None

Polycrystalline silicon films 14-22 ..mu..m thick and with average grain diameters of 20-40 ..mu..m were deposited by vacuum deposition onto both ceramic and sapphire substrates which were previously coated with a thin (1-2 ..mu..m) TiB/sub 2/ conducting layer. The large grains are the result of an interaction in the initial growth stages between silicon and TiB/sub 2/. SIMS studies of B/Ti/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, B/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, and Ti/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, interactions are reported as part of a continuing investigation of TiB/sub 2/ formation and silicon interactions on the TiB/sub 2/ surface. The increase in grain size has led to an improvement in the open-circuit voltage V/sub oc/, but not to an increase in the short-circuit current J/sub sc/. Capacitance-voltage measurements give results characteristic of an abrupt junction and a build-in voltage V/sub D/ consistent with the measured doping levels. A simple method for measuring the minority carrier diffusion length in the base region L/sub n/ is described. The measurements indicate that there is little change in L/sub n/ between large (20-40 ..mu..m) and small (approx. 5 ..mu..m) grained samples.

This quarterly report summarizes work of the following tasks as of March 31, 1982: OTEC pilot plant conceptual design review; OTEC methanol; review of electrolyzer development programs and requirements; financial and legal considerations in OTEC implementation; potential Navy sites for GEOTEC systems; hybrid geothermal-OTEC power plants: single-cycle performance estimates; and supervision of testing of pneumatic wave energy conversion system.

A functional 1-MW geothermal electric power plant that featured a helical screw expander was produced and then tested in Utah in 1978 to 1979 with a demonstrated average performance of approximately 45% machine efficiency over a wide range of test conditions in noncondensing operation on two-phase geothermal fluids. The Project also produced a computer-equipped data system, an instrumentation and control van, and a 1000-kW variable load bank, all integrated into a test array designed for operation at a variety of remote test sites. Additional testing was performed in Mexico in 1980 under a cooperative test program using the same test array, and machine efficiency was measured at 62% maximum with the rotors partially coated with scale, compared with approximately 54% maximum in Utah with uncoated rotors, confirming the importance of scale deposits within the machine on performance. Data are presented for the Utah testing and for the noncondensing phases of the testing in Mexico. Test time logged was 437 hours during the Utah tests and 1101 hours during the Mexico tests.

Progress is reported on the development of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) systems that will provide synthetic fuels (e.g., methanol), energy-intensive products such as ammonia (for fertilizers and chemicals), and aluminum. The work also includes assessment and design concepts for hybrid plants, such as geothermal-OTEC (GEOTEC) plants. Another effort that began in the spring of 1982 is a technical advisory role to DOE with respect to their management of the conceptual and preliminary design activity of industry teams that are designing a shelf-mounted offshore OTEC pilot plant that could deliver power to Oahu, Hawaii. In addition, a program is underway to evaluate and test the Pneumatic Wave-Energy Conversion System (PWECS), an ocean-energy device consisting of a turbine that is air-driven as a result of wave action in a chamber. This Quarterly Report summarizes the work on the various tasks as of 31 March 1983.

Two-phase turbines open the possibility of new types of power cycles operating with extremely wet mixtures of steam and water, organic fluids, or immiscible liquids and gases. Possible applications are geothermal power, waste-heat recovery, refrigerant expansion, solar conversion, transportation turbine engines, and engine bottoming cycles. A theoretical model for two-phase impulse turbines was developed. Apparatus was constructed for testing one- and two-stage turbines (using speed decrease from stage to stage). Turbines were tested with water-and-nitrogen mixtures and Refrigerant 22. Nozzle efficiencies were 0.78 (measured) and 0.72 (theoretical) for water-and-nitrogen mixtures at a water/nitrogen mixture ratio of 68, by mass; and 0.89 (measured) and 0.84 (theoretical) for Refrigerant 22 expanding from 0.02 quality to 0.28 quality. Blade efficiencies (shaft power before windage and bearing loss divided by nozzle jet power) were 0.63 (measured) and 0.71 (theoretical) for water-and-nitrogen mixtures and 0.62 (measured) and 0.63 (theoretical) for Refrigerant 22 with a single-stage turbine, and 0.70 (measured) and 0.85 (theoretical) for water-and-nitrogen mixtures with a two-stage turbine.

