Countercurrent two-phase flow and “flooding” phenomena in light water reactor systems are being investigated experimentally and analytically to improve reactor safety of current and future reactors. The aspects that will be better clarified are the effects of condensation and tube inclination on flooding in large diameter tubes. The current project aims to improve the level of understanding of flooding mechanisms and to develop an analysis model for more accurate evaluations of flooding in the pressurizer surge line of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). Interest in flooding has recently increased because Countercurrent Flow Limitation (CCFL) in the AP600 pressurizer surge line can affect the vessel refill rate following a small break LOCA and because analysis of hypothetical severe accidents with the current flooding models in reactor safety codes shows that these models represent the largest uncertainty in analysis of steam generator tube creep rupture. During a hypothetical station blackout without auxiliary feedwater recovery, should the hot leg become voided, the pressurizer liquid will drain to the hot leg and flooding may occur in the surge line. The flooding model heavily influences the pressurizer emptying rate and the potential for surge line structural failure due to overheating and creep rupture. The air-water …

This project focused on the use of Logistical Networking technology to address the challenges involved in rapid sharing of data from the the Center's gyrokinetic particle simulations, which can be on the order of terabytes per time step, among researchers at a number of geographically distributed locations. There is a great need to manage data on this scale in a flexible manner, with simulation code, file system, database and visualization functions requiring access. The project used distributed data management infrastructure based on Logistical Networking technology to address these issues in a way that maximized interoperability and achieved the levels of performance the required by the Center's application community. The work focused on the development and deployment of software tools and infrastructure for the storage and distribution of terascale datasets generated by simulations running at the National Center for Computational Science at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Uranium exists in several chemical forms in mining and mill tailings and in nuclear and weapons production wastes. Under appropriate conditions, microorganisms can affect the stability and mobility of U in wastes by altering the chemical speciation, solubility and sorption properties and thus could increase or decrease the concentrations of U in solution and the bioavailability. Dissolution or immobilization of U is brought about by direct enzymatic action or indirect nonenzymatic action of microorganisms. Although the physical, chemical, and geochemical processes affecting dissolution, precipitation, and mobilization of U have been extensively investigated, we have only limited information on the mechanisms of microbial transformations of various chemical forms of U in the presence of electron donors and acceptors.

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Over the past year, our group here at the University of Texas has continued to focus primarily on analysis of data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), in particular on a push to lower the energy threshold used in solar neutrino analyses and on a search for short time-scale astrophysical phenomena in the neutrino data set. We have in addition begun R and D and simulation work on a new direct search for dark matter as part of the DEAP/CLEAN collaboration, as well as an effort associated with work on a new experiment using the existing SNO detector (SNO+). Lastly, we have also been doing some very early studies of an experiment to measure the neutrino mass using the beta decay of cold tritium atoms. Our work on SNO has focused primarily on making a low-threshold spectral measurement of the flux of {sup 8}B solar neutrinos. The work forms the bulk of graduate student Stan Seibert's PhD thesis. Nearly all systematic uncertainties associated with the analysis have now been measured, in particular the dominant uncertainties such as energy scale and resolution, and the uncertainty on SNO's 'isotropy' parameter used to distinguish electrons, neutrons, and radioactive backgrounds. It is now clear …

The objective of the project was to realize an LED-based lighting technology platform for general illumination, starting with LED chips, and integrating the necessary technologies to make compact, user-friendly, high-efficiency, energy-saving sources of controlled white (or variable-colored) light. The project is to build the system around the LEDs, and not to work on the LEDs themselves, in order that working products can be introduced soon after the LEDs reach suitable efficiency for mass-production of high-power light sources for general illumination. Because the light sources are intended for general illumination, color must be accurately maintained, requiring feedback control in the electronics. The project objective has been realized and screw base demonstrators, based on the technology developed in the project, have been built.

A new radioactive shipping packaging for transporting bulk quantities of tritium, the Bulk Tritium Shipping Package (BTSP), has been designed for the Department of Energy (DOE) as a replacement for a package designed in the early 1970s. This paper summarizes significant design features and describes how the design satisfies the regulatory safety requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The BTSP design incorporates many improvements over its predecessor by implementing improved testing, handling, and maintenance capabilities, while improving manufacturability and incorporating new engineered materials. This paper also discusses the results from testing of the BTSP to 10 CFR 71 Normal Conditions of Transport and Hypothetical Accident Condition events. The programmatic need of the Department of Energy (DOE) to ship bulk quantities of tritium has been satisfied since the late 1970s by the UC-609 shipping package. The current Certificate of Conformance for the UC-609, USA/9932/B(U) (DOE), will expire in late 2011. Since the UC-609 was not designed to meet current regulatory requirements, it will not be recertified and thereby necessitates a replacement Type B shipping package for continued DOE tritium shipments in the future. A replacement tritium packaging called the Bulk Tritium Shipping Package (BTSP) …

Recognizing the need for new space conditioning and water heating systems for manufactured housing, DeLima Associates assembled a team to develop a space conditioning system that would enhance comfort conditions while also reducing energy usage at the systems level. The product, Comboflair® was defined as a result of a needs analysis of project sponsors and industry stakeholders. An integrated system would be developed that would combine a packaged airconditioning system with a small-duct, high-velocity air distribution system. In its basic configuration, the source for space heating would be a gas water heater. The complete system would be installed at the manufactured home factory and would require no site installation work at the homesite as is now required with conventional split-system air conditioners. Several prototypes were fabricated and tested before a field test unit was completed in October 2005. The Comboflair® system, complete with ductwork, was installed in a 1,984 square feet, double-wide manufactured home built by Palm Harbor Homes in Austin, TX. After the home was transported and installed at a Palm Harbor dealer lot in Austin, TX, a data acquisition system was installed for remote data collection. Over 60 parameters were continuously monitored and measurements were transmitted to a …

In a coordinated effort, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed the elimination of the Specification Packaging from 49 CFR 173.[1] In accordance with the Federal Register, issued on October 1, 2004, new fabrication of Specification Packages would no longer be authorized. In accordance with the NRC final rulemaking published January 26, 2004, Specification Packagings are mandated by law to be removed from service no later than October 1, 2008. This coordinated effort and resulting rulemaking initiated a planned phase out of Specification Type B and Type A fissile (F) material transportation packages within the Department of Energy (DOE) and its subcontractors. One of the Specification Packages affected by this regulatory change is the UN1A2 Specification Package, per DOT 49 CFR 173.417(a)(6). To maintain continuing shipments of DOE materials currently transported in UN1A2 Specification Package after the existing authorization expires, a replacement Type A(F) material packaging design is under development by the Savannah River National Laboratory. This paper presents a summary of the prototype design effort and testing of the new Type A(F) Package development for the DOE. This paper discusses the progress made in the development of a Type A Fissile Packaging to replace the …

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