We present results on the determination of the observable ratio R = BR(H{sup +} {yields} {tau}{sup +}{nu}{sup -})/BR(H{sup +} {yields} t{bar b}) of charged Higgs boson decay rates as a discriminant quantity between Supersymmetric and non-Supersymmetric models. Simulation of measurements of this quantity through the analysis of the charged Higgs production process gb {yields} tbH{sup +} and relative backgrounds in the two above decay channels has been performed in the context of ATLAS. A {approx} 12-14% accuracy on R can be achieved for tan {beta} = 50, m{sub H{sup {+-}}} = 300-500 GeV and after an integrated luminosity of 300 fb{sup -1}. With this precision measurement, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) can easily discriminate between models for the two above scenarios, so long as tan {beta} > 20.

The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA) and the Federal Power Act (FPA) were enacted to eliminate unfair practices and other abuses by electricity and gas holding companies by requiring federal control and regulation of interstate public utility holding companies. Comprehensive energy legislation has passed the House and Senate. The House passed H.R. 6 on April 11, 2003. On July 31, 2003, the Senate suspended debate on S. 14, inserted the text of H.R. 4 (107th Congress) as a substitute, and passed H.R. 6. A conference agreement was reached November 17, 2003, and passed by the House the next day. H.R. 6 includes an electricity title that would, in part, repeal PUHCA, would prospectively repeal the mandatory purchase requirement under PURPA, and would create an electric reliability organization. On June 15, 2004, H.R. 4503, a comprehensive energy policy bill, passed the House.

Certain radioisotopes can penetrate concrete and contaminate the concrete well below the surface. The challenge is to determine the extent and magnitude of the contamination problem in real-time. The concrete profiling technology, TRUPROSM in conjunction with portable radiometric instrumentation produces a profile of radiological or chemical contamination through the material being studied. The data quality, quantity, and representativeness may be used to produce an activity profile from the hot spot surface into the material being sampled. This activity profile may then be expanded to ultimately characterize the facility and expedite waste segregation and facility closure at a reduced cost and risk. Performing a volumetric concrete or metal characterization safer and faster (without lab intervention) is the objective of this characterization technology. This way of determining contamination can save considerable time and money. Currently, concrete core bores are shipped to certified laboratories where the concrete residue is run through a battery of tests to determine the contaminants. The existing core boring operation volatilizes or washes out some of the contaminants (like tritium) and oftentimes cross-contaminates the area around the core bore site. The volatilization of the contaminants can lead to airborne problems in the immediate vicinity of the core bore. Cross-contamination …

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This report discusses disputes in the World Trade Organization (WTO) between the United States and the European Union (EU). The report begins with an overview of the issues to be addressed, and continues with a brief description of the WTO dispute settlement process, a summary of U.S.-EU dispute settlement history, and a review of issues arising from cases of longstanding non-compliance. The report concludes with a discussion of continuing concerns and policy considerations.

This paper describes the commercial application of an innovative plasma mass separator called the Archimedes Filter to a pre-treatment plant that can be integrated into the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford and Savannah River Sites to significantly enhance the treatment of radioactive high-level waste. The output of the Archimedes Filter is completely compatible with existing waste immobilization processes such as vitrification and requires no new waste form to be developed. A full-geometric-scale Demonstration Filter Unit (DEMO) has been constructed and is undergoing initial testing at the Archimedes Technology Group Development Facilities in San Diego. Some of the technology and engineering development is being performed by other organizations in collaboration with Archimedes. The Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) is developing the plasma calcination technology and all of the associated systems for AFP feed preparation. Two Russian institutes are involved in the development of the ICP torch and injector system. The Remote System Group (UT-Battelle) at ORNL is developing the remote maintenance system for the filter units. Conceptual design of the Archimedes Filter Plant (AFP) is being developed concurrently with the DEMO testing program. The AFP mission is to significantly reduce the cost and accelerate the rate of vitrification of high-level …

As facility demolition and remediation continued at the DOE Ashtabula Environmental Management Project (AEMP), a DOE closure site located in Ashtabula, OH, the quantity of mixed waste increased by approximately twenty-fold from the original Site Treatment Plan estimates to over 567 m3 (20,000 cubic feet). Also, a greater variety of low-level mixed waste (MW) was identified that was suitable for alternate debris treatment like macroencapsulation (MACRO) instead of traditional shredding, stabilization, and solidification to improve the overall safety and cost-effectiveness. Macroencapsulation is required for lead and authorized for hazardous debris under the alternate debris treatment standards per 40 CFR 268.45. Several polymer encapsulation processes were being explored, developed, and deployed in the mid-1990's by various groups including the DOE Mixed Waste Focus Area, DOE EM-50 Office of Science and Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, DOE Macro Working Group, DOE-Albuquerque Mixed Waste/Mobile Treatment Unit, and Envirocare of Utah, Inc. As a result, technically-proven macroencapsulation and microencapsulation processes using extruded polyethylene beads were verified as being technically acceptable for waste treatment to RCRA standards. The AEMP had a variety of waste forms where technically-proven systems were needed to perform on-site treatment of challenging mixed wastes (MW) from production operations (i.e. HEPA filters, barium …

