The report describes the analyses performed on core samples from the sludge region of the waste in Tank 241-AY-102 to determine the electrochemical corrosion potential.

Researchers at the Timken Company conceived a project to develop an on-line instrument for wall thickness measurement of steel seamless mechanical tubing based on laser ultrasonic technology. The instrument, which has been installed and tested at a piercing mill, provides data on tube eccentricity and concentricity. Such measurements permit fine-tuning of manufacturing processes to eliminate excess material in the tube wall and therefore provide a more precisely dimensioned product for their customers. The resulting process energy savings are substantial, as is lowered environmental burden. The expected savings are $85.8 million per year in seamless mechanical tube piercing alone. Applied across the industry, this measurement has a potential of reducing energy consumption by 6 x 10{sup 12} BTU per year, greenhouse gas emissions by 0.3 million metric tons carbon equivalent per year, and toxic waste by 0.255 million pounds per year. The principal technical contributors to the project were the Timken Company, Industrial Materials Institute (IMI, a contractor to Timken), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Timken provided mill access as well as process and metallurgical understanding. Timken researchers had previously developed fundamental ultrasonic analysis methods on which this project is based. IMI developed and fabricated the laser ultrasonic generation and …

To serve as an interconnect / gas separator in an SOFC stack, an alloy should demonstrate the ability to provide (i) bulk and surface stability against oxidation and corrosion during prolonged exposure to the fuel cell environment, (ii) thermal expansion compatibility with the other stack components, (iii) chemical compatibility with adjacent stack components, (iv) high electrical conductivity of the surface reaction products, (v) mechanical reliability and durability at cell exposure conditions, (vii) good manufacturability, processability and fabricability, and (viii) cost effectiveness. As the first step of this approach, a composition and property database was compiled for high temperature alloys in order to assist in determining which alloys offer the most promise for SOFC interconnect applications in terms of oxidation and corrosion resistance. The high temperature alloys of interest included Ni-, Fe-, Co-base superal

Tomographic images of tissue phantoms and a sample of breast tissue have been produced from an acoustic synthetic array system for frequencies near 500 kHz. The images for sound speed and attenuation show millimeter resolution and demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining high-resolution tomographic images with frequencies that can deeply penetrate tissue. The image reconstruction method is based on the Born approximation to acoustic scattering and is a simplified version of a method previously used by Andre (Andre, et. al., Int. J. Imaging Systems and Technology, Vol 8, No. 1, 1997) for a circular acoustic array system. The images have comparable resolution to conventional ultrasound images at much higher frequencies (3-5 MHz) but with lower speckle noise. This shows the potential of low frequency, deeply penetrating, ultrasound for high-resolution quantitative imaging.

The PHOBOS experiment at RHIC has measured the multiplicity of primary charged particles as a function of centrality and pseudorapidity in Au+Au collisions at {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 19.6, 130 and 200 GeV. Two observations indicate universal behavior of charged particle production in heavy ion collisions. The first is that forward particle production, over a range of energies, follows a universal limiting curve with a non-trivial centrality dependence. The second arises from comparisons with pp/{bar p}p and e{sup +}e{sup -} data. <Nch>/<N{sub part}/2> in nuclear collisions at high energy scales with {radical}s in a similar way as N{sub ch} in e{sup +}e{sup -} collisions and has a very weak centrality dependence. These features may be related to a reduction in the leading particle effect due to the multiple collisions suffered per participant in heavy ion collisions.

Structural properties of single-phase films of {kappa}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} and {gamma}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} were investigated. Both films were polycrystalline but their microstructure differed considerably. The a-lattice parameter of {kappa}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} has been measured. Comparison between these two materials indicates that {kappa}-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} has a significantly larger unit cell ({Delta}c = 2.5 {+-} 0.2 % and {Delta}a = 13.5 {+-} 0.5%) and a structure more similar to the {alpha}-phase of In{sub 2}Se{sub 3}.

