Pyrolysis converts portions of municipal solid wastes, hazardous wastes and special wastes such as tires, medical wastes and even old landfills into solid carbon and a liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon stream. In the past twenty years, advances in the engineering of pyrolysis systems and in sorting and feeding technologies for solid waste industries have ensured consistent feedstocks and system performance. Some vendors now offer complete pyrolysis systems with performance warranties. This report analyzes the potential applications of pyrolysis in the Long Island region and evaluates the four most promising pyrolytic systems for their readiness, applicability to regional waste management needs and conformity with DOE environmental restoration and waste management requirements. This summary characterizes the engineering performance, environmental effects, costs, product applications and markets for these pyrolysis systems.

The Generic TRUEX Model was used to develop a TRUEX process flowsheet for recovering the transuranics (Pu, Am) from a nitrate waste stream at Rocky Flats Plant. The process was designed so that it is relatively insensitive to changes in process feed concentrations and flow rates. Related issues are considered, including solvent losses, feed analysis requirements, safety, and interaction with an evaporator system for nitric acid recycle.

This document presents the treatability test plan for pilot-scale pump-and-treat testing at the 100-HR-3 Operable Unit. The test will be conducted in fulfillment of interim Milestone M-15-06E to begin pilot-scale pump-and-treat operations by August 1994. The scope of the test was determined based on the results of lab/bench-scale tests (WHC 1993a) conducted in fulfillment of Milestone M-15-06B. These milestones were established per agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and documented on Hanford Federal of Ecology Facility Agreement and Consent Order Change Control Form M-15-93-02. This test plan discusses a pilot-scale pump-and-treat test for the chromium plume associated with the D Reactor portion of the 100-HR-3 Operable Unit. Data will be collected during the pilot test to assess the effectiveness, operating parameters, and resource needs of the ion exchange (IX) pump-and-treat system. The test will provide information to assess the ability to remove contaminants by extracting groundwater from wells and treating extracted groundwater using IX. Bench-scale tests were conducted previously in which chromium VI was identified as the primary contaminant of concern in the 100-D reactor plume. The DOWEX 21K{trademark} resin was recommended for pilot-scale testing …

The third generation of synchrotron radiation sources, such as the Advanced Photon Source (APS), will provide users with a high brilliance x-ray beam with high power and power densities. In many cases, the first optical component to intercept the x-ray beam is a silicon-crystal monochromator. Due to extreme heat loading, the photon throughput and brilliance will be severely degraded if the monochromator is not properly designed (or cooled). This document describes a series of finite element analyses performed on room temperature silicon for the three standard APS sources, namely, the bending magnet, Wiggler A, and Undulator A. The modeling is performed with the silicon cooled directly with water or liquid gallium through rectangular channels. The temperature distributions and thermally induced deformations are presented.

The purpose of this study was to provide a specification for the high-pressure/high-temperature valves for turbine overspeed protection in a commercial-scale second-generation pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC) power plant. In the event of a loss of external (generator) load, the gas turbine rapidly accelerates from its normal operating speed. Protection from excessive overspeed can be maintained by actuation of fuel isolation and air bypass valves. A design specification for these valves was developed by analyses of the turbine/compressor interaction during a loss of load and analyses of pressure and flow transients during operation of the overspeed protection valves. The basis for these analyses was the Phase 1 plant conceptual design prepared in 1987.

The purpose of this document is to consider which radionuclides should be included in conducting environmental surveys relative to site remediation at Hanford. During the operation of the Hanford site, the fission product radionuclides and a large number of activation products including the transuranic radionuclides were formed. The reactor operations and subsequent chemical processing and metallurgical operations resulted in the environmental release of gaseous and liquid effluents containing some radionuclides; however, the majority of the radionuclides were stored in waste tanks or disposed to trenches and cribs. Since some contamination of both soils and subsurface waters occurred, one must decide which radionuclides still remain in sufficient amounts to be of concern at the time when site remediation is to be complete. Many of the radionuclides which have constituted the principal hazard during site operation have half-lives on the order of a year or less; therefore, they will have decayed to insignificant amounts by the year 2030, a possible date for completion of the remediation process.

