A comprehensive mentor review conducted by Nancy Walkup, providing a thorough assessment of Greenbriar School.

I would like to determine how accurately a variety of neutron transport code packages (code and cross section libraries) can calculate simple integral parameters, such as K{sub eff}, for systems that are sensitive to thermal neutron scattering. Since we will only consider theoretical systems, we cannot really determine absolute accuracy compared to any real system. Therefore rather than accuracy, it would be more precise to say that I would like to determine the spread in answers that we obtain from a variety of code packages. This spread should serve as an excellent indicator of how accurately we can really model and calculate such systems today. Hopefully, eventually this will lead to improvements in both our codes and the thermal scattering models that they use in the future. In order to accomplish this I propose a number of extremely simple systems that involve thermal neutron scattering that can be easily modeled and calculated by a variety of neutron transport codes. These are theoretical systems designed to emphasize the effects of thermal scattering, since that is what we are interested in studying. I have attempted to keep these systems very simple, and yet at the same time they include most, if not …

The sulfur found on the surfaces of stainless steel 303 (SS303) after nitric acid passivation originated from the MnS inclusions in the steel. The nitric acid attacked and dissolved these MnS inclusions, and redeposited micron-sized elemental sulfur particles back to the surface. To develop an alternative passivation procedure for SS303, citric and phosphoric acids have been evaluated. The experimental results show neither acid causes a significant amount of sulfur deposit. Thus, these two acids can be used as alternatives to nitric acid passivation for NIF applications. For SS303 previously passivated by nitric acid, NaOH soak can be used as a remedial cleaning process to effectively remove the sulfur deposits.

This document summarizes the activities performed and progress made in FY-03. Various approaches for automating the particle fuel production QC process using on-line nondestructive methods for higher reliability were evaluated. In this first-year of a three-year project, surrogate fuel particles made available for testing included leftovers from initial coater development runs. These particles had a high defect fraction and the particle properties spanned a wide range, providing the opportunity to examine worst-case conditions before refining the inspection methods to detect more subtle coating features. Particles specifically designed to evaluate the NDE methods being investigated under this project will be specified and fabricated at ORNL early next reporting period. The literature was reviewed for existing inspection technology and to identify many of the fuel particle conditions thought to degrade its performance. A modeling study, including the electromagnetic and techniques, showed that the in-line electromagnetic methods should provide measurable responses to missing layers, kernel diameter, and changes in coating layer thickness, with reasonable assumptions made for material conductivities. The modeling study for the ultrasonic methods provided the resonant frequencies that should be measured using the resonant ultrasound technique, and the results from these calculations were published in the proceedings for two conferences. …

Agenda for the WASP board meeting held April 20, 2001 in Corpus Christi, Texas. At the end of the list of new business items, a handwritten note states, "Disposition of funds when we dissolve."

ARF1 was calibrated and checked on 4/18/01. The technique used was to set the start/stop timers (A:R1LLT1 and A:R1LLT2) for duration of 200 msec. Driving the cavities for longer than 200 msec at full voltage could put some stress on the Hipotronics anode supply. The Camac curve generator card was substituted with a precision DC voltage source. Data for both amplitude and frequency were taken with the DC source. A HP 8563A spectrum analyzer in zero span with resolution bandwidth of 1 MHz at a center frequency of 52.818 MHz was used to take the amplitude data. The dynamic curve was a triangle waveform provided by a triggered HP3213A function generator. Frequency was measured on the Fluke frequency counter mounted in the rack in AP50 (with the high level RF off). The attached data and graph contain the current calibration. ARF1-1 is slightly lower voltage than ARF1-2, but well within spec. The calibration was made with the Anode supply at 9 Kvolts, the bend busses were off due to an access that was in progress. Due to the unregulated Anode supply, the voltage levels observed may be slightly higher than with bend busses on. The dynamic performance with the triangle …

This study supports the Hanford Groundwater/Vadose integration project objectives to better understand the risk of groundwater contamination and potential risk to the public via groundwater flow paths. The primary objective of this study was to refine the conceptual groundwater flow model for the 200-East Area and vicinity.

