A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Developing capable Afghan National Army (ANA) forces is a key element of the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led coalition effort to counter the insurgency and create sustainable security in Afghanistan. Since 2002, the United States, with assistance from NATO and other coalition nations, has worked to develop the ANA. The Department of Defense (DOD) leads U.S. efforts to train and equip the ANA. U.S. agencies have allocated about $20 billion in support of the ANA since 2002 and have requested $7.5 billion more for fiscal year 2011. GAO examined (1) the extent of progress made and challenges faced in expanding the size of the ANA, (2) the extent of progress made and challenges faced in developing ANA capability, and (3) how much estimated future funding will be needed to sustain and further grow the ANA. GAO reviewed DOD and NATO documents and met with officials in Washington, D.C.; Tampa, FL; Brussels, Belgium; and Kabul, Afghanistan."

This report provides background information and analysis of the U.S.-EU economic relationship for members of the 112th Congress as they contemplate the costs and benefits of closer U.S. economic ties with the EU. It examines the economic and political framework of the relationship and the scope and magnitude of the ties based on data from various sources. In addition, the report analyzes the implications these factors have for U.S. economic policy toward the EU.

The work carried out under this project includes development and design of components, controls, and economic modeling tools that would enable the steel industry to reduce energy intensity through reduction of scale formation during the steel reheating process. Application of scale free reheating offers savings in energy used for production of steel that is lost as scale, and increase in product yield for the global steel industry. The technology can be applied to a new furnace application as well as retrofit design for conversion of existing steel reheating furnaces. The development work has resulted in the knowledge base that will enable the steel industry and steel forging industry us to reheat steel with 75% to 95% reduction in scale formation and associated energy savings during the reheating process. Scale reduction also results in additional energy savings associated with higher yield from reheat furnaces. Energy used for steel production ranges from 9 MM Btu/ton to 16.6 MM Btu/ton or the industry average of approximately 13 MM Btu/ton. Hence, reduction in scale at reheating stage would represent a substantial energy reduction for the steel industry. Potential energy savings for the US steel industry could be in excess of 25 Trillion Btu/year when …

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A Technology Readiness Evaluation (TRE) performed by AREV A Federal Services, LLC (AFS) for Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) shows the lithium hydrotalcite (LiHT) process invented and patented (pending) by AFS has reached an overall Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3. The LiHT process removes aluminum and regenerates sodium hydroxide. The evaluation used test results obtained with a 2-L laboratory-scale system to validate the process and its critical technology elements (CTEs) on Hanford tank waste simulants. The testing included detailed definition and evaluation for parameters of interest and validation by comparison to analytical predictions and data quality objectives for critical subsystems. The results of the TRE would support the development of strategies to further mature the design and implementation of the LiHT process as a supplemental pretreatment option for Hanford tank waste.

This report summarizes the deactiviation, decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition activities of facilities in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site in fiscal year 2010.

This contract covered the period from 03/09/2010 to 09/30/2010. Over this period, we adapted the low Mach number hydrodynamics code MAESTRO to perform simulations of novae. A nova is the thermonuclear runaway of an accreted hydrogen layer on the surface of a white dwarf. As the accreted layer grows in mass, the temperature and density at the base increase to the point where hydrogen fusion can begin by the CNO cycle - a burning process that uses carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen to complete the fusion of four hydrogen nuclei into one helium-4 nucleus. At this point, we are running initial models of nova, exploring the details of the convection. In the follow-on contract to this one, we will continue this investigation.

Categorization is complete. Samples 11-3-1 (NSR-F-270409-01) and 11-3-2 (NSR-F-270409-02) are depleted uranium powders of moderate purity ({approx}65-80 % U). The uranium feed stocks for 11-3-1 and 11-3-2 have both experienced a neutron flux (as demonstrated by the presence of {sup 232}U). Sample 11-3-3 is indistinguishable from a natural uranium ore concentrate of moderate purity ({approx}70-80% U). Two anomalous objects (11-3-1-4 and 11-3-2-5) were found in the material during aliquoting. These objects might be valuable for route attribution.

To reduce the additional sodium hydroxide and ease processing of aluminum bearing sludge, the lithium hydrotalcite (LiHT) process has been invented by AREV A and demonstrated on a laboratory scale to remove alumina and regenerate/recycle sodium hydroxide prior to processing in the WTP. The method uses lithium hydroxide (LiOH) to precipitate sodium aluminate (NaAI(OH){sub 4}) as lithium hydrotalcite (Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}.4Al(OH){sub 3}.3H{sub 2}O) while generating sodium hydroxide (NaOH). In addition, phosphate substitutes in the reaction to a high degree, also as a filterable solid. The sodium hydroxide enriched leachate is depleted in aluminum and phosphate, and is recycled to double-shell tanks (DSTs) to leach aluminum bearing sludges. This method eliminates importing sodium hydroxide to leach alumina sludge and eliminates a large fraction of the total sludge mass to be treated by the WTP. Plugging of process equipment is reduced by removal of both aluminum and phosphate in the tank wastes. Laboratory tests were conducted to verify the efficacy of the process and confirm the results of previous tests. These tests used both single-shell tank (SST) and DST simulants.

The Small Column Ion Exchange (SCIX) process is being developed to remove cesium, strontium, and actinides from Savannah River Site (SRS) Liquid Waste using an existing waste tank (i.e., Tank 41H) to house the process. This process adds monosodium titanate (MST) to a waste tank containing salt solution (and entrained sludge solids). While the process is operating, the solid particles will begin to settle at temperatures up to 45 C. Previous testing has shown that sludge-MST slurries that sit for extended periods (i.e., 1-61 days) at elevated temperatures (i.e., 23-80 C) can develop large shear strengths which could make them difficult to resuspend and remove from the tank. The authors are conducting rheological testing of mixtures containing various concentrations of sludge, MST, and crystalline silicotitanate (CST, ground and unground) that have been aged at different times (i.e., 0 to 13 weeks) and isothermally heated to 30, 45, or 60 C. Additional tests are being conducted that will allow the solid particles to settle at 45 C for 6, 12, and 24 months. The objectives of this task are to determine the impact of settling time and temperature on the shear strength, yield stress, and consistency of the slurries and to …

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This report addresses a number of cross-cutting issues, such as NASA's interactions with ither federal agencies and the growing role of the commercial space industry.

Scoping laboratory scale tests were performed at the Chemical Engineering Department of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and the Hanford 222-S Laboratory, involving double-shell tank (DST) and single-shell tank (SST) Hanford waste simulants. These tests established the viability of the Lithium Hydrotalcite precipitation process as a solution to remove aluminum and recycle sodium hydroxide from the Hanford tank waste, and set the basis of a validation test campaign to demonstrate a Technology Readiness Level of 3.

This Technology Maturation Plan schedules the development process that will bring the Lithium Hydrotalcite waste pretreatment process from its current estimated Technology Readiness Level of 3, to a level of 6. This maturation approach involves chemical and engineering research and development work, from laboratory scale to pilot scale testing, to incrementally make the process progress towards its integration in a fully qualified industrial system.

This report looks at new European Union (EU) emissions standards in trade.