This progress report describes several projects that U of Oklahoma has participated in. The first is a muon background calculation from decay of charged pions and kaons, using ISR data at center of mass energies of 31 and 53 GeV. These calculations were compared with a number of different events. A copy of an agreement between Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and participants in experiment E-653 is enclosed. This experiment tags charm and beauty particles by observing their decay lengths. The agreement sets out the items which need to be done in order to properly execute this experiment. A program to construct and test prototype silicon stripe detectors is also described. Preliminary detectors are in hand for testing, some are installed for actual beams for testing, and on the basis of these results the group expects to specify the design for a new system. The goals at present are to check charge collection, to check track point resolution, and to check vertex reconstruction resolution. A copy of a letter of intent to submit a proposal to LEP is included. The group proposes to submit a proposal to build an experiment with approximately 1% momentum resolution at 50 GeV/c for identifying photons, …

This document contains three parts of a survey of Climax stock intrusive, Nevada by the US Geological Survey. The first contains the results of a conventional survey of the site and an investigation of rock composition. The second contains the results of a gravity survey and the third contains the results of a magnetic aerial survey. Each of the three documents contains a separate abstract.

This report addresses in turn the activities considered essential to the identification of properties in the vicinity of the designated inactive uranium mill tailings sites suspected of containing residual radioactive material; the radiological characterization of each property necessary to define the extent of contamination; and the analysis/evaluation of survey results against criteria established by or based on EPA Standards for Remedial Action at Inactive Processing Sites (40 CFR 192) to support elimination or inclusion of such properties in the remedial action program. The overall intent is to minimize the extent of radiological survey efforts required to determine if a property should be included in the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program (UMTRAP) or eliminated from further consideration for remedial action, thus, relegating the more detailed radiological characterization work on properties included for remedial action to the engineering phase of the program. Action levels have been established to facilitate inclusion of contaminated properties in the remedial action program with minimum application of radiological survey resources. Throughout the survey process, the professional judgment of radiological survey personnel will be called upon to make an initial determination as to the extent of survey activities required.

This report covers Phase II, Fabrication and Delivery of the 30 MJ Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage Stabilizing Coil. A history of the manufacturing and assembly phase of the magnet is presented. Major problems and solutions are summarized, and illustrations of the major operations are provided. The Quality Assurance program is described with a listing of all nonconformance reports. Design documentation is provided, including a Design Document Index, monthly progress reports, and a list of papers given on the project. Appendices to the report contain copies of released and revised design calculations, test reports, assembly procedure, and nonconformance reports and engineering dispositions.

The rates of polymerization and disproportionation of Pu(IV) have been studied using low concentrations: (1.7 - 10) x 10{sup -}M Pu, (0.8 - 12) x 10{sup -}M HCl and 0.0iM ionic strength. Osmium(II) complexes such as the tris-4,4`-2,2`-bipyridine complex were found to react rapidly with Pu(IV) but very slowly, if at all, with Pu(IV) polymer, Pu(III), or Pu(V). Thus, it is possible to determine unreacted Pu(IV) in the presence of rection products by using Os(II) complexes. Disproportionation reaction products, Pu(III) and Pu(V), were determined using their reactions with Ce(IV) sulfate. We find -d[Pu(IV)]/dt = k`[Pu(IV)]{sup 2} at constant pH. Log k` varies from about 4.25 at pH 3 to about 7.0 at pH 4.1 (units for k` are M{sup -1}min{sup -1}). The [H{sup +}] dependence varies from about -2 to -3 over the pH range studied. The measured rate is the sum of those for polymerization and disproportionation; the latter reaction amounts to about 75% of the total at pH 3 and 20% at pH 4. The second-order rate constants for disproportionation are very much larger than expected on the basis of extrapolation from 0.2 to 1.0M HC10{sub 4} solutions. The products of the reaction do not affect the rate, …

The unsaturated, fractured tuff of Yucca Mountain in the Nevada Test Site is one of the target sites for geologic storage of high-level radioactive waste. A modeling study of flow and transport in this geologically complex site is presented. Numerical models of mass and heat flow in conjunction with analytical solutions are being used for sensitivity and pathway analysis studies and to aid in design and interpretation of laboratory and field flow and transport tests in tuff. 11 references, 9 figures, 1 table.