This report provides a guide to proceedings on the senate floor related to the first day of a new congress.

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The analytic cell was mainly used for process control analysis of the reprocessing process and for the measurement of fuel burn up ratio in JAERI's Reprocessing Test Facility (JRTF). The analytic cell was a heavy shielded one and equipped with a conveyor. The cell was alpha and beta(gamma)contaminated. For dismantling of analytic cells, it is very important to establish a method to remove the heavy shield safely and reduce the exposure. At first, a green house was set up to prevent the spread out of contamination, and next, the analytic cell was dismantled. Depending on the contamination condition, the workers wore protective suits such as air ventilated-suits for prevention of internal exposure and vinyl chloride aprons, lead aprons in order to reduce external exposure. From the work carried out, various data such as needed manpower for the activities, the collective dose of workers by external exposure, the amount of radioactive wastes and the relation between the weight of the shield and its dismantling efficiency were obtained and input for the database. The method of dismantling and the experience with the dismantling of the analytic cell in the JRTF, carried out during 2001 and 2002, are described in this paper.

For the conditioning of spent resins contaminated with radionuclides, such as: 137Cs, 134Cs, 60Co, 58Co, 57Co, 54Mn, etc., techniques of direct immobilization in cement, bitumen and organic polymers have been tested. The selected process was the bituminization using industrial bitumen, I 60-70, made in Romania, which had very good characteristics. The paper presents stages of the research project, technical conditions for the process and advantages of the bituminization of spent resins.

This paper describes the management of alpha waste that cannot be stored in surface repositories under current French regulations. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of COGEMA's Integrated Waste Management Strategy. The topics discussed include primary waste minimization, from facility design to operating feedback; primary waste management by the plant operator, including waste characterization; waste treatment options that led to building waste treatment industrial facilities for plutonium decontamination, compaction and cement solidification; and optimization of industrial tools, which is strongly influenced by safety and financial considerations.

Normal butylamine compounds are studied as salt-free wash reagents for degraded solvent used in PUREX process in spent fuel reprocessing. The solvent wash tests were carried out with two types of butylamine compounds, n-butylamine oxalate and n-butylamine bicarbonate, by counter-current mode using a small size mixer-settler composed of two 4-stage wash steps. Di-n-butyl phosphoric acid (HDBP), the main degradation product from TBP, was removed from real degraded solvent with decontamination factor of 2.5 {approx} 7.9. The study on electrolytic decomposition of butylamine compounds was also conducted for waste treatment.

During the past years a new cutting technology, the CAMX-process-family (Contact-Arc-Metal-X [X is for Cutting, Grinding and Drilling]) was developed at the Institute of Materials Science in Hanover. These are electro-thermal underwater separation processes for metallic structures. The CAMX technology covers the Contact-Arc-Metal- Cutting (CAMC) with a sword-like cutting electrode, the Contact-Arc-Metal-Grinding (CAMG) with a rotating electrode and the Contact-Arc-Metal-Drilling (CAMD) with a wrap mechanism to fix and carry the workpiece. There are no limitations of CAMC concerning the capability of cutting complicated structures of workpieces. Undercuts and cavities in the workpiece do not affect the CAMC. The CAMG is a separation process for straight cuts with a very high cutting speed. The CAMD is a technology to drill holes or pocket holes of any geometry. With the integrated wrap mechanism it is possible to fix and carry workpieces, which are not to handle with conventional mechanisms.

Currently no final repository for any type of radioactive waste is operated in Germany. Preliminary Final Storage Acceptance Requirements for radioactive waste packages were published in 1995. Up to now these are the basis for treatment of radioactive waste in Germany. After licensing of the final repository these preliminary waste acceptance requirements are completed with licensing conditions. Some of these conditions affect the preliminary waste acceptance requirements, e. g. behavior of chemo-toxic substances in case of accidents in the final repository or the allowed maximum concentration of fissile material. The presented examples of radioactive waste conditioning campaigns demonstrate that no difficulties are expected in management, characterization and quality assurance of radioactive wastes due to the licensing conditions.

