This report describes the technical progress on a project to design and construct a multichannel geophone array that improves tomographic imaging capabilities in both surface and underground mines. Especially important in the design of the array is sensor placement. One issue related to sensor placement is addressed in this report: the method for clamping the sensor once it is emplaced in the borehole. If the sensors (geophones) are not adequately coupled to the surrounding rock mass, the resulting data will be of very poor quality. Improved imaging capabilities will produce energy, environmental, and economic benefits by increasing exploration accuracy and reducing operating costs.

Environmental, subsidence, and meteorological monitoring data were collected at and around the Area 3 and Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Sites (RWMSs) at the Nevada Test Site (NTS)(refer to Figure 1). These monitoring data include radiation exposure, air, groundwater,meteorology, vadose zone, subsidence, and biota data. Although some of these media (radiation exposure, air, and groundwater) are reported in detail in other Bechtel Nevada (BN) reports (Annual Site Environmental Report [ASER], the National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants [NESHAP] report, and the Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report), they are also summarized in this report to provide an overall evaluation of RWMS performance and environmental compliance. Direct radiation monitoring data indicate that exposure at and around the RWMSs is not above background levels. Air monitoring data indicate that tritium concentrations are slightly above background levels. Groundwater monitoring data indicate that the groundwater in the uppermost aquifer beneath the Area 5 RWMS has not been affected by the facility. Meteorological data indicate that 2002 was a dry year: rainfall totaled 26 mm (1.0 in) at the Area 3 RWMS and 38 mm (1.5 in) at the Area 5 RWMS. Vadose zone monitoring data indicate that 2002 rainfall infiltrated less than 30 cm (1 …

This study was concerned with the physics of the propagation of a tone burst of high frequency sound in a steel water-filled pipe. The choice of the pulse was rather arbitrary, so that this work in no way can be considered as recommending a particular pulse form. However, the MATLAB computer codes developed in this study are general enough to carry out studies of pulses of various forms. Also, it should be pointed out that the codes as written are quite time consuming. A computation of the complete field, including all 5995 modes, requires several hours on a desktop computer. The time required by such computations as these is a direct consequence of the bandwidths, frequencies and sample rates employed. No attempt was made to optimize these codes, and it is assumed that much can be done in this regard.

The Department of Energy Environmental Management Program is faced with two major issues involving two-phase flow in fractured rock; specifically, transport of dissolved contaminants in the Vadose Zone, and the fate of Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs) below the water table. Conceptual models currently used to address these problems do not correctly include the influence of the fractures, thus leading to erroneous predictions. Recent work has shown that it is crucial to understand the topology, or ''structure'' of the fluid phases (air/water or water/DNAPL) within the subsurface. It has also been shown that even under steady boundary conditions, the influence of fractures can lead to complex and dynamic phase structure that controls system behavior, with or without the presence of a porous rock matrix. Complicated phase structures within the fracture network can facilitate rapid transport, and lead to a sparsely populated and widespread distribution of concentrated contaminants; these qualities are highly difficult to describe with current conceptual models.

This project was initiated in FY03. As of December 2003, we have accomplished the following: (1) We conducted a more detailed evaluation of the preliminary experiments used to develop our investigative approach. In those experiments, water was invaded at a variety of flow rates into an air-filled, two dimensional analog fracture network. Results demonstrated the critical control that fracture intersections place on two-phase flow in fracture networks. At low flows, capillary and gravitational forces combined to create a narrow pulsing flow structure that spanned the system vertically. At higher flows, viscous forces acted to remove the pulsation; however, the flow structure remained narrow. The intersections acted to impose a narrow ''slender ladder'' structure on the flowing phase that did not expand with depth, but instead remained focused. A manuscript documenting this effort has been published in Water Resources Research [Glass et al., 2003a]. (2) We initiated a collaborative relationship with a research group at Seoul National University. This group, which is led by Dr. Kang-Kun Lee is also using a combined experimental numerical approach to consider DNAPL migration in fracture networks. They are particularly interested in the influence of ambient groundwater flows, making their work complementary to ours. The first …

It has now been three years since the Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASCI), as managed by Defense and Nuclear Technologies (DNT) Directorate, has been reviewed by this Director's Review Committee (DRC). Since that time, there has been considerable progress for all components of the ASCI Program, and these developments will be highlighted in this document and in the presentations planned for June 9 and 10, 2003. There have also been some name changes. Today, the Program is called ''Advanced Simulation and Computing,'' Although it retains the familiar acronym ASCI, the initiative nature of the effort has given way to sustained services as an integral part of the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). All computing efforts at LLNL and the other two Defense Program (DP) laboratories are funded and managed under ASCI. This includes the so-called legacy codes, which remain essential tools in stockpile stewardship. The contract between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the University of California (UC) specifies an independent appraisal of Directorate technical work and programmatic management. Such represents the work of this DNT Review Committee. Beginning this year, the Laboratory is implementing a new review system. This process was negotiated between UC, the National Nuclear Security Administration …

Report offers the latest statistics and an overview of the advanced vehicle technology market.

