Employing a previously developed formalism 1, we have performed ground-state and melting calculations of the expected crystalline beams in ion storage rings ASTRID and TSR.

An article written by Cass Brunner for UNT InHouse about a grant from the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation that was awarded to the NTIEVA program in partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art. The grant totals $784,277 and aims to fund improvements and initiatives in the two groups.

The objective of this program is to develop improved protective clothing for use by workers engaged in decomissioning and decontamination of former DOE sites. The proposed technology concerns a new protective clothing fabric that combines a permselective membrane layer (for water transmission and breathability) with a sorptive layer.

The Large Block Tracer Test is a series of experiments to study the migration of radionuclides through fractures in rock at the scale of one meter. The separate effects to be considered are sorption onto minerals within the rock matrix; diffusion of radionuclide species through the rock matrix, diffusion and hydrodynamic dispersion within the fracture; and the effect of heterogeneity in the fluid flow field (also known as macro dispersion or channeling). The rock fractures to be used have natural fractures or artificial fractures with engineered heterogeneity. These tracer experiments will provide data with well-defined geometry and conditions for use in code validation. The experiments also provide an experimental framework to test inverse methods. Results are presented for a series of migration experiments using conservative tracers in artificial fractures with near parallel plane and near wedge-shaped fractures. The results are compared with those predicted with transport code TRACR3D. The fracture is treated as an equivalent porous medium with a ``cubic law`` permeability and a porosity that is proportional to the aperture. The results show good agreement, both between experimental results and those predicted by TRACR3D, but also between the distribution of the dye tracer in the fracture and the elution …

Entry into hazardous areas without the proper protective equipment is extremely dangerous and must be prevented whenever possible. Current postings of radiological hazards at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) do not incorporate recent findings concerning effective warning presentation. Warning information should be highly visible, quickly, and easily understood. While continuing to comply with industry standards (e.g., Department of Energy (DOE) guidelines), these findings can be incorporated into existing radiological sign design, making them more effective in terms of usability and compliance. Suggestions are provided for designing more effective postings within stated guidelines.

In order to reduce greenhouse emissions from power plants and respond to regulatory actions arising from the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA), several design options were investigated for improving the energy efficiency of a conventionally designed, domestic refrigerator-freezer. The options, such as improved cabinet insulation and high-efficiency compressor and fans, were incorporated into a prototype refrigerator-freezer cabinet and refrigeration system to produce a unit that is superior from an environmental viewpoint due to its lower energy consumption and the use of refrigerant HFC-134a as a replacement for CFC-12. Baseline energy performance of the original 1993 production refrigerator-freezer, along with cabinet heat load and compressor calorimeter test results, were extensively documented to provide a firm basis for experimentally measured energy savings. A detailed refrigerator system computer model was used to evaluate the energy savings for several design modifications that, collectively, could achieve a targeted energy consumption of 1.00 kWh/d for a 20 ft{sup 3} (570 l) top-mount, automatic-defrost, refrigerator-freezer. The energy consumption goal represents a 50% reduction in the 1993 NAECA standard for units of this size. Following the modeling simulation, laboratory prototypes were fabricated and tested to experimentally verify the analytical results and aid in improving the model in …

The US established the regulatory structure for the management, disposal, and long-term care of uranium mill tailings in 1978 with the passage of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) (Pub. L. 95-604). This legislation has governed the cleanup and disposal of uranium tailings at both inactive and active sites. The passage of the UMTRCA established a federal regulatory program for the cleanup and disposal of uranium mill tailings in the US. This program involves the DOE, the NRC, the EPA, various states and tribal governments, private licensees, and the general public. The DOE has completed surface remediation at 14 sites, with the remaining sites either under construction or in planning. The DOE`s UMTRA Project has been very successful in dealing with public and agency demands, particularly regarding disposal site selection and transportation issues. The active sites are also being cleaned up, but at a slower pace than the inactive sites, with the first site tentatively scheduled for completion in 1996.

