This report describes work to examine the gas generation behavior of actual K East (KE) Basin floor, pit and canister sludge. Mixed and unmixed and fractionated KE canister sludge were tested, along with floor and pit sludges from areas in the KE Basin not previously sampled. The first report in this series focused on gas generation from KE floor and canister sludge collected using a consolidated sampling technique. The third report will present results of gas generation testing of irradiated uranium fuel fragments with and without sludge addition. The path forward for management of the K Basin Sludge is to retrieve, ship, and store the sludge at T Plant until final processing at some future date. Gas generation will impact the designs and costs of systems associated with retrieval, transportation and storage of sludge.

This document describes the source area for the blowing dust encountered in the southwest portion of the 200 West Area. Strategies for short-term stabilization of the entire source area, short-term stabilization of a portion of the source area based on levels of respirable dust, and long-term stabilization of the entire source area are provided. An separate evaluation of aerosolized water as a means of reducing airborne dust is also provided.

The phase change in iron at 13 GPa results in the formation of rarefaction shock waves upon release. The interaction of multiple rarefaction shock waves induces high tensile stresses within a narrow zone, causing smooth spall. This effect can be exploited to sever cylindrical cross-section pipes, such as those supporting decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms, using a minimal amount of explosive. Consequently, costs can be reduced and environmental impact minimized. They discuss the numerical techniques used to simulate rarefaction shock waves and the damage to steel resulting from the interaction of multiple rarefaction shock waves.

This document overviews an entirely new approach to determining the composition--the chemical-elemental, isotopic and molecular make-up--of complex, highly structured objects, moreover with microscopic spatial resolution in all 3 dimensions. The front cover depicts the new type of pulsed laser system at the heart of this novel technology under adjustment by Alexis Wynne, and schematically indicates two of its early uses: swiftly analyzing the 3-D composition governed structure of a transistor circuit with both optical and mass-spectrometric detectors, and of fossilized dinosaur and turtle bones high-speed probed by optical detection means. Studying the composition-cued 3-D micro-structures of advanced composite materials and the microscopic scale composition-texture of biological tissues are two near-term examples of the rich spectrum of novel applications enabled by this field-opening analytic tool-set.

The problem of stopping nuclear smuggling of terrorist nuclear devices is a complex one, owing to the variety of pathways by which such a device can be transported. To fashion new detection systems that improve the chances of detecting such a device, it is important to know the various requirements and conditions that would be imposed on them by both the types of devices that might be smuggled and by the requirement that it not overly interfere with the transportation of legitimate goods. Requirements vary greatly from low-volume border crossings to high-volume industrial container ports, and the design of systems for them is likely to be quite different. There is also a further need to detect these devices if they are brought into a country via illicit routes, i.e., those which do not pass through customs posts, but travel overland though open space or to a smaller, unguarded airport or seaport. This paper describes some generic uses of detectors, how they need to be integrated into customs or other law enforcement systems, and what the specifications for such detectors might be.

The collateral damage caused by fallout from shallow-buried nuclear devices is of considerable interest. In this paper, we present results for ''standard'' calculations using the KDFOC4 fallout computer code. Results are presented for a parametric range of yields from 0.1 kt to 1 Mt in equally-spaced logarithmic increments and for emplacement depths of 5 meters in hard, dry rock and 20 meters in moist soil. We will see that for low yields, this emplacement depth has a marked influence on the shape of the fallout patterns but for the highest yields, the fallout patterns are insensitive to the emplacement medium and depth. We look at two categories of doses: (1) Those for which health effects begin to be serious and range upward to lethal, and (2) Doses that are politically very sensitive but for which any deleterious health effects are difficult to prove.

The scope of the project was to conduct experimental and computer modeling studies of the launching, flight characteristics and impacts of thin flyer plates driven by laser ablation under drive conditions where the plate remains a solid and retains its strength. Motivation for the work was to provide the scientific underpinnings for advanced development work on new detonators that will be needed within the next ten years for use in the Laboratory's national security mission. Areas of study were to be coupling of laser energy into the flyer plate during the launch phase, melting and instability growth in the flyer during launch, and an explosive-grain-scale understanding of the shock-to-detonation transition when the flyer plate impacts an explosive target. Knowledge and modeling capability, developed from this study, were to enable us to tailor the launching and acceleration conditions of thin flyer plates to produce an optimum impact for initiating high explosives. Experimental and computational studies of the shock-to-detonation transition were to aid us in developing more efficient initiating explosives for use in future detonators.

Second order optical nonlinearities were induced in commercial phosphate glasses (Schott, IOG-1) by the thermal poling technique. The induced {chi}{sup (2)} was measured via second harmonic generation using a fundamental beam from a 1064 nm mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. The nonlinear regions were characterized using the Maker-Fringe technique, in which the second harmonic signals were observed as a function of incident angle of the fundamental beam. The results show that the {chi}{sup (2)} profile has contributions from two distinct regions: a near-anodic surface region and a bulk. We have modeled the induced profile to fit our experimental results. The dependence of the induced nonlinearity on applied poling fields, temperatures and poling time is discussed.

