3013 containers are designed in accordance with the DOE-STD-3013-2004. These containers are qualified to store plutonium (Pu) bearing materials such as PuO2 for 50 years. DOT shipping packages such as the 9975 are used to store the 3013 containers in the K-Area Material Storage (KAMS) facility at Savannah River Site (SRS). DOE-STD-3013-2004 requires that a comprehensive surveillance program be set up to ensure that the 3013 container design parameters are not violated during the long term storage. To ensure structural integrity of the 3013 containers, thermal analyses using finite element models were performed to predict the contents and component temperatures for different but well defined parameters such as storage ambient temperature, PuO{sub 2} density, fill heights, weights, and thermal loading. Interpolation is normally used to calculate temperatures if the actual parameter values are different from the analyzed values. A statistical analysis technique using regression methods is proposed to develop simple polynomial relations to predict temperatures for the actual parameter values found in the containers. The analysis shows that regression analysis is a powerful tool to develop simple relations to assess component temperatures.

This report, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO for March 1963, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; employee relations; and weapons manufacturing operation.

Separate abstracts were prepared for each of the three included sections. (MOW)

The authors present and analyze a class of evolutionary algorithms for unconstrained and bound constrained optimization on R{sup n}: evolutionary pattern search algorithms (EPSAs). EPSAs adaptively modify the step size of the mutation operator in response to the success of previous optimization steps. The design of EPSAs is inspired by recent analyses of pattern search methods. They show that EPSAs can be cast as stochastic pattern search methods, and they use this observation to prove that EpSAs have a probabilistic weak stationary point convergence theory. This work provides the first convergence analysis for a class of evolutionary algorithms that guarantees convergence almost surely to a stationary point of a nonconvex objective function.

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IVery High Temperature Reactors (VHTR) utilize the TRISO microsphere as the fundamental fuel unit in the core. The TRISO microsphere (~ 1- mm diameter) is composed of a UO2 kernel surrounded by a porous pyrolytic graphite buffer, an inner pyrolytic graphite layer, a silicon carbide (SiC) coating, and an outer pyrolytic graphite layer. The U-235 enrichment of the fuel is expected to range from 4% – 10% (higher enrichments are also being considered). The layer/coating system that surrounds the UO2 kernel acts as the containment and main barrier against the environmental release of radioactivity. To understand better the behavior of this fuel under in-core conditions (e.g., high temperature, intense fast neutron flux, etc.), the US Department of Energy (DOE) is launching a fuel testing program that will take place at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). During this project North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers will collaborate with INL staff for establishing an optimized system for fuel monitoring for the ATR tests. In addition, it is expected that the developed system and methods will be of general use for fuel failure monitoring in gas cooled VHTRs.

Ceramic chambers will be used in the pulsed kicker magnets for the injection of H{sup -} into the US Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accumulator ring. There are two reasons for using ceramic chambers in kickers: (1) to avoid shielding of a fast-changing external magnetic field by metallic chamber walls; and (2) to reduce heating due to eddy currents. The inner surfaces of the ceramic chambers will be coated with a conductive layer, possibly titanium (Ti) or copper with a titanium nitride (TiN) overlayer, to reduce the beam coupling impedance and provide passage for beam image current. This paper describes the development of sputtering method for the 0.83m long 16cm inner diameter ceramic chambers. Coatings of Ti, Cu and TiN with thicknesses up to 10 {micro}m were produced by means of DC magnetron sputtering. The difficulty of coating insulators was overcome with the introduction of an anode screen. Films with good adhesion, uniform longitudinal thickness, and conductivity were produced.

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The advanced spectroscopic capabilities of the new X-ray telescopes Chandra and XMM lead to a need for improved benchmarking of models for the photoionized accretion-disk plasmas which represent over half of known astrophysical X-ray sources. They report the first laboratory experimental results using 120 TW, 180 eV Z-pinch plasmas to drive iron samples into the photoionized equilibrium. The pinch spectrum, temperature, power and uniformity have been characterized in order to qualify it as a photoionization driver. Preliminary time-integrated (8 {angstrom} to 18 {angstrom}) and time-resolved (12.5 {angstrom} to 16 {angstrom}) absorption and emission spectra of photoionized L-shell Fe and K-shell Na and F were observed using X-ray crystal spectrometers. Plans for upcoming experiments are also discussed.

The world-wide network of nuclear reaction data centers (NRDC) has, for about 40 years, provided data services to the scientific community. This network covers all types of nuclear reaction data, including neutron-induced, charged-particle-induced, and photonuclear data, used in a wide range of applications, such as fission reactors, accelerator driven systems, fusion facilities, nuclear medicine, materials analysis, environmental monitoring, and basic research. The now 13 nuclear data centers included in the NRDC are dividing the efforts of compilation and distribution for particular types of reactions and/or geographic regions all over the world. A central activity of the network is the collection and compilation of experimental nuclear reaction data and the related bibliographic information in the EXFOR and CINDA databases. Many of the individual data centers also distribute other types of nuclear data information, including evaluated data libraries, nuclear structure and decay data, and nuclear data reports. The network today ensures the world-wide transfer of information and coordinated evolution of an important source of nuclear data for current and future nuclear applications.

