In this quarter we completed low consistency laboratory pulping trials. Pulping results were analyzed in terms of defibering index or yield and the concentration of free wax. The objective of these trials is to identify pulping conditions that will give higher yield and higher concentration of free wax. The yields from low consistency pulping trials ranged from 90 to 99% based on 6-cut laboratory screen rejects. In general, high temperatures (140-150{degrees}F) and high pH (9.5-10) conditions resulted in higher yield and the generation of free wax. Factors such as rotor speed and the gap (between the rotor and grate) were not significant in affecting defibering. Generally, the turbidities of filtrates from wax-contaminated pulps increased with increase in temperature and/or pH. The filtrate turbidity indicated the relative concentration of finely dispersed wax that could be removed from pulp dewatered on a 30 {micro}m filter paper. Preliminary experiments were conducted to study flotation conditions necessary for effective removal of wax from pulp. Factors which are important for effective flotation include flotation time, volume of air, surfactant concentration and type, and low temperature. Future plans include additional flotation trials to better optimize conditions. Other contaminant types include pressure sensitive adhesives and hot melts …

The Plutonium Immobilization Facility will immobilize plutonium in ceramic pucks and seal the pucks inside welded cans. Remote equipment will place these cans in magazines and the magazines in a Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) canister. The DWPF will fill the canister with glass for permanent storage. This report summarizes FY98 Can Loading work completed for the Plutonium Immobilization Project and it includes summaries of reports on Can Size, Equipment Review, Preliminary Concepts, Conceptual Design, and Preliminary Specification. Plant trip reports for the Greenville Automation and Manufacturing Exposition, Rocky Flats BNFL Pu repackaging glovebox line, and vendor trips are also included.

This report discusses the Plutonium Immobilization can loading preliminary equipment specifications and includes a process block diagram, process description, equipment list, preliminary equipment specifications, plan and elevation sketches, and some commercial catalogs. This report identifies loading pucks into cans and backfilling cans with helium as the top priority can loading development areas.

The 9968 package is designed for surface shipment of fissile and other radioactive materials where a high degree of double containment is required. The use of the 9968 radioactive material package for a one time shipment of a 32 watt heat source versus the SARP approved maximum 30 watt heat source is addressed in this report. The analyses show that the small increase in heat load from 30 watts to 32 watts does not substantially increase internal temperatures or pressures that would approach limits for the package. Also, the weight of the content is within the current 9968 package limits. It is concluded that the 32-watt heat source can be safely shipped in the 9968 package and therefore a waiver to ship the source is justified.

When microwave absorbers are put in a waveguide, a layer of resistive coating can change the distribution of the E-M fields and affect the attenuation of the signal within the microwave absorbers. In order to study such effect, microwave absorbers (TT2-111) were coated with titanium thin film. This report is a document on the coating process and measurement results. The measurement results have been used to check the simulation results from commercial software HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator.)

No abstract is available for this document at this time.

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effect of near-field rock treatment by injection of reactive material (calcite) above the drift for the purpose of decreasing postclosure drift seepage. The method used for the calculation was a coupled reaction-transport numerical model for gas-water-rock interaction. This includes the mass conservation of heat, liquid and gas for thermohydrological calculations, of aqueous and gaseous species for advective and diffusive transport, and the kinetics of mineral-water reactions.

The PEP-II High Energy Ring (HER), a 9 GeV electron storage ring, has been in commissioning since spring 1997. Initial beam commissioning activities focused on systems checkout and commissioning and on determining the behavior of the machine systems at high beam currents. This phase culminated with the accumulation of 0.75 A of stored beam-sufficient to achieve design luminosity--in January 1998 after 3.5 months of beam time. Collisions with the 3 GeV positron beam of the Low Energy Ring (LER) were achieved in Summer of 1998. At high beam currents, collective instabilities have been seen. Since then, commissioning activities for the HER have shifted in focus towards characterization of the machine and a rigorous program to understand the machine and the beam dynamics is presently underway.

In support of data quality objectives for the INEEL Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant (SWEPP) a series of 208-liter (55-gallon) waste drums containing inorganic sludge have been sampled and destructively analyzed. The drums were non-destructively assayed by the SWEPP PAN system and the SWEPP Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (SGRS) prior to sampling. This paper reports some of the conclusions from the destructive versus NDA comparisons, and additionally presents the results of an on-going effort to use the destructive analyses to validate absolute efficiency curves calculated using Monte-Carlo and analytical modeling for the SGRS. Destructive analysis results are available from radiochemical assay of 128 sludge-containing drums. The content codes represented are CC001 (42 items), CC002 (8), CC007 (48), CC800 (16), CC803 (3), and CC807 (11.) Each drum had two full-length vertical cores removed from designated radial positions. The entire length of each core was composited and submitted for analysis. All of the core composites were analyzed radiochemically for Am-241, Pu-239/240, and Pu-238, and by inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (ICPMS) for U-235 and U-238. Not only have the destructive analysis results been useful in documenting the performance of both the SGRS and the PAN system, but also have allowed the determination of certain absolute counting …

