Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Pantex Plant. DOE is commited to assuring the health and safety of its workers. This includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The IISP monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Program report for 2003 for the Savannah River Site. DOE is commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The report monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

Two Corning monoliths and a non-carbon-based material have been identified as potential additives for mercury capture in syngas at temperatures above 400°F and pressure of 600 psig. A new Corning monolith formulation, GR-F1-2189, described as an active sample appeared to be the best monolith tested to date. The Corning SR Liquid monolith concept continues to be a strong candidate for mercury capture. Both monolith types allowed mercury reduction to below 5-μg/m{sup 3} (~5 ppb), a current U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goal for trace metal control. Preparation methods for formulating the SR Liquid monolith impacted the ability of the monolith to capture mercury. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC)-prepared Noncarbon Sorbents 1 and 2 appeared to offer potential for sustained and significant reduction of mercury concentration in the simulated fuel gas. The Noncarbon Sorbent 1 allowed sustained mercury reduction to below 5-μg/m{sup 3} (~5 ppb). The non-carbon-based sorbent appeared to offer the potential for regeneration, that is, desorption of mercury by temperature swing (using nitrogen and steam at temperatures above where adsorption takes place). A Corning cordierite monolith treated with a Group IB metal offered limited potential as a mercury sorbent. However, a Corning carbon-based monolith containing prereduced metallic …

Catalysis is one of the most valuable contributors to our economy and historically an area where the United States has enjoyed, but is now losing, international leadership. While other countries are stepping up their work in this area, support for advanced catalysis research and development in the U.S. has diminished. Yet, more than ever, innovative and improved catalyst technologies are imperative for new energy production processes to ease our dependence on imported resources, for new energy-efficient and environmentally benign chemical production processes, and for new emission reduction technologies to minimize the environmental impact of an active and growing economy. Addressing growing concerns about the future direction of U.S. catalysis science, experts from the catalysis community met at a workshop to determine and recommend advanced resources needed to address the grand challenges for catalysis research and development. The workshop's primary conclusion: To recapture our position as the leader in catalysis innovation and practice, and promote crucial breakthroughs, the U.S. must establish one or more well-funded and well-equipped National Catalysis Research Institutes competitively selected, centered in the national laboratories and, by charter, networked to other national laboratories, universities, and industry. The Institute(s) will be the center of a national collaboratory that gives …

This report talks about the AGS Machine Studies

Many common scrap substitutes such as direct reduced iron pellets (DRI), hot briquetted iron (HBI), iron carbide, etc., contain significantly higher levels of phosphorus steelmaking for the production of higher quality steels, control of phosphorus levels in the metal will become a concern. This study has developed a more complete understanding of the behavior of phosphorus in DRI during EAF steelmaking, through a thorough investigation of the kinetics and thermodynamics of phosphorus transfer in the EAF based upon laboratory and plant experiments and trials. Laboratory experiments have shown that phosphorus mass transfer between oxide and metallic phases within commercial direct reduced iron pellets occurs rapidly upon melting according to the local equilibrium for these phases. Laboratory kinetic experiments indicate that under certain conditions, phosphorus mass transfer between slag and metal is influenced by dynamic phenomena, which affect the mass transfer coefficient for the reaction and/or the slag metal interfacial area. Plant trials were conducted to directly evaluate the conditions of mass transfer in the electric furnace and to determine the effects of different scrap substitute materials upon the slag chemistry, the behavior of phosphorus in the steel, and upon furnace yield. The data from these trials were also used to …

Almost 4,000 water-level measurements in 216 wells in the Yucca Flat area from 1951 to 2003 were quality assured and analyzed. An interpretative database was developed that describes water-level conditions for each water level measured in Yucca Flat. Multiple attributes were assigned to each water-level measurement in the database to describe the hydrologic conditions at the time of measurement. General quality, temporal variability, regional significance, and hydrologic conditions are attributed for each water-level measurement. The database also includes narratives that discuss the water-level history of each well. Water levels in 34 wells were analyzed for variability and for statistically significant trends. An attempt was made to identify the cause of many of the water-level fluctuations or trends. Potential causes include equilibration following well construction or development, pumping in the monitoring well, withdrawals from a nearby supply well, recharge from precipitation, earthquakes, underground nuclear tests, land subsidence, barometric pressure, and Earth tides. Some of the naturally occurring fluctuations in water levels may result from variations in recharge. The magnitude of the overall water-level change for these fluctuations generally is less than 2 feet. Long-term steady-state hydrographs for most of the wells open to carbonate rock have a very similar pattern. Carbonate-rock …

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of illness and injury surveillance activities that provide an early warning system to detect health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.