The Idaho Water Rental Pilot Project was implemented in 1991 as part of the Non-Treaty Storage Fish and Wildlife Agreement between Bonneville Power Administration and the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority. The goal of the project is to quantify resident fish and wildlife impacts resulting from salmon flow augmentation releases made from the upper Snake River Basin. Phase I summarized existing resource information and provided management recommendations to protect and enhance resident fish and wildlife habitat resulting from storage releases for the I improvement of an adromous fish migration. Phase II includes the following: (1) a summary of recent biological, legal, and political developments within the basin as they relate to water management issues, (2) a biological appraisal of the Snake River between American Falls Reservoir and the city of Blackfoot to examine the effects of flow fluctuation on fish and wildlife habitat, and (3) a preliminary accounting of 1993--1994 flow augmentation releases out of the upper Snake, Boise, and Payette river systems. Phase III will include the development of a model in which annual flow requests and resident fish and wildlife suitability information are interfaced with habitat time series analysis to provide an estimate of resident fish and …

This document presents the treatability test plan for pilot-scale pump and treat testing at the 200-BP-5 Operable Unit. This treatability test plan has been prepared in response to an agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), as documented in Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement, Ecology et al. 1989a) Change Control Form M-13-93-03 (Ecology et al. 1994) and a recent 200 NPL Agreement Change Control Form (Appendix A). The agreement also requires that, following completion of the activities described in this test plan, a 200-BP-5 Operable Unit Interim Remedial Measure (IRM) Proposed Plan be developed for use in preparing an Interim Action Record of Decision (ROD). The IRM Proposed Plan will be supported by the results of this treatability test plan, as well as by other 200-BP-5 Operable Unit activities (e.g., development of a qualitative risk assessment). Once issued, the Interim Action ROD will specify the interim action(s) for groundwater contamination at the 200-BP-5 Operable Unit. The treatability test approach is to conduct a pilot-scale pump and treat test for each of the two contaminant plumes associated with the 200-BP-5 Operable …

The operability of the Melter Feed Tank (MFT) feed loops has been tested during the DWPF-FA-10.02 test. The ability to feed the melter at three distinct melter feed rates (0.20, 0.45, and 0.90 gpm), two distinct agitator speeds (65 and 130 rpm), varying liquid levels, and varying slurry rheologies was tested. This report correlates the operability of the feed loops with the above mentioned variables. The data are presented in the form of operating maps, Figs. 1 through 4, which are plots of the liquid level versus the wt% total solids (and yield stress) for two agitator speeds. The maps are divided into regions of acceptable feed loop operation and unacceptable feed loop operation. This report does not consider how closely the compositions of the MFT, the melter feed lines, and the Hydragard samples agree. The significant observations in this report are as follows: Both feed loops satisfy the operability criteria down to a liquid level below the upper impeller blade at low speed agitation (65 rpm). Under high speed agitation (130 rpm), feed loop No. 2 operates much more poorly than feed loop No. 1. The uncertainty associated with the wt% total solids of a slurry sample is larger …

Silica is one of the major constituents of the earth`s crust and is ubiquitously present in most natural materials. The solubility of silica and other silica-containing compounds is, therefore, of primary concern in geochemistry and in chemical processing applications where silica scale formation, resulting from changes in temperature and electrolyte composition, can cause problems in process design and operation. This paper describes the development of an aqueous thermodynamic model for accurately predicting the solubility of amorphous silica and other silica-containing compounds in the system Na{sup +}-H{sup +}-Mg{sup 2+}-NO{sub 3}{sup {minus}}-SO{sub 4}{sup 2{minus}}-Cl{sup {minus}}-H{sub 2}O to high concentration and across the temperature range 25--100 C. This model, which utilizes the aqueous thermodynamic model of Pitzer, includes only one dissolved silica species, H{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}(aq), and is valid in neutral to very acidic solutions. The model is parameterized from the extensive set of solubility data in the literature as well as from new experimental data on amorphous silica solubility in HNO{sub 3} and HCl developed as part of this study. The accuracy of the model is tested on solutions more complex than those used in model parameterization.

Short summaries are given for 45 projects concerned with tritium, separations, environmental, and general topics. Included in the general topics are the following: Burst test qualification analysis of Defense Waste Processing Facility canister-plug weld; Design and development of sampling plans for non-radioactive hazardous waste; Thermal fluids laboratory melter feed test; FRR spent fuel dry storage development; SRTC buildings fire hazards analysis; and SRTC plutonium vulnerability study.