This report documents the deactivation, decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition of the MO-052, 3225, 334, 334A, and 334-TF Buildings in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site. The D4 of these facilities included characterization, engineering, removal of hazardous and radiologically contaminated materials, equipment removal, utility disconnection, deactivation, decontamination, demolition of the structure, and stabilization or removal of the remaining slab and foundation as appropriate.

One of the tasks of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission-sponsored project titled "Reliability of Nondestructive Examination (NDE) for Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Inservice Examination (ISI)" is to provide collaborative assistance to Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) in France through theoretical predictions of ultrasonic scattering by grains of cast stainless steels (CASS) components. More specifically, a mathematical treatment of ultrasonic scattering in media having duplex micro¬structure is sought because cast stainless steel components often contains larger-scale macrograins that are composed of sub-grains/colonies. In this report, we present formal mathematical theories for ultrasonic wave propagation in polycrystalline aggregates having both simple (composed of grains only) and complex microstructures (having macrograins and sub-grains/colonies). Computations based on these theories are then carried out for ultrasonic backscatter power, attenuation due to scattering, and phase velocity dispersions. Specifically, numerical results are presented for backscatter coefficient for plane longitudinal wave propagating in duplex steel containing macrograins and colonies. Furthermore, the expected propagation characteristics (attenuation coefficient and phase velocity) are computed and described in this report for plane longitudinal waves propagating in (1) steels composed of randomly oriented grains, (2) [001] aligned grains encountered in austenitic stainless steel welds and casts, and (3) duplex steels.

The Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC) and the LLNL Climate and Carbon Science Group of Energy and Environment (E&E) are working together to improve predictions of future climate by applying the best available computational methods and computer resources to this problem. Over the last decade, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a number of climate models that provide state-of-the-art simulations on a wide variety of massively parallel computers. We are now developing and applying a second generation of high-performance climate models.

The Fort Bidwell Indian Reservation (FBIR) is rich in renewable energy resources. Development of its geothermal resources has the potential to profoundly affect the energy and economic future of the FBIC. Geothermal energy can contribute to making the reservation energy self-sufficient and, potentially, an energy exporter. The feasibility study assessed the feasibility of installing a geothermal district heating system to provide low-cost, efficient heating of existing and planned residences, community buildings and water, using an existing geothermal well, FB-3.

This technical memorandum (TM) describes the technology requirements for three alternative energy technologies for which pilot and/or commercial projects on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are likely to be proposed within the next five to seven years. For each of the alternative technologies--wind, wave, and ocean current--the TM first presents an overview. After each technology-specific overview, it describes the technology requirements for four development phases: site monitoring and testing, construction, operation, and decommissioning. For each phase, the report covers the following topics (where data are available): facility description, electricity generated, ocean area (surface and bottom) occupied, resource requirements, emissions and noise sources, hazardous materials stored or used, transportation requirements, and accident potential. Where appropriate, the TM distinguishes between pilot-scale (or demonstration-scale) facilities and commercial-scale facilities.

In the early 1980s, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed two transportation routing models: HIGHWAY, which predicts truck transportation routes, and INTERLINE, which predicts rail transportation routes. Both of these models have been used by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) community for a variety of routing needs over the years. One of the primary uses of the models has been to determine population-density information, which is used as input for risk assessment with the RADTRAN model, which is available on the TRANSNET computer system. During the recent years, advances in the development of geographic information systems (GISs) have resulted in increased demands from the user community for a GIS version of the ORNL routing models. In April 1994, the DOE Transportation Management Division (EM-261) held a Baseline Requirements Assessment Session with transportation routing experts and users of the HIGHWAY and INTERLINE models. As a result of the session, the development of a new GIS routing model, Transportation Routing Analysis GIS (TRAGIS), was initiated. TRAGIS is a user-friendly, GIS-based transportation and analysis computer model. The older HIGHWAY and INTERLINE models are useful to calculate routes, but they cannot display a graphic of the calculated route. Consequently, many users have experienced …

