This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development (WPD) department to describe the latest version of the probabilistic criticality analysis methodology and its application to the entire commercial waste stream of commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) expected to be emplaced in the repository. The purpose of this particular application is to evaluate the 21 assembly PWR absorber plate waste package (WP) with respect to degraded mode criticality performance. The degradation of principal concern is the borated stainless steel absorber plates which are part of the waste package basket and which constitute a major part of the waste package criticality control. The degradation (corrosion, dissolution) of this material will result in the release of most of the boron from the waste package and increase the possibility of criticality. The results of this evaluation will be expressed in terms of the fraction of the PWR SNF which can exceed a given k{sub eff}, as a function of time and the peak value of that fraction over a time period up to several hundred thousand years. The ultimate purpose of this analysis is to support the waste package design which defines waste packages …

In FY96 we released CHEETAH 1.40, which made extensive improvements on the stability and user friendliness of the code. CHEETAH now has over 175 users in government, academia, and industry. Efforts have also been focused on adding new advanced features to CHEETAH 2.0, which is scheduled for release in FY97. We have added a new chemical kinetics capability to CHEETAH. In the past, CHEETAH assumed complete thermodynamic equilibrium and independence of time. The addition of a chemical kinetic framework will allow for modeling of time-dependent phenomena, such as partial combustion and detonation in composite explosives with large reaction zones. We have implemented a Wood-Kirkwood detonation framework in CHEETAH, which allows for the treatment of nonideal detonations and explosive failure. A second major effort in the project this year has been linking CHEETAH to hydrodynamic codes to yield an improved HE product equation of state. We have linked CHEETAH to 1- and 2-D hydrodynamic codes, and have compared the code to experimental data. 15 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.

This report talks about The Beam Lifetime and Emittance Growth in RHIC under Normal Operating Conditions and with a Hydrogen Gas Jet

This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) to provide boiling water reactor (BWR) assembly radiation source term data for use during Waste Package (WP) design. The BWR assembly radiation source terms are to be used for evaluation of radiolysis effects at the WP surface, and for personnel shielding requirements during assembly or WP handling operations. The objectives of this evaluation are to generate BWR assembly radiation source terms that bound selected groupings of BWR assemblies, with regard to assembly average burnup and cooling time, which comprise the anticipated MGDS BWR commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) waste stream. The source term data is to be provided in a form which can easily be utilized in subsequent shielding/radiation dose calculations. Since these calculations may also be used for Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA), with appropriate justification provided by TSPA, or radionuclide release rate analysis, the grams of each element and additional cooling times out to 25 years will also be calculated and the data included in the output files.

Acceptance Test Report for the Sluicer Control System, Project W-320 This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) has been prepared to demonstrate that the C-Farm tank C-106 sluicer functions as required by the design criteria.

The Single Event Display (SED) is a routine that is designed to provide information graphically about a triggered event within the Crystal Ball. The SED is written entirely in FORTRAN and uses the CERN-based HICZ graphing package. The primary display shows the amount of energy deposited in each of the NaI crystals on a Mercator-like projection of the crystals. Ten different shades and colors correspond to varying amounts of energy deposited within a crystal. Information about energy clusters is displayed on the crystal map by outlining in red the thirteen (or twelve) crystals contained within a cluster and assigning each cluster a number. Additional information about energy clusters is provided in a series of boxes containing useful data about the energy distribution among the crystals within the cluster. Other information shown on the event display include the event trigger type and data about {pi}{sup o}`s and {eta}`s formed from pairs of clusters as found by the analyzer. A description of the major features is given, along with some information on how to install the SED into the analyzer.

This report is a description of the process to redesign and fabricate, as well as, describe the features of the Fuel Element Brush Assembly used in the 105-K West Basin. This narrative description will identify problems that occurred during the redesigning and fabrication of the 105-K West Basin Fuel Element Brush Assembly and specifically address their solutions.