This article is concerned with free boundary problems for the differential equations u{double_prime} + (2{nu} + 1)/r u{prime} + u - u{sup q} = 0, r > 0, where 0 {le} q < 1 and {nu} {ge} 0. As was shown by Kaper and Kwong, there exists a unique R > 0, such that the equation admits a classical solution u that is positive and monotone on (0,R) and that satisfies the boundary conditions u{prime}(0) = 0, u(R) = u{prime}(R) = 0. This article is concerned with the behavior of R and u(0) as q {yields} 1.

A cost effective, highly efficient, and automatic method of intercomparing standard cells has been sought after and implemented, utilizing computer control and a commercially available scanner. This system reduces intercomparison time from 4 hours to 30 minutes using the standard National Bureau of Standard (NBS) 4 x 4 design. 7 figs., 1 tab.

This document identifies administrative controls that are established for the operating contractor of the B Plant facility during the B Plant surveillance and maintenance phase. When approved by the DOE-RL, this document is part of the B Plant safety authorization basis. Look for the associated B Plant Surveillance and Maintenance Phase Safety Analysis Report, HNF-3358.

None

This report summarizes the activities and findings from a field experiment devised to estimate the rates and mechanisms of transport of carbon across the continental shelves. The specific site chosen for the experiment was the mid-Atlantic Bight, a region off the North Carolina coast. The experiment involved a large contingent of scientists from many institutions. The specific component of the program was the transport of carbon in the bottom boundary layer. The postulate mechanisms of transport of carbon in the bottom boundary layer are: resuspension and advection, downward deposition, and accumulation. The high turbulence levels in the bottom boundary layer require the understanding of the coupling between turbulence and bottom sediments. The specific issues addressed in the work reported here were: (a) What is the sediment response to forcing by currents and waves? (b) What is the turbulence climate in the bottom boundary layer at this site? and (c) What is the rate at which settling leads to carbon sequestering in bottom sediments at offshore sites?

Early X-ray afterglows recently detected by Swift frequently show a phase of very shallow flux decay lasting from a few hundred seconds up to {approx} 10{sup 4} s, followed by a steeper, more familiar decay. We suggest that the flat early part of the light curve may be a combination of the decaying tail of the prompt emission and the delayed onset of the afterglow emission observed from viewing angles slightly outside the edge of the jet, as predicted previously. This would imply that a significant fraction of viewers have a very small external shock energy along their line of sight and a very high {gamma}-ray to kinetic energy ratio. The early flat phase in the afterglow light curve implies, according to this or other interpretations, a very large {gamma}-ray efficiency, typically {approx}&gt; 90%, which is very difficult to produce by internal shocks.

The status of the following studies is given: calorimetry and thermodynamics of nuclear materials; americium recovery and purification; optimization of the cation exchange process for recovering americium and plutonium from molten net extraction residues; evaluation and comparison of bidentate extractants and methods for actinide recovery; a combined anion exchange-bidontate organophosphorus extraction process for molten salt extraction residues; a combined anion exchange-extraction chromatography technique for secondary recovery; plutonium recovery in the Advanced Size Reduction Facility; decontamination of Rocky Flats soil; separating lead and calcium from americium by chromate and oxalate precipitation; demonstration of the pyroredox process in the induction-heated, tilt-pour furnace; process development for recovery of americium from vacuum melt furnace crucibles; plutonium peroxide precipitation process; and a comparative study of annular and Raschig ring-filled tanks.

Under the Phase II, Alternative Energy Resources Development (AERD) project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of India (GOI), five collaborative coal projects have been initiated in the areas of: (1) NO{sub x}/SO{sub x} control from coal-fired power plants, (2) slagging combustor development for high-ash Indian coals, (3) characterization of Indian coals for combustion and gasification. (4) diagnostic studies for prediction of power plant life expectancy, and (5) environmental and natural resource analysis of coal cycle. The Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC) has the implementation responsibility for these projects. The Indian collaborative institutions identified for these projects are the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL), Trichy, (projects 1--4), and the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) for project 5. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is providing cross-cut technical coordination and support for these five projects.

