Tank 241-C-108 headspace gas and vapor samples were collected and analyzed to help determine the potential risks to tank farm workers due to fugitive emissions from the tank. The drivers and objectives of waste tank headspace sampling and analysis are discussed in Program Plan for the Resolution of Tank Vapor Issues (Osborne and Huckaby 1994). Tank 241-C-108 was vapor sampled in accordance with Data Quality Objectives for Generic In-Tank Health and Safety Issue Resolution (Osborne et al., 1994).

Tank 241-BY-107 headspace gas and vapor samples were collected and analyzed to help determine the potential risks to tank farm workers due to fugitive emissions from the tank. The drivers and objectives of waste tank headspace sampling and analysis are discussed in {open_quotes}Program Plan for the Resolution of Tank Vapor Issues{close_quotes}. Tank 241-BY-107 was vapor sampled in accordance with {open_quotes}Data Quality Objectives for Generic In-Tank Health and Safety Issue Resolution{close_quotes}.

Two chronosequence of unsaturated buried loess sediments ranging in age from <10,000 years to >1 million years were investigated to reconstruct patterns of microbial ecological succession that have occurred since sediment burial. The relative importance of microbial transport and survival to succession were inferred from sediment ages, porewater ages, patterns of abundance (measured by direct counts, counts of culturable cells, and total phospholipid fatty acids), activities (measured by radiotracer and enzyme assays), and community composition (measured by phospholipid fatty acid patterns and Biolog substrate usage). Samples were collected by coring at two sites 40 km apart in the Palouse region of eastern Washington State near the towns of Washtucna and Winona. The Washtucna site was flooded multiple times during the Pleistocene by glacial outburst floods; the elevation of the Winona site is above flood stage. Sediments at the Washtucna site were collected from near surface to 14.9 m depth, where the sediment age was {approx}250 ka and the porewater age was 3700 years; sample intervals at the Winona site ranged from near surface to 38 m (sediment age: {approx}1 Ma; porewater age: 1200 years). Microbial abundance and activities declined with depth at both sites; however, even the deepest, oldest sediments …

Purpose of this document is to define the system requirements necessary to improve computer support for the WHC backlog waste business process through enhancements to the backlog waste function of the SWITS system. This SRS document covers enhancements to the SWITS system to support changes to the existing Backlog Waste screens including new data elements, label changes, and new pop-up screens. The pop-ups will allow the user to flag the processes that a waste container must have performed on it, and will provide history tracking of changes to data. A new screen will also be provided allowing Acceptable Services to perform mass updates to specific data in Backlog Waste table. The SWITS Backlog Waste enhancements in this document will support the project goals in WHC-SD-WM-003 and its Revision 1 (Radioactive Solid Waste Tracking System Conceptual Definition) for the control, tracing, and inventory management of waste as the packages are generated and moved through final disposal (cradle-to-grave).

This document is a report of the analytical results for samples collected from the radioactive wastes in Tank 241-U-202 at the Hanford Reservation. Core samples were collected from the solid wastes in the tank and underwent safety screening analyses including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and total alpha analysis. Results indicate that no safety screening notification limits were exceeded.

Profiles of Foreign Direct Investment in US Energy 1993 describes the role of foreign ownership in US energy resources. This report also looks at the investment patterns of US energy companies in other countries. The data used in this report come from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Commerce, company annual reports, and public disclosures of investment activities.

There are difficulties associated with the assessment of the interpretation of field measurements, determination of guideline protocols and control and disposal of low level radioactive contaminated soil in the environmental health physics field. Questions are raised among scientists and in public forums concerning the necessity and high costs of large area soil remediation versus the risks of low-dose radiation health effects. As a result, accurate soil activity assessments become imperative in decontamination situations. The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), a US Department of Energy facility located in West Valley, New York is managed and operated by West Valley Nuclear Services Co., Inc. (WVNS). WVNS has identified contaminated on-site soil areas with a mixed variety of radionuclides (primarily fission product). Through the use of data obtained from a previous project performed during the summer of 1994 entitled ``Field Survey Correlation and Instrumentation Response for an In Situ Soil Measurement Program`` (Myers), the WVDP offers a unique research opportunity to investigate the possibility of soil concentration predictions based on exposure or count rate responses returned from a survey detector probe. In this study, correlations are developed between laboratory measured soil beta activity and survey probe response for the purposes of determining the …

