A spent fuel storage cask must efficiently transfer the heat released by the fuel assemblies through the cask walls to the environment. This heat must be transferred through passive means, limiting the energy transfer mechanisms from the cask to natural convection and radiation heat transfer.. Natural convection is essentially independent of the characteristics of the array of casks, provided there is space between casks to permit a convection loop. Radiation heat transfer, however, depends on the geometric arrangement of the array of casks because the peripheral casks will shadow the interior casks and restrict radiant heat transfer from all casks to the environment. The shadowing of one cask by its neighbors is determined by a view factor that represents the fraction of radiant energy that leaves the surface of a cask and reaches the environment. This paper addresses the evaluation of the view factor between a centrally located spent fuel storage cask and the environment. By combining analytic expressions for the view factor of (1) infinitely long cylinders and (2) finite cylinders with a length-to-diameter ratio of 2 to represent spent fuel storage casks, the view factor can be evaluated for any practical array of spent fuel storage casks.

This paper reports the development of 350 MHz superconducting cavities of a spoke-loaded geometry, intended for the velocity range 0.2 < v/c < 0.6. Two prototype single-cell cavities have been designed, one optimized for velocity v/c = 0.4, and the other for v/c = 0.29. Construction of the prototype niobium cavities is nearly complete. Details of the design and construction are discussed, along with the results of cold tests.

Charge-coupled devices (CCD's) of novel design have been fabricated at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the first large-format science-grade chips for astronomical imaging are now being characterized at Lick Observatory. They are made on 300-μm thick n-type high-resistivity (~10,000 Ω-cm) silicon wafers, using a technology developed at LBNL to fabricate low-leakage silicon microstrip detectors for high-energy physics. A bias voltage applied via a transparent contact on the back side fully depletes the substrate, making the entire volume photosensitive and ensuring that charge reaches the potential wells with minimal lateral diffusion. The development of a thin, transparent back side contact compatible with fully depleted operation permits blue response comparable to that obtained with thinned CCD's. Since he entire region is active, high quantum efficiency is maintained to nearly λ = 1000 nm, above which the silicon bandgap effectively truncates photoproduction. Early characterization results indicate a charge transfer efficiency > 0.999995, readout noise 4 e's at -132°C, full well capacity > 300,000 e's, and quantum efficiency > 85% at λ = 900 nm.

Drain and overflow holes are integral to the nuclear criticality safety basis of many processes and provide different functions inachieving their safety goaL Inmost cases at the Oak RidgeY-12 Plant, unverified engineering judgment has been previously used to conclude that the holes were adequate to accomplish their mission. Such judgment may adequately serve some configurations but is inadequate in other applications. It is important to understand and document the exact function of every drain for both normal and upset process conditions. After this is accomplished, the holes must be demonstrated to be capable of penlorming their intended safety fi,mction. This paper gives examples of different types of drains used for criticality safety, gives examples of how to ensure they will work as intended, and gives guidance to the analyst who relies on such holes to prevent criticality accidents.

The worldwide market share for crystalline-silicon solar cells has increased steadily in the last 10 years. In 1998, about 87% of the photovoltaic modules shipped worldwide are based on crystalline silicon. This dominance will likely continue into at least the first few years of the 21st century. The long-term growth of crystalline-silicon solar cells will depend on the development of low-cost polysilicon feedstock, silicon films, and advanced cell and module manufacturing processes.

A major problem with cavitation in pumps and other hydraulic devices is that there is no effective method for detecting or predicting its inception. The traditional approach is to declare the pump in cavitation when the total head pressure drops by some arbitrary value (typically 3o/0) in response to a reduction in pump inlet pressure. However, the pump is already cavitating at this point. A method is needed in which cavitation events are captured as they occur and characterized by their process dynamics. The object of this research was to identify specific features of cavitation that could be used as a model-based descriptor in a context-dependent condition-based maintenance (CD-CBM) anticipatory prognostic and health assessment model. This descriptor was based on the physics of the phenomena, capturing the salient features of the process dynamics. An important element of this concept is the development and formulation of the extended process feature vector @) or model vector. Thk model-based descriptor encodes the specific information that describes the phenomena and its dynamics and is formulated as a data structure consisting of several elements. The first is a descriptive model abstracting the phenomena. The second is the parameter list associated with the functional model. The …