Results obtained from a program designed to locate a low- or moderate-temperature geothermal resource that might exist beneath Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Ogden, Utah are discussed. A phased exploration program was conducted at Hill AFB. Published geological, geochemical, and geophysical reports on the area were examined, regional exploration was conducted, and two thermal gradient holes were drilled. This program demonstrated that thermal waters are not present in the shallow subsurface at this site. (MHR)

An assessment is provided of selected environmental effects of operating the cooling towers and stacks of Units No. 3 and No. 4 of the Potomac Electric Power Company's generating station at Chalk Point, Maryland. The emphasis is on the magnitude of salt deposition to the area surrounding the cooling tower due to saline water drift. A secondary but important consideration is the magnitude of salt loading due to saline drift from the stack which uses saline river water in scrubbing flue gases. This salt loading together with that of the ambient salt background is assessed for its effects on soils, crops, native vegetation and man-made structures. Other atmospheric effects examined are: enhancement of ground level fogging and icing, enhancement of precipitation, and the flight hazards to aircraft. A numerical model of drift deposition has been developed and validated against the data collected in the Dyed Drift Experiment at Chalk Point. Use of the available data model predictions indicate that with fulltime, full load operation of both 600 MW(e) units significant levels of salt deposition occur only on the plant site within 0.4 km of the source. The predicted maximum salt deposition rates are given. The effects on soils, crops and …

In June 2005 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued Executive Order S-3-05 that set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for California, and directed the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency to report to the governor and the State legislature by January 2006 and biannually thereafter on the impacts to California of global warming, including impacts to water supply, public health, agriculture, the coastline, and forestry, and to prepare and report on mitigation and adaptation plans to combat these impacts. This report is a part of the report to the governor and legislature, and focuses on public health impacts that have been associated with climate change. Considerable evidence suggests that average ambient temperature is increasing worldwide, that temperatures will continue to increase into the future, and that global warming will result in changes to many aspects of climate, including temperature, humidity, and precipitation (McMichael and Githeko, 2001). It is expected that California will experience changes in both temperature and precipitation under current trends. Many of the changes in climate projected for California could have ramifications for public health (McMichael and Githeko, 2001), and this document summarizes the impacts judged most likely to occur in California, based on a review of available peer-reviewed …

In September 2005, the Commodity Credit Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CCC/USDA) initiated periodic sampling of groundwater in the vicinity of a grain storage facility formerly operated by the CCC/USDA at Morrill, Kansas. On the basis of available information, the CCC/USDA believes that one or more third parties operated this facility after termination of the CCC/USDA's lease in 1971. The sampling at Morrill is being performed on behalf of the CCC/USDA by Argonne National Laboratory, in accord with a monitoring program approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), to monitor levels of carbon tetrachloride contamination identified in the groundwater at this site (Argonne 2004, 2005a). Under the KDHE-approved monitoring plan (Argonne 2005b), the groundwater has been sampled twice yearly for a recommended period of two years. The samples are analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as for selected geochemical parameters to aid in the evaluation of possible natural contaminant degradation (reductive dechlorination) processes in the subsurface environment. The sampling is presently conducted in a network of 12 monitoring wells and 3 private wells (Figure 1.1), at locations approved by the KDHE. The scope of the originally approved monitoring has been expanded to include …

Cw laser action has been extended down to 220 nm. Moreover, cw oscillation has been obtained on twenty additional transitions in the spectral range between 220 and 320 nm. Ultra-violet laser thresholds as low as 2 A have been observed. In comparison, rare gas ion lasers require 20 to 50 A to reach threshold. Metals of interest are sputtered into the discharge giving metal densities of 10/sup 14/ atoms cm/sup -3/ without using external ovens or discharge heating. Recent attempts to scale the output power levels to 1 W cw are presented with particular emphasis on the 780 nm transitions of Cu II and the 840 nm transitions of Ag II.

The objectives, methodologies, data, and analytical results of the Chalk Point Cooling Tower Program are reviewed. The overview intergrates the concepts and activities of the various program elements to provide a coherent view of the program in its entirety. Samples of the various data acquired are included together with very brief summaries of the conclusions. The report is extensively referenced to provide specific directions to the more extensive treatments of the program, data tabulations, and tape libraries available in the complete library of Chalk Point reports. The Chalk Point data is a resource for the study of cooling tower salt deposition processes and impacts in general. The methods used, while developed to facilitate the assessment of salt drift impact at Chalk Point, also have applicability to cooling tower impact analysis at other sites.

