Recent highlights in CP violation phenomena, are reviewed. B-factory results imply that, CP-violation phase in the CKM matrix is the dominant contributor to the observed CP violation in K and B-physics. Deviations from the predictions of the CKM-paradigm due to beyond the Standard Model CP-odd phase are likely to be a small perturbation. Therefore, large data sample of clean B's will be needed. Precise determination of the unitarity triangle, along with time dependent CP in penguin dominated hadronic and radiative modes are discussed. Null tests in B, K and top-physics and separate determination of the K-unitarity triangle are also emphasized.

This paper describes the approach of dealing with an historic legacy of pharmaceutical manufacturing operations, which arose as a result of the temporary cessation of sea disposal in 1983. The result of that cessation was an accumulation of 1,000 reinforced concrete lined steel drums containing intermediate level nuclear waste of mixed chemical and physical form. Included are the steps taken which established a policy, the resulting strategy and the unique and innovative means by which the plan was implemented. The objective was to reduce the financial liability of the waste contained within the drums by removing those portions that had already decayed, segregating the waste in terms of non disposable and disposable isotopes, size reduction and long-term storage of the residues in a retrievable waste form. As part of this process the Company established a UK strategy which would ensure that the Company was self sufficient in radioactive waste handling storage facilities until the provision of a national facility, currently predicted to be approximately 2040.

Interference lithography is an emerging, technology that provides a means for achieving high resolution over large exposure areas (approximately 1 m{sup 2}) with virtually unlimited depth of field. One- and two-dimensional arrays of deep submicron structures can be created using near i-line wavelengths and standard resist processing. In this paper, we report on recent advances in the development of this technology, focusing, in particular, on how exposure latitude and resist profile scale with interference period We present structure width vs dose curves for periods ranging from 200 nm to 1 um, demonstrating that deep submicron structures can be generated with exposure latitudes exceeding 30%. Our experimental results are compared to simulations based on PROLITIV2.

Certain radioisotopes can penetrate concrete and contaminate the concrete well below the surface. The challenge is to determine the extent and magnitude of the contamination problem in real-time. The concrete profiling technology, TRUPROSM in conjunction with portable radiometric instrumentation produces a profile of radiological or chemical contamination through the material being studied. The data quality, quantity, and representativeness may be used to produce an activity profile from the hot spot surface into the material being sampled. This activity profile may then be expanded to ultimately characterize the facility and expedite waste segregation and facility closure at a reduced cost and risk. Performing a volumetric concrete or metal characterization safer and faster (without lab intervention) is the objective of this characterization technology. This way of determining contamination can save considerable time and money. Currently, concrete core bores are shipped to certified laboratories where the concrete residue is run through a battery of tests to determine the contaminants. The existing core boring operation volatilizes or washes out some of the contaminants (like tritium) and oftentimes cross-contaminates the area around the core bore site. The volatilization of the contaminants can lead to airborne problems in the immediate vicinity of the core bore. Cross-contamination …

This paper describes the commercial application of an innovative plasma mass separator called the Archimedes Filter to a pre-treatment plant that can be integrated into the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford and Savannah River Sites to significantly enhance the treatment of radioactive high-level waste. The output of the Archimedes Filter is completely compatible with existing waste immobilization processes such as vitrification and requires no new waste form to be developed. A full-geometric-scale Demonstration Filter Unit (DEMO) has been constructed and is undergoing initial testing at the Archimedes Technology Group Development Facilities in San Diego. Some of the technology and engineering development is being performed by other organizations in collaboration with Archimedes. The Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) is developing the plasma calcination technology and all of the associated systems for AFP feed preparation. Two Russian institutes are involved in the development of the ICP torch and injector system. The Remote System Group (UT-Battelle) at ORNL is developing the remote maintenance system for the filter units. Conceptual design of the Archimedes Filter Plant (AFP) is being developed concurrently with the DEMO testing program. The AFP mission is to significantly reduce the cost and accelerate the rate of vitrification of high-level …

