In September 1995, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued the Audit of Subsidized Ancillary Services at the Nevada Test Site which concluded that the Department continued to pay high subsidies for ancillary services, including bus services, that were not used extensively, may no longer be needed, could be more fully supported by its users, or could be operated more efficiently. Consistent with the audit at Nevada, the purpose of this audit was to assess whether bus service subsidies at the Laboratory were still necessary or reasonable. Specifically, the audit determined if the current level of bus services was still needed, if operating costs could be reduced, and if users should bear a greater share of bus operations costs.

This Task Order Management Plan (TOMP) details the management, organizational structure, interfaces, methodology, resources, and schedule for successfully completing the work to provide {open_quotes}Database Development and Analysis in Support of RD&D for the Vision Industry Teams{close_quotes}. Specifically, it describes the plan to implement the tasking requirements outlined in the Statement of Work, dated August 13, 1996 as well as verbal modifications received during subsequent meetings.

This report documents the decision to use the Indirect Staging- As Soon As Possible feed staging strategy to deliver supernate feed to the private low-activity waste contractors during Phase I of TWRS Privatization. Two double-shell tanks are needed for intermediate feed staging tanks in addition to the two double-shell tanks that will be turned over to the private contractors as feed tanks. This report was originally issued on May 7, 1996, by Phil M. Daling of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as an unnumbered report. It is being released as a supporting document so that others can search for and find this report. Its original citation was: WHC, 1996, Decision Document, Low-Level Waste Feed Staging Strategy, May 7, 1996.

This document presents the results of the acceptance test for the hardware and software that was developed to operate the ElectroMagnetic Induction (EMI) moisture measurement system to be used for in-tank moisture measurements. This document satisfies EP 4.1, ``Design Verification Requirements``.

Significant quantities of weapons-usable fissile materials [primarily plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU)] are becoming surplus to national defense needs in both the United States and Russia. These stocks of fissile materials pose significant dangers to national and international security. The dangers exist not only in the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons but also in the potential for environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) consequences if surplus fissile materials are not properly managed. This document summarizes the results of analysis concerned with existing light water reactor plutonium disposition alternatives.

On December 9, 1995, the Secretary of Energy requested that the Department`s Inspector General (IG) conduct a thorough examination of all Secretarial foreign travel from 1993 to December 1995 to include the purpose of each trip, the activities of each Federal participant in each trip, the funding of each trip, and claims for reimbursements for expenses by Federal trip participants. The Secretary also requested that the review include an assessment of travel authorization, voucher, traveler reimbursement, and auditing systems employed by the Department to identify steps that could be taken to reduce errors and improve accounting oversight. Additionally, the Secretary requested that the Inspector General conduct a thorough examination of the establishment and filling of the Department`s Ombudsman position. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated a review into these matters and assigned primary responsibility for the review to the Office of Inspections. The purpose of this inspection was to conduct a thorough examination of the 16 Secretarial foreign trips from June 1993 to December 1995. This report focuses on the four trade missions because of their extent and cost. We examined a number of Departmental management systems and processes involved in planning and executing the 16 foreign trips. To …

The North Port Target Facility proposal includes a 100 MeV beam line to be is built at the LANSCE accelerator. In developing cost and schedule estimates for the proposal the greatest uncertainties are associated with the kicker magnet that is needed to divert portions of the beam into the new beam line. This magnet must fit into a rigidly defined space within the transition region of the existing accelerator and must operate in synchrony with the current accelerator operations systems, In addition, it must not degrade the beam qualify when beam is directed to other areas of the complex. Because of these constraints the magnet must be specifically designed and built for this intended application. We have produced conceptual designs of a kicker-magnet and power supply that will meet all of the design requirements. The power supply design is based on a working design for the RIKI kicker magnet that switches 800 MeV beam into the PSR. This report presents the kicker-magnet and power-supply designs and cost and schedule estimates for incorporation into the EP facility proposal. The feasibility of various design alternatives are briefly discussed.

The electron beam ion trap (EBIT), and the higher-energy Super EBIT at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory can produce any highly charged ion. These highly charged ions are used in a variety of research programs. Recent results from four different experiments are reviewed here. K-shell ionization cross sections have been measured for the hydrogenlike ions of several elements, and L-shell ionization cross sections have been measured for uranium ions. A measurement of the ground-state hyperfine transition in hydrogenlike {sup 165}H{sup 66+} is notable because of the complete absence of Doppler shifts. A cryogenic Penning trap, injected with EBIT ions, has been used to observe a single highly charged ion as it recombines by sequential electron capture from H{sub 2} gas. A large sputtered ion yield, suggesting a surface Coulomb explosion, has been observed from insulators bombarded with very highly charged EBIT ions. 21 refs., 11 figs.

This safety evaluation for packaging authorizes the use of a 17,500-L (4,623-gal) tank manufactured by Brenner Tank, Incorporated, to transport up to 16,221 L (4,285 gal) of radioactive organic liquid waste. The waste will be transported from the organic loading pad to a storage pad. Both pads are within the B Plant complex, but approximately 4 mi apart.

This document identifies the set-values and selection basis to support operation of the 200 Area ETF and 200 Area TEDF.