In the scanning electron microscope (SEM), using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), it is possible to measure the spacing of the layers in the reciprocal lattice. These values are of great use in confirming the identification of phases. The technique derives the layer spacing from the HOLZ rings which appear in patterns from many materials. The method adapts results from convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). For many materials the measured layer spacing compares well with the calculated layer spacing. A noted exception is for higher atomic number materials. In these cases an extrapolation procedure is described that requires layer spacing measurements at a range of accelerating voltages. This procedure is shown to improves the accuracy of the technique significantly. The application of layer spacing measurements in EBSD is shown to be of use for the analysis of two polytypes of SiC.

This paper describes a method for machine or process system diagnostics that uses one-step prediction maps. The method uses nonlinear time series analysis techniques to form a one-step prediction map that estimates the next time series data point when given a sequence of previously measured time series data point. The difference between the predicted and measured time series values is a measure of the map error. The average value of this error should remain within some bound as long as both the dynamic system and its operating condition remain unchanged. However, changes in the dynamic system or operating condition will cause an increase in average map error. Thus, for a constant operating condition, monitoring the average map error over time should indicate when a change has occurred in the dynamic system. Furthermore, the map error itself forms a time series that can be analyzed to detect changes in system dynamics. The paper provides technical background in the nonlinear analysis techniques used in the diagnostic method, describes the creation of one-step prediction maps and their application to machine or process system diagnostics, and then presents results obtained from applying the diagnostic method to simulated and measured data.

In the past few years charged kaon experiments have indicated possible scalar and tensor couplings in semileptonic kaon decays (K{yields}{pi}e{nu}). These couplings, if correct, are not predicted by the Standard Model and may indicate the onset of new physics. We present a summary of the existing data and a new, precision measurement of these couplings in the neutral kaon system based on a 3% subset of the data taken by the KTeV (E799) experiment at Fermilab.

Tracking studies of the Muon Collider 50 on 50 GeV col-lider ring [1] show that the on-momentum dynamic aper-ture is limited to around 10{sigma} even with the chromaticity sextupoles turned off. Numerical results from the normal form algorithm show that the tune-shift with amplitude is surprisingly large. Both analytical and numerical results are presented to show that nonlinear kinematic effect originated from the large angles of particles in the interaction region is responsible for the large tune-shift which in turn limits the dynamic aperture. Acomparative study of the LHC collider ring is also presented to demonstrate the difference between the two machines.

The primary goals of this report are to (1) understand experimental radiography better (radiograph known static targets); and (2) to better understand the sources and effects of short wavelength perturbations on the long wavelength RT growth. Some secondary goals are to initiate Richtmyer-Meshkov mix targets; test beryllium cylinder implosions (if available); and observe emission spectroscopy from chlorinated foam to study implosions. To achieve these goals the authors: (1) shot mix targets with late backlighter and confirmed set up of radiography, begin static targets; (2) did a sequence of unperturbed and perturbed targets of different smoothness and thickness, fill in static, beryllium, and chlorinated foam targets; and (3) repeated step number 2 at a different backlighter time.

Our vision of the future of information systems is one that includes engineered collectives of software agents which are situated in an environment over years and which increasingly improve the performance of the overall system of which they are a part. At a minimum, the movement of agent and multi-agent technology into National Security applications, including their use in information assurance, is apparent today. The use of deliberative, autonomous agents in high-consequence/high-security applications will require a commensurate level of protection and confidence in the predictability of system-level behavior. At Sandia National Laboratories, we have defined and are addressing a research agenda that integrates the surety (safety, security, and reliability) into agent-based systems at a deep level. Surety is addressed at multiple levels: The integrity of individual agents must be protected by addressing potential failure modes and vulnerabilities to malevolent threats. Providing for the surety of the collective requires attention to communications surety issues and mechanisms for identifying and working with trusted collaborators. At the highest level, using agent-based collectives within a large-scale distributed system requires the development of principled design methods to deliver the desired emergent performance or surety characteristics. This position paper will outline the research directions underway at …

Some recent theoretical results on coherent electromagnetic processes in ultrarelativistic heavy ion reactions are surveyed. In ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions, Coulomb induced cross sections are huge, much larger than geometric. For the RHIC case of 100 GeV x 100 GeV colliding gold ions the predicted cross section for bound-electron positron pairs is about 110 barns. The corresponding cross section for continuum electron-positron pairs has recently been recalculated to be 34,000 barns, consistent with the result of the classic formula of Landau and Lifshitz. The cross section for Coulomb dissociation of the nucleus is about 95 barns, and the cross section for ionization of a single electron on one of the ions is about 100,000 barns.

