InN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy have been subjected to 2 MeV He{sup +} irradiation followed by thermal annealing. Theoretical analysis of the electron mobilities shows that thermal annealing removes triply charged donor defects, creating films with electron mobilities approaching those predicted for uncompensated, singly charged donors. Optimum thermal annealing of irradiated InN can be used to produce samples with electron mobilities higher than those of as grown films.

Near-monodisperse Ni{sub 1-x}Cu{sub x} (x = 0.2-0.8) bimetallic nanocrystals were synthesized by a one-pot thermolysis approach in oleylamine/1-octadecene, using metal acetylacetonates as precursors. The nanocrystals form large-area 2D superlattices, and display a catalytic synergistic effect in the hydrolysis of NaBH{sub 4} to generate H{sub 2} at x = 0.5 in a strongly basic medium. The Ni{sub 0.5}Cu{sub 0.5} nanocrystals show the lowest activation energy, and also exhibit the highest H{sub 2} generation rate at 298 K.

GWPC, DOGGR, and other state agencies propose to build eBusiness applications based on a .NET front-end user interface for the DOE's Energy 100 Award-winning Risk Based Data Management System (RBDMS) data source and XML Web services. This project will slash the costs of regulatory compliance by automating routine regulatory reporting and permit notice review and by making it easier to exchange data with the oil and gas industry--especially small, independent operators. Such operators, who often do not have sophisticated in-house databases, will be able to use a subset of the same RBDMS tools available to the agencies on the desktop to file permit notices and production reports online. Once the data passes automated quality control checks, the application will upload the data into the agency's RBDMS data source. The operators also will have access to state agency datasets to focus exploration efforts and to perform production forecasting, economic evaluations, and risk assessments. With the ability to identify economically feasible oil and gas prospects, including unconventional plays, over the Internet, operators will minimize travel and other costs. Because GWPC will coordinate these data sharing efforts with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), this project will improve access to public lands and …

The pore-scale effects of seismic stimulation on two-phase flow are modeled numerically in random 2D grain0pack geometries. Seismic stimulation aims to enhance oil production by sending seismic waves across a reservoir to liberate immobile patches of oil. For seismic amplitudes above a well-defined (analytically expressed) dimensionless criterion, the force perturbation associated with the waves indeed can liberate oil trapped on capillary barriers and get it flowing again under the background pressure gradient. Subsequent coalescence of the freed oil droplets acts to enhance oil movement further because longer bubbles overcome capillary barriers more efficiently than shorter bubbles do. Poroelasticity theory defines the effective force that a seismic wave adds to the background fluid-pressure gradient. The lattice-Boltzmann model in two dimensions is used to perform pore-scale numerical simulations. Dimensionless numbers (groups of material and force parameters) involved in seismic stimulation are defined carefully so that numerical simulations can be applied to field-scale conditions. Using the analytical criteria defined in the paper, there is a significant range of reservoir conditions over which seismic stimulation can be expected to enhance oil production.

COGEMA Engineering Corporation (COGEMA), under a contract from CH2M Hill Hanford Group (CH2M Hill), has performed an ultrasonic nondestructive examination of selected portions of Double-Shell Tank 241-SY-101. The purpose of this examination was to provide information that could be used to evaluate the integrity of the wall of the primary tank. The requirements for the ultrasonic examination of Tank 241-SY-101 were to detect, characterize (identify, size, and locate), and record measurements made of any wall thinning, pitting, or cracks that might be present in the wall of the primary tank. Any measurements that exceed the requirements set forth in the Engineering Task Plan (ETP), RPP-17750 (Jensen 2003) and summarized on page 1 of this document, are reported to CH2M Hill and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for further evaluation. Under the contract with CH2M Hill, all data is to be recorded on disk and paper copies of all measurements are provided to PNNL for third-party evaluation. PNNL is responsible for preparing a report that describes the results of the COGEMA ultrasonic examinations.

This paper focuses on a numerical procedure that addresses the difficulties of dealing with large, finite arrays while preserving the generality and robustness of full-wave methods. We present a fast method based on approximating interactions between sufficiently separated array elements via a relatively coarse interpolation of the Green's function on a uniform grid commensurate with the array's periodicity. The interaction between the basis and testing functions is reduced to a three-stage process. The first stage is a projection of standard (e.g., RWG) subdomain bases onto a set of interpolation functions that interpolate the Green's function on the array face. This projection, which is used in a matrix/vector product for each array cell in an iterative solution process, need only be carried out once for a single cell and results in a low-rank matrix. An intermediate stage matrix/vector product computation involving the uniformly sampled Green's function is of convolutional form in the lateral (transverse) directions so that a 2D FFT may be used. The final stage is a third matrix/vector product computation involving a matrix resulting from projecting testing functions onto the Green's function interpolation functions; the low-rank matrix is either identical to (using Galerkin's method) or similar to that for …

This study evaluates and identifies a construction method for cutting a hole in a single-shell tank dome. This study also identifies and evaluates vendors for performing the cut.