The objectives are to provide resources and capabilities to enable the Railroad Commission to conduct Area of Review (AOR) variance analysis on a statewide level, including: (1) the identification and analysis of areas that may qualify for AOR variances; (2) the correlation of information from various databases and automation systems to conduct AORs in areas that do not qualify for variances; (3) the evaluation of the risk of pollution, during permitting and monitoring, using risk-based data analysis; and (4) the ability to conduct spatial analysis of injection well data in conjunction with other geographically referenced information. The Commission will achieve these objectives through the acquisition and implementation of the following components: (1) a Geographic Information System (GIS); (2) a Client-Server/Scanning System; and , (3) a Local Area Network/Wide-Area Network (LAN/WAN) system encompassing the district offices. The Commission is well on its way toward completing the GIS component of the project. Work is progressing smoothly on the Client Server/Scanner System LAN/WAN components of the project.

The following technical report provides a detailed status report of the DOE grant project entitled `Develop Data Management System for Assistance in Conducting Area of Reviews (AORS) in Texas.` The grant funding allocated is for the purpose of providing the Railroad Commission of Texas (Commission or RRC) with resources and capabilities to conduct AOR and AOR variance analysis statewide.

In the second quarter of calendar year 1997, 9 days of combustor- boiler tests were performed, including 3 days of tests on a parallel DOE sponsored project on sulfur retention in a slagging combustor. Between tests, modifications and improvements that were indicated by these tests were implemented. This brings the total number of test days to the end of June 1997 in the task 5 effort to 83 days. This compares with a total of 63 test days needed to complete the task 5 test effort, and the number of tests days required to meet the task 5 project plan have been completed. The key project objectives in the areas of combustor performance and environmental performance have been exceeded. With sorbent injection in the combustion gas train, NO{sub x} emissions as low as 0.07 lb/MMBtu and SO{sub 2} emissions as low as 0.2 lb/MMBtu have been measured in tests in the previous quarter. The emphasis of tests in the present quarter have been on further optimizing post-combustion sorbent injection for SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} control processes, with most of the test effort focused on the NO{sub x} control process. Many factors which control the NO{sub x} reduction were identified …

The thermal decomposition of methane offers significant potential as a means of producing higher unsaturated and aromatic hydrocarbons when the extent of reaction is limited. Work in the literature previous to this project had shown that cooling the product and reacting gases as the reaction proceeds would significantly reduce or eliminate the formation of solid carbon or heavier (Clo+) materials. This project studied the effect and optimization of the quenching process as a means of increasing the amount of value added products during the pyrolysis of methane. A reactor was designed to rapidly quench the free-radical combustion reaction so as to maximize the yield of aromatics. The use of free-radical generators and catalysts were studied as a means of lowering the reaction temperature. A lower reaction temperature would have the benefits of more rapid quenching as well as a more feasible commercial process due to savings realized in energy and material of construction costs. It was the goal of the project to identify promising routes from methane to higher hydrocarbons based on the pyrolysis of methane.

The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program was created at UMBC in 1988 with a grant of $522,000 from the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Foundation. Mr. Meyerhoff was particularly interested in addressing the shortage of African Americans, especially black males, who successfully pursue careers in science and engineering. The initial grant enabled UMBC to launch a program of full support for outstanding African American students, competitively selected from across Maryland, who would major in mathematics, science, engineering, or computer science, and then pursue Ph.D.s in these areas. The first group of Meyerhoff Scholars included 19 young men who enrolled in Fall 1989. Now in its seventh year, the Program has a total enrollment of 180 (95 male, 85 female), including 47 new Meyerhoff freshmen in Fall 1995 (average SAT scores of 1226) and 10 students from outside Maryland (New York, California, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania). The National Science Foundation has indicated the UMBC has one of the largest concentrations of high achieving African American students in science anywhere in the US.

It has been known for some time that a shear field can impart enough energy to a liquid system for it to exhibit a phase change. Not as well appreciated is the fact that non Newtonian solutions can be driven into a quasi phase separation due to the vastly different shear rates between the bulk and near surface regions. Using a variety of scattering techniques the authors have probed the interfacial and near surface region of a system of wormlike colloidal particles under flow separately from the bulk. They find that the hexagonal phase which forms under flow near the surface, does not persist into the bulk. They also present data showing substantial differences in the kinetics of alignment and relaxation of the two phases.

