The particle sizes of the insoluble solids from two of the Tank 41H saltcake samples have been determined by scanning electron microscopy. Settling velocities of the solids have been calculated using Stokes Law. Thus, it is concluded that the formation of a solid phase consisting of uranium without significant amounts of Cr, Fe, Mn, and Zn is not possible during the dissolution of saltcake.

The purpose of the Trench 31 & 34 Mixed Waste Disposal Facility Compliance Matrix is to provide objective evidence of implementation of all regulatory and procedural-institutional requirements for the disposal facilities. This matrix provides a listing of the individual regulatory and procedural-institutional requirements that were addressed. Subject matter experts reviewed pertinent documents that had direct or indirect impact on the facility. Those found to be applicable were so noted and listed in Appendix A. Subject matter experts then extracted individual requirements from the documents deemed applicable and listed them in the matrix tables. The results of this effort are documented in Appendix B.

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The Automation & Robotics Research Institute (ARRI) and the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) were funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to determine the feasibility of a regional industrial technology institute to be located at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Central Facility in Waxahachie, Texas. In response to this opportunity, ARRI and TEEX teamed with the DOE Kansas City Plant (managed by Allied Signal, Inc.), Los Alamos National Laboratory (managed by the University of California), Vought Aircraft Company, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), SSC Laboratory, KPMG Peat Marwick, Dallas County Community College, Navarro Community College, Texas Department of Commerce (TDOC), Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC), Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, Louisiana Productivity Center, and the NASA Mid-Continent Technology Transfer Center (MCTTC) to develop a series of options, perform the feasibility analysis and secure industrial reviews of the selected concepts. The final report for this study is presented in three sections: Executive Summary, Business Plan, and Technical Plan. The results from the analysis of the proposed concept support the recommendation of creating a regional technology alliance formed by the states of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana through the …

The purpose of Phase 2 of the Investigation of Properties and Performance of Ceramic Composite Components has been to build on and extend the work completed during Phase 1 to further advance the transition from properties of ceramic composite materials to performance of ceramic composite components used in fossil energy environments. The specific tasks of Phase 2 were: (1) develop and validate reliable and accurate high temperature, biaxial mechanical tests methods for structural ceramic composite components; (2) test and evaluate ceramic composite components, specifically tubes; (3) characterize long-term, mechanical performance of ceramic composite tubes at high temperatures; (4) develop a fundamental understanding of the mechanical degradation and performance limitations of ceramic composite components under service conditions; (5) develop predictive models for damage tolerance and reliability; and (6) relate component performance to microstructure and, thereby, provide feedback to the associated process-development effort, to improve performance. Accomplishments for each task are given.

This document establishes the procedure for performing the acceptance test on the two isolation barriers being installed in K West basin. This acceptance test procedure shall be used to: First establish a basin water loss rate prior to installation of the two isolation barriers between the main basin and the discharge chute in K-Basin West. Second, perform an acceptance test to verify an acceptable leakage rate through the barrier seals.

The Colorado State Collaboration has studied the feasibility of a high sensitivity QED birefringence/axion search measurement. The objective of this work is to measure, for the first time, the birefringence induced in the vacuum on a light beam travelling in a powerful magnetic field. The same experimental setup also allows a highly sensitive search for axion or axion-like particles. The experiment would combined custom-designed optical heterodyne interferometry with a string of six SSC prototype superconducting dipole magnets at the N-15 site of the SSC Laboratory. With these powerful laser tools, sensitivity advances of 10{sup 7} to 10{sup 9} over previous optical experiments will be possible. The proposed experiment will be able to measure the QED light-by-light scattering effect with a 0.5% accuracy. The increased sensitivity for the axion-two photon interaction will result in a bound on this process rivaling the results based on astrophysical arguments. In the technical report the authors address the scientific significance of these experiments and examine the limiting technical parameters which control their feasibility. The proposed optical/electronic scheme is presented in the context of a background of the known and projected systematic problems which will confront any serious attempt to make such measurements.

This report describes the progress achieved during the first six months of the program. The different subjects studied were: zone refining experiments of mercuric iodide to establish optimum refining parameters and produce purified material; development of surface reflection spectroscopy as a method to measure crystal surface temperatures, with emphasis on investigation the potential of using optical multichannel analysis; optical methods for measuring iodine vapor during physical vapor transport of HgI{sub 2}; and atomic force microscopy studies.

