This report was prepared to evaluate the compliance of Cask Transportation Facility Modifications (CTFM) to DOE Order 6430.1A.

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.

A general decomposition of the amplitudes for the 2 {r_arrow} 2 processes {gamma}{nu} {r_arrow} {gamma}{nu} and {gamma}{gamma} {r_arrow} {nu}{bar {nu}} is obtained using gauge invariance and Bose symmetry. The restrictions implied by this decomposition are investigated for the reaction {gamma}{gamma} {r_arrow} {nu}{bar {nu}} by computing the one-loop helicity amplitudes in the standard model. In the center of mass, where {radical}s = 2{omega}, the cross section grows roughly as {omega}{sup 6} up to the threshold for W-boson production, {radical}s = 2m{sub W}. Astrophysical implications of very high energy photon-neutrino interactions are discussed.

We report a new measurement of A{sub c} using data obtained by SLD in 1993-98. This measurement uses a vertex tag technique, where the selection of a c hemisphere is based on the reconstructed mass of the charm hadron decay vertex. The method uses the 3D vertexing capabilities of SLD's CCD vertex detector and the small and stable SLC beams to obtain a high c-event tagging efficiency and purity of 28% and 82%, respectively. Charged kaons identified by the CRID detector and the charge of the reconstructed vertex provide an efficient quark-antiquark tag, with the analyzing power calibrated from the data. We obtain a preliminary result of A{sub c} = 0.603 {+-} 0.028 {+-} 0.023.

The primary objective of this project is to enhance domestic petroleum production by demonstration and technology transfer of an advanced oil recovery technology in the Paradox basin, southeastern Utah. If this project can demonstrate technical and economic feasibility, the technique can be applied to approximately 100 additional small fields in the Paradox basin alone, and result in increased recovery of 150 to 200 million barrels of oil. This project is designed to characterize five shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation and choose the best candidate for a pilot demonstration project for either a waterflood or carbon dioxide-flood project. The field demonstration, monitoring of field performance, and associated validation activities will take place in the Paradox basin within the Navajo Nation. The results of this project will be transferred to industry and other researchers through a petroleum extension service, creation of digital databases for distribution, technical workshops and seminars, field trips, technical presentations at national and regional professional meetings, and publication in newsletters and various technical or trade journals.

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.

We have measured solute trapping of several solutes in Al and Ni during rapid solidification. We have also made preliminary measurements of solute trapping of As in Si, trapped 20 atomic percent As in Si, and made a preliminary measurement of the T{sub o} curve in Si-As. 5 figs.

We have measured solute trapping of several solutes in Al and Ni during rapid solidification. We have also made preliminary measurements of solute trapping of As in Si, trapped 20 atomic percent As in Si, and made a preliminary measurement of the T{sub o} curve in Si-As. 5 figs.

The purpose of this testing and evaluation plan (TEP) is to provide the high level guidance on testing requirements for ensuring that the equipment and systems to be implemented for remediation of the SY-101 waste level rise USQ are effective.

A complete edge-weighted directed graph on vertices 1,2,...,n that assigns cost c(i,j) to the edge (i,j) is called Monge if its edge costs form a Monge array, i.e., for all i < k and j < l, c[i, j]+c[k,l]{le} < c[i,l]+c[k,j]. One reason Monge graphs are interesting is that shortest paths can be computed quite quickly in such graphs. In particular, Wilber showed that the shortest path from vertex 1 to vertex n of a Monge graph can be computed in O(n) time, and Aggarwal, Klawe, Moran, Shor, and Wilber showed that the shortest d-edge 1-to-n path (i.e., the shortest path among all 1-to-n paths with exactly d edges) can be computed in O(dn) time. This paper`s contribution is a new algorithm for the latter problem. Assuming 0 {le} c[i,j] {le} U and c[i,j + 1] + c[i + 1,j] {minus} c[i,j] {minus} c[i + 1, j + 1] {ge} L > 0 for all i and j, our algorithm runs in O(n(1 + 1g(U/L))) time. Thus, when d {much_gt} 1 + 1g(U/L), our algorithm represents a significant improvement over Aggarwal et al.`s O(dn)-time algorithm. We also present several applications of our algorithm; they include length-limited Huffman coding, finding the …

The authors present results from a calculation of f{sub B} and f{sub B{sub s}} in the quenched approximation. The heavy quark is simulated using an O(1/M{sup 2}) improved NRQCD action, and the tadpole improved clover action is used for the light quarks. The axial current includes the O(1/M) corrections in one-loop perturbation theory and the O(1/M{sup 2}) ones at tree-level. The authors find f{sub B}=152(11)({sup +8}{sub {minus}12})(9)(6) MeV, f{sub B{sub s}}=181(8)({sup +7}{sub {minus}0})(11)(7)({sup +7}{sub {minus}0}) and f{sub B{sub s}}/f{sub B}=1.20(4)({sup +4}{sub {minus}0}), where, in each case, the first error is statistical and the rest are various systematics.

The authors extend the application of vector and axial Ward identities to calculate b{sub A}, b{sub P} and b{sub T}, coefficients that give the mass dependence of the renormalization constants of the corresponding bilinear operators in the quenched theory. The extension relies on using operators with non-degenerate quark masses. It allows a complete determination of the O(a) improvement coefficients for bilinears in the quenched approximation using Ward Identities alone. Only the scale dependent normalization constants Z{sub P}{sup 0} (or Z{sub S}{sup 0}) and Z{sub T} are undetermined. The authors present results of a pilot numerical study using hadronic correlators.

