The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate the ability of hydrogen to supply reducing equivalents for the reductive dehalogenation of perchloroethylene (PCE). This objective will be accomplished by two types of activities. First, laboratory experiments will compare the kinetics of hydrogen-mediated dehalogenation with natural routes of loss (hydrolysis and natural attenuation). Secondly, bench-scale column experiments will be performed to demonstrate hydrogen-mediated reductive dehalogenation in aquifer sediments.

A comprehensive Directives Program aimed at environmental, safety, and health requirements and risks was initiated in 1997 and will be completed in late 1999 or early 2000. The primary objective of the program is to identify or develop a set of standards that, when implemented, provides reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the workers, public, and the environment will be protected during the performance of the work. In conjunction with the Directives Program, the use of the voluntary environmental management system, ISO 14000, was evaluated. This includes the only environmental management standard to which an entity can be registered. Plans are to consider the specifications and guidance from this standard in the identification of an effective environmental management system for the merged FETC sites. A performance measurement system continued to be maintained during 1998 to assist in evaluating how effectively activities at FETC meet mission-critical goals and how well missions and strategies are connected in the DOE strategic plan. This system also provides data to assist in gauging performance against the DOE critical success factors, that is, performance against technical objectives. Various environmental milestones can be tracked to completion, thus giving the FETC measures by which to gauge …

The Deactivation and Decommissioning (D&D) Technology Assessment Program (TAP) was developed to provide detailed, comparable data for environmental technologies and to disseminate this data to D&D professionals in a manner that will facilitate the review and selection of technologies to perform decontamination and decommissioning. The objectives for this project include the following: Determine technology needs through review of the Site Technology Coordination Group (STCG) information and other applicable websites and needs databases; Perform a detailed review of industries that perform similar activities as those required in D&D operations to identify additional technologies; Define the technology assessment program for characterization and waste management problem sets; Define the data management program for characterization, dismantlement, and waste management problem sets; Evaluate baseline and innovative technologies under standard test conditions at Florida International University's Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology (FIU-HCET) and other locations and collect data in the areas of performance, cost, health and safety, operations and maintenance, and primary and secondary waste generation; Continue to locate, verify, and incorporate technology performance data from other sources into the multimedia information system; and Develop the conceptual design for a dismantlement technology decision analysis tool for dismantlement technologies.

This paper describes the technical progress for the period, with ongoing activities and discusses the actions taken to meet the project deadlines. The technical progress is: (1) conducted test with Steel Industry; (2) Braune Intertech completed four tests requested by Steel and Petroleum Industries; (3) Beta Test in progress in commercial Kiln, a final report on this test will be available by the end of the year; (4) Ordered new high temperature test blocks and electrodes; (5) Made slight formula modifications which appear to greatly increase wear and strength characteristics; and (6) Establishing protocols and complete advanced laboratory testing of revised formula of G-5 Initial test results should be available for the December report.

Ventures into Central American and Africa are sketched.

This report first briefly outlines the procedures and support/activation fixture developed at LLNL to perform the heart valve tests in an anechoic-like tank at the US Navy Transducer Evaluation Facility (TransDec) located in San Diego, CA. Next they discuss the basic experiments performed and the corresponding experimental plan employed to gather meaningful data systematically. The signal processing required to extract the desired information is briefly developed along with some of the data. Finally, they show the results of the individual runs for each valve, point out any of the meaningful features and summaries.

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Many of the inorganic and organic contaminants present in sediments at DOE sites can be altered or destroyed by reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions occurring at mineral surfaces. A fundamental understanding of such redox processes provided by molecular-level studies on structurally and compositionally well-defined mineral surfaces will lead to: (i) improved models of contaminant fate and transport in geochemical systems, and (ii) optimized manipulation of these processes for remediation purposes. To contribute to this understanding, we will study, both experimentally and theoretically, redox processes involving three important contaminants - chromate ion, carbon tetrachloride, and trichloroethene TCE, on the following iron and manganese oxides - hematite, magnetite, maghemite, and pyrolusite. These oxides and their hydroxylated analogs commonly occur as coatings on minerals or as interfaces in the subsurface environment. Single-crystal surfaces of these oxides will be synthesized in carefully controlled fashion by molecular beam epitaxy. These surfaces, as well as high surface are powdered samples of these oxides, will be used in spectroscopic and kinetic experiments in both aqueous and gas phases. Our goal is to identify products and to determine the kinetics and mechanisms of surface-catalyzed redox reaction of Cr(VI) and CR(III), and the reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride and …

