A new underground beamline is being constructed at Fermilab to generate and focus a beam of neutrinos on a detector 450 miles away in Soudan, Minnesota. A compact modulator utilizing capacitive energy storage and SCRs as the switching element has been built and tested at Fermilab. The 0.9 F capacitor bank operates at less than 1 kV. It delivers its output of up to 240 kA directly to the two series connected focusing horns via a multi-layer radiation hard stripline [1]. Dual pulse width capability allows for ready selection of 5.2 ms, for slow beam spills, or 2.6 ms operation for reduced thermal stresses on the focusing horns during fast spill. Intended for installation in an underground equipment room, the design incorporates several novel features to facilitate transport, installation, and maintenance. Various designs were examined to arrive at the most economical approach for providing the high pulse currents to the horns located in the very high radiation field, up to 3 x 10{sup 7} kRads/yr absorbed dose of the beamline. These included charge recovery and electronic polarity reversal systems. The direct coupling approach was selected for its overall economy and compactness. The system has been operational for several months and …

During the past decades there has been a continuous growth in the number of physical and societal problems that have been successfully studied and solved by means of computational modeling and simulation. Distinctively, a number of these are important scientific problems ranging in scale from the atomic to the cosmic. For example, ionization is a phenomenon as ubiquitous in modern society as the glow of fluorescent lights and the etching on silicon computer chips; but it was not until 1999 that researchers finally achieved a complete numerical solution to the simplest example of ionization, the collision of a hydrogen atom with an electron. On the opposite scale, cosmologists have long wondered whether the expansion of the Universe, which began with the Big Bang, would ever reverse itself, ending the Universe in a Big Crunch. In 2000, analysis of new measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation showed that the geometry of the Universe is flat, and thus the Universe will continue expanding forever. Both of these discoveries depended on high performance computer simulations that utilized computational tools included in the Advanced Computational Testing and Simulation (ACTS) Toolkit. The ACTS Toolkit is an umbrella project that brought together a number of …

The objective of the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) is to provide the very high temperatures necessary to enable low-cost (1) efficient thermochemical production of hydrogen and (2) efficient production of electricity. The proposed AHTR uses coated-particle graphite fuel similar to the fuel used in modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (MHTGRs), such as the General Atomics gas turbine-modular helium reactor (GT-MHR). However, unlike the MHTGRs, the AHTR uses a molten salt coolant with a pool configuration, similar to that of the PRISM liquid metal reactor. A multi-reheat helium Brayton (gas-turbine) cycle, with efficiencies >50%, is used to produce electricity. This approach (1) minimizes requirements for new technology development and (2) results in an advanced reactor concept that operates at essentially ambient pressures and at very high temperatures. The low-pressure molten-salt coolant, with its high heat capacity and natural circulation heat transfer capability, creates the potential for (1) exceptionally robust safety (including passive decay-heat removal) and (2) allows scaling to large reactor sizes [{approx}1000 Mw(e)] with passive safety systems to provide the potential for improved economics.

The overall objective of this project is to demonstrate that a development program based on advanced reservoir management methods can significantly improve oil recovery at the Nash Draw Pool (NDP). The plan includes developing a control area using standard reservoir management techniques and comparing its performance to an area developed using advanced reservoir management methods. Specific goals are (1) to demonstrate that an advanced development drilling and pressure maintenance program can significantly improve oil recovery compared to existing technology applications and (2) to transfer these advanced methodologies to oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin and elsewhere throughout the U.S. oil and gas industry.

Increased levels of blast furnace coal injection are needed to further lower coke requirements and provide more flexibility in furnace productivity. The direct injection of high temperature oxygen with coal in the blast furnace blowpipe and tuyere offers better coal dispersion at high local oxygen concentrations, optimizing the use of oxygen in the blast furnace. Based on pilot scale tests, coal injection can be increased by 75 pounds per ton of hot metal (lb/thm), yielding net savings of $0.84/tm. Potential productivity increases of 15 percent would yield another $1.95/thm. In this project, commercial-scale hot oxygen injection from a ''thermal nozzle'' system, patented by Praxair, Inc., has been developed, integrated into, and demonstrated on two tuyeres of the U.S. Steel Gary Works no. 6 blast furnace. The goals were to evaluate heat load on furnace components from hot oxygen injection, demonstrate a safe and reliable lance and flow control design, and qualitatively observe hot oxygen-coal interaction. All three goals have been successfully met. Heat load on the blowpipe is essentially unchanged with hot oxygen. Total heat load on the tuyere increases about 10% and heat load on the tuyere tip increases about 50%. Bosh temperatures remained within the usual operating range. …

A superconducting cavity used in a microwave gun requires that the launcher and the pickup probes be on the same side of the cavity, which causes direct coupling between them, or crosstalk. At room temperature, the crosstalk causes serious distortion of the RF response. This note addresses the phenomenon, the simulation results and the analysis, so that one can extract the desired information from the confusing signal.

