100 Area D4 Project Building Completion Report: December 2008 to December 2009 (open access)

100 Area D4 Project Building Completion Report: December 2008 to December 2009

This report documents the final status of buildings after the completion of D4 activities at the 100 Area of the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site from December 1, 2008, to December 31, 2009.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: K.G. Finucane, J.P. Harrie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
2008 East Tennessee Technology Park Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report (open access)

2008 East Tennessee Technology Park Annual Illness and Injury Surveillance Report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to assuring the health and safety of its workers includes the conduct of epidemiologic surveillance activities that provide an early warning system for health problems among workers. The Illness and Injury Surveillance Program monitors illnesses and health conditions that result in an absence of workdays, occupational injuries and illnesses, and disabilities and deaths among current workers.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: United States. Department of Energy. Office of Illness and Injury Prevention Programs.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facility Operation Quarterly Report July 1 - September 30, 2010. (open access)

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Climate Research Facility Operation Quarterly Report July 1 - September 30, 2010.

Individual raw datastreams from instrumentation at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility fixed and mobile sites are collected and sent to the Data Management Facility (DMF) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for processing in near real-time. Raw and processed data are then sent approximately daily to the ARM Archive, where they are made available to users. For each instrument, we calculate the ratio of the actual number of data records received daily at the Archive to the expected number of data records. The results are tabulated by (1) individual datastream, site, and month for the current year and (2) site and fiscal year (FY) dating back to 1998. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requires national user facilities to report time-based operating data. The requirements concern the actual hours of operation (ACTUAL); the estimated maximum operation or uptime goal (OPSMAX), which accounts for planned downtime; and the VARIANCE [1-(ACTUAL/OPSMAX)], which accounts for unplanned downtime. The OPSMAX time for the fourth quarter of FY2010 for the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site is 2097.60 hours (0.95 2208 hours this quarter). The OPSMAX for the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) locale is 1987.20 hours (0.90 2208) and for the Tropical …
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Sisterson, D. L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
BDS Thin Film UV Antireflection Laser Damage Competition (open access)

BDS Thin Film UV Antireflection Laser Damage Competition

UV antireflection coatings are a challenging coating for high power laser applications as exemplified by the use of uncoated Brewster's windows in laser cavities. In order to understand the current laser resistance of UV AR coatings in the industrial and university sectors, a double blind laser damage competition was performed. The coatings have a maximum reflectance of 0.5% at 355 nm at normal incidence. Damage testing will be performed using the raster scan method with a 7.5 ns pulse length on a single testing facility to facilitate direct comparisons. In addition to the laser resistance results, details of deposition processes and coating materials will also be shared.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Stolz, C J
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Determination of laser damage initiation probability and growth on fused silica scratches (open access)

Determination of laser damage initiation probability and growth on fused silica scratches

Current methods for the manufacture of optical components inevitably leaves a variety of sub-surface imperfections including scratches of varying lengths and widths on even the finest finishes. It has recently been determined that these finishing imperfections are responsible for the majority of laser-induced damage for fluences typically used in ICF class lasers. We have developed methods of engineering subscale parts with a distribution of scratches mimicking those found on full scale fused silica parts. This much higher density of scratches provides a platform to measure low damage initiation probabilities sufficient to describe damage on large scale optics. In this work, damage probability per unit scratch length was characterized as a function of initial scratch width and post fabrication processing including acid-based etch mitigation processes. The susceptibility of damage initiation density along scratches was found to be strongly affected by the post etching material removal and initial scratch width. We have developed an automated processing procedure to document the damage initiations per width and per length of theses scratches. We show here how these tools can be employed to provide predictions of the performance of full size optics in laser systems operating at 351 nm. In addition we use these tools …
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Norton, M. A.; Carr, C. W.; Cross, D. A.; Negres, R. A.; Bude, J. D.; Steele, W. A. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary, 2009 (open access)

Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary, 2009

This is the sixth annual report of a seven-year project (2004 through 2010) to evaluate the cumulative effects of habitat restoration actions in the lower Columbia River and estuary (LCRE). The project, called the Cumulative Effects Study, is being conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District (USACE) by the Marine Sciences Laboratory of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Pt. Adams Biological Field Station of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), and the University of Washington. The goal of the Cumulative Effects Study is to develop a methodology to evaluate the cumulative effects of multiple habitat restoration projects intended to benefit ecosystems supporting juvenile salmonids in the 235-km-long LCRE. Literature review in 2004 revealed no existing methods for such an evaluation and suggested that cumulative effects could be additive or synergistic. From 2005 through 2009, annual field research involved intensive, comparative studies paired by habitat type (tidal swamp versus marsh), trajectory (restoration versus reference site), and restoration action (tidegate replacement vs. culvert replacement vs. dike breach).
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Gary E.; Diefenderfer, Heida L.; Borde, Amy B.; Bryson, Amanda J.; Cameron, April; Coleman, Andre M. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup for Federal Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, FY10 Annual Report (open access)

Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup for Federal Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, FY10 Annual Report

The Estuary/Ocean Subgroup (EOS) is part of the research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) effort that the Action Agencies (Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) developed in response to obligations arising from the Endangered Species Act as applied to operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). The goal of the EOS project is to facilitate activities of the estuary/ocean RME subgroup as it coordinates design and implementation of federal RME in the lower Columbia River and estuary. The EOS is one of multiple work groups in the federal research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) effort developed in response to responsibilities arising from the Endangered Species Act as a result of operation of the FCRPS. The EOS is tasked by NOAA Fisheries and the Action Agencies to design and coordinate implementation of the federal RME plan for the lower Columbia River and estuary, including the plume.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Gary E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Final Report for Phase I Northern California CO2 Reduction Project (open access)

Final Report for Phase I Northern California CO2 Reduction Project

On June 8, 2009, the U. S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA 0000015) with the title, Recovery Act: Carbon Capture and Sequestration from Industrial Sources and Innovative Concepts for Beneficial CO{sub 2} Use. C6 Resources (C6), an affiliate of Shell Oil Company, responded with a proposal for Technology Area 1: Large-scale industrial carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects from industrial sources. As DOE Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) Contractors, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LBNL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LLNL) proposed to collaborate with C6 and perform technical tasks, which C6 included in the C6 proposal, titled the Northern California CO{sub 2} Reduction Project. The proposal was accepted for Phase I funding and C6 received DOE Award DEFE0002042. LLNL and LBNL each received Phase I funding of $200,000, directly from DOE. The essential task of Phase I was to prepare a proposal for Phase II, which would be a five-year, detailed technical proposal, budget, and schedule for a complete carbon capture, transportation, and geologic storage project, with the objective of starting the injection of 1 million tons per year of industrial CO2 by the end of FY2015. LLNL and LBNL …
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Wagoner, J
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Internal Electric Field Behavior of Cadmium Zinc Telluride Radiation Detectors Under High Carrier Injection (open access)

Internal Electric Field Behavior of Cadmium Zinc Telluride Radiation Detectors Under High Carrier Injection

The behavior of the internal electric-field of nuclear-radiation detectors substantially affects the detector's performance. We investigated the distribution of the internal field in cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors under high carrier injection. We noted the build-up of a space charge region near the cathode that produces a built-in field opposing the applied field. Its presence entails the collapse of the electric field in the rest of detector, other than the portion near the cathode. Such a space-charge region originates from serious hole-trapping in CZT. The device's operating temperature greatly affects the width of the space-charge region. With increasing temperature from 5 C to 35 C, its width expanded from about 1/6 to 1/2 of the total depth of the detector.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Yang, G.; Bolotnikov, A. E.; Camarda, G. S.; Cui, Y.; Hossain, A.; Kim, K. H. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Primer on Use of Multi-Spectral and Infra Red Imaging for On-Site Inspections (open access)

Primer on Use of Multi-Spectral and Infra Red Imaging for On-Site Inspections

The purpose of an On-Site Inspection (OSI) is to determine whether a nuclear explosion has occurred in violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and to gather information which might assist in identifying the violator (CTBT, Article IV, Paragraph 35) Multi-Spectral and Infra Red Imaging (MSIR) is allowed by the treaty to detect observables which might help reduce the search area and thus expedite an OSI and make it more effective. MSIR is permitted from airborne measurements, and at and below the surface to search for anomalies and artifacts (CTBT, Protocol, Part II, Paragraph 69b). The three broad types of anomalies and artifacts MSIR is expected to be capable of observing are surface disturbances (disturbed earth, plant stress or anomalous surface materials), human artifacts (man-made roads, buildings and features), and thermal anomalies. The purpose of this Primer is to provide technical information on MSIR relevant to its use for OSI. It is expected that this information may be used for general background information, to inform decisions about the selection and testing of MSIR equipment, to develop operational guidance for MSIR use during an OSI, and to support the development of a training program for OSI Inspectors. References are …
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Henderson, J. R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ASSESSING THE UNCERTAINTY IN TANK 18-F WALL SAMPLES (open access)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ASSESSING THE UNCERTAINTY IN TANK 18-F WALL SAMPLES

