None

None

The primary purpose of the verification enhancement review was for the DOE Richland Operations Office (RL) to verify contractor readiness for the independent DOE Integrated Safety Management System Verification (ISMSV) on the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). Secondary objectives included: (1) to reinforce the engagement of management and to gauge management commitment and accountability; (2) to evaluate the ''value added'' benefit of direct public involvement; (3) to evaluate the ''value added'' benefit of direct worker involvement; (4) to evaluate the ''value added'' benefit of the panel-to-panel review approach; and, (5) to evaluate the utility of the review's methodology/adaptability to periodic assessments of ISM status. The review was conducted on December 6-8, 1999, and involved the conduct of two-hour interviews with five separate panels of individuals with various management and operations responsibilities related to PFP. A semi-structured interview process was employed by a team of five ''reviewers'' who directed open-ended questions to the panels which focused on: (1) evidence of management commitment, accountability, and involvement; and, (2) consideration and demonstration of stakeholder (including worker) information and involvement opportunities. The purpose of a panel-to-panel dialogue approach was to better spotlight: (1) areas of mutual reinforcement and alignment that could serve as good examples …

An approach using positron emission tomography (PET) was developed, validated and used to measure myocardial fatty acid metabolism in patients with inherited forms of heart failure. Abnormalities were correlated with the severity of the clinical illness. The approach developed was also shown to identify abnormalities in myocardial fatty acid metabolism in some patients with acquired forms of heart failure. The PET technique thus permits identification of abnormal fatty acid metabolism and provides an approach to evaluate the efficacy of interventional strategies.

As a technology partner with NREL, Global Solar Energy (GSE) has initiated an extensive and systematic plan to accelerate the commercialization of thin-film photovoltaics (PV) based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). The distinguishing feature of the GSE manufacturing process is the exclusive use of lightweight, flexible substrates. GSE has developed the technology to fabricate CIGS photovoltaics on both stainless-steel and polymer substrates. CIGS deposited on flexible substrates can be fabricated into either flexible or rigid modules. Low-cost, rigid PV panels for remote power, bulk/utility, telecommunication, and rooftop applications have been produced by affixing the flexible substrate to an inexpensive rigid panel by lamination or adhesive. Stainless-steel-based PV modules are fabricated by a novel interconnect method that avoids the use of wires or foils and soldered connections. In the case of polymer-based PV modules, the continuous roll is not sectioned into individual panels until the module buss and power leads are attached. Roll-to-roll vacuum deposition has several advantages that translate directly to reduced capital costs, greater productivity, improved yield, greater reliability, lower maintenance, and a larger volume of PV material. In combination with roll-to-roll processing, GSE has developed evaporation deposition operations that enable low-cost and high-efficiency CIGS modules. The CIGS …

Approximately 1,400 g of wet Hanford Tank C-104 Sludge was evaluated by Battelle for the high-level waste (HLW) pretreatment processes of ultrafiltration, dilute caustic washing, and elevated-temperature caustic leaching. The filterability of diluted C-104 sludge was measured with a 0.1-{micro}m sintered metal Mott filter using a 24-inch-long, single-element, crossflow filtration system (cells unit filter [CUF]). While the filtrate was being recirculated prior to washing and leaching, a 6.9 wt% solids slurry was evaluated with a matrix of seven 1-hour conditions of varying trans-membrane pressure (30 to 70 psid) and axial velocity (9 to 15 ft/s). The filtrate flux and backpulse efficiency were determined for each condition. The slurry was concentrated to 23 wt% solids, a second matrix of six 1-hour conditions was performed, and data analogous to that recorded in the first matrix were obtained. The low-solids-concentration matrix produced filtrate flux rates that ranged from 0.038 to 0.083 gpm/ft{sup 2}. The high-solids-concentration matrix produced filtrate flux rates that ranged from 0.0095 to 0.0172 gpm/ft{sup 2}. In both cases, the optimum filtrate flux was at the highest axial velocity (15 ft/s) and transmembrane pressure had little effect. Nearly all of the measured filtrate fluxes were more than an order of magnitude …