Motion studies of the General Purpose Heat Source Module, GPHS, were conducted in the heat pulse interval associated with entries from earth gravity assist trajectories. The APL six-degree-of-freedom reentry program designated TMAGRA6C was used. The objectives of the studies were to (1) determine the effect of ablation on GPHS motion, and (2) determine whether the GPHS module entering the earth's atmosphere from an earth-gravity-assist trajectory has a preferred orientation during the heat pulse phase of reentry. The results are given in summary form for easy visualization of the initial conditions investigated and to provide a quick-look of the resulting motion. Detail of the motion is also given for the parameters of interest for each case studied. Selected values of initial pitch rate, roll rate, and combinations of these within the range 0[degree] to 1000[degrees]/sec were investigated for initial reentry angles of -7[degrees] (shallow) and -90[degrees] (steep) and initial angles of attack of 0[degree] (broadface to the wind) and 90[degrees]. Although the studies are not exhaustive, a sufficient number of reentry conditions (initial altitude, reentry angle, angle of attack, rotational motion) have been investigated to deduce certain trends. The results also provide information on additional reentry conditions that need to be …

The following document is a third-year progress report for the period June 1, 1978 to May 31, 1979. The overall objective of the project is to study the effects of seeding techniques, species mixtures, fertilizer, ecotypes, improved plant materials, mycorrhizal fungi, and soil microorganisms on the initial and final stages of reclamation obtained through seeding and subsequent succession on disturbed oil shale lands. Plant growth medias that are being used in field-established test plots include retorted shale, soil over retorted shale, subsoil materials, and surface disturbed topsoils. Because of the long-term nature of successional and ecologically oriented studies the project is just beginning to generate significant publications. Several of the studies associated with the project have some phases being conducted principally in the laboratories and greenhouses at Colorado State Univerisity. The majority of the research, however, is being conducted on a 20 hectare Intensive Study Site located near the focal points of oil shale activity in the Piceance Basin. The site is at an elevation of 2,042 m, receives approximately 30 to 55 cm of precipitation annually, and encompasses the plant communities most typical of the Piceance Basin. Most of the information contained in this report originated from the monitoring …

A survey of measuring devices or probes, which have been used to investigate gas-side fouling, has been carried out. Five different types of measuring devices are identified and discussed including: heat flux meters, mass accumulation probes, optical devices, deposition probes, and acid condensation probes. A total of 32 different probes are described in detail and summarized in matrix or tabular form. The important considerations of combustion gas characterization and deposit analysis are also given a significant amount of attention. The results of this study show that considerable work has been done in the development of gas-side fouling probes. However, it is clear that the design, construction, and testing of a durable versatile probe - capable of monitoring on-line fouling resistances - remains a formidable task.

This report provides information on milk distribution and dairy cattle feeding practices in Nevada, Utah and portions of seven other adjacent states during the 1950s. The information was gathered to support the US Department of Energy's ''Offsite Radiation Exposure Review Project (ORERP).'' This project is charged with providing radiation dose estimates for residents of Nevada, Utah, and surrounding states from nuclear weapons testing conducted at the Nevada Test Site from 1951 through 1962. The information on milk production and distribution is essential for assessment of the internal organ doses received by people as a result of ingesting radioactive fallout-contaminated foods. The information is used as input data for Colorado State University's PATHWAY computer code which estimates the ingestion of twenty radionuclides by people relative to a given level of fallout deposition.

A column-flow cesium migration experiment has been conducted in support of the safety assessment program for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Southeastern New Mexico. The column was a monolithic cylinder of Magenta dolomite obtained from a core sample drilled near the proposed WIPP site. The fluid was a Magenta equilibrated de-ionized water solution that had been doped with 0.001 ppM of /sup 137/Cs. The experiment ran continuously for an 18 month period at flow rates comparable to those measured for natural groundwater at the site. After flowing for 18 months, the apparatus was disassembled and the dolomite column examined for cesium distribution. Cross sectional radiographs of the sample showed that most of the cesium had penetrated only 0.4 cm into the solid Magenta column with a well defined wave front. On the other hand, trace quantities (2 x 10/sup -7/ ppM) of /sup 137/Cs were detected in effluent samples collected during the experiment. The distribution coefficient (120 ml/gm) calculated (assuming porous flow) from the average depth of cesium penetration (0.3 cm) is considerably less than the value obtained from a batch equilibration measurement made on the same system (650 ml/gm), indicating that cesium will migrate through Magenta rock …

