Long-term nuclear material storage will require in-vault data verification, sensor testing, error and alarm response, inventory, and maintenance operations. System concept development efforts for a comprehensive nuclear material management system have identified the use of a small flexible mobile automation platform to perform these surveillance and maintenance operations. In order to have near-term wide-range application in the Complex, a mobile surveillance system must be small, flexible, and adaptable enough to allow retrofit into existing special nuclear material facilities. The objective of the Mobile Surveillance and Monitoring Robot project is to satisfy these needs by development of a human scale mobile robot to monitor the state of health, physical security and safety of items in storage and process; recognize and respond to alarms, threats, and off-normal operating conditions; and perform material handling and maintenance operations. The system will integrate a tool kit of onboard sensors and monitors, maintenance equipment and capability, and SNL developed non-lethal threat response technology with the intelligence to identify threats and develop and implement first response strategies for abnormal signals and alarm conditions. System versatility will be enhanced by incorporating a robot arm, vision and force sensing, robust obstacle avoidance, and appropriate monitoring and sensing equipment.

Improvements in the last decade in InP materials growth, device processing techniques, characterization, and circuit design have enabled solid-state power performance through 122 GHz. Although originally targeted for low-noise and power performance at mm-wave frequencies (>30 GHz), InP HEMTs could become the preferred device for frequencies as low as 800 MHz. This investment has benefited the microwave frequency regime with higher efficiency and power densities at lower operating voltages. State-of-the-art microwave performance at lower operating voltage provides a path to smaller, lighter-weight systems in the battery operated arena of commercial and defense electronics. This paper describes an InP HEMT technology being investigated for many power and low-noise amplifier applications from UHF to W-band frequencies. Specifically the technology demonstrated 640mW/mm power density, 27 dB gain, and 84% power-added efficiency at L-band with a bias of 3.0 volts. Based on the author's literature search, this is a record efficiency at L-band with an operating voltage of less than 5 volts.

Many studies have investigated the behavior of transition metal dopants in the YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} 123 superconductors. Much of this research has focused on the effects of metal ions such as Co, Fe, Zn, Ni when they are substituted for the copper ions at Cu(1) and Cu(2) sites, commonly referred to as the chain and plane sites, respectively. Trivalent ions such as Co{sup +3} and Fe{sup +3}have been shown to behave similarly in their substitution effects, displaying site preference on the Cu(1) site [3-8]. This site preference has been established with the use of techniques such as neutron diffraction and Moessbauer spectroscopy [4,5]. Thermogravimetry, electron diffraction, and analysis of lattice parameters as a function of dopant also yield results consistent with those of the structural studies with respect to the chain site preference of both Co and Fe [3,4,6-8]. The very fast convergence of a and b lattice parameters to that of the tetragonal structure, occurring at x = 0.3 Co dopant (i.e. YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 2.7}Co{sub 0.3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}}) for high-oxygen-content samples, coupled with information derived from diffuse scattering and oxidation behavior of these samples, has been described in detail by several authors in terms of the Co and Fe …

An ultra-high pressure air source for a hypersonic wind tunnel for fluid dynamics and combustion physics and chemistry research and development must provide a 10 kg/s pure air flow for more than 1 s at a specific enthalpy of more than 3000 kJ/kg. The nominal operating pressure and temperature condition for the air source is 2000 MPa and 900 K. A radial array of variable radial support intensifiers connected to an axial manifold provides an arbitrarily large total high pressure volume. This configuration also provides solutions to cross bore stress concentrations and the decrease in material strength with temperature. [hypersonic, high pressure, air, wind tunnel, ground testing]

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is currently performing a demonstration program for the Department of Energy (DOE) which processes spent nuclear fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-II). One of the key steps in this demonstration program is electrorefining of the spent fuel in a molten LiCl-KCl/liquid cadmium system using a pilot scale electrorefiner (Mk-IV ER). This article summarizes experimental observations and engineering aspects for electrorefining spent fuel in the molten LiCl-KCl/liquid cadmium system. It was found that the liquid cadmium pool acted as an intermediate electrode during the electrorefining process in the ER. The cadmium level was gradually decreased due to its high vapor pressure and vaporization rate at the ER operational temperature. The low cadmium level caused the anode assembly momentarily to touch the ER vessel hardware, which generated a periodic current change at the salt/cathode interface and improved uranium recovery efficiency for the process. The primary current distributions calculated by numerical simulations were used in interpreting the experimental results.