This Sampling and Analysis Plan contains requirements for characterizing the 340 vault tank 1. The objective of the sampling and characterization is to determine if the tank is homogeneous when agitated and which sampling method provides the most representative sample. A secondary objective is to collect and characterize solid samples.

Objectives are to provide an improved TBC system with increased temperature capability and improved reliability, for the Advanced Turbine Systems program (gas turbine). The base program consists of three phases: Phase I, program planning (complete); Phase II, development; and Phase III (selected specimen-bench test). Work is currently being performed in Phase II.

An improved thermal barrier coating system with good reliability and thermal performance is described. The report discusses the coating process, manufacturing, repair, deposition, and microstructure of the coatings.

None

The purpose of this document is to derive radiological and toxicological consequences for a tank bump event based on analysis performed using the GOTH computer model, to estimate the mitigative effect of pump and sluice pit cover blocks, and to discuss preventative measures.

This document summarizes the information on the historical uses, present status, and the sampling and analysis results of waste stored in Tank 241-AP-104. This report supports the requirements of Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-44-09.

The objective of this research project is to develop the technology for the production of physically robust iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts that have suitable activity, selectivity and stability to be used in the slurry phase synthesis reactor development. The catalysts that are developed shall be suitable for testing in the Advanced Fuels Development Facility at LaPorte, Texas, to produce either low- or high-alpha product distributions. Previous work by the offeror has produced a catalyst formulation that is 1.5 times as active as the ``standard-catalyst`` developed by German workers for slurry phase synthesis. The proposed work will optimize the catalyst composition and pretreatment operation for this low-alpha catalyst. In parallel, work will be conducted to design a high-alpha iron catalyst this is suitable for slurry phase synthesis. Studies will be conducted to define the chemical phases present at various stages of the pretreatment and synthesis stages and to define the course of these changes. The oxidation/reduction cycles that are anticipated to occur in large, commercial reactors will be studied at the laboratory scale. Catalyst performance will be determined for catalysts synthesized in this program for activity, selectivity and aging characteristics. The research is divided into four major topical areas: (a) catalyst preparation …

This document describes the actions taken to confirm and respond to a very small (0.046 ml/min) leak in the stainless steel liner of Hanford`s Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) storage pool cell 5 in Building 225-B. Manual level measurements confirmed a consistent weekly accumulation of 0.46 liters of water in the leak detection grid sump below the pool cell 5 liner. Video inspections and samples point to the capsule storage pool as the source of the water. The present leak rate corresponds to a decrease of only 0.002 inches per week in the pool cell water level, and consequently does not threaten any catastrophic loss of pool cell shielding and cooling water. The configuration of the pool cell liner, sump system, and associated risers will limit the short-term consequences of even a total liner breach to a loss of 1 inch in pool cell level. The small amount of demineralized pool cell water which has been in contact with the concrete structure is not enough to cause significant structural damage. However, ongoing water-concrete interaction increases. The pool cell leak detection sump instrumentation will be modified to improve monitoring of the leak rate in the future. Weekly manual sump level …

This report is about the appropriations for the fiscal Year 1996.

This document specifies the natural phenomena design loads for the Cold Vacuum Drying System.

The development of a silicon carbide (SiC) heat exchanger is a critical step in the development of the Externally-Fired Combined Cycle (EFCC) power system. SiC is the only material that provides the necessary combination of resistance to creep, thermal shock, and oxidation. While the SiC structure materials provide the thermomechanical and thermophysical properties needed for an efficient system, the mechanical properties of the SiC tubes are severely degraded through corrosion by the coal combustion products. To obtain the necessary service life of thousands of hours at temperature, a protective coating is needed that is stable with both the SiC tube and the coal combustion products, resists erosion from the particle laden gas stream, is thermal shock resistant, adheres to SiC during repeated thermal shocks (start-up, process upsets, shut-down), and allows the EFCC system to be cost competitive. This demanding set of technical performance and cost drivers was used in reviewing and selecting candidate protective materials. After a review of open literature, discussion with leading researchers in materials for coal combustion environments, and preliminary thermodynamic studies, a total of ten materials were identified for future study that were grouped into three categories: alumina-based materials, materials stable with SiO{sub 2}, and low …

The likelihood of lightning striking a new facility at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) has been considered in conjunction with a Lightning Hazard Mitigation study for that facility. Probability was estimated using both an older {open_quotes}traditional{close_quotes} method and a new method in which five years of actual NTS lightning strike data was analyzed. We believe the new method provides a more credible estimate. An important finding is that the NTS data exhibits a distribution of return-stroke peak-current amplitudes that is significantly less severe than that generally used by the lightning protection community, or found in other parts of the United States.

Interest in fuel management, to reduce fire control costs and damages, has been renewed with the numerous, destructive wildfires spread across the West during the summers of 1988 and 1994.

Interest in salvaging timber has increased markedly since extensive forest fires in 1994. The focus is to use the dead and dying timber before it goes to waste and to increase the supply of Federal timber available to the wood products industry. Supporters also note that salvage sales are one tool that can be used to improve forest health. Critics counter that some dead and dying trees are necessary for healthy ecosystems, and that salvage sales are costly to the U.S. Treasury and to the environment. This report describes the concerns over forest health, and then examines the benefits, costs, and financial consequences of salvage timber sales.