Periodic newsletter discussing information related to student drop-out rates, relevant legislative issues, and prevention programs. This issue focuses on barriers to participation in school reform.

During the fourth quarter of 1990, steady-state performance testing at the Nucla Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) resumed under sponsorship of the US Department of Energy. Co-sponsorship of the Demonstration Test Program by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) was completed on June 15, 1990. From October through December, 1990, Colorado-Ute Electric Association (CUEA) completed a total of 23 steady-state performance tests, 4 dynamic tests, and set operating records during November and December as the result of improved unit operating reliability. Highlight events and achievements during this period of operation are presented.

Progress for the reporting period is summarized on the following: analyzing multiwell pressure data for a composite reservoir with a circular discontinuity, adsorption theory from the point of view of numerical simulation, effects adsorption/desorption on reinjection and tracer analysis, and estimation of adsorption parameters from experimental and field data. (MHR)

During this period, conventional and fast-kinetics techniques of photochemistry, photophysics, radiation chemistry, and electrochemistry were used for the characterization of the intermediates that are involved in transition metal excited-state electron-transfer reactions. The intermediates of interest were the excited states of Ru(II) and Cr(III) photosensitizers, their reduced forms, and the species formed in the reactions of redox quenchers and electron-transfer agents. Of particular concern has been the back electron-transfer reaction between the geminate pair formed in the redox quenching of the photosensitizers, and the dependence of its rate on solution medium and temperature in competition with transformation and cage escape processes.

NMR reagents for the speciation and quantitation of labile-hydrogen functional groups and sulfur groups in coal ligands have been synthesized and evaluated. These reagents, which contain the NMR-active nuclei {sup 31}p, {sup 119}Sn or {sup 195}pt, were designed to possess improved chemical shift resolution over reagents reported in the literature. Our efforts were successful in the case of the new {sup 31}p and {sup 119}Sn reagents we developed, but the {sup 195}pt work on sulfur groups was only partially successful in as much as the grant came to a close and was not renewed. Our success with {sup 31}P and {sup 119}Sn NMR reagents came to the attention of Amoco and they have recently expressed interest in further supporting that work. A further measure of the success of our efforts can be seen in the nine publications supported by this grant which are cited in the reference list.

This Standard applies to the receipt, processing, storage, and shipment of fissionable material in the 300 Area and in any other facility under the control of the Reactor Materials Project Management Team (PMT). The objective is to establish practices and process conditions for the storage and handling of fissionable material that prevent the accidental assembly of a critical mass and that comply with DOE Orders as well as accepted industry practice.

In September of 1989 work began on the DOE University Program grant DE-FG07-89ER12889. The grant provides support for a three year project to develop and demonstrate Intelligent Distributed Control (IDC) for Nuclear Power Plants. The body of this Second Annual Technical Progress report covers the period from September 1990 to September 1991. It summarizes the second year accomplishments while the appendices provide detailed information presented at conference meetings. These are two primary goals of this research. The first is to combine diagnostics and control to achieve a highly automated power plant as described by M.A. Schultz, a project consultant during the first year of the project. This philosophy, as presented in the first annual technical progress report, is to improve public perception of the safety of nuclear power plants by incorporating a high degree automation where greatly simplified operator control console minimizes the possibility of human error in power plant operations. A hierarchically distributed control system with automated responses to plant upset conditions is the focus of our research to achieve this goal. The second goal is to apply this research to develop a prototype demonstration on an actual power plant system, the EBR-II steam plant.

This Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) informational report reviews in detail the occupational injury and illness experience of coal mining in the United States for 1991. Data reported by operators of mining establishments concerning work injuries are summarized by work location, accident classification, part of body injured, nature of injury, occupation, and anthracite or bituminous coal. Related information on employment, worktime, and operating activity also is presented. Data reported by independent contractors performing certain work at mining locations are depicted separately in this report. For ease of comparison between coal mining and the metal and nonmetal mineral mining industries, summary reference tabulations are included at the end of both the operator and the contractor sections of this report. Data used in compiling this report were reported by operators of coal mines and preparation plants on a mandatory basis as required under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, Public Law 91-173,as amended by Public Law 95-164. Since January 1, 1978, operators of mines or preparation plants or both which are subject to the Act have been required under 30 CFR, Part 50, to submit reports of injuries, occupational illnesses, and related data.

This project deals with the seasonal snow on Alaska`s Arctic Slope. Although it is concentrated on snow of the R{sub 4}D project area, it is important to relate the snow cover of this area with the rest of the Arctic Slope. The goals include determination of the amount of precipitation which comes as snow, the wind transport of this snow and its depositional pattern as influenced by drifting, the physical properties of the snow, the physical processes which operate in it, the proportions of it which go into evaporation, infiltration and runoff, and the biological role of the snow cover.

This chapter is a report of the material presented at the International Workshop on Finite Element Analysis of Reinforced Concrete, Session 4 -- Time Dependent Behavior, held at Columbia University, New York on June 3--6, 1991. Dr. P.A. Pfeiffer presented recent developments in time-dependent behavior of concrete and Professor T. Tanabe presented a review of research in Japan on time-dependent behavior of concrete. The chapter discusses the recent research of time-dependent behavior of concrete in the past few years in both the USA-European and Japanese communities. The author appreciates the valuable information provided by Zdenek P. Bazant in preparing the USA-European Research section.