The national standard for plutonium storage acceptability (standard DOE-STD-3013-99, generally known as ''the 3013 standard'') has been revised to clarify the requirement for processes that will produce acceptable storage materials. The 3013 standard (Reference 1) now states that ''Oxides shall be stabilized by heating the material in an oxidizing atmosphere to a Material Temperature of at least 950 C (1742 F) for not less than 2 hours.'' The process currently in use for producing stable oxides for storage at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) heats a furnace atmosphere to 1000 C and holds it there for 2 hours. The temperature of the material being stabilized is not measured directly during this process. The Plutonium Process Support Laboratories (PPSL) were requested to demonstrate that the process currently in use at PFP is an acceptable method of producing stable plutonium dioxide consistently. A spare furnace identical to the production furnaces was set up and tested under varying conditions with non-radioactive surrogate materials. Reference 2 was issued to guide the testing program. The process currently in use at the PFP for stabilizing plutonium-bearing powders was shown to heat all the material in the furnace to at least 950 C for at least 2 …

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture Appropriations.

In November 1999, the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy directed a series of actions to strengthen the Department's ongoing nuclear criticality safety programs. A Review Plan describing lines of inquiry for assessing contractor programs was included. The Office of River Protection completed their assessment of the Tank Farm Contractor program in May 2000. This document supports that assessment by providing a compliance statement for each line of inquiry.

This plan documents the SNF Project activities and plans to support its engineering process. It describes five SNF Project Engineering initiatives: new engineering procedures, qualification cards process; configuration management, engineering self assessments, and integrated schedule for engineering activities.

Our original proposal was presented to the LDRD committee on February 18, 1999. The revised proposal that followed incorporated changes that addressed the issues, concerns, and suggestions put forth by the committee members both during the presentation and in subsequent discussions we've had with individual committee members. The goal of the proposal was to establish an SMD confocal microscopy capability and technology base at LLNL. Here we report on our progress during the 6-month period for which funding was available.

The ''Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 20'' is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the Office of Transportation Technologies in the Department of Energy (DOE). Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the data book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, and presents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. The latest editions of the Data Book are available to a larger audience via the Internet (www-cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb.htm). This edition of the Data Book has 12 chapters which focus on various aspects of the transportation industry. Chapter 1 focuses on petroleum; Chapter 2--energy; Chapter 3--greenhouse gas emissions; Chapter 4--criteria pollutant emissions; Chapter 5--transportation and the economy; Chapter 6--highway vehicles; Chapter 7--light vehicles; Chapter 8--heavy vehicles; Chapter 9--alternative fuel vehicles; Chapter 10--fleet vehicles; Chapter 11--household vehicles; and Chapter 12--nonhighway modes. The sources used represent the latest available data. There are also three appendices which include detailed source information for some tables, measures of conversion, and the definition of Census divisions and regions. A glossary of terms …

Energy and environmental problems undermine the potential for sustained economic development and contribute to political and economic instability in the strategically important region surrounding the Caspian and Black Seas. Many organizations supporting efforts to resolve problems in this region have found that consensus building--a prerequisite for action--is a difficult process. Reaching agreement on priorities for investment, technical collaboration, and policy incentives depends upon informed decision-making by governments and local stakeholders. And while vast quantities of data and numerous analyses and reports are more accessible than ever, wading through the many potential sources in search of timely and relevant data is a formidable task. To facilitate more successful data searches and retrieval, this document provides annotated references to over 200 specific information sources, and over twenty primary search engines and data retrieval services, that provide relevant and timely information related to the environment, energy, and economic development around the Caspian and Black Seas. This document is an advance copy of the content that Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) plans to transfer to the web in HTML format to facilitate interactive search and retrieval of information using standard web-browser software.

None

Enzymes for Degradation of Energetic Materials and Demilitarization of Explosives Stockpiles: SERDP Final Report 9/00

The objective of this calculation is to generate source terms for each type of Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canister that may be disposed of at the potential repository at Yucca Mountain. The scope of this calculation is limited to generating source terms for average DOE SNF canisters, and is not intended to be used for subsequent calculations requiring bounding source terms. This calculation is to be used in future Performance Assessment calculations, or other shielding or thermal calculations requiring average source terms.