Conductor inks containing silver and palladium, used in ceramic co-fired circuits, sometimes undergo an anomalously large expansion during heating in the temperature range where interdiffusion occurs. Therefore, the interdiffusion of silver and palladium was studied during heating in both air and argon using both powder and foil samples. Measurements on a powder compact made of a mixture of Ag and Pd (80% Ag) particles indicated that a very rapid expansion occurred between 375 and 400 C when heated in air but only a slight expansion occurred in Ar. A pre-alloyed powder with the same composition did not expand during heating. In situ high temperature x-ray diffraction studies indicated that both powders oxidized during heating in air, with the mixture oxidizing more and that interdiffusion occurred between 300 and 500 C. Microstructural examination indicated that larger particles with internal pores had formed in the mixture heated in air to 375 C due to rearrangement during interdiffusion. A porous region much thicker than the original silver film formed on a palladium foil sample when it was heated in air, whereas in inert atmosphere pores formed only in the silver film, indicating a Kirkendall effect occurs in both cases. Based on these results, …

The analysis precision of any multivariate calibration method will be severely degraded if unmodeled sources of spectral variation are present in the unknown sample spectra. This paper describes a synthetic method for correcting for the errors generated by the presence of unmodeled components or other sources of unmodeled spectral variation. If the spectral shape of the unmodeled component can be obtained and mathematically added to the original calibration spectra, then a new synthetic multivariate calibration model can be generated to accommodate the presence of the unmodeled source of spectral variation. This new method is demonstrated for the presence of unmodeled temperature variations in the unknown sample spectra of dilute aqueous solutions of urea, creatinine, and NaCl. When constant-temperature PLS models are applied to spectra of samples of variable temperature, the standard errors of prediction (SEP) are approximately an order of magnitude higher than that of the original cross-validated SEPs of the constant-temperature partial least squares models. Synthetic models using the classical least squares estimates of temperature from pure water or variable-temperature mixture sample spectra reduce the errors significantly for the variable temperature samples. Spectrometer drift adds additional error to the analyte determinations, but a method is demonstrated that can minimize …

Two novel Group IV precursors, titanium (IV) neo-pentoxide, [Ti({mu}-ONep)(ONep){sub 3}]{sub 2} (l), and zirconium (IV) neo-pentoxide, [Zr({mu}-ONep)(ONep){sub 3}]{sub 2} (2), were reported to possess relatively high volatility at low temperatures. These compounds were therefore investigated as MOCVD precursors using a lamp-heated cold-wall CVD reactor and direct sublimation without carrier gas. The ONep derivatives proved to be competitive precursors for the production of thin films of the appropriate MO{sub 2} (M = Ti or Zr) materials in comparison to other metallo-organic precursors. Compound 1 was found to sublime at 120 C with a deposition rate of {approximately}0.350 {mu}m/min onto a substrate at 330 C forming the anatase phase with < 1% residual C found in the final film. Compound 2 was found to sublime at 160 C and deposited as crystalline material at 300 C with < 1% residual C found in the final film. A comparison to standard alkoxide and {beta}-diketonates is presented where appropriate.

As a result of the Safeguards Arrangement between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO) concerning international safeguards R and D, ASNO and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have agreed to jointly develop a remote monitoring system at the HIFAR reactor, Lucas Heights, Australia. The HIFAR reactor is a high flux research reactor operated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO). The objective of the system is to remotely monitor the entire Material Balance Area (MBA) AS-A to include: fresh fuel the reactor core; spent fuel in the cropping/irradiation pond, international pond, dry spent fuel storage facility, and Dounreay flasks; and spent fuel during designated transport. The purpose is to reduce on-site inspection effort at the HIFAR reactor.

Optically activated, high gain GaAs switches are being tested for many different applications. TWO such applications are ground penetrating radar (GPR) and firing set switches. The ability of high gain GaAs Photoconductive Semiconductor Switches (PCSs) to deliver fast risetime pulses makes them suitable for their use in radars that rely on fast impulses. This type of direct time domain radar is uniquely suited for the detection of buried items because it can operate at low frequency, high average power, and close to the ground, greatly increasing power on target. We have demonstrated that a PCSs based system can be used to produce a bipolar waveform with a total duration of about 6 ns and with minimal ringing. Such a pulse is radiated and returns from a 55 gallon drum will be presented. For firing sets, the switch requirements include small size, high current, dc charging, radiation hardness and modest longevity. We have switched 1 kA at 1 kV and 2.8 kA at 3 kV dc charge.

