'The Hanford Site has been used to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors. A large inventory of radioactive and mixed waste, largely generated during Pu production, exists in 177 underground single- and double-shell tanks. These wastes are to be retrieved and separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions. The DOE is proceeding with an approach to privatize the treatment and immobilization of Handord''s LAW and HLW.'

We propose a fuser that projects different function estimators in different regions of the input space based on the lower envelope of the error curves of the individual estimators. This fuser is shown to be optimal among projective fusers and also to perform at least as well as the best individual estimator. By incorporating an optimal linear fuser as another estimator, this fuser performs at least as well as the optimal linear combination. We illustrate the fuser by combining neural networks trained using different parameters for the network and/or for learning algorithms.

A project to recover economic amounts of oil from a very mature oil field is being conducted by Laguna Petroleum Corporation of Midland, Texas, with partial funding from a U. S. Department of Energy grant to study shallow carbonate rock reservoirs. The objectives of the project are to use modern engineering methods to optimize oil field management and to use geological and geophysical data to recover untapped potential within the petroleum reservoirs. The integration of data and techniques from these disciplines has yielded results greater than those achievable without their cooperation. The cost of successfully accomplishing these goals is to be low enough for even small independent operators to afford. This article is a report describing accomplishments for the fiscal year 1997-1998.

The FRS process validation procedure is focused upon cleaning N-Reactor Spent Fuel of corrosion products using a statistical process control approach to cleaning parameters.

The major goals of Enhanced Design Alternative (EDA) V are to keep the temperature of the cladding on the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) within the waste package below 350 C (Section 4.2.3), the temperature of the emplacement drift walls below 225 C (Section 4.2.3), and to keep the emplacement drifts dry for several thousand years. In addition, the design would produce relatively consistent heat output from waste package to waste package and ensure that waste package thermal outputs are spread more evenly across the repository. The design would also provide defense in depth (Section 5.3). The goals of this design would be achieved by the combination of design features described below. This EDA would have an areal mass loading (AML) of 150 metric tons of uranium equivalent (MTU) per acre (Section 4.1.16) as opposed to the 85 MTU/acre in the Viability Assessment (VA) reference design. To achieve this loading and the elements necessary to the EDA's overall goals, the design would require approximately 420 acres of emplacement area, within the lower repository block (Appendix A, Section A.2). A conceptual layout was developed for EDA V (Section 5.4.3). The layout, as shown in Figure 2, contains openings that are sized and …

The chemical carryover of impurities and treatment chemicals from the boiler to the steam phase, and ultimately to the low-pressure turbine and condenser, can be quantified based on laboratory experiments preformed over ranges of temperature, pH, and composition. The two major assumptions are that thermodynamic equilibrium is maintained and no deposition, adsorption or decomposition occurs. The most recent results on acetic, formic and phosphoric acids are presented with consideration of the effects of hydrolysis and dimerization reactions. Complications arising from thermal decomposition of the organic acids are discussed. The partitioning constants for these acids and other solutes measured in this program have been incorporated into a simple thermodynamic computer code that calculates the effect of chemical and mechanical carryover on the composition of the condensate formed to varying extents in the water/steam cycle.

The purpose of this report is to document fault tree analyses which have been completed for the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) safety analysis. Logic models for equipment failures and human error combinations that could lead to flammable gas explosions in various process tanks, or failure of critical support systems were developed for internal initiating events and for earthquakes. These fault trees provide frequency estimates for support systems failures and accidents that could lead to radioactive and hazardous chemical releases both on-site and off-site. Top event frequency results from these fault trees will be used in further APET analyses to calculate accident risk associated with DWPF facility operations. This report lists and explains important underlying assumptions, provides references for failure data sources, and briefly describes the fault tree method used. Specific commitments from DWPF to provide new procedural/administrative controls or system design changes are listed in the ''Facility Commitments'' section. The purpose of the ''Assumptions'' section is to clarify the basis for fault tree modeling, and is not necessarily a list of items required to be protected by Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs).

'The Hanford Site has been used to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors. A large inventory of radioactive and mixed waste, largely generated during Pu production, exists in 177 underground single- and double-shell tanks. These wastes are to be retrieved and separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions. The DOE is proceeding with an approach to privatize the treatment and immobilization of Handord''s LAW and HLW.'

