation for receipt at the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility (WRAP). Advanced Conceptual Design (ACD) studies focused on project items warranting further definition prior to Title I design and areas where the potential for cost savings existed. This ACD Report documents the studies performed during FY93 to optimize the equipment and facilities provided in relation to other SWOC facilities and to provide additional design information for Definitive Design.

The general objectives are to (1) to identify and develop gelled polymer systems which have potential to improve reservoir conformance of fluid displacement processes, (2) to determine the performance of these systems in bulk and in porous media, and (3) to develop methods to predict the capability of these systems to recover oil from petroleum reservoirs. This work focuses on three types of gel systems - an aqueous polysaccharide (KUSP1) system that gels as a function of pH, the chromium(III)-polyacrylamide system and the aluminum citrate-polyacrylamide system. Laboratory research is directed at the fundamental understanding of the physics and chemistry of the gelation process in bulk form and in porous media. This knowledge will be used to develop conceptual and mathematical models of the gelation process. Mathematical models will then be extended to predict the performance of gelled polymer treatments in oil reservoirs. Accomplishments for this quarter are presented for the following tasks: development and selection of gelled polymer systems; and physical and chemical characterization of gel systems.

Purpose is to understand the mechanisms for growth and breakdown of passive films on metal and alloy surfaces in aqueous medium; a secondary goal is to devise methods for predicting localized corrosion damage in industrial systems. Tasks currently being studied are: formation of bilayer structures in passive films on metals and alloys; passivity breakdown on solid vs. liquid gallium; roles of alloying elements in passivity breakdown; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of passive films; electronic structure of passive oxide films; photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy of passive films; and kinetics of localized attack.

The primary objectives of the project are to increase the base of scientific knowledge concerning (1) the fate and environmental effects of organics, trace metals, and NORM in water, sediment, and biota near several offshore oil and gas facilities; (2) the characteristics of produced water and produced sand discharges as they pertain to organics, trace metals, and NORM variably found in association with the discharges; (3) the recovery of four terminated produced water discharge sites located in wetland and high-energy open bay sites of coastal Louisiana and Texas; (4) the economic and energy supply impacts of existing and anticipated federal and state offshore and coastal discharge regulations; and (5) the catch, consumption and human use patterns of seafood species collected from coastal and offshore waters. The products of the effort will be a series of technical reports detailing the study procedures, results, and conclusions which contribute to the transfer of technology to the scientific community, petroleum industry, and state and federal programs.

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The desire for improved control over electric discharge phenomena in a wide variety of scientific, technological, manufacturing, and waste processing activities spurs the development of non-equilibrium, non-uniform, and time dependent models. This paper addresses the situation of slightly ionized, spatially uniform gas with a time varying electric field, and in which inelastic collisions occur. The purpose here is to present a reasonably consistent, and reasonably accessible analytical result for the electron kinetics in a gas discharge regime of technological interest. This paper will be structured as follows. First, the analytical result for the time dependent electron distribution function is stated. Second, a summary of the solution procedure with its attendant assumptions is given. Lastly, examples of the solution are given for an idealized nitrogen-like gas where the electric field ramps between static conditions, and then for sinusoidal behavior.

Laboratory data for Sixth Round Groundwater samples collected during the 300-FF-5 Operable Unit Remedial Investigation have been reviewed and validated to ensure that they are of sufficient quality to support decisions regarding further actions to be taken at the 300-FF-5 Operable Unit. Table 1-1 is a summary of the validated samples. This report summarizes the results previously presented to Westinghouse Hanford in a series of Preliminary Quality Assurance Reports (PQAR) for the 300-FF-5 Sixth Round Groundwater samples. In some instances, the data qualifiers originally presented in the PQARs have been changed based upon further review of the data; these changes are highlighted in the text.

Clean Coal Technology (CCT) implies the use of coal in an environmentally acceptable manner. Coal combustion results in the emission of oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}), which are precursors of both acid rain and ozone formation. The primary objective of this CCT project is to evaluate the use of Gas Reburning and Low NO{sub x} Burners (GR-LNB) for NO{sub x} emission control from a wall fired boiler. It is anticipated that, if the demonstration is successful, the GR-LNB technology could become commercialized during the 1990`s and will be capable of (1) achieving significant reduction in the emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide (another acid rain precursor) from existing facilities to minimize environmental impacts such as transboundary and interstate pollution and/or (2) providing for future energy needs in an environmentally acceptable manner. Low NO{sub x} burners are designed to delay the mixing of the coal fuel with combustion air to minimize the NO{sub x} formation. Typically, one may obtain up to 50% reduction in NO{sub x} emissions through the use of LNB. For LNB applications, the technology is developed and a number of LNB designs are commercially available. With GR, about 80--85 percent of the coal fuel is fired in …

Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) is conducting a two-phased demonstration testing and evaluation of candidate melter system technologies for vitrification of Hanford Site low-level tank wastes. The testing is to be performed by melter equipment and vitrification technology commercial suppliers. This Statement of Work is for Phases 1 and 2 of the demonstration testing program. The primary objective of the demonstration testing is to identify the best available melter system technology for the Hanford Site LLW vitrification facility. Data obtained also will support various WHC engineering studies and conceptual design of the LLW vitrification facility. Multiple technologies will be selected for demonstration and evaluation. Testing will be conducted using non-radioactive LLW simulants in Seller-specified pilot/testing facilities.