Developed equipment consisted of a high magnetic field solenoid with supporting instrumentation for electron plasma confinement. The solenoid was designed and delivered in year 1. In year 2, it was mapped and the trap was created and commissioned. In parallel, an ongoing program of beam-plasma interaction studies was carried out with a lower field trap developed earlier. The trap was placed in the IUCF Coolor (an intermediate-energy electron-cooled storage ring) and the effects of the beam on the plasma were investigated, including energy and angular momentum transfer. Student projects carried out within the beam-plasma group also included development of a diagnostic with high spatial resolution, and preparation for extension of the beam-plasma interaction study to much lower beam energy. This became the principal group activity during the latter part of the project.

There were 5 laser experiments conducted to date in FY-01 under the ongoing project to study the response of single crystal fcc materials under shock compression. An additional 10 laser shots are planned for August, 2001. This work has focused on developing capability to record diffraction from multiple lattice planes during the passage of a shock through a thin foil of single crystal copper, while simultaneously performing separate shock sample recovery experiments to study the residual deformation structure in the recovered samples.

OAK-B135 Monitoring the Durability Performance of Concrete in Nuclear Waste Containment

Absolute partial {gamma}-ray cross sections for production of discrete {gamma} rays in the {sup 239}Pu(n,2n{gamma}i){sup 238}Pu reaction have been measured. The experiments were performed at LANSCE/WNR on the 60R flight line. Reaction {gamma}-rays were measured using the large-scale Compton-suppressed array of Ge detectors, GEANIE. The motivation for this experiment, an overview of the partial {gamma}-ray cross-section measurement, and an introduction to the main experimental issues will be presented. The energy resolution of the Ge detectors allowed identification of reaction {gamma} rays above the background of sample radioactivity and fission {gamma} rays. The use of planar Ge detectors with their reduced sensitivity to neutron interactions and improved line shape was also important to the success of this experiment. Absolute partial {gamma}-ray cross sections are presented for the 6{sub 1}{sup +} {yields} 4{sub 1}{sup +} member of the ground state rotational band in {sup 238}Pu, together with miscellaneous other {gamma}-ray partial cross sections. The n,2n reaction cross section shape and magnitude as a function of neutron energy was extracted from these partial cross sections using nuclear modeling (enhanced Hauser-Feshbach) to relate partial {gamma}-ray cross sections to the n,2n cross section. The critical nuclear modeling issue is the ratio of a partial cross …

T*e, which is an elastic-plastic fracture parameter based on incremental theory of plasticity, was determined numerically and experimentally. The T*e integral of a tunneling crack in 2024-T3 aluminum, three point bend specimen was obtained through a hybrid analysis of moire interferometry and 3-D elastic-plastic finite element analysis. The results were verified by the good agreement between the experimentally and numerically determined T*e on the specimen surface.

In this paper we study the behavior of a premixed turbulent methane flame in three dimensions using numerical simulation. The simulations are performed using an adaptive time-dependent low Mach number combustion algorithm based on a second-order projection formulation that conserves both species mass and total enthalpy. The species and enthalpy equations are treated using an operator-split approach that incorporates stiff integration techniques for modeling detailed chemical kinetics. The methodology also incorporates a mixture model for differential diffusion. For the simulations presented here, methane chemistry and transport are modeled using the DRM-19 (19-species, 84-reaction) mechanism derived from the GRIMech-1.2 mechanism along with its associated thermodynamics and transport databases. We consider a lean flame with equivalence ratio 0.8 for two different levels of turbulent intensity. For each case we examine the basic structure of the flame including turbulent flame speed and flame surface area. The results indicate that flame wrinkling is the dominant factor leading to the increased turbulent flame speed. Joint probability distributions are computed to establish a correlation between heat release and curvature. We also investigate the effect of turbulent flame interaction on the flame chemistry. We identify specific flame intermediates that are sensitive to turbulence and explore various correlations …

Major radionuclide emissions from the Department of Energy's Y-12 National Security Complex are nuclides of uranium which are emitted as a particulate. The radionuclide NESHAP regulation requires stack sampling to be conducted in accordance with ANST Standard N13.1, 1969. Appendix B of this standard requires in every case where sampling delivery lines are used that an evaluation should be made of deposition in these lines. A number of Y-12 Complex stacks are fitted with continuous samplers which draw particulate laden air through a probe and across a sample filter. One approach to evaluate line loss as required by the ANSI standard is to establish a representative factor that is used for all subsequent sampling efforts. Another approach is to conduct a routine probe wash procedure on an ongoing basis to account for line losses. In 1991, Y-12 National Security Complex personnel began routine probe washes as part of their sample collection procedure. Since then, 50-80 stacks have been sampled on a near continuous basis and probe washes have been conducted quarterly. Particulate collection in probes versus particulate collection on filters is recorded as a probe factor and probe factor trends for a 10-year period are available.

