The purpose is to increase the basic scientific understanding of technetium chemistry to better understand the behavior of technetium in chemical environments relevant to DOE. Two important areas in need of study are the behavior of technetium in highly alkaline solutions similar to high-level nuclear waste, and its behavior in different waste forms. This research program addressed these two needs. Two separate approaches were used in this program. The first focus was to understand the basic solution chemistry of technetium, which underlies its behavior in the highly alkaline environment of the nuclear waste tanks located at the Savannah River and Hanford Sites. The specific problems at these sites are related to the anomalous oxidation state of technetium (Schroeder 1995). Although, at high pH, technetium should exist in its highest oxidation state as TcO{sub 4}{sup {minus}}, soluble, lower-valent technetium species have been observed in certain wastes. The specific unknowns that this program sought to answer are the nature of lower valent technetium species that can be formed in highly alkaline solution and whether pertechnetate undergoes radiolytic reduction in highly alkaline solution when nitrate is present in excess. The second focus area is the behavior of technetium immobilized in various waste forms. …

This Acceptance Test Plan (ATP) will document the satisfactory operation of the third-generation corrosion monitoring cabinet (Hiline Engineering Part No.0004-CHM-072-C01). This ATP will be performed by the manufacturer of the cabinet prior to delivery to the site. The objective of this procedure is to demonstrate and document the acceptance of the corrosion monitoring cabinet. The test will consist of a continuity test of the cabinet wiring from the end of cable to be connected to corrosion probe, through the appropriate intrinsic safety barriers and out to the 15 pin D-shell connectors to be connected to the corrosion monitoring instrument. Additional testing will be performed using a constant current and voltage source provided by the corrosion monitoring hardware manufacturer to verify proper operation of corrosion monitoring instrumentation.

This Acceptance Test Plan (ATP) will document the satisfactory operation of the third-generation corrosion monitoring cabinet (Hiline Engineering Part No.0004-CHM-072-C01). This ATP will be performed by the manufacturer of the cabinet prior to delivery to the site. The objective of this procedure is to demonstrate and document the acceptance of the corrosion monitoring cabinet. The test will consist of a continuity test of the cabinet wiring from the end of cable to be connected to corrosion probe, through the appropriate intrinsic safety barriers and out to the 15 pin D-shell connectors to be connected to the corrosion monitoring instrument. Additional testing will be performed using a constant current and voltage source provided by the corrosion monitoring hardware manufacturer to verify proper operation of corrosion monitoring instrumentation.

This Acceptance Test Report (ATR) will document the satisfactory operation of the corrosion probe cabinets destined for installation on tanks 241-AN-102 and 241-AN-107. This ATR will be performed by the manufacturer on each cabinet prior to delivery to the site. The objective of this procedure is to demonstrate and document the acceptance of the corrosion monitoring cabinets to be installed on tanks 241-AN-102 and 241-AN-107. One cabinet will be installed on each tank. Each cabinet will contain corrosion monitoring hardware to be connected to existing corrosion probes already installed in each tank. The test will consist of a continuity test of the cabinet wiring from the end of cable to be connected to corrosion probe, through the appropriate intrinsic safety barriers and out to the 15 pin D-shell connectors to be connected to the corrosion monitoring instrument. Additional testing will be performed using a constant current and voltage source provided by the corrosion monitoring hardware manufacturer to verify proper operation of corrosion monitoring instrumentation (input a known signal and see if the instrumentation records the proper value).

Waste retrieval and transfer operations at the Gunite{trademark} and Associated Tanks (GAATs) Remediation Project have been successfully accomplished using the Tank Waste Retrieval System. This system is composed of the Modified Light-Duty Utility Arm, Houdini Vehicle, Waste Dislodging and Conveyance System, Hose Management Arm, and Sludge Conditioning System. GAAT W-9 has been used as a waste-consolidation and batch-transfer tank during the retrieval of sludges and supernatants from the seven Gunite tanks in the North and South tank farms at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Tank W-9 was used as a staging tank for the transfers to the Melton Valley Storage Tanks (MVSTs). A total of 18 waste transfers from W-9 occurred between May 25, 1999, and March 30, 2000. Most of these transfers were accomplished using the PulsAir Mixer to mobilize and mix the slurry and a submersible retrieval-transfer pump to transfer the slurry through the Sludge Conditioning System and the {approx}1-mile long, 2-in.-diam waste-transfer line to the MVSTs. The transfers from W-9 have consisted of low-solids-content slurries with solids contents ranging from {approx}2.8 to 6.8 mg/L. Of the initial {approx}88,000 gal of wet sludge estimated in the GAATs, a total of {approx}60,451 gal have been transferred to the MVSTs via …