Impurities in cadmium sulfide (CdS) films are a concern in the fabrication of copper (indium, gallium) diselenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic devices. Devices incorporating chemical-bath-deposited (CBD) CdS are comparable in quality to devices incorporating purer CdS films grown using vacuum deposition techniques, despite the higher impurity concentrations typically observed in the CBD CdS films. In this paper, we summarize and review the results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Auger, electron microprobe, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analyses of the impurities in CBD CdS films. We show that these impurities differ as a function of substrate type and film deposition conditions. We also show that some of these impurities exist as 10{sup 2} micron-scale precipitates.

The objective of the proposed research is to investigate the influence of various aerodynamical, diffusive-thermal, radiative and reaction-rate factors on certain fundamental phenomena concerning combustion and explosion of gaseous premixtures. Different modeling techniques will be employed to reduce the study of pertinent physical systems to simple approximate problems tractable either analytically or numerically. Specifically the authors plan to study: (1) fluid dynamical aspects of flame anchoring by solid bodies; (2) fluid dynamical aspects of thermal explosion and fire flashover; (3) fluid dynamical aspects of fuel leakage in near-limit-flames; (4) reduced models for gaseous detonation.

During FY99, the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) continued pursuing its mission of helping U.S. independent oil and gas producers make timely, informed technology decisions. PTTC's national organization has active grassroots programs that connect with independents through its 10 Regional Lead Organizations (RLOs). These activities--including technology workshops, resource centers, websites, newsletters, and other outreach efforts--are guided by regional Producer Advisory Groups (PAGs). The role of the national headquarters (HQ) staff includes planning and managing the PTTC program, conducting nation-wide technology transfer activities, and implementing a comprehensive communications effort. This technical progress report summarizes PTTC's accomplishments during FY99, which lay the groundwork for further growth in the future.

We are developing innovations to enable modular builders to improve the energy performance of their classrooms with no increase in first cost. The Modern Building Systems' (MBS) classroom building conforms to the stringent Oregon energy code, and at $18/ft{sup 2} ($1.67/m{sup 2}) (FOB the factory) it is at the low end of the cost range for modular classrooms. We have investigated daylighting, cross-ventilation, solar preheat of ventilation air, air-to-air heat exchanger, electric lighting controls, and down-sizing HVAC systems as strategies to improve energy performance. We were able to improve energy performance with no increase in first cost in all climates examined. Two papers and a full report on Phase I of this study are available. The work described in this report is from the second phase of the project. In the first phase we redesigned the basic modular classroom to incorporate energy strategies including daylighting, cross-ventilation, solar preheating of ventilation air, and insulation. We also explored thermal mass but determined that it was not a cost-effective strategy in the five climates we examined. Energy savings ranged from 6% to 49% with an average of 23%. Paybacks ranged from 1.3 years to 23.8 years, an average of 12.1 years. In Phase …

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The profiles of the potential of mean force for the <i>Cl^- - H₃O⁺</i> pair, as predicted by two <i>ab initio</i> models, are determined by constraint molecular dynamics simulation at a near-critical condition. The corresponding association constants are then determined and compared with that from conductance measurements to test the reliability of the current simulation models for <i>HCl</i>.

A one-dimensional (in space) time-dependent simulation code is development to study the transport of energy and particles in a field reversed configuration (FRC) plasma that is undergoing radial contraction. This contraction is due to an imploding metallic liner, which is treated through a boundary condition.

During the past quartile (two month period) most attention has been concentrated on the problem of definition critical temperature at which ''wet'' corrosion first became operable. It has been shown that, in principle, ''wet'' corrosion processes can not be ignored for Yucca Mountain, even for initial times, when the temperature of the surface of containers is well above the boiling temperature of water for the prevailing conditions. This is because the surfaces are covered by highly hydrophilic oxides (e.g. Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, NiO, Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}) that will hydrate to the form of corresponding hydroxides, which are proton conductors, at least when in the ''wet'' condition. Because proton conduction and the presence of ''bound'' water are all that are required for the external environment to support metallic corrosion in either its general or localized form. Thus, the temperature of dehydration of the hydroxide, e.g. M(OH){sub 2} {yields} MO + H{sub 2}O(g), is a better criterion for the upper temperature limit for ''wet'' corrosion than is the boiling temperature of ''bulk'' water. During this first task, we have reviewed the existing thermodynamic data base for the dehydration of metal hydroxides and analytical expressions have been developed that allow the upper temperature …

