Repository-oriented leaching experiments involving Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) 165 type glass under a {gamma}-radiation field (1 = 0.2 x 10{sup 4} R/h) have been performed by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project. In this communication, we discuss glass surface analyses obtained by SEM, nuclear resonance profiling, and SIMS together with leachate solution data in relation to a mechanism that couples diffusion, hydrolysis (etching and gelation), and precipitation to qualitatively describe the release of different glass components to the leachant solutions. The release of mobile (e.g., Li) and partly mobile (e.g., B) species is controlled primarily by interdiffusion with water species across the interdiffusion zone. Glass components that are immobile in the interdiffusion zone are released to the solution by etching. For prediction of long-term steady-state concentrations of glass components with low solubility, the relative rates of release from the glass and secondary mineral precipitation must be taken into account.

The objective of this program is to develop a synthesis gas conversion catalyst with improved selectivity to gasoline or diesel range fuel via application of a micelle technique for preparing novel supported catalysts with specific size ruthenium particles. The major emphasis is to investigate hydrocarbon cutoff principle and to apply it for developing selective catalysts. We previously reported that cutoff is not effected with 40--60 {Angstrom} and 20--40 {Angstrom} ruthenium particles on {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. We recently tested a catalyst with <20 {Angstrom} ruthenium particles. Well dispersed ruthenium in that catalyst extensively agglomerated to larger particles even during the course of a short test despite the high H{sub 2}:CO ratio used. Therefore, we could not conclude whether cutoff is effected with <20 {Angstrom} ruthenium particles. We are going to continue to evaluate the effect of operational conditions and also evaluate the effect of modifiers on ruthenium agglomeration. A catalyst with <20 {Angstrom} ruthenium particles will be evaluated to investigate occurrence of cutoff, after no agglomeration conditions are identified. We are now proposing to conduct, parallel to the main approach, a second research approach which will aim at developing a ruthenium catalyst with substantially lower light ends selectivity while maintaining at …

The objective of this program is to develop a synthesis gas conversion catalyst selective to gasoline or diesel range fuel via application of a micelle technique for preparing specific site supported ruthenium particles. The current emphasis is to investigate hydrocarbon cutoff principle and to apply it for developing selective catalysts. During this quarter, micelle technique was further improved and 1 ruthenium particle:l reverse micelle limit was approached by careful control of catalyst synthesis conditions. Accordingly, it became possible to synthesize supported particles that closely meet the size and composition targets originally set. This improved technique was applied to synthesis of chemically modified ruthenium catalysts. Some of the chemically modified ruthenium catalysts will be evaluated later in the program. We previously reported that 40--60 {Angstrom} ruthenium particles prepared on {gamma}-alumina do not result in hydrocarbon cutoff. We could not determine then whether smaller ruthenium particles result in hydrocarbon cutoff because these particles agglomerated via ruthenium carbonyl formation during the course of a 6--10 day test. We have recently evaluated a catalyst with 20--40 {Angstrom} ruthenium particles prepared on {gamma}-alumina by carefully analyzing products initially made during the test prior to substantial ruthenium agglomeration. We concluded that cutoff is not effected by …

The objective of this program is to develop a synthesis gas conversion catalyst with higher selectivity to liquid fuels, while maintaining catalytic activity and stability at least equivalent relative to state-of-the-art precipitated iron catalysts. During this quarter, the emphasis in the program has been the investigation of the hydrocarbon cutoff hypothesis with supported ruthenium catalysts. An alumina-supported catalyst with smaller than 20{Angstrom} ruthenium particles was tested under conditions of maximal water gas shift activity. During this test more than 90% of the water made in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction was converted to H{sub 2}. However, the extent of ruthenium metal agglomeration was not reduced. Accordingly, it was not possible to conclude whether hydrocarbon cutoff occurs with smaller than 20{Angstrom} ruthenium particles on {gamma}-alumina. A ruthenium catalyst prepared on Y-type zeolite had 20{Angstrom} or smaller ruthenium particles according to STEM examination and a 15{Angstrom} average ruthenium metal particle size according to EXAFS examination. The ruthenium metal particle size was stable during the test with this catalyst. The hydrocarbon product distribution was Anderson-Schulz-Flory with no cutoff up to a carbon number of 160. A well-dispersed titania-supported ruthenium catalyst is going to be evaluated during the next quarter in order to determine whether …