Regulatory agencies governing the disposal of nuclear waste require that the waste be appropriately characterized prior to disposition. The most important aspect of the characterization process, establishing radionuclide content, is often achieved by nondestructive assay (NDA). For NDA systems to be approved for use in these applications, measurement uncertainty must be established. Standard “propagation of errors” methods provide a good starting point for considering the uncertainty analysis of NDA systems for nuclear waste. However, as compared with other applications (e.g., nuclear material accountability), using NDA systems for nuclear waste measurements presents some unique challenges. These challenges, stemming primarily from the diverse nature of the waste materials encountered, carry over into the uncertainty analysis as well. This paper reviews performance measures appropriate for the assessment of NDA uncertainty, describes characteristics of nuclear waste measurements that contribute to difficulties in assessing uncertainty, and outlines some statistics based methods for incorporating variability in waste characteristics in an uncertainty analysis.

New experiments using an array of high purity germanium detectors and fast liquid scintillation detectors has been performed to observe the radiation emitted from the induced fission of 235U with a beam of thermal neutrons. The experiment was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory Intense Pulsed Neutron Source. Preliminary observations of the data are presented. A nondestructive analysis system for the characterization of DOE spent nuclear fuel based on these new data is presented.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing a proposal to construct, operate 2nd monitor, and eventually close a repository at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nevada, for the geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). As part of this effort, DOE has prepared a viability assessment and an assessment of potential consequences that may exist if the repository is not constructed. The assessment of potential consequences if the repository is not constructed assumes that all SNF and HLW would be left at the generator sites. These include 72 commercial generator sites (three commercial facility pairs--Salem and Hope Creek, Fitzpatrick and Nine Mile Point, and Dresden and Morris--would share common storage due to their close proximity to each other) and five DOE sites across the country. DOE analyzed the environmental consequences of the effects of the continued storage of these materials at these sites in a report titled Continued Storage Analysis Report (CSAR; Reference 1 ) . The CSAR analysis includes a discussion of the degradation of these materials when exposed to the environment. This document describes the environmental parameters that influence the degradation analyzed in the CSAR. These include temperature, relative humidity, precipitation chemistry …

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Presently, the US EPA is constructing a new complex at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to consolidate its research operations in the Raleigh-Durham area. The National Computer Center (NCC) is currently in the design process and is planned for construction as partof this complex. Implementation of the new technologies can be planned as part of the normal construction process, and full credit for elimination of the conventional technologies can be taken. Several renewable technologies are specified in the current plans for the buildings. The objective of this study is to identify measures that are likely to be both technically and economically feasible.

Two groups of heavy-ion beam pulses are to be transported from an induction linear accelerator to a target in an inertial fusion power plant. A group of 20 prepulses arrives first, emerging at lower energy upstream from the linac exit; the second group, of forty main pulses, have full energy. For definiteness they use numerical values for these beams developed by Wayne Meier; both beams consist of singly charged ions with mass number 200, having prepulse and main pulse energies of 3 GeV and 4 Gev, respectively.

Most accelerator magnets for applications in the field range up to 9 T utilize NbTi superconductor and a cosine theta coil design. For fields above 9 T, it is necessary to use Nb{sub 3}Sn or other strain sensitive materials, and other coil geometries that are more compatible with these materials must be considered. This paper describes their recent efforts to design a series of racetrack coil magnets that will provide experimental verification of this alternative magnet design for a dual aperture dipole magnet with the goal of reaching a field level of 15 T, will be described. The experimental program, which consists of a series of steps leading to a high field accelerator quality magnet, will be presented. Fabrication of a racetrack dipole magnet utilizing Nb{sub 3}Sn superconductor and a wind and react approach will be presented.

The built-in electric field in polycrystalline CuInSe{sub 2} (CIS) near gold co-planar contacts was quantitatively revealed for the first time by the photomixing technique. A He-Ne laser beam was focused locally on the CIS sample near one of its contact. While both dc dark and photo-currents showed ohmic behavior, the high frequency ac current was non-zero for zero applied dc bias, which reveals a built-in electric field of {approx}1000V/cm. The capability of the photomixing technique to probe local charge transport properties is expected to be very useful for, e.g., the quantitative evaluation of the quality of ohmic contacts and the investigation of electric field induced p-n junction formation in CIS and related materials.

