Strontium (Sr) isotope and other geochemical data were collected for groundwater samples from the Snake River Plain aquifer in the vicinity of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). These geochemical data provide strong evidence for slow and fast groundwater flow zones that had not been previously characterized. The geochemical data were combined with existing hydraulic head data in groundwater flow and transport models. These models enable quantitative extraction of flow information from the data (i.e., inversion of the data). This new approach and the implications for INEEL environmental activities will be reported in two journal articles. One submitted recently and a second in preparation.

Metallic uranium Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is currently stored within two water filled pools, 105-KE Basin (KE Basin) and 105-KW Basin (KW Basin), at the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Hanford Site, in southeastern Washington State. The Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (SNF Project) is responsible to DOE for operation of these fuel storage pools and for the 2100 metric tons of SNF materials that they contain. The SNF Project mission includes safe removal and transportation of all SNF from these storage basins to a new storage facility in the 200 East Area. To accomplish this mission, the SNF Project modifies the existing KE Basin and KW Basin facilities and constructs two new facilities: the 100 K Area Cold Vacuum Drying Facility (CVDF), which drains and dries the SNF; and the 200 East Area Canister Storage Building (CSB), which stores the SNF. The purpose of this document is to describe the design basis feed compositions for materials stored or processed by SNF Project facilities and activities. This document is not intended to replace the Hanford Spent Fuel Inventory Baseline (WHC 1994b), but only to supplement it by providing more detail on the chemical and radiological inventories in the fuel …

The three principal mechanisms of plastic flow in crystalline solids at elevated temperature are crystal slip, grain boundary sliding, and diffusional flow. All three mechanisms involve the diffusion of atoms as the rate-controlling process, either in the lattice or in the grain boundary. Under the correct conditions of microstructure, temperature, and stress, each mechanism can lead to Newtonian-viscous behavior. That is, the strain rate increases linearly with the applied stress. In the case of crystal slip, Newtonian-viscous behavior is observed at very � low stresses and, in pure metals, is known as Harper-Dom (H-D) creep. This Newtonian behavior can also be observed in anisotropic crystalline solids that are deformed under thermal cycling conditions. The dislocation density and the stacking fault energy are important structural factors that contribute to crystal slip-controlled Newtonian flow. In the case of grain boundary sliding, Newtonian-viscous behavior is observed in fine-grained, solid solution alloys under conditions where grain-boundary sliding is accommodated by dislocation glide controlled by the diffusion of solute atoms. In the case of diffusional creep, which is rigorously described by the Nabarro-Herring (N-H) theory, the creep rate is controlled by grain size and by the rate of atom diffusion in the lattice and in …

Improved understanding and performance of the alkaline-side CSEX process has been obtained through the characterization of impurity effects that hinder complete stripping of cesium from the solvent. It is shown in this report that tests of the alkaline-side CSEX process conducted in the summer and fall of 1998 were complicated by the presence of common surfactant anions, undecyl- and dodecylsulfonate, as trace impurities in the two simulants tested. This conclusion was drawn from the results of a series of systematic extraction tests followed by a definitive identification by electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS). Based on this understanding, a straightforward preventative measure involving the addition of a lipophilic tertiary amine extractant at a small concentration to the solvent is proposed and demonstrated. As part of the task ''Fission Product Solvent Extraction'' supported by the Efficient Separations and Processing Crosscutting Program within the USDOE Office of Environmental Management, the alkaline-side CSEX process has been developed for removal of radio-cesium ({sup 137}Cs) from alkaline high-level wastes stored in underground tanks at the Hanford Site and Savannah River Site (SRS). As described in a previous report, tests conducted in Fiscal Year 1998 generally demonstrated performance meeting the requirements for cesium removal from the waste to …

The performance of commercial photovoltaic Si devices is strongly controlled by the impurities and defects present in the substrates. A well-designed solar cell processing sequence can mitigate their effects to yield high efficiency devices. Such a process-design requires a comprehensive knowledge of the properties of defects, impurities, and impurity-defect interactions that can occur during device processing. This paper reviews the recent understanding of the impurity and defect issues in Si-photovoltaics.

Simple scaling models indicate that quite high radiation temperatures can be achieved in hohlraums driven with the National Ignition Facility. A scaling estimate for the radiation temperature versus pulse duration for different size NIF hohlraums is shown in Figure 1. Note that a radiation temperature of about 650 ev is projected for a so-called scale 1 hohlraum (length 2.6mm, diameter 1.6mm). With such high temperature hohlraums, for example, opacity experiments could be carried out using more relevant high Z materials rather than low Z surrogates. These projections of high temperature hohlraums are uncertain, since the scaling model does not allow for the very strongly-driven laser plasma coupling physics. Lasnex calculations have been carried out to estimate the plasma and irradiation conditions in a scale 1 hohlraum driven by NIF. Linear instability gains as high as exp(100) have been found for stimulated Brillouin scattering, and other laser-driven instabilities are also far above their thresholds. More understanding of the very strongly-driven coupling physics is clearly needed in order to more realistically assess and improve the prospects for high temperature hohlraums. Not surprisingly, this regime has been avoided for inertial fusion applications and so is relatively unexplored.

Motivated by the problem of determining stress distributions in granular materials, we study the effect of finite transport correlation times on the propagation of nonlinear wavefronts in reaction diffusion systems. We obtain new results such as the possibility of spatial oscillations in the wavefront shape for certain values of the system parameters and high enough wavefront speeds. We also generalize earlier known results concerning the minimum wavefront speed and shape-speed relationships stemming from the finiteness of the correlation times. Analytic investigations are made possible by a piece-wise linear representation of the nonlinearity.

