This document presents a groundwater monitoring plan for the 216-B-63 trench in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site. The monitoring will be conducted in accordance with regulatory requirements specified in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976. The objective of the monitoring is to determine whether any hazardous constituents are detectable in the groundwater beneath the trench. This monitoring plan will serve as the basis for demonstrating monitoring compliance at the B-63 trench under the RCRA.

Thin-disk laser configurations have recently been demonstrated at cw output povters exceeding 1 kW [1]. Thin-disk lasers enable the generation of high average power by minimizing the distance over which waste heat is transported. A disk-laser of transverse dimensions significantly larger than its thickness will sustain laser output with intensity proportional to the thermal flux it dissipates. The fracture strength of the laser material limits the maximum temperature difference of a credible design. Further increases in the heat dissipation capacity of a disk varies inversely with the disk thickness (t) thus, the average laser output intensity of a thin/disk laser scales as 1/t; that is, to maximize the output intensity we must use the thinnest possible disk that is consistent with the pump geometry. The main challenge for the laser designer is then to coerce a thin gain sample into absorbing pump power efficiently. For this purpose, use of a highly absorbing gain medium is desirable in combination with a pumping geometry that allows multi-passing of the pump light. An important feature of the thin-disk laser is that one-dimensional thermal gradients away from the edges are made to align with the extraction beam Thus, as long as pumping and cooling …

The goal of this project was to develop chimeric proteins composed of a DNA mismatch or damage binding protein and a nuclease, as well as methods to detect DNA mismatches and damage. We accomplished this through protein engineering based on using polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) to create chimeras with novel functions for damage and mismatch detection. This project addressed fundamental questions relating to disease susceptibility and radiation-induced damage in cells. It also supported and enhanced LLNL's competency in the emerging field of proteomics. In nature, DNA is constantly being subjected to damaging agents such as exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and various environmental and dietary carcinogens. If DNA damage is not repaired however, mutations in DNA result that can eventually manifest in cancer and other diseases. In addition to damage-induced DNA mutations, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are variations in the genetic sequence between individuals, may predispose some to disease. As a result of the Human Genome Project, the integrity of a person's DNA can now be monitored. Therefore, methods to detect DNA damage, mutations, and SNPs are useful not only in basic research but also in the health and biotechnology industries. Current methods of detection often use radioactive labeling …

Accurate predictions of a polymer component's functional lifetime at best arc tenuous when one has only relatively short term chemical or mechanical property data to extrapolate. We have analyzed a series of silica-filled siloxanes to determine the chemical and microstructural signatures of aging, and we are incorporating these data into rational methodologies for assessing a component's lifetime measured against as-designed engineering properties. We are monitoring changes in mechanical properties, crystallization kinetics, cross-link density changes, and motional dynamics with a variety of analysis methods: Modulated DSC, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, and Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Previous work has shown that the addition of phenyl side groups to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer chains reduces the rate and extent of crystallization of the co-polymer compared to that of pure PDMS. Crystallization has been observed in copolymer systems up to 6.5 mol % phenyl composition by DSC and up to 8 mol % phenyl by XRD. The PDMS-PDPS-silica composite materials studied here are silica reinforced random block copolymers consisting of dimethyl and diphenyl monomer units with 11.2 mol. % polydiphenylsiloxane. Based on this previous work, it is not expected that this material would exhibit crystallization in the polymer network; however, these silicones do, in fact, exhibit …

A semi-quantitative map based on a series of spatially resolved X-ray diffraction (SRXRD) scans shows the progression of the ferrite ({delta})/austenite ({gamma}) phase balance throughout the HAZ during GTA welding of a 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS). This map shows an unexpected decrease in the ferrite fraction on heating, followed by a recovery to the original ferrite fraction on cooling at locations within the HAZ. Even though such behavior is supported by thermodynamic calculations, it has not been confirmed by either experimental methods or have the kinetics been evaluated. Both Gleeble thermal simulations and time resolved x-ray diffraction measurements on spot welds in the 2205 DSS provide further evidence for this rather low-temperature transformation. On the other hand, calculations of the diffusion of alloying elements across the 6/y interface under a variety of conditions shed no further light on the driving force for this transformation. Further work on the mechanisms and driving forces for this transformation is on-going.