We have established a methodology to determine the time dependence of strength and transport properties of tuff under conditions appropriate to a nuclear waste repository. Exploratory tests to determine the approximate magnitudes of thermomechanical property changes are nearly complete. In this report we describe the capabilities of an apparatus designed to precisely measure the time-dependent deformation and permeability of tuff at simulated repository conditions. Preliminary tests with this new apparatus indicate that microclastic creep failure of tuff occurs over a narrow strain range with little precursory Tertiary creep behavior. In one test, deformation under conditions of slowly decreasing effective pressure resulted in failure, whereas some strain indicators showed a decreasing rate of strain.

Pre-test samples obtained from just inside the perimeter of the canister emplacement holes of the Spent Fuel Test-Climax have been characterized by petrographic and microanalytical techniques. The primary quartz monzonite has undergone various degrees of hydrothermal alteration as a result of natural processes. Alteration is most apparent on primary plagioclase and biotite. The most common secondary phases on plagioclase are muscovite and calcite, while the most common secondary phases on biotite are epidote and chlorite. The major alteration zones encountered are localized along filled fractures, i.e. veins. The thickness and mineralogy of the alteration zones can be correlated with the vein mineralogy, becoming wider and more complex mineralogically when the veins contain calcite. 7 references, 10 figures, 4 tables.

The physical processes modeled and the mathematical and numerical methods employed in a simulator for non-isothermal flow of water, vapor, and air in permeable media are briefly summarized. The simulator has been applied to study thermo-hydrological conditions in the near vicinity of high-level nuclear waste packages emplaced in unsaturated rocks. The studies reported here specifically address the question whether or not the waste canister environment will dry up in the thermal phase. 13 references, 8 figures, 2 tables.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is involved in the design and testing of high-level nuclear waste packages. Many of the aspects of waste package design and testing (e.g., corrosion and leaching) depend in part on the temperature history of the emplaced packages. This paper discusses thermal modeling and analysis of various emplaced waste package conceptual designs including the models used, the assumptions and approximations made, and the results obtained. 6 references, 6 figures, 3 tables.

Geologic repositories for radioactive waste are evolving from conceptualization to the development of specific designs. Estimates of long-term hazards must be based upon quantitative predictions of environmental releases over time periods of hundreds of thousands of years and longer. This paper summarizes new techniques for predicting the long-term performance of repositories, it presents estimates of future environmental releases and radiation doses that may result for conceptual repositories in various geologic media, and it compares these predictions with an individual dose criterion of 10{sup -4} Sv/y. 50 references, 11 figures, 6 tables.

A repository located at Yucca Mountain at the Nevada Test Site is a potential site for permanent geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The repository can be located in a horizon in welded tuff, a volcanic rock, which is above the static water level at this site. The environmental conditions in this unsaturated zone are expected to be air and water vapor dominated for much of the containment period. Type 304L stainless steel is the reference material for fabricating canisters to contain the solid high-level wastes. Alternative stainless alloys are considered because of possible susceptibility of 304L to localized and stress forms of corrosion. For the reprocessed glass wastes, the canisters serve as the recipient for pouring the glass with the result that a sensitized microstructure may develop because of the times at elevated temperatures. Corrosion testing of the reference and alternative materials has begun in tuff-conditioned water and steam environments. 21 references, 8 figures, 8 tables.

Lockwood Greene Engineers, Inc. (LGE) was retained by E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co., Inc., Savannah River Plant, Aiken, South Carolina, to conduct on-site flow measurements and sampling of tributaries and outfalls flowing into a portion of Tim`s Branch Creek. Water samples were analyzed for chemical characteristics. This report presents the results of the flow and analytical data collected during the 24 hour monitoring period, October 5 and 6, 1983. Tim`s Branch Creek is a tributary of the Upper Three Runs Creek which in turn is a tributary of the Savannah River. A map outlining the drainage area within the Savannah River Plant is included in this report.