Fiscal Year 2002 is the second year of a five-year commitment by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to invest in development of new and state-of-the-art technologies for the Aerial Measuring Systems (AMS) project. In 2000, NNSA committed to two million dollars for AMS Technical Integration (TI) for each of five years. The tragedy of September 11, 2001, profoundly influenced the program. NNSA redirected people and funding resources at the Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) to more immediate needs. Funds intended for AMS TI were redirected to NNSA's new posture of leaning further forward throughout. AMS TI was brought to a complete halt on December 10, 2001. Then on April 30, 2002, NNSA Headquarters allowed the restart of AMS TI at the reduced level of $840,000. The year's events resulted in a slow beginning of several projects, some of which were resumed only a few weeks before the AMS TI Symposium held at RSL on July 30.

The objective of this project is to enhance the capabilities of a real-time airborne particle mass spectrometer by implementing matrix-independent methods for sample ionization. The enhancements should result in improved sensitivity for trace substances and, more importantly, permit quantitative determination of the presence of target species in microparticle samples on an individual particle basis.

The nocturnal low-level jet (LLJ) of the Great Plains of the central United States has been identified as a promising source of high-momentum wind flow for wind energy. The acceleration of the winds after sunset above the surface produces a jet profile in the wind velocity, with maximum speeds that often exceed 10 m s-1 or more at heights near 100 m or more. These high wind speeds are advantageous for wind energy generation. The high speeds aloft, however, also produce a region of high shear between the LLJ and the earth's surface, where the nocturnal flow is often calm or nearly so. This shear zone below the LLJ generates atmospheric waves and turbulence that can cause strong vibration in the turbine rotors. It has been suggested that these vibrations contribute to premature failures in large wind turbines, which, of course, would be a considerable disadvantage for wind energy applications. In October 1999, a field project called the Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study 1999 campaign, or CASES-99, was conducted in southeastern Kansas to study the nocturnal stable boundary layer. One of the instruments deployed during CASES-99 was the High-Resolution Doppler Lidar, a new scanning, remote-sensing, wind-mapping instrument.

NREL Staff, as part of Sustainable NREL, an initiative to improve the overall energy and environmental performance of the lab, decided to control how its vending machines used energy. The cold-drink vending machines across the lab were analyzed for potential energy savings opportunities. This report gives the monitoring and the analysis of two energy conservation measures applied to the cold-drink vending machines at NREL.

Improved models of contaminant migration in heterogeneous, variably saturated porous media are required to better define the long-term stewardship requirements for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) lands and to assist in the design of effective vadose zone barriers to contaminant migrations. The objective of our three-year project is to meet the DOE need by developing new experimental approaches to describe adsorption and transport of contaminants in heterogeneous, variably saturated media (i.e., the vadose zone). The research specifically addresses the behavior of strontium, a high priority DOE contaminant. However, the key benefit of this research is improved conceptual models of how all contaminants migrate through heterogeneous, variably-saturated, porous media. Research activities are driven by the hypothesis that the reactivity of variably saturated porous media is dependent on the moisture content of the medium and can be represented by a relatively simple function applicable over a range of scales, contaminants, and media. A key and novel aspect of our research is the use of the 2-meter radius geocentrifuge capabilities at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) to conduct unsaturated reactive transport experiments (Figure 1). The experimental approach using the geocentrifuge provides data in a much shorter time period than conventional …

A migration-resistant fraction (MRF) is a portion of a polluted sediment's contaminant inventory that exhibits slow release. Slow release is a key process that controls organic contaminant transport and fate in a plume long after the major portion of the contaminant inventory of a source term has been depleted or removed. Slow release rates are not well understood nor are they commonly accounted for in subsurface numerical transport models. In this project, we propose to study the accumulation and slow-release behavior of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) MRF as a function of time, contaminant concentration and different physicochemical properties of sediments. Both model materials that mimic the physical/chemical properties of sediments and natural sediments will be used in project studies. Experiments will be conducted at macro- and microscopic scales under both unsaturated (Washington State University-WSU) and saturated conditions (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-PNNL). The results will be used to (1) develop a mechanistic description of slow release of CCl4 in the subsurface environment and (2) lay the groundwork for improving the robustness of numerical models that predict organic contaminant transport and fate under natural conditions. The outcomes of this study are expected to improve the conceptual model of CCl4 subsurface transport and fate …

