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The overall purpose of the project is to explore and quantify the processes that control the formation and reactivity of biogenic iron microminerals, and the impact of these processes on the solubility of metal contaminants, e.g., uranium, chromium and nickel. The research addresses how surface components of bacterial cells, extracellular organic material, and the aqueous geochemistry of the DIRB microenvironment impacts the mineralogy, chemical state and micromorphology of reduced iron phases.

Space light-emitting diode (LED) technology has provided medicine with a new tool capable of delivering light deep into tissues of the body, at wavelengths which are biologically optimal for cancer treatment and wound healing. This LED technology has already flown on Space Shuttle missions, and shows promise for wound healing applications of benefit to Space Station astronauts.

The purpose of this scoping calculation is to support preliminary design of the Waste Package (WP) transporter radiation shield configuration. Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is highly radioactive and site personnel must be protected during the period that the WPs are emplaced. Personnel protection is accomplished via a heavily shielded WP transporter that moves the waste from the surface to the emplacement drift. All previous WP transporter shielding calculations have assumed a Design Basis Fuel (DBF) in which the fuel burnup is uniform (e.g. Ref. 7.3, Ref. 7.4, and Ref. 7.12). In reality, SNF burnup varies significantly from one end of the fuel assembly to the other. Since source strengths are dependent upon fuel burnup, a model which varies the fuel burnup along the assembly axis will produce a more accurate depiction of the radiation field surrounding the WP transporter. The objective of this calculation is to determine the need for using the actual axial profile, as opposed to the uniform burnup assumption, in the WP transporter shield design. The scope of the calculation is as follows: (1) Determine the impact of axial source term variation on WP transporter contact dose rates. (2) Determine appropriate shielding modifications to account for expected …

A major obstacle for the broad application of cathodic arc plasma deposition is the presence of micro- and nanoparticles in the plasma, also often referred to as 'macroparticles'. This paper reviews the formation of macroparticles at cathode spots, their interaction with the arc plasma and substrate, and macroparticle separation and removal from the plasma by various filtering methods. Nineteen variants of filters are discussed, including Aksenov's classic 90{sup o}-duct filter, filters of open architecture, and the concept of stroboscopic filtering.

The Savannah River Site (SRS) teamed with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and ITT Flygt Corporation to conduct a test program evaluating shrouded axial propeller mixers (Flygt mixers) for heel removal in SRS Tank 19. SRS is identifying and investigating techniques to remove sludge heels from waste tanks such as Tank 19.

'This monthly report summarizes Programs and Accomplishments of the Savannah River Technology Center in support of activities at the Savannah River Site. The following categories are addressed: Reactor, Tritium, Separations, Environmental, Waste Management, General, and Items of Interest.'

'With the increased sensitivity of waste-level measurements in the H-Area Tanks and with periods of isolation, when no mass transfer occurred for certain tanks, waste-level changes have been recorded with are unexplained.'

This report is fully responsive to the requirements of Section 4.0 Acceptable Knowledge from the WIPP Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Plan, CAO-94-1010, and provides a sound, (and auditable) characterization that satisfies the WIPP criteria for Acceptable Knowledge.

The cost effective radiological classification and disposal of solid materials with potential volume contamination, in accordance with applicable U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Orders, suffers from an inability to unambiguously distinguish among transuranic waste, low-level waste, and unconditional-release materials. Depending on the classification, disposal costs can vary by a hundred-fold. But in many cases, the issues can be easily resolved by a combination of process information, some simple measurements, and calculational predictions from a computer model for radiation shielding.The proper classification and disposal of many solid wastes requires a measurement regime that is able to show compliance with a variety of institutional and regulatory contamination limits. Although this is not possible for all solid wastes, there are many that do lend themselves to such measures. Several examples are discussed which demonstrate the possibilities, including one which was successfully applied to bulk contamination.The only barriers to such broader uses are the slow-to-change institutional perceptions and procedures. For many issues and materials, the measurement tools are available; they need only be applied.

This document reports results from an ion exchange column heat transfer analysis requested by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The object of the analysis is to demonstrate that the decay heat from the Pu-238 will not cause resin bed temperatures to increase to a level where the resin significantly degrades.

The food ingestion consequences due to radioactive particulates of an accidental release, scenario 1-RD-3, are evaluated for Savannah River Technology Center. The sizes of land areas requiring the protective action of food interdiction are calculated. The consequences of the particulate portion of the release are evaluated with the HOTSPOT model and an EXCEL spreadsheet for particulates.