The objective of this contract is to examine the relationship between catalytic properties and the function of cobalt Fischer-Tropsch catalysts and to apply this fundamental knowledge to the development of a stable cobalt-based catalyst with a low methane-plus-ethane selectivity for use in slurry reactors. An experimental cobalt catalyst 585R2723 was tested three times in the fixed-bed reactor. The objective of the tests was to identify suitable testing conditions for screening catalyst. The {alpha}-alumina was determined to be a suitable diluent medium for controlling the catalyst bed temperature close to the inlet temperature. With 13 g of catalyst and 155 g of diluent, the catalyst maximum temperature were within 2{degree}C from the inlet temperatures. As a result of this work, 210{degree}C and 21 atm were shown to result in low methane selectivity and were used as initial conditions in the catalyst screening test. Ethane, which along with methane is undesirable, is typically produced with low selectivity and follows the same trend as methane. Other work reported here indicated that methane selectivity increases with increasing temperature but is not excessively high at 230{degree}C. Consequently, the catalyst screening test should include an evaluation of the catalyst performance at 230{degree}C. During Run 67, the …

Nondestructive and destructive end-of-life examinations of Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) core structural components were performed following operation in the Shippingport Atomic Power Station for 29,047 effective full power hours. The Shippingport LWBR demonstrated that breeding can be achieved in a light water reactor with thorium and uranium-233 oxide fuel pellets contained in Zircaloy-4 tubes. The purpose of this presentation is to report results of LWBR core structural component examinations that were carried out to assess the effects of irradiation on support structure and to provide a data base for the evaluation of design procedures. The postirradiation nondestructive examinations included visual inspection and, in some cases, dye penetrant testing to assess structural integrity and surface conditions of the components. Destructive metallography was performed to assess cracking, corrosion buildup, and microstructural condition.

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) in cooperation with US Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a workshop format to allow state regulatory officials and industry representatives the opportunity to participate in frank and open discussions on issues of environmental regulatory compliance. The purpose of providing this forum is to assist both groups in identifying the key barriers to the economic recoverability of domestic oil and gas resources while adequately protecting human health and the environment. The IOGCC and DOE staff worked with key state and industry representatives to develop a list of appropriate regulatory and industry representatives to be invited to participate. These same industry and regulatory representatives also provided a prioritized list of topics to be discussed at this workshop. After the topic leader set out the issue, views of those present were solicited. In almost every case, both the industry representatives and the regulatory personnel spoke with candor in discussing the problems. Common points of discussion for each topic were: (1) conflicting state and federal regulations; (2) conflicting regulations or permit requirements established by different state agencies; (3) increasing compliance costs; and (4) regulatory constraints that will result in ``no net growth`` in California oil …

This paper discusses the characterization and monitoring of metallic fuel breaches which is now a significant part of the Integral Fast Reactor fuel testing program at Argonne National Laboratory. Irradiation experience with failed metallic fuel now includes natural breaches in the plenum and fuel column regions in lead ``endurance`` tests as well as fuel column breaches in artificially-defected fuel which have operated for months in the run-beyond-cladding breach (RBCB) mode. Analyses of the fission gas (FG) release-to-birth (R/B) ratios of selected historical breaches have been completed and have proven to be very useful in differentiating between plenum and fuel column breaches.

A criterion for initiation of subcritical crack growth at blunt notches and sharp defects was developed and applied to hydrogen- induced cracking of the Ni-base superalloy X-750. Onset of crack growth is shown to occur when a critical strain energy density is attained at a distance from the notch and crack tips characteristic of the microstructure along the prospective crack path. Rising load crack growth initiation data were obtained using homogeneous hydrogen precharged notched and fatigue precracked bend specimens. Notch root radius, grain size and hydrogen concentration were varied. Crack growth initiation loads were dependent on both notch root radius and bulk precharged hydrogen concentration. These data were shown to be correlated using a critical strain energy at-a-distance (SEDAD) criterion. Furthermore, an elastic-plastic analysis of the strain energy distributions showed that the critical strain energy density value is attained at one grain diameter from the notch and fatigue precrack tips. Mechanical and microstructural aspects of crack growth process and relevance to hydrogen-induced cracking are discussed.