The objective of this program is to develop a synthesis gas conversion catalyst with higher selectivity to liquid fuels, while maintaining catalytic activity and stability at least equivalent relative to state-of-the-art precipitated iron catalysts. Hydrocarbon cutoff hypothesis and developmental needs for a ruthenium catalyst with low light ends selectivity were investigated during this quarter. Hydrocarbon product distribution was Anderson-Schulz-Flory up to a carbon number of 250 and cutoff did not occur with a titania-supported catalyst containing ruthenium particles smaller than 20{Angstrom}. It was found that an alumina-supported catalyst with 1% (by weight) ruthenium in the form of 50{Angstrom} to 100{Angstrom} metal particles was initially about half as active (by catalyst volume) and made one quarter of the amount of C{sub 1}{minus}C{sub 4} light end products relative to the Sasol precipitated iron catalyst.

The switched-power linac (SPL) concepts are reviewed briefly, and recent work on computer-modelling of the photoemission process at the photocathode and the experimental study of the process are discussed. Work on rf-modelling of the properties of the radial transmission line is outlined. (LEW)

This project deals with the seasonal snow on Alaska`s Arctic Slope. It is concentrated on snow of the R{sub 4}D project area. However, an important aspect of this study is to relate the snow cover of this area with the rest of the Arctic Slope. The goals include determination of the amount of precipitation which comes as snow, the wind transport of this snow and its depositional pattern as influenced by drifting, the physical properties of the snow, the physical processes which operate in it, the proportions of it which go into evaporation, infiltration and runoff, and the biological role of the snow cover.

This progress report contains an account of recent research efforts carried out at the Oak Ridge Research Institute, to raise antibodies in New Zealand White Rabbits which are specific for various strains of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria. It is then intended to use the antibodies, in a subsequent phase of the project, to develop one or more ELISAs, which would be used to analyze, both in the laboratory and in the field, the numbers and extent of dispersion of these microorganisms at acid mine drainage sites. This is important because it is the metabolic consequences of unrestricted dissemination of these bacteria which are responsible in large measure for the environmentally damaging acid run-off. Efforts to control the proliferation of these microorganisms have been relatively unfocused up to the present, because of the lack of suitably discriminating methods of assaying the effects of treatment. In this report, the authors describe the work carried out in the first section of the project, which has been concerned with the raising of the antibodies to the Thiobacillus ferrooxidans cultures. They given an account of how the various cultures were grown, how they were treated before being injected into rabbits, the injection protocol, how the animals …

This paper describes the distribution and chemistry of zeolites in tuffs and in fractures at Yucca Mountain. Samples used in this study were collected from continuously-cored exploratory drill holes. A variety of analytical techniques, including optical petrography, x-ray powder diffraction, electron microanalysis, and x-ray fluorescence, were used to characterize the distribution and chemistry of zeolites in these samples.

For many geologic problems, subsurface observations are available only from a small number of irregularly distributed locations, for example from a handful of drill holes in the region of interest. These observations will be interpolated one way or another, for example by hand-drawn stratigraphic cross-sections, by trend-fitting techniques, or by simple averaging which ignores spatial correlation. In this paper we consider an interpolation technique for such situations which provides, in addition to point estimates, the error estimates which are lacking from other ad hoc methods. The proposed estimator is like a kriging estimator in form, but because direct estimation of the spatial covariance function is not possible the parameters of the estimator are selected by cross-validation. Its use in estimating subsurface stratigraphy at a candidate site for geologic waste repository provides an example.

