Progress in solid state physics is reported on the following topics: theory, metals and alloys, nonmetals, reactor materials, and special projects. Twenty-one separate abstracts were prepared. (M.C.G.)

The electrolytic dissolution of zirconium in HCl-methanol was studied as a function of potential, solution composition, and temperature. The dissolution is characterized by two regions. At high potentials the zirconium is electropolished and complete dissolution is achieved. At low potentials the current is an exponential function of the potential (Tafel behavior). In this region a small amount of finely divided alpha -zirconium which is insoluble in HCl-methanol separates from the bulk metal. The energy of activation for the corrosion reaction (0.0 volt) is 16.5 kcal/mole; in the electropolishing region (1.0 volt) the activation energy is 7.7 kcal/mole. A broad solvent capability for metallic reactor fuels is offered by the HCl-methanol medium since, in addition to zirconium, stainless steel is also dissolved electrolytically while uranium and aluminum dissolve chemically. Other process implications are discussed. (auth)

The project conceptual design activities are divided into six parts: Industrial Plant, Conceptual System Design, Collector Selection, Heat Transfer Fluid Selection, Site Fabrication, and Engineered Equipment. Included is an overview of the solar steam system and a brief discussion on the environmental impact of the project as well as the safety considerations of the system design. The effect of the solar system on the environment is negligible, and the safety analysis of the system indicates the considerations to be taken to minimize any potential safety hazard due to contamination of the food product or to fire. Both of these potential hazards are discussed in detail. Both the question of product contamination and the question of potential fire hazards will be presented to the industrial partner's safety committee so that the selection of the heat transfer fluid meets with their approval.

The heavy-light method is applied to the study of the B meson spectrum, the pseudoscalar decay constant f{sub B}, the mixing (B) parameter, and exclusive semileptonic B meson decays. Preliminary results are discussed for f{sub B} and the B parameter at {beta} = 5.7 and {kappa} = 0.165 on a 12{sup 3} {times} 24 lattice and at {beta} = 5.9 and {kappa} = 0.158 on a 16{sup 3} {times} 32 lattice. 9 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

None

TRW is designing a system for the demonstration of the Solar Production of Industrial Process Steam. Included, besides the Conceptual Design, is an Environmental Impact Assessment and a System Safety Analysis report. The system as proposed and conceptualized consists of an array of 9520 square feet of parabolic trough concentrating solar energy collectors which generate pressurized hot water. The pressurized water is allowed to flash to steam at 300 psi (417/sup 0/F) and fed directly into the high pressure steam lines of the Ore-Ida Foods, Inc., processing plant in Ontario, Oregon. Steam is normally generated in the factory by fossil-fired boilers and is used by means of a steam-to-oil heat exchanger for the process of frying potatoes in their frozen food processing line. The high pressure steam is also cascaded down to 125 psi for use in other food processing operations. This solar system will generate 2 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr during peak periods of insolation. Steam requirements in the plant for frying potatoes are: 43 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr at 300 psi and 52 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr at the lower temperatures and pressures. The Ontario plant operates on a 24 hr/day schedule six days a week during the …

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. During fiscal year 2008, the Hanford Seismic Network recorded 1431 triggers on the seismometer system, which included 112 seismic events in the southeast Washington area and an additional 422 regional and teleseismic events. There were 74 events determined to be local earthquakes relevant to the Hanford Site. The highest-magnitude event (3.7 Mc) occurred on May 18, 2008, and was located approximately 17 km east …

The Laboratory Director is pleased to have the opportunity to present the 2008 Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) annual report. This is my first opportunity to do so, and only the second such report that has been issued. As will be obvious, SRNL has built upon the excellent start that was made with the LDRD program last year, and researchers have broken new ground in some important areas. In reviewing the output of this program this year, it is clear that the researchers implemented their ideas with creativity, skill and enthusiasm. It is gratifying to see this level of participation, because the LDRD program remains a key part of meeting SRNL's and DOE's strategic goals, and helps lay a solid scientific foundation for SRNL as the premier applied science laboratory. I also believe that the LDRD program's results this year have demonstrated SRNL's value as the EM Corporate Laboratory, having advanced knowledge in a spectrum of areas, including reduction of the technical risks of cleanup, separations science, packaging and transportation of nuclear materials, and many others. The research in support of Energy Security and National and Homeland Security has been no less notable. SRNL' s researchers have shown again …