Solar Electricity - The Power of Choice (formerly NREL PV Working With Industry) is a quarterly newsletter devoted to the photovoltaics (PV) research and development activities performed by NREL staff in concert with their industry and university partners. This issue is devoted to demonstrating that PV R and D is a valuable investment for the United States. The editorialist for this issue is Larry Kazmerski, director of the National Center for Photovoltaics.

This report describes the results achieved during Phase I of a three-phase subcontract to develop and understand thin-film solar cell technology associated with CuInSe2 and related alloys, a-Si and its alloys, and CdTe. Modules based on all these thin films are promising candidates to meet DOE long-range efficiency, reliability, and manufacturing cost goals. The critical issues being addressed under this program are intended to provide the science and engineering basis for developing viable commercial processes and to improve module performance. The generic research issues addressed are: (1) quantitative analysis of processing steps to provide information for efficient commercial-scale equipment design and operation; (2) device characterization relating the device performance to materials properties and process conditions; (3) development of alloy materials with different bandgaps to allow improved device structures for stability and compatibility with module design; (4) development of improved window/heterojunction layers and contacts to improve device performance and reliability; and (5) evaluation of cell stability with respect to illumination, temperature, and ambient, and with respect to device structure and module encapsulation.

The 120 GeV primary proton beamline for the NuMI-MINOS [1] experiment at Fermilab will transport one of the most intense high-energy beams ever constructed. in parallel operation with the Collider program, 80% of the intensity capability of the Fermilab Main Injector can be sent to NuMI. Radiation safety pertaining to residual activity, damage of equipment and irradiation of groundwater is a primary concern. A particular challenge is that this beam will be transported to and targeted in a cavern excavated in rock in an aquifer region. A model of the beamline, including transport elements and excavated enclosures, has been built in the radiation simulation program MARS. This model has been used to determine limits for allowable beam loss, and to study effects of instabilities and of various failure types. Some results obtained with this model are presented.

It is not unusual to place multiple accelerators in a common enclosure to save on civil construction costs. This often complicates operations, especially if accelerators are affecting each other. At Fermilab, the influence of a rapidly cycling Main Injector (MI) synchrotron on an antiproton storage ring (Recycler), placed in a common tunnel, was initially found to be unacceptable for a reliable operation of the Recycler. Initial closed orbit excursions in the Recycler ring during the MI ramp were in excess of 5 mm (rms). This paper describes a shielding technique, used to reduce these orbit excursions by a factor of five.

A brief review of the history of the discovery of the deuteron in provided. The current status of both experiment and theory for the elastic electron scattering is then presented.

One of the applications of template matching for arms control/warhead dismantlement transparency regimes is for monitoring facility-to-facility transfers. In 1999, three highly enriched uranium (HEU) weapons components for which the Nuclear Materials Identification System (NMIS) signatures had been obtained at the shipper's site were received at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The NMIS signatures obtained upon receipt of these items were compared with those at the shipper's site to confirm the identity of the item received. This paper describes the use of NMIS for these shipper-receiver confirmations.

The Wide-Angle Neutron Diffractometer (WAND) installed at the High-Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) has been upgraded for new experiments. The main feature of this upgrade is the replacement of its detector with a newly developed curved one-dimensional 3He position-sensitive counter composed of 624 individual anodes. From the results of test-measurements of the detector performance, it is found that the intrinsic angular resolution and the maximum neutron-counting rate per anode are 0.25 degrees and 2.0 x 10 counts/second, respectively.

This application focuses on the development of appropriate computation tools and parameters for the de novo design of selective metal ligands. We have developed a successful suite of tools for computer-aided design of ligands for receptors of known three-dimensional structure (structure-based design), including the prediction of affinity. Adaptation of the algorithms to place donor atoms at appropriate geometrical locations surrounding the metal of interest, rather than filling up a cavity with donor/acceptor atoms placed optimally to interact with a protein active site, is straightforward. Appropriate geometrical parameters for metals can be derived from crystal structures and force constants adapted from recent advances in theories of metal-ligand interactions. The practical goal is computer-aided design of ligands which would be selective for one metal over another with a predicted selectivity ratio and affinity.

Work by Scruggs et al. in the 1960's demonstrated that up to 20% tensile ductility could be achieved at room-temperature in sintered and extruded powder metallurgical Cr alloyed with MgO. During sintering, much of the MgO converts to a MgCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinel, which was hypothesized to getter nitrogen from the Cr, rendering it ductile. Recent efforts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have succeeded in duplicating this original effect. Preliminary results suggest that the ductilization mechanism may be more complicated than the simple nitrogen gettering mechanism proposed by Scruggs, as some ductility was observed at room-temperature in Cr-MgO alloys containing nitride precipitates. Results of microstructural characterization and room-temperature mechanical property studies are presented for Cr-6MgO-(0-2.2)Ti wt.% as a function of hot-pressing and extrusion. Possible mechanisms by which the MgO additions may improve the room-temperature ductility of Cr are discussed.