Yucca Mountain, in southern Nevada, is being studied by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project as a potential site for an underground high-level nuclear waste repository. The site is within Miocene volcanic rocks that are 1.5 to 4 km thick and range in age from 12.5 to 14 MY. Several holes have been drilled in Yucca Mountain for geologic and hydrologic studies. Drill hole USW G-4, the most recently cored hole within the potential repository block, was chosen for detailed study of fracture-filling minerals because it is closest to the planned NNWSI exploratory shaft. Drill hole USW G-4 was drilled to 914.7 m (3001 ft) and continuously cored from 6.7 m (22 ft) to total depth (TD). The drilling history, lithology of the core, and geophysical logs of the well were published earlier. Because manganese oxides in fractures may act as a natural barrier to radionuclide migration, it is important to determine exactly which manganese minerals are present, in what intervals they occur, and how extensive these fracture coatings are.

The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations project has completed a series of experiments that provide insight into groundwater chemistry and glass waste form performance in the presence of a gamma radiation field at 90{sup 0}C. Results from experiments done at 1 x 10{sup 3} and O R/hr are presented and compared to similar experiments done at 2 x 10{sup 5} and 1 x 10{sup 4} R/hr. The major effect of radiation is to lower the groundwater pH to a value near 6.4. The addition of glass to the system results in slightly more basic final pH, both in the presence and absence of radiation. However, there is essentially no difference in the extent of glass reaction, as measured by elemental release, as a function of dose rate or total dose, for reaction periods up to 278 days.

Repository-oriented leaching experiments involving Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) 165 type glass under a {gamma}-radiation field (1 = 0.2 x 10{sup 4} R/h) have been performed by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project. In this communication, we discuss glass surface analyses obtained by SEM, nuclear resonance profiling, and SIMS together with leachate solution data in relation to a mechanism that couples diffusion, hydrolysis (etching and gelation), and precipitation to qualitatively describe the release of different glass components to the leachant solutions. The release of mobile (e.g., Li) and partly mobile (e.g., B) species is controlled primarily by interdiffusion with water species across the interdiffusion zone. Glass components that are immobile in the interdiffusion zone are released to the solution by etching. For prediction of long-term steady-state concentrations of glass components with low solubility, the relative rates of release from the glass and secondary mineral precipitation must be taken into account.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria were grown in media containing (1) mercury and (2) a mixture of heavy metals to determine if these bacteria could effectively precipitate heavy metals from an aqueous solutions. Previous studies have shown that (1) sulfate-reducing bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide and (2) that hydrogen sulfide reacts with various heavy metals producing insoluble complexes. Data from these studies showed that when bacteria were incubated with heavy metals for 2 to 4 days a marked decrease in the solubility of mercury, lead and cadmium resulted. For example, after incubation with sulfate-reducing bacteria 90% of the mercury, zinc, lead and cadmium, and 60% of the copper and iron were filterable. The results suggest that sulfate-reducing bacteria may be used to remove heavy metal contaminants from aqueous solutions.

Pen rearing studies during 1986 completed the second of three years intended for rearing and releasing upriver bright fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from two study sites, a backwater and a pond, adjacent to the Columbia River; both areas are located in the Jonn Day Reservoir. Results of this study in 1984 and 1985 showed that fish could be successfully reared in net pens and that growth and physiological development of the off-station reared fish proceeded at a faster rate than in fish reared at a hatchery. Transfer of fish from the hatchery to off-station sites at Social Security Pond (pond) and Rock Creek (backwater) during early March increased the period of rearing in 1986 by about four weeks. The increased period of rearing allowed all treatments of fed fish to reach a minimum weight of YU fish/lb by release. Differences in growth of fed fish between regular density treatments and additional, high density treatments (double and triple the regular densities) were not significantly different (P > 0.05), but growth of all fed fish reared off-station was again significantly better than that of hatchery reared fish (P < 0.05), Mortalities in all groups of fed fish were low. Physiological development …

This fiscal year 1986 study sponsored by the Bonneville Power Administration evaluates the presently existing, low-cost salmon production facility operated and maintained by the Clatsop Economic Development Committee's Fisheries Project.

Drill hole USW G-4 was logged with the US Geological Survey borehole gravity meter (BHGM) BH-6 as part of a detailed study of the lithostratigraphic units penetrated by this hole. Because the BHGM measures a larger volume of rock than the conventional gamma-gamma density tool, it provides an independent and more accurate measurement of the in situ average bulk density of thick lithologic units. USW G-4 is an especially important hole because of its proximity to the proposed exploratory shaft at Yucca Mountain. The BHGM data were reduced to interval densities using a free-air gradient (F) of 0.3083 mGal./m (0.09397 mGal/ft) measured at the drill site. The interval densities were further improved by employing an instrument correction factor of 1.00226. This factor was determined from measurements obtained by taking gravity meter BH-6 over the Charleston Peak calibration loop. The interval density data reported herein, should be helpful for planning the construction of the proposed shaft.

This document contains primarily reproductions of slides presented at the 1986 Annual Doe Remedial Action Programs Meeting, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

For many geologic problems, subsurface observations are available only from a small number of irregularly distributed locations, for example from a handful of drill holes in the region of interest. These observations will be interpolated one way or another, for example by hand-drawn stratigraphic cross-sections, by trend-fitting techniques, or by simple averaging which ignores spatial correlation. In this paper we consider an interpolation technique for such situations which provides, in addition to point estimates, the error estimates which are lacking from other ad hoc methods. The proposed estimator is like a kriging estimator in form, but because direct estimation of the spatial covariance function is not possible the parameters of the estimator are selected by cross-validation. Its use in estimating subsurface stratigraphy at a candidate site for geologic waste repository provides an example.

