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. …

The Coast Guard military base on Kodiak Island, Alaska, is the largest Coast Guard base in the world. By taking a leadership role in a pilot program to streamline Federal financing and procurement for energy saving projects, the Coast Guard is saving more than $220,000 a year in energy costs at this base. Using the Super ESPC (Energy Savings Performance Contracting) program, the Coast Guard was able to quickly contract with an experienced contractor with energy savings expertise. Working with ERI, one of FEMP's (Federal Energy Management Program) approved energy services contractors, the Coast Guard determined areas of potential energy savings and designed a retrofit to upgrade inefficient equipment and infrastructure. When energy-efficient modifications are complete, the base will be 30% more cost effective.

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 …

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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).

The design of reactivity monitoring systems for accelerator-driven systems must be investigated to ensure that such systems remain subcritical during operation. The Monte Carlo codes LAHET and MCNP-DSP were combined together to facilitate the design of reactivity monitoring systems. The coupling of LAHET and MCNP-DSP provides a tool that can be used to simulate a variety of subcritical measurements such as the pulsed neutron, Rossi-{alpha}, or noise analysis measurements.

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 …

Design parameters for the target region of the Spallation Neutron Source were calculated by following histories of 1 GeV protons and their shower of particles with the Monte Carlo code MCNPX. In particular, neutron currents, radiation damages, doses and heat distributions for the target region of the facility along the path of the proton beam are presented from the point of view of the perturbation effects of the proton beam window.

The authors have developed a research prototype device for low level detection of SEB, ricin, botulinum toxin and ovalbumin in liquid samples. This hand-held, low power device analyzes samples by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) in a parallel microchannel format, and provides sensitive detection of fluorescently-tagged analytes using miniature 392 nm diode laser-induced fluorescence. They have successfully demonstrated simultaneous parallel channel separations, fully automated high voltage control of fluidics and automated data analysis with toxin identification and semi-quantitation in the presence of aerosol backgrounds in a stand-alone self-contained unit. Tests of the fully integrated device indicate high sensitivity detection (as low as 5 nM) and cycle times of 5-10 minutes.

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 new frontier in physics originated with programs at two Brookhaven National Laboratory facilities--the Cosmotron and the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron. The development of this frontier over a half century is described, as it turned from conventional nuclear physics to the hypernuclei and the study of strange matter.

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Criticality safety analyses often require detailed modeling of complex geometries. Effective visualization tools can enhance checking the accuracy of these models. This report describes the KENO3D visualization tool developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide interactive visualization of KENO V.a and KENO-VI criticality safety models. The development of KENO3D is part of the current efforts to enhance the SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluations) computer software system.

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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 …

E885, an experiment performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Alternate Gradient Synchrotron (BNL AGS) achieved high sensitivity in a search for {Lambda}{Lambda} hypernuclei, {Xi} hypernuclei, and the H particle. Evidence was found for {Xi} hypernuclei. Possible extensions of the methods used are discussed.

It is empirically observed that the non-leptonic decay of strange hadrons is enhanced when the change in isospin is 1/2. This is generalized in the ''{Delta}I = 1/2 rule'' that states that all such decays proceed predominantly through {Delta}I = 1/2 amplitudes. However, there is no definitive explanation for this apparently universal rule. Non-mesonic decay of {Lambda}-hypernuclei can occur through a weak decay process {Lambda}N {r_arrow} {eta}N. When stimulated by a neutron, two neutrons are emitted from the nucleus, and when stimulated by a proton, a proton and neutron are emitted. By measuring the relative decay widths ({Gamma}{sub n}/{Gamma}{sub p}) in the full set of s-shell hypernuclei, a sensitive test of the {Delta}I = 1/2 rule, and the determination of its applicability to non-mesonic decays can be made. In addition, information about the spin-isospin dependence of the weak decay process can be extracted. A measurement of {Gamma}{sub n}/{Gamma}{sub p}, to an accuracy of even 50% will be sufficient to address important issues relating to the {Delta}I = 1/2 rule and to the weak decay process. The experiment will measure the ratio {Gamma}{sub n}/{Gamma}{sub p}, following the decay of {sup 4}H which is produced by a stopped K{sup {minus}} beam in …

OAK-B135 Tandem Terminal Ion Source. The terminal ion source (TIS) was used in several experiments during this reporting period, all for the {sup 7}Be({gamma}){sup 8}B experiment. Most of the runs used {sup 1}H{sup +} at terminal voltages from 0.3 MV to 1.5 MV. One of the runs used {sup 2}H{sup +} at terminal voltage of 1.4 MV. The other run used {sup 4}He{sup +} at a terminal voltage of 1.37 MV. The list of experiments run with the TIS to date is given in table 1 below. The tank was opened four times for unscheduled source repairs. On one occasion the tank was opened to replace the einzel lens power supply which had failed. The 10 kV unit was replaced with a 15 kV unit. The second time the tank was opened to repair the extractor supply which was damaged by a tank spark. On the next occasion the tank was opened to replace a source canal which had sputtered away. Finally, the tank was opened to replace the discharge bottle which had been coated with aluminum sputtered from the exit canal.

We present a simple method to deal with caustics in the semiclassical approximation to the partition function of a one-dimensional quantum system. The procedure, which makes use of complex trajectories, is applied to the quartic double-well potential.