The understanding of the physical mechanisms by which important biological inhibitors control the nucleation, growth, aggregation, and phase transformation of calcium oxalate crystals at fundamental level is of importance not only to the advances in biomineralization but also to the development of stone disease therapy. Of the three phases of calcium oxalate crystalline, calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and dehydrate (COD) are found in the majority of stones formed in the urinary system. Only COM, a major inorganic component of kidney stones, produces adverse physiological effects to human, however. Although a great deal of research has been carried out on the modulation of nucleation, growth, aggregation, and phase transformation of calcium oxalates by biological molecules, the basic mechanism has not yet been determined due to inherent limitations of those techniques that have been utilized The invention of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has opened a new avenue for the study of the crystal growth in general. One can now probe the growth kinetics and dynamics, and morphology of crystal surfaces down to molecular levels as a typical AFM has a lateral resolution of nanometers. In this study, in situ AFM was used to monitor the COM surface under controlled growth conditions. The …

Beams for heavy-ion fusion (HIF) are expected to require substantial neutralization in a target chamber. Present targets call for higher beam currents and smaller focal spots than most earlier designs, leading to high space-charge fields. Collisional stripping by the background gas expected in the chamber further increases the beam charge. Simulations with no electron sources other than beam stripping and background-gas ionization show an acceptable focal spot only for high ion energies or for currents far below the values assumed in recent HIF power-plant scenarios. Much recent research has, therefore, focused on beam neutralization by electron sources that were neglected in earlier simulations, including emission from walls and the target, photoionization by radiation from the target, and pre-neutralization by a plasma generated along the beam path. The simulations summarized here indicate that these effects can significantly reduce the beam focal-spot size.

Prior studies of evaporation and sputter deposition show that the grain size of pure beryllium can be dramatically refined through the incorporation of metal impurities. Recently, the addition of boron at a concentration greater than 11% is shown to serve as a glassy phase former in sputter deposited beryllium. Presently, thermally induced crystallization of the beryllium-boron metallic glass is reported. The samples are characterized during an in-situ anneal treatment with bright field imaging and electron diffraction using transmission electron microscopy. A nanocrystalline structure evolves from the annealed amorphous phase and the crystallization temperature is affected by the boron concentration.

The Scaled Thermal Explosion Experiment (STEX) has been developed to quantify the violence of thermal explosion under well defined and carefully controlled initial and boundary conditions. Here we present results with HMX-based explosives (LX-04 and PBX-9501) and with Composition B. Samples are 2 inches (50 mm) in diameter and 8 inches (200 mm) in length, under confinement of 7,500-30,000 psi (50-200 MPa), with heating rates of 1-3 C/hr. We quantify reaction violence by measuring the wall velocity in the ensuing thermal explosion, and relate the measured velocity to that expected from a detonation. Results with HMX-based explosives (LX-04 and PBX-9501) have shown the importance of confinement and HMX solid phase, with reaction violence ranging from mild pressure bursts to near detonations. By contrast, Composition B has shown very violent reactions over a wide range of conditions.

An early warning system to counter bioterrorism, the Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS) continuously monitors the environment for the presence of biological pathogens (e.g., anthrax) and once detected, it sounds an alarm much like a smoke detector warns of a fire. Long before September 11, 2001, this system was being developed to protect domestic venues and events including performing arts centers, mass transit systems, major sporting and entertainment events, and other high profile situations in which the public is at risk of becoming a target of bioterrorist attacks. Customizing off-the-shelf components and developing new components, a multidisciplinary team developed APDS, a stand-alone system for rapid, continuous monitoring of multiple airborne biological threat agents in the environment. The completely automated APDS samples the air, prepares fluid samples in-line, and performs two orthogonal tests: immunoassay and nucleic acid detection. When compared to competing technologies, APDS is unprecedented in terms of flexibility and system performance.

Thermal cycling was used as a means to control density in the preparation of Insensitive High Explosive (IHE) specimens slated for performance testing. These samples were thermally cycled between -55 degrees C and 70 degrees C and their densities measured using hydrostatic weighing, an immersion density measurement technique. Bulk sample densities were reduced by as much as 1.5% over 40 thermal cycles. In these thermal cycling studies, the effects of several parameters were investigated. These parameters included different ME composites (LX-17 and PBX 9502), different pressing mechanisms (die-pressed and isostatically-pressed) and sample size.

Surfaces generated by scientific simulation and range scanning can reach into the billions of polygons. Such surfaces must be aggressively compressed, but at the same time should provide for level of detail queries. Progressive compression techniques based on subdivision surfaces produce impressive results on range scanned models. However, these methods require the construction of a base mesh which parameterizes the surface to be compressed and encodes the topology of the surface. For complex surfaces with high genus and/or a large number of components, the computation of an appropriate base mesh is difficult and often infeasible. We present a surface compression method that stores surfaces as wavelet-compressed signed-distance volumes. Our method avoids the costly base-mesh construction step and offers several improvements over previous attempts at compressing signed-distance functions, including an {Omicron}(n) distance transform, a new zero set initialization method for triangle meshes, and a specialized thresholding algorithm. We demonstrate the potential of sampled distance volumes for surface compression and progressive reconstruction for complex high genus surfaces.