As facility demolition and remediation continued at the DOE Ashtabula Environmental Management Project (AEMP), a DOE closure site located in Ashtabula, OH, the quantity of mixed waste increased by approximately twenty-fold from the original Site Treatment Plan estimates to over 567 m3 (20,000 cubic feet). Also, a greater variety of low-level mixed waste (MW) was identified that was suitable for alternate debris treatment like macroencapsulation (MACRO) instead of traditional shredding, stabilization, and solidification to improve the overall safety and cost-effectiveness. Macroencapsulation is required for lead and authorized for hazardous debris under the alternate debris treatment standards per 40 CFR 268.45. Several polymer encapsulation processes were being explored, developed, and deployed in the mid-1990's by various groups including the DOE Mixed Waste Focus Area, DOE EM-50 Office of Science and Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, DOE Macro Working Group, DOE-Albuquerque Mixed Waste/Mobile Treatment Unit, and Envirocare of Utah, Inc. As a result, technically-proven macroencapsulation and microencapsulation processes using extruded polyethylene beads were verified as being technically acceptable for waste treatment to RCRA standards. The AEMP had a variety of waste forms where technically-proven systems were needed to perform on-site treatment of challenging mixed wastes (MW) from production operations (i.e. HEPA filters, barium …

The analytic cell was mainly used for process control analysis of the reprocessing process and for the measurement of fuel burn up ratio in JAERI's Reprocessing Test Facility (JRTF). The analytic cell was a heavy shielded one and equipped with a conveyor. The cell was alpha and beta(gamma)contaminated. For dismantling of analytic cells, it is very important to establish a method to remove the heavy shield safely and reduce the exposure. At first, a green house was set up to prevent the spread out of contamination, and next, the analytic cell was dismantled. Depending on the contamination condition, the workers wore protective suits such as air ventilated-suits for prevention of internal exposure and vinyl chloride aprons, lead aprons in order to reduce external exposure. From the work carried out, various data such as needed manpower for the activities, the collective dose of workers by external exposure, the amount of radioactive wastes and the relation between the weight of the shield and its dismantling efficiency were obtained and input for the database. The method of dismantling and the experience with the dismantling of the analytic cell in the JRTF, carried out during 2001 and 2002, are described in this paper.

The necessity to develop the submarine fleet in Russia required constructing a special training base for the training of submarine crews. To this purpose two prototypes of nuclear power units, close analogous to those fitting out nuclear submarines were constructed and commissioned in the sixties on the Navy training centre's base located in Paldiski (Pakri peninsula, Estonia). In 1994, nuclear fuel was discharged from the reactors and transported to Russia while the reactors themselves were prepared for prolonged storage, prior to transfer of the Paldiski facilities to the ownership of the Estonian Republic. The Paldiski facilities are currently being dismantled with the exception of two sarcophagi made of concrete that are housing the two reactor compartments. The question of the future management of both sarcophagi is a key-issue in the cleaning up of the whole Paldiski site. Actually, three basic questions should answered: when should dismantling operations occur, how this should be done, and what could be the corresponding cost. Within the context of enlargement of the European Union, the Commission services (first Directorate-General for Environment and then Directorate-General for Enlargement) decided to support Estonia to respond to these three questions through a study contract that was awarded in 1999 …

For the conditioning of spent resins contaminated with radionuclides, such as: 137Cs, 134Cs, 60Co, 58Co, 57Co, 54Mn, etc., techniques of direct immobilization in cement, bitumen and organic polymers have been tested. The selected process was the bituminization using industrial bitumen, I 60-70, made in Romania, which had very good characteristics. The paper presents stages of the research project, technical conditions for the process and advantages of the bituminization of spent resins.

This paper describes the management of alpha waste that cannot be stored in surface repositories under current French regulations. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of COGEMA's Integrated Waste Management Strategy. The topics discussed include primary waste minimization, from facility design to operating feedback; primary waste management by the plant operator, including waste characterization; waste treatment options that led to building waste treatment industrial facilities for plutonium decontamination, compaction and cement solidification; and optimization of industrial tools, which is strongly influenced by safety and financial considerations.

Normal butylamine compounds are studied as salt-free wash reagents for degraded solvent used in PUREX process in spent fuel reprocessing. The solvent wash tests were carried out with two types of butylamine compounds, n-butylamine oxalate and n-butylamine bicarbonate, by counter-current mode using a small size mixer-settler composed of two 4-stage wash steps. Di-n-butyl phosphoric acid (HDBP), the main degradation product from TBP, was removed from real degraded solvent with decontamination factor of 2.5 {approx} 7.9. The study on electrolytic decomposition of butylamine compounds was also conducted for waste treatment.

