To measure progress toward multi-year Building America research goals, cost and performance trade-offs are evaluated through a series of controlled field and laboratory experiments supported by energy analysis techniques that use test data to''calibrate'' energy simulation models. This report summarizes the guidelines for reporting such analytical results using the Building America Research Benchmark (Version 3.1) in studies that also include consideration of current Regional and Builder Standard Practice. Version 3.1 of the Benchmark is generally consistent with the 1999 Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Reference Home, with additions that allow evaluation of all home energy uses.

This report documents the calculation of radionuclide content in the pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel samples planned for use in the Spent Fuel Ratio (SPR) Experiments at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico (SNL) to aid in experiment planning. The calculation methods using the ORIGEN2 and ORIGEN-ARP computer codes and the input modeling of the planned PWR spent fuel from the H. B. Robinson and the Surry nuclear power plants are discussed. The safety hazards for the calculated nuclide inventories in the spent fuel samples are characterized by the potential airborne dose and by the portion of the nuclear facility hazard category 2 and 3 thresholds that the experiment samples would present. In addition, the gamma ray photon energy source for the nuclide inventories is tabulated to facilitate subsequent calculation of the direct and shielded dose rates expected from the samples. The relative hazards of the high burnup 72 gigawatt-day per metric ton of uranium (GWd/MTU) spent fuel from H. B. Robinson and the medium burnup 36 GWd/MTU spent fuel from Surry are compared against a parametric calculation of various fuel burnups to assess the potential for higher hazard PWR fuel samples.

In this paper I will discuss how an intense beam of high energy neutrinos produced with conventional technology could be used to further our understanding of neutrino masses and mixings. I will describe the possibility of building such a beam at existing US laboratories. Such a project couples naturally to a large (> 100 kT) multipurpose detector in a new deep underground laboratory. I will discuss the requirements for such a detector. Since the number of sites for both an accelerator laboratory and a deep laboratory are limited, I will discuss how the choice of baseline affects the physics sensitivities, the practical issues of beam construction, and event rates.

The blackouts of summer 2003 underscored the dependence of western economies on reliable supply of electricity with tight tolerances of quality. While demand for electricity continues to grow, expansion of the traditional electricity supply system is constrained and is unlikely to keep pace with the growing thirst western economies have for electricity. Furthermore, no compelling case has been made that perpetual improvement in the overall power quality and reliability (PQR) delivered is possible or desirable. An alternative path to providing for sensitive loads is to provide for generation close to them. This would alleviate the pressure for endless improvement in grid PQR and might allow the establishment of a sounder economically based level of universal grid service. Providing for loads by means of local power generation is becoming increasingly competitive with central station generation for a number of reasons, four key ones being non-technical constraints on expansion of the grid, improvements in small scale technologies, opportunities for CHP application, and the ubiquitous nature of sensitive loads in advanced economies. Along with these new technologies, concepts for operating them partially under local control in microgrids are emerging, the CERTS Microgrid being one example. It has been demonstrated in simulation, and a …

Treatment of underground tanks at Hanford with concentrated alkali to improve removal of wastelimiting components of sludges has proven less efficacious for Al and Cr removal than had been hoped. Hence, more aggressive treatments of sludges, including contact with oxidants targeting Cr(III), have been tested in a limited number of samples and found to enhance Cr removal. Unfortunately, treatments of sludge samples with oxidative alkaline leachates produce conditions under which normally insoluble actinide ions (e.g., Am3+, Pu4+, Np4+) can no longer be reliably assumed to remain in the sludge phase. Few experimental or meaningful theoretical studies of actinide chemistry in strongly alkaline, strongly oxidizing solutions have been completed. Extrapolation of acid phase thermodynamic data to these radically different conditions provides little reliable guidance for predicting actinide speciation in highly salted alkaline solutions. In this project, we are investigating the fundamental chemistry of actinides in sludge simulants and supernatants under representative oxidative leaching conditions. We are also examining the potential impact of acidic leaching with concurrent secondary separations to enhance Al removal. Our objective is to provide adequate insight into actinide behavior under these conditions to enable prudent decision making as tank waste treatment protocols develop. We expect to identify those …

Biogeochemical and hydrological processes are naturally coupled and variable over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Additionally, many remediation approaches also induce dynamic transformations in natural systems. Because it is difficult to predict these transformations, our ability to develop effective and sustainable remediation conditions at contaminated sites is often limited. For example, substrate delivery to enhance remediation via biostimulation may initially prove effective, but the conditions necessary for preservation of the sequestered phases may be difficult to sustain. Further complicating the problem is the inability to collect the necessary measurements at a high enough spatial resolution yet over a large enough volume for understanding fieldscale transformations. Our research focuses on investigating the capability to characterize and monitor coupled processes at appropriate resolutions and spatial scales using geophysical data. In particular, we are investigating the influence of evolved gases, precipitates, and biofilms on geophysical signatures. An ability to use geophysical methods to detect system transformations would be very useful for illuminating the conditions of perturbed systems during remediation in a rapid, high-resolution, and in-situ manner. Thus, if successful, such methods might be useful to guide remediation efforts. The resulting measurements will additionally provide the database necessary for investigating coupled …

