Augmentation of the internal software of a commercial x-ray fluorescence gauge is shown to enable the instrument to extend its continuous on-line real-time measurements of a galvanneal coating's total elemental content to encompass similar measurements of the relative thickness of the coating's three principal metallurgical phases. The mathematical structure of this software augmentation is derived from the theory of neural networks. The empirical basis for the numerics embedded in the software's decision logic is presented. The performance of the augmented gauge is validated by comparing the gauge-implied real-time phase distribution with the phase distribution independently measured off-line on time-tagged samples drawn from the galvanneal production line where the measurement gauge had been installed. The performance validation is shown to demonstrate good agreement between the gauge and laboratory measurements and to suggest preferred approaches to be followed in future applications of the augmented gauge.

The Hanford Ecorok Packaging (HEP) will be used to ship contaminated water purification filters from K Basins to the Central Waste Complex. This packaging design criteria documents the design of the HEP, its intended use, and the transportation safety criteria it is required to meet. This information will serve as a basis for the safety analysis report for packaging.

Drying in subresidually-saturated systems at elevated temperatures has been studied for two different operating conditions. One condition started with flowing nitrogen gas through the test section and simultaneously heating up the porous medium at the same time (denoted in what follows as the ``transient heating case``). The other condition started initially with heating up the porous medium with no flow, and then running the nitrogen gas flow through the test section after a steady-state temperature distribution had been reached (denoted in what follows as the ``steady heating case``). A 90{degrees}C isothermal boundary condition was set on the aluminum wall. An average of 9% discrepancy in the mass balance calculation compared to the digital balance measurement has been found in the transient heating case. An average of 4.3% discrepancy in the mass balance calculation compared to the digital balance measurement has been found after the nitrogen gas flowed through test section for the steady heating case. A large discrepancy has also been found before the nitrogen gas admitted to the test section. This is because some of subresidual water in the test section has been drained out from the bottom due to the gravity effect and the strong convection flow in …

Using multi-ion interatomic potentials derived from first-principles generalized pseudopotential theory, we have been studying point defects and dislocations in bcc transition metals, with molybdenum (Mo) as a prototype. For point defects in Mo, the calculated vacancy formation and activation energies are in excellent agreement with experimental results. The energetics of six self-interstitial configurations in Mo have also been investigated. The <110> split dumb-bell is found to have the lowest formation energy, as is experimentally observed, but the corresponding migration energy is calculated to be 3--15 times higher than previous theoretical estimates. The atomic structure and energetics of <111> screw dislocations in Mo are now being investigated. We have found that the ``easy`` core configuration has a lower formation energy than the ``hard`` one, consistent with previous theoretical studies. The former has a distinctive 3-fold symmetry with a spread out of the dislocation core along the <112> directions, an effect which is driven by the strong angular forces present in these metals.

The overall objective of the project is to demonstrate that a partial oxidation system, which utilizes a transport reactor, is a viable means of converting refinery wastes, byproducts, and other low value materials into valuable products. The primary product would be a high quality fuel gas, which could also be used as a source of hydrogen. The concept involves subjecting the hydrocarbon feed to pyrolysis and steam gasification in a circulating bed of solids. Carbon residue formed during pyrolysis, as well as metals in the feed, are captured by the circulating solids which are returned to the bottom of the transport reactor. Air or oxygen is introduced in this lower zone and sufficient carbon is burned, sub-stoichiometrically, to provide the necessary heat for the endothermic pyrolysis and gasification reactions. The hot solids and gases leaving this zone pass upward to contact the feed material and continue the partial oxidation process. Studies were conducted in the Transport Reactor Test Unit (TRTU) to pyrolyze naphtha with untreated as well as potassium-impregnated spent FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracker) catalyst as the circulating medium over a temperature range of 1,400 to 1,600 F. The results from these studies are presented and discussed here. Studies were …

Knowledge of the rheology of the radioactive sludge slurries at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is necessary in order to ensure that they can be retrieved from waste tanks and processed for final disposal. The high activity radioactive wastes stored as caustic slurries at SRS result from the neutralization of acid waste generated from production of nuclear defense materials. During storage, the wastes separate into a supernate layer and a sludge layer. In the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at SRS, the radionuclides from the sludge and supernate will be immobilized into borosilicate glass for long term storage and eventual disposal. Before transferring the waste from a storage tank to the DWPF, a portion of the aluminum in the waste sludge will be dissolved and the sludge will be extensively washed to remove sodium. Tank 51 and Tank 42 radioactive sludges represent the first batch of HLW sludge to be processed in the DWPF. This paper presents results of rheology measurements of Tank 51 and Tank 42 at various solids concentrations. The rheologies of Tank 51 and Tank 42 radioactive slurries were measured remotely in the Shielded Cells Operations (SCO) at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) using a modified …

