The purpose is to provide a source of information that can be used to assist personnel in the planning, training, and execution of radiological work using the principles of ALARA. This document is not intended to replace HNF or WHC Control Manual requirements. The ALARA Tools-List provides detailed information on the use and procurement of engineered controls, mockup training guidelines, and good radiological work practices that have been proven to be ALARA.

Luminosity in the LHC will depend critically on the alignment of the triplet quadrupoles. These quadrupoles are closest to the interaction points (IPs), have large gradients and the {beta} functions have their largest values within these quadrupoles. Within a triplet, the cold masses of the Q1 and Q3 quadrupoles will be housed in separate cryostats while Q2a and Q2b will be placed in a single cryostat. The absolute alignments of Q1, Q3 and the Q2a/Q2b pair with respect to the desired axes will be determined during installation. The relative alignment of Q2a and Q2b however will be fixed once they are placed in their common cryostat at Fermilab. In this note, we examine the required relative alignment tolerances of Q2a and Q2b. An early study of some alignment tolerances was done by Weisz [1].

Coal solubilization under aerobic conditions results in oxygenated coal product which, in turn, makes the coal poorer fuel than the starting material. A novel approach has been made in this project is to remove oxygen from coal by reductive decarboxylation. In Wyodak subbituminous coal the major oxygen functionality is carboxylic groups which exist predominantly as carboxylate anions strongly chelating metal cations like Ca{sup 2+} and forming strong macromolecular crosslinks which contribute in large measure to network polymer structure. Removal of the carboxylic groups at ambient temperature by anaerobic organisms would unravel the macromoleculer network, resulting in smaller coal macromolecules with increased H/C ratio which has better fuel value and better processing prospects. These studies described here sought to find biological methods to remove carboxylic functionalities from low rank coals under ambient conditions and to assess the properties of these modified coals towards coal liquefaction. Efforts were made to establish anaerobic microbial consortia having decarboxylating ability, decarboxylate coal with the adapted microbial consortia, isolate the organisms, and characterize the biotreated coal products. Production of CO{sup 2} was used as the primary indicator for possible coal decarboxylation.

The authors present a preliminary analysis and design framework developed for the evaluation and optimization of infrared, Imaging Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS) electro-optic systems. Commensurate with conventional interferometric spectrometers, SHS modeling requires an integrated analysis environment for rigorous evaluation of system error propagation due to detection process, detection noise, system motion, retrieval algorithm and calibration algorithm. The analysis tools provide for optimization of critical system parameters and components including : (1) optical aperture, f-number, and spectral transmission, (2) SHS interferometer grating and Littrow parameters, and (3) image plane requirements as well as cold shield, optical filtering, and focal-plane dimensions, pixel dimensions and quantum efficiency, (4) SHS spatial and temporal sampling parameters, and (5) retrieval and calibration algorithm issues.

Safe interim dry storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) must be maintained for a minimum of twenty years according to the Code of Federal Regulations. The most important variable that must be regulated by dry storage licensees in order to meet current safety standards is the temperature of the SNF. The two currently accepted models to define the maximum allowable initial storage temperature for SNF are based on the diffusion controlled cavity growth (DCCG) failure mechanism proposed by Raj and Ashby. These models may not give conservative temperature limits. Some have suggested using a strain-based failure model to predict the maximum allowable temperatures, but we have shown that this is not applicable to the SNF as long as DCCG is the assumed failure mechanism. Although the two accepted models are based on the same fundamental failure theory (DCCG), the researchers who developed the models made different assumptions, including selection of some of the most critical variables in the DCCG failure equation. These inconsistencies are discussed together with recommended modifications to the failure models based on more recent data.

Comparisons of the multicycle results demonstrate that the correlation coefficients based on the CASMO3 data were implemented correctly and that the Linear Reactivity Model is acceptably accurate for missed reloads containing both uranium and weapons plutonium fuel. The expanded set of correlation coefficients make BRACC a useful tool for performing multi-cycle in-core fuel management studies of PWR cores containing weapons plutonium.