Ku is an abundant heterodimeric nuclear protein, consisting of 70-kDa and 86-kDa tightly associated subunits that comprise the DNA binding component of DNA-dependent protein kinase. Poly(ADP)ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a 113-kDa protein that catalyzes the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) on target proteins. Both Ku and PARP-1 recognize and bind to DNA ends. Ku functions in the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair pathway whereas PARP-1 functions in the single strand break repair and base excision repair (BER) pathways. Recent studies have revealed that PARP-1 and Ku80 interact in vitro. To determine whether the association of PARP-1 and Ku80 has any physiological significance or synergistic function in vivo, mice lacking both PARP-1 and Ku80 were generated. The resulting offspring died during embryonic development displaying abnormalities around the gastrulation stage. In addition, PARP-1-/-Ku80-/- cultured blastocysts had an increased level of apoptosis. These data suggest that the functions of both Ku80 and PARP-1 are essential for normal embryogenesis and that a loss of genomic integrity leading to cell death through apoptosis is likely the cause of the embryonic lethality observed in these mice.

Beginning in the summer of 2000, California experienced serious energy supply problems, sharp increases in wholesale (and retail) electricity and natural gas prices, and isolated blackouts. In response to the rapidly worsening electricity situation in California in late 2000, the state set, as an initial goal, the reduction of the state's peak demand for the summer of 2001 by 5,000 megawatts. To meet this goal, the governor and legislature took a variety of steps to enhance supply, encourage rapid voluntary reductions in demand, and provide incentives for actions that would result in load reductions. Three bills-Assembly Bill 970, Senate Bill X1 5 and Assembly Bill X1 29-allocated roughly $950 million for consumption and demand reduction programs. The governor also enacted a variety of additional measures, including the ''Flex Your Power'' (media awareness and direct business involvement) campaign, requirements for retail sector outdoor lighting reductions, and toughening of energy efficiency building codes. There were, in fact, significant reductions in electricity demand in California during the summer of 2001 and the large number of expected supply disruptions was avoided. To understand the nature of these demand reductions and the motivations for consumer response, Washington State University (WSU) undertook a study for the …

The RELAP5/MOD3.2 computer program has been used to analyze a series of tests investigating void fraction distribution over height in RBMK fuel channels performed in Facility BM at the ENTEK. This is RBMK Standard Problem 7 in Joint Project 6, which is the investigation of Computer Code Validation for Transient Analysis of RBMK and VVER Reactors, between the United States and Russian Minatom International Nuclear Safety Centers. The experiment facility and data, RELAP5 nodalization, and results are shown for all tests. Agreement between RELAP5 and the experiment data is reasonable.

An experimental facility for conducting research on capillary pumped loop (CPL) systems was developed. In order to simulate shipboard cooling water encountered at various locations of the ocean, the heat sink temperature of the facility could be varied. A flat plate, CPL evaporator was designed and tested under various heat sink temperatures. The sink temperature ranged from 274.3 to 305.2 K and the heat input varied from 250 to 800 W which corresponds to heat fluxes up to 1.8 W/cm{sup 2}. The CPL flat plate evaporator performed very well under this range of heat input and sink temperatures. The main result obtained showed that a large degree of subcooling developed between the evaporator vapor outlet line and liquid return line. This condensate depression increased with increasing heat input.

The total production rate for taus at a hadron collider is not a useful quantity. Taus must have significant transverse momentum (p{sub T}) in order to be observable. Leptonic decays of taus will yield isolated electrons or muons that can be detected but these can also be directly produced so discriminating their origin can be difficult. Hadronic decays of taus result in jets that must be distinguished from jets arising from QCD processes using the particle multiplicity and invariant mass. At the LHC, new particles can be expected that decay to final states involving taus. Examples are given from simulations by the ATLAS experiment showing how such final states can be exploited.