In recent years, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities commonly have been classified as reactor, non-reactor nuclear, or nuclear facilities. Safety analysis documentation was prepared for these facilities, with few exceptions, using the requirements in either DOE Order 5481.1B, Safety Analysis and Review System; or DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports. Traditionally, this has been accomplished by development of an extensive Safety Analysis Report (SAR), which identifies hazards, assesses risks of facility operation, describes and analyzes adequacy of measures taken to control hazards, and evaluates potential accidents and their associated risks. This process is complicated by analysis of secondary hazards and adequacy of backup (redundant) systems. The traditional SAR process is advantageous for DOE facilities with appreciable hazards or operational risks. SAR preparation for a low-risk facility or process can be cost-prohibitive and quite challenging because conventional safety analysis protocols may not readily be applied to a low-risk facility. The DOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management recognized this potential disadvantage and issued an EM limited technical standard, No. 5502-94, Hazard Baseline Documentation. This standard can be used for developing documentation for a facility classified as radiological, including preparation of an auditable (defensible) safety analysis. In support of …

The objective of this applied research and development project is to develop a system known as `3-D SISAR`. This system consists of a ground penetrating radar with software algorithms designed for the detection, location, and identification of buried objects in the underground hazardous waste environments found at DOE storage sites. Three-dimensional maps of the object locations will be produced which can assist the development of remediation strategies and the characterization of the digface during remediation operations. It is expected that the 3-D SISAR will also prove useful for monitoring hydrocarbon based contaminant migration after remediation. The underground imaging technique being developed under this contract utilizes a spotlight mode Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) approach which, due to its inherent stand-off capability, will permit the rapid survey of a site and achieve a high degree of productivity over large areas. When deployed from an airborne platform, the stand-off techniques is also seen as a way to overcome practical survey limitations encountered at vegetated sites.

Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) O{sub 2} plasmas, in conjunction with electron-beam evaporation of Al, were used to grow thick AlO{sub x} films were varying but controlled composition and microstructure. The ion energy was varied from 30 to 190 eV, and growth temperatures varied from 35{degrees}C to 400{degrees}C. The ECR-film compositions were varied from AlO{sub 0.1} to Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} by controlling the plasma parameters and Al deposition rate. The Al-rich alloys exhibited a fine-grain (10-100 nm) fcc Al microstructure with {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} precipitates ({approximately}1 nm), similar to that found in the gigapascal-strength O-implanted Al. The measured hardness of the ECR Al-O alloys ({approximately}3 GPa) was also similar to the ion-implanted alloys which implies that the yield strength of the ECR material is {approximately}1 GPa. Moreover, the Al-O alloys retain much of the elasticity of the Al metal matrix. As-deposited stoichiometric Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} samples grown with an applied bias of -140 to -160 V at 400{degrees}C were fine-grain polycrystalline {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The amorphous films crystallized into the {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase upon vacuum annealing to 800{degrees}C.

Glass formulation development depends on an understanding of the effects of glass composition on its processibility and product quality. Such compositional effects on properties in turn depend on the microscopic structure of the glass. Historically, compositional effects on macroscopic properties have been explored empirically, e.g., by measuring viscosity at various glass compositions. The relationship of composition to structure has been studied by microstructural experimental methods. More recently, computer simulation has proved a fruitful complement to these more traditional methods of study. By simulating atomic interaction over a period of time using the molecular dynamics method, a direct picture of the glass structure and dynamics is obtained which can verify existing concepts as well as permit ``measurement`` of quantities inaccessible to experiment. Atomistic simulation can be of particular benefit in the development of waste glasses. As vitrification is being considered for an increasing variety of waste streams, process and product models are needed to formulate compositions for an extremely wide variety of elemental species and composition ranges. The demand for process and product models which can predict over such a diverse composition space requires mechanistic understanding of glass behavior; atomistic simulation is ideally suited for providing this understanding. Moreover, while simulation …

This paper briefly summarizes the history of the materials selection for the US Department of Energy`s high-level waste carbon steel storage tanks. It also provides an evaluation of the materials for the construction of new tanks at the evaluation of the materials for the construction of new tanks at the Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility. The evaluation included a materials matrix that summarized the critical design, fabrication, construction, and corrosion resistance requirements: assessed. each requirement: and cataloged the advantages and disadvantages of each material. This evaluation is based on the mission of the Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility. On the basis of the compositions of the wastes stored in Hanford waste tanks, it is recommended that tanks for the Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility be constructed of ASME SA 515, Grade 70, carbon steel.

