Other written product issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO provided information on the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board's statement of federal financial accounting standards (SFFAS). The statement presents amendments to SFFAS No. 7 and provides provisions that apply to entities collecting taxes on behalf on the federal government."

A laser drilling research team was formed from members of academia, industry and national laboratory to explore the feasibility of using modern high-powered lasers to drill and complete oil and gas wells. The one-year Phase 1 study discussed in this report had the goals of quantifying the amount of pulsed infrared laser energy needed to spall and melt rock of varying lithologies and to investigate the possibility of accomplishing the same task in water under atmospheric conditions. Previous work by some members of this team determined that continuous wave lasers of varying wavelengths have more than enough power to cut, melt and vaporize rock. Samples of sandstone, limestone, and shale were prepared for laser beam interaction with a 1.6 kW pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam to determine how the beam's size, power, repetition rate, pulse width, exposure time and energy can affect the amount of energy transferred to the rock for the purposes of spallation, melting and vaporization. The purpose of the laser rock interaction experiment was to determine the threshold parameters required to remove a maximum rock volume from the samples while minimizing energy input. Absorption of radiant energy from the laser beam gives rise to the thermal energy transfer …

The INEEL Vadose Zone Roadmap was developed to identify inadquacies in current knowledge, to assist in contaminant management capabilities relative to the INEEL vadose zone, and to ensure that ongoing and planned Science and Technology developments will meet the risk management challenges facing the INEEL in coming years. The primary objective of the Roadmap is to determine the S&T needs that will facilitate monitoring, characterization, prediction, and assessment activities necessary to support INEEL risk management decisions and to ensure that long-term stewardship of contaminated sites at the INEEL is achieved. The mission of the Roadmap is to insure that the long-term S&T strategy is aligned with site programs, that it takes advantage of progress made to date, and that it can assist in meeting the milestones and budgets of operations.

Photograph of the Sattler Post Office, in Canyon Lake, Texas.

Photograph of the Sattler Post Office, in Canyon Lake, Texas.

Photograph of the Sattler Post Office, in Canyon Lake, Texas.

Photograph of the Sattler Post Office, in Canyon Lake, Texas.

This brochure, part of the SEP Stellar Projects series, covers a federal load reduction test in California in May 2001. The purpose of the test was to quantify the amount of short-term reduction in power requirements could be achieved in the event of an emergency. With California electricity providers stretched to their limits last winter and spring, the California Energy Commission (CEC) wanted to test its new Automated Emergency Response System in the event of an electricity supply emergency. The system is designed to communicate with 1,000 city, county, and special districts in the event of an imminent (Stage 2 or Stage 3) emergency. CEC also wanted to see what federal and state facilities managers might contribute in conservation and energy efficiency measures. California has a large number of state and federal facilities, and their combined electricity demand is significant. The U.S.Department of Energy (DOE) offered to coordinate the federal agencies participating in the voluntary CEC test to see how much they could reduce electricity demand between 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on May 24. Altogether, the test involved than 190 people from 115 facilities working for 20 different federal agencies.

Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) was performed on M9787 silicone, Cab-O-Sil-M-7D (fumed) and Hi-Sil-233 (precipitated) silica particles that had been annealed to 460 K for 24 hours then exposed to different moisture levels. Our results suggest that moisture desorption and adsorption in M9787 can be approximated by the interaction of its silica contents (Cab-O-Sil-M-7D and Hi-Sil-233) with moisture. Our experimental data also reveal that, in general, as heat treated silica particles are exposed to moisture, chemisorbed states, then physisorbed states are gradually filled up in that order. However, there seems to have some rearrangement of bonds as moisture desorbs or absorbs on the surfaces of the silica particles. Nanoindentation was also performed on M9787 silicones that were simultaneously pumped down to a few hundred Pa of residual pressure at room temperature. Our data shows that the removal of physisorbed water in M9787 has none or reversible little effect on the mechanical properties of M9787.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility operated by the University of California (UC), serves as a national resource of scientific, technical, and engineering capabilities. The Laboratory's mission focuses on nuclear weapons and national security, and over the years has been broadened to include areas such as strategic defense, energy, the environment, biomedicine, technology transfer, the economy, and education. The Laboratory carries out this mission in compliance with local, state, and federal environmental regulatory requirements. It does so with the support of the Environmental Protection Department, which is responsible for environmental monitoring and analysis, hazardous waste management, environmental restoration, and assisting Laboratory organizations in ensuring compliance with environmental laws and regulations. LLNL comprises two sites: the Livermore site and Site 300. The Livermore site occupies an area of 3.28 square kilometers on the eastern edge of Livermore, California. Site 300, LLNL's experimental testing site, is located 24 kilometers to the east in the Altamont Hills and occupies an area of 30.3 square kilometers. Meteorological and environmental monitoring activities are conducted at both sites as well as in surrounding areas. This summary provides an overview of LLNL's environmental activities in 2000, including radiological and nonradiological surveillance, …