An important step in the feasibility study of radioactive waste disposal in Boom Clay is the demonstration that we can construct galleries using industrial techniques, keeping the disturbance of the host-rock at an acceptable level for the long term safety of the disposal site. The successful construction of a connecting gallery of 85m in less than 6 weeks demonstrated the feasibility. To limit the disturbance, an expanding lining type was used: the wedge-block system; for the same reason, the lining was installed as soon as possible after excavation and a minimal excavation rate (2m/day) was imposed. The total radial convergence was limited to about 0.09m; the excavation radius was 2.445m. An extensive instrumentation and observation program accompanied the construction of the connecting gallery. Sensors measuring displacements, total pressure and pore water pressure were installed in the host rock to study the hydro-mechanical behavior of the clay when the gallery was excavated. Sensors in the tunneling shield gave information about the instantaneous convergence and excavation parameters. Strain gauges were placed in three sections of the lining to study the evolution of stresses in the lining with time. A systematic observation of the face and side-walls provided a useful database of the …

For 13 years, low-level waste (LLW) generator fees and disposal volumes for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office (NNSA/NV) Radioactive Waste Management Sites (RWMSs) had been on a veritable roller coaster ride. As forecast volumes and disposal volumes fluctuated wildly, generator fees were difficult to determine and implement. Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 forecast projections were so low, the very existence of disposal operations at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) were threatened. Providing the DOE Complex with a viable, cost-effective disposal option, while assuring the disposal site a stable source of funding, became the driving force behind the development of the Waste Generator Access Fee at the NTS. On September 26, 2000, NNSA/NV (after seeking input from DOE/Headquarters [HQ]), granted permission to Bechtel Nevada (BN) to implement the Access Fee for FY 2001 as a two-year Pilot Program. In FY 2001 (the first year the Access Fee was implemented), the NTS Disposal Operations experienced a 90 percent increase in waste receipts from the previous year and a 33 percent reduction in disposal fee charged to the waste generators. Waste receipts for FY 2002 were projected to be 63 percent higher than FY 2001 and …

This paper describes the analyses performed to determine whether or not the eleven major Department of Energy sites had adequate planning and resources available to implement their shipping baselines. The study covers only Environmental Management off-site shipments using Type B and Type A-Fissile packaging. The time frame evaluated is from 2001-2010. The results indicate issues with respect to having certified packaging for planned shipments, the packaging inventory available to support schedules, and the material sufficiently characterized to enable package selection.

This paper describes the D&D program that is being implemented at France's High Enrichment Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which was designed to supply France's Military with Highly Enriched Uranium. This plant was definitively shut down in June 1996, following French President Jacques Chirac's decision to end production of Highly Enriched Uranium and dismantle the corresponding facilities.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Energy and Water.

This project developed a single material approach to reducing nuclear waste volume based on a chemically functionalized porous silica that is termed Diphosil. Diphosil was created by Chiarizia and coworkers as an ion exchange medium that selectively and nearly irreversibly sorbs highly charged metal ions, such as actinides, from appreciably acidic aqueous solutions and a version of it is now commercially available. The chelating power of Diphosil is due to diphosphonic acid groups that are anchored to its silica surface via organic spacer groups. Approximately 90% of the weight of dry Diphosil is silica (SiO{sub 2}). Vitreous silica is one of the most radiation resistant glasses known.

In this paper we use numerical simulation to investigate shock-induced ignition and combustion of a hydrocarbon gas. The focus of this paper is on quantifying the effect of fidelity in the chemical kinetics on the overall solution. We model the system using the compressible Navier Stokes equations for a reacting mixture. These equations express conservation of species mass, momentum, total energy.

We present three-dimensional, time-dependent simulations of a full-size laboratory-scale rod-stabilized premixed turbulent V-flame. The computations use an adaptive projection method based on a low Mach number formulation that incorporates detailed chemical kinetics and transport. The simulations are performed without introducing models for turbulence or turbulence chemistry interaction. We outline the numerical procedure and experimental setup, and compare computed results to mean flame location and surface wrinkling statistics gathered from experiment.

In this paper we discuss the application of a new diagnostic tool for analysis of flame simulations. This methodology is based on following specific chemical elements, e.g., carbon or nitrogen, as they move through the system. From this perspective an ''atom'' is a component of a molecule that is being transported through the simulation domain by advection and diffusion. Reactions cause the atom to shift from one species to another with the subsequent transport of the atom determined by the movement of the new species.