The most significant development this year has been the outcome of a survey of EO transition strength, {rho}{sup 2}(EO), in heavy nuclei. The systematics of {rho}{sup 2}(EO) reveals that the strongest EO`s are between pairs of excited states with the same spin and parity. This is observed in the regions Z,N = 38,60; 48,66; 64,88; and 80,106. Unlike other multipoles it is rare that nuclear ground states are strongly connected to excited states by monopole transitions. Another significant finding is in the results of the experimental study of levels in {sup 187}Au. Two bands of states are observed with identical spin sequences, very similar excitation energies, and EO transitions between the favored band members but not between the unfavored band members. This is interpreted in terms of nearly identical diabatic structures. Experimental data sets for the radioactive decays of {sup 183}Pt and {sup 186}Au to {sup 183}Ir and {sup 186}Pt, respectively, have been under analysis. The studies are aimed at elucidating shape coexistence and triaxiality in the A = 185 region. An extensive program of systematics for nuclei at and near N = Z has been continued in preparation for the planned nuclear structure research program using the Holifield Radioactive …

This document comprises the final report of work performed under sub-contract B-239648 between the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of Vermont (UVM). This contract was subsidiary to one between LLNL and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This project had the goal of developing tools and strategies regarding how and where and when to apply the environmental restoration (ER) technologies that are under development. The development of decision support software for advanced environmental remediation technologies is tentative; many of the ER technologies are poorly understood, the applicability of methods to new untested sites is questionable, the ability to predict the effects of alternative remediation designs is very limited, and there are a large number of uncertainties associated with processes and parameters (physical, chemical, and biological), contaminants (distribution and type), and sociopolitical environment. Nevertheless, the potential for significant savings by using optimal design methods and the need to make decisions regardless of uncertainties has made this project worthy. A stop-work order was received in September 1994. An additional upper limit of $15,000 was provided for project termination activities, including report preparation. One of four deliverables was completed and provided to LLNL. MODLP is a computational tool for use …

This proof of concept project studied the feasibility of producing elemental sulfur from a spent solid sorbent and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) gas. The objectives were to research (1) producing H{sub 2}S gas from an aqueous solution produced from spent sorbent solid consisting of primarily CaS, and (2) research the potential of producing elemental sulfur at temperatures below 600{degrees}C by means of a novel reaction between H{sub 2}S with CO{sub 2}. The spent sorbent derives from a novel coal desulfurization process currently under development by the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) and the US DOE that provides for up to 80% desulfurization of the coal before combustion. The spent sorbent consists mainly of calcium sulfide with minor quantities of unreacted lime (CaO) and limestone (CaCO{sub 3}). In this study, CaS is dissolved in a solution of acetic acid forming a solution containing primarily hydrogen sulfide, calcium ions and acetate ions. The hydrogen sulfide is subsequently stripped from the solution by carbon dioxide (available from stack gas) and the H{sub 2}S-CO{sub 2} mixture is catalytically converted to form elemental sulfur. This conversion is aided by the reaction between CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2}(water-gas shift reaction) to produce water vapor and carbon …

The Receiving Basin for Off-Site Fuels/Resin Regeneration Facility (RBOF/RRF) currently generates approximately 50,000 gallons of wastewater per month. This waste is sent to the 211-H General Purpose (GP) evaporator and/or the 241-H Tank Farm (HTF). The primary criteria for selecting the destination of the waste are solids content and radioactively.The waste is typically sent to the GP evaporator if it has low solids content and low activity. Currently, approximately 70% of the waste water produced at RBOF/RRF meets the criteria for acceptance by the GP evaporator. In June 1993, High Level Waste Engineering opened a Technical Issue (TI) related to processing of RBOF/RRF directly through the 1H Cesium Removal Column (CRC) to the F/H Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). In March 1994, additional emphasis was placed on this effort after it was determined that the 1H evaporator had a failed tube bundle. As a result, The TI was expanded to include evaluations of methods to increase the acceptance rate of wastewater at the GP (i.e., to ensure that the 70% of RBOF/RRF wastewater that currently meets the GP acceptance criteria is actually processed at the GP). Since March 1994, waste receipts from RBOF/RRF have averaged less than the 30,000 gallons/month allotted …

This document assesses the consequences if the isolation barrier plate is dropped and falls over on the fuel stored in the water-filled K-East basin. The water slows the rate of fall and some canister bending is expected but only a few rods, if any, would get crushed. The basin criticality calculations will not be affected.