Management and disposal of produced water is one of the most important problems associated with oil and gas (O&G) production. O&G production operations generate large volumes of brine water along with the petroleum resource. Currently, produced water is treated as a waste and is not available for any beneficial purposes for the communities where oil and gas is produced. Produced water contains different contaminants that must be removed before it can be used for any beneficial surface applications. Arid areas like west Texas produce large amount of oil, but, at the same time, have a shortage of potable water. A multidisciplinary team headed by researchers from Texas A&M University has spent more than six years is developing advanced membrane filtration processes for treating oil field produced brines The government-industry cooperative joint venture has been managed by the Global Petroleum Research Institute (GPRI). The goal of the project has been to demonstrate that treatment of oil field waste water for re-use will reduce water handling costs by 50% or greater. Our work has included (1) integrating advanced materials into existing prototype units and (2) operating short and long-term field testing with full size process trains. Testing at A&M has allowed us …

Our team of investigators from MIT (Michael Laub) and Stanford (Harley McAdams and Lucy Shapiro) conducted a multi-faceted, systematic experimental analysis of the 106 Caulobacter two-component signal transduction system proteins (62 histidine kinases and 44 response regulators) to understand how they coordinate cell cycle progression, metabolism, and response to environmental changes. These two-component signaling proteins were characterized at the genetic, biochemical, and genomic levels. The results generated by our laboratories have provided numerous insights into how Caulobacter cells sense and respond to a myriad of signals. As nearly all bacteria use two-component signaling for cell regulation, the results from this project help to deepen our general understanding of bacterial signal transduction. The tools and approaches developed can be applied to other bacteria. In particular, work from the Laub laboratory now enables the systematic, rational rewiring of two-component signaling proteins, a major advance that stands to impact synthetic biology and the development of biosensors and other designer molecular circuits. Results are summarized from our work. Each section lists publications and publicly-available resources which result from the work described.

The Northeast Regional Biomass Program successfully employed a three pronged approach to build the regional capacity, networks, and reliable information needed to advance biomass and bioenergy technologies and markets. The approach included support for state-based, multi-agency biomass working groups; direct technical assistance to states and private developers; and extensive networking and partnership-building activities to share objective information and best practices.

The purpose of this document is to summarize the waste acceptance criteria applicable to the transportation, storage, and disposal of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These criteria serve as the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) primary directive for ensuring that CH-TRU waste is managed and disposed of in a manner that protects human health and safety and the environment.The authorization basis of WIPP for the disposal of CH-TRU waste includes the U.S.Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear EnergyAuthorization Act of 1980 (reference 1) and the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA;reference 2). Included in this document are the requirements and associated criteriaimposed by these acts and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA,reference 3), as amended, on the CH-TRU waste destined for disposal at WIPP.|The DOE TRU waste sites must certify CH-TRU waste payload containers to thecontact-handled waste acceptance criteria (CH-WAC) identified in this document. Asshown in figure 1.0, the flow-down of applicable requirements to the CH-WAC istraceable to several higher-tier documents, including the WIPP operational safetyrequirements derived from the WIPP CH Documented Safety Analysis (CH-DSA;reference 4), the transportation requirements for CH-TRU wastes derived from theTransuranic Package Transporter-Model II (TRUPACT-II) and …

The goal of the study described in this report is to provide U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) biologists and engineers with general design guidelines for using artificial lighting to enhance the passage of juvenile salmonids into the collection channel at the Bonneville Dam second powerhouse (B2). During fall 2007, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) researchers measured light levels in the field at one powerhouse orifice through which fish must pass to reach the collection channel. Two light types were evaluated—light-emitting diode (LED) lights and halogen spot lights. Additional measurements with mercury lamps were made at the PNNL Aquatic Research Laboratory to determine baseline intensity of the current lighting. A separate chapter synthesizes the relevant literature related to light and fish guidance for both field and laboratory studies. PNNL will also review the Corps plans for existing lighting protocol at all of the Portland District projects and help develop a uniform lighting scheme which could be implemented. The specific objectives for this study are to 1. Create a synthesis report of existing lighting data for juvenile salmonid attraction and deterrence and how the data are used at fish bypass facilities. 2. Evaluate current B2 orifice lighting conditions with both LED …

This report describes a robust and generalized method for the clustering of various human breast cell lines in 3D and describes the preparation of cellular extracts from these cultures for molecular analysis.