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The theoretical treatment of the solvation phenomenon of simple ions in aqueous solutions has been rather difficult, despite the apparent simplicity of the system. Long-range solvent-screened electrostatic interactions, coupled to the large variation (with state conditions) of the dielectric permittivity of water, give rise to a variety of rather complex solvation phenomena including dielectric saturation, electrostriction, and ion association. Notably, ion solvation in high-temperature/pressure aqueous solutions plays a leading role in hydrothermal chemistry, such as in the natural formation of ore deposits, the corrosion in boilers and reactors, and in high-temperature microbiology. Tremendous effort has been invested in the study of hydrothermal solutions to determine their thermodynamic, transport, and spectroscopic properties with the goal of elucidating the solute-solvent and solute-solute interactions over a wide range of state conditions. It is precisely at these conditions where our understanding and predictive capabilities are most precarious, in part, as a result of the coexistence of processes with two rather different length scales, i.e., short-ranged (solvation) and long-ranged (compressibility-driven) phenomena (Chialvo and Cummings 1994a). The latter feature makes hydrothermal systems extremely challenging to model, unless we are able to isolate the (compressibility-driven) propagation of the density perturbation from the (solvation-related) finite-density perturbation phenomena (Chialvo …

The work described in this report was focused on generating fundamental data on fingerprint components which will be used to develop advanced forensic techniques to enhance fluorescent detection, and visualization of latent fingerprints. Chemical components of sweat gland secretions are well documented in the medical literature and many chemical techniques are available to develop latent prints, but there have been no systematic forensic studies of fingerprint sweat components or of the chemical and physical changes these substances undergo over time.

The alternative fuel industry is heating up. It is a very exciting time to be in the energy business, especially when it comes to transportation. Celebrating of the milestone 75th Clean Cities coalition and kick off of the new Federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) USER Program is occurring in cities across the country. Clean Energy for the 21st Century and the events that are happening during Energy Awareness Month are covered in this issue. Spotlighted are niche markets; several airports across the country are successfully incorporating alternative fuels into their daily routines.

The results from the Michigan demonstration establish that this type of approach can be very effective for NORM sites. The advantages include (1) greatly reduced per sample analytical costs; (2) a reduced reliance on soil sampling and ex situ gamma spectroscopy analyses; (3) the ability to combine characterization with remediation activities in one fieldwork cycle; (4) improved documentation; and (5) ultimately better remediation, as measured by greater precision in delineating soils that are not in compliance with requirements from soils that are in compliance. In addition, the demonstration showed that the use of real-time technologies, such as the RadInSoil, can facilitate the implementation of a Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM)-based final status survey program

A review of the applicability of Pitzer's equations to the aqueous thermodynamics of actinide species in natural waters is presented. This review includes a brief historical perspective on the application of Pitzer's equations to actinides, information on the difficulties and complexities of studying and modeling the different actinide oxidation states, and a discussion of the use of chemical analogs for different actinide oxidation states. included are tables of Pitzer ion-interaction parameters and associated standard state equilibrium constants for each actinide oxidation state. These data allow the modeling of the aqueous thermodynamics of different actinide oxidation states to high ionic strength.

An algorithm known as SMAC (Synthesize Modes And Correlate), based on principles of modal filtering, has been in development for a few years. The new capabilities of the automated version are demonstrated on test data from a complex shell/payload system. Examples of extractions from impact and shaker data are shown. The automated algorithm extracts 30 to 50 modes in the bandwidth from each column of the frequency response function matrix. Examples of the synthesized Mode Indicator Functions (MIFs) compared with the actual MIFs show the accuracy of the technique. A data set for one input and 170 accelerometer outputs can typically be reduced in an hour. Application to a test with some complex modes is also demonstrated.

This project is designed to develop engineering and modeling tools for a family of NO{sub x}control technologies utilizing biomass as a reburning fuel. During the eighth reporting period (July 1--September 26, 1999), Antares Group Inc, under contract to Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, evaluated the economic feasibility of biomass reburning options for Dunkirk Station. This report includes summary of the findings; complete information will be submitted in the next Quarterly Report.