'The Plutonium Immobilization Facility will encapsulate plutonium in ceramic pucks and seal the pucks inside welded cans. Remote equipment will place these cans in magazines and the magazines in a Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) canister. The DWPF will fill the canister with glass for permanent storage. This report discusses the Plutonium Immobilization can loading conceptual design and includes a process block diagram, process description, preliminary equipment specifications, and several can loading issues. This report identifies loading pucks into cans and backfilling cans with helium as the top priority can loading development areas.'

'A series of subcritical noise measurements were performed on fresh and spent University of Missouri Research Reactor fuel assemblies. These experimental measurements were performed for the purposes of providing benchmark quality data for validating transport theory computer codes and nuclear cross-section data used to perform criticality safety analyses for highly enriched, uranium-aluminum Material Test Reactor fuel assemblies. A mechanical test rig was designed and built to hold up to four fuel assemblies and neutron detectors in a subcritical array. The rig provided researchers with the ability to evaluate the reactivity effects of variable fuel/detector spacing, fuel rotation, and insertion of metal reflector plates into the lattice.'

'The Plutonium Immobilization Facility will encapsulate plutonium in ceramic pucks and seal the pucks inside welded cans. Remote equipment will place these cans in magazines and the magazines in a Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) canister. The DWPF will fill the canister with glass for permanent storage. This report discusses the Plutonium Immobilization can loading conceptual design and includes a process block diagram, process description, preliminary equipment specifications, and several can loading issues. This report identifies loading pucks into cans and backfilling cans with helium as the top priority can loading development areas.'

Wave induced flows can produce radially sheared velocity profiles that can in turn stabilize drift wave turbulence and improve plasma confinement. A second-order kinetic theory is developed in one-dimensional slab geometry to treat radio frequency (RF)-driven plasma flows. The Vlasov equation is solved to second order in the RF electric field. Moments of the second-order distribution function give time-averaged expressions for the heating rate, the wave kinetic flux, and the RF force exerted on the plasma. On the collisional or transport time scale, the RF force in the poloidal direction is balanced by neoclassical viscosity, and the force in the radial direction is balanced direction by ambipolar electric fields. Comparison is made with previous theories which have relied on incompressible fluid approximations. Very substantial differences are seen in situations involving the Ion Bernstein Wave, a compressional wave.

The long length contaminated equipment was designed and built to aid in the remote removal and transport of highly radioactive, contaminated equipment from various locations in the tank farms to disposal. The equipment has been stored in an open lay-down yard area, exposed to the elements for the past year and a half. The possible alternatives available to provide shelter for the equipment are investigated.

Spin-valve films of structure NiFeCo/Co/Cu/NiFeCo(Co)/FeMn/Cu were deposited on Si substrates by DC planetary magnetron sputtering techniques. The influence of base pressure, P{sub b}, on spin-valve properties was studied by varying P{sub b} over two decades from 3 x 10{sup -8} to 7 x 10{sup -6} Torr. The GMR ratio show a slight increase with increasing P{sub b} until a large decrease occurs at P{sub b} > 3.3 x 10{sup -6} Torr. Exchange bias field and blocking temperature remain constant in the base pressure range between 3 x 10{sup -8} and 5 x 10{sup -7} Torr before a large reduction begins. An upper bound base pressure, {sup u}P{sub b} {approx} 5 x 10{sup -7} Torr, is noted from the data, above which significant performance modification begins. The degradation in exchange bias field and blocking temperature, in particular, in spin-valve films using a NiFeCo pinned layer, is the result of deterioration in the crystallographic texture and can be understood due to the contamination both at the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface and in the bulk of FeMn layer.

The Down Force Calibration Stand was developed to provide an improved means of calibrating equipment used to apply, display and record Core Sample Truck (CST) down force. Originally, four springs were used in parallel to provide a system of resistance that allowed increasing force over increasing displacement. This spring system, though originally deemed adequate, was eventually found to be unstable laterally. For this reason, it was determined that a new method for resisting down force was needed.

A human simulation environment, the Virtual Human (VH), is under development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Virtual Human connects three-dimensional (3D) anatomical models of the body with dynamic physiological models to investigate a wide range of human biological and physical responses to stimuli. We have utilized the Java programming language to develop a flexible user interface to the VH. The Java prototype interface has been designed to display dynamic results from selected physiological models, with user control of the initial model parameters and ability to steer the simulation as it is proceeding. Taking advantage of Java�s Remote Method Invocation (RMI) features, the interface runs as a Java client that connects to a Java RMI server process running on a remote server machine. The RMI server can couple to physiological models written in Java, or in other programming languages, including C and FORTRAN. Future versions of the interface will be linked to 3D anatomical models of the human body to complete the development of the VH.