Technologies were investigated to determine viable processes for removing mercury from the calciner (NWCF) offgas system at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Technologies for gas phase and aqueous phase treatment were evaluated. The technologies determined are intended to meet EPA Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements under the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Currently, mercury accumulation in the calciner off-gas scrubbing system is transferred to the tank farm. These transfers lead to accumulation in the liquid heels of the tanks. The principal objective for aqueous phase mercury removal is heel mercury reduction. The system presents a challenge to traditional methods because of the presence of nitrogen oxides in the gas phase and high nitric acid in the aqueous scrubbing solution. Many old and new technologies were evaluated including sorbents and absorption in the gas phase and ion exchange, membranes/sorption, galvanic methods, and UV reduction in the aqueous phase. Process modifications and feed pre-treatment were also evaluated. Various properties of mercury and its compounds were summarized and speciation was predicted based on thermodynamics. Three systems (process modification, NOxidizer combustor, and electrochemical aqueous phase treatment) and additional technology testing were recommended.

Activities of the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory are presented. A brief description of FFTF and some highlights of reactor operations are reviewed. The sodium technology work at HEDL is summarized by discussing several facets of the program and their tie-ins to breeder reactor development.

During the past years a new cutting technology, the CAMX-process-family (Contact-Arc-Metal-X [X is for Cutting, Grinding and Drilling]) was developed at the Institute of Materials Science in Hanover. These are electro-thermal underwater separation processes for metallic structures. The CAMX technology covers the Contact-Arc-Metal- Cutting (CAMC) with a sword-like cutting electrode, the Contact-Arc-Metal-Grinding (CAMG) with a rotating electrode and the Contact-Arc-Metal-Drilling (CAMD) with a wrap mechanism to fix and carry the workpiece. There are no limitations of CAMC concerning the capability of cutting complicated structures of workpieces. Undercuts and cavities in the workpiece do not affect the CAMC. The CAMG is a separation process for straight cuts with a very high cutting speed. The CAMD is a technology to drill holes or pocket holes of any geometry. With the integrated wrap mechanism it is possible to fix and carry workpieces, which are not to handle with conventional mechanisms.

Pressures are mounting for a regime to verify the dismantlement of US and Russian warheads, as well as a system of international control over the weapons` fissile materials to assure irreversibility. There are at least four motivating factors for these measures: (1) as the United States and Russia lower their numbers of nuclear weapons, each side seeks assurance that the warheads are actually being dismantled; (2) by accounting for the fissile materials and placing them under effective controls, the potential for smuggling and theft is reduced; (3) a fissile materials cutoff is being discussed at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva; verification of a US-Russian cutoff, as well as substantial reductions in fissile materials stockpiles, are seen as integral to the cutoff; (4) calls for total nuclear disarmament have greatly increased; dismantlement verification and international control of fissile materials are widely viewed as requisite steps toward this goal. There are many questions to be answered before the United States can agree to a warhead verification regime and international control over excess fissile materials, let alone total nuclear disarmament. Two of the most important are: What are the prospects for effective verification? and How much fissile material can be declared as …

This is one of two companion papers that describe the ENERGY-10 PV design tool computer simulation program. The other paper is titled ''ENERGY-10 Photovoltaics: A New Capability.'' Whereas this paper focuses on the PV aspects of the program, the companion paper focuses on the implementation method. The case study in this paper is a commercial building application, whereas the case study in the companion paper is a residential application with an entirely different building load characteristic. Together they provide a balanced view.

A unique electronics system has been built and tested for reading signals from the silicon-strip detectors of the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope mission. The system amplifies and processes signals from 884,736 36-cm strips using only 160 W of power, and it achieves close to 100% detection efficiency with noise occupancy sufficiently low to allow it to self trigger. The design of the readout system is described, and results are presented from ground-based testing of the completed detector system.

Currently no final repository for any type of radioactive waste is operated in Germany. Preliminary Final Storage Acceptance Requirements for radioactive waste packages were published in 1995. Up to now these are the basis for treatment of radioactive waste in Germany. After licensing of the final repository these preliminary waste acceptance requirements are completed with licensing conditions. Some of these conditions affect the preliminary waste acceptance requirements, e. g. behavior of chemo-toxic substances in case of accidents in the final repository or the allowed maximum concentration of fissile material. The presented examples of radioactive waste conditioning campaigns demonstrate that no difficulties are expected in management, characterization and quality assurance of radioactive wastes due to the licensing conditions.