The alpha particle population from fusion reactions in a DT tokamak reactor can have dramatic effects on the pressure profiles, energetic particle confinement, and the overall stability of the plasma; thus leading to important design consideration of a fusion reactor based on the tokamak concept. In order to fully understand the effects of the alpha population, a non-invasive diagnostic technique suitable for use in a reacting plasma environment needs to be developed to map out both the spatial and velocity distribution of the alphas. The proposed experimental goals for the eventual demonstration of LH wave interaction with a fast ion population is given in the reduced 3 year plan in table 1. At present time the authors are approaching the 8th month in their first year of this project. Up to now, their main effort has been concentrated in the operation of the two beat wave sources in burst mode. The second priority in the experimental project is the probe diagnostics and computer aided data acquisition system. The progress made so far is given, and they are ready to perform the beat-wave generated lower hybrid wave experiment. Some theoretical calculation had been reported at APS meetings. More refined theoretical models …

The investigation of this quarter focuses on the rates of NO reactions with chars in various gaseous environments. The results have revealed significant insights into the NO reduction mechanisms on char surface, particularly when the oxidants, O{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}, are introduced into the feed. Indeed, evidences suggest that the formation of stable oxygen complexes is the major cause of differences in NO reactivity on chars of different origins. The oxidants retard the reactivity of char derived fro the bituminous coal more seriously than they affect the char derived from lignite. Furthermore, additions of these oxidants into the reacting stream produce additional yields of CO and CO{sub 2} during NO reaction with lignite char, suggesting gasification of carbon from lignite char. No excess CO and CO{sub 2} were observed when the bituminous coal char was used. These yields of CO and CO{sub 2} also imply that desorption of stable surface oxygen complex is a rate-limiting step which may be catalyzed by the mineral matters during reactions involving lignite char. Surface area evaluated by CO{sub 2} and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) equation is not a normalization factor of char reactivity during reburning. In the absence of oxidants, the bituminous coal char shows …

In the analysis of turbulent flow, the evaluation of simulations is difficult because the results are three-dimensional and transient. We have found that analysis of the power spectra from the nodal time histories provides not only insight into the behavior of the flow, but it is a useful tool in determining the solution`s spatial (grid) and temporal (time step) convergence. We have developed a method and computer code for calculating the power spectrum for any set of equal-interval data. The code is called PWRSPEC. This report documents the method used to calculate the power spectrum, provides guidance on how to use the PWRSPEC code, and includes an example problem that was used for code validation.

The impact of fugitive radioactive emissions from the disposal site, Area G, was evaluated in support of site characterization for the Performance Assessment and for the Radioactive Air Emissions Management (RAEM) program. Fugitive emissions of tritiated water and contaminated windblown dust were considered. Data from an extensive field measurement program were used to estimate annual emissions of tritiated water. Fugitive dust models were used to calculate estimates of the annual emissions of windblown dust. These estimates were combined with data on contamination levels in surface soils to develop annual emission rates for specific radionuclides: tritium, uranium-238, cesium-137, plutonium-238, plutonium-239,240, and strontium-90. The CAP-88 atmospheric transport model was used to predict areas potentially affected by long-term dust deposition and atmospheric concentrations. The annual emission rate of tritiated water was estimated from the field data to be 14.0 Ci/yr. The emission rate of soil-borne radionuclides from open areas and from soils handling operations totaled less than 1x10{sup -4} Ci/yr. The CAP-88 results were used to develop effective dose equivalents (EDEs) for receptor locations downwind of Area G. All EDEs were several orders of magnitude below the national standard of 10 mrem/yr. Fugitive air emissions from Area G were found not to pose …