Yucca Mountain, in southern Nevada, is being studied by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project as a potential site for an underground high-level nuclear waste repository. The site is within Miocene volcanic rocks that are 1.5 to 4 km thick and range in age from 12.5 to 14 MY. Several holes have been drilled in Yucca Mountain for geologic and hydrologic studies. Drill hole USW G-4, the most recently cored hole within the potential repository block, was chosen for detailed study of fracture-filling minerals because it is closest to the planned NNWSI exploratory shaft. Drill hole USW G-4 was drilled to 914.7 m (3001 ft) and continuously cored from 6.7 m (22 ft) to total depth (TD). The drilling history, lithology of the core, and geophysical logs of the well were published earlier. Because manganese oxides in fractures may act as a natural barrier to radionuclide migration, it is important to determine exactly which manganese minerals are present, in what intervals they occur, and how extensive these fracture coatings are.

The Department of Energy is currently supporting a program that will aid in the development of cross flow filtration technology as applied to combined cycle power generation with coal gasification. The stated overall goal is to gain information on both the operational and economic feasibility of the implementation of cross flow filtration in various gasifier options. Westinghouse has prepared a comprehensive program that will lead directly to these program goals in an efficient manner.

The use of perchloroethylene (perc) as an ingredient in coolants for machining enriched uranium at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant has been discontinued because of environmental concerns. A new coolant was substituted in December 1985, which consists of an aqueous solution of propylene glycol with borax (sodium tetraborate) added as a nuclear poison and with a nitrite added as a corrosion inhibitor. Uranium surfaces machined using the two coolants were compared with respects to residual contamination, corrosion or corrosion potential, and with the aqueous propylene glycol-borax coolant was found to be better than that of enriched uranium machined with the perc-mineral oil coolant. The boron residues on the final-finished parts machined with the borax-containing coolant were not sufficient to cause problems in further processing. All evidence indicated that the enriched uranium surfaces machined with the borax-containing coolant will be as satisfactory as those machined with the perc coolant.

At the present time all experimental towers (chimneys) are completed and operating. This consists of both a solar updraft and a natural-evaporative downdraft tower retrofitted to an existing residence structure and a greenhouse. The residential, experimental, natural-draft cooling system was completed in May, 1985, and five months of summer data on a Hewlet Packard 85 data acquisition computer with a digital voltmeter were acquired. The cooling tower and solar chimney on the experimental greenhouse became operational in September of 1985. A conceptual drawing of both the greenhouse and the residence natural-draft towers is included in the appendix along with the September 85 progress report.

For the past six years, the US Department of Energy, LLNL, and the ENEA, Rome, Italy, have participated in cooperative studies for improving a systems approach to an emergency response following nuclear accidents. Technology exchange between LLNL and the ENEA was initially confined to the development, application, and evaluation of atmospheric transport and diffusion models. With the emergence of compatible hardware configurations between LLNL and ENEA, exchanges of technology and ideas for improving the development and implementation of systems are beginning to emerge. This report describes cooperative work that has occurred during the past three years, the present state of each system, and recommendations for future exchanges of technology.

Drill hole USW G-4 was logged with the US Geological Survey borehole gravity meter (BHGM) BH-6 as part of a detailed study of the lithostratigraphic units penetrated by this hole. Because the BHGM measures a larger volume of rock than the conventional gamma-gamma density tool, it provides an independent and more accurate measurement of the in situ average bulk density of thick lithologic units. USW G-4 is an especially important hole because of its proximity to the proposed exploratory shaft at Yucca Mountain. The BHGM data were reduced to interval densities using a free-air gradient (F) of 0.3083 mGal./m (0.09397 mGal/ft) measured at the drill site. The interval densities were further improved by employing an instrument correction factor of 1.00226. This factor was determined from measurements obtained by taking gravity meter BH-6 over the Charleston Peak calibration loop. The interval density data reported herein, should be helpful for planning the construction of the proposed shaft.