The EMPIRE code system is being extended to cover the resolved and unresolved resonance region employing proven methodology used for the production of new evaluations in the recent Atlas of Neutron Resonances. Another directions of Empire expansion are uncertainties and correlations among them. These include covariances for cross sections as well as for model parameters. In this presentation we concentrate on the KALMAN method that has been applied in EMPIRE to the fast neutron range as well as to the resonance region. We also summarize role of the EMPIRE code in the ENDF/B-VII.0 development. Finally, large scale calculations and their impact on nuclear model parameters are discussed along with the exciting perspectives offered by the parallel supercomputing.

To improve the processing of 3Z valve pistons in LF7 assemblies, material qualities are being investigated. After a review of the fracture toughness curve, it was noted that a change of a few degrees variation from the 900 F called for by the drawing would affect the fracture toughness of the product. After this observation it was decided to determine how close to the 900 F the parts were heat-treated. The subsequent study indicated that Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (FM&T) equipment held the product at 900 F {+-} 1.8 F.

A neutron source for neutron resonance spectroscopy (NRS) has been developed using high intensity, short pulse lasers. This measurement technique will allow for robust measurements of interior ion temperature of laser-shocked materials and provide insight into equation of state (EOS) measurements. The neutron generation technique uses protons accelerated by lasers off of Cu foils to create neutrons in LiF, through (p,n) reactions with {sup 7}Li and {sup 19}F. The distribution of the incident proton beam has been diagnosed using radiochromic film (RCF). This distribution is used as the input for a (p,n) neturon prediction code which is compared to experimentally measured neutron yields. From this calculation, a total fluence of 1.8 x 10{sup 9} neutrons is infered, which is shown to be a reasonable amount for NRS temperature measurement.

An auto-ranging ac resistance measuring instrument for remote measurement of the resistance of an electrical device or circuit connected to the instrument includes a signal generator which generates an ac excitation signal for application to a load, including the device and the transmission line, a monitoring circuit which provides a digitally encoded signal representing the voltage across the load, and a microprocessor which operates under program control to provide an auto-ranging function by which range resistance is connected in circuit with the load to limit the load voltage to an acceptable range for the instrument, and an auto-compensating function by which compensating capacitance is connected in shunt with the range resistance to compensate for the effects of line capacitance.

Efficiency increases in fossil energy boilers and steam turbines are being achieved by increasing the temperature and pressure at the turbine inlets well beyond the critical point of water. To allow these increases, advanced materials are needed that are able to withstand the higher temperatures and pressures in terms of strength, creep, and oxidation resistance. As part of a larger collaborative effort, the Albany Research Center (ARC) is examining the steam-side oxidation behavior for ultrasupercritical (USC) steam turbine applications. Initial tests are being done on six alloys identified as candidates for USC steam boiler applications: ferritic alloy SAVE12, austenitic alloy Super 304H, the high Cr-high Ni alloy HR6W, and the nickel-base superalloys Inconel 617, Haynes 230, and Inconel 740. Each of these alloys has very high strength for its alloy type. Three types of experiments are planned: cyclic oxidation in air plus steam at atmospheric pressure, thermogravimetric ana lysis (TGA) in steam at atmospheric pressure, and exposure tests in supercritical steam up to 650 C (1202 F) and 34.5 MPa (5000 psi). The atmospheric pressure tests, combined with supercritical exposures at 13.8, 20.7, 24.6, and 34.5 MPa (2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 psi) should allow the determination of the effect …

The production of comprehensive cDNA clone collections is an important goal of the human and model organism genome projects. cDNA sequences are used to determine the structures of transcripts, including splice junctions, polyadenylation sites, and 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). cDNA collections are also valuable resources for functional studies of genes and proteins. Expressed Sequence Tag (EST)sequencing is the method of choice for recovering cDNAs representing a majority of the transcripts encoded in a eukaryotic genome. However, EST sequencing samples a library at random, so it realizes diminishing returns as the project progresses. To drive cDNA collections toward completion new methods are needed to recover cDNAs representing specific genes and alternative transcripts, including transcripts with low expression levels. We describe a simple and effective inverse-PCR-based method for screening plasmid libraries to recover intact cDNAs for specific transcripts. We tested the method by screening libraries used in our Drosophila EST projects for 153 transcription factor genes that were not yet represented by full-length cDNAs. We recovered target-specific clones for 104 of the genes: 46 exactly match, 30 improve and 28partially match current gene annotations. Successful application of the screening method depends on cDNA library complexity and quality of the gene …

