This report first briefly outlines the procedures and support/activation fixture developed at LLNL to perform the heart valve tests in an anechoic-like tank at the US Navy Transducer Evaluation Facility (TransDec) located in San Diego, CA. Next they discuss the basic experiments performed and the corresponding experimental plan employed to gather meaningful data systematically. The signal processing required to extract the desired information is briefly developed along with some of the data. Finally, they show the results of the individual runs for each valve, point out any of the meaningful features and summaries.

During FY99, the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) continued pursuing its mission of helping U.S. independent oil and gas producers make timely, informed technology decisions. PTTC's national organization has active grassroots programs that connect with independents through its 10 Regional Lead Organizations (RLOs). These activities--including technology workshops, resource centers, websites, newsletters, and other outreach efforts--are guided by regional Producer Advisory Groups (PAGs). The role of the national headquarters (HQ) staff includes planning and managing the PTTC program, conducting nation-wide technology transfer activities, and implementing a comprehensive communications effort. This technical progress report summarizes PTTC's accomplishments during FY99, which lay the groundwork for further growth in the future.

The Deactivation and Decommissioning (D&D) Technology Assessment Program (TAP) was developed to provide detailed, comparable data for environmental technologies and to disseminate this data to D&D professionals in a manner that will facilitate the review and selection of technologies to perform decontamination and decommissioning. The objectives for this project include the following: Determine technology needs through review of the Site Technology Coordination Group (STCG) information and other applicable websites and needs databases; Perform a detailed review of industries that perform similar activities as those required in D&D operations to identify additional technologies; Define the technology assessment program for characterization and waste management problem sets; Define the data management program for characterization, dismantlement, and waste management problem sets; Evaluate baseline and innovative technologies under standard test conditions at Florida International University's Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology (FIU-HCET) and other locations and collect data in the areas of performance, cost, health and safety, operations and maintenance, and primary and secondary waste generation; Continue to locate, verify, and incorporate technology performance data from other sources into the multimedia information system; and Develop the conceptual design for a dismantlement technology decision analysis tool for dismantlement technologies.

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Many of the inorganic and organic contaminants present in sediments at DOE sites can be altered or destroyed by reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions occurring at mineral surfaces. A fundamental understanding of such redox processes provided by molecular-level studies on structurally and compositionally well-defined mineral surfaces will lead to: (i) improved models of contaminant fate and transport in geochemical systems, and (ii) optimized manipulation of these processes for remediation purposes. To contribute to this understanding, we will study, both experimentally and theoretically, redox processes involving three important contaminants - chromate ion, carbon tetrachloride, and trichloroethene TCE, on the following iron and manganese oxides - hematite, magnetite, maghemite, and pyrolusite. These oxides and their hydroxylated analogs commonly occur as coatings on minerals or as interfaces in the subsurface environment. Single-crystal surfaces of these oxides will be synthesized in carefully controlled fashion by molecular beam epitaxy. These surfaces, as well as high surface are powdered samples of these oxides, will be used in spectroscopic and kinetic experiments in both aqueous and gas phases. Our goal is to identify products and to determine the kinetics and mechanisms of surface-catalyzed redox reaction of Cr(VI) and CR(III), and the reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride and …

The objective of the proposed research is to investigate the influence of various aerodynamical, diffusive-thermal, radiative and reaction-rate factors on certain fundamental phenomena concerning combustion and explosion of gaseous premixtures. Different modeling techniques will be employed to reduce the study of pertinent physical systems to simple approximate problems tractable either analytically or numerically. Specifically the authors plan to study: (1) fluid dynamical aspects of flame anchoring by solid bodies; (2) fluid dynamical aspects of thermal explosion and fire flashover; (3) fluid dynamical aspects of fuel leakage in near-limit-flames; (4) reduced models for gaseous detonation.

This paper describes the technical progress for the period, with ongoing activities and discusses the actions taken to meet the project deadlines. The technical progress is: (1) conducted test with Steel Industry; (2) Braune Intertech completed four tests requested by Steel and Petroleum Industries; (3) Beta Test in progress in commercial Kiln, a final report on this test will be available by the end of the year; (4) Ordered new high temperature test blocks and electrodes; (5) Made slight formula modifications which appear to greatly increase wear and strength characteristics; and (6) Establishing protocols and complete advanced laboratory testing of revised formula of G-5 Initial test results should be available for the December report.

The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate the ability of hydrogen to supply reducing equivalents for the reductive dehalogenation of perchloroethylene (PCE). This objective will be accomplished by two types of activities. First, laboratory experiments will compare the kinetics of hydrogen-mediated dehalogenation with natural routes of loss (hydrolysis and natural attenuation). Secondly, bench-scale column experiments will be performed to demonstrate hydrogen-mediated reductive dehalogenation in aquifer sediments.

A comprehensive Directives Program aimed at environmental, safety, and health requirements and risks was initiated in 1997 and will be completed in late 1999 or early 2000. The primary objective of the program is to identify or develop a set of standards that, when implemented, provides reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the workers, public, and the environment will be protected during the performance of the work. In conjunction with the Directives Program, the use of the voluntary environmental management system, ISO 14000, was evaluated. This includes the only environmental management standard to which an entity can be registered. Plans are to consider the specifications and guidance from this standard in the identification of an effective environmental management system for the merged FETC sites. A performance measurement system continued to be maintained during 1998 to assist in evaluating how effectively activities at FETC meet mission-critical goals and how well missions and strategies are connected in the DOE strategic plan. This system also provides data to assist in gauging performance against the DOE critical success factors, that is, performance against technical objectives. Various environmental milestones can be tracked to completion, thus giving the FETC measures by which to gauge …

Ventures into Central American and Africa are sketched.