There has been a great deal of progress in recent years on the development of solid state and KrF lasers, light ion diodes, and heavy ion accelerators for use as drivers in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) facilities. Two relatively new entries in the ICF driver derby are the free electron laser (FEL) and the compact torus (CT). The status and remaining technological challenges of each potential driver are described. The author discusses driver performance criteria for various reactor applications and then gives his informed opinion in a qualitative rating of the six drivers for each application.

This report details activities on the JASPER Shielding Program for the time period of August 1, 1986 through September 30, 1986. This report contains the measurements in phases VI and VII, a graphite benchmark study and an alternate loop type shield design study for the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR), respectively. This report also includes the results of analyses for phases I, II, III, V, and VI.

In the annual hydrologic cycle, snowmelt is the most significant event at Imnavait Creek located near Toolik Lake, Alaska. Precipitation that has accumulated for more than 6 months on the surface melts in a relatively short period of 7 to 10 days once sustained melting occurs. During the ablation period, runoff dominates the hydrologic cycle. Some meltwater goes to rewetting the organic soils in the active layer. The remainder is lost primarily because of evaporation, since transpiration is not a very active process at this time. Following the snowmelt period, evapotranspiration becomes the dominate process, with base flow contributing the other watershed losses. It is important to note that the water initally lost by evapotranspiration entered the organic layer during melt. This water from the snowpack ensures that each year the various plant communities will have sufficient water to start a new summer of growth.

A consistent set of thermodynamic constants for aqueous species and compounds of Am(III) with hydroxyl and carbonate ligands has been developed. The procedure used to develop these constants involved establishing a value for one formation constant at a time in a sequential order, starting with the hydrolysis products and hydroxide solids, and then proceeding to carbonate species. The EQ3NR chemical-equilibrium model was used to test the constants developed. These constants are consistent with most of the experimental data that form their basis; however, considerable uncertainty still exists in some aspects of the Am(III) data.

The cooperative program between NRC/ANL and EPRI on the validation of soil-structure interaction analysis methods with actual seismic response data is described. A large scale-model of a containment building has been built by EPRI/Taipower in a highly seismic region of Taiwan. Vibration tests were performed, first on the basemat before the superstructure was built and then on the completed structure. Since its completion, the structure has experienced many earthquakes. The site and structural response to these earthquakes have been recorded with field (surface and downhole) and structural instrumentation. The validation program involves blind predictions of site and structural response during vibration tests and a selected seismic event, and subsequent comparison between the predictions and measurements. The predictive calculations are in progress. The results of the correlation are expected to lead to the evaluation of the methods as to their conservatisms and sensitivities.

Status of the shock tube data system is reported. A corrected analysis of data on reactions of NF{sub 2} radical with olefins was carried out using the RRKM program. Kinetic experiments on reactions of phenyl radical (C{sub 6}H{sub 5}) with O{sub 2} and NO{sub 2} gave preliminary results. Data are being analyzed for shock tubes studies of the reaction of benzene with O atoms. Studies of CH{sub 3}O reactions are underway.

To minimize the costs and delivery time delays associated with purchasing type 304L stainless steel materials for service in nitric-acid-containing media, an alternative to the current Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant requirement of testing in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) A 262, Practice C (the boiling nitric acid test), is being sought. A possible candidate is the electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (EPR) test being developed for the nuclear industry and under consideration for acceptance as an ASTM standard. Based on a review of the literature and some limited screening tests, this test, as currently proposed, is not a suitable substitute for the nitric acid test. However, with additional development the EPR test is a likely candidate for providing a quantitative substitute for the current qualitative oxalic acid etching (ASTM A 282, Practice A) often used to accept, but not reject, materials for use in a nitric acid medium.

The objective of this study is to determine the optimum electrolyte composition for molten carbonate fuel cells. To accomplish this, the contractor will provide: (1) Comprehensive reports of on-going efforts to optimize carbonate composition. (2) A list of characteristics affected by electrolyte composition variations (e.g. ionic conductivity, vapor pressure, melting range, gas solubility, exchange current densities on NiO, corrosion and cathode dissolution effects). (3) Assessment of the overall effects that these characteristics have on state-of-the-art cell voltage and lifetime.