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A number of chemical phenomena that occur at the boundaries between insulating solids and liquids (adsorption, partition, monolayer self-assembly, catalysis, and chemical reactions) are important to energy-related analytical chemistry. These phenomena are central to the development and understanding of chromatographic methods, solid-phase extraction techniques, immobilized analytical reagents, and optical sensors. The goal of this program, therefore, is to develop surface-sensitive spectroscopies by which chemical kinetics at liquid/solid interfaces can be observed on time-scales from nanoseconds to seconds. In the second year of this program, the authors have used temperature-jump relaxation measurements to monitor adsorption/desorption kinetics at liquid/solid interfaces using Joule heating to compare the adsorption of ions from solution onto C1- and C4-derivatized silica surfaces. They completed a study of rate of migration of covalently-attached ligands on silica surfaces; from the temperature-dependence of the migration, the large energy barrier to migration was estimated. Surface heterogeneity of adsorption sites on silica was characterized by time-resolve fluorescence, and the chemical origins investigated by Si{sup 29} NMR spectroscopy. Surface-enhance Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies were modified to study adsorption and binding to silica surfaces. Molecular dynamics simulations were started to help better understand kinetic barriers to adsorption; ESR probe measurements were launched to measure …

The subsurface environment is an important national resource that is utilized for construction, waste disposal and groundwater supply. Conflicting and unwise use has led to problems of groundwater contamination. Cleanup is often difficult and expensive, and perhaps not even possible in many cases. Construction projects often encounter unanticipated difficulties that increase expenses. Many of the difficulties of predicting mechanical behavior and fluid flow and transport behavior stem from problems in characterizing what cannot be seen. An underground research laboratory, such as can be developed in the nearly 14 miles of tunnel at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) site, will provide a unique opportunity to advance scientific investigations of fluid flow, chemical transport, and mechanical behavior in situ in weak and fractured, porous rock on a scale relevant to civil and environmental engineering applications involving the subsurface down to a depth of 100 m. The unique element provided by underground studies at the SSC site is three-dimensional access to a range of fracture conditions in two rock types, chalk and shale. Detailed experimentation can be carried out in small sections of the SSC tunnel where different types of fractures and faults occur and where different rock types or contacts are exposed. …

The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and quantitative characterization of a fluvial-deltaic reservoir which will allow realistic inter-well and reservoir-scale modeling to be developed for improved oil-field development in similar reservoirs world-wide. The geological and petrophysical properties of the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone in east-central Utah will be quantitatively determined. Both new and existing data will be integrated into a 3-D representation of spatial variations in porosity, storativity, and tensorial rock permeability at a scale appropriate for inter-well to regional-scale reservoir simulation. Results could improve reservoir management through proper infill and extension drilling strategies, reduction of economic risks, increased recovery from existing oil fields, and more reliable reserve calculations. Transfer of the project results to the petroleum industry is an integral component of the project.

Scale-up of packed bed processes, particularly those involving chromatographic separations, is made difficult by a seemingly inevitable increase in dispersion due to packing nonuniformity. To provide a suitable characterization, the authors measured the spatial distribution of dispersion and mixing in packed beds of uniform impervious spherical glass particles by a tracer impulse technique. The key feature in this work is the use of a fiberoptic array at the exit plane to obtain a time-resolved spatially distributed response. All experiments were in the creeping flow regime. The authors used a fluorescent dye with laser excitation through the fiber terminations in the bed. The fluoresced radiation was collected through the same fibers. They analyzed the data by the use of indices of the extent of micromixing based on Danckwerts`s original degree of segregation and an additional index of structural uniformity. The computations involve a moment analysis of the individual and average probe responses. A simple model gives expressions for the indices in terms of the Peclet number and is shown to provide a useful limiting case. The computed indices are also shown to be very sensitive to adsorption of dye on the surface of the glass. However, for some of the experiments …

This DOE research project was established to document the integrated team approach for solving reservoir engineering problems. The goal will be to provide tools and approaches that can be used to detect reservoir compartments, reach a better reserve estimate, and improve profits early in the life of a field. Field selection consumed nearly the first four months of the project. The choice was the Hambert Field area which is the field area being studied. During the remainder of the year, a significant portion of the data was gathered and entered into a data base. Cores have been described, log analysis performed on over 100 wells, and regional mapping and correlation of sedimentary packages completed. Compressional (P) and shear (S) wave velocity data was measured on 8 core plugs at various conditions and lithologies. The analysis of the 3D seismic data has been started and supports the interpretation that the structural component will be a significant factor for reservoir compartmentalization in this reservoir. The experimental permeability work completed includes the pressure decay profile permeability measurements on the cores. Relationships of porosity and permeability with net confining stress were developed. Core relative permeability measurements were also completed during the year. Additional experimental …

This DOE research project was established to document the integrated team approach for solving reservoir engineering problems. A field study integrating the disciplines of geology, geophysics, and petroleum engineering will be the mechanism for documenting the integrated approach. This is an area of keen interest to the oil and gas industry. The goal will be to provide tools and approaches that can be used to detect reservoir compartments, reach a better reserve estimate, and improve profits early in the life of a field.