These valves are 1/2-inch check valves used to prevent SCHe backflow into the Helium System if pressure in the Helium System drops below the pressure of the control valve downstream of the SCHe supply bottles. (14 psig in trains A and B and 2 psig in trains C and D).

If the crawler based retrieval system is selected, this project management plan identifies the path forward for acquiring a crawler/track pump waste retrieval system, and completing sufficient testing to support deploying the crawler for as part of a retrieval technology demonstration for Tank 241-C-104. In the balance of the document, these activities will be referred to as the Crawler Acquisition and Testing Demonstration. During recent Tri-Party Agreement negotiations, TPA milestones were proposed for a sludge/hard heel waste retrieval demonstration in tank C-104. Specifically one of the proposed milestones requires completion of a cold demonstration of sufficient scale to support final design and testing of the equipment (M-45-03G) by 6/30/2004. A crawler-based retrieval system was one of the two options evaluated during the pre-conceptual engineering for C-104 retrieval (RPP-6843 Rev. 0). The alternative technology procurement initiated by the Hanford Tanks Initiative (HTI) project, combined with the pre-conceptual engineering for C-104 retrieval provide an opportunity to achieve compliance with the proposed TPA milestone M-45-03H. This Crawler Acquisition and Testing Demonstration project management plan identifies the plans, organizational interfaces and responsibilities, management control systems, reporting systems, timeline and requirements for the acquisition and testing of the crawler based retrieval system. This project management …

Executive Order 12919 concerns industrial preparedness during times of war and national emergency. This brief report uses simple language to describe what Executive Order 12919 does. It is intended to clarify common misunderstandings about the Order’s purpose and scope.

The long waves that cause slugs almost always form more slowly than short waves, and linear stability always predicts that the growth rate for long waves is much less than that for short waves. However, at many conditions above neutral stability, long waves dominate the wave field. Three different studies were undertaken as part of the funded work: (1) linear interaction for unsteady flows; (2) wave evolution in oil-water channel flows; (3) retrograde stability and subcritical bifurcations. The oil-water system was used as a surrogate for gas-liquid systems because the gas phase is usually turbulent, and this complication is thus avoided although the phenomena involved are similar. The following overall conclusions about flow regime development were reached: (a) Oscillations in pressure and flow rate, due to interfacial waves or a malfunctioning pump, can cause significant growth rate changes in short waves within narrow frequency ranges, but probably do not have a large effect on long waves and thus regime transition. (b) Linear and nonlinear processes act together to cause regime transitions; however, it is almost certain that long waves cannot form solely by nonlinear energy transfer from shorter waves. (c) The nonlinear coefficient spectrum contains the information necessary to tell …

A comprehensive mentor review conducted by Nancy Walkup for educators Camille Hornbeck, Bill Parks, Kari Huse, and Barbara Krishnan at Daggett School.

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River Protection Project (RPP) performance for the month of July 2000 was very good. The most significant accomplishments that occurred during the month include the following: The Interim Stabilization Project pumped approximately 30,000 gallons from four tanks. Project-to-date (since June 1998) volume pumped is approximately 808,000 gallons. Five tanks have been interim stabilized this fiscal year, and tanks 241-S-106,241-U-103, and 241-U-105 are being evaluated to determine if the stabilization criteria have been met. Out of the 149 single-shell tanks (SSTs), 124 tanks have been stabilized. Pumping this waste from the single-shell tanks to more secure double-shell tanks (DSTs) supports stabilization of the waste tanks and mitigates leakage to the environment. The Interim Stabilization Project is planned to complete by September 2004. Waste Characterization obtained one grab sample in the month of July 2000. A total of 14 core samples, 12 grab samples, and 6 vapor samples have been taken fiscal year-to-date (FYTD) in support of three key FY 2000 sampling milestones. The Waste Treatment Plant Design and Operation organizations have been developed and staffed, including transitioning BNFL Inc./Bechtel National Inc. employees to CHG. Since the termination of the BNFL contract, CHG has temporarily assumed the work scope for design and …