We describe a methodology for obtaining probabilistic risk estimates of deliberate unauthorized acts, integrating estimates of frequencies of serious plots, probabilities of avoiding detection and interdiction, probabilities of successful action, and consequences of the act. This methodology allows us to compare the risks of deliberate acts with those of accidents and to identify the most cost- effective risk reduction measures through cost-benefit analysis.

The objective of this report is to ensure the citizens of Georgia that health, safety and the environment are being protected through existing DOE programs at the Savannah River Site (SRS), through a vigorous program of independent monitoring and oversight by Georgia officials. SRS emergency plans will be annually reviewed and updated. Environmental monitoring will be conducted of surface water and related media, ground water, air, crops, milk, drinking water, soils and vegetation.

This project will reactivate ARCO`s idle Pru Fee lease in the Midway-Sunset field, California and conduct a continuous steamflood enhanced oil recovery demonstration aided by an integration of modern reservoir characterization and simulation methods. Cyclic steaming will be used to re-establish baseline production within the reservoir characterization phase of the project. During the demonstration phase, a continuous steamflood enhanced oil recover will be initiated to test the incremental value of this method as an alternative to cyclic steaming. Other economically marginal Class III reservoirs having similar producibility problems will benefit from insight gained in this project. The objectives of the project are: (1) to return the shut-in portion of the reservoir to commercial production; (2) to accurately describe the reservoir and recovery process; and (3) to convey the details of this activity to the domestic petroleum industry, especially to other producers in California, through an aggressive technology transfer program. A summary of technical progress covers: geological and reservoir characterization, and reservoir simulation.

If on the one hand many predictions of the Standard Model seem to be in remarkable agreement with experiments, on the other hand the full consistency of the model needs still to be proved. In particular, given our present ignorance of the Higgs sector of the theory, extensions of the Standard Model scalar sector are worth considering. The simplest extension of adding one extra SU(2) doublet of scalar fields, i.e. the Two Higgs Doublet Model, generally introduces Flavor Changing Scalar Neutral Currents. The severe constraints imposed by the low energy physics of K and B mesons (K{sup 0} {minus} {bar K}{sup 0} and B{sup 0} {minus} {bar B}{sup 0} mixing in particular) have motivated the introduction of an unnatural discrete symmetry to avoid flavor changing scalar neutral currents. This assumption may be dropped in favor of a more natural one, which takes any flavor changing coupling to be proportional to the mass of the coupled quarks. The basic idea is that a natural hierarchy is provided by the observed fermion masses and this may be transferred to the couplings between fermions and scalar fields, even when they are not the ones directly involved in the mass generation mechanism. This report …

Vitrification is one of the leading options for immobilization of actinide-containing materials no longer needed for national defense. For these glasses to be suitable for disposal, it must be established that a significant potential for a nuclear criticality involving these glasses does not exist. The vitrification working group within the nuclear materials disposition program has been given the responsibility for developing scenarios to be evaluated. In this report, potential bounding scenarios for disposal of high actinide glasses in a geologic setting are described. These scenarios are being provided to the Department of Energy`s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) so that the potential for criticality can be evaluated. If the evaluation of these scenarios by OCRWM reveals a significant potential for criticality then a sensitivity analysis to numerical values should be used to determine whether more precise definitions of any parameter is warranted. It is anticipated that there will need to be extensive interactions between the working group and the personnel performing the criticality evaluations.

This project involves the development of an optimized, bench-scale processing circuit capable of efficiently removing trace elements from, run-of-mine coals. The optimized circuit will be developed using characterization data obtained from detailed washability studies and release analyses tests conducted with several eastern U.S. coals. The optimized circuit will incorporate a variety of conventional and advanced coal cleaning processes which are believed to be the most cost-effective and commercially viable. The coal products from the optimized circuit will be further treated with complexing agents specifically designed to extract organometallic trace elements that are difficult to remove by physical cleaning operations. Finally, innovative bioremediation schemes will be investigated as a means of controlling the release of trace elements from the process waste streams. Emphasis has been placed on the development of a processing circuit which (1) maximizes the rejection of trace elements, (2) minimizes the production of coal fines which are costly to process and less marketable, and (3) minimizes the downstream impacts of the process waste streams on the environment. During the past quarter, the project work plan and all associated technical/management reports were successfully completed. In addition, three coal samples have been selected for use in the proposed test program …