Regulatory agencies governing the disposal of nuclear waste require that the waste be appropriately characterized prior to disposition. The most important aspect of the characterization process, establishing radionuclide content, is often achieved by nondestructive assay (NDA). For NDA systems to be approved for use in these applications, measurement uncertainty must be established. Standard �propagation of errors� methods provide a good starting point for considering the uncertainty analysis of NDA systems for nuclear waste. However, as compared with other applications (e.g., nuclear material accountability), using NDA systems for nuclear waste measurements presents some unique challenges. These challenges, stemming primarily from the diverse nature of the waste materials encountered, carry over into the uncertainty analysis as well. This paper reviews performance measures appropriate for the assessment of NDA uncertainty, describes characteristics of nuclear waste measurements that contribute to difficulties in assessing uncertainty, and outlines some statistics based methods for incorporating variability in waste characteristics in an uncertainty analysis.

An adaptive, variable block-size readout technique for use with multiple, sixteen-channel CAMAC ADCs with a FERA-bus readout has been developed and designed. It can be used to read data from experiments with or without coincidence, i.e. singles, without having to change the readout protocol. Details of the implementation are discussed and initial results are presented. Further applications of the adaptive readout are also discussed.

The area in which intermediate phase protective actions (such as food interdiction and relocation) may be needed following postulated accidents at three Savannah River Site nonreactor nuclear facilities will be determined by modeling. The criteria used to select dispersion/deposition models are presented. Several models are considered, including ARAC, MACCS, HOTSPOT, WINDS (coupled with PUFF-PLUME), and UFOTRI. Although ARAC and WINDS are expected to provide more accurate modeling of atmospheric transport following an actual release, analyses consistent with regulatory guidance for planning purposes may be accomplished with comparatively simple dispersion models such as HOTSPOT and UFOTRI. A recommendation is made to use HOTSPOT for non-tritium facilities and UFOTRI for tritium facilities. The most recent Food and Drug Administration Derived Intervention Levels (August 1998) are adopted as evaluation guidelines for ingestion pathways.

MEMS microfluidic systems are becoming increasingly popular as a way to integrate sample preparation and biological assays on a single substrate. The resulting reduction in manual operations and reduced reagent use can lead to significant cost savings in performing biological tests. The authors have explored the use of small scale dielectrophoresis and electrophoresis as a way to manipulate DNA for sample preparation in DNA-based assays. The use of electric fields to manipulate DNA is readily achieved in MEMS devices using standard photolithography techniques to add electrodes to etched flow channels. Dielectrophoresis allows for manipulation of cells and DNA independently of the liquid. This ability is useful in small, valveless fluidic microchips. An advantage of the use of the dielectrophoretic force over an electrophoretic force is that dielectrophoresis works equally well using an AC field, thus reducing trapping of small ions and mitigating electrochemical effects at the electrodes. However, the dielectrophoretic force on the DNA is a function of the volume of the particle; thus, there is a lower practical limit to use of the dielectrophoretic force. Consequently they have also explored methods of manipulating smaller DNA fragments using what they refer to as a stepped electrophoresis method.

The nature of the interface between CuInSe{sub 2} (CIS) and the chemical bath deposited CdS layer has been investigated. We show that heat-treating the absorbers in Cd- or Zn-containing solutions in the presence of ammonium hydroxide sets up a chemical reaction which facilitates an extraction of Cu from the lattice and an in-diffusion of Cd. The characteristics of devices made in this manner suggest that the reaction generates a thin, n-doped region in the absorber. It is quite possible that the CdS/CuInSe{sub 2} device is a buried, shallow junction with a CdS window layer, rather than a heterojunction. We have used these ideas to develop methods for fabricating devices without CdS or Cd. A 14.2% efficiency ZnO/CIGS device was obtained through aqueous treatment in Zn solutions.

This study collected and analyzed data on urban wood waste resources in 30 randomly selected metropolitan areas in the United States. Three major categories wood wastes disposed with, or recovered from, the municipal solid waste stream; industrial wood wastes such as wood scraps and sawdust from pallet recycling, woodworking shops, and lumberyards; and wood in construction/demolition and land clearing debris.

Using defect thermodynamics, we discuss physical factors that affect doping limits in semiconductors. The dependencies of the defect formation enthalpy on the atomic chemical potentials and on the electron Fermi energy are demonstrated. These dependencies, in particular on the Fermi energy, lead to spontaneous formation of charge-compensating defects that can limit doping. Experimental data compiled for III-V, II-VI, and I-III-VI2 compounds support this view and further provide insight into the connections among different host materials. We argue that what matters is not the magnitude of the band gap that determines the dopability of a material, but rather, the relative position of the conduction-band minimum (in the case of n-doping) and the valence-band maximum (in the case of p-doping) with respect to vacuum.