An important step in the feasibility study of radioactive waste disposal in Boom Clay is the demonstration that we can construct galleries using industrial techniques, keeping the disturbance of the host-rock at an acceptable level for the long term safety of the disposal site. The successful construction of a connecting gallery of 85m in less than 6 weeks demonstrated the feasibility. To limit the disturbance, an expanding lining type was used: the wedge-block system; for the same reason, the lining was installed as soon as possible after excavation and a minimal excavation rate (2m/day) was imposed. The total radial convergence was limited to about 0.09m; the excavation radius was 2.445m. An extensive instrumentation and observation program accompanied the construction of the connecting gallery. Sensors measuring displacements, total pressure and pore water pressure were installed in the host rock to study the hydro-mechanical behavior of the clay when the gallery was excavated. Sensors in the tunneling shield gave information about the instantaneous convergence and excavation parameters. Strain gauges were placed in three sections of the lining to study the evolution of stresses in the lining with time. A systematic observation of the face and side-walls provided a useful database of the …

For 13 years, low-level waste (LLW) generator fees and disposal volumes for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office (NNSA/NV) Radioactive Waste Management Sites (RWMSs) had been on a veritable roller coaster ride. As forecast volumes and disposal volumes fluctuated wildly, generator fees were difficult to determine and implement. Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 forecast projections were so low, the very existence of disposal operations at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) were threatened. Providing the DOE Complex with a viable, cost-effective disposal option, while assuring the disposal site a stable source of funding, became the driving force behind the development of the Waste Generator Access Fee at the NTS. On September 26, 2000, NNSA/NV (after seeking input from DOE/Headquarters [HQ]), granted permission to Bechtel Nevada (BN) to implement the Access Fee for FY 2001 as a two-year Pilot Program. In FY 2001 (the first year the Access Fee was implemented), the NTS Disposal Operations experienced a 90 percent increase in waste receipts from the previous year and a 33 percent reduction in disposal fee charged to the waste generators. Waste receipts for FY 2002 were projected to be 63 percent higher than FY 2001 and …

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM) continues to pursue cost-effective, environmental cleanup of the weapons complex sites with a concomitant emphasis on deployment of innovative technologies as a means to this end. The EM Office of Science and Technology (OST) pursues a strategy that entails identification of technologies that have potential applications throughout the DOE complex: at multiple DOE sites and at multiple facilities on those sites. It further encourages a competitive procurement process for the various applications entailed in the remediation of a given facility. These strategies require a competitive private-sector supplier base to help meet EM needs. OST supports technology development and deployment through investments in partnerships with private industry to enhance the acceptance of their technology products within the DOE market. Since 1992, OST and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have supported the re search and development of technology products and services offered by the private sector. During this time, NETL has managed over 140 research and development projects involving industrial and university partners. These projects involve research in a broad range of EM related topics, including deactivation and decommissioning, characterization, monitoring, sensors, waste separation, groundwater remediation, robotics, and mixed waste treatment. …

This paper describes the analyses performed to determine whether or not the eleven major Department of Energy sites had adequate planning and resources available to implement their shipping baselines. The study covers only Environmental Management off-site shipments using Type B and Type A-Fissile packaging. The time frame evaluated is from 2001-2010. The results indicate issues with respect to having certified packaging for planned shipments, the packaging inventory available to support schedules, and the material sufficiently characterized to enable package selection.

This paper describes the D&D program that is being implemented at France's High Enrichment Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which was designed to supply France's Military with Highly Enriched Uranium. This plant was definitively shut down in June 1996, following French President Jacques Chirac's decision to end production of Highly Enriched Uranium and dismantle the corresponding facilities.

Underground Research Laboratories (URLs) to develop and demonstrate technologies for the safe geologic disposal of radioactive wastes have been established for national purposes by several Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Under the auspices of the IAEA, nationally developed URLs and associated research institutions are being offered for use by other nations. These facilities form a Network of Centers of Excellence for training in and development of waste disposal technologies. Experience gained in the operation of the facilities, and through associated experimentation and demonstrations, will be transferred to participating Member States through hands-on work at the facilities. The Network consists of Network Members and Network Participants who share co-operative activities. Network Members are owners of facilities who have offered them to be part of the Network. At this time there are eight Members consisting of six underground facilities, a laboratory, and a university. Network Participants can potentially come from any interested IAEA Member State having spent nuclear fuel for disposal, with or without an established program for geologic disposal. There are presently about 15 Network Participants. A significant Network activity beginning in 2003 will be a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on characterization and evaluation of swelling clays …