Environmental regulations are encouraging the development of new environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECNP processes. However, the quality and reliability of these processes and hardware produced must be understood prior to implementing these new technologies in factories. Furthermore, military hardware fabrication is governed by standards and specifications that frequently mandate the use of older, less environmentally friendly processes or materials, or prohibit the use of new ECM processes without advance military approvaL Sandia National Laboratories, with industrial and military partners, have developed methodologies for evaluating and qualifying new ECM processes for military and commercial applications, and have piloted these methodologies in qualifying new, low-residue soldering technologies and materials.

There are multiple solutions to the values of the finger forces of an object held by a multi-fingered hand. An objective function, is used in conjunction with the frictional and geometric constraints of the grasp to give a unique set of finger force values. The selection o the objective function in determining the finger forces is dependent on the type of grasp required, the material properties of the object, and the limitations of the robot fingers. In this paper several optimization functions are studied and their merits highlighted. A graphical representation of the finger force values and the objective function is introduced that enable one in selecting and comparing various grasping configurations. The impending motion of the object at different torque and finger force values are determined by observing the Normalized coefficient of friction plots.

A high temperature superconducting magnet based on Bi-2223 conductor was built at the American Superconductor Corporation. The magnet was constructed by a react and wind technique using conductors made from a metallic precursor process. It was a winding ID of 25.4 mm, OD of 87.6 mm, and height of 107.3 mm. A heater, two thermometers, and several voltage taps were built into the high field region of the magnet for stability measurements. The magnet generates 1.1 T central field at 4.2 K when operating at 1 {mu}V/cm over the entire conductor length, including all the joints. Stability measurements were performed in background fields up to 2.5 T from 4.2 K to 77 K. Stability margins more than 2 orders of magnitude higher than a low temperature superconductor were observed.

The US Army is developing the Advanced Field Artillery System (SGSD), a next generation armored howitzer. The Future Armored Resupply Vehicle (FARV) will be its companion ammunition resupply vehicle. The FARV with automate the supply of ammunition and fuel to the AFAS which will increase capabilities over the current system. One of the functions being considered for automation is ammunition processing. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing equipment to demonstrate automated ammunition processing. One of the key operations to be automated is fuzing. The projectiles are initially unfuzed, and a fuze must be inserted and threaded into the projectile as part of the processing. A constraint on the design solution is that the ammunition cannot be modified to simplify automation. The problem was analyzed to determine the alignment requirements. Using the results of the analysis, ORNL designed, built, and tested a test stand to verify the selected design solution.

The first batch of High Level Radioactive Sludge for the Defense Waste Processing Facility is being prepared in two 4.9 million liter waste tanks. The preparation involves removing water soluble salts by washing (water addition, sludge suspension, settling and decantation). Sludge suspension is accomplished using long shafted slurry pumps that are mounted on rotating turntables. During the sludge suspension runs in 1993 and 1994, the slurry pumps` cleaning radius was determined to be less than that expected from previous determinations using synthetic sludge in a full size waste tank mockup. Hydrogen concentrations in the tanks` vapor space were monitored during the sludge suspension activities. As expected, the initial agitation of the sludge increased the hydrogen concentration, however, with the controls in place the hydrogen concentration was maintained below seven percent of the lower flammability limit

This report emphasizes the features of the United States Tritium Facility operation at the Savannah River Site. It outlines the buildings that represent the facility operating basis. It explores areas where new technology and proven methods of operation developed at the Site have made dramatic environmental and facility work enhancements over the last several years. These enhancements should be consideration for future facility designs and for any current tritium missions.