A method combining ({alpha},p) NRA and ellipsometry has been developed for measuring the Boron and Phosphorus content of borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) used for interlevel dielectrics in integrated circuits. Yields from the {sup 31}P({alpha},p{sub 0}){sup 34}S (Q = 0.63 MeV) and {sup 10}B({alpha},p{sub 0}) {sup 13}C (Q = 4.06 MeV) reactions are coupled with ellipsometry thickness measurements to calculate the average atomic percent of B and P in the film. Due to the relatively low Q value of the {sup 31}P({alpha},p{sub 0}){sup 34}S reaction and the thickness range of the glass films ({le} 1.2 micrometers) they analyze, fairly high energy alpha particles, and Mylar range foils on the detector are required. Alpha energy, detector angle and range foil thickness were determined by reaction yields and the need to separate the yield peaks of interest from competing ({alpha},p) reactions and backscattered alphas. They have determined that 6.0 MeV incident alphas with a detector angle of 135{degree} and about 100 micrometers of Mylar range foil are optimum for the system. The yield for the {sup 10}B({alpha},p{sub 0}) {sup 13}C reaction is quite constant in the energy range of interest ({approximately} 5.8 to 6 MeV) but the yield for the {sup 31}P({alpha},p{sub 0}){sup 34}S …

The Soudan 2 detector is used to search for evidence of nucleon decay. Particular emphasis is put on searches for modes with multiple-charged particles in the final state, and for modes suggested by super-symmetric theories.

Mixed-conducting (electronic and ionic conducting) dense ceramics are used in many applications, including fuel cells, gas separation membranes, batteries, sensors, and electrocatalysis. This paper describes mixed-conducting ceramic membranes that are being developed to selectively remove oxygen and hydrogen from gas streams in a nongalvanic mode of operation (i.e., with no electrodes or external power supply). Ceramic membranes made of Sr-Fe-Co oxide (SFC), which exhibits high combined electronic and oxygen ionic conductivities, can be used for high-purity oxygen separation and/or partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas (syngas, a mixture of CO and H{sub 2}). The electronic and ionic conductivities of SFC were found to be comparable in magnitude. Steady-state oxygen permeability of SFC has been measured as a function of oxygen-partial-pressure gradient and temperature. For an {approx}3-mm-thick membrane, the oxygen permeability was {approx}2.5 scc{center_dot}cm{sup {minus}2}{center_dot}min{sup {minus}1} at 900 C. Oxygen permeation increases as membrane thickness decreases. Tubular SFC membranes have been fabricated and operated at 900 C for {approx}1000 h in converting methane into syngas. The oxygen permeated through the membrane reacted with methane in the presence of a catalyst and produced syngas. We also studied the transport properties of yttria-doped BaCeO{sub 3{minus}{delta}} (BCY) by impedance spectroscopy and open-cell voltage …

The laser glass for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Main Amplifier system is pumped by a system of 192 pulsed power/flash lamp assemblies. Each of these 192 assemblies consists of a 1.6 MJ (nominal) capacitor bank working with a Pre-Ionization/Lamp Check (PILC) pulser to drive an array of 40 flash lamps. This paper describes the predicted performance of these Power Conditioning System (PCS) modules in concert with flashlamp assemblies in NIF. Each flashlamp assembly consists of 20 parallel sets of lamps in series pairs. The sensitivity of system performance to various design parameters of the PILC pulser and the main capacitor bank is described. Results of circuit models are compared to sub-scale flashlamp tests and to measurements taken in tests of a PCS module driving a flashlamp assembly in the First Article NIF Test Module facility at Sandia National Laboratories. Also included are predictions from a physics-based, semi-empirical amplifier gain code.

As we enter the high energy regime covered by RHIC and HERA, depolarization effects become strong, so that depolarization resonances begin to overlap. As a result, the ''good old days'' of the ZGS and AGS--when techniques for dealing with isolated resonances were sufficient--are now in the past, and a new generation of spin dynamics questions have to be addressed and new techniques have to be developed. Exciting results were presented at this workshop ranging from the recent rapid R&D advances on polarized H- sources to deeper understanding of the subtle spin dynamics involving Siberian snakes. This summary is an attempt to give some of the highlights.

This design feature (DF) is intended to evaluate the effects of continuous ventilation in the emplacement drifts during preclosure and how the effects, if any, compare to the Viability Assessment (VA) reference design for postclosure long term performance. This DF will be evaluated against a set of criteria provided by the License Application Design Selection (LADS) group. The VA reference design included a continuous ventilation airflow quantity of 0.1 m{sup 3}/s in the emplacement drifts in the design of the repository subsurface facilities. The effects of this continuous ventilation during the preclosure was considered to have a negligible effect on postclosure performance and therefore is not included during postclosure in the assessment of the long term performance. This DF discusses the effects of continuous ventilation on the emplacement drift environment and surrounding rock conditions during preclosure for three increased airflow quantities. The three cases of continuous ventilation systems are: System A, 1.0 m{sup 3}/s (Section 8), System B, 5.0 m{sup 3}/s (Section 9), and System C, 10.0 m{sup 3}/s (Section 10) in each emplacement drift split. An emplacement drift split is half total length of emplacement drift going from the east or west main to the exhaust main. The difference …

The objective of this study is to provide input to the Enhanced Design Alternatives (EDA) for License Application Design Selection (LADS). Its purpose is to develop and evaluate conceptual designs for post-closure ventilation alternatives that enhance repository performance. Post-closure ventilation is expected to enhance repository performance by limiting the amount of water contacting the waste packages. Limiting the amount of water contacting the waste packages will reduce corrosion.