Heat-exchanger tubes in fluidized bed combustors (FBCs) often suffer material loss due to combined corrosion and erosion. Most severe damage is believed to be caused by the impact of dense packets of bed material on the lower parts of the tubes. In order to understand this phenomenon, a unique laboratory test rig at Berkeley was designed to simulate the particle hammering interactions between in-bed particles and tubes in bubbling fluidized bed combustors. In this design, a rod shaped specimen is actuated a short distance within a partially fluidized bed. The downward specimen motion is controlled to produce similar frequencies, velocities and impact forces as those experienced by the impacting particle aggregates in practical systems. Room temperature studies have shown that the degradation mechanism is a three-body abrasion process. This paper describes the characteristics of this test rig, reviews results at elevated temperatures and compares them to field experience. At higher temperatures, deposits of the bed material on tube surfaces can act as a protective layer. The deposition depended strongly on the type of bed material, the degree of tube surface oxidation and the tube and bed temperatures. With HCl present in the bed, wastage was increased due to enhanced oxidation …

Department of Transportation (DOT) 6M specification packages have been used extensively for transportation of radioactive materials since the 1960s. The objective of the Savannah River Site (SRS) design competition was to advance the development of a new performance-based and compliance-certifiable package as a candidate for replacement of the obsolescent DOT 6M/6L specification package.

As a result of collaboration between the Berkeley Seismographic Station, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Caltrans, instrument packages have been placed in bedrock in six boreholes and two surface sites along the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge. Since 1996 over 200 local earthquakes have been recorded. Prior to this study few seismic recording instruments existed in bed-rock in San Francisco Bay. We utilized the data to perform analysis of ground motion variability, wave passage, site response, and up-and down-hole wave propagation along the Bay Bridge. We also synthesized strong ground motion at nine locations along the Bay Bridge. Key to these studies is LLNL's effort to exploit the information available in weak ground motions (generally from earthquakes < M=4.0) to enhance predictions of seismic hazards. We found that Yerba Island has no apparent site response at the surface relative to a borehole site. The horizontal to vertical spectral ratio method best revealed no site response, while the complex signal spectral ratio method had the lowest variance for spectral ratios and best predicted surface recordings when the borehole recording was used as input. Both methods identified resonances at about the same frequencies. Regional attenuation results in a significant loss of high frequencies …

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A computer-assisted chemical modeling study of equilibria in flowing brine systems has been undertaken. Equilibria between liquid and volatile components of two-phase fluids have profound effects on such important phenomena as corrosion, scale formation, environmental quality, and the economics of energy extraction. The principal reactions considered are those involving volatiles naturally present in the fluid, including NH/sub 3/, H/sub 2/S and CO/sub 2/. A computer code is described which performs stepwise equilibrium computations at 1/sup 0/C intervals for a unit mass of fluid, between reservoir and reinjection temperatures. The data base used is the quality-temperature function for the brine, the chemical composition, and equilibrium constants for the solubility reactions of gases and dissociation of their aqueous species. Chemical changes that take place during cooling and expansion are illustrated by distribution diagrams. Although the computations were developed for application to the high-saline resource, they are not fluid or system-specific, and should be of general usefulness where a chemical composition and temperature history can be specified.

Simple Linux Utility for Resource Management (SLURM) is an open source, fault-tolerant, and highly scalable cluster management and job scheduling system for Linux clusters of thousands of nodes. Components include machine status, partition management, job management, scheduling, and stream copy modules. This paper presents an overview of the SLURM architecture and functionality.

In order to develop FeCrAl-based ODS alloy tubing with the coarse, high aspect ratio, appropriately oriented grain structures likely to deliver enhanced high temperature (11000C) hoop creep strength compared to conventionally formed ODS alloy tubing, flow forming techniques were explored in a European funded programme. The evolution of microstructure in PM2000 alloy tubing formed by warm flow forming techniques has been the subject of continuing investigation and more detailed study in the current work. The warm flow formed tubes investigated were produced by reverse flow forming using three, 1200 opposed rollers described around a tube preform supported on a driven mandrel. This produced a complex pattern of shape changing deformation, driven from the outer surface of the tube preforms. The grain size and shape together with the pattern of nucleation and growth of secondary recrystallization that developed through the thickness of the tube wall during the subsequent high temperature annealing (13800C) of these warm flow formed samples is described, as are the textures that formed. The unusual pattern and shape of secondary recrystallized grain structures that formed on the outer surfaces of the flow formed tubes closely follows the pattern and pitch of the flow forming rollers. The local texture, …

FERMCO supports DOE`s ongoing initiatives for the continuous improvement of site restoration through the development and application of innovative technologies. A major thrust of FERMCO`s efforts has been the enhancement of environmental data management technology for the site. The understanding of environmental data is the fundamental basis for determining the need for environmental restoration, developing and comparing remedial alternatives, and reaching a decision on how to clean up a site. Environmental data management at Fernald is being focused on two major objectives: to improve the efficiency of the data management process, and to provide a better understanding of the meaning of the data at the earliest possible time. Environmental data at Fernald is typically a soil or groundwater sample collected by one of the field geologists. These samples are then shipped to one or more laboratories for analysis. After the analyses are returned from the laboratories the data are reviewed and qualified for usability. The data are then used by environmental professionals for determining nature and extent of contamination. Additionally, hazardous waste materials whether generated during production or during cleanup, may be sampled to characterize the waste before shipment or treatment. The data management process, which uses four major software …