The waters surrounding Taiwan are important international waterways. In addition to merchant ships of every nation, the warships of the United States, Japan, Russia, and China may appear in these waters. No hostility is expected between Taiwan and the United States, Japan, or Russia; however, Taiwan and China have a tense relationship, and both sides face a potential for naval incidents. As Taiwan and China expand their naval capability, the International Maritime Organization Convention for the lnternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea may not be sufficient to prevent naval incidents, any of which might develop into conflict or war. Therefore, China and Taiwan need to develop maritime confidence building measures (CBMs) that could reduce the chance of naval incidents and strengthen mutual trust and confidence. Among the variety of maritime CBM concepts for military purposes, the most successful and effective measure has been the 1972 U.S.-Soviet Union Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA). The success of the agreement demonstrates that CBMs represent a workable alternative to traditional arms controls. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a concrete approach to the constraint of naval activities between China and Taiwan to reduce …

The objective of this research project is to develop the necessary thermodynamic data, including aqueous phase stability constants and Pitzer ion-interaction parameters, to predict the changes in the aqueous phase chemistry that occur when high ionic strength, highly basic tank wastes enter the vadose zone.

The objective of this research project is to develop the necessary thermodynamic data, including aqueous phase stability constants and Pitzer ion-interaction parameters, to predict the changes in aqueous phase chemistry that occur when high ionic strength , highly basic tank wastes enter the vadose zone.

Glass can have lethal effects including fatalities and injuries when it breaks and then flies through the air under blast loading (''the glass problem''). One goal of this program was to assess the glass problem and solutions being pursued to mitigate it. One solution to the problem is the development of new glass technology that allows the strength and fragmentation to be controlled or selected depending on the blast performance specifications. For example the glass could be weak and fail, or it could be strong and survive, but it must perform reliably. Also, once it fails it should produce fragments of a controlled size. Under certain circumstances it may be beneficial to have very small fragments, in others it may be beneficial to have large fragments that stay together. The second goal of this program was to evaluate the performance (strength, reliability, and fragmentation) of Engineered Stress Profile (ESP) glass under different loading conditions. These included pseudo-static strength and pressure tests and free-field blast tests. The ultimate goal was to provide engineers and architects with a glass whose behavior under blast loading is less lethal. A near-term benefit is a new approach for improving the reliability of glass and modifying …

The objective of this work is to demonstrate a practical, atmospheric pressure plasma tool for the surface decontamination of radioactive waste. Decontamination of radioactive materials that have accumulated on the surfaces of equipment and structures is a challenging and costly undertaking for the US Department of Energy. Our technology shows great potential for accelerating this clean up effort.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to the unallowable expenditures that the National Heritage Insurance Company (NHIC) charged to the Health and Human Services Commission (Commission) in fiscal year 2002. The report details the divisions of the amount that the NHIC should refund.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to significant weaknesses in the Department of Housing and Community's (Department) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) that allow subgrantees to provide unallowable weatherization services to people who do not qualify for participation in this program.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to verifying the accuracy of certain key financial statement balances and the effectiveness of key financial controls at the Board of Architectural Examiners (Board), and verifying the accuracy of certain key Board performance measures and the controls responsible for ensuring that they are accurate.

Report of the Texas State Auditor's Office related to analyzing and testing the Rehabilitation Commission's (Commission) financial, contracting, and human resources systems and processes to determine whether financial information is reliable and accurate, procedures used to award and monitor purchased client-service contracts ensure intended services at cost-effective prices, and whether funds for contracted services are spent in compliance with state and federal requirements.

Our primary research focus during the current three-year period of funding has been to develop and demonstrate an automated method of conducting two-dimensional (2D) shallow-seismic surveys with the goal of saving time, effort, and money. Recent tests involving the second generation of the hydraulic geophone-planting device dubbed the ''Autojuggie'' have shown that large numbers of geophones can be placed quickly and automatically and can acquire high-quality data, although not under all conditions (please see the Status and Results of Experiments sections for details). In some easy-access environments, this device is expected to make shallow seismic surveying considerably more efficient and less expensive. Another element of our research plan involved monitoring the cone of depression around a pumping well, with the well serving as a proxy location for fluid-flow at a contaminated DOE site. To try to achieve that goal, we collected data from a well site at which drawdown equilibrium had been reached and at another site during a pumping test. Data analysis disclosed that although we were successful in imaging the water table using seismic reflection techniques (Johnson, 2003), we were not able to explicitly delineate the cone of depression (see Status and Results of Experiments).

The basic science goal in this project identifies structure/affinity relationships for selected radionuclides and existing sorbents. The task will apply this knowledge to the design and synthesis of new sorbents that will exhibit increased cesium, strontium and actinide removal. The target problem focuses on the treatment of high-level nuclear wastes. The general approach can likewise be applied to non-radioactive separations.