This project involves testing at six full-scale utility flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems to evaluate low capital cost upgrades that may allow these systems to achieve up to 98% SO{sub 2} removal efficiency. The upgrades being evaluated mostly involve using performance additives in the FGD systems. The {open_quotes}base{close_quotes} project involved testing at the Tampa Electric Company Big Bend station. All five potential options to the base program have been exercised by DOE, involving testing at Hoosier Energy`s Merom Station (Option I), Southwestern Electric Power Company`s Pirkey Station (Option II), PSI Energy`s Gibson Station (Option III), Duquesne Light`s Elrama Station (Option IV), and New York State Electric and Gas Corporation`s Kintigh Station (Option V). The originally planned testing has been completed for all six sites. The remainder of this document is divided into four sections. Section 2, Project Summary, provides a brief overview of the status of technical efforts on this project. Section 3, Results, summarizes the outcome from technical efforts during the quarter, or results from prior quarters that have not been previously reported. In Section 4, Plans for the Next Reporting Period, an overview is provided of the technical efforts that are anticipated for the third quarter of calendar …

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 &lt; 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 &lt; 1% residual C found in the final film. A comparison to standard alkoxide and {beta}-diketonates is presented where appropriate.

Intrinsic bioremediation is a risk management option that relies on natural biological and physical processes to contain the spread of contamination from a source. Evidence is presented in this report that intrinsic bioremediation is occurring at the Sanitary Landfill is fundamental to support incorportion into a Corrective Action Plan (CAP).

An electron-proton/ion polarized beam collider (EPIC) with high luminosity and center of mass energy square root s = 25 GeV would be a valuable facility for fundamental studies of proton and nuclear structure and tests of quantum chromodynamics, I review a sample of prospective EPIC topics, particularly semi-exclusive reactions, studies of the proton fragmentation region, heavy quark electroproduction, and a new probe of odderon/pomeron interference.

The first phase of experimentation for the comprehensive similitude study on the two laboratory scale cold-model circulating fluidized beds has been completed. This first phase required the acquisition and analysis of pressure fluctuation data from a 2.0 inch diameter pressurized circulating fluidized bed. The second phase required the matching of each of the 20 experiments in a cold-model twice the size of the smaller 2.0 inch circulating fluidized bed model using similitude relations. Problems of excessive electrostatic buildup were encountered in this second phase. To alleviate these problems, the large model had to be redesigned and reconstructed. The focus of the research this past quarter has been devoted to these modifications. Currently, the new sections have been constructed and the modified circulating fluidized bed is in the process of reassembly. Two related projects were undertaken while the large circulating fluidized bed model was being modified. A bubbling bed was constructed such that pressure fluctuation data could be measured in both bubbling and turbulent fluidization regimes. The purpose of such tests was to relate pressure fluctuation structure in the lower sections of the circulating fluidized bed with phenomena observed in bubbling/turbulent regimes. Two probes designed to measure heat transfer coefficients in …

A general review of the technical merits of nuclear thermal rocket clustering is presented. A summary of previous analyses performed during the Rover program is presented and used to assess clustering in the context of projected Space Exploration Initiative missions. A number of technical issues are discussed including cluster reliability, engine-out operation, neutronic coupling, shutdown core power generation, shutdown reactivity requirements, reactor kinetics, and radiation shielding. 7 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

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.

Considerable attention has been paid over the years to the problem of growing high purity KDP and KD*P to meet damage threshold requirements of ICF lasers at LLNL. The maximum fluence requirement for KD*P triplers on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is 14.3 J/cm² at 351 nm in a 3 ns pulse. Currently KD*P (conventional or rapid grown) cannot meet this requirement without laser (pre)conditioning. In this overview, recent experiments to understand laser conditioning and damage phenomena in KDP and KD*P will be discussed. These experiments have lead to a fundamental revision of damage test methods and test result interpretation. In particular, the concept of a damage threshold has given way to measuring performance by damage distributions using millimeter sixed beams. Automated R/l (conditioned) damage tests have shown that the best rapidly grown KDP crystals exhibit the same damage distributions at the best conventionally grown KD*P. Continuous filtration of the growth solution and post growth thermal sealing are shown to increase the damage performance as well. In addition, centimeter size beams from multijoule lasers have been used to study stepwise laser conditioning in KDP. These tests have shown that an increase in the damage threshold of ~1.5X is attainable with …

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 (&gt;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.

The collision of laser-produced plasmas has been diagnosed by x-ray spectroscopy and imaging. The two colliding plasmas are produced on Al thin foils at a distance of 200 to 900 {mu}m irradiated at {lambda} = 0.53 {mu}m with laser intensities of 3 {times} 10{sup 13} to 6 {times} 10{sup 13} W/cm{sup 2}. Interpenetration of the plasmas was visualized by replacing one of the foils material by magnesium. The main diagnostics viewing the inter-target space were time-resolved monochromatic imaging of the 1s{sup 2} 1s3p aluminum line (He{Beta} at {lambda} {minus} 6.635 {Angstrom}). Doppler broadening measurement with a vertical Johann very high resolution spectrograph in the range 6.5--6.7{Angstrom}, space-resolved high resolution spectra of the dielectronic satellites of the 1s-2p 1 yman, space-resolved spectra with a flat-crystal spectrograph in the range 5--7 {Angstrom} and in the range of 43--48 {Angstrom} obtained with a new OHM crystal spectrograph and a pinhole camera. A multifluid eulerian monodimensional hydrodynamic code coupled with a radiative-atomic package provided simulations of the experiments. Hydrodynamic 2D simulations calculating the lateral expansion of the plasma enabled a reliable treatment of reabsorption along the line of sight of the spectrographs. The size the time duration of the collision, the plasma parameters (Te,Ti …

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]