In response to additional needs developed during a review of the LOFT Technical Specifications, two more pressure reduction and decontamination sump volume vs. initial temperature data points were calculated in order to adequately quench steam generator relief blowdown. The two additional points chosen were for 10,000 gallons (based on ECC requirements) and for 120/sup 0/F (NPSH limit maximum temperature). The results are that for 10,000 gallons in the sump the maximum initial temperature is 110/sup 0/F and for 120/sup 0/F initial temperature, a volume of 14,000 gallons is required in the sump. Calculations are shown on page two of this report. The maximum final PR and DS temperature was set at 140/sup 0/F to preclude the vibrational effects discussed in LTR 115-9 and its referenced operational experience reports.

The Rio Blanco Massive Hydraulic Fracturing Project was fielded in 1974 as a joint Industry/ERDA demonstration to test the relative effectiveness of MHF in the same formations that were stimulated by the Rio Blanco nuclear fracturing experiment. The project is essentially a companion effort to and a continuation of the preceding nuclear stimulation project, which took place in May, 1973. The well was fractured a total of four times, twice in the Upper Mesaverde and twice in the Fort Union. A fifth zone in the Upper Mesaverde was extensively tested but abandoned as being of insufficient quality for fracturing. In the four treatments, none appears to have fractured laterally as designed. In the Fort Union and Mesaverde each well must produce from numerous sand lenses, the lateral extent of which appears to be limited.

A detailed description of the status of the design, fabrication, and testing of the Selenide Isotope Generator for the Galileo program is presented. (WHK)

TERA Corporation presents the results of a detailed seismic risk analysis of the Battelle Memorial Institute's Nuclear Research Facility at West Jefferson, Ohio. This report focuses on earthquakes.

This report presents the results of a detailed seismic risk analysis of the Nuclear Materials Development Facility (NMDF) operated by Atomics International at Santa Susana, California. The historical seismic record was established after a review of available literature, consultation with operators of local seismic arrays and examination of appropriate seismic data bases including the USGS, California Institute of Technology and NEIS data bases. The resulting seismic record, covering the period 1969 to 1977, was used to identify all possible sources of seismicity that could affect the site. The best estimate curve indicates that the facility will experience 30% g with a return period of 55 years and 60% g with a return period of 750 years.

Progress on energy analysis of geothermal resources is reported. The power curve for a vapor dominated hydrothermal plant is shown. (MHR)

A set of computer codes have been developed to produce spectral line shapes of highly stripped ions for a number of transitions in Hydrogenic, Helium-like and Lithium-like species. The choice of the transitions has been dictated largely by the laser compression experiments. The transitions of Hydrogenic species are: Lyman ..cap alpha..; Lyman ..beta..; Lyman ..gamma..; Lyman delta; Balmer ..cap alpha..; and Balmer ..beta... The transitions of Helium-like species are: 1s/sup 2/(/sup 1/S/sub 0/)-1s2p(/sup 1/P); 1s/sup 2/(/sup 1/S/sub 0/)-1s3p(/sup 1/P); 1s/sup 2/(/sup 1/S/sub 0/)-1s4p(/sup 1/P) and the associated dipole-forbidden components. The transitions of Lithium-like species are the entire n = 2 to n = 3 and n = 4 complexes.

The objectives of the surveys were to locate subsurface obstructions that may affect the drilling of two holes to be fit with flow meters in the 100-H Area of the Hanford Site (Figure 1). Possible drill sites with the least likelihood of encountering identified obstructions were identified based upon the results of the survey. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was the method selected for the investigations. The electromagnetic induction method was also used to verify that the general site is relatively void of metallic debris at depth.

This document explains the tank waste sampling strategy needed to obtain the information required to identify and develop pretreatment and waste immobilization processes. The key tenet of the strategy is that process testing with real waste material from the Hanford Site underground tanks is necessary to design processes and measure their effectiveness. This document provides the criteria for selection of the limited number of tanks to be sampled. A phased, iterative approach is used for the single-shell tank (SST) waste sampling. In the first sampling phase, samples are taken from 25 tanks which provide a good representation of the waste types of interest. Results from process testing of these samples will be considered in final selection of a limited number of additional SSTs to sample (currently expected to be an additional 14 tanks).

Recent research has been directed towards finding means to produce neutron emissions at will, to demonstrate reproducibility, and to permit in-depth studies of the origin of neutron emissions. this goal has been pursued in the Kamiokande detector in Japan and has led to the development of a deep underground laboratory in a tunnel in the Wasatch mountains near Brigham Young University. New counters for low-level neutron emissions are being utilized. Calorimetric tools have also been developed.