Airflow models of buildings require dozens to hundreds of parameter values, depending on the complexity of the building and the level of fidelity desired for the model. Values for many of the parameters are usually subject to very large uncertainties (possibly an order of magnitude). Experiments can be used to calibrate or ''tune'' the model: input parameters can be adjusted until predicted quantities match observations. However, experimental time and equipment are always limited and some parameters are hard to measure, so it is generally impractical to perform an exhaustive set of measurements. Consequently, large uncertainties in some parameters typically remain even after tuning the model. We propose a method to help determine which measurements will maximally reduce the uncertainties in those input parameters that have the greatest influence on behavior of interest to researchers. Implications for experimental design are discussed.

Large volumes of high-level waste (HLW) currently stored in tanks at DOE sites contain both sludges and supernatants. The sludges are composed of insoluble precipitates of actinides, radioactive fission products, and nonradioactive components. The supernatants are alkaline carbonate solutions, which can contain soluble actinides, fission products, metal ions, and high concentrations of major electrolytes including sodium hydroxide, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, carbonate, aluminate, sulfate, and organic complexants. The organic complexants include several compounds that can form strong aqueous complexes with actinide species and fission products including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), iminodiacetic acid (IDA), citrate, glycolate, gluconate, and degradation products, formate and oxalate. The goal of this project is to determine the effects of hydrolysis, carbonate complexation, and metal ion displacement on trivalent and selected tetravalent actinide speciation in the presence of organic chelates present in tank waste and to use these data to develop accurate predictive thermodynamic models for use in chemical engineering applications at Hanford and other DOE sites.

In-vessel retention (IVR) is a key severe accident management (SAM) strategy that has been adopted by some operating nuclear power plants and advanced light water reactors (ALWRs). One viable means for IVR is the method of external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) by flooding of the reactor cavity during a severe accident. As part of a joint Korean – United States International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (K-INERI), an experimental study has been conducted to investigate the viability of using an appropriate vessel coating to enhance the critical heat flux (CHF) limits during ERVC. Toward this end, transient quenching and steady-state boiling experiments were performed in the SBLB (Subscale Boundary Layer Boiling) facility at Penn State using test vessels with micro-porous aluminum coatings. Local boiling curves and CHF limits were obtained in these experiments. When compared to the corresponding data without coatings, substantial enhancement in the local CHF limits for the case with surface coatings was observed. Results of the steady state boiling experiments showed that micro-porous aluminum coatings were very durable. Even after many cycles of steady state boiling, the vessel coatings remained rather intact, with no apparent changes in color or structure. Moreover, the heat transfer performance of the coatings …

A Clean Cities publication regarding the Clean Cities Coordinator Award winners announced at the 2004 Clean Cities Conference.

A Clean Cities publication regarding the National Partner Award winners announced at the 2004 Clean Cities Conference.

Corrective Action Unit 210, Storage Areas and Contaminated Material, is identified in the Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order. This Corrective Action Unit consists of four Corrective Action Sites located in Areas 10, 12, and 15 of the Nevada Test Site. This report documents that the closure activities conducted meet the approved closure standards.

Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 396, Area 20 Spill Sites, is located on the Nevada Test Site approximately 105 kilometers (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. CAU 396 is listed in Appendix II of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996 and consists of the following four Corrective Action Sites (CASs) located in Area 20 of the Nevada Test Site: CAS 20-25-01, Oil Spills (2); CAS 20-25-02, Oil Spills; CAS 20-25-03, Oil Spill; CAS 20-99-08, Spill. Closure activities for CAU 396 were conducted in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection-approved Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan for CAU 396.