The overall objective of the General Atomics (GA) fusion technology development program is the advancement of the knowledge base needed for next-generation fusion experiments, and ultimately for an economical and environmentally attractive fusion energy source. To achieve this objective, the authors carry out fusion systems design studies to evaluate the technologies and materials needed for next-step experiments and power plants, and they conduct research to develop basic and applied knowledge about these materials and technologies. GA`s fusion technology development program derives from, and draws on, the physics and engineering expertise built up by many years of experience in designing, building, and operating plasma physics experiments. The technology development activities take full advantage of the current DIII-D program and facility. The following sections summarize GA`s FY98 work done in the areas of Fusion Power Plan Design Studies (Section 2), Plasma Interactive Materials (Section 3), Radiation Testing of ITER Magnetic Coil (Section 4), RF Technology (Section 5), Advanced Liquid Plasma Facing Surfaces (Section 6), and Advanced Power Extraction Study (Section 7). The work in these areas continues to address many of the issues that must be resolved for the successful construction and operation of next-generation experiments and, ultimately, the development of safe, …

The US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Chicago Operations Office and the DOE`s Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) developed a Large Scale Demonstration Project (LSDP) at the Chicago Pile-5 Research Reactor (CP-5) at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL). The objective of the LSDP is to demonstrate potentially beneficial decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) technologies in comparison with current baseline technologies. The Pipe Explorer{trademark} system was developed by Science and Engineering Associates, Inc. (SEA), Albuquerque, NM as a deployment method for transporting a variety of survey tools into pipes and ducts. Tools available for use with the system include alpha, beta and gamma radiation detectors; video cameras; and pipe locator beacons. Different versions of this technology have been demonstrated at three other sites; results of these demonstrations are provided in an earlier Innovative Technology Summary Report. As part of a D and D project, characterization radiological contamination inside piping systems is necessary before pipes can be recycled, remediated or disposed. This is usually done manually by surveying over the outside of the piping only, with limited effectiveness and risk of worker exposure. The pipe must be accessible to workers, and embedded pipes in concrete or in the ground would have to be …

The Shonka Research Associates, Inc. Position-Sensitive Radiation Monitor both detects surface radiation and prepares electronic survey map/survey report of surveyed area automatically. The electronically recorded map can be downloaded to a personal computer for review and a map/report can be generated for inclusion in work packages. Switching from beta-gamma detection to alpha detection is relatively simple and entails moving a switch position to alpha and adjusting the voltage level to an alpha detection level. No field calibration is required when switching from beta-gamma to alpha detection. The system can be used for free-release surveys because it meets the federal detection level sensitivity limits requires for surface survey instrumentation. This technology is superior to traditionally-used floor contamination monitor (FCM) and hand-held survey instrumentation because it can precisely register locations of radioactivity and accurately correlate contamination levels to specific locations. Additionally, it can collect and store continuous radiological data in database format, which can be used to produce real-time imagery as well as automated graphics of survey data. Its flexible design can accommodate a variety of detectors. The cost of the innovative technology is 13% to 57% lower than traditional methods. This technology is suited for radiological surveys of flat surfaces at …

The UTD Inc. Position Location (POLO) device is used for identifying the position of characterization sensors in the subsurface. POLO fits within a cone penetrometer rod to quickly and cost-effectively identify sample location, rod tip location, and track the rod path. UTD demonstrated the POLO device at a private site in Virginia and at the DOE Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Results show POLO as accurate as any alternative approach at less than 0.50% error, and at a fraction of the cost. POLO can be used in close proximity to tanks, pipelines, and buildings with greatly reduced risk of puncture and resulting spills--a major improvement over current approaches. POLO only adds about 4% to cost of penetrometer use.

This FAQ sheet discusses the concept of ''energy payback,'' or how long a PV system must operate to recover the energy -- and associated generation of pollution and carbon dioxide -- that went into making the system in the first place. Energy payback estimates for rooftop PV systems boil down to 4, 3, 2, and 1 years: 4 years for systems using current multicrystalline-silicon PV modules, 3 years for current thin-film modules, 2 years for future multicrystalline modules, and 1 year for future thin-film modules. With energy paybacks of 1-4 years and assumed life expectancies of 30 years, 87% to 97% of the energy that PV systems generate will be free of pollution, greenhouse gases, and depletion of resources.

No abstract is available for this document at this time.

