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This report is a summary of the Accident Investigation Board Report on the May 14, 1997, Chemical Explosion at the Plutonium Reclamation Facility, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington (DOE/RL-97-59). The referenced report provides a greater level of detail and includes a complete discussion of the facts identified, analysis of those facts, conclusions derived from the analysis, identification of the accident`s causal factors, and recommendations that should be addressed through follow-up action by the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. This companion document provides a concise summary of that report, with emphasis on management issues. Evaluation of emergency and occupational health response to, and radiological and chemical releases from, this accident was not within the scope of this investigation, but is the subject of a separate investigation and report (see DOE/RL-97-62).

The technical information in this document is to evaluate waste drums stored in Solid Waste Project Management facilities that contain organic and potentially flammable gases. The document provides an evaluation of the planned venting of potentially flammable gases and the potential risks associated with the task.

The authors review recent measurements of the high-frequency dynamic magnetic susceptibility in the high-T{sub c} superconducting systems La{sub 2{minus}x}Sr{sub x}CuO{sub 4} and YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x}. Experiments were performed using the chopper spectrometers HET and MARI at the ISIS spallation source. The authors have placed their measurements on an absolute intensity scale, this allows systematic trends to be seen and comparisons with theory to be made. They find that the insulating S = 1/2 antiferromagnetic parent compounds show a dramatic renormalization in the spin wave intensity. The effect of doping on the response is to cause broadenings in wave vector and large redistributions of spectral weight in frequency.

This document is the final laboratory report for Tank 241-T-201. Push mode core segments were removed from Riser 3 between April 24, 1997, and April 25, 1997. Segments were received and extruded at 222-S Laboratory. Analyses were performed in accordance with Tank 241-T-201 Push Mode Core Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) (Hu, 1997), Letter of Instruction for Core Sample Analysis of Tanks 241-T-201, 241-T-202, 241-T-203, and 241-T-204 (LOI) (Bell, 1997), Additional Core Composite Sample from Drainable Liquid Samples for Tank 241-T-2 01 (ACC) (Hall, 1997), and Safety Screening Data Quality Objective (DQO) (Dukelow, et al., 1995). None of the subsamples submitted for total alpha activity (AT) or differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses exceeded the notification limits stated in DQO. The statistical results of the 95% confidence interval on the mean calculations are provided by the Tank Waste Remediation Systems Technical Basis Group, and are not considered in this report.

This report describes work performed in the fifteenth quarter of a fundamental study to examine the effect of staged combustion on ash formation and deposition. Efforts this quarter included addition of a new cyclone for improved particle sampling and modification of the existing sampling probe. Particulate samples were collected under a variety of experimental conditions for both coals under investigation. Deposits formed from the Black Thunder coal were also collected. Particle size and composition from the Pittsburgh No. 8 ash samples support previously reported results. In addition, the authors ability to distinguish char/ash associations has been refined and applied to a variety of ash samples from this coal. The results show a clear difference between the behavior of included and excluded pyrite, and provide insight into the extent of pyrite oxidation. Ash samples from the Black Thunder coal have also been collected and analyzed. Results indicate a significant difference in the particle size of {open_quotes}unclassifiable{close_quotes} particles for ash formed during staged combustion. A difference in composition also appears to be present and is currently under investigation. Finally, deposits were collected under staged conditions for the Black Thunder coal. Specifically, two deposits were formed under similar conditions and allowed to mature …