The NIPER Reservoir Assessment and Characterization Research Program incorporates elements of the near-term, mid-term and long-term objectives of the National Energy Strategy-Advanced Oil Recovery Program. The interdisciplinary NIPER team focuses on barrier island reservoirs, a high priority class of reservoirs, that contains large amounts of remaining oil in place located in mature fields with a high number of shut-in and abandoned wells. The project objectives are to: (1) identify heterogeneities that influence the movement and trapping of reservoir fluids in two examples of shoreline barrier reservoirs (Patrick Draw Field, WY and Bell Creek Field, MT); (2) develop geological and engineering reservoir characterization methods to quantify reservoir architecture and predict mobile oil saturation distribution for application of targeted infill drilling and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes; and (3) summarize reservoir and production characteristics of shoreline barrier reservoirs to determine similarities and differences. The major findings of the research include: (1) hydrogeochemical analytical techniques were demonstrated to be an inexpensive reservoir characterization tool that provides information on reservoir architecture and compartmentalization; (2) the formation water salinity in Patrick Draw Field varies widely across the field and can result in a 5 to 12% error in saturation values calculated from wireline logs if …

Systems that reduce energy usage and are economically viable in the citrus fruit processing industry are identified. The preliminary results of Phase I are presented. Alternative systems to be considered are classified and denoted as central, modular, integrated, and combined. Progress is reported on the central and modular systems. (MCW)

Engineering solutions to the safe and environmentally protective disposal and isolation of uranium mill tailings in the US include many factors. Cover design, materials selection, civil engineering, erosive forces, and cost effectiveness are only a few of those factors described in this paper. The systems approach to the engineering solutions employed in the US is described, with emphasis on the standards prescribed for the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project. Stabilization and isolation of the tailings from humans and the environment are the primary goals of the US uranium mill tailings control standards. The performance of cover designs with respect to water infiltration, radon exhalation, geotechnical stability, erosion protection, human and animal intrusion prevention, and longevity are addressed. The need for and frequency of surveillance efforts to ensure continued disposal system performance are also assessed.

Surface remediation was completed at the former uranium mill site in Riverton, Wyoming, in 1990. Residual radioactive materials (contaminated soil and debris) were removed and disposed of at Union Carbide Corporation`s (Umetco) nearby Gas Hills Title 2 facility. Ground water in the surficial and semiconfined aquifers (known collectively as the `uppermost aquifer`) below the former mill and tailings site has been contaminated. No contamination has been detected in the deeper, confined sandstone aquifer. The contaminant plume extends off site to the south and east. The plume is constrained by surface wetlands and small streams to the east and west of the site and by the Little Wind River to the south. Fifteen monitor wells installed in 1993 were sampled to better define the contaminant plume and to provide additional water quality data for the baseline risk assessment. Samples also were collected from domestic wells in response to a request by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality in January 1994. No contamination attributable to the former uranium milling operations have ever been detected in any of the domestic wells used for potable supplies.

The uranium processing site near Naturita, Colorado, is one of 24 inactive uranium mill sites designated to be cleaned up by the US Department of Energy (DOE) under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA), 42 USC {section} 7901 et seq. Part of the UMTRCA requires that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concur with the DOE`s remedial action plan (RAP) and certify that the remedial action conducted at the site complies with the standards promulgated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Included in the RAP is this Remedial Action Selection Report (RAS), which describes the proposed remedial action for the Naturita site. An extensive amount of data and supporting information has been generated and evaluated for this remedial action. These data and supporting information are not incorporated into this single document but are included or referenced in the supporting documents. The RAP consists of this RAS and four supporting documents or attachments. This Attachment 2, Geology Report describes the details of geologic, geomorphic, and seismic conditions at the Dry Flats disposal site.

This proposed remedial action plan incorporates the results of detailed investigation of geologic, geomorphic, and seismic conditions at the proposed disposal site. The proposed remedial action will consist of relocating the uranium mill tailings, contaminated vicinity property materials, demolition debris, and windblown/waterborne materials to a permanent repository at the proposed Burro Canyon disposal cell. The proposed disposal site will be geomorphically stable. Seismic design parameters were developed for the geotechnical analyses of the proposed cell. Cell stability was analyzed to ensure long-term performance of the disposal cell in meeting design standards, including slope stability, settlement, and liquefaction potential. The proposed cell cover and erosion protection features were also analyzed and designed to protect the RRM (residual radioactive materials) against surface water and wind erosion. The location of the proposed cell precludes the need for permanent drainage or interceptor ditches. Rock to be used on the cell top-, side-, and toeslopes was sized to withstand probable maximum precipitation events.

Surface remedial action is complete at the Spook Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project site in Wyoming. Based on an evaluation of site characterization data, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, US Department of Energy, and state of Wyoming have concurred in the determination that a program to monitor ground water is not required because ground water in the uppermost aquifer is Class 3 (limited use) (40 CFR 192.21(g)(1993)).