Several kinds of radioactive waste exist in mixed forms at DOE sites throughout the United States. These Wastes consist of radionuclides and some usefil bme materials. One purpose of waste treatment technologies is to vitrify the radionuclides into durable, stable glass-like materials to reduce the size of the waste form requiring final disposal. The other purpose is to recycle and reuse most of the usefi.d base materials. Thus, improved techniques for the separation of molten metal and glass are essential. Several high temperature vitrification technologies have been developed for the treatment of a wide range of mixed waste types in both the low-level waste and transuranic (TRU) mixed waste categories currently in storage at DOE sites throughout the nation. These processes include the plasma hearth process, which is being developed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and the arc melter vitrification process, which is being developed at Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The products of these processes are an oxide slag phase and a reduced metal phase. The metal phase has the potential to be recycled within the DOE Complex. Enhanced slag/metal separation methods are needed to suppoti these process. A separation method is also needed for the radioactively contaminated scrap …

A mathematical model of the gas-cooled, resistive portion of a binary current lead has been developed. An analytical solution of the time-dependent differential equations for the resistive portion of the forced low cooled current lead is presented which allows one to calculate the evolution of the temperature profile and voltage drop. A comparison of analytical with numerical calculations and a comparison of the calculations with experimental data are given.

Operations and maintenance continued this month at the Electric Power Research Institute`s Environmental Control Technology Center. Testing on the 4.0 MW Pilot FGD unit continued this month with High Velocity Scrubbing and the Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Tailored Collaboration test block. Additionally, Phase III of the Toxics Removal/Carbon Injection test block was conducted concurrently with FGD testing. At the beginning of the month, a second phase of third-party testing began for Suncor, Inc. The Suncor Gypsum Sample Collection test block (MSUN) began on June 5 on the 0.4 MW Mini-Pilot Wet FGD unit. Testing was completed on June 13. On the Cold-Side Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit, testing continued this month as ammonia slip measurements were conducted under low catalyst inlet temperatures and at baseline conditions.

A position-sensitive timing detector suitable for detection of low-energy heavy ions is described. The device is based on the detection of secondary electrons emitted following ion impact on a surface. Using a combination of magnetic and electric fields these devices can deliver sub-nanosecond time definition and sub-millimeter position information for ion impact. When choosing a thin foil for the surface intercepting the heavy ion trajectory, multiple detectors can be used and reliable tracking of heavy ions with moderate energies ({ge} 1MeV/A) becomes feasible.

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The authors present preliminary results of a Partial Wave Analysis of the centrally produced {phi}{phi} system at 800 GeV/c in the reaction pp {yields} p{sub slow} ({phi}{phi})p{sub fast}. The preliminary results with one and two M = 0 waves, indicate that most of the cross section can be described by two waves, with J{sup PC} LS{sup {eta}} = 2{sup 2}02{sup -1}, 0{sup 2}00{sup -1}.

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Nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation rely on nondestructive analytical tools for prompt and noninvasive detection, verification, and quantitative analysis of nuclear materials in demanding environments. A new tool based on the detection of correlated neutrons in narrow time windows is being investigated to fill the niche created by the current limitations of the existing methods based on polyethylene moderated {sup 3}He gas proportional tubes. Commercially produced Boron-loaded ({sup 10}B) plastic scintillating fibers are one such technology under consideration. The fibers can be configured in a system to have high efficiency, short neutron die-away, pulse height sensitivity, and mechanical flexibility. Various configurations of the fibers with high density polyethylene have been considered which calculationally result in high efficiency detectors with short die-away times. A discussion of the design considerations and calculations of the detector efficiency, die-away time, and simulated pulse height spectra along with preliminary test results are presented.