The surfaces of mixed-valence halogen-bridged transition metal linear chain compounds [[Pt(en){sub 2}][Pt(en)]{sub 2}(X{sub 1-y}X{prime}{sub y}){sub 2}](ClO{sub 4}){sub 4} (X, X{prime} = Cl, Br, or I; en = C{sub 2}H{sub 8}N{sub 2}; y = 0.0 - 1.0) were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images are consistent with the surfaces expected from the bulk crystal structure. The surface unit cell parameters of the images correspond to the lattice constants of the bulk crystals. The patterns of the atomic-scale AFM images are dominated by the most protruded H atoms of the en ligands and the most protruded O atoms of the ClO{sub 4}{sup -} anions.

The performance of a three-phase centrifuge process in separating tank bottoms into salable oil, brine and solids was scaled using the sigma method. The profitability was analyzed for a range of processed volumes for three business scenarios: producer owned, service company and a disposal facility. Centrifuge processes operated at full capacity in these situations may be very profitable investments but any investment decision should be heavily influenced by the annual volume to be processed, the quality of the feed and the price received for separated oil.

Several Pr{sup 3+}-doped chloride crystals have been tested spectroscopically for suitability as 1300-nm optical amplifiers operating on the {sup 1}G{sub 4} - {sup 3}H{sub 5} transition. {sup 1}G{sub 4} lifetimes are much longer than in fluoride hosts, ranging up to 1300 {mu}sec and suggesting a near-unity luminescence quantum yield. Emission spectra are typically broad (FWHM {approximately} 70 nm) and include the 1310-nm zero-dispersion wavelength of standard telecommunications fiber.

Numerous computer codes calculate beam dynamics of particles traversing an accelerating gap. In order to carry out these calculations the electric field of a gap must be determined. The electric field is obtained from derivatives of the scalar potential which solves Laplace`s equation and satisfies the appropriate boundary conditions. An integral approach for the solution of Laplace`s equation is used in this work since the objective is to determine the potential and fields without solving on a traditional spatial grid. The motivation is to quickly obtain forces for particle transport, and eliminate the need to keep track of a large number of grid point fields. The problem then becomes one of how to evaluate the appropriate integral. In this work the integral solution has been converted to a finite sum of easily computed functions. Representing the integral solution in this manner provides a readily calculable formulation and avoids a number of difficulties inherent in dealing with an integral that can be weakly convergent in some regimes, and is, in general, highly oscillatory.

Silicate glass will be used to stabilize high-level radioactive wastes (HLW) for disposal in a geological repository. The chemical durability of waste glass in the repository will be determined by the nature and progress of the glass-water (underground water) reaction. Aqueous corrosion of HLW glasses is known to result in the chemical alteration of the glass surface and the formation of secondary phases. Accurate quantitative analysis the altered glass surface and the reaction products that form is important for understanding the reaction kinetics and mechanism of glass corrosion. SEM/EDS is a powerful tool to study the alteration of waste-disposal glasses through quantitatively characterizing the reaction products. It is able to detect trace elements at concentrations less than 1 wt.%: for example, Fig. 1 shows the uranium peaks detected by SEM/EDS of a typical simulated waste glass, which contains 0.25 wt.% uranium in the matrix glass according to ICP/MS analysis. Nickel (0.44 wt.%) and chromium (0.47 wt.%) peaks are also clearly distinguishable in the spectrum. However, quantitative analyses of glass compositions are complicated by the lack of well-characterized reference samples having known and homogeneous compositions for candidate waste glasses, which may contain a combination of more than 20 different elements in …

This overview covers progress in the following areas in which Pacific Northwest Laboratory contributes to the CALIOPE Program: (1) Fabrication of electro-optic modulators to generate FM-coding on IR lasers in the 8-12 and 3-5 {mu}m regions. (2) IR spectroscopy of signature species, abnormal isotopic distributions, hydrolysis and kinetics of effluents interacting with the atmosphere, and reflectance measurements of natural surfaces. (3) Systems analysis of FM-DIAL concepts, including lateral phase coherence and MTF measurements, and laboratory tests of detector technology and demodulation methods. (4) Field tests of FM-DIAL, covering field validation of portable diode laser concepts, FM-CO{sub 2} interrogation of Hanford sites, and signal returns from natural specular surfaces. (5) Ancillary matters: ground-truthing at Hanford (and RSTR?), countermeasures, and new laser design concepts.