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was undertaken in response to the growing need for a national repository for transuranic (TRU) waste. Guidelines for WIPP specify that any waste item to be interred must be fully characterized and analyzed to determine the presence of chemical compounds designated hazardous and certain toxic elements. The Transuranic Waste Characterization Program (TWCP) was launched to develop analysis and quality guidelines, certify laboratories, and to oversee the actual waste characterizations at the laboratories. ORNL is participating in the waste characterization phase and brings to bear a variety of analytical techniques including ICP-AES, cold vapor atomic absorption, and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to collective determine arsenic, cadmium, barium, chromium, mercury, selenium, silver, and other elements. All of the analytical techniques involved participate in a cooperative effort to meet the project objectives. One important component of any good quality assurance program is determining when an alternate method is more suitable for a given analytical problem. By bringing to bear a whole arsenal of analytical techniques working toward common objectives, few analytical problems prove to be insurmountable. INAA and ICP-AES form a powerful pair when functioning in this cooperative manner. This paper will provide details of …

A series of hafnia/silica, oblique incidence (56{degrees}), 1064 nm high reflectors (HRs) were prepared and coated with silica overlayers of varying optical thickness from {lambda}/2 to 4{lambda} in order to determine the effect of an overlayer on the laser-damage resistance of the HRs. The stress and laser damage thresholds for S and P polarization of the HRs were measured, and the damage sites for P polarization examined by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). All the multilayers were found to be in compression, with an intrinsic stress increasing with overlayer thickness. The presence of an overlayer and its thickness did not affect the damage threshold significantly. However, the presence of an overlayer greatly influenced the size and morphology of the damage. First, the overlayer prevented catastrophic ``burns`` of the hafnia top layer. Second, as the overlayer thickness increased, two distinct damage morphologies were found: agged pits and round craters. The diameter of these pits and craters then increased somewhat with thicker overlayers. The depths of the pits and craters also increased with overlayer thickness, and the depths showed failure occurring at the interfaces below the hafnia layers. The side-wall angles of the craters were shallower with thicker overlayers, but there was no …

This document defines the baseline scope, schedule, and cost of the replacement computer system for the Vault Safety and Inventory System at the Plutonium Finishing Plant.

This document contains the results of stress analysis and component sizing for the 101-SY mitigation pump, Water Decon System. Calculations included are a stress analysis of the High Pressure Manifold, the threaded connection on the Yoke Water Connector and a sizing of an air receiver tank.

For the past two years, the Isotope Sciences Division (formerly Nuclear Chemistry) has been developing a program to extract forensic information from samples of plutonium or highly-enriched uranium. In the case of Pu, it is possible to determine the date of chemical separation, the date of its casting as metal, the enrichment of the uranium starting material, the length and perhaps other details (neutron spectrum and fluence) of reactor irradiation, the reprocessing technique, and clues to the identity of a specific facility. For enriched uranium, information is possible on the detailed timeline of material production, including the date of enrichment, whether the plant feed was formerly-irradiated uranium, the date of final purification, and facility-specific clues.

This report summarizes the results from seven melter campaigns performed at the DOE/Industrial Center for Vitrification Research at Clemson University. A brief description of the EnVitco EV-16 Joule heated glass melter and the Stir-Melter WV-0.25 stirred melter are included for reference. The report discusses each waste stream examined, glass formulations developed and utilized, specifics relating to melter operation, and a synopsis of the results from the campaigns. A `lessons learned` section is included for each melter to emphasize repeated processing problems and identify parameters which are considered extremely important to successful melter operation

This Acceptance/Operational Test Procedure will document the satisfactory operation of the 103-AN Camera Purge Control System and 103-AN Video Camera System

Newsletter distributed to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum members describing current news, policies, and legislation, as well as other information relevant to the management of low-level radioactive waste.