This document relates how several of the US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE/EERE) programs help communities across the nation deal with the issues of livability and sustainable growth. Highlights include background information on renewable energy technologies, some outstanding program anecdotes, and regional and Internet contact information.

The purposes of this paper are to (1) discuss the necessity for conducting accelerated life testing (ALT) in the early stages of developing new photovoltaic (PV) technologies, (2) elucidate the crucial importance for combining ALT with real-time testing (RTT) in terrestrial environments for promising PV technologies for the 21st century, and (3) outline the essential steps for making a service lifetime prediction (SLP) for any PV technology. The specific objectives are to (a) illustrate the essential need for ALT of complete, encapsulated multilayer PV devices, (b) indicate the typical causes of degradation in PV stacks, (c) elucidate the complexity associated with quantifying the durability of the devices, (d) explain the major elements that constitute a generic SLP methodology, (e) show how the introduction of the SLP methodology in the early stages of new device development can reduce the cost of technology development, and (f) outline the procedure for combining the results of ALT and RTT, establishing degradation mechanisms, using sufficient numbers of samples, and applying the SLP methodology to produce a SLP for existing or new PV technologies.

The process of underground excavation design is being performed in several phases to satisfy the requirements of Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). These phases were conceptualized to satisfy increasingly focused requirements as the YMP progresses and more detailed site characterization data are acquired. At the time that initial design analyses were prepared, the rock mass parameters were derived from the exploratory core drillings, and as such their values were considered preliminary. Field evidence was needed to verify the magnitudes of these parameters. According to the respective YMP procedures, incomplete data that require further verification are flagged by the TBV (To Be Verified) designation and data that are not available are flagged by the TBD (To Be Determined) designation. Field mapping activities performed during the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) Main Loop (i.e., the North Ramp, Main Drift, and South Ramp) tunnel excavation resulted in accumulation of the field data that enlarge and complement the initial, core-derived rock property database. To date, a number of the ESF design confirmation analyses have been completed in a form of topical reports. These reports were prepared to satisfy the requirements of 10 CFR 60.141, ''Confirmation of Geotechnical and Design Parameters''. The design confirmation analyses …

LiNi{sub 0.8}Co{sub 0.2}O{sub 2} and LiNiO{sub 2} have been characterized in-situ XRD. LiNi{sub 0.8}Co{sub 0.2}O{sub 2} does not undergo a monoclinic phase transformation but remains a hexagonal lattice throughout the entire charging cycle. It is hypothesized that Co-doping may help stabilize the hexagonal structure.

In this paper numerical simulations of Mach 10 air flow over a hollow cylinder flare are presented in comparison with recent experimental results. The numerical study is performed using a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo code and the experimental results were obtained in the ONERA R5Ch wind tunnel. The flow phenomena involved include shock wave boundary layer interaction in hypersonic laminar flow. An analysis of the requirements on the grid resolution, number of particle simulators and run time is performed. Measured and calculated surface properties including pressure and heat transfer are compared.

Investigations into several areas of research have been undertaken to address the performance limitations of the toroid analyzer. The Simion 3D6 (2) ion optics simulation program was used to determine whether the potential well minimum of the toroid trapping field is in the physical center of the trap electrode structure. The results (Figures 1) indicate that the minimum of the potential well is shifted towards the inner ring electrode by an amount approximately equal to 10% of the r0 dimension. A simulation of the standard 3D ion trap under similar conditions was performed as a control. In this case, the ions settle to the minimum of the potential well at a point that is coincident with the physical center (both radial and axial) of the trapping electrodes. It is proposed that by using simulation programs, a set of new analyzer electrodes can be fashioned that will correct for the non- linear fields introduced by curving the substantially quadrupolar field about the toroid axis in order to provide a trapping field similar to the 3D ion trap cross- section. A new toroid electrode geometry has been devised to allow the use of channel- tron style detectors in place of the more …

In May 1998, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as being in compliance with applicable long-term regulations governing the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel, high-level, and transuranic radioactive wastes. The WIPP is the first deep geologic repository in the US to have successfully demonstrated regulatory compliance with long-term radioactive waste disposal requirements. The first disposal of TRU waste at WIPP occurred on March 26, 1999. Many of the lessons learned during the WIPP Project's transition from site characterization and experimental research to the preparation of a successful application may be of general interest to other repository programs. During a four-year period (1992 to 1996), the WIPP team [including the DOE Carlsbad Area Office (CAO), the science advisor to CAO, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the management and operating contractor of the WIPP site, Westinghouse Electric Corporation (WID)] met its aggressive schedule for submitting the application without compromising the integrity of the scientific basis for the long-term safety of the repository. Strong leadership of the CAO-SNL-WID team was essential. Within SNL, a mature and robust performance assessment (PA) allowed prioritization of remaining scientific activities with respect to their …