Non-targeted (bystander) effects of ionizing radiation are caused by intercellular signaling; they include production of DNA damage and alterations in cell fate (i.e. apoptosis, differentiation, senescence or proliferation). Biophysical models capable of quantifying these effects may improve cancer risk estimation at radiation doses below the epidemiological detection threshold. Understanding the spatial patterns of bystander responses is important, because it provides estimates of how many bystander cells are affected per irradiated cell. In a first approach to modeling of bystander spatial effects in a three-dimensional artificial tissue, we assumed the following: (1) The bystander phenomenon results from signaling molecules (S) that rapidly propagate from irradiated cells and decrease in concentration (exponentially in the case of planar symmetry) as distance increases. (2) These signals can convert cells to a long-lived epigenetically activated state, e.g. a state of oxidative stress; cells in this state are more prone to DNA damage and behavior alterations than normal and therefore exhibit an increased response (R) for many end points (e.g. apoptosis, differentiation, micronucleation). These assumptions were implemented by a mathematical formalism and computational algorithms. The model adequately described data on bystander responses in the 3D system using a small number of adjustable parameters. Mathematical models of …

This report focuses on lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology applications for two- and possibly three-wheeled vehicles. The author of this report visited the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) to assess the status of Li-ion battery technology there and to analyze Chinese policies, regulations, and incentives for using this technology and for using two- and three-wheeled vehicles. Another objective was to determine if the Li-ion batteries produced in China were available for benchmarking in the United States. The United States continues to lead the world in Li-ion technology research and development (R&D). Its strong R&D program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Department of Defense. In Asia, too, developed countries like China, Korea, and Japan are commercializing and producing this technology. In China, more than 120 companies are involved in producing Li-ion batteries. There are more than 139 manufacturers of electric bicycles (also referred to as E-bicycles, electric bikes or E-bikes, and electric two-wheelers or ETWs in this report) and several hundred suppliers. Most E-bikes use lead acid batteries, but there is a push toward using Li-ion battery technology for two- and …

The purpose of this report is to establish radiological acceptance criteria for uranium. Other factors for acceptance not considered include criticality safety concerns, contaminants to the process stream, and impacts to the Safety Basis for the affected facilities. Three types of criteria were developed in this report. They include limits on external penetrating and non-penetrating radiation and on the internal hazard associated with inhalation of the material. These criteria are intended to alleviate the need for any special controls beyond what are normally utilized for worker protection from uranium hazards. Any proposed exceptions would require case-by-case evaluations to determine cost impacts and feasibility. Since Y-12 has set rigorous ALARA goals for worker doses, the external limits are based on assumptions of work time involved in the movement of accepted material plus the desire that external doses normally received are not exceeded, and set so that no special personnel monitoring would be required. Internal hazard controls were established so that dose contributions from non-uranium nuclides would not exceed 10% of that expected from the uranium component. This was performed using a Hazard Index (HI) previously established for work in areas contaminated with non-uranium nuclides. The radiological acceptance criteria for uranium are …

Spectral line shapes and intensities are used for obtaining information on the various regions of magnetic fusion devices. Emission from low principal quantum numbers of hydrogen isotopes is analyzed for understanding the complex recycling mechanism. Lines emitted from high principal quantum numbers of hydrogen and helium are dominated by Stark effect, allowing an electronic density diagnostic in the divertor. Intensities of lines emitted by impurities are fitted for a better knowledge of ion transport in the confined plasma.

This is a summary of work done over two months in the summer of 2005, which was devoted to improving the radiation code of IMPACT, the LLNL 3D global atmospheric chemistry and aerosol model. Most of the work concerned the addition and testing of new cloud optical property routines designed to work with CAM3 meteorological data, and the comparison of CAM3 with the results of IMPACT runs using meteorological data from CAM3 and MACCM3. Additional related work done in the course of these main tasks will be described as necessary.

None

This dissertation discusses a data collection experiment within the Actinide Isomer Identification project (AID). The AID project is the investigation of an active interrogation technique that utilizes nuclear isomer production, with the goal of assisting in the interdiction of illicit nuclear materials. In an attempt to find and characterize isomers belonging to 235U and its fission fragments, a 232Th target was bombarded with a monoenergetic 6Li ion beam, operating at 45 MeV.