Since this project is a continuation of a cooperative effort between UMR and General Motor Research Laboratories (GMR), it seemed fitting to provide some background information which was instrumental in the evolution of this program. A family of filled epoxies that can be cast-to-size into sheet metal stamping dies has been developed by GMR. Advantages of this material over commercial plastic tooling materials are a fast curing rate, high strength, and negligible volume shrinkage after curing. Superior Tooling And Molding Plastic (STAMP) tooling dies are considerably cheaper and faster to make than steel tooling dies; therefore, they are currently used for prototype applications throughout General Motors. With improvement of wear resistance, STAMP dies can be used for limited production applications involving 10,000 or 20,000 parts. GMR proposed to provide a thin (< 25 {micro}m) wear surface for the cast-to-size STAMP die to extend its wear performance. The objective of the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) research effort is to technically evaluate methodologies to coat STAMP material to appreciably improve wear resistance. This does not necessarily mean that various types of coatings will be developed and evaluated. Rather, the primary responsibility is to characterize the nature of the STAMP material and design …

An offsite individual residing at the SRS boundary at the point of the maximum exposure (maximum individual) received a dose of 0.11 mrem from SRS atmospheric releases in 1993 (See Table 1 for a 5-yr history of doses). This dose was only 1.1% of the EPA public dose limit of 10 mrem/yr (DOE, 1990). Tritium oxide releases were responsible for 90% of the atmospheric dose. Ninety-nine percent of the atmospheric dose was accounted for with the inclusion of I-129, U-235, U-238, Pu-238 and Pu-239. The 50-mile population received a collective dose of 7.6 person-rem from 1993 atmospheric releases. Ninety-nine percent of this dose also resulted from the release of the same isotopes that dominated the maximum individual dose due to atmospheric releases. For both the individual and the population, atmospheric radiation dose was dominated by the inhalation and vegetation consumption pathways. The maximum dose received by an offsite individual as a result of SRS liquid releases in 1993 was 0.14 mrem (See Table 1 for a 5-yr history). This does was only 3.5% of the EPA limit for drinking water of 4 mrem/yr (DOE, 1990). This dose was dominated by Cs-137 accumulated in Savannah River fish and tritium in drinking …

The concentration of hydrogen (H{sub 2}) in the radiolytically produced off-gas from 2.76-4.25M HNO{sub 3}/PU solutions has been found to be greatly reduced in the presence of sulfamic acid (HSA) and hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN). The H{sub 2} concentration ([H{sub 2}]) is reduced from 35 percent to about 4 percent by dilution caused from an increase in the production rates of nitrogen (N{sub 2}), nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O), and oxygen (O{sub 2}) gases. The generation rate of H{sub 2} was not affected by HSA or HAN giving a measured radiolytic yield, G(H{sub 2}), value of 0.201 molecules/100 eV for 2.765M NO{sub 3}{sup -} solution (a value of 0.213 is predicted from previous data). The G(H{sub 2}) values are dependent on the solution nitrate concentration ([NO{sub 3}{sup -}]). The generation rates of N{sub 2}, N{sub 2}O, and O{sub 2} are not dependent on the [NO{sub 3}{sup -}] in this narrow range, but are dependent on the presence of HSA and the concentration of HAN. The percentage [H{sub 2}] for the 2.5 to 3.0M NO{sub 3}{sup -} range expected in the off- from the FB-Line Pu{sup +3} Hold Tanks is conservatively estimated to be about 3.5 to 4.5 % for Pu + 3 …

The Materials Technology Section (MTS) of the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) was asked to demonstrate the practicality of recycling previously contaminated stainless steel components such as reactor heat exchanger heads, process water piping and slug buckets into 208 liters (55 gallon) drums and 2.8 cubic meter (100 ft{sup 3}) storage boxes. Radioactively contaminated stainless steel scrap will be sent to several industrial partners where it will be melted, decontaminated/cast into ingots, and rolled into plate and sheet and fabricated into the drums and boxes. As part of this recycle initiative, MTS was requested to demonstrate that radioactively contaminated Type 304L stainless steel could be remelted and cast to meet the applicable ASTM specification for fabrication of drums and boxes. In addition, MTS was requested to develop the technical basis of melt decontamination and establish practicality of using this approach for value added products. The findings presented in this investigation lead to the following conclusions: recycle of 18 wt% Cr-8 wt% Ni alloy can be achieved by melting Type 304 stainless steel in a air vacuum induction furnace; limited melt decontamination of the contaminated stainless steel was achieved, surface contamination was removed by standard decontamination techniques; carbon uptake in the …