The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and it's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are developing technology to make wood adhesives from sawdust, bark, or other biomass (plant materials or wastes derived from them).

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In announcing the extension of the moratorium on nuclear testing, President Clinton reaffirmed the importance of maintaining confidence in the enduring U.S. nuclear stockpile: ''To assure that our nuclear deterrent remains unquestioned under a test ban, we will explore other means of maintaining our confidence in the safety, reliability, and performance of our weapons.'' To this end, the Department of Energy's nuclear weapon program is undergoing fundamental change--from advancing military characteristics to maintaining the reliability and safety of the existing stockpile. Consequently, a new strategy was needed to meet these new mission requirements. This report summarizes the new strategy. The fundamental premise of the new strategy lies in the ability to respond to problems in monitoring and maintaining the existing stockpile by preserving specialized facilities, maintaining the skill and knowledge bases, and advancing our understanding of nuclear weapon physics necessary to manage the nuclear future in an era without nuclear testing. The foundation of this Science-based Stockpile Stewardship strategy was laid at a workshop attended by DOE officials, DoD customers, stakeholders from other government agencies, nuclear weapon experts, and members of the scientific community. The principles of the evolving strategy were regularly discussed during the formative stages with the primary …

Do you have waste disposal problems? Do you have land sitting idle because it is not quite good enough for food crops? Would you like to be in on a major new industry and help solve air pollution and global warming problems? The US. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) may have just the ticket-technology to convert cellulosic biomass such as agricultural residues and wastes to ethanol, a clean burning alternative transportation fuel.

An electronics package for a small, battery-operated, self-contained, neutron coincidence counter based on a portable shift-register (PSR) has been developed. The counter was developed for applications not adequately addressed by commercial packages, including in-plant measurements to demonstrate compliance with regulations (domestic and international), in-plant process control, and in-field measurements (environmental monitoring or safeguards). Our package's features, which address these applications, include the following: Small size for portability and ease of installation;battery or mains operation; a built-in battery to power the unit and a typical detector such as a small sample counter, for over 6 h if power lines are bad or noisy, if there is a temporary absence of power, or if portability is desired; complete support, including bias, for standard neutron detectors; a powerful communications package to easily facilitate robust external control over a serial port; and a C-library to simplify creating external control programs in computers or other controllers. Whereas the PSR specifically addresses the applications mentioned above, it also performs all the measurements made by previous electronics packages for neutron coincidence counters developed at Los Alamos and commercialized. The PSR electronics package, exclusive of carrying handle, is 8 by 10 by 20 cm; it contains the circuit …

Characterization of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) sealed in canisters at KW-Basin is needed to determine the state of storing SNF wet. Samples of the liquid and the gas in the closed canisters will be taken to gain characterization information. Sampling equipment has been designed to retrieve gas and liquid from the closed canisters in KW Basin. This plan is written to outline the test requirements for this developmental sampling equipment.

Los Alamos National Laboratory maintains one of the most complete NDT facilities worldwide. In addition to many fixed pieces of equipment, the Laboratory has a very wide range of NDT and dynamic test diagnostic equipment that can be taken to the job site. Most of the equipment described here was procured for a specific purpose to support a program consistent with the nuclear weapons mission of Los Alamos. However, through the years, the equipment has found use in many other applications both within and external to weapons research, development, and testing. Various combinations of these equipments form unique capabilities, as demonstrated by the applications. The portable equipment is mainly applied to problems where the process or object under study cannot be brought into an NDT laboratory.

The objectives of this project are to determine the long-term chemical reactivity and mechanical durability of a fluidized version of Phillips Petroleum Company`s proprietary Z-SORB sorbent for the desulfurization of coal-derived gases in a high-pressure (20 atm) fluidized-bed reactor under simulated U-Gas conditions and at a moderate operating temperature of 538 degrees C.

Catalytic gasification work has been completed and no other work is planned in the general area of catalytic gasification of coals and chars has operated without a post-doctoral fellow because of budget limitations during the first two quarters of FY1994. Dr. S. Sundararajan joined the group in April 1994 and will be assigned to the project throughout the remaining of the fiscal year. Results published by Hamakawa, et al. in The Journal of the Electrochemical Society have confirmed the concept of methane coupling via a membrane reactor. These findings confirm our previous conclusion that thinner membranes and increased surface activity for C-H bond activation at low temperatures are required in order to reach commercially attractive rates of reaction. The initial analysis of a theoretical model comparing the membrane and cyclic processes has been completed. The results indicate that perovskite membranes on the order of 50 microns will be needed for the membrane operation to be superior to a cyclic one. Two techniques, laser ablation and spin-coating/sol-gel chemistry are being tried to prepare the thin membranes described above. Studies of the magnetochemical properties of the calcium-nickel-potassium oxide powdered catalysts have been concluded and a manuscript describing the work has been completed. …