Ukraine operates thirteen (13) Soviet-designed pressurized water reactors, VVERS. All Ukrainian plants are currently operating with annually renewable permits until they update their safety analysis reports (SARs), in accordance with new SAR content requirements issued in September 1995, by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Government Nuclear Power Coordinating Committee of Ukraine. The requirements are in three major areas: design basis accident (DBA) analysis, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), and beyond design-basis accident (BDBA) analysis. The last two requirements, on PRA and BDBA, are new, and the DBA requirements are an expanded version of the older SAR requirements. The US Department of Energy (USDOE), as part of its Soviet-Designed Reactor Safety activities, is providing assistance and technology transfer to Ukraine to support their nuclear power plants (NPPs) in developing a Western-type technical basis for the new SARs. USDOE sponsored In-Depth Safety Assessments (ISAs) are in progress at three pilot nuclear reactor units in Ukraine, South Ukraine Unit 1, Zaporizhzhya Unit 5, and Rivne Unit 1, and a follow-on study has been initiated at Khmenytskyy Unit 1. The ISA projects encompass most areas of plant safety evaluation, but the initial emphasis is on performing a detailed, plant-specific Level 1 Internal Events PRA. …

Two Forward Time Projection Chambers (FTPC) provide charge and momentum information in the pseudorapidity range between 2.5 < |{eta}| < 4.0. A radial TPC scheme is used, where ionization electrons drift in an electric field perpendicular to the axial solenoidal magnetic field. Curved proportional wire chambers with pad readout record the track information via 19200 electronic channels. We report on measurements with various gas mixtures in a prototype chamber with and without magnetic field. The design and construction of a curved readout chamber is described. Based on the prototype measurements and the final layout of the detector the expected performance in measuring accuracy and two-track-separation is given.

Measurements by the E802 Collaboration of the A-dependence and pseudorapidity interval ({delta}{eta}) dependence of mid-rapidity ET distributions in a half-azimuth electromagnetic calorimeter are presented for p+Be, p+Au, O+Cu, Si+Au and Au+Au collisions at the BNL-AGS. The issues addressed are (1) whether the shapes of the upper edges of the ET distributions vary with {delta}{eta} similarly to the variation in shapes of mid-rapidity charged particle distributions and (2) how small a {delta}{eta} interval would still give a meaningful characterization of the ''nuclear geometry'' of a reaction. A new way of plotting ET distributions was found from which the reaction dynamics could be read directly.

Self-reinforced silicon nitride ceramics rely the generation of elongated grains that act as reinforcing elements to gain increases in fracture toughness. However, the size and number of the reinforcing grains must be controlled, along with the matrix grain size, to optimize the fracture toughness and strength. Furthermore, the toughening processes of crack bridging are dependent upon retention of these reinforcing grains during crack extension by an interfacial debonding process. Both the debonding process and the resultant toughening effects are found to be influenced by the composition of the sintering aids which typical are incorporated into the amorphous intergranular films found in these ceramics. Specifically, it is shown that the interface between the intergranular glass and the reinforcing grains is strengthened in the presence of an epitaxial SiAlON layer. In addition, the interface strength increases with the Al and 0 content of the SiAlON layer. Micromechanics modeling indicates that stresses associated with thermal expansion mismatch are a secondary factor in interfacial debonding in these specific systems. On the other hand, first principles atomic cluster calculations reveal that the debonding behavior is consistent with the formation of strong Si-0 and Al-O bonds across the glass-crystalline interface.

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Paper presented at the International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (1999) reporting on the progress of the STAR experiment, a complex system of many detector sub-systems which have been installed in a large solenoidal magnet at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).