The objectives of this project are to develop, evaluate, and optimize novel designs for a polishing tool intended for ultra-precise figure corrections on aspheric optics with tolerances typical of those required for use in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) projection lithography. This work may lead to an enhanced US industrial capability for producing optics for EUV, x-ray and, other high precision applications. LLNL benefits from developments in computer-controlled polishing and the insertion of fluid mechanics modeling into the precision manufacturing area. Our accomplishments include the numerical estimation of the hydrodynamic shear stress distribution for a new polishing tool that directs and controls the interaction of an abrasive slurry with an optical surface. A key milestone is in establishing a correlation between the shear stress predicted using our fluid mechanics model and the observed removal footprint created by a prototype tool. In addition, we demonstrate the ability to remove 25 nm layers of optical glass in a manner qualitatively similar to macroscopic milling operations using a numerically- controlled machine tool. Other accomplishments include the development of computer control software for directing the polishing tool and the construction of a polishing testbed.

This report examines the capital cost associated with various energy storage systems that have been installed for electric utility application. The storage systems considered in this study are Battery Energy Storage (BES), Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) and Flywheel Energy Storage (FES). The report also projects the cost reductions that may be anticipated as these technologies come down the learning curve. This data will serve as a base-line for comparing the cost-effectiveness of hydrogen energy storage (HES) systems in the electric utility sector. Since pumped hydro or compressed air energy storage (CAES) is not particularly suitable for distributed storage, they are not considered in this report. There are no comparable HES systems in existence in the electric utility sector. However, there are numerous studies that have assessed the current and projected cost of hydrogen energy storage system. This report uses such data to compare the cost of HES systems with that of other storage systems in order to draw some conclusions as to the applications and the cost-effectiveness of hydrogen as a electricity storage alternative.

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The concept uses a pyrolyzation process to convert coal into fuel gas and char. The char is fired in a High Temperature Advanced Furnace (HITAF). It is a pulverized fuel- fired boiler/ air heater where steam and gas turbine air are indirectly heated. The fuel gas generated in the pyrolyzer is then used to heat the gas turbine air further before it enters the gas turbine. The project is currently in Phase 2 which includes engineering analysis, laboratory testing and pilot plant testing. Research and development is being done on the HIPPS systems that are not commercial or being developed on other projects. Pilot plant testing of the pyrolyzer subsystem and the char combustion subsystem are being done separately, and then a pilot plant with a more integrated HIPPS arrangement will be tested. The High Performance Power System is a coal- fired, combined cycle power generating system that will have an efficiency of greater than 47 percent (HHV) with NOx and SOx less than 0.025 Kg/ GJ (0.06 lb/ MMBtu). This performance is achieved by combining a coal pyrolyzation process with a High Temperature Advanced Furnace (HITAF). The pyrolyzation process consists of a pressurized fluidized bed reactor which is operated …

Prince George`s Community College (PGCC), in collaboration with the Prince George`s County Public School System (PGCPS) modified the Exploring Our World, a mathematics, science, and technology program, during the spring of 1996. The second year of that program was delivered to twenty-six rising seventh and eighth grade, students, and one rising ninth grader during the period July 9, 1996 to August 2, 1996. As in 1995, Dr. Baldwin coordinated and supervised the program; Charles Hoffman was the teacher, Patricia Crosson was the counselor; Kishma Brown was the paid college mentor; and Dante Brown was a volunteer high school mentor. Exploring Our World met six hours per day, four days each week, for four weeks. One day each week was devoted to a field trip, while the other three days were spent on-campus in a variety of classroom,library, computer laboratory, and science laboratory activities. Each student was randomly assigned to one of six groups. Each group conducted a research project and presented project results to parents, staff, and other participants on the night before the last day of the program. This report contain a summary of second year of this program.