The series of monochalcogenides of actinides NpM, PuM, and AmM (M = S; Se; Te) has been studied with relativistic spin-polarized density functional theory. The electronic and magnetic structure of the compounds has been investigated. It has been shown that the hybridization between 5f-electrons of actinides and p-electrons of S, Se, or Te is practically absent. But there is a transfer of electrons from one element to another. This transfer, apparently, is a cause of a crystal field splitting of the bands, which is superimposed on the spin-orbit splitting. The experimental magnetic properties of the above compounds may be explained in this simple picture, obtained from non-spin-polarized calculations. Accounting for magnetism leads to the excessive spin splitting of the bands and to the disagreement with experimental data. So, present work can be considered as one more evidence, that it is necessary to develop more elaborated theory than DFT for study of magnetism in actinides and their compounds.

The analysis by Coriant of the beta-gamma coincidence data coming from the ARSA systems show a systematic basis towards lower concentrations for all isotopes and a systematic increase in the minimum detectable concentrations. These variations can be directly traced to the method of analysis that is used by the Coriant software compared to the methods that have been developed by the International Noble Gas Experiment collaboration. This report details the differences and suggests solutions where appropriate. The report writers recommend that the algorithm changes be made to the Coriant software to bring up to the international standards.

Control of the electric field profile in the Hall Thruster through the positioning of an additional electrode along the channel is shown theoretically to enhance the efficiency. The reduction of the potential drop near the anode by use of the additional electrode increases the plasma density there, through the increase of the electron and ion transit times, causing the ionization in the vicinity of the anode to increase. The resulting separation of the ionization and acceleration regions increases the propellant and energy utilizations. An abrupt sonic transition is forced to occur at the axial location of the additional electrode, accompanied by the generation of a large (theoretically infinite) electric field. This ability to generate a large electric field at a specific location along the channel, in addition to the ability to specify the electric potential there, allows one further control of the electric field profile in the thruster. In particular, when the electron temperature is high, a large abrupt voltage drop is induced at the vicinity of the additional electrode, a voltage drop that can comprise a significant part of the applied voltage.

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 409 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Corrective Action Unit 409 consists of three Corrective Action Sites (CASs): TA-53-001-TAB2, Septic Sludge Disposal Pit No.1; TA-53-002-TAB2, Septic Sludge Disposal Pit No.2; and RG-24-001-RGCR, Battery Dump Site. The Septic Sludge Disposal Pits are located near Bunker Two, close to Area 3, on the Tonopah Test Range. The Battery Dump Site is located at the abandoned Cactus Repeater Station on Cactus Peak. The Cactus Repeater Station was a remote, battery-powered, signal repeater station. The two Septic Sludge Disposal Pits were suspected to be used through the late 1980s as disposal sites for sludge from septic tanks located in Area 3. Based on site history collected to support the Data Quality Objectives process, contaminants of potential concern are the same for the disposal pits and include: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) as gasoline- and diesel-range organics, polychlorinated biphenyls, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act metals, and radionuclides (including plutonium and depleted uranium). The …

Summary of the specific research and project accomplishments: Through this collaboration, LBNL and FPSI determined the specific energy manipulations that apply to the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment (NDCX) ion beam and developed the preliminary design of a Fast Induction Energy Corrector (FIEC). This effort was successfully completed, firmly establishing the technical feasibility of the proposed approach for regulating the longitudinal energy distribution of the NDCX ion beam. This is a critical step in achieving the NDCX goal of axial compression of the beam by a factor of 100 during neutralized drift.

This report summarizes existing analytical data gleaned from samples taken from the Hanford tanks designated as potentially containing transuranic mixed process wastes. Process knowledge of the wastes transferred to these tanks has been reviewed to determine whether the dangerous waste characteristics now assigned to all Hanford underground storage tanks are applicable to these particular wastes. Supplemental technologies are being examined to accelerate the Hanford tank waste cleanup mission and accomplish waste treatment safely and efficiently. To date, 11 Hanford waste tanks have been designated as potentially containing contact-handled (CH) transuranic mixed (TRUM) wastes. The CH-TRUM wastes are found in single-shell tanks B-201 through B-204, T-201 through T-204, T-104, T-110, and T-111. Methods and equipment to solidify and package the CH-TRUM wastes are part of the supplemental technologies being evaluated. The resulting packages and wastes must be acceptable for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The dangerous waste characteristics being considered include ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity arising from the presence of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol at levels above the dangerous waste threshold. The analytical data reviewed include concentrations of sulfur, sulfate, cyanide, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, total organic carbon, and oxalate; the composition of the tank headspace, pH, and mercury. Differential scanning calorimetry results …

A. M. Gaudin and collaborators have published a curve of refining costs versus ore grade in terms of dollars per pound of U308 recovered on the basis of 90% recovery.