Over the last 20 years, a family of lowpass filters has been developed to eliminate electromechanical interference from power and signal lines in weapon systems. Since its inception, Sprague Electric in North Adams, Massachusetts, has produced this family of components on a line dedicated solely to these devices. Although at least seven other companies produce similar filters, suppliers are unwilling to build small quantities of components in a manner that is incompatible with their standard methods and equipment. The ability to fabricate products in small quantities on an occasional basis is an important factor in component development, and compatibility with commercially available devices enhances that ability. The Mil-F-28861/5 specifications, developed by the Defense Electronic Parts Supply Center, describe filters similar to those of the MC family. This report documents the evaluation of Mil-F-28861/5 filters acquired from the eight suppliers and serves as a basis for further development of specifications and suppliers.

This document describes a draft plan and schedule to consolidate spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and special nuclear material (SNW) from aging storage facilities throughout the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) in a safe, cost-effective, and expedient manner. A fully integrated and resource-loaded schedule was developed to achieve consolidation as soon as possible. All of the INEL SNF and SNM management task, projects, and related activities from fiscal year 1994 to the end of the consolidation period are logic-tied and integrated with each other. The schedule and plan are presented to initiate discussion of their implementation, which is expected to generate alternate concepts that can be evaluated using the methodology described in this report. Three perturbations to consolidating SNF as soon as possible are also explored. If the schedule is executed as proposed, the new and on-going consolidation activities will require about 6 years to complete and about $25.3M of additional funding. Reduced annual operating costs are expected to recover the additional investment in about 6.4 years. The total consolidation program as proposed will cost about $66.8M and require about 6 years to recover via reduced operating costs from retired SNF/SNM storage facilities. Detailed …

An assessment team from the Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH), US Department of Energy (DOE), conducted an independent assessment of the 242-A Evaporator at the Hanford Site during January 17--28, 1994. An EH team member remained on-site following the assessment to track corrective actions and resolve prestart findings. The primary objective of this assessment was independent assurance that the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM), the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL), and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) can safely restart the evaporator. Another objective of the EH team was to assess EM`s Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE) to determine if the programs, procedures, and management systems implemented for operation of the 241-A Evaporator ensure the protection of worker safety and health. The following section of this report provides background information on the 242-A Evaporator and Operational Readiness Review (ORR) activities conducted to date. The next chapter is divided into sections that address the results of discrete assessment activities. Each section includes a brief statement of conclusions for the functional area in question, descriptions of the review bases and methods, and a detailed discussion of the results. Concerns identified during the assessment are listed for the section to which they apply, …

J-integral fracture mechanics techniques and electron microscopy observations were used to investigate the effects of tritium and its radioactive decay product, {sup 3}He, on Types 316L, 304L and 21Cr-6Ni-9Mn stainless steels. Tritium-exposed-and-aged steels had lower fracture-toughness values and shallower sloped crack-growth-resistance curves than unexposed steels. Both fracture-toughness parameters decreased with increasing concentrations of {sup 3}He. The fracture-toughness reductions were accompanied by a change in fracture mode from microvoid-nucleation-and-growth processes in control samples to grain-and-twin-boundary fracture in tritium-charged-and-aged samples. Type 316L stainless steel had the highest fracture-toughness values and Type 21Cr-6Ni-9Mn had the lowest. Samples containing {sup 3}He but degassed of tritium had fracture toughness properties that were similar to uncharged samples. The results indicate that helium bubbles enhance the embrittlement effects of hydrogen by affecting the deformation properties and by increasing localized hydrogen concentrations through trapping effects.

The validation documented in this report is based on calculations that were executed during June through August 1992, and was completed in June 1993. The statistical analyses in Appendix C and Appendix D were completed in October 1993. This validation gives Portsmouth NCS personnel a basis for performing computerized KENO V.a calculations using the Martin Marietta Nuclear Criticality Safety Software. The first portion of the document outlines basic information in regard to validation of NCSS using ENDF/B-IV 27-group cross sections on the IBM 3090 at ORNL. A basic discussion of the NCSS system is provided, some discussion on the validation database and validation in general. Then follows a detailed description of the statistical analysis which was applied. The results of this validation indicate that the NCSS software may be used with confidence for criticality calculations at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. When the validation results are treated as a single group, there is 95% confidence that 99.9% of future calculations of similar critical systems will have a calculated K{sub eff} > 0.9616. Based on this result the Portsmouth Nuclear Criticality Safety Department has adopted the calculational acceptance criteria that a k{sub eff} + 2{sigma} {le} 0.95 is safety subcritical. The …

