Our group is leading a large-sale demonstration of dredged material decontamination technologies for the New York/New Jersey Harbor. The goal of the project is to assemble a complete system for economic transformation of contaminated dredged material into an environmentally-benign material used in the manufacture of a variety of beneficial use products. This requires the integration of scientific, engineering, business, and policy issues on matters that include basic knowledge of sediment properties, contaminant distribution visualization, sediment toxicity, dredging and dewatering techniques, decontamination technologies, and product manufacturing technologies and marketing. A summary of the present status of the system demonstrations including the use of both existing and new manufacturing facilities is given here. These decontamination systems should serve as a model for use in dredged material management plans of regions other than NY/NJ Harbor, such as Long Island Sound, where new approaches to the handling of contaminated sediments are desirable.

This report updates work on measurements of the dissolution rates of single-phase and multi-phase ceramic waste forms in flow-through reactors at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Previous results were reported in Bourcier (1999). Two types of tests are in progress: (1) tests of baseline pyrochlore-based multiphase ceramics; and (2) tests of single-phase pyrochlore, zirconolite, and brannerite (the three phases that will contain most of the actinides). Tests of the multi-phase material are all being run at 25 C. The single-phase tests are being run at 25, 50, and 75 C. All tests are being performed at ambient pressure. The as-made bulk compositions of the ceramics are given in Table 1. The single pass flow-through test procedure [Knauss, 1986 No.140] allows the powdered ceramic to react with pH buffer solutions traveling upward vertically through the powder. Gentle rocking during the course of the experiment keeps the powder suspended and avoids clumping, and allows the system to behave as a continuously stirred reactor. For each test, a cell is loaded with approximately one gram of the appropriate size fraction of powdered ceramic and reacted with a buffer solution of the desired pH. The buffer solution compositions are given in Table 2. All the …

The LR-56 cask is an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), type B (U) certified Medium to High Level Radioactive Liquid Waste Transport Cask. The LR-56 consists of a trailer equipped with the following component and systems: cubic meter lead shielded cask; Self-contained ventilation system including an air pressure/vacuum pump for cask loading and unloading; Waste temperature, level, leak detection, and other surveillance equipment; Control room for control of loading and unloading operations and waste surveillance; Hoist system for removing well caps on the cask; Power connection and control connections for operating the cask from a remote facility; The cask may be unloaded or loaded using either the onboard pressure/vacuum pump or by an external waste transfer pump. Rinse heads and connections allow the cask to be rinsed using supplied rinse water. The cask was designed to be vented using the LR-56 onboard ventilation system, which is connected to the cask via a hose through a penetration in the cask. Three wells located on the top of the cask, offer valved penetrations into the cask for venting, waste pumping, and rinsing. Other penetrations in the cask enable surveillance instrumentation to be used to monitor inside the cask. To date, the LR-56 …

This addendum to the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) contains the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's approach to determine the extent of contamination existing at Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 321. This addendum was required when the extent of contamination exceeded the estimate in the original Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD). Located in Area 22 on the Nevada Test Site, Corrective Action Unit 321, Weather Station Fuel Storage, consists of Corrective Action Site 22-99-05, Fuel Storage Area, was used to store fuel and other petroleum products necessary for motorized operations at the historic Camp Desert Rock facility. This facility was operational from 1951 to 1958 and dismantled after 1958. Based on site history and earlier investigation activities at CAU 321, the contaminant of potential concern (COPC) was previously identified as total petroleum hydrocarbons (diesel-range organics). The scope of this corrective action investigation for the Fuel Storage Area will include the selection of biased sample locations to determine the vertical and lateral extent of contamination, collection of soil samples using rotary sonic drilling techniques, and the utilization of field-screening methods to accurately determine the extent of COPC contamination. The results of this field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of …

Coatings of Be{sub 1-x}Cu{sub x} are prepared by magnetron sputter deposition onto spherical polymer mandrels. The application of an applied bias during deposition refines the columnar morphology of the coating and surface finish to the nanoscale. A mechanical testing technique is developed to load the thin-walled spherical capsules under uniaxial tension at constant strain to fracture. The bias-deposited material exhibits an increase in strength by a factor of three or more following a Hall-Petch type relationship with surface roughness.

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been …

This specification revises the performance requirements and provides references to the requisite codes and standards to be applied during design of the Double-Shell Tank (DST) Monitor and Control Subsystem that supports the first phase of Waste Feed Delivery.

The primary objective for the Dynamic Compaction Facility (DCF) test was to determine if dynamic compaction of buried low-level waste trenches would cause damage or failure to the adjacent Mixed Waste Management Facility (MWMF) closure system. A second objective was to quantify the success of dynamic compaction in consolidated buried B-25 boxes containing low-level waste.