Current project consisted of three main phases and eighteen milestones. Short description of each phase is given below. Table 1 lists program milestones. Phase 1--High Temperature Membrane and Advanced Catalyst Development. New polymers and advanced cathode catalysts were synthesized. The membranes and the catalysts were characterized and compared against specifications that are based on DOE program requirements. The best-in-class membranes and catalysts were downselected for phase 2. Phase 2--Catalyst Coated Membrane (CCM) Fabrication and Testing. Laboratory scale catalyst coated membranes (CCMs) were fabricated and tested using the down-selected membranes and catalysts. The catalysts and high temperature membrane CCMs were tested and optimized. Phase 3--Multi-cell stack fabrication. Full-size CCMs with the down-selected and optimized high temperature membrane and catalyst were fabricated. The catalyst membrane assemblies were tested in full size cells and multi-cell stack.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) have recently initiated a project aimed at identifying, evaluating, and qualifying the materials needed for the construction of the critical components of coal-fired boilers capable of operating at much higher efficiencies than current generation of supercritical plants. This increased efficiency is expected to be achieved principally through the use of ultrasupercritical steam conditions (USC). A limiting factor in this can be the materials of construction. The project goal is to assess/develop materials technology that will enable achieving turbine throttle steam conditions of 760 C (1400 F)/35 MPa (5000 psi). This goal seems achievable based on a preliminary assessment of material capabilities. The project is further intended to build further upon the alloy development and evaluation programs that have been carried out in Europe and Japan. Those programs have identified ferritic steels capable of meeting the strength requirements of USC plants up to approximately 620 C (1150 F) and nickel-based alloys suitable up to 700 C (1300 F). In this project, the maximum temperature capabilities of these and other available high-temperature alloys are being assessed to provide a basis for materials selection and application under a range of …

Polymer Electrolyte Membranes (PEMs) currently available for fuel cell development work are limited to the temperature range of 60-80°C. For mass commercialization in the transportation arena, three important disadvantages that are linked with the relatively low operating temperature range need to be addressed. These three disadvantages are: (a) sluggish cathode kinetics, (b) CO poisoning at the anode and (c) inefficient thermal characteristics. All three of the above mentioned disadvantages could be solved by increasing the operating temperature range to 100-120°C. To understand the issues associated with high temperature PEMFCs operation, UTCFC has teamed with leading research groups that possess competencies in the field of polymer chemistry. The subcontractors on the program were investigating modified Nafion® and new non-Nafion® based, reinforced and non-reinforced membrane systems. Nafion® based PEMs rely on using high temperature inorganic solid conductor fillers like phosphotungstic acid. Hydrocarbon membrane systems are based on poly (arylene ether sulfone) polymers, PEEK, PAN, etc.

This is a final report on Doe No. DE- FG02. This includes the details of collisionless reconnection in an electron-positron plasma and also nonlinear evolution of the g-mode

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe organized pursuant to the 1934 Wheeler-Howard Act (“Indian Reorganization Act”). The Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation lies along the west bank of Lake Francis Case and Lake Sharpe, which were created by the Fort Randall and Big Bend dams of the Missouri River pursuant to the Pick Sloan Act. The grid accessible at the Big Bend Dam facility operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is less than one mile of the wind farm contemplated by the Tribe in this response. The low-head hydroelectric turbines further being studied would be placed below the dam and would be turned by the water released from the dam itself. The riverbed at this place is within the exterior boundaries of the reservation. The low-head turbines in the tailrace would be evaluated to determine if enough renewable energy could be developed to pump water to a reservoir 500 feet above the river.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is conducting a collection of baseline data that will serve as an index for describing the way in which grant applications/proposals are developed and tracked at grant recipient organizations. The type of information to be collected includes (1) estimate of burden, both time and cost, to the applicant organization (2) descriptiion of the overall development and tracking systems used by the applicant, and (3) data that can be compared after the implementation of either a streamlined paper or electronic system.