In the computation of transverse wake field effects in accelerators, it is necessary to compute expressions of the form given in equations (1). It is usually desired to compute this a large number of times, the values of z{sub i} and x{sub i} being different at each iteration, other quantities remaining the same. The problem in practical applications is that the computational work grows as N{sub m}{sup 2}. Thus even using parallel computation to achieve speedup, the elapsed time to obtain a result still increases linearly with N{sub m}. The authors introduce here an approximate method of evaluating the sum in (1) whose computational work increases only as N{sub m}logN{sub m}. It involves some significant initial computation which does not have to be repeated at each subsequent iteration. The basis of the approach is to replace the individual contributions of a group of distant macroparticles with a local series expansion. In this respect it is similar in spirit to the so called fast multipole method.

This report covers the evaluation of the structural design of the two stainless steel containment vessels in CROFT SAFKEG Model Number 2863B, for conformance to the design criteria of the NRC Regulatory Guide 7.6, NRC Regulatory Guide 7.8, and the applicable requirements of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section 3, and Section 8. The two containment vessels are designated Cans 2870 and 2871. Each of these containment vessels was analyzed for the loadings specified in chapter 2, Section 2.1.2 of the SARP. Structural assessment of Cans 2870 and 2871 due to loading considerations beyond the evaluation of pressure and temperature are presented. This report is organized as follows: (1) overview of the design of each containment vessel and pressure boundary; (2) brief description of both containment vessels; (3) discussion of normal and accident conditions; (4) analysis assumptions; (5) detailed structural evaluation of each component of each containment vessel; (6) demonstration of compliance to Regulatory Guide 7.6 stress evaluations; (7) demonstration of compliance to Regulatory Guide 7.8 loading combinations; and (8) summary of the calculated stresses, comparison with design allowables, estimates of margins of safety and a summary of results and conclusions.

This report briefly describes some of the fundamentals of federal Indian law, including the concept of tribal sovereignty and the allocation of authority among state, federal, and tribal governments with reference to criminal and civil laws and taxation.

Potential applications of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy in the forest products industry include on-line analysis of feedstock and web materials; these applications differ dramatically in purpose, speed, and overall chemical heterogeneity. Characterization of feedstock will enable sorting of the stock and/or wet chemistry adjustment prior to the web stage of paper production. Sorting will require imaging of the stock as well as classification of the wide variety of chemistry found in recycled stock. At the opposite end of the manufacturing process, on-line analysis of the web will enable adjustment of machine parameters to maximize product quality and minimize waste. Spectroscopic requirements for web analysis include high-speed capability and measurement precision. If successful, both applications could result in a reduction of resource waste, a reduction of plant pollution, and a reduction of energy use while simultaneously improving product quality. Here the progress towards feedstock and web analysis with MIR spectroscopy is presented. To date, work has progressed in three main areas: Diffuse Reflectance mid-Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy of cellulose-based materials, chemometrics analysis, and research of MIR instrumentation for prototype development. The DRIFT spectroscopy data represents a database of the chemistries and spectroscopic signatures of interest to the applications discussed here. Over …

This technology provides a simple yet clever idea for preventing oil and saltwater polluting spills by sucker rod pumping oil wells, as well as prolonging the life of the stuffing box seals and pressure lubricating the polished rod. This objective is accomplished by introducing a non-polluting, food grade, high viscosity lubricant into the void space between two sets of seals in a typical stuffing box. This safe-fluid acts as a sacrificial fluid that will be the fluid that is exposed to the atmosphere when the primary seal in the stuffing box leaks for any reason. In addition, the pressure on this sacrificial safe-fluid is maintained at the same pressure as the pressure on the produced fluid in the flow line at the pumping tee, thereby equalizing the pressure across the secondary seal in the stuffing box that separates the safe-fluid from the produced fluid. The unique feature, of equalizing the pressure across the secondary seal, is accomplished by using a pressure transmitter which is monitoring the pressure in the flow line (which is the fluid under the secondary seal) and transmitting that pressure to the safe-fluid (which is the fluid above the secondary seal) thereby equalizing the pressure across this …

To produce and evaluate the use of aluminum ''ashalloys''--metal matrix composites that incorporate coal fly ash--in the commercial manufacture of cast automotive parts. The use of fly ash as an additive will help reduce the weight and cost of automotive parts, improve selected material properties, and reduce energy consumption and pollution.