This Conversion and Blending Facility (CBF) will have two missions: (1) convert HEU materials into pure HEU oxide and (2) blend the pure HEU oxide with depleted and natural uranium oxide to produce an LWR grade LEU product. The primary emphasis of this blending operation will be to destroy the weapons capability of large, surplus stockpiles of HEU. The blended LEU product can only be made weapons capable again by the uranium enrichment process. To the extent practical, the chemical and isotopic concentrations of blended LEU product will be held within the specifications required for LWR fuel. Such blended LEU product will be offered to the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) to be sold as feed material to the commercial nuclear industry. Otherwise, blended LEU will be produced as a waste suitable for storage or disposal.

This brief report contains calculations of deflections and stresses of the support frame on the XMM project. The goal is to provide an independent view of structural integrity of the frame utilizing a noncomputer approach to design based on elementary closed form solutions and approximate models of mechanical and structural behavior. It is recognized that full confidence can only be assured when computer generated results pertaining to the critical areas and features of the integrating structure can be enveloped by the bracketing solutions. Although the computer solutions have come from the three independent sources, this report utilizes the numerical values from the LLNL studies represented by the computer runs and analysis of the critical elements of the frame. Since the frame geometry, deformation patterns, and the nature of loading are highly complex, this study is restricted to simplified models of selected areas of the structure which can be handled by the conventional formulas and reasonable approximations. This report contains some comments related to material properties, stress concentration, and elements of fracture mechanics directly applicable to frame analysis and design. Such topics and parameters fall usually outside the finite element modeling, but they can have a crucial influence on the mechanical …

An improved understanding of the variability of regional seismic phases with distance is needed to improve the performance and transportability of regional seismic discriminants. Observations of large variations in regional phase amplitudes, over relatively short distances, are not uncommon. For example, large variations in Pn amplitudes of the Non-Proliferation Experiment (NPE) were observed along lines to the west (e.g., Keller et al., 1994), and northwest (e.g., McCormack et al., 1994). Numerous studies, in a number of areas, have also observed large variations in Sn and Lg over relatively short distances (e.g., Kadinsky-Cade et al., 1981; Ni and Barazangi, 1983). An improved understanding of these variations has been gained from numerous empirical observations (e.g., Chavez and Priestley, 1984; Zhang et al., 1994) and theoretical studies (e.g., Campillo, 1990, Kennett, 1993). We are developing a number of techniques and procedures for characterizing such features on a region specific basis.

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and EG&G Energy Measurements are developing a new solid-state power system for two proposed accelerators. One of the accelerators is a circular arrangement of induction cells called a recirculator. It is designed to accelerate heavy ions for an inertial fusion study that proposes to substitute heavy-ion beams for laser beams as the driver for fusion targets. The other accelerator is a linear induction accelerator for electron beams called the Advanced Radiographic Machine (ARM). Both accelerators require their induction cells to be pulsed at a very high repetition frequency (prf) for a short burst containing 5 to 15 pulses. The recirculator has a pulse schedule that varies in pulse width from 1 {mu}s to 400 ns and in prf from 50 to 150 kHz. The ARM accelerator has a pulse schedule that varies in pulse width from 1 {mu}s to 200 ns and in prf from 150 kHz to 1 MHz. The need for complex pulse agility in these accelerators led the authors to examine solid-state switching components that have an on/off capability. The intrinsic speed of solid-state switching satisfies the high prf requirements, while the on/off switching action of some semiconductor devices enables …

This Conversion and Blending Facility (CBF) will have two missions: (1) convert HEU materials to pure HEU uranyl nitrate (UNH) and (2) blend pure HEU UNH with depleted and natural UNH to produce HEU UNH crystals. The primary emphasis of this blending operation will be to destroy the weapons capability of large, surplus stockpiles of HEU. The blended LEU product can only be made weapons capable again by the uranium enrichment process. To the extent practical, the chemical and isotopic concentrations of blended LEU product will be held within the specifications required for LWR fuel. Such blended LEU product will be offered to the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) to be sold as feed material to the commercial nuclear industry. Otherwise, blended LEU Will be produced as a waste suitable for storage or disposal.