Acetate conversion to methane and C0{sub 2} by the methanogenic archaebacteria is a primary rate limiting step in anaerobic biodegradative processes in nature. However, the genetic study of these organisms has not been experimentally tractable due to the inability to grow and plate the organisms as single cells, and to extract high molecular weight DNA and RNA without shearing. The acetate-utilizing species, Methanosarcina thermolphila TM-1, is being used for the proposed genetic and molecular studies because, unlike previously described acetotrophic methanosarcina that have a thick heteropolysaccharide cell wall, this species can be cultured in a unicellular form that has a protein cell wall lacking the heteropolysaccharide layer. These cells can be gently disrupted to obtain protoplasts or lysed to yield intact genomic DNA and RNA. Experiments are in progress to develop a gene transfer system in this bacterial species. Methods are being developed and refined for the efficient plating of M. thermophila on defined media, for chemical mutagenesis, and for the isolation of mutants defective in acetate utilization. Chromosomal DNA libraries have been constructed from M. thermophila and are being used to clone genes involved in the acetate utilization pathway (e.g. carbon monoxide dehydrogenase). Once cloned, analysis of the molecular …

Progress during this period is reported under the following headings: Diethylenetriamine based and related bifunctional chelating agents and their complexation with Rh-105, Au-198, Pd-109, cu-67, In-111, and Co-57; studies of Pd-109, Rh-105 and Tc-99m with bifunctional chelates based on phenylenediamine; establishment of an appropriate protein assay method for conjugated proteins; studies of new bifunctional Bi, Tri and tetradentate amine oxime ligands with Rh-105; IgG and antibody B72.3 conjugation studies by HPLC Techniques with bifunctional metal chelates; and progress on ligand systems for Au(III).

This paper presents results of a laboratory investigation of characteristics of solute transport utilizing fiber-optic technology. In this work, we examine solute transport in a uniform homogeneous porous medium with a one dimensional flow system using a fiber-optic fluorimeter system. In a series of experiments, fiber-optic sensors are used in-situ in a packed column to make observations of species concentration at the microscopic level. The tracer that is employed is assumed to be ideal and the flow field is restricted to be fully saturated and laminar. Using data measured at the pore level, we study the spatial variability in the concentration field during miscible displacement and relate these observations to the macroscopic flow characteristics.

Discussed are: Parallel ELLPACK, domain decomposition, parallel scientific computing environments, parallel HOMPACK.

This report contains lectures on the following topics: the quark model and beyond using quantum chromodynamics; analysis of formation reactions; energy dependence of the partial wave amplitudes; where the data for the t-matrix analysis comes from; and coupled channel analysis of isoscalar mesons.

A process is claimed for reducing the sulfur and ash content of coal. Particulate coal is introduced into a closed heated reaction chamber having an inert atmosphere to which is added moist caustic having a water content in the range of from about 15% by weight to about 35% by weight. The coal and moist caustic are kept at a temperature of about 300{degrees}C. Then, water is added to the coal and caustic mixture to form an aqueous slurry, which is washed with water to remove caustic from the coal and to produce an aqueous caustic solution. Water is evaporated from the aqueous caustic solution until the water is in the range of from about 15% by weight to about 35% by weight and is reintroduced to the closed reaction chamber. Sufficient acid is added to the washed coal slurry to neutralize any remaining caustic present on the coal, which is thereafter dried to produce desulfurized coal having not less than about 90% by weight of the sulfur present in the coal feed removed and having an ash content of less than about 2% by weight.

This report discusses the following topics: Principal parameters of experimental devices; Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor; Burning Plasma Experiment; Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification; Current Drive Experiment-Upgrade; International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor; International Collaboration; X-Ray Laser Studies; Hyperthermal Atomic Beam Source; Pure Electron Plasma Experiments; Plasma Processing: Deposition and Etching of Thin Films; Theoretical Studies; Tokamak Modeling; Engineering Department; Environment, Safety, and Health and Quality Assurance; Technology Transfer; Office of Human Resources and Administration; PPPL Patent Invention Disclosures; Office of Resource Management; Graduate Education: Plasma Physics; Graduate Education: Program in Plasma Science and Technology; and Science Education Program.

During this period, conventional and fast-kinetics techniques of photochemistry, photophysics, radiation chemistry, and electrochemistry were used for the characterization of the intermediates that are involved in transition metal excited-state electron-transfer reactions. The intermediates of interest were the excited states of Ru(II) and Cr(III) photosensitizers, their reduced forms, and the species formed in the reactions of redox quenchers and electron-transfer agents. Of particular concern has been the back electron-transfer reaction between the geminate pair formed in the redox quenching of the photosensitizers, and the dependence of its rate on solution medium and temperature in competition with transformation and cage escape processes.

This report updates the information previously submitted in the draft report DOE/WIPP 88-005, Radionuclide Source Term for the WIPP, dated 1987 (reference 1). The information in this report provides the projected radionuclide inventory at the WIPP based on the projected waste receipts through the year 2013. The information is based on the 1991 TRU Program Data submittals for the Integrated Data Base (DOE/RW-0006, Rev. 7) from each of the DOE sites generating or storing TRU waste for shipment to the WIPP. The data is based on existing characterization data on the waste in interim storage, waste estimates based on projected programs during the 1991 through 2013 time period, projected treatment processes required to meet WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC), and a projection of the waste that will be declared low level waste when it is assayed as part of the certification program for waste shipments to WIPP. This data will serve as a standard reference for WIPP programs requiring radionuclide data, including safety programs, performance assessment, and regulatory compliance. These projections will continue to be periodically updated as the waste data estimates are refined by the generator sites as they participate in the annual update of the Integrated Data Base …