Micro-SRIXE (synchrotron-radiation-induced X-ray emission) and micro-XAS (X-ray absorption spectroscopy) were used to probe the uptake of exogenous metals by cells. The high flux and the sub-micron resolution of the hard X-ray microprobe, offer the experimenter the ability to obtain highly sensitive spatial and structural information of cellular elements. In this work the uptake of carcinogenic Cr(VI) was compared with that of a relatively non-toxic Cr(III) complex by micro-SRIXE mapping of whole cells. High intracellular Cr concentrations were observed in Cr(VI)-treated cells, while no significant Cr uptake was observed for Cr(III)-treated cells, as is consistent with uptake studies performed by other techniques. Micro-XANES analysis of Cr(V)- and Cr(VI)-treated cells showed that the predominant oxidation product following cellular metabolism was Cr(III). As shown by X-ray microscopic analysis of thin-sectioned cells, however, the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) did not occur at a fast enough rate to exclude Cr entry into the cell nucleus.

Continued the fault study to find more faults and develop new techniques to visualize them. Data from the Dundee Formation was used to document 11 major faults in the Michigan Basin which have now been verified using data from other horizons. These faults control the locations of many of the large anticlinal structures in the Michigan Basin and likely controlled fluid movements as well.

This is the ninth Quarterly Technical Report for DOE Cooperative Agreement No: DE-FC26-00NT40753. The goal of the project is to develop cost effective analysis tools and techniques for demonstrating and evaluating low NOx control strategies and their possible impact on boiler performance for firing US coals. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is providing cofunding for this program. This program contains multiple tasks and good progress is being made on all fronts. Various subsystems of BYU's Catalyst Characterization System (CCS) were upgraded this quarter. Work on the CCS hardware and software will continue in the coming quarter. A preliminary test matrix of poisoning experiments in the CCS has been drafted that will explore the effects of at least three poisons: sodium, potassium and calcium. During this quarter, we attempted to resolve discrepancies in previous in situ measurements of catalyst sulfation. Modifications were made to the XPS analysis procedure that allowed analyses of uncrushed samples. Although the XPS and FTIR results are now more consistent in that both indicate that the surface is sulfating (unlike the results reported last quarter), they disagree with respect to which species sulfates. The CEM system for the multi-catalyst slipstream reactor arrived this quarter. Minor modifications …

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We have been taking advantage of recent experimental developments, which involve utilizing diffraction data from x-rays or neutrons out to very large wave-vectors, to obtain a detailed structural characterization of semiconductor alloys. This approach allows an accurate Pair Distribution Function (PDF) to be obtained to 20A and beyond and reveals the local structure of the alloy directly. These data can be modeled explicitly to learn about local correlations and short-range order in materials. We are combining theory, modeling and experiments to study a range of materials from semiconductors to thermoelectrics and proton conductors.

The effect on the filter flux of tributyl phosphate and normal paraffin hydrocarbon in a simulate AZ-101 3.5 wt percent insoluble, 28-30 wt percent total slurry was studied.

The PHOBOS experiment at RHIC has measured the multiplicity of primary charged particles as a function of centrality and pseudorapidity in Au+Au collisions at {radical}(s{sub NN}) = 19.6, 130 and 200 GeV. Two observations indicate universal behavior of charged particle production in heavy ion collisions. The first is that forward particle production, over a range of energies, follows a universal limiting curve with a non-trivial centrality dependence. The second arises from comparisons with pp/{bar p}p and e{sup +}e{sup -} data. <N{sub ch}>/<N{sub part}/2> in nuclear collisions at high energy scales with {radical}s in a similar way as N{sub ch} in e{sup +}e{sup -} collisions and has a very weak centrality dependence. These features may be related to a reduction in the leading particle effect due to the multiple collisions suffered per participant in heavy ion collisions.

Nuclear Materials Management Division (NMMD) has proposed that up to 100 kg of the plutonium (Pu) solutions stored in H-Canyon be precipitated with a nuclear poison and dispositioned to H-Area Tank Farm. The use of gadolinium (Gd) as the poison would greatly reduce the number of additional glass logs resulting from this disposition. This report summarizes the characteristics of the precipitation process and addresses criticality concerns in the Nuclear Criticality Safety Evaluation. No problems were found with the nature of the precipitate or the neutralization process.