The characteristics of the particle emitting source are deduced from low p{sub T} identified hadron spectra ((m{sub T}-m0) < 1 GeV) and HBT radii using a hydrodynamic interpretation. From the most peripheral to the most central data, the single particle spectra are fit simultaneously for all {pi}{sup {+-}}, K{sup {+-}}, and {bar p}/p using the parameterization in [1] and assuming a linear transverse flow profile. Within the systematic uncertainties, the expansion parameters T{sub fo} and {beta}{sub T}, respectively decrease and increase with the number of participants, saturating for both at mid-centrality. The expansion using analytic calculations of the k{sub T} dependence of HBT radii in [2] is fit to the data but no {chi}{sup 2} minimum is found.

The authors present a numerical method to model non-Newtonian, viscoelastic flow at the microscale. The equations of motion are the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the Oldroyd-B constitutive equation. This constitutive equation is chosen to model a Boger fluid which is representative of complex biological solutions exhibiting elastic behavior due to macromolecules in the solution (e.g., DNA solution). The numerical approach is a projection method to impose the incompressibility constraint and a Lax-Wendroff method to predict velocities and stresses while recovering both viscous and elastic limits. The method is second-order accurate in space and time, free-stream preserving, has a time step constraint determined by the advective CFL condition, and requires the solution of only well-behaved linear systems amenable to the use of fast iterative methods. They demonstrate the method for viscoelastic incompressible flow in simple microchannels (2D) and microducts (3D).

The primary objective of this study was to refine the conceptual groundwater flow model for the 200-West Area and vicinity. This is the second of two reports that combine to cover the 200 Area Plateau, an area that holds the largest inventory of radionuclide and chemical waste on the Hanford Site.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is currently involved in a long term study using time-lapse multiple frequency electromagnetic (EM) imaging at a carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in the San Joaquin Valley, California. The impetus for this proposed research project is to develop the ability to image subsurface CO{sub 2} during EOR processes while simultaneously discriminating between background heavy petroleum and water deposits. Using field equipment developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in prior imaging studies of EOR water and steam injection, this research uses multiple field deployments to acquire subsurface image snapshots of the CO{sub 2} injection and displacement. Laboratory research, including electrical and transport properties of fluid and CO{sub 2} in saturated materials, uses core samples from drilling, as well as samples of injection and formation fluid provided by industrial partners on-site. Our two-fold approach to combine laboratory and field methods in imaging a pilot CO{sub 2} sequestration EOR site using the cross-borehole EM technique is to (1) improve the inversion process in CO{sub 2} studies by coupling field results with petrophysical laboratory measurements and (2) focus on new gas interpretation techniques of the field data using multiple frequencies and low noise data processing techniques. …

The addition of oxygenates to diesel fuel can reduce particulate emissions, but the underlying chemical pathways for the reductions are not well understood. While measurements of particulate matter (PM), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), and carbon monoxide (CO) are routine, determining the contribution of carbon atoms in the original fuel molecules to the formation of these undesired exhaust emissions has proven difficult. Renewable bio-derived fuels (ethanol or bio-diesel) containing a universal distribution of contemporary carbon are easily traced by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). These measurements provide general information about the emissions of bio-derived fuels. Another approach exploits synthetic organic chemistry to place {sup 14}C atoms in a specific bond position in a specific fuel molecule. The highly labeled fuel molecule is then diluted in {sup 14}C-free petroleum-derived stock to make a contemporary petroleum fuel suitable for tracing. The specific {sup 14}C atoms are then traced through the combustion event to determine whether they reside in PM, HC, CO, CO{sub 2}, or other emission products. This knowledge of how specific molecular structures produce certain emissions can be used to refine chemical-kinetic combustion models and to optimize fuel composition to reduce undesired emissions. Due to the high sensitivity of the technique and the lack …

A new Detonation Profile Test (DPT) was developed to measure simultaneously the detonation wave breakout profile and the average detonation velocity at the breakout surface. The test evaluated small cylindrical samples with diameter up to 19.08 mm and length up to 33 mm. The experiment involved initiating a LX-17 cylindrical specimen and recording the wave breakout using a fast streaking electronic camera. The initiation was done using a PBX-9407 pellet (1.630 g/cm{sup 3}), which has a Chapman-Jouguet (C-J) pressure close to that of LX-17. The acceptor breakout surface had a 2 mm wide by 1 mm deep groove that provided a step in the recorded breakout profile for velocity determination. A 532-nm laser light illuminated the specimen surface. A streak camera looking perpendicular to the groove, recorded the extinction of the laser light as the detonation wave emerged from the surface. This technique provided a high-resolution spatial and temporal profile of the wave curvature as well as accurate timing of the propagating wave over the last millimeter of the sample. The measured groove depth and recorded travel time were then used to calculate the average detonation wave velocity. Results for 12.7 mm diameter unconfined LX-17 charges showed detonation velocity in …