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This document summarizes the progress that has been made to date in implementing the plans and schedules for meeting the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) commitments for the Liquid Low-Level Waste (LLLW) System at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). These commitments were initially submitted in ES/ER-17&Dl, Federal Facility Agreement Plans and Schedules for Liquid Low-Level Radioactive Waste Tank Systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Information presented in this document provides a comprehensive summary to facilitate understanding of the FFA compliance program for LLLW tank systems and to present plans and schedules associated with remediation, through the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process, of LLLW tank systems that have been removed from service. ORNL has a comprehensive program underway to upgrade the LLLW system as necessary to meet the FFA requirements. The tank systems that are removed from service are being investigated and remediated through the CERCLA process. Waste and risk characterizations have been submitted. Additional data will be prepared and submitted to EPA/TDEC as tanks are taken out of service and as required by the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process. The plans and schedules for implementing the FFA compliance program that were submitted in ES/ER-17&Dl, …

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Temperatures, densities and confinement of deuterium plasmas confined in tokamaks have been achieved within the last decade that are approaching those required for a D-T reactor. As a result, the unique phenomena present in a D-T reactor plasma can now be studied in the laboratory. Recent experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) have been the first magnetic fusion experiments to study plasmas with reactor fuel concentrations of tritium. The injection of {approximately}20 MW of tritium and 14 MW of ceuterium neutral beams into the TFTR produced a plasma with a T/D density ratio of {approximately}1 and yielded a maximum fusion power of {approximately}9.2 MW. The fusion power density in the core of the plasma was {approximately}1.8 MW m{sup {minus}3} approximating that expected in a D-T fusion reactor. A TFTR plasma with T/D density ratio of {approximately}1 was found to have {approximately}20% higher energy confinement time than a comparable D plasma, indicating a confinement scaling with average ion mass, A, of {tau}{sub E} {approximately} A{sup 0.6}. The core ion temperature increased from 30 keV to 37 keV due to a 35% improvement of ion thermal conductivity. Using the electron thermal conductivity from a comparable deuterium plasma, about 50% of …

The Melter Performance Assessment activity, a component of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory`s (PNL) Vitrification Technology Development (PVTD) effort, was designed to determine the impact of noble metals on the operational life of the reference Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) melter. The melter performance assessment consisted of several activities, including a literature review of all work done with noble metals in glass, gradient furnace testing to study the behavior of noble metals during the melting process, research-scale and engineering-scale melter testing to evaluate effects of noble metals on melter operation, and computer modeling that used the experimental data to predict effects of noble metals on the full-scale melter. Feed used in these tests simulated neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) feed. This report summarizes the results of the melter performance assessment and predicts the lifetime of the HWVP melter. It should be noted that this work was conducted before the recent Tri-Party Agreement changes, so the reference melter referred to here is the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter design.

This document outlines the activities necessary to conduct a Remedial Investigation (RI) of the Chestnut Ridge Security Pits (CRSP) at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant. The CRSP, also designated Chestnut Ridge Operable Unit (OU) 1, is one of four OUs along Chestnut Ridge on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). The purpose of the RI is to collect data to (1) evaluate the nature and extent of known and suspected contaminants, (2) support an Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) and a Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA), (3) support the feasibility study in the development and analysis of remedial alternatives, and (4) ultimately, develop a Record of Decision (ROD) for the site. This chapter summarizes the regulatory background of environmental investigation on the ORR and the approach currently being followed and provides an overview of the RI to be conducted at the CRSP. Subsequent chapters provide details on site history, sampling activities, procedures and methods, quality assurance (QA), health and safety, and waste management related to the RI.

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Extensive analyses have been completed to demonstrate that a neutron moisture probe can be used to recognize anomalies in materials and geometry surrounding the liquid observation wells (LOWs). Furthermore, techniques can be developed that will permit the interpretation of detector readings, perturbed by the presence of anomalies, as more accurate moisture concentrations. This analysis effort extends the usefulness of a neutron moisture probe system significantly, especially in the complicated geometries and material conditions that may be encountered in the waste tanks. Both static-source and pulsed-source neutron probes were considered in the analyses. Four different detector configurations were investigated: Thermal and epithermal neutron detectors located in both the near and far field.

This manual defines the Project Document Control System (PDCS) operated by the US DOE Uranium Mill tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) project Office. The purpose of the PDCS is to provide an active and continuing program for acquiring, controlling, retaining, retrieving, retiring and disposing of all UMTRA Project documents. The PDCS also provides guidance and coordination in transferring documents by various UMTRA Projection document control centers to a central location.

We report progress in an effort to develop and demonstrate a refuelable zinc/air battery for fleet electric vehicle applications. A refuelable module consisting of twelve bipolar cells with internal flow system has been refueled at rates of nearly 4 cells per minute refueling time of 10 minutes for a 15 kW, 55 kWh battery. The module is refueled by entrainment of 0.5-mm particles in rapidly flowing electrolyte, which delivers the particles into hoppers above each cell in a parallel-flow hydraulic circuit. The concept of user-recovery is presented as an alternative to centralized service infrastructure during market entry.