India and Pakistan have created sizeable ballistic missile forces and are continuing to develop and enlarge them. These forces can be both stabilizing (e.g., providing a survivable force for deterrence) and destabilizing (e.g., creating strategic asymmetries). Missile forces will be a factor in bilateral relations for the foreseeable future, so restraint is necessary to curtail their destabilizing effects. Such restraint, however, must develop within an atmosphere of low trust. This report presents a set of political and operational options, both unilateral and bilateral, that decreases tensions, helps rebuild the bilateral relationship, and prepares the ground for future steps in structural arms control. Significant steps, which build on precedents and do not require extensive cooperation, are possible despite strained relations. The approach is made up of three distinct phases: (1) tension reduction measures, (2) confidence building measures, and (3) arms control agreements. The goal of the first phase is to initiate unilateral steps that are substantive and decrease tensions, establish missiles as a security topic for bilateral discussion, and set precedents for limited bilateral cooperation. The second phase would build confidence by expanding current bilateral security agreements, formalizing bilateral understandings, and beginning discussion of monitoring procedures. The third phase could include …

In complex simulation systems where humans interact with computer-generated agents, information display and the interplay of virtual agents have become dominant media and modalities of interface design. This design strategy is reflected in augmented reality (AR), an environment where humans interact with computer-generated agents in real-time. AR systems can generate large amount of information, multiple solutions in less time, and perform far better in time-constrained problem solving. The capabilities of AR have been leveraged to augment cognition in human information processing. In this sort of augmented cognition (AC) work system, while technology has become the main source for information acquisition from the environment, the human sensory and memory capacities have failed to cope with the magnitude and scale of information they encounter. This situation generates opportunity for excessive cognitive workloads, a major factor in degraded human performance. From the human effectiveness point of view, research is needed to develop, model, and validate simulation tools that can measure the effectiveness of an AR technology used to support the amplification of human cognition. These tools will allow us to predict human performance for tasks executed under an AC tool construct. This paper presents an exploration of ergonomics issues relevant to AR and …

In recent years, numerous laboratory and field experiments have been conducted to assess and parameterize colloid and colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport for the Yucca Mountain Project and the Nevada Test Site (NTS) Environmental Restoration Project. Radionuclide contamination of ground water currently exists within or near underground nuclear test cavities at the NTS, and the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository represents a potential future source of radionuclide contamination of ground water at the NTS. Furthermore, recent field observations have indicated that small amounts of Plutonium, which normally adsorbs very strongly to mineral surfaces in aquifers, can transport quite rapidly and over significant distances in ground water when associated with inorganic colloids (Kersting et al., 1999). Groundwater samples from all over the Nevada Test Site have been analyzed for colloid concentrations and size distributions, and it is clear that there are significant mass loadings of colloids in the ground water at some locations. These colloids represent mobile surface area for potentially transporting strongly-adsorbed radionuclides. Field transport experiments have involved the use of fluorescent-dyed carboxylate-modified latex (CML) microspheres in the 250- to 650-nm diameter size range as surrogates for natural colloids in forced-gradient tracer tests. These experiments have indicated that effective colloid …

Natural groundwater colloids have been recognized as possible agents for enhancing the subsurface transport of strongly-sorbing radionuclides. To evaluate this mechanism, packed-bed column experiments were conducted comparing the simultaneous transport of dissolved plutonium (Pu), Pu sorbed onto natural colloids, 190-nm and 500-nm diameter fluorescent CML microspheres, and tritiated water in saturated alluvium. Experiments were conducted in two columns having slightly different porosities at two flow rates, resulting in average linear velocities (v{sub z}) of 0.6 to 3.65 cm/hr in one column and 0.57 to 2.85 cm/hr in the other. In all experiments, Pu associated with natural colloids transported through alluvium essentially unretarded, while dissolved Pu was entirely retained. These results were consistent with the strong sorption of Pu to alluvium and the negligible desorption from natural colloids, observed in separate batch experiments, over time scales exceeding those of the column experiments. Breakthroughs of natural colloids preceded tritiated water in all experiments, indicating a slightly smaller effective pore volume for the colloids. The enhancement of colloids transport over tritiated water decreased with v{sub z}, implying {approx} 40% enhancement at v{sub z} = 0. The 500-nm CML microspheres were significantly attenuated in the column experiments compared to the 190-nm microspheres, which exhibited …

This fundamental research on combined cesium, strontium, and actinide separation from alkaline media by solvent extraction addresses the EM need for more efficient processes for the combined separation of these elements. The goal of this research is to obtain fundamental information for the development of more efficient processes for the combined separation of cesium, strontium, and transuranic elements from high level waste within the U.S. Department of Energy's (U.S. DOE) complex. These improved processes are targeted primarily for treating the wastes present at the U.S. DOE's Hanford and Savannah River sites. Combined separation of the radionuclides from these wastes would permit disposal of the treated waste as low-level waste, significantly reducing the volume of high level waste. Solvent extraction using the calixarene-based CSSX process has been shown to be a very effective separation method for cesium removal from High Level Waste (HLW) present at the U.S. DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS).