Analysis of 59 time series from ten small magnitude earthquakes recorded in 1981 by portable digital seismic systems at the southern Nevada Test Site (NTS) yielded several significant results. We find that moment magnitude (M/sub L/) (local magnitude determined from seismic moment) correlates closely with coda duration magnitudes M/sub d/ determined by the Southern Great Basin Seismic Network (SGBSN). Further, local magnitude M/sub W A/ computed from displacement seismograms simulating Wood-Anderson response are, on average, 0.38 magnitude units larger than M/sub d/ and 0.44 magnitude units larger than (M/sub L/). Another result is that stress drops for the ten earthquakes are significantly smaller than typical stress drops for earthquakes of similar seismic moment in California. Similarly, determinations of the peak ground motion parameter Rv are up to 10 to 20 times smaller than a previously determined empirical formula relating Rv to seismic moment. We conclude that seismic waves from southern Nevada Test Site earthquakes suffer from significant anelastic attenuation, possibly in the near-surface crust under the recording sites, yielding reduced amplitude and frequency of the peak ground motion and shifting the apparent corner frequency of the source spectrum to lower values, thereby producing unexpectedly low stress drops.

The Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University with funding from the Bonneville Power Administration conducted a study relating to the epidemiology and control of three fish diseases of salmonids in the Columbia River Basin. These three diseases were ceratomyxosis caused by the myxosporidan parasite Ceratomyxa Shasta, bacterial kidney disease, the causative agent Renibacterium salmoninarum, and infectious hematopoietic necrosis, caused by a rhabdovirus. Each of these diseases is highly destructive and difficult or impossible to treat with antimicrobial agents. The geographic range of the infectious stage of C. Shasta has been extended to include the Snake River to the Oxbow and Hells Canyon Dams. These are the farthest upriver sites tested. Infections of ceratomyxosis were also initiated in the east fork of the Lewis River and in the Washougal River in Washington. Laboratory studies with this parasite failed to indicate that tubeficids are required in its life cycle. Bacterial kidney disease has been demonstrated in all life stages of salmonids: in the eggs, fry, smolts, juveniles and adults in the ocean, and in fish returning to fresh water. Monoclonal antibodies produced against R. salmoninarum demonstrated antigenic differences among isolates of the bacterium. Monoclonal antibodies also showed antigens of R. salmoninarum …

We present predictions for the rapidity and transverse momentum distributions for inclusive production of bottom quarks at SSC energies, pp ..-->.. bX. Our computations are based on the simplest, lowest-order QCD mechanisms. To estimate uncertainties, we use three different choices for structure functions, G(x,Q), as well as different choices for the evolution scale Q.

A series of nondestructive and destructive examinations have been performed on a representative sample of stainless steel-clad UO/sub 2/ fuel pins procured in the early-to-mid 1960s for the SPERT program. These examinations were undertaken in order to requalify the SPERT pins for use in converting university research reactors from the use of highly enriched uranium to the use of low-enriched uranium. The requalification program included visual and dimensional inspections of fuel pins and fuel pellets, radiographic inspections of welds, fill gas analyses, and chemical and spectrographic analyses of fuel and cladding materials. In general all attributes tested were within or very close to specified values, although some weld defects not covered by the original specifications were found. 1 ref., 4 figs., 11 tabs.

Gigawatt level virtual cathode sources have been proposed for several applications. These include microwave weapons and drivers for high-energy particle accelerators. Both of these require a microwave source with very high power output that is controllable in frequency and phase. A conventional virtual cathode oscillator will not meet these requirements. The addition of a resonant cavity surrounding the oscillating virtual cathode either alone or pumped with a low-power injection signal, causing it to operate as an amplifier, could greatly influence the performance of this type of source making it more practical for accelerator and weapon applications. The progress on an experiment to test these concepts will be discussed.

This report describes three data bases that were developed in the Customer System Efficiency Improvement (CSEI) Assessment project to help characterize transmission and distribution (T and D) system losses experienced by utility customers in the Pacific Northwest. A principal objective of this project is to assess the potential for electric energy conservation in the T and D systems of BPA's utility customers. The three data bases provide essential input on the number and operating characteristics of T and D component stocks that was used in another task of the CSEI Project to estimate the conservation supply functions that result from replacing existing stocks with more efficient components (Tepel et al. 1986). This document describes the three data bases, provides a guide to their use, and presents a summary characterization of the principal loss-generating components (lines and transformers) of the region's T and D systems.

An aerosol sampling system was designed and used in a series of nuclear reactor safety experiments. The system was designed to sample radioactive and chemically reactive aerosols of unknown size distributions and concentrations in high temperature, high pressure steam/hydrogen environments. The aerosol samples are being analyzed posttest to determine their composition and morphology by microanalytical techniques. Main steam particle size distributions and loadings are being computed from particle data generated from SEM micrograph images and collection efficiencies calculated with measured thermal-hydraulic data. The system would be applicable to other types of experiments in which the sampling environment is severe and/or a priori knowledge of the general particle size range and loading are limited.

This report details activities on the JASPER Shielding Program for the time period of August 1, 1986 through September 30, 1986. This report contains the measurements in phases VI and VII, a graphite benchmark study and an alternate loop type shield design study for the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR), respectively. This report also includes the results of analyses for phases I, II, III, V, and VI.

This study was conducted by Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks in contractual agreement with Bonneville Power Administration and addresses measure 804(a)(9) of the Northwest Power Planning Council's Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. Objectives were to determine instream flow needs in Kootenai River tributaries to maintain successful fish migration, spawning and rearing habitat of game fish, evaluate existing resident and rearing fish populations, and compile hydrologic and fishery information required to secure legal reservation of water for the fishery resource.