Light trucks' share of the US light vehicle market rose from 20% in 1980 to 41% in 1996. By 1996, annual energy consumption for light trucks was 6.0 x 10{sup 15} Btu (quadrillion Btu, or quad), compared with 7.9 quad for cars. Gasoline engines, used in almost 99% of light trucks, do not meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. These engines have poor fuel economy, many getting only 10--12 miles per gallon. Diesel engines, despite their much better fuel economy, had not been preferred by US light truck manufacturers because of problems with high NO{sub x} and particulate emissions. The US Department of Energy, Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies, has funded research projects at several leading engine makers to develop a new low-emission, high-efficiency advanced diesel engine, first for large trucks, then for light trucks. Recent advances in diesel engine technology may overcome the NO{sub x} and particulate problems. Two plausible alternative clean diesel (CD) engine market penetration trajectories were developed, representing an optimistic case (High Case) and an industry response to meet the CAFE standards (CAFE Case). However, leadership in the technology to produce a successful small, advanced diesel engine for light trucks is an open issue …

A hard x-ray scanning microprobe based on zone plate optics and undulator radiation, in the energy region from 6 to 20 keV, has reached a focal spot size (FWHM) of 0.15 {micro}m (v) x 0.6 {micro}m (h), and a photon flux of 4 x 10{sup 9} photons/sec/0.01%BW. Using a slit 44 meters upstream to create a virtual source, a circular beam spot of 0.15 {micro}m in diameter can be obtained with a photon flux of one order of magnitude less. During fluorescence mapping of trace elements in a single human ovarian cell, the microprobe exhibited an imaging sensitivity for Pt (L{sub a} line) of 80 attograms/{micro}m{sup 2} for a count rate of 10 counts per second. The x-ray microprobe has been used to map crystallographic strain and multiquantum well thickness in micro-optoelectronic devices produced with the selective area growth technique.

Produced water management can be a significant expense for oil and gas operators. This paper summarizes a study of the technical, economic, and regulatory feasibility of a relatively new technology, downhole oil/water separators (DOWS), to reduce the volume of water pumped to the surface. The study was funded by the US Department of Energy and conducted by Argonne National Laboratory, CH2M Hill, and the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. DOWS are devices that separate oil and gas from produced water at the bottom of the well and reinject some of the produced water into another formation or another horizon within the same formation, while the oil and gas are pumped to the surface. Since much of the produced water is not pumped to the surface, treated, and pumped from the surface back into a deep formation, the cost of handling produced water is greatly reduced. The oil production rate has increased for more than half of the DOWS installations to date.

Research into laser-driven inertial confinement fusion is now entering a critical juncture with the construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Many of the remaining unanswered questions concerning NIF involve interactions between lasers and plasmas. With the eventual goal of fusion power in mind, laser-plasma interactions relevant to laser fusion schemes is an important topic in need of further research. This work experimentally addresses some potential shortcuts and pitfalls on the road to laser-driven fusion power. Current plans on NIF have 192 laser beams directed into a small cylindrical cavity which will contain the fusion fuel; to accomplish this the beams must cross in the entrance holes, and this intersection will be in the presence of outward-flowing plasma. To investigate the physics involved, interactions of crossing laser beams in flowing plasmas are investigated with experiments on the Nova laser facility at LLNL. It was found that in a flowing plasma, energy is transferred between two crossing laser beams, and this may have deleterious consequences for energy balance and ignition in NIF. Possible solutions to this problem are presented. A recently-proposed alternative to standard laser-driven fusion, the ''fast ignitor'' concept, is also experimentally addressed in …

This report talks about Combinatorial Spray-Based Synthesis of PEM FC Electrocatalysts

The primary objective of this project is to enhance domestic petroleum production by field demonstration and technology transfer of an advanced- oil-recovery technology in the Paradox basin, southeastern Utah. If this project can demonstrate technical and economic feasibility, the technique can be applied to approximately 100 additional small fields in the Paradox basin alone, and result in increased recovery of 150 to 200 million barrels (23,850,000-31,800,000 m3) of oil. This project is designed to characterize five shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation and choose the best candidate for a pilot demonstration project for either a waterflood or carbon-dioxide-(CO2-) miscible flood project. The field demonstration, monitoring of field performance, and associated validation activities will take place within the Navajo Nation, San Juan County, Utah.

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This paper discusses the results of an attempt to grow GaInTlP for application as a 1-eV material for the third junction of a GaInP/GaAs/3rd-junction high-efficiency solar cell. Although early indications from the literature were promising, we are unable to produce crystalline homogeneous material, and so we conclude that this material is not a promising candidate for such applications as photovoltaics.