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss what is known about the molecular structures found in petroleum resid from mass spectrometry and small angle neutron and X-ray scattering methods. The question about molecular size distributions and the occurrence of aggregation in the asphaltene fraction will be examined. Our understanding of this problem has evolved with the application of new analytical methods. Also, correlations with results from other approaches will be discussed. In addition, the issue of the nature of the heteroatom-containing molecules will be examined and the challenges that remain in this area.

Gas-solid flows occur frequently in many industrial processes and systems, such as in pulverized coal transport pipelines and portions of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) risers. Many of these systems have been modeled and optimized over the years by ''engineering know-how,'' which has been derived from the operating experience with the unit. However, it is being recognized that a more detailed, analytic tool is necessary to improve the efficiency of these systems due to heightened industrial competitiveness. In addition to this competition, increasingly stringent environmental regulations force the industry to improve their systems to comply with these regulations. In part, these two conditions explain the recent interest in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applied to industrial systems. A successfully validated CFD simulation can provide detailed information on an industrial flow system based on a limited amount of experimental data. Once a CFD code has been properly validated, it may then be used to suggest optimal operating conditions. Given the wide range of information provided by a CFD code, the term ''optimal'' may refer to optimal material output, optimal energy efficiency, minimal (optimal) pollutant emission, or optimal lowest operating cost, for example. This versatility has been recently recognized by a number of industries …

We have investigated the effect of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) films deposited on substrates that are placed above bulk HTSs in an attempt to reduce rotational drag in superconducting bearings composed of a permanent magnet levitated above the film/bulk HTS combination. According to the critical state model, hysteresis energy loss is inversely proportional to critical current density, J{sub c}, and because HTS films typically have much higher J{sub c} than that of bulk HTS, the film/bulk combination was expected to reduce rotational losses by at least one order of magnitude in the coefficient of fiction, which in turn is a measure of the hysteresis losses. We measured rotational losses of a superconducting bearing in a vacuum chamber and compared the losses with and without a film present. The experimental results showed that contrary to expectation, the rotational losses are increased by the film. These results are discussed in terms of flux drag through the film, as well as of the critical state model.

The high temperature design rules of the ITER Structural Design Criteria (ISDC), are applied to first wall designs with high heat flux. The maximum coolant pressure and surface heat flux capabilities are shown to be determined not only by the mechanical properties of the first wall material but also by the details of the blanket design. In a high power density self-cooled lithium blanket, the maximum primary stress in the first wall is controlled by many of the geometrical parameters of the blanket, such as, first wall span, first wall curvature, first wall thickness, side wall thickness, and second wall thickness. The creep ratcheting lifetime of the first wall is also shown to be controlled by many of the same geometrical parameters as well as the coolant temperature. According to most high temperature design codes, the time-dependent primary membrane stress allowable are based on the average temperature (ignoring thermal stress). Such a procedure may sometimes be unconservative, particularly for embrittled first walls with large temperature gradients. The effect of secondary (thermal) stresses on the accumulation of creep deformation is illustrated with a vanadium alloy flat plate first wall design.

Heated wells in gloveboxes have been used for many years by the Argonne National Laboratory Chemical Technology Division for nuclear-technology, waste-management, chemical-technology, and analytical-chemistry research. These wells allow experiments to be isolated from the main working volume of the glovebox. In addition, wells, when sealed, allow experiments to be conducted under pressurized or vacuum conditions. Until recently, typical maximum operational temperatures were about 500 C. However, more recent research is requiring operational temperatures approaching 900 C. These new requirements pose interesting design challenges that must be resolved. Some problem areas include temperature effects on material properties, maintaining a seal, cooling selected areas, and minimizing stresses. This paper discusses issues related to these design challenges and the ways in which these issues have been resolved.

A sodalite/glass ceramic waste form has been developed to immobilize highly radioactive nuclear wastes in chloride form, as part of an electrochemical cleanup process. Simulated waste forms have been fabricated which contain plutonium and are representative of the salt from the electrometallurgical process to recover uranium from spent nuclear fuel. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) and x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) studies were performed to determine the location, oxidation state and form of the plutonium within these waste forms. Plutonium, in the non-fission-element case, was found to segregate as plutonium(IV) oxide with a crystallite size of at least 20 nm. With fission elements present, the crystallite size was about 2 nm. No plutonium was observed within the sodalite or glass in the waste form.