In 1991, DOE procurement regulations were revised to help contractors improve their performance in operating and managing DOE facilities; the accountability and liability of contractors were increased, and opportunity was provided for earning increased fees. The audit showed that DOE had spent $25.3 M in FY 1992 to implement the accountability rule with no conclusive evidence that the accountability rule was achieving its objectives. For 5 contracts, DOE had spent $22.8 M in increased contract fees and $2.5 M in administrative costs (an additional $4 M paid to adjust for inflation) without any appreciable improvements in contractor performance. Furthermore, the contract costs disallowed and recovered under the accountability rule were insignificant. Prime cause was that DOE had not fully evaluated the potential costs and benefits of the accountability rule prior to implementation. The audit also disclosed a number of issues that need to be resolved. The management agreed to conduct the recommended cost-benefit analysis, but it did not agree to suspend further application of the accountability rule until a basis is developed for measuring its benefits.

DOE has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) (DOE/EA-0921) evaluating the proposed construction and operation of the Ambulatory Research and Education Center (AREC), which would be located on the top seven floors of the existing NeuroSensory Research Center (NRC) on the campus of the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) at Portland, Oregon. The proposed action would combine activities scattered across the campus into a central facility. Based on the analysis in the EA, DOE has determined that the proposed action does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 42 USC 4321 et seq. Therefore, an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required and the Department is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

The erosion of materials by the impact of solid particles has received increasing attention during the past twenty years. Recently, research has been initiated with the event of advanced coal conversion processes in which erosion plays an important role. The resulting damage, termed Solid Particle Erosion (SPE), is of concern primarily because of the significantly increased operating costs which result in material failures. Reduced power plant efficiency due to solid particle erosion of boiler tubes and waterwalls has led to various methods to combat SPE. One method is to apply coatings to the components subjected to erosive environments. Protective weld overlay coatings are particularly advantageous in terms of coating quality. The weld overlay coatings are essentially immune to spallation due to a strong metallurgical bond with the substrate material. By using powder mixtures, multiple alloys can be mixed in order to achieve the best performance in an erosive environment. However, a review of the literature revealed a lack of information on weld overlay coating performance in erosive environments which makes the selection of weld overlay alloys a difficult task. The objective of this project is to determine the effects of weld overlay coating composition and microstructure on erosion resistance. These …

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This is a project that sought to improve the amorphous silicon-germanium (SiGe) thin film deposition process in the production of solar cells. To accomplish this, the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma discharge, employed for the thin film deposition, was modified. Changes in the parameters of the plasma were monitored with diagnostic techniques, similar to those used in fusion plasma studies. That was the primary contribution from ORNL. Only one phase was contained in the statement of work, with the following tasks: (1) Develop a detailed program for plasma characterization. (2) Carry-out plasma modeling and analysis to support deposition systems design. (3) Operate experimental deposition systems for the purpose of plasma characterization. (4) Analyze data. (5) Modify deposition as directed by measurements. (6) This final report, which was deemed to be the only deliverable of this small project. And while the modified ECR discharge did not show measurable improvement of the conditions relevant to the deposition process, much was learned about the plasma parameters in the process. Some ideas on alternative designs are being discuss and funding options for testing such designed are being sought.

Project C-018H is one of the fourteen subprojects to the Hanford Environmental Compliance (HEC) Project. Project C-018H provides treatment and disposal for the 242-A Evaporator and PUREX plant process condensate waste streams. This project used the Integrated Management Team (IMT) approach proposed by RL. The IMT approach included all affected organizations on the project team to coordinate and execute all required project tasks, while striving to integrate and satisfy all technical, operational, functional, and organizational objectives. The HEC Projects were initiated in 1989. Project C-018H began in early 1990, with completion of construction currently targeted for mid-1995. This assessment was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the management control on design documents and quality assurance records developed and submitted for processing, use, and retention for the Project. The assessment focused primarily on the overall adequacy and quality of the design documentation currently being submitted to the project document control function.

The Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments was created by President Clinton to advise the Human Radiation Interagency Working Group on the ethical and scientific criteria applicable to human radiation experiments carried out or sponsored by the U.S. Government. The Committee seeks to answer several fundamental question: What ethics criteria should be used to evaluate human radiation experiments? What was the Federal Government`s role in human radiation experiments? What are the criteria for determining appropriate Federal responses where wrongs or harms have occurred? What lessons learned from studying past and present research standards and practices should be applied to the future? The Committee has been gathering vast amounts of information and working to render it orderly and accessible. In the next six months, the Committee will continue with the tasks of data gathering and organizing. The focus of the work, however, will be developing criteria for judging historical and contemporary experiments, policies, and procedures, as well as criteria for remedies that may be appropriate where harms or wrongs have ocurred. Based on findings, the Committee will make specific recommendations regarding policies for the future.