Tank 18-F in the F-Area Tank Farm at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has had measurements taken from its inner vertical sides in order to determine the level of radionuclide and other analyte concentrations attached to the tank walls. In all, three samples have been obtained by drilling shallow holes into the carbon steel walls and consolidating the material. An Upper Wall Sample (Sample ID: Tk 18-1) was formed by combining two drill samples taken at a height of 17 ft above the tank floor, and a Lower Wall Sample (Sample ID: SPD4) was formed by combining two drill samples taken between 10 and 12 ft above the tank floor. A Scale Sample (Sample ID: Tk 18-2) was formed by combining 5 drill samples obtained between 6 and 7 ft above the tank floor. Photographs of the sampled material and a more detailed description of the samples and the concentration results are presented by Hay and others [2009]. The objective of this report is to determine a method and use it to place an upper confidence bound on the concentrations in the wall samples using only the currently available sample information. None of the three wall locations (tank heights) has …
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Shine, G.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Results of applying a non-evaporative mitigation technique to laser-initiated surface damage on fused-silica (open access)

Results of applying a non-evaporative mitigation technique to laser-initiated surface damage on fused-silica

We present results from a study to determine an acceptable CO{sub 2} laser-based non-evaporative mitigation protocol for use on surface damage sites in fused-silica optics. A promising protocol is identified and evaluated on a set of surface damage sites created under ICF-type laser conditions. Mitigation protocol acceptability criteria for damage re-initiation and growth, downstream intensification, and residual stress are discussed. In previous work, we found that a power ramp at the end of the protocol effectively minimizes the residual stress (<25 MPa) left in the substrate. However, the biggest difficulty in determining an acceptable protocol was balancing between low re-initiation and problematic downstream intensification. Typical growing surface damage sites mitigated with a candidate CO{sub 2} laser-based mitigation protocol all survived 351 nm, 5 ns damage testing to fluences >12.5 J/cm{sup 2}. The downstream intensification arising from the mitigated sites is evaluated, and all but one of the sites has 100% passing downstream damage expectation values. We demonstrate, for the first time, a successful non-evaporative 10.6 {micro}m CO{sub 2} laser mitigation protocol applicable to fused-silica optics used on fusion-class lasers like the National Ignition Facility (NIF).
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Adams, J. J.; Bolourchi, M.; Bude, J. D.; Guss, G. M.; Matthews, M. J. & Nostrand, M. C.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Suitability of Sodium Peroxide Fusion for Production-Scale Plutonium Processing Operations (open access)

The Suitability of Sodium Peroxide Fusion for Production-Scale Plutonium Processing Operations

Sodium peroxide (Na{sub 2}O{sub 2}) fusion is a method that offers significant benefits to the processing of high-fired plutonium oxide (PuO{sub 2}) materials. Those benefits include reduction in dissolution cycle time, decrease in residual solids, and reduction of the potential for generation of a flammable gas mixture during dissolution. Implementation of Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} fusion may also increase the PuO{sub 2} throughput in the HB-Line dissolving lines. To fuse a material, Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} is mixed with the feed material in a crucible and heated to 600-700 C. For low-fired and high-fired PuO{sub 2}, Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} reacts with PuO{sub 2} to form a compound that readily dissolves in ambient-temperature nitric acid without the use of potassium fluoride. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) demonstrated the feasibility of Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} fusion and subsequent dissolution for the processing of high-fired PuO{sub 2} materials in HB-Line. Testing evaluated critical dissolution characteristics and defined preliminary process parameters. Based on experimental measurements, a dissolution cycle can be complete in less than one hour, compared to the current processing time of 6-10 hours for solution heating and dissolution. Final Pu concentrations of 30-35 g/L were produced without the formation of precipitates in the final …
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Pierce, R. & Edwards, T.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temperature activated absorption during laser-induced damage: The evolution of laser-supported solid-state absorption fronts (open access)

Temperature activated absorption during laser-induced damage: The evolution of laser-supported solid-state absorption fronts

Previously we have shown that the size of laser induced damage sites in both KDP and SiO{sub 2} is largely governed by the duration of the laser pulse which creates them. Here we present a model based on experiment and simulation that accounts for this behavior. Specifically, we show that solid-state laser-supported absorption fronts are generated during a damage event and that these fronts propagate at constant velocities for laser intensities up to 4 GW/cm{sup 2}. It is the constant absorption front velocity that leads to the dependence of laser damage site size on pulse duration. We show that these absorption fronts are driven principally by the temperature-activated deep sub band-gap optical absorptivity, free electron transport, and thermal diffusion in defect-free silica for temperatures up to 15,000K and pressures < 15GPa. In addition to the practical application of selecting an optimal laser for pre-initiation of large aperture optics, this work serves as a platform for understanding general laser-matter interactions in dielectrics under a variety of conditions.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Carr, C W; Bude, J D; Shen, N & Demange, P
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library