We report on the performance of an S-band RF photocathode electron gun and accelerator for operation with the PLEIADES Thomson x-ray source at LLNL. Simulations of beam production, transport, and focus are presented. It is shown that a 1 ps, 500 pC electron bunch with a normalized emittance of less than 5 {pi}mm-mrad can be delivered to the interaction point. Initial electron measurements are presented. Calculations of expected x-ray flux are also performed, demonstrating an expected peak spectral brightness of 10{sup 20} photons/s/mm{sup 2}/mrad{sup 2}/0.1% bandwidth. Effects of RF phase jitter are also presented, and planned phase measurements and control methods are discussed.

The smut that appeared on the universal covers after the OAB cleaning process consists of sub-micron size aluminum particles originating from the machining of these parts prior to cleaning. The rigorous gross and precision cleanings with Brulin in the OAB cleaning process could not completely wash these fine particles away from the surfaces. However, applying a phosphoric acid etch before the cleaning helped to remove these fine aluminum particles. Experimental results again showed that an acid etching before cleaning is essential in preventing the occurrence of smut in aluminum alloy after gross/precision cleaning. A mechanism, based on the electrostatic {zeta}-potential, is proposed to explain the occurrence of smut that is often encountered during the cleaning of aluminum alloys.

LCS experiments were carried out at the Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC); sharp monochromatic x-ray lines were observed. These are produced using the so-called inverse Compton effect, whereby optical laser photons are collided with a relativistic electron beam. The back-scattered photons are then kinematically boosted to keV x-ray energies. We have first demonstrated these beams using a 20 MeV electron beam collided with a 100 MW, 7 ns Nd; YAG laser. We observed narrow LCS x-ray spectral peaks resulting from the interaction of the electron beam with the Nd; YAG laser second harmonic (532 nm). The LCS x-ray energy lines and energy deviations were measured as a function of the electron beam energy and enery-spread respectively. The results showed good agreement with the predicted valves. LCS could provide an exellent probe of electron beam energy, energy spread, transverse and longitudinal distribution and direction.

This 2002 Facility Work Plan (FWP) has been prepared as required by Module VII, Permit Condition VII.U.3 of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit, NM4890139088-TSDF (the Permit) (New Mexico Environment Department [NMED], 1999a), and incorporates comments from the NMED received on December 6, 2000 (NMED, 2000a). This February 2002 FWP describes the programmatic facility-wide approach to future investigations at Solid Waste Management Units (SWMU) and Areas of Concern (AOC) specified in the Permit. The Permittees are evaluating data from previous investigations of the SWMUs and AOCs against the most recent guidance proposed by the NMED. Based on these data, and completion of the August 2001 sampling requested by the NMED, the Permittees expect that no further sampling will be required and that a request for No Further Action (NFA) at the SWMUs and AOCs will be submitted to the NMED. This FWP addresses the current Permit requirements. It uses the results of previous investigations performed at WIPP and expands the investigations as required by the Permit. As an alternative to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) specified in Module VII of the Permit, current NMED guidance identifies an Accelerated Corrective Action Approach …

This report summarizes a preliminary study aimed at estimating the potential of saving potable water, (and the electrical energy used to heat it), that is presently lost directly to the drain while occupants wait for hot water to arrive at the faucet (point of use). Data were collected from five single-family homes in Palo Alto, California. Despite the small sample size in this study, the results make a compelling case for retrofitting homes with hot water recirculation systems to eliminate unnecessary wastage of water at the point of use. Technical as well as behavioral and attitudinal changes towards water conservation are necessary for a fulfilling and successful conservation effort. This report focuses on the technical issues, but behavioral issues are also noted, which may be factored into future studies involving local and state governments and utility companies.

As part of the internal Integrated Safety Management Assessment verification process, it was determined that there was a lack of documentation that summarizes the safety basis of the current Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) site characterization activities. It was noted that a safety basis would make it possible to establish a technically justifiable graded approach to the implementation of the requirements identified in the Standards/Requirements Identification Document. The Standards/Requirements Identification Documents commit a facility to compliance with specific requirements and, together with the hazard baseline documentation, provide a technical basis for ensuring that the public and workers are protected. This Safety Basis Report has been developed to establish and document the safety basis of the current site characterization activities, establish and document the hazard baseline, and provide the technical basis for identifying structures, systems, and components (SSCs) that perform functions necessary to protect the public, the worker, and the environment from hazards unique to the YMP site characterization activities. This technical basis for identifying SSCs serves as a grading process for the implementation of programs such as Conduct of Operations (DOE Order 5480.19) and the Suspect/Counterfeit Items Program. In addition, this report provides a consolidated summary of the hazards analyses processes …