Interest in producing high damage threshold KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} (KDP) and (D{sub x}H{sub 1-x}){sub 2}PO{sub 4} (KD*P, DKDP) for optical switching and frequency conversion applications is being driven by the system requirements for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL). Historically, the path to achieving higher damage thresholds has been to improve the purity of crystal growth solutions. Application of advanced filtration technology has increased the damage threshold, but gives little insight into the actual mechanisms of laser damage. We have developed a laser scatter diagnostic to better study bulk defects and laser damage mechanisms in KDP and KD*P crystals. This diagnostic consists of a cavity doubled, kilohertz class, Nd:YLF laser (527 nm) and high dynamic range CCD camera which allows imaging of bulk scatter signals. With it, we have performed damage tests at 355 nm on four different {open_quotes}vintages{close_quotes} of KDP crystals, concentrating on crystals produced via fast growth methods. We compare the diagnostic`s resolution to LLNL`s standard damage detection method of 100X darkfield microscopy and discuss its impact on damage threshold determination. We have observed the disappearance of scatter sites upon exposure to subthreshold irradiation. In contrast, we have seen scatterers appear where none …

Neural networks were used to determine the sensitivity of 39 selected Melter/Melter Off Gas and Melter Feed System process parameters as related to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Melter Pour Spout Pressure during the overall analysis and resolution of the DWPF glass production and pouring issues. Two different commercial neural network software packages were used for this analysis. Models were developed and used to determine the critical parameters which accurately describe the DWPF Pour Spout Pressure. The model created using a low-end software package has a root mean square error of {+-} 0.35 inwc (< 2% of the instrument`s measured range, R{sup 2} = 0.77) with respect to the plant data used to validate and test the model. The model created using a high-end software package has a R{sub 2} = 0.97 with respect to the plant data used to validate and test the model. The models developed for this application identified the key process parameters which contribute to the control of the DWPF Melter Pour Spout pressure during glass pouring operations. The relative contribution and ranking of the selected parameters was determined using the modeling software. Neural network computing software was determined to be a cost-effective software tool …

The growth and properties of undoped and Mn-doped ZnGa{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin-film phosphors on (100) MgO and glass substrates using pulsed laser ablation were investigated. Blue-white and green emission were observed for as-deposited undoped and Mn-doped films, respectively. Luminescent properties as well as crystallinity were considerably affected by processing conditions and film stoichiometry. Films with enhanced luminescent characteristics were obtained on single crystal substrates without post-annealing.

During 1994, EIA`s main goal was to assure its data and analyses were of the highest quality, relevant to its customers` needs, and easily accessible. Efforts to ensure product relevance and quality consisted of conducting new or modified surveys, issuing new information products, revising existing products to include data and analyses desired by EIA`s customers, and eliminating products that no longer meet customer needs. Efforts to improve access to energy information consisted of several electronic dissemination initiatives, including Internet services, the Energy Information Highway, and the Energy Emergency Notebook. These activities are discussed in detail in the first two sections of this report. In addition to maintaining its traditional energy information base, EIA plays an important role in developing new information resources required by policymakers and legislators around the world. Examples include data on alternative fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Anticipatory System (AS) formalism developed by Robert Rosen provides some insight into the problem of embedding intelligent behavior in machines. AS emulates the anticipatory behavior of biological systems. AS bases its behavior on its expectations about the near future and those expectations are modified as the system gains experience. The expectation is based on an internal model that is drawn from an appeal to physical reality. To be adaptive, the model must be able to update itself. To be practical, the model must run faster than real-time. The need for a physical model and the requirement that the model execute at extreme speeds, has held back the application of AS to practical problems. Two recent advances make it possible to consider the use of AS for practical intelligent sensors. First, advances in transducer technology make it possible to obtain previously unavailable data from which a model can be derived. For example, acoustic emissions (AE) can be fed into a Bayesian system identifier that enables the separation of a weak characterizing signal, such as the signature of pump cavitation precursors, from a strong masking signal, such as a pump vibration feature. The second advance is the development of extremely fast, …

Plans are to determine the Cs-137 content of low-level waste packages generated in High-Level Waste by measuring the radiation level at a specified distance from the package with a hand-held radiation instrument. The measurement taken at this specified distance, either 3 or 5 feet, is called the far-field measurement. This report documents a method for adjusting the gamma exposure rate (mR/hr) reading used in dose-to-curie determinations when the far-field measurement equals the background reading. This adjustment is necessary to reduce the conservatism resulting from using a minimum detection limit exposure rate for the dose-to-curie determination for the far-field measurement position. To accomplish this adjustment, the near-field (5 cm) measurement is multiplied by a geometry correction factor to obtain an estimate of the far field exposure rate (which is below instrument sensitivity). This estimate of the far field exposure rate is used to estimate the Cs-137 curie content of the package. This report establishes the geometry correction factors for the dose-to-curie determination when the far-field gamma exposure measurement equals the background reading. This report also provides a means of demonstrating compliance to 1S Manual requirements for exposure rate readings at different locations from waste packages while specifying only two measurement positions. …