The use of lasers for the generation and application of high-pressure shock waves offers unique advantages and challenges. In contrast to impact systems, the range of pressures and strain rates is substantially greater using laser drive. The ability to change the temporal shape of the drive pulse allows a variety of strain-rate conditions to be obtained. In addition, high time-resolution in situ diagnostic methods are relatively simple to implement. Lasers can be at a disadvantage compared to impact methods in terms of shock generation, simplicity of the states achieved, the difficulty of characterizing bulk properties, and sample size. I will review the physics of laser-driven shock physics, diagnostic methods, and applications, with an emphasis on material physics. I will also present some views on important new directions for this area of research.

The work to date includes the preparation of a report related to criticality in spent fuel, a report on the Oklo reactors and their relevance to Yucca Mountain, and the creation of a computer program to model the Oklo reactors. The objective of the program includes a computational model of the only known natural analogue to an underground nuclear waste repository and the possible application of the model to predict the long-term behavior of Yucca Mountain. A final summary of all work completed will be presented after the end of the project on February 29, 1996.

We illustrate the possibility of observing signals from Flavor Changing Neutral Currents, originating from the scalar sector of a Two Higgs Doublet Model. In particular, we focus on the tree level process {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup {minus}} {yields} {bar t}c + {bar c}t, via scalar exchange in the s-channel, as a distinctive process for {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup {minus}} colliders. 12 refs., 1 fig.

The RAR/SAR is a high-priority radar system for the joint US/UK Program. Based on previous experiment results and coordination with the UK, specifications needed for future radar experiments were identified as follows: dual polarimetric (HH and VV) with medium to high resolution in SAR mode. Secondary airborne installation requirements included; high power (circa 10kw) and SLIER capability to emulate Tupelev-134 type system; initially x-band but easily extendible to other frequencies. In FY96 we intended to enhance the radar system`s capabilities by providing a second polarization (VV), spotlight imaging mode, extended frequency of operation to include S- band, increase power, and interface to an existing infrared sensor. Short term objectives are: continue to evaluate and characterize the radar system; upgrade navigation and real-time processing capability to refine motion compensation; upgrade to dual polarimetry (add VV); and develop a ``spotlight`` mode capability. Accomplishments this reporting period: design specifications for the SAR system polarimetric upgrade are complete. The upgrade is ready to begin the procurement cycle when funds become available. System characterization is one of the highest priority tasks for the SAR. Although the radar is dedicated for our use, Hughes is waiting for contract funding before allowing us access to the hardware

The objective of this research project is to develop the technology for the production of physically robust iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts that have suitable activity, selectivity and stability to be used in the slurry phase synthesis reactor development. The catalysts that are developed shall be suitable for testing in the Advanced Fuels Development Facility at LaPorte, Texas, to produce either low- or high-alpha product distributions. Previous work by the offeror has produced a catalyst formulation that is 1.5 times as active as the ``standard-catalyst`` developed by German workers for slurry phase synthesis. The proposed work will optimize the catalyst composition and pretreatment operation for this low-alpha catalyst. In parallel, work will be conducted to design a high-alpha iron catalyst this is suitable for slurry phase synthesis. Studies will be conducted to define the chemical phases present at various stages of the pretreatment and synthesis stages and to define the course of these changes. The oxidation/reduction cycles that are anticipated to occur in large, commercial reactors will be studied at the laboratory scale. Catalyst performance will be determined for catalysts synthesized in this program for activity, selectivity and aging characteristics. The research is divided into four major topical areas: (a) catalyst preparation …

The Winter Fuels Report is intended to provide concise, timely information to the industry, the press, policymakers, consumers, analysts, and State and local governments on the following topics: distillate fuel oil net production, imports and stocks on a US level and for all Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADD) and product supplied on a US level; propane net production, imports and stocks on a US level and for PADD`s 1, 2, and 3; natural gas supply and disposition and underground storage for the US and consumption for all PADD`S; as well as selected National average prices; residential and wholesale pricing data for heating oil and propane for those States participating in the joint Energy Information Administration (EIA)/State Heating Oil and Propane Program; crude oil and petroleum price comparisons for the US and selected cities; and a 6--10 Day and 30-Day outlook for temperature and precipitation and US total heating degree-days by city. 36 figs., 21 tabs.