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A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) oversight programs of state agencies' nursing home survey process, focusing on the: (1) effectiveness of HCFA's approaches to assessing state agency performance; (2) extent to which HCFA's regional offices vary in their application of these approaches; and (3) the corrective actions available to HCFA when it identifies poor state agency performance."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its study of the Health Care Financing Administration's (HFCA) implementation of two of its nursing home initiatives."

The authors describe applications of PV Optics to analyze the behavior of a metallic back-reflector on an a-Si solar cell. The calculated results from PV Optics agree well with the measured data on solar cells. Several unexpected results obtained from these calculations are qualitatively explained.

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A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO analyzed the potential budgetary and economic effects of several Social Security reform proposals."

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) anthrax immunization program, focusing on the: (1) need for a six-shot regimen and annual booster shots; (2) long- and short-term safety of the vaccine; (3) efficacy of the vaccine; and (4) extent to which problems the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found in the vaccine production facility in Michigan could compromise the safety, efficacy, and quality of the vaccine."

In a high level waste repository in which temperatures are elevated due to waste decay, concrete structures will be subjected to hydrothermal conditions that will alter their physical and chemical properties. Virtually no studies have examined the interaction of hydrothermally altered concrete with radionuclides. We present the results of experiments in which soluble and colloid-associated actinides, uranium (U) and neptunium (Np), were eluted into a fractured, hydrothermally altered concrete core. Although the fluid residence time in the fracture was estimated to be on the order of 1 minute, U and Np were below detection (10{sup -9}-10{sup -8} M) in the effluent from the core, for both soluble and colloid-associated species. Inorganic colloids and latex microspheres were similarly immobilized within the core. Post-test analysis of the core identified the immobilized U and Np at or near the fracture surface, with a spatial distribution similar to that of the latex microspheres. Because hydrothermal alteration followed fracturing, the growth of crystalline calcium silicate hydrate and clay mineral alteration products on, and possibly across the fracture, resulted in a highly reactive fracture that was effective at capturing both soluble and colloidal radionuclides. Comparison of results from batch experiments [1] with these experiments indicate that …

The application of morphological and pattern recognition techniques to the sorting of FIRST data is presented. FIRST (Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty Centimeters) is designed to produce the radio equivalent of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, using the National Radio Astronomical Observatory Very Large Array. A catalog of source positions and Gaussian-fit parameters for the sources is available. The goal of this part of the project is the automatic classification of types of sources, since it is expected that there will be on the order of one million sources in the final catalog. The data consists of radio maps, each approximately 1500 x 1100 pixels and containing on average about 30 sources per map. The resolution of these maps is 5 inches (approximately 3 pixels). The sources range in size from a few pixels to 70 or 80 pixels maximum diameter and have various morphologies. Of particular interest is the extraction of ''bent doubles'', core-jets, and gravitational lens candidates. These interesting types constitute on the order of one percent of the sources. The emphasis in this presentation is on image-based pattern recognition. We report on the use of morphological operators for source extraction and compare use of …

The purpose of this analysis and model report (AMR) for the Ventilation Model is to analyze the effects of pre-closure continuous ventilation in the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) emplacement drifts and provide heat removal data to support EBS design. It will also provide input data (initial conditions, and time varying boundary conditions) for the EBS post-closure performance assessment and the EBS Water Distribution and Removal Process Model. The objective of the analysis is to develop, describe, and apply calculation methods and models that can be used to predict thermal conditions within emplacement drifts under forced ventilation during the pre-closure period. The scope of this analysis includes: (1) Provide a general description of effects and heat transfer process of emplacement drift ventilation. (2) Develop a modeling approach to simulate the impacts of pre-closure ventilation on the thermal conditions in emplacement drifts. (3) Identify and document inputs to be used for modeling emplacement ventilation. (4) Perform calculations of temperatures and heat removal in the emplacement drift. (5) Address general considerations of the effect of water/moisture removal by ventilation on the repository thermal conditions. The numerical modeling in this document will be limited to heat-only modeling and calculations. Only a preliminary assessment of …

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the year 2000 technology problem, focusing on: (1) the federal government's progress and challenges that remain in correcting its systems; (2) state and local government year 2000 issues; and (3) the readiness of key public infrastructure and economic sectors."

Our lives are linked to weather and climate, and to energy use. Since the late 1970s, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has invested in research and technology related to global climate change. DOE's Office Fuels Development (OFD) manages the National Biofuels Program and is the lead technical advisor on the development of biofuels technologies in the United States. Together with industry and other stakeholders, the program seeks to establish a major biofuels industry. Its goals are to develop and commercialize technologies for producing sustainable, domestic, environmentally beneficial, and economically viable fuels from dedicated biomass feedstocks.

This report describes results from a seven-day demonstration of the use of 3M Empore(r) membrane filter loaded with ion exchange material potassium cobalt hexacynoferrate (CoHex) for cesium uptake from the R-Disassembly Basin at the Savannah River Site.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's decision to contract for its Wholesale Logistics Modernization Program."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on the general and application computer controls over key financial systems maintained and operated by the Financial Management Service (FMS), focusing on the results of GAO's fiscal year (FY) 1998 tests of the effectiveness of general and application controls that support key FMS automated financial systems and GAO's follow up on the status of FMS' corrective actions to address weaknesses identified in its FY 1997 audit."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reported on the status of computer security throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)."

The I/O channels of the control system of the LHC experiments are distributed over the whole detector volume with distances of up to 100 meters. Special requirements on the I/O system arise due to the inaccessibility of the equipment and the hostile environment due to radiation and magnetic field. A general purpose I/O system based on the fieldbus CAN and using the CANopen software protocol has been developed using standard electronic components. Each of these distributed fieldbus nodes can monitor and control up to some hundred channels. The performance of a low-cost high precision ADC system will be presented together with the results of extensive tests.