One of the important research questions in high energy density science (HEDS) is how intense laser and electron beams penetrate into and interact with matter. At high beam intensities the self-fields of the laser and particle beams can fully ionize matter so that beam -matter interactions become beam-plasma interactions. These interactions involve a disparity of length and time scales, and they involve interactions between particles, between particles and waves, and between waves and waves. In a plasma what happens in one region can significantly impact another because the particles are free to move and many types of waves can be excited. Therefore, simulating these interactions requires tools that include wave particle interactions and that include wave nonlinearities. One methodology for studying such interactions is particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. While PIC codes include most of the relevant physics they are also the most computer intensive. However, with the development of sophisticated software and the use of massively parallel computers, PIC codes can now be used to accurately study a wide range of problems in HEDS. The research in this project involved building, maintaining, and using the UCLA parallel computing infrastructure. This infrastructure includes the codes OSIRIS and UPIC which have been improved …

Radiochemical diagnostic signatures are well known to be effective indicators of nuclear ignition and burn reaction conditions. Nuclear activation is already a reliable technique to measure yield. More comprehensively, though, important quantities such as fuel areal density and ion temperature might be separately and more precisely monitored by a judicious choice of select nuclear reactions. This report details an initial assessment of this approach to diagnosing ignition failures on point-design cryogenic National Ignition Campaign targets. Using newly generated nuclear reaction cross section data for Scandium and Iridium, modest uniform doping of the innermost ablator region provides clearly observable reaction product differences between robust burn and failure for either element. Both equatorial and polar tracer loading yield observable, but indistinguishable, signatures for either choice of element for the preliminary cases studied.

Understanding magnetic reconnection is one of the principal challenges in plasma physics. Reconnection is a process by which magnetic fields reconfigure themselves, releasing energy that can be converted to particle energies and bulk flows. Thanks to the availability of sophisticated diagnostics in fusion and laboratory experiments, in situ probing of magnetospheric and solar wind plasmas, and X-ray emission measurements from solar and stellar plasmas, theoretical models of magnetic reconnection can now be constrained by stringent observational tests. The members of the CMRS comprise an interdisciplinary group drawn from applied mathematics, astrophysics, computer science, fluid dynamics, plasma physics, and space science communities.

This research evaluates the ability of OLI{copyright} equilibrium based software to forecast Savannah River Site High Level Waste system impacts from oxalic acid dissolution of Tank 1-15 sludge heels. Without further laboratory and field testing, only the use of oxalic acid can be considered plausible to support sludge heel dissolution on multiple tanks. Using OLI{copyright} and available test results, a dissolution model is constructed and validated. Material and energy balances, coupled with the model, identify potential safety concerns. Overpressurization and overheating are shown to be unlikely. Corrosion induced hydrogen could, however, overwhelm the tank ventilation. While pH adjustment can restore the minimal hydrogen generation, resultant precipitates will notably increase the sludge volume. OLI{copyright} is used to develop a flowsheet such that additional sludge vitrification canisters and other negative system impacts are minimized. Sensitivity analyses are used to assess the processability impacts from variations in the sludge/quantities of acids.

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) received funding from DOE EM-21, Office of Cleanup Technologies, to develop the rotary microfilter for high level radioactive service. One aspect of this project evaluated alternative filter media to select one for the 2nd generation rotary microfilter being procured as a prefilter to a small column ion exchange process. The authors conducted screening tests on a variety of filter media and pore sizes using a stirred cell followed by pilot-scale testing on a more limited number of filter media and pore sizes with a three disk rotary microfilter. These tests used 5.6 molar sodium supernate, and sludge plus monosodium titanate (MST) solids. The conclusions from this work are: (1) The 0.1 {micro} nominal TruMem{reg_sign} ceramic and the Pall PMM M050 (0.5 {micro} nominal) stainless steel filter media produced the highest flux in rotary filter testing. (2) The Pall PMM M050 media produced the highest flux of the stainless steel media tested in rotary filter testing. (3) The Pall PMM M050 media met filtrate quality requirements for the rotary filter. (4) The 0.1 {micro} TruMem{reg_sign} and 0.1 {micro} Pall PMM media met filtrate quality requirements as well. (5) The Pall PMM M050 media produced comparable flux …