The development of a standard for the safe, long-term storage of {sup 233}U-containing materials resulted in the identification of several needed experimental studies. These studies were largely related to the potential for the generation of unacceptable pressures or the formation of deleterious products during storage of uranium oxides. The primary concern was that these conditions could occur as a result of the radiolysis of residual impurities--specifically fluorides and water-by the high radiation fields associated with {sup 233}U/{sup 232}U-containing materials. This report documents the results from a gamma radiolysis experiment in which UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} {center_dot} 0.4H{sub 2}O was loaded in helium. This experiment was performed using spent nuclear fuel elements from the High Flux Isotope Reactor as the gamma source and was a follow-on to experiments conducted previously. It was found that upon gamma irradiation, the UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} {center_dot} 0.4H{sub 2}O released 0{sub 2} with an initial G(O{sub 2}) = 0.01 molecule O{sub 2}/100 eV and that some of the uranium was reduced from U(VI) to U(IV). The high total dose achieved in the SNF elements was sufficient to reach a damage limit for the UO{sub 2}F{sub 2} {center_dot} 0.4H{sub 2}O. This damage limit, measured in terms of the …

The beam brightness of a multicusp-plasma ion source has been substantially improved by optimizing the source configuration and extractor geometry. The current density of a 2 keV He{sup +} beam extracted from a 7.5-cm-diameter source operating at 2.5 kW RF power is {approx}100 mA/cm{sup 2}, which is {approx}10 times larger than that of a beam extracted from a 5-cm-diameter source operating at 1 kW RF power. A smaller focused beam spot size is achieved with a counter-bored extractor instead of a conventional (''through-hole'') extractor, resulting another order of magnitude improvement in beam current density. Measured brightness can be as high as 440 A/cm{sup 2}Sr, which represents a 30 times improvement over prior work.

The basis of this study was the hypothesis that the physical and chemical properties of hypersaline tank waste could lead to wetting from instability and fingered flow following a tank leak. Thus, the goal of this project was to develop an understanding of the impacts of the properties of hypersaline fluids on transport through the unsaturated zone beneath Hanford's Tank Farms. There were three specific objectives (i) to develop an improved conceptualization of hypersaline fluid transport in laboratory (ii) to identify the degree to which field conditions mimic the flow processes observed in the laboratory and (iii) to provide a validation data set to establish the degree to which the conceptual models, embodied in a numerical simulator, could explain the observed field behavior. As hypothesized, high ionic strength solutions entering homogeneous pre-wetted porous media formed unstable wetting fronts atypical of low ionic strength infiltration. In the field, this mechanism could for ce flow in vertical flow paths, 5-15 cm in width, bypassing much of the media and leading to waste penetration to greater depths than would be predicted by current conceptual models. Preferential flow may lead to highly accelerated transport through large homogeneous units, and must be included in any …

The explicit method of the finite-element analysis is capable of analyzing the dynamic responses of a complex structure with complicated contact conditions. The method has been widely used in evaluating the dynamic responses of shipping package for radioactive materials. However, the previous analyses focused on the stresses and deformations of the structure components subjected impact loads and the possibility of the locking-ring closure separating from the drum body is not accounted for. The major difficulty for applying the explicit method to a container with a locking-ring closure is that the phenomenon of pre-loading a locking-ring closure is a static process; whereas, the explicit method involves the propagation of stress waves in the structure and thus is only applicable to dynamic analyses. The purpose of this paper is to propose a technique that extends the application of the explicit finite-element method to the dynamic analysis of the container pre-loaded by a lock-ring. Unlike the conventional dynamic analysis by the explicit method that only needs one load step, the proposed technique requires three sequential procedure steps (not load steps) to complete an entire analysis. Furthermore, one procedure step may consist of two load steps.

In this talk, the author discusses the scientific issues being addressed in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions. He also discusses some of the recent results from RHIC at Brookhaven National Laboratory which give some experimental insight into these issues.