Nuclear power has been considered for space applications since the 1960s. Between 1955 and 1972 the US built and tested over twenty nuclear reactors/ rocket-engines in the Rover/NERVA programs. However, changes in environmental laws may make the redevelopment of the nuclear rocket more difficult. Recent advances in fuel fabrication and testing options indicate that a nuclear rocket with a fuel form significantly different from NERVA may be needed to ensure public support. The Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR) is pursuing development of tungsten based fuels for use in a NTR, for a surface power reactor, and to encapsulate radioisotope power sources. The CSNR Summer Fellows program has investigated the feasibility of several missions enabled by the NTR. The potential mission benefits of a nuclear rocket, historical achievements of the previous programs, and recent investigations into alternatives in design and materials for future systems will be discussed.

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The direction of development for the RELAP5 Graphical User Interfaces (RGUI) has been extended. In addition to existing plans for displaying all aspects of RELAP5 calculations, the plan now includes plans to display the calculations of a variety of codes including SCDAP, RETRAN and FLUENT. Recent work has included such extensions along with the previously planned and user-requested improvements and extensions. Visualization of heat-structures has been added. Adaptations were made for another computer program, SCDAP-3D, including plant core views. An input model builder for generating RELAP5-3D input files was partially implemented. All these are reported. Plans for future work are also summarized. These include an input processor that transfers steady-state conditions into an input file.

The requirements for performance by planetary exploration missions are increasing. Landing at a single location to take data is no longer sufficient. Due to the increasing cost, the missions that provide mobile platforms that can acquire data at displaced locations are becoming more attractive. Landers have also had limited range due to power limitations, limited lifetime of subsystems and the inability to negotiate rough terrain. The Center for Space Nuclear Research has designed an instrumented platform that can acquire detailed data at hundreds of locations during its lifetime - a Mars Hopper. The Mars Hopper concept utilizes energy from radioisotopic decay in a manner different from any existing radioisotopic power sources—as a thermal capacitor. By accumulating the heat from radioisotopic decay for long periods, the power of the source can be dramatically increased for short periods. Thus, a radioisotopic thermal rocket (RTR) is possible. The platform will be able to “hop” from one location to the next every 5-7 days with a separation of 5-10 km per hop. Each platform will weigh around 50 kgs unfueled which is the condition at deployment. Consequently, several platforms may be deployed on a single launch from Earth. With a lifetime estimated at 5-7 …

This report provides an update to the Sodium Bearing Waste (SBW) Technology Development Roadmap generated a year ago. It outlines progress made to date and near-term plans for the technology development work necessary to support processing SBW. In addition, it serves as a transition document to the Risk Management Plan (RMP) required by the Project per DOE Order 413.3, “Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets.” Technical uncertainties have been identified as design basis elements (DBEs) and captured in a technical baseline database. As the risks are discovered, assessed, and mitigated, the status of the DBEs in the database will be updated and tracked to closure.

This report summarizes the efforts funded by the Tank Focus Area to investigate nitrogen oxide (NOx) destruction (a.k.a. deNOx) technologies and off-gas scrubber system designs. The primary deNOx technologies that were considered are staged combustion (a.k.a. NOx reburning), selective catalytic reduction, selective non-catalytic reduction, and steam reformation. After engineering studies and a team evaluation were completed, selective catalytic reduction and staged combustion were considered the most likely candidate technologies to be deployed in a sodium-bearing waste vitrification facility. The outcome of the team evaluation factored heavily in the establishing a baseline configuration for off-gas and secondary waste treatment systems.