Site characterization at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the site of a potential high-level radioactive waste repository, has included studies of recharge, flow paths, percolation flux, perched water bodies, and chemical compositions of the water in the thick unsaturated zone (UZ). Samples of pore water from cores of two recently drilled boreholes, USW SD-6 near the ridge top of Yucca Mountain and USW WT-24 north of Yucca mountain, were analyzed for isotopic compositions as part of a study by the US Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the US Department of Energy, under Interagency Agreement DE-AI08-97NV12033. The purpose of this report is to interpret {sup 14}C, {delta}{sup 13}C, {sup 3}H, {delta}D and {delta}{sup 18}O isotopic compositions of pore water from the core of boreholes USW SD-6 and USW WT-24 in relation to sources of recharge and flow paths in the UZ at Yucca Mountain. Borehole designation USW SD-6 and USW WT-24 subsequently will be referred to as SD-6 and WT-24. The sources of recharge and flow paths are important parameters that can be used in a UZ flow model, total system performance assessment (TSPA), and the license application (LA) for the potential repository at Yucca Mountain.

The Office of Space and Defense Power Systems (OSDPS) of the Department of Energy (DOE) provides Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) for applications where conventional power systems are not feasible. For example, radioisotope thermoelectric generators were supplied by the DOE to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for deep space missions including the Cassini Mission launched in October of 1997 to study the planet Saturn. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been involved in developing materials and technology and producing components for the DOE for more than three decades. For the Cassini Mission, for example, ORNL was involved in the production of carbon-bonded carbon fiber (CBCF) insulator sets, iridium alloy blanks and foil, and clad vent sets (CVSs) and weld shields (WSs). This quarterly report has been divided into three sections to reflect program guidance from OSDPS for fiscal year (FY) 2000. The first section deals primarily with maintenance of the capability to produce flight quality carbon-bonded carbon fiber (CBCF) insulator sets, iridium alloy blanks and foil, clad vent sets (CVSs), and weld shields (WSs). In all three cases, production maintenance is assured by the manufacture of limited quantities of flight quality (FQ) components. The second section deals with several …

1 inch Gas-operated full-port ball valves incorporate a solenoid and limit switches as integral parts of the actuator. These valves are normally open and fail safe to the open position (GOV-1*02 and 1*06 fall closed) to provide a flow path of helium gas to the MCO under helium purge and off-normal conditions when the MCO is isolated.

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is a widely-used method for remediation of contaminants in the unsaturated, or vadose, zone. SVE removes volatile contaminants by extracting gases from the subsurface. The pressure gradients necessary to drive gas flow are limited by at most one atmosphere of vacuum. Therefore, a common adjunct to SVE is the injection of fresh air into the subsurface at a distance from the extraction wells in order to increase overall gas pressure gradients, and, hence, flow rates. SVE has also been used for saturated zone remediation by first pumping the water table down to expose free phase contaminants. The selection of a vadose zone remediation method depends on a variety of site parameters. The type of contaminant is a major factor. Obviously, the selection of SVE as a method makes sense only for volatile contaminants since, otherwise, gas phase transport would be impossible. Bioventing is often a cost-effective candidate for contaminants that biodegrade easily in an aerobic environment, such as petroleum hydrocarbons. Bioventing shares some similarity to SVE, except that the flow rates are usually much lower. Whereas, the main goal of bioventing is to provide oxygen to the micro-organisms that break-down the contaminant; the main goal of …

The Saltstone Facility provides the final treatment and disposal of low level liquid wastes streams. At the Saltstone Facility, the waste is mixed with cement, flyash, and slag to form a grout, which is pumped into large concrete vaults where it cures. The facility started radioactive operations in June 1990. High Level Waste Engineering requested Savannah River Technology Center to determine the effect of TPB and its decomposition products (i.e., 3PB, 2PB, and 1PB) on the saltstone process. Previous testing performed by SRTC determined saltstone benzene evolution rates a function of ITP filtrate composition. Testing by the Thermal Fluids Laboratory has shown at design operation, the temperature in the Z-area vaults could reach 85 degrees Celsius. Saltstone asked SRTC to perform additional testing to determine whether curing at 85 degrees Celsius could change saltstone benzene evolution rates. This document describes the test performed to determine the effect of curing temperature on the benzene evolution rates.