This issue has articles from a diverse range of subjects pertaining to execution of experiments on the National Ignition Facility. The first article looks at the issue of operability of the NIF target chamber from the perspective of emissions of target debris and shrapnel. Damage to chamber optics by such target emissions directly or through seeding of laser damage is likely to be a major driver for NIF operating costs. It is essential that we are able to minimize the impact of such debris. This article reviews our current understanding of target-generated debris and shrapnel and recommends limits on total target and shrapnel mass for NIF target designs. The second article reviews experiment designs and diagnostic techniques that can be used for x-ray radiography in laser-plasma experiments. Techniques that have been used successfully at Nova and other laser facilities are described, and the problems with scaling them to the much higher energy plasmas of NIF are discussed. These problems include greater stand-off of diagnostics at NIF as well as higher energy requirements in the beams used to heat the backlighting plasma. Alternate diagnostic techniques that are applicable to NIF are described along with the results of tests at OMEGA. The …

This paper describes the first efforts at developing a set of prototypical buildings defined to capture the key features affecting airflow and pollutant transport in buildings. These buildings will be used to model airflow and pollutant transport for emergency response scenarios when limited site-specific information is available and immediate decisions must be made, and to better understand key features of buildings controlling occupant exposures to indoor pollutant sources. This paper presents an example of this approach for a prototypical intermediate-sized, open style, commercial building. Interzonal transport due to a short-term source release, e.g., accidental chemical spill, in the bottom and the upper floors is predicted and corresponding HVAC system operation effects and potential responses are considered. Three-hour average exposure estimates are used to compare effects of source location and HVAC operation.

Coincidence cross sections and the structure functions R{sub L+TT},#2; R{sub T} and R{sub LT} have been obtained for the quasielastic #2;#3;{sup 16}O(#7;e,#2; e'p)#8; reaction with the proton knocked out from the #2;1p{sub 1/2}#2;#2;#4; and #2;1p{sub 3/2}#5;#2;#4; states in perpendicular kinematics. The nominal energy transfer #3;{omega} was 439#11; MeV#4; the nominal Q{sup 2}#4; was 0.8 (#7;GeV/#14;c){sup 2}#8;#4; and the kinetic energy of knocked-#15;out proton was 427#3;#16; MeV. The data was taken in Hall A#4; Je#17;erson Laboratory#4; using two high resolution spectrometers to detect electrons and protons respectively. Nominal beam energies 845#18; MeV#4;, #2;#19;1645#18; MeV#4; and #3;2445#18; MeV were employed. For each beam energy,#4; the momentum and angle of electron arm were #6;fixed,#4; while the angle between the proton momentum and the momentum transfer {vector #4;q} was varied to map out the missing momentum. R{sub LT} was separated out to ~350 MeV#14;/c in missing momentum. R{sub L+TT} and R{sub T} were separated out to #2;#3;~280 MeV/#14;c in missing momentum. R{sub L} and R{sub T} were separated at a missing momentum of #18;#3;52.5#18; MeV/#14;c for the data taken with hadron arm along #4;{vector q}. The measured cross sections and response functions agree with both relativistic and non#15;relativistic DWIA calculations employing spectroscopic factors between …

The nineteenth semiannual report of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) summarizes activities during the period from April 1, 1998, through September 30, 1998. Project activities are aimed at evaluating Yucca Mountain as a potential location for permanent geologic disposal of nuclear materials, as directed by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA). The progress report documents activities this period that contribute to completing the Project`s near-term programmatic and statutory objectives. These objectives include completing the Viability Assessment, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a possible US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretarial Site Recommendation to the President, and, if the site is suitable, submittal of a license application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Project work this period continued to be concentrated in three integrated activities: site characterization, engineering design and construction, and performance assessment. Accomplishments this period and their relation to near-term objectives are briefly summarized.

In April they received a DOE Defense Programs award for significant contributions to the Nuclear Weapons Program in developing and applying z-pinch x-ray sources to stockpile stewardship. DOE also recognized pulsed power for outstanding performance at a world-class level as part of the FY98 performance appraisal review. There were 13 Z shots: 3 for LANL weapon physics, 2 to prepare to measure the D{sub 2} equation of state (EOS), 4 to assess energetics of single-sided drive with the z-pinch-driven hohlraum, and 4 to study the variation in x-ray power with the mass of a copper converter foil inside a nested wire array for the dynamic hohlraum.

About three dozen previously unreported critical configurations are presented for very complex geometries filled with high concentration enriched uranyl nitrate solution. These geometries resemble a tall, thin Central Column (or trunk of a "tree") having long, thin arms (or "branches") extending up to four directions off the column. Arms are equally spaced from one another in vertical planes; and that spacing ranges from arms in contact to quite wide spacings. Both the Central Column and the many different arms are critically safe by themselves when each, alone, is filled with fissile solution; but, in combination, criticality occurs due to the interactions between arms and the column. Such neutronic interactions formed the principal focus of this study. While these results are fresh to the nuclear criticality safety industry and to those seeking novel experiments against which to validate computer codes, the experiments, themselves, are not recent. Over 100 experiments were performed at the Rocky Flats Critical Mass Laboratory between September, 1967, and February of the following year.