A linear, frequency independent model of the rf properties of unbiased, soft ferrite has been implemented in finite-difference, time-domain, electromagnetic simulation code AMOS for the purposes of studying linac induction cavities. The simple model consists of adding a magnetic conductivity term ({sigma}{sub m}H) to Faraday's Law. The value of {sigma}{sub m} that is appropriate for a given ferrite at a particular frequency is obtained via an rf reflection experiment on a very thin ferrite toroid in a shorted coaxial line. It was found that in the frequency range 100 to 1000 MHz, the required value of {sigma}{sub m} varies only slightly (<10%), and so we approximated it as a frequency independent parameter in AMOS. A description of the experimental setup and the technique used to extract the complex {mu} from the measurements is described. The model has been used to study the impedances of the DARHT induction cavity, and comparisons between these experimental measurements and AMOS calculations is presented. Implementation of a frequency dependent version of this model in AMOS is being pursued, and a discussion of this effort is given.

This literature review was motivated by discussions that took place during a review of contamination control technologies proposed for INEL (buried waste). It should be a useful tool in identifying non-radiation measurement techniques for Pu and Am such as ICP-MS, which should fulfill the following criteria: apparatus must be field deployable; up to 100 samples per day; and lower levels of detection and required time must be listed. The sensitivity of ICP and RIMS is compared against that needed for contamination monitoring at INEL. Only Pu-241, with a required detection limit of 400 ppt, would challenge the sensitivity of ICP-MS; Pu-238 would be easily determined. The need to determine Pu-238 and Am-241 in the presence of U-238 and Pu-241 seems to preclude the possibility of using laser ablation ICP-MS for Pu monitoring. ICP-AES and -LEAFS methods may not have enough sensitivity to determine Pu-238 at 2 ppb level with confidence, but RIMS (resonance ionization mass spectroscopy) should be adequate. 47 refs, figs.

Over 50 scientists from DOE-DP, DOE-ER, the national laboratories, academia and industry attended a workshop held on November 5-7, 1997 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory jointly sponsored by the DOE-Division of Materials Science, The Materials Research Institute at LLNL and the University of California Presidents Office. Workshop participants were charged to address two questions: Is there a need for a national center for materials analysis using positron techniques and can the capabilities at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory serve this need. To demonstrate the need for a national center the workshop participants discussed the technical advantages enabled by high positron currents and advanced measurement techniques, the role that these techniques will play in materials analysis and the demand for the data. There were general discussions lead by review talks on positron analysis techniques, and their applications to problems in semiconductors, polymers and composites, metals and engineering materials, surface analysis and advanced techniques. These were followed by focus sessions on positron analysis opportunities in these same areas. Livermore now leads the world in materials analysis capabilities by positrons due to developments in response to demands of science based stockpile stewardship. There was a detailed discussion of the LLNL capabilities and a tour …

Nonlinear optical frequency convertors (harmonic generators and optical parametric oscillators are reviewed with an emphasis on high average power performance and limitations. NLO materials issues and NLO device designs are discussed in reference to several emerging scientific, military and industrial commercial applications requiring {approx} 100 watt average power level in the visible and infrared spectral regions. Research efforts required to enable practical {approx} 100 watt class NLO based laser systems are identified.

The presentation focuses on some of the time-proven and new technologies being used to accomplish radiological work. These techniques can be applied at nuclear facilities to reduce radiation doses and protect the environment. The last reactor plants and processing facilities were shutdown and Hanford was given a new mission to put the facilities in a safe condition, decontaminate, and prepare them for decommissioning. The skills that were necessary to operate these facilities were different than the skills needed today to clean up Hanford. Workers were not familiar with many of the tools, equipment, and materials needed to accomplish:the new mission, which includes clean up of contaminated areas in and around all the facilities, recovery of reactor fuel from spent fuel pools, and the removal of millions of gallons of highly radioactive waste from 177 underground tanks. In addition, this work has to be done with a reduced number of workers and a smaller budget. At Hanford, facilities contain a myriad of radioactive isotopes that are 2048 located inside plant systems, underground tanks, and the soil. As cleanup work at Hanford began, it became obvious early that in order to get workers to apply ALARA and use hew tools and equipment …