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A whole tank composite sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AN-103 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. Prior to characterization the sample was diluted to {approximately}5 M sodium concentration. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the diluted sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the diluted sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results where more than one method of determination was employed and for species present in low concentrations. A direct comparison to previous analyses of material from tank 241-AN-103 was not possible due to unavailability of data for diluted samples of tank 241-AN-103 whole tank composites. However, the analytical data for other types of samples from 241-AN-103 we re mathematically diluted and compare reasonably with the current results. Although the segments of the core samples used to prepare the sample received at SRTC were combined in an attempt to produce a whole tank composite, determination of how well the results of the current analysis represent the actual composition of the …

A sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AZ-102 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. The sample containing supernate and a small amount of sludge solids was analyzed as-received. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results were more than one method of determination was employed and for species present in low concentrations. The actinides isotopes, plutonium, americium, and curium, present analytical challenges due to the low concentration of these species and the potential for introduction of small amounts of contamination during sampling handling resulting in large uncertainties. A direct comparison to previous analyses of material from tank 241-AZ-102 showed good agreement with the filtered supernatant liquid. However, the comparison of solids data showed poor agreement. The poor agreement shown between the current results for the solids samples and previous analyses most likely results from the uncertainties associated with obtaining small solids samples from a large non-homogenized waste …

An approximately 14.25 L sample from Hanford waste tank 241-AN-102 was received at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) and chemically characterized. Prior to characterization the sample was diluted to {approximately}6 M sodium concentration. The filtered supernatant liquid, the total dried solids of the diluted sample, and the washed insoluble solids obtained from filtration of the diluted sample were analyzed. A mass balance calculation of the three fractions of the sample analyzed indicate the analytical results appear relatively self-consistent for major components of the sample. However, some inconsistency was observed between results were more than one method of determination was employed and for species present in low concentrations. An analysis of the organic complexants appears to be consistent with the TOC result. Some evidence was found to indicate the possible contamination of the first shipment of 241-AN-102 samples received at SRTC with Cm244 and possibly Am241 and plutonium isotopes. The comparison to previous analyses of samples from 241-AN-102 indicates general agreement with the current analytical results. The comparison of the solids analysis showed large deviations attributed to differences in obtaining the solids from the bulk sample.

This monitoring plan has been developed to meet the requirements for monitoring low-level waste (LLW) disposal facilities according to the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) Order 435.1 (USDOE 1999) and its associated implementation guidance with regard to actual performance versus projected performance based on the Composite Analysis (CA) for the E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (LLWF) and the Z-Area Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDT).

This report documents the results of laboratory investigations into the hydrodynamic character of the CST compared to DWPF frit and discusses attempts to alter the hydrodynamic character of the CST. This report documents the manner in which this material was produced.

This data qualification report uses technical assessment and corroborating data methods according to Attachment 2 of AP-SIII.2Q, Rev. 0, ICN 2, ''Qualification of Unqualified Data and the Documentation of Rationale for Accepted Data'', to qualify major ion and pH data. This report was prepared in accordance with Data Qualification Plan TDP-NBS-GS-00003 1, Revision 2. Additional reports will be prepared to address isotopic and precipitation-related data. Most of the data considered in this report were acquired and developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The data qualification team considers the sampling and analytical protocols employed by the USGS over the time period of data acquisition to be state-of-the-art. The sample collection methodologies have evolved with no significant change that could affect the quality of the data considered in this report into the currently used Hydrologic Procedures that support the Yucca Mountain Project-approved USGS Quality Assurance Program Plan. Consequently, for USGS data, the data collection methods, documentation, and results are reasonable and appropriate in view of standard practice at the time the data were collected. A small number of data sets were collected by organizations other than the USGS and were reviewed along with the other major ion and pH data using …