A series of experiments was conducted on crushed tuff at 90{sup 0}C and 150{sup 0}C and on core wafer samples at 150{sup 0}C. The results show the following: increasing the ratio of rock to water increases the rate of approach to steady-state concentrations in solution. Surface outcrop samples of Bullfrog tuff contain a minor component of highly soluble material believed to be a residue from the evaporation of surface runoff water in the pores of the rock. This material can be removed by shaking the crushed rock with water at room temperature and subjecting it briefly to heat with fresh water. Solution analyses for unfiltered samples that have reacted for short periods show higher concentrations of Al and Fe than do analyses for filtered samples; results for other elements are independent of filtration. This difference probably exists because of particulate matter in the solutions that dissolves when the samples are acidified prior to analysis. Agitation of samples during reaction produces sub-0.1 {mu} particles in the solutions. These particles dissolve when samples are acidified, resulting in abnormally high concentration values for some elements, such as Al and Fe. Comparison of the results for crushed rock with those for core wafers shows …

In support of the Waste Package Task within the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigation (NNWSI), experiments on hydrothermal rock/water interaction, corrosion, thermomechanics, and geochemical modeling calculations are being conducted. All of these activities require characterization of the initial bulk composition, mineralogy, and individual phase geochemistry of the potential repository host rock. This report summarizes the characterization done on samples of the Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff (Tcfb) used for Waste Package experimental programs. 11 references, 17 figures, 3 tables.

The Spent Fuel Test - Climax (SFT-C) is located 420 m below surface in the Climax stock granite on the Nevada Test Site. The test is being conducted for the US Department of Energy (DOE) under the technical direction of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Eleven canisters of spent nuclear reactor fuel were emplaced, and six electrical simulators were energized April to May 1980, thus initiating a test with a planned 3- to 5-year fuel storage phase. The SFT-C operational objective of demonstrating the feasibility of packaging, transporting, storing, and retrieving highly radioactive fuel assemblies in a safe and reliable manner has been met. Three exchanges of spent fuel between the SFT-C and a surface storage facility furthered this demonstration. Technical objectives of the test led to development of a technical measurements program, which is the subject of this and two previous interim reports. Geotechnical, seismological, and test status data have been recorded on a continuing basis for the first 2-1/2 years of the test on more than 900 channels. Data continue to be acquired from the test. Some data are now available for analysis and are presented here. Highlights of activities this year include analysis of fracture data …

As part of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project, we have undertaken small diameter heater experiments in the G-Tunnel Underground Facility on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). These experiments are to evaluate the thermal and hydrothermal behavior which might be encountered if heat producing nuclear waste were disposed of in welded and nonwelded tuffs. The two Phase I experiments discussed have focused on vertical borehole emplacements. In each experiment, temperatures were measured along the surface of the 10.2-cm-dia heater and the 12.7-cm-dia boreholes. For each experiment, measurements were compared with computer model representations. Maximum temperatures reached were: 196{sup 0}C for the welded tuff after 21 days of operations at 800W and 173{sup 0}C for the nonwelded tuff after 35 days of operations at 500W. Computed results indicate that the same heat transfer model (includes conduction and radiation only) can describe the behavior of both tuffs using empirical techniques to describe pore water vaporization. Hydrothermal measurements revealed heat-indiced water migration. Results indicated that small amounts of liquid water migrated into the welded tuff borehole early in the heating period. Once the rock-wall temperatures exceeded 94{sup 0}C, in both tuffs, there was mass transport of water vapor as evidence indicated …

Corrosion rates and the mode of corrosion attack form a most important basis for selection of canister materials and design of a nuclear waste package. Type 304L stainless steel was selected as the reference material for canister fabrication because of its generally excellent corrosion resistance in water, steam and air. However, 304L may be susceptible to localized and stress-assisted forms of corrosion under certain conditions. Alternative alloys are also investigated; these alloys were chosen because of their improved resistance to these forms of corrosion. The fabrication and welding processes, as well as the glass pouring operation for defense and commercial high-level wastes, may influence the susceptibility of the canister to localized and stress forms of corrosion. 12 references, 2 figures, 4 tables.