Disclosed is a process for making a ceramic composition for the immobilization of actinides, particularly uranium and plutonium. The ceramic is a titanate material comprising pyrochlore, brannerite and rutile. The process comprises oxidizing the actinides, milling the oxides to a powder, blending them with ceramic precursors, cold pressing the blend and sintering the pressed material.

Disclosed is a ceramic composition for the immobilization of actinides, particularly uranium and plutonium. The ceramic is a titanate material comprising pyrochlore, brannerite and rutile.

Experiences developing data acquisition system for the BaBar CP violation experiment located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center are presented. The BaBar detector consists of multiple independent subdetectors joined with a data acquisition system consisting of a large number of embedded PowerPC single board computers residing in VME crates. The data acquisition software is layered on the VxWorks real-time operating system. It is partitionable to allow subsystems (as well as test stands) to operate independently. Data is assimilated into events through a combination of shared memory and a high performance network. This system presents data to a UNIX farm via a high speed non-blocking ethernet switch at a rate of 2 KHz. Topics such as bootstrapping and loading 200 processors, NFS file access for these processors and software development and deployment are discussed.

The authors present an outlook for possible discovery of supersymmetry with broken R-parity at Run II of the Tevatron. They first present a review of the literature and an update of the experimental bounds. In turn they then discuss the following processes: (1) resonant slepton production followed by R{sub P} decay, (a) via LQD{sup c} and (b) via LLE{sup c}; (2) how to distinguish resonant slepton production from Z{prime} or W{prime} production; (3) resonant slepton production followed by the decay to neutralino LSP, which decays via LQD{sup c}; (4) resonant stop production followed by the decay to a chargino, which cascades to the neutralino LSP; (5) gluino pair production followed by the cascade decay to charm squarks which decay directly via L{sub 1}Q{sub 2}D{sub 1}{sup c}; (6) squark pair production followed by the cascade decay to the neutralino LSP which decays via L{sub 1}Q{sub 2}D{sub 1}{sup c}; (7) MSSM pair production followed by the cascade decay to the LSP which decays (a) via LLE{sup c}, (b) via LQD{sup c}, and (c) via U{sup c}D{sup c}D{sup c}, respectively; and (8) top quark and top squark decays in spontaneous R{sub P}.

The value and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric neutrino flavor ratio is interpreted as evidence for neutrino oscillations. The latest values from the Soudan 2 detector are presented. From 4.2 kt-years fiducial exposure, Soudan 2 measures R = 0.66 {+-} 0.11(stat) + 0.05--0.06(syst). Using a subset of the data with the best angular resolution, they plot the L/E distribution and use this to find the allowed region in oscillation parameter space. Their fit suggests that delta m-squared is greater than 10{sup {minus}3} eV{sup 2} at 90% CL.

A shadow of the moon, with a statistical significance of 5{sigma}, has been observed in the underground muon flux at a depth of 2090 mwe using the Soudan 2 detector. The angular resolution of the detector is well described by a Gaussian with {sigma} {le}0.3{degree}. The position of the shadow confirms the alignment of the detector to better than 0.15{degree}. This alignment has remained stable during 10 years of data taking from 1989 through 1998.

Models for AGN neutrino production suggest a measurable muon flux in underground detectors in this paper we comment on neutrino point sources and discuss our methods for determining an upper limit on the intensity of horizontal, neutrino induced muons with energy above 1 TeV at the Soudan 2 detector. We set a limit of 1.8 x 10{sup {minus}13} (cm{sup 2} sr s){sup {minus}} for detecting 5 TeV {nu}-induced muons from AGN.

Portable photon imaging devices with a broad energy range of sensitivity, adequate angular resolution and high efficiency are useful in applications such as environmental remediation and industrial surveys. The vast majority of past systems built for these applications have relied on mechanical collimation although a few have used electronic collimation. To our knowledge, no devices have been built that exploit the benefits of both mechanical and electronic collimation in the same system. The combination of a mechanically-collimated camera with an electronically-collimated camera offers both the high efficiency and good angular resolution typical in a mechanically-collimated camera for lower energies and the uncoupling of spatial resolution and efficiency provided by an electronically-collimated camera at higher energies.