This report documents the results of a preliminary hazard analysis (PHA) covering the new salt well pump design. The PHA identified ten hazardous conditions mapped to four analyzed accidents: flammable gas deflagrations, fire in contaminated area, tank failure due to excessive loads, and waste transfer leaks. This document also presents the results of the control decision/allocation process. A backflow preventer and associated limiting condition were assigned.

Despite backing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), capital flight from Brazil in 1998 prompted the government to jettison its pegged currency stabilization program and float the real on January 15, 1999, becoming another casualty of the volatile international capital markets. Brazil adjusted to its financial crisis faster than expected, which is considered over. This report provides a final summary of Brazil's financial crisis and related IMF assistance in support of Congressional interest in various aspects of the 1990s global financial turmoil. It will not be updated.

None

In our previous report we reported technical difficulties encountered in the fabrication of tubular membrane reactor using our Pd-ceramic composite membranes. Although the membrane is highly selective to hydrogen but in test runs we observed leakage of hydrogen from the end-seals and metallic fittings. This was a serious problem. An attempt to improve the seal by tightening was not helpful but resulted in cracks and breakage of the ceramic tube. To test the equilibrium conversion and equilibrium shift effect on dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to benzene and hydrogen in membrane reactor, we used Pd-ceramic discs in our diffusion cell as reactor packed with Pt-catalyst pellets. Test results show that by manipulating the feed (cyclohexane) flow rate and sweep gas flow rate (permeate side) we can have over 55% conversion as opposed to 18.7% equilibrium conversion under identical conditions. This demonstrates the usefulness of the new membrane in H{sub 2} separation and also in membrane-reactor configurations for equilibrium limited decomposition and dehydrogenation reactions.

A brief proceedings of the two-day Workshop on Molecule Assisted Recombination and Other Processes in Fusion Divertor Plasmas, organized by the ORNL Controlled Fusion Atomic Data Center on September 8-9, 2000, is presented. The conclusions and recommendations of the workshop regarding the topics discussed and the collaboration of the U.S. fusion research and atomic physics communities are also summarized.

As directed by written work direction (CRWMS M and O 1999f), Performance Assessment (PA) developed a model for microbial communities in the engineered barrier system (EBS) as documented here. The purpose of this model is to assist Performance Assessment and its Engineered Barrier Performance Section in modeling the geochemical environment within a potential repository drift for TSPA-SR/LA, thus allowing PA to provide a more detailed and complete near-field geochemical model and to answer the key technical issues (KTI) raised in the NRC Issue Resolution Status Report (IRSR) for the Evolution of the Near Field Environment (NFE) Revision 2 (NRC 1999). This model and its predecessor (the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document, CRWMS M and O 1998a) was developed to respond to the applicable KTIs. Additionally, because of the previous development of the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 of the TSPA-VA Technical Basis Document (CRWMS M and O 1998a), the M and O was effectively able to resolve a previous KTI concern regarding the effects of microbial processes on seepage and flow (NRC 1998). This document supercedes the in-drift microbial communities model as documented in Chapter 4 …

None

The Nuclear Packaging, Inc. (NuPac), PAS-1 cask is required to undergo annual maintenance and inspections to retain certification in accordance with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Certificate of Compliance USA/9184B(U) (Appendix A). The packaging configuration being tested and maintained is the NuPac PAS-1 cask for Payload B. The intent of the maintenance and inspections is to ensure the packaging remains in unimpaired physical condition. Two casks, serial numbers 2162-026 and 2162-027, were maintained, inspected, and tested at the 306E Development, Fabrication, and Test Laboratory, located at the Hanford Site's 300 Area. Waste Management Federal Services, Inc. (WMFS), a subsidiary of GTS Duratek, was in charge of the maintenance and testing. Cogema Engineering Corporation (Cogema) directed the operations in the test facility. The maintenance, testing, and inspections were conducted successfully with both PAS-1 casks. The work conducted on the overpacks included weighing, gasket replacement, and plastic pipe plug and foam inspections. The work conducted on the secondary containment vessel (SCV) consisted of visual inspection of the vessel and threaded parts (i.e., fasteners), visual inspection of sealing surfaces, replacement of O-ring seals, and a helium leak test. The work conducted on the primary containment vessel (PCV) consisted of visual inspection of the …