Initial specifications of external dimensions and materials for waste package conceptual designs are given for Defense High Level Waste (DHLW), Commercial High Level Waste (CHLW) and Spent Fuel (SF). The designs have been developed for use in a high-level waste repository sited in a tuff media in the unsaturated zone. Drawings for reference and alternative package conceptual designs are presented for each waste form for both vertical and horizontal emplacement configurations. Four metal alloys: 304L SS, 321 SS, 316L SS and Incoloy 825 are considered for the canister or overpack; 1020 carbon steel was selected for horizontal borehole liners, and a preliminary packing material selection is either compressed tuff or compressed tuff containing iron bearing smectite clay as a binder.

An appraisal was made of the concept of isolating high-level radioactive waste in the vadose zone of alluvial-filled valleys and tuffaceous rocks of the Basin and Range geomorphic province. Principal attributes of these terranes are: (1) low population density, (2) low moisture influx, (3) a deep water table, (4) the presence of sorptive rocks, and (5) relative ease of construction. Concerns about heat effects of waste on unsaturated rocks of relatively low thermal conductivity are considered. Calculations show that a standard 2000-acre repository with a thermal loading of 40 kW/acre in partially saturated alluvium or tuff would experience an average temperature rise of less than 100{sup 0}C above the initial temperature. The actual maximum temperature would depend strongly on the emplacement geometry. Concerns about seismicity, volcanism, and future climatic change are also mitigated. The conclusion reached in this appraisal is that unsaturated zones in alluvium and tuff of arid regions should be investigated as comprehensively as other geologic settings considered to be potential repository sites.

The National Waste Terminal Storage Program is a national search for suitable sites to isolate commercial spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigation (NNWSI) managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Nevada Operations Office, was initiated to study the suitability of a portion of Yucca Mountain on the DOE`s Nevada Test Site (NTS) as a location for such a repository. EG and G was contracted to provide information concerning the ecosystems encountered on the site. A comprehensive literature survey was conducted to evaluate the status and completeness of the existing biological information for the previously undisturbed area. Site specific studies were begun in 1981 when preliminary field surveys confirmed the presence of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizi) within the project area FY82 studies were designed to determine the overall distribution and abundance of the tortoise within the area likely to be impacted by NNWSI activities. The Yucca Mountain area of the Nevada Test Site is situated close to the northern range limit of the desert tortoise. Prior to the 1982 surveys, the desert tortoise was reported from only nine locations on NTS. A known population had been under study in Rock Valley about …

Design, modeling, and testing activities are under way at LLNL in the development of high level nuclear waste package designs. We discuss the geological characteristics affecting design, the 10CFR60 design requirements, conceptual designs, metals for containment barriers, economic analysis, thermal modeling, and performance modeling.

Chemical compositions have been determined for sanidine, plagioclase, biotite, and hornblende phenocrysts by electron microprobe for a comprehensive set of samples of Crater Flat Tuff and tuffs of Calico Hills. Most of these samples were obtained from drill holes at Yucca Mountain. Samples of tuffs and lavas of Area 20, obtained from locations at Pahute Mesa, have similarly been subjected to microprobe analysis. Complete modal petrography has been determined for all samples. Biotite and hornblende in the samples from both Yucca Mountain and Pahute Mesa have Fe-rich compositions that contract strikingly with Fe-poor compositions in the overlying Paintbrush Tuff and the underlying Lithic Ridge Tuff at Yucca Mountain. Each unit from Yucca Mountain has distinctive compositions for both sanidine and plagioclase that very closely match compositions for a corresponding unit identified within the lower, middle and upper portions of the Area 20 tuffs and lavas from Pahute Mesa. Each of these paired units probably originated from a common parental magma and was eruptd contemporaneously or nearly so. Each pair of units with matching phenocryst chemistries has a similar, but not identical set of petrographic characteristics. The petrographic differences, as well as small differences in phenocryst chemistry, result from a sonal …

In order to study the changes that take place with time when groundwater comes in contact with heated rock, and to determine the ease with which potential radionuclide-bearing groundwater could be carried into the environment, the permeability and fluid chemistry of the Bullfrog Tuff from Yucca Mountain were studied under conditions simulating a nuclear waste repository environment. (ACR)