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The objective of this study was to understand the interface chemical reactions between stable ceramics and reactive liquid metals, and developing microstructure. Experiments were conducted at elevated temperatures where small metal samples of Zr and Zr-alloy were placed on top of selected oxide and non-oxide ceramic substrates (Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, ZrN, ZrC, and HfC). The sample stage was heated in high-purity argon to about 2000 C, held in most cases for five minutes at the peak temperature, and then cooled to room temperature at {approximately}20 c/min. An external video camera was used to monitor the in-situ wetting and interface reactions. Post-test examinations of the systems were conducted by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. It was determined that the Zr and the Zr-alloy are very active in the wetting of stable ceramics at elevated temperatures. In addition, in some systems, such as Zr/ZrN, a reactive transition phase formed between the ceramic and the metal. In other systems, such as Zr/Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Zr/ZrC and Zr/HfC, no reaction products formed, but a continuous and strong joint developed under these circumstances also.

The purpose of the inventory abstraction as directed by the development plan (CRWMS M&O 1999b) is to: (1) Interpret the results of a series of relative dose calculations (CRWMS M&O 1999c, 1999d). (2) Recommend, including a basis thereof, a set of radionuclides that should be modeled in the Total System Performance Assessment in Support of the Site Recommendation (TSPA-SR) and the Total System Performance Assessment in Support of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (TSPA-FEIS). (3) Provide initial radionuclide inventories for the TSPA-SR and TSPA-FEIS models. (4) Answer the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)'s Issue Resolution Status Report ''Key Technical Issue: Container Life and Source Term'' (CLST IRSR) (NRC 1999) key technical issue (KTI): ''The rate at which radionuclides in SNF [Spent Nuclear Fuel] are released from the EBS [Engineered Barrier System] through the oxidation and dissolution of spent fuel'' (Subissue 3). The scope of the radionuclide screening analysis encompasses the period from 100 years to 10,000 years after the potential repository at Yucca Mountain is sealed for scenarios involving the breach of a waste package and subsequent degradation of the waste form as required for the TSPA-SR calculations. By extending the time period considered to one million years after repository …

A grinding technique, referred to as the McCarter Superfinish, for grinding large size optical components is discussed and certain surface characterization information about flatness and the relative magnitude of the subsurface damage in silicon substrates is reported. The flatness measurements were obtained with a Zygo surface analyzer, and the substrate damage measurements were made by x-ray diffraction and acid etching. Results indicate excellent control of flatness and fine surface finish. X-ray measurements show that the diamond wheels with small particle sizes used in the final phases of the grinding operation renders surfaces with relatively small subsurface damage.

The lattice structure, phonon density of states, and infrared spectrum for crystalline zircon, ZrSiO{sub 4}, have been studied using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method that utilizes the Born-Mayer-Huggins and Coulomb pair potentials and the Stillinger-Weber three-body potential. A lattice block of ZrSiO{sub 4}, which contains 343 unit cells with dimensions of 4.6249 x 4.6249 x 4.1874 nm{sub 3} and containing 8232 ions, was considered in our calculations. The simulated lattice structure agreed with that determined from x-ray and neutron diffraction experiments. The vibrational modes and absorption spectrum were calculated based on the simulated lattice and compared with infrared absorption spectra. Characteristic lines in infrared spectra obtained from previous experiments on natural and synthetic zircon were assigned to specific bond structures by interactive MD simulations with variation of selected potential parameters. It is shown that the O-Si-O three-body correlations in the SiO{sub 4} tetrahedron significantly influence the spectrum. It is demonstrated that the oxygen ions that are parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis in the SiO{sub 4} tetrahedron are inequivalent and make different contributions to the vibration spectrum. The energy distribution among 24 atoms in a unit cell in the 1011-cm{sup {minus}1} vibrational mode is shown in Fig. 1. Comparison …

Laser spectroscopic and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra have shown that uranium in B{sub 2}O{sub 3} glass matrix forms uranyl in the electronic configuration of (UO{sub 2}){sup 2+},but its surrounding structure is not well known. Understanding of uranyl local structure, ion-ligand interaction, and chemical stability on the nanometer scale in glasses is essential in management of long-term performance of high-level nuclear wastes after disposal in a geologic repository. In the present work, the structure, phonon density of states, and vibrational spectrum of vitreous B{sub 2}O{sub 3} and the surrounding environment that contains a uranyl ion have been studied using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method that utilizes the Born-Mayer-Huggins and Coulomb pair potentials and the Stillinger-Weber three-body potential. A system of 406 ions was considered in our calculation. Simulation of a thermal quenching from 3000 K to 300 K was performed to generate a uniform and equilibrium model glass matrix before structure configuration and vibrational frequencies were obtained from the system. The structure of the simulated glass is in agreement with that reported by Krogh-Moe and Mozzi et al. The characteristic network of planar boroxol (B{sub 3}O{sub 6}) rings is evident in the simulated system. A configuration of …