Chromium is a major component of the Hanford waste tank sludges, and the presence of Cr in the sludges is a significant concern in the disposal of these sludges because Cr can interfere with the formation of waste glasses. One of the current pretreatment strategies for removing constituents that can interfere with glass formation, such as P and Cr, is to wash/dissolve the sludges in basic NaOH solutions. The solubility of Cr(OH){sub 3}(am) was measured in concentrated NaOH ranging in concentration from 0.1M to 6.0M and in NaOH-NaNO{sub 3} solutions with fixed NaOH concentration and variable NaNO{sub 3} concentration at room temperature (22--23 C). Equilibrium between solids and solutions was approached relatively slowly and required approximately 60--70 days before steady-state concentrations were reached. A thermodynamic model, based upon the Pitzer equations, was developed from the solubility data in NaOH, which includes only two aqueous Cr species (Cr(OH){sub 4}{sup {minus}} and NaCr(OH){sub 4}(aq)) and ion-interaction parameters for Na{sup +} with Cr(OH){sub 4}{sup {minus}}. This model was then tested in the mixed NaOH-NaNO{sub 3} solutions and found to be reliable.

The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to authorize the Indiana School of Medicine to proceed with the detailed design, construction and equipping of the proposed Cancer Research Center (CRC). A grant was executed with the University on April 21, 1992. A four-story building with basement would be constructed on the proposed site over a 24-month period. The proposed project would bring together, in one building, three existing hematology/oncology basic research programs, with improved cost-effectiveness through the sharing of common resources. The proposed site is currently covered with asphaltic pavement and is used as a campus parking lot. The surrounding area is developed campus, characterized by buildings, walkways, with minimal lawns and plantings. The proposed site has no history of prior structures and no evidence of potential sources of prior contamination of the soil. Environmental impacts of construction would be limited to minor increases in traffic, and the typical noises associated with standard building construction. The proposed CRC project operation would involve the use radionuclides and various hazardous materials in conducting clinical studies. Storage, removal and disposal of hazardous wastes would be managed under existing University programs that comply with federal and state requirements. Radiological safety programs would be governed by …

This report evaluates two management alternatives for Department of Energy depleted uranium: continued storage as uranium hexafluoride, and conversion to uranium metal and fabrication to shielding for spent nuclear fuel containers. The results will be used to compare the costs with other alternatives, such as disposal. Cost estimates for the continued storage alternative are based on a life-cycle of 27 years through the year 2020. Cost estimates for the recycle alternative are based on existing conversion process costs and Capital costs for fabricating the containers. Additionally, the recycle alternative accounts for costs associated with intermediate product resale and secondary waste disposal for materials generated during the conversion process.

Previously, the important hardware features and capabilities for the Multiple Assay Dual Analysis Measurement (MADAM) system were reported. MADAM is a combined low-level and transuranic waste assay system. The system integrated commercially available Segmented Gamma Scanner (SGS) capability together with multienergy X-ray and gamma-ray analysis to measure these two waste forms. In addition, the system incorporated a small neutron slab detector to satisfy safeguards concerns and high resolution gamma-ray isotopics analysis proficiency. Since delivery of the system to this facility, an evaluation of its low-level waste measurement performance has been conducted using a set of specially constructed NIST-traceable standards. The evaluation studied existing analysis algorithms, matrix and attenuation effects, source position as a function of detector response, instrument stability, and sensitivity. Based on these studies, several modifications to the existing analysis algorithms have been performed, new correction factors for matrix attenuation have been devised, and measurement error estimates have been calculated and incorporated into the software. This report discusses the results of the evaluation program and the software modifications that have been developed.