We utilize weak motion recordings to evaluate the site response at the U1A hole, Nevada Test site to determine the effect on potential ground motion at the drift of the U1A hole 962 ft deep. We estimated the site response amplification of ground motion at the surface relative to the drift with the spectral ratio method. We utilized Fourier amplitude and absolute acceleration response spectra, and confined our study to frequencies of 0.5 to 25.0 Hz (.04 to 2.0 s periods). We identified 8 earthquakes in the area that were recorded at the bottom and top of the hole that were used for spectral ratios. We calculated the average and one standard deviation of ratios from all the events. Examining the data, we found that: (1) Fourier amplitude spectral ratios provided more detailed information on the site response than the absolute acceleration response that can be directly related to the effect of large earthquakes. (2) plots of the Fourier amplitude spectra for most of the recorded earthquakes show evidence for a spectral hole in the downhole recordings. This is due to downward reflected energy from the surface. This is not evident in absolute acceleration response records. (3) Fourier amplitude spectral …

On December 4, 1991, President George Bush signed into law the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) to counter illicit drug production and trade in Latin America. For ten years, it has provided preferential, mostly duty-free, treatment of selected U.S. imports from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The goal of ATPA is to encourage increased exports, thereby promoting development and providing an incentive for Andean farmers and other workers to pursue economic alternatives to the drug trade. This report discusses the ATPA, its background, and issues regarding its potential reauthorization.

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 Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies.

This report discusses the accomplishments of the environmental protection program at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) for calendar year 2001. The status of ANL-E environmental protection activities with respect to the various laws and regulations that govern waste handling and disposal is discussed, along with the progress of environmental corrective actions and restoration projects. To evaluate the effects of ANL-E operations on the environment, samples of environmental media collected on the site, at the site boundary, and off the ANL-E site were analyzed and compared with applicable guidelines and standards. A variety of radionuclides were measured in air, surface water, on-site groundwater, and bottom sediment samples. In addition, chemical constituents in surface water, groundwater, and ANL-E effluent water were analyzed. External penetrating radiation doses were measured, and the potential for radiation exposure to off-site population groups was estimated. Results are interpreted in terms of the origin of the radioactive and chemical substances (i.e., natural, fallout, ANL-E, and other) and are compared with applicable environmental quality standards. A U.S. Department of Energy dose calculation methodology, based on International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's CAP-88 (Clean Air Act Assessment Package-1988) computer code, was used in preparing this …

A new charge-transfer(CT) salt of the ET-based mixed-donor, [ET/MET/MT](ReO{sub 4}), has been prepared by the electrocrystallization. This salt has been revealed to be a 1:1 salt by x-ray structure analysis and micro-Raman spectroscopy. EPR measurement gives g = 2.007 and {_}H{sub pp} = 9.18G at 300K. It shows a semiconducting behavior with E{sub g} = 92-110 meV depending on the samples.

Although the general environment of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain is expected to be oxidizing in nature, the local chemistry within fuel canisters may be otherwise. The combination of low dissolved oxygen and corrosion of metallic fuels, such as Hanford's N-Reactor inventory, may produce reducing conditions. This condition may persist for periods sufficient to affect the corrosion and paragenesis of fuels and their reaction products. Starting in September 2001, unirradiated metallic uranium fuel was examined during batch tests under anoxic conditions. A series of tests carried out under inert atmosphere highlighted the rapid corrosion of the metallic uranium in EJ-13 water at 90 C. During the oxidation of the uranium, uranium dioxide fines spilled from the fuel surface generating copious amounts of colloids. The proportion of uranium-associated colloids accounted for nearly 50% to >99% of the uranium in solution after a brief period where no colloids were detected. The colloids were identified as individual (<10nm) and agglomerated uranium dioxide spheres as large as a few hundred nanometers in size. Silicate and alumino-silicate clays of diverse size and shape were also identified. The bulk size distribution as measured by dynamic light scattering was consistent with the microscopy observations in that …

The Courant-Snyder parameterization of one-dimensional linear betatron motion is generalized to two-dimensional coupled linear motion. To represent the 4 x 4 symplectic transfer matrix the following ten parameters were chosen: four beta-functions, four alpha-functions and two betatron phase advances which have a meaning similar to the Courant-Snyder parameterization. Such a parameterization works equally well for weak and strong coupling and can be useful for analysis of coupled betatron motion in circular accelerators as well as in transfer lines. Similarly, the transfer matrix, the bilinear form describing the phase space ellipsoid and the second order moments are related to the eigen-vectors. Corresponding equations can be useful in interpreting tracking results and experimental data.

From Summary: This report provides a background and analysis regarding U.S. policies and interests toward Cambodia, including foreign aid restrictions, trade, the bilateral textile agreement, human trafficking, illegal drugs, and HIV/AIDS.

This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.