Vertical stability and control are examined for a tokamak configuration intended to be a generic representation of next step devices. Vertical stability calculations show that a critical resistive wall location can be determined for realistic structures, and that the introduction of small amounts of low resistivity material to an all steel structure can significantly reduce the vertical instability growth rate. Vertical control simulations show that internal control coils require significantly less feedback power than external coils, and that low resistivity materials can allow very low feedback powers or coils to be located externally with reasonable feedback powers.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, in cooperation with the American Foundry Society, companies across North America, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, is conducting a project to develop an understanding of the factors that control the machinability of cast gray and ductile iron. Differences of as much as 500% have been found in machinability have been observed at the same strength. The most machinable irons were those with a high cell counts and few carbonitride inclusions. Additions of tin and copper can be added to both gray and ductile iron to stabilize the pearlite, but excessive additions (above those required to produce the desired pearlite content) degrade the machinability.

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The Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project supports the Hanford Site Mission to cleanup the Site by providing safe, economic, environmentally sound management of Site spent nuclear fuel in a manner that reduces hazards by staging it to interim onsite storage and deactivates the 100 K Area facilities.

The search for extra-solar planets continues to be one of the most exciting fields in astronomy, with great interest shown by the public. The detection of planets via the Doppler effect, measuring the gravitational tugging of the planet on the parent star, is the most popular method. Jupiter and Saturn-like planets create 12 and 3 m/s signatures, respectively. Many institutions endeavor to join the search. They are hampered by the lack of affordable instruments having sufficient velocity resolution. Conventional high spectral resolution grating spectrometers are extremely expensive and massive due to their large size (5 meters). Due to their extreme sensitivity to input beam path, the most accurate velocimeters must use the iodine vapor cell as a spectral reference, (which does not deviate the beam due to its absorptive nature.) However, this operates only with green light. Hence, most of the photons from a star are wasted, particularly from red stars. In spite of constituting more than 60% of stars near Earth, red stars are currently under-represented on planet search surveys due to their relative weakness in the green. We have developed a new method for measuring Doppler shifts of starlight having many practical benefits. It is based on the …

The 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized the importance and growing maturity of the femtosecond time-scale in science and engineering. Understanding the interaction between materials and high energy density light to manufacture and process materials has become a key issue in both programmatic and fundamental research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We have emphasized in this research the aspects related to producing thin films by ablation of material with intense ultra-short laser pulses. Our effort during FY2000 has been focused on building the foundation of this research using high purity graphite as the initial ablation material. We have deposited diamond-like carbon (DLC) in vacuum, measured ablation rates, and characterized the physical and chemical properties of the films. We successfully completed our first objective to compare the microstructure and materials properties of the films deposited using lasers operated in the femtosecond and nanosecond pulse length regime. The mechanical characterization of the deposits showed improved film-substrate adhesion properties that allowed us to build 200-{micro}m thick layers using 150 fs pulses. Films produced with ns-pulses delaminated as soon as the thickness reached only a couple of microns. The stresses in the films were greatly influenced by the fluence and the duration of the …

This cathodic protection (CP) report documents the results of the 1999 annual CP survey of the underground piping within PFP property. An annual survey of CP systems is required by Washington Administrative Code (WAC). A spreadsheet to document the 1999 annual survey polarization data is included in this report. Graphs are included to trend the cathodic voltages and the polarization voltages at each test station on PFP property. The trending spans from 1994 to 1999. Graphs are also included to trend voltage and amperage outputs of each rectifier during the annual surveys. During the annual survey, resistance testing between the underground piping was conducted at each test station. The testing showed that all piping (with test leads into the test stations) was continuous with every pipe represented in the test stations. The resistance data is not documented in this report but can be accessed in work package 22-99-01003. During the annual survey, the wiring configurations of anode junction boxes AJB(R45-1) and AJB(45-1) were documented. The sketches can be accessed from the JCS work record of work package 22-99-01003. Analysis, conclusions, and recommendations of the 1999 annual CP survey results are included in this report.

The NCEP/NCAR reanalysis (Kalnay et al. 1996) of atmospheric data beginning in 1948 has provided an opportunity to study a consistent half-century record of assimilated weather observations. Through the examination of several fields, we find an apparent long-term decrease in relative humidity, and hence a decrease in inferred cloud amount, in a large region in the central tropical Pacific. As a result, the apparent short-wave cloud radiative forcing in that region decreased by nearly 15 Wm{sup -2} Over the duration of the period. Two major questions arise from these preliminary results. The first question involves the extent to which the apparent trend over the 50-year period is a real phenomenon rather than an artifact, either of the reanalysis methodology or of observing system evolution. The second question is, if the phenomenon is not entirely an artifact, but is at least partially real, what is its cause?

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