The Argonne Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE) facility, located in south central Kansas, east of Wichita, is devoted primarily to investigations of and within the planetary boundary layer (PBL), including the dynamics of the mixed layer during both day and night; effects of varying land use and land form; the interactive role of precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture; storm development; and energy budgets on scales of 10 to 100 km. Located entirely within the Walnut River watershed, ABLE provides intense measurements within the northeast quadrant (Fig. 1) of the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program (Stokes and Schwarz, 1994). By combining the continuous measurements of ABLE with ancillary continuous measurements of, for example, the ARM and the Global Energy Water cycle Experiment (GEWEX) (Kinster and Shukla, 1990) programs, ABLE provides a platform within which shorter, more intensive studies, such as those conducted by the Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Studies (CASES) Program, can realize the full benefit of a wide variety of atmospheric measurements on many scales; this allows the study of hypothesized features of PBL development and dynamics, including frontal dynamics, nocturnal boundary development and breakdown, urban heat island effects, precipitation enhancement, …

We have initiated studies that include radiation model validation, improved treatment of the three-dimensional structure of cloud-radiation interactions, and sensitivity runs that will unravel the role of cloud-convection-radiation interactions in the Pacific Sear Surface Temperatures and the overlying Walker and Hadley circulation. The research program is divided into three phases: (1) radiation, (2) cloud parameterization issues; (3) feedback and ocean-atmosphere interactions.

We have initiated studies that include radiation model validation, improved treatment of the three-dimensional structure of cloud-radiation interactions, and sensitivity runs that will unravel the role of cloud-convection-radiation interactions in the Pacific Sear Surface Temperatures and the overlying Walker and Hadley circulation. The research program is divided into three phases: (1) radiation, (2) cloud parameterization issues; (3) feedback and ocean-atmosphere interactions.

The treatment and disposal of mixed waste (i.e., waste containing both hazardous and radioactive components) is a challenging waste- management problem of particular concern to Department of Energy (DOE) sites throughout the United States. Traditional technologies used for destroying hazardous wastes must be re- evaluated for their ability to handle mixed wastes, and, in some cases, new technologies must be developed. The Mixed Waste Treatment Project (MWTP), a collaborative effort between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), was established by the DOE`s Waste Operations Program (EM-30) to develop and analyze alternative mixed waste treatment approaches. One of the MWTP`s initiatives, and the objective of this study, was to develop flowsheets for prototype, integrated, mixed-waste treatment facilities that can serve as models for sites developing their own treatment strategies. Evaluation of these flowsheets is being facilitated through the use of computer modeling. The objectives of the flowsheet simulations are to compare process effectiveness and costs of alternative flowsheets and to determine if commercial process-simulation software could be used on the large, complex process of an integrated mixed waste processing facility. Flowsheet modeling is needed to evaluate many aspects of proposed flowsheet designs. A …

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 goal of the Department of Energy project management system is to ensure that projects are necessary to fulfill mission needs and are cost effective. This requires that the Department justify each project and explore competitive alternatives. The objective of this audit was to assess the need to construct protective force training facilities at the Department`s Pantex Plant. Our audit disclosed that (1) construction of a physical training facility was not necessary to fulfill mission needs, and (2) the Department did not consider all viable alternatives to constructing a weapons tactics and training facility. These conditions occurred, in part, because a Justification for New Start was never prepared and approved for the Security Enhancements Major System Acquisition, which included these two projects. We recommended that the Manager, Albuquerque Operations Office, cancel construction of the physical training facility, make needed repairs and upgrades to the existing facilities, and reduce the cost of the Security Enhancements Major System Acquisition accordingly. Implementation of this recommendation will save about $1.7 million. We also recommended that the Manager direct Mason & Hanger to perform economic analyses of all viable alternatives to constructing a weapons tactics and training facility before proceeding with construction. Such analyses could …

The Department of Energy (Department) has spent at least $76 million annually for field contractor employee support in Headquarters and other Federal agencies. The employees were to provide technical expertise and experience critical to Department operations and programs. Overall, the audit was performed to determine if the Department was managing the use of field contractor employees assigned to Headquarters and other Federal agencies. Specifically, it was to determine whether the Department reviews and evaluates the costs for the use of contractor employees, is reimbursed for contractors working at other Federal agencies, and had implemented corrective actions proposed as the result of a prior audit report on this subject. The Department did not effectively manage the use of field contractor employees assigned to Headquarters and other Federal agencies. Specifically, the Department was unable to identify all contractor employees assigned to the Washington, DC area or determine the total cost of maintaining them; some employees were providing routine support and administrative services rather than unique program expertise; and several of the Department`s contractors had assigned their employees to work in other agencies without receiving full reimbursement for their services. In addition, the Department did not fully implement the corrective actions it agreed …