This report documents the results of a test of the New Calcining Facility (NWCF) process decontamination system. The decontamination system test occurred in December 1981, during non-radioactive testing of the NWCF. The purpose of the decontamination system test was to identify equipment whose design prevented effective calcine removal and decontamination. Effective equipment decontamination was essential to reduce radiation fields for in-cell work after radioactive processing began. The decontamination system test began with a pre-decontamination inspection of the equipment. The pre-decontamination inspection documented the initial condition and cleanliness of the equipment. It provided a basis for judging the effectiveness of the decontamination. The decontamination consisted of a series of equipment flushes using nitric acid and water. A post-decontamination equipment inspection determined the effectiveness of the decontamination. The pre-decontamination and post-decontamination equipment inspections were documented with hotographs. The decontamination system was effective in removing calcine from most of the NWCF equipment as evidenced by little visible calcine residue in the equipment after decontamination. The decontamination test identified four areas where the decontamination system required improvement. These included the Calciner off-gas line, Cyclone off-gas line, fluidizing air line, and the Calciner baffle plates. Physical modifications to enhance decontamination were made to those areas, …

Environmental fate and transport of the toxic air pollutant mercury (Hg) is currently a high-priority regional concern for the INEEL, and national and global concern for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At the INEEL’s Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC), significant quantities (est. 40 kg/year) of Hg may have been released over 37 years of Environmental Management’s (EM) High-Level Waste (HLW) treatment operations. The EPA is very concerned about the continued global buildup of Hg in the atmosphere and aquatic ecosystems, and has recently invested heavily in Hg research to better understand its complex environmental cycling.1,2 The Environmental Sampling work began in FY99 as a joint INEEL/U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) field research effort to (a) better understand the fate and potential impacts of Hg emissions from the INEEL’s HLW treatment operations (operational component) and (b) contribute at a national level to the scientific understanding of local, regional, and global Hg fate and transport (research component). The USGS contributed snow sampling support in the field (Water Resources Division, Salt Lake City) and laboratory analysis of all samples (Wisconsin District Mercury Research Laboratory).

Off-gas NOx concentrations in the range of 1-5 mol% are expected as a result of the proposed vitrification of sodium-bearing waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. An existing kinetic model for staged combustion (originally developed for NOx abatement from the calcination process) was updated for application to vitrification offgas. In addition, two new kinetic models were developed to assess the feasibility of using selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) or high-temperature alone for NOx abatement. Each of the models was developed using the Chemkin code. Results indicate that SNCR is a viable option, reducing NOx levels to below 1000 ppmv. In addition, SNCR may be capable of simultaneously reducing CO emissions to below 100 ppmv. Results for using high-temperature alone were not as promising, indicating that a minimum NOx concentration of 3950 ppmv is achievable at 3344°F.

This report provides a review of cold crucible induction melter (CCIM) technology and presents summaries of alternatives and design issues associated with major system components. The objective in this report is to provide background systems level information relating to development and application of cold crucible induction-heated melter technology for radiological waste processing. Included is a detailed description of the bench-top melter system at the V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute currently being used for characterization testing

This report documents the Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LCC, operated facilities at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory that require the Best Available Technology selection process in accordance with Department of Energy Order 5400.5, Chapter II (3), “Management and Control of Radioactive Materials in Liquid Discharges.”1 This report differs from previous reports in that only those liquid waste streams and facilities requiring the Best Available Technology selection process will be evaluated in detail. In addition, this report will be submitted to the DOE-ID Field Office Manager for approval in accordance with DOE Order 5400.5, Chapter II, Section 3.b.(1). The report also identifies facilities addressed in last year’s report that do not require the Best Available Technology selection process to be completed. These facilities will not be addressed in future reports. This report reviews the following facilities: • Auxiliary Reactor Area • Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Block Areas • Central Facilities Area • Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center • Idaho Falls Facilities • Power Burst Facility • Radioactive Waste Management Complex • Test Area North • Test Reactor Area. Three facilities (Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant, Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center Percolation Ponds and Test Area …

The Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program with 3D capability1 (RELAP5-3D) is a reactor system analysis code that has been developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) for the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE). The 3D capability in RELAP5-3D includes 3D hydrodynamics2 and 3D neutron kinetics3,4. Assessment, verification, and validation of the 3D capability in RELAP5-3D is discussed in the literature5,6,7,8,9. Additional assessment, verification, and validation of the 3D capability of RELAP5-3D will be presented in other papers in this users seminar. As with any software, user problems occur. User problems usually fall into the categories of input processing failure, code execution failure, restart/renodalization failure, unphysical result, and installation. This presentation will discuss some of the more generic user problems that have been reported on RELAP5-3D as well as their resolution.