The Weather and Research Forecast (WRF) model version 3.0.1 is used to explore California wintertime model wet bias. In this study, two wintertime storms are selected from each of four major types of large-scale conditions; Pineapple Express, El Nino, La Nina, and synoptic cyclones. We test the impacts of several model configurations on precipitation bias through comparison with three sets of gridded surface observations; one from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and two variations from the University of Washington (without and with long-term trend adjustment; UW1 and UW2, respectively). To simplify validation, California is divided into 4 regions (Coast, Central Valley, Mountains, and Southern California). Simulations are driven by North American Regional Reanalysis data to minimize large-scale forcing error. Control simulations are conducted with 12-km grid spacing (low resolution) but additional experiments are performed at 2-km (high) resolution to evaluate the robustness of microphysics and cumulus parameterizations to resolution changes. We find that the choice of validation dataset has a significant impact on the model wet bias, and the forecast skill of model precipitation depends strongly on geographic location and storm type. Simulations with right physics options agree better with UW1 observations. In 12-km resolution simulations, the Lin microphysics …

The goals of the first six months of this project were to begin laying the foundations for both the SiC front-end optical chip fabrication techniques for high pressure gas species sensing as well as the design, assembly, and test of a portable high pressure high temperature calibration test cell chamber for introducing gas species. This calibration cell will be used in the remaining months for proposed first stage high pressure high temperature gas species sensor experimentation and data processing. All these goals have been achieved and are described in detail in the report. Both design process and diagrams for the mechanical elements as well as the optical systems are provided. Photographs of the fabricated calibration test chamber cell, the optical sensor setup with the calibration cell, the SiC sample chip holder, and relevant signal processing mathematics are provided. Initial experimental data from both the optical sensor and fabricated test gas species SiC chips is provided. The design and experimentation results are summarized to give positive conclusions on the proposed novel high temperature high pressure gas species detection optical sensor technology.

None

Preparations are being made by the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) to blend Sludge Batch 2 (SB2) with Sludge Batch 3 (SB3) (blend referred to as SB2/3), and implement a frit change from Frit 320 to Frit 418. A series of dry-fed tests have been performed to investigate the effect of waste loading (WL) on the melt rate of the SB2/3-Frit 418 system. As was observed in the SB2-Frit 320 system, dry-fed melt rate furnace (MRF) tests of the SB2/3-Frit 418 system showed that melt rate decreased as the waste loading increased (WL range of 31-43 per cent tested). In addition, waste throughput of the SB2/3-Frit 418 system reached a peak (at approximately 34 per cent WL) with increased waste loading before steadily decreasing (based on MRF tests). Based on this testing, the Immobilization Technology Section (ITS) recommends that the waste loading starting point for DWPF should be approximately 34 per cent when the processing of the SB2/3 begins with Frit 418. The current target waste loading for DWPF is 34 per cent with SB2-Frit 320, and the results from this testing do not indicate any reasons to reduce this target. Then after a period of steady processing,incrementally higher waste …

It was recently discovered that waste being disposed of onsite contained radionuclides that had not been analyzed by the Performance Assessment (PA). These radionuclides had been eliminated from the PA in an earlier screening evaluation because they were not expected to be contained in SRS-generated waste or that received from offsite generators. This Special Analysis (SA) is being prepared to establish the screening criteria and level of evaluation for all radionuclides potentially significant to a Low Level Waste PA or Composite Analysis (CA). The screening methodology recommended by the National Council on Radiological Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has been used to identify those radionuclides that require detailed analysis to derive disposal limits. Of the approximately 2800 radionuclides, a total of 826 were considered by the NCRP to be potentially significant. Approximately 686 radionuclides were eliminated from this analysis due to their short half-life or other properties. Approximately 40 of the 140 remaining radionuclides have been analyzed in the existing PA and waste acceptance criteria established. This SA develops the screening criteria and establishes trigger values to be used to determine the level of analysis required for those radionuclides not analyzed in PA. The results of the SA identified 20 radionuclides …

Evaporation is employed in several places in the Waste Treatment Plant pretreatment process to minimize the volume of waste that must be treated in down-stream vitrification processes. Evaporation is the first unit process in pretreatment (Waste Feed Evaporators), applied before LAW vitrification (Treated Feed Evaporator), and concentrates ion exchange eluate (Cs Eluate Evaporator) prior to HLW vitrification. The goal of the Treated Feed Evaporation process is removal of the maximum water content without producing additional insoluble solids. Prior testing of evaporation systems for process feed was completed to support compliance with regulatory permits and to prepare a model of the evaporation system. These tests also indicated a marked tendency for foaming in the WTP evaporators. To date, evaporation testing and modeling have focused on the Treated feed and Cs eluate evaporation systems. This has been the first work performed that investigates evaporation of secondary-waste recycle streams in the Treated LAW Feed Evaporator. Secondary-waste recycles from the LAW off- gas scrubbing system have been the major contributors to the overall Treated Feed Evaporator recycle volume. Experience from Savannah River Site operations suggests that the introduction of silica- laden recycles to an evaporator along with high-sodium treated LAW can significantly increase the …