Argonne National Laboratory has developed a method to stabilize spent electrolyte salt discarded from electrorefiners (ER) used to treat spent nuclear fuel. The salt is stabilized in a ceramic using a pressureless consolidation technique. The starting material is zeolite 4A which is used as the host for the fission product and actinide rich salt. Glass frit is added to the salt loaded zeolite before processing to act as a binder. The zeolite 4A is converted to sodalite during processing via pressureless consolidation. This process differs from one used in the past that employed a hot isostatic press. Ceramic is created at 925 C and atmospheric pressure instead of the high pressures used in hot isostatic pressing. Process flow sheets, off-gas test results, processing equipment, and leech test results are presented.

The spatial variability of layer-scale hydrogeologic properties of the unsaturated zone (UZ) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is investigated using inverse modeling. The thick UZ is grouped into five hydrostratigraphic units and further into 35 hydrogeologic layers. For each layer, lateral variability is represented by the variations in calibrated values of layer-scale properties at different individual deep boreholes. In the calibration model, matrix and fracture properties are calibrated for the one-dimensional vertical column at each individual borehole using the ITOUGH2 code. The objective function is the summation of the weighted misfits between the ambient unsaturated flow (represented by measured state variables: water saturation, water potential, and pneumatic pressure) and the simulated one in the one-dimensional flow system. The objective function also includes the weighted misfits between the calibrated properties and their prior information. Layer-scale state variables and prior rock properties are obtained from their core-scale measurements. Because of limited data, the lateral variability of three most sensitive properties (matrix permeability, matrix of the van Genuchten characterization, and fracture permeability) is calibrated, while all other properties are fixed at their calibrated layer-averaged values. Considerable lateral variability of hydrogeologic properties is obtained. For example, the lateral variability of is two to three orders …

Charge transport in composites of inorganic nanorods and aconjugated polymer is investigated using a photovoltaic device structure.We show that the current-voltage (I-V) curves in the dark can be modelledusing the Shockley equation modified to include series and shuntresistance at low current levels, and using an improved model thatincorporates both the Shockley equation and the presence of a spacecharge limited region at high currents. Under illumination, theefficiency of photocurrent generation is found to be dependent on appliedbias. Furthermore, the photocurrent-light intensity dependence was foundto be sublinear. An analysis of the shunt resistance as a function oflight intensity suggests that the photocurrent as well as the fill factoris diminished as a result of increased photoconductivity of the activelayer at high light intensity. By studying the intensity dependence ofthe open circuit voltage for nanocrystals with different diameters andthus ! band gaps, it was inferred that Fermi-level pinning occurs at theinterface between the aluminum electrode and the nanocrystal.

The Senate Finance Committee version of H.R. 7, approved on July 16, 2002, does not contain the “charitable choice” title of the House-passed H.R. 7; nor does it include a compromise “faith-based” provision (from S. 1924 as introduced) that sought to assure equal treatment for nongovernmental providers of almost all federally-funded social services. Remaining in the Senate Finance bill are tax incentives to promote private giving. The Charitable Choice Act of 2001 (Title II of the House bill) would apply its rules, which are significantly different from those in four existing charitable choice laws, to nine new program areas.

This report is one in the series of reports that discusses the Charitable Choice Act of 2001 (Title II of the House bill) and its rules, as well as the charitable choice laws, and other areas of this program.

Measurements of oxidation. These spectra are to the best of our knowledge the first reported in situ spectroscopic observation of homogeneous aqueous redox chemistry at temperatures beyond the critical temperature of waste. We also observed a time-dependence for the growth of the Cr(VI) XANES peak and have therefore obtained both kinetic information as well as structural information on the reactants and products at the reaction temperature. We feel that these new techniques, when employed on actual waste components will elucidate the underlying chemistry.

This report discusses the background information and most recent development in U.S.-China relations since mid-1996. Since the early 1990s, U.S.-China relations have followed an uneven course, with modest improvements overshadowed by various recurring difficulties and setbacks. Longstanding bilateral difficulties have included U.S. problems with the PRC’s worsening human rights record, growing tensions over the PRC’s southern military build-up opposite Taiwan and Taiwan’s political status, and continued controversy over allegations of Chinese proliferation of weapons to unstable regimes.

This report provides a brief background analysis and recent developments regarding China’s Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles. The report includes topics such as: Recent Proliferation Transfers, chemical, nuclear, and missile technology sales to Iran, Pakistan, Libya, Syria, trade controls, nonproliferation and arms control.

Key water quality issues that may face the 107th Congress include: actions to implement existing provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA), whether additional steps are necessary to achieve overall goals of the Act, and the appropriate federal role in guiding and paying for clean water activities. Legislative prospects for comprehensively amending the Act have for some time stalled over whether and exactly how to change the law. If clean water issues receive attention in the 107th Congress, consideration of specific issues will depend in part on the CWA policy agenda of the new Bush Administration and on priorities of the key committees that have major jurisdiction over the Act.