In Run 2 at the Tevatron, the upgraded CDF and D0 experiments will have greatly improved sensitivity in the search for the Higgs bosons of the Standard Model and minimal supersymmetry. In the past year the Higgs Working Group of the Tevatron Run 2 SUSY/Higgs Workshop has estimated the discovery and exclusion reach for the Higgs, combining all possible search channels and utilizing all the upgraded features of both detectors. The results give strong motivation to continue the next run of the Tevatron into Run 3, with an eventual goal of up to 20 fb^-1 or more delivered per experiment.

'Engineers at the Savannah River Technology Center have designed, built, and installed a fully automated small field-of-view, lens-coupled, digital radiography imaging system. The system is installed in one of the Savannah River Site''s production facilities to be used for the evaluation of production components. Custom software routines developed for the system automatically acquire, enhance, and diagnostically evaluate critical geometric features of various components that have been captured radiographically. Resolution of the digital radiograms and accuracy of the acquired measurements approaches 0.001 inches. To date, there has been zero deviation in measurement repeatability. The automated image acquisition methodology will be discussed, unique enhancement algorithms will be explained, and the automated routines for measuring the critical component features will be presented. An additional feature discussed is the independent nature of the modular software components, which allows images to be automatically acquired, processed, and evaluated by the computer in the background, while the operator reviews other images on the monitor. System components were also a key in gaining the required image resolution. System factors such as scintillator selection, x-ray source energy, optical components and layout, as well as geometric unsharpness issues are considered in the paper. Finally the paper examines the numerous quality …

None

The Hazard Analysis Database was developed in conjunction with the hazard analysis activities conducted in accordance with DOE-STD-3009-94, Preparation Guide for US Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Safety Analysis Reports, for the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR). The FSAR is part of the approved TWRS Authorization Basis (AB). This document describes, identifies, and defines the contents and structure of the TWRS FSAR Hazard Analysis Database and documents the configuration control changes made to the database. The TWRS Hazard Analysis Database contains the collection of information generated during the initial hazard evaluations and the subsequent hazard and accident analysis activities. The database supports the preparation of Chapters 3,4, and 5 of the TWRS FSAR and the USQ process and consists of two major, interrelated data sets: (1) Hazard Evaluation Database--Data from the results of the hazard evaluations; and (2) Hazard Topography Database--Data from the system familiarization and hazard identification.

Annual revision to work place air sampling document for SWP.

This is a Test Report for Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) RPP-5073. This test report provides the results of the inspection and testing of the new Pumping Instrumentation and Control (PIC) skid designed as ''M''. The ATP was successfully completed. A copy of the completed ATP is in the Appendix of this document.

The Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Characterization Equipment Group requested that the Numatec Hanford Corporation--Engineering Testing Laboratory (ETL) perform Rotary Mode Core Sampling (RMCS) Operating Envelope (OE) testing. This testing was based upon Witwer 1998a and was performed at different time periods between May and September 1998. The purpose of this testing was to raise the maximum down force limit for rotary mode core sampling as outlined in the current OE. If testing could show that a higher down force could be used while drilling into a concrete/pumice block simulant while still remaining below the 60 C limitation, then the current OE could be revised to include the new, higher, down force limit. Although the Test Plan discussed varying the purge flow rate and rotation rate to find ''optimal'' drilling conditions, the number of drill bits that could be destructively tested was limited. Testing was subsequently limited in scope such that only the down force would be varied while the purge flow rate and rotation rate were kept constant at 30 scfm and 55 rpm respectively. A second objective, which was not part of the original test plan, was added prior to testing. The Bit Improvement testing, mentioned previously, revealed …

This Engineering Process Improvement Plan documents the activities and plans to be taken by the SNF Project to support its engineering process and to produce a consolidated set of engineering procedures that are fully compliant with the requirements of HNF-PRO-1819. All new procedures will be issued and implemented by September 30, 1999.

Empirical rate equations are derived to estimate hydrogen generation based on chemical reactions, radiolysis of water and organic compounds, and corrosion processes. A comparison of the generation rates observed in the field with the rates calculated for twenty eight tanks shows agreement with in a factor of two to three.