In this issue of the journal, Preziosi et al. [2004] report the first study to assess differences in the utilization of health care related to the presence of air-conditioning in office workplaces. Although the study was simple and cross-sectional, the data variables from questionnaires, and the findings subject to a variety of questions, the findings are striking enough to deserve clarification. The study used a large random national sample of French women assembled for another purpose (to study antioxidant nutrients and prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease). Participants reported health services and health events in monthly questionnaires over 1 year, and in one questionnaire in the middle of that period also reported whether air-conditioning was in use at their workplace. Fifteen percent of participants reported air-conditioning at work. Analyses adjusting for age and smoking status of participants found increases in most outcomes assessed: use of specific kinds of physicians, sickness absence, and hospital stays. While the increases in odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were statistically significant for only otorhinolaryngology [OR (95% CI) = 2.33 (1.35-4.04)] and sickness absence [1.70 (1.13-2.58)], other increases were notable--dermatology [1.6 (0.98-2.65)]; hospital stay [1.51 (0.92-2.45)], and pneumonology [2.10 (0.65-6.82)]. The least elevated …

During the last year, the VENUS ECR ion source was commissioned at 18 GHz and preparations for 28 GHz operation are now underway. During the commissioning phase with 18 GHz, tests with various gases and metals have been performed with up to 2000 W RF power. The ion source performance is very promising [1,2]. VENUS (Versatile ECR ion source for Nuclear Science) is a next generation superconducting ECR ion source, designed to produce high current, high charge state ions for the 88-Inch Cyclotron at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. VENUS also serves as the prototype ion source for the RIA (Rare Isotope Accelerator) front end. The goal of the VENUS ECR ion source project as the RIA R&D injector is the production of 240e{micro}A of U{sup 30+}, a high current medium charge state beam. On the other hand, as an injector ion source for the 88-Inch Cyclotron the design objective is the production of 5e{micro}A of U{sup 48+}, a low current, very high charge state beam. To meet these ambitious goals, VENUS has been designed for optimum operation at 28 GHz. This frequency choice has several design consequences. To achieve the required magnetic confinement, superconducting magnets have to be used. …

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Approach. Previously, using conventional and cryoTEM techniques, surface physicochemistry assays, NMR structural analysis, etc., we showed that the structure and composition of Shewanella's lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capsular polysaccharide (PS) significantly determined overall cell surface physicochemistry. In our study a strong correlation between such macroscopic parameters as surface electronegativity, hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, and bacterial adhesion to hematite was observed. Rough LPS strains exhibited more than an order higher affinity and maximal sorption capacity to hematite when compared to encapsulated strains. These general trends, however, characterize bacterial adhesion only as a bulk process, being unable to reveal finer mechanisms taking place at the level of an individual cell. Cell surface physicochemical and structural heterogeneity suggests much more complex interactions at the bacterial-mineral interface than predicted by such approaches operating within macroscopic parameters.

NO3 cancrinite and NO3 sodalite haves been found as a common sodium alumino-silicate forming in strongly caustic and alkaline aqueous solutions associated with radioactive High Level Waste (HLW) stored in many underground tanks and also in nuclear waste treatment facilities such as the Savannah River Site (SRS). The appearance of these phases have created very expensive problems in waste treatment plants by fouling process evaporators in the SRS waste processing facility. Therefore, in order to prevent their formation an assessment of the relative stability, formation kinetics, and the ion-exchange characteristics of these two phases in HLW solutions needs to be investigated. The goals of this project are to: (1) Develop a robust equilibrium thermodynamic framework to accurately describe the formation of NO3 cancrinite and NO3 sodalite. (2) Provide quantification and characterization of the solid precipitation rates through long-term batch kinetic experiments and novel analytical techniques. (3) Investigate the partitioning and ion exchange properties of these zeolitic phases with respect to radionuclides and RCRA metal species. This also includes compositional and structural characterization of ion exchanged solids elucidate the exchange properties of these phases.

This document is the final report for the Compressed Air Energy Storage Monitoring to Support Refrigerated-Mined Rock Cavern Technology (CAES Monitoring to Support RMRCT) (DE-FC26-01NT40868) project to have been conducted by CAES Development Co., along with Sandia National Laboratories. This document provides a final report covering tasks 1.0 and subtasks 2.1, 2.2, and 2.5 of task 2.0 of the Statement of Project Objectives and constitutes the final project deliverable. The proposed work was to have provided physical measurements and analyses of large-scale rock mass response to pressure cycling. The goal was to develop proof-of-concept data for a previously developed and DOE sponsored technology (RMRCT or Refrigerated-Mined Rock Cavern Technology). In the RMRCT concept, a room and pillar mine developed in rock serves as a pressure vessel. That vessel will need to contain pressure of about 1370 psi (and cycle down to 300 psi). The measurements gathered in this study would have provided a means to determine directly rock mass response during cyclic loading on the same scale, under similar pressure conditions. The CAES project has been delayed due to national economic unrest in the energy sector.