Worker dose estimates are used in epidemiologic studies of nuclear workers. A major objective of these studies is to provide a direct assessment of the carcinogenic risk of exposure to ionizing radiation at low doses and dose rates. If dose estimates used in analyses of worker data are biased, then risk estimates expressed per unit of dose will also be biased. In addition, random error in dose estimates may lead to underestimation of risk coefficients and can also distort dose-response analyses. Analyses of data from nuclear worker studies, including Hanford, have typically not been adjusted for biases and uncertainties in dose estimates in part because of the lack of adequate information on the nature and magnitude of these biases and uncertainties. This report describes an approach used to assess bias and uncertainty in radiation dose for Hanford dosimetry systems. The approach can be considered as an elaboration of work conducted by a technical committee appointed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) used to quantify the bias and uncertainty in estimated doses for personnel exposed to radiation as a result of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons between 1945 and 1962. In addition, laboratory studies were conducted to measure bias for …

Preliminary results are presented for a millimeter-wavelength free-space imaging system used to detect and characterize defects in layered dielectric composite slabs. Such systems throughout the microwave spectrum have shown great potential as alternative nondestructive evaluation tools for on-line, in-situ examination of low-loss dielectric materials such as plastics, ceramics, and various dielectric composites. Results of a fixed-frequency W-band imaging system operating in either through-transmission or reflection mode are presented here. Incorporation of focused-beam antennas allows high-resolution measurement of small variations within the sample under test. The results are based on measurement of the relative amplitude and phase of the reflected or transmitted wave in monostatic or bistatic configurations, respectively. With proper calibration, the measured parameters can be used to estimate dielectric property variations within the material media. A theoretical simulation for plane wave propagation in a multilayered media is used to interpret the measurement results.

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Radioactive wastes, generated during years of nuclear materials production, will be vitrified in glass and sealed in canisters. These cylindrical canisters are fabricated from 0.375 inches (9.5 mm) thick Type 304L stainless steel plate and are 24 inches (61 cm) in diameter and 118 inches (3 m) tall with a forged nozzle. The canisters will be sealed by resistance upset welding a 5 inch (12.7 cm) diameter, 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) thick, slightly oversized plug into the nozzle. A parametric study recommended a range of production welding variables based on mechanical tests and metallography. Intentionally ``cold`` welds produced with low currents and short times exhibited insufficient interface length and lack-of-bonding. At very high currents, long weld times and low force, maximum heating occurred with significant melting at the top, which makes process stability a concern. All welds made between these extremes exhibited predominantly solid-state bonding. Little variation in microstructure between welds was found along much of the interface with changes in current, force and time. Hardness traverses across the welds showed higher values at the interface, indicative of the worked microstructure. Crevices formed at the top and bottom during plastic flow of the material, and grain sizes varied along the …

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The usual method of combining pumps in system design, using pump head versus GPM curves, is not applicable if the pumps see different static heads and different dynamic losses. The designer then turns to iterative procedures centered on matching each parallel pump discharge line pressure to the common junction pressure. A faster and generalized method, not in universal use, is presented in this article with its technical basis. If not implementing it already, Damage Control Officer`s should be made aware of this technique because it eliminates iteration and has a utility to address any pump configuration or requirement. The method is graphical and may be extended to multiple parallel pump installations.

This report on drilling in the Antarctic has been prepared by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to assist principal investigators and others in complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Implementing regulations for NEPA are spelled out in 40 CFR 1500-1508. Environmental protection under the Antarctic Treaty is addressed in the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (hereafter referred to as the Protocol), which was adopted by 26 countries in 1991. In the United States, responsibility for compliance with these requirements rests with the NSF Office of Polar Programs (OPP), which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). The USAP recognizes the potentially profound impacts that its presence and activities can have on the antarctic environment. In its extensive support of operations and research in Antarctica, the USAP uses all practical means to foster and maintain natural conditions while supporting scientific endeavors in a safe and healthful manner. Reducing human impacts on the antarctic environment is a major goal of the USAP. The USAP`s operating philosophy is based on broad yet reasonable and practical assumptions concerning environmental protection. The USAP maintains three year-round stations on the continent to support scientific research. …

The paper outlines background objectives, experimental methods and results for two studies: A group contribution method for the prediction of viscosity of coal-derived liquids, and Equation of state at high pressures for liquid aromatic compounds. Criteria for the new model, low pressure viscosity data set, new viscosity model for pure liquid aromatics, illustration of viscosity calculation using the model, and extension of the model to mixtures are discussed in the first study. Contents of the second study are: high pressure equation of state; new vapor pressure equation; and new correlation for saturated liquid densities.