A number of low-level waste containers that also have PCBs in them contain radionuclides that have not been analyzed in a Performance Assessment. A simple bounding analysis (i.e.,assigning the most restrictive of the trench radionuclide limits to each of the unanalyzed radionuclides and adjusting for differences in Maximum Contaminant Level for selected radionuclides) shows that disposal of these radionuclides will not compromise performance objectives. One intent as expressed in the performance assessment/composite analysis guidance is to ensure that proposed or discovered changes in wasteforms, containers, radionuclide inventories, facility design, and operations are reviewed to ensure that the assumptions, results, and conclusions of the approved Performance Assessment (PA), and Composite Analysis (CA), as well as any Special Analyses (SA) that might have been performed, remain valid (i.e., that the proposed change is bounded by the PA and CA) and the changes are within the bounds of the Disposal Authorization Statement (DAS). The goal is to provide flexibility in day-to-day operation and to require those issues with a significant impact on the PA's conclusions, and therefore the projected compliance with performance objectives/measures, to be identified and brought to the proper level of attention. It should be noted that the term performance measure …

This Determination of Importance Evaluation (DIE) applies to the Subsurface Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), encompassing the Topopah Spring (TS) Loop from Station 0+00 meters (m) at the North Portal to breakthrough at the South Portal (approximately 78+77 m), and ancillary test and operation support areas including the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) Cross Drift. This evaluation applies specifically to site characterization testing activities ongoing and planned in the Subsurface ESF. ESF site characterization activities are being performed to obtain the information necessary to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Site is suitable as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. A more detailed description of these testing activities is provided in Section 6 of this DIE. Generally, the construction and operation of excavations associated with these testing activities are evaluated in the DIE for the Subsurface ESF (CRWMS M&O 1999a) and the DIE for the ESF ECRB Cross Drift (CRWMS M&O 2000a). The scope of this DIE also entails the proposed Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Transport Test at Busted Butte. Although, not a part of the TS Loop or ECRB Cross Drift, the associated testing activities are Subsurface testing activities. Busted Butte is located to the …

DWPF Engineering personnel requested that a new minimum backup film cooler air flow rate, which will meet the off-gas safety basis limits for both normal and seismic sludge-only operations, be calculated when the air purge to the borescope cameras is isolated from the melter. Specifically, it was requested that the latest calculations which were used to set the off-gas flammability safety bases for the sludge batch 2 and 3 feeds be revised, while maintaining all other process variables affecting off-gas flammability such as total organic carbon (TOC), feed rate, melter air purges, and vapor space temperature at their current respective maximum or minimum limits. Before attempting to calculate the new minimum backup film cooler air flow, some of the key elements of the combustion model were reviewed, and it was determined that the current minimum backup film cooler air flow of 233 lb/hr is adequate to satisfy the off-gas flammability safety bases for both normal and seismic operations i n the absence of any borescope camera air purge. It is, therefore, concluded that there is no need to revise the reference E-7 calculations. This conclusion is in essence based on the fact that the current minimum backup film cooler air …

A CRYOGENIC RESEARCH APPARATUS TO MEASURE THE MOVEMENT OF ELECTRONS UNDER A HIGH ELECTRIC FIELD IN A LIQUID HELIUM BATH WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT AT THE BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY AND THE NEVIS LABORATORY OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. THE LIQUID HELIUM CHAMBER IS A DOUBLE WALLED CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER EQUIPPED WITH 5 OPTICS WINDOWS AND 10 HIGH VOLTAGE CABLES. TO SHIELD THE LIQUID HELIUM CHAMBER AGAINST THE EXTERNAL HEAT LOADS AND TO PROVIDE THE THERMAL UNIFORMITY IN THE LIQUID HELIUM CHAMBER, THE DOUBLE WALLED JACKET WAS COOLED BY A PUMPED HELIUM BATH. THE HELIUM CHAMBER WAS BUILT INTO A COMMERICAL LN2 / LHE CRYOSTAT. THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE DESIGN AND THE NUMERICAL SIMULATION ANALYSIS ON THERMAL UNIFORMITY OF THE ELECTRON BUBBLE CHAMBER.