The proposed research project consists of an integrated, two-stage fermentation and a highly energy-efficient product separation scheme. In the first fermentation, Butyribacterium methylotrophicum converts carbon monoxide (CO) into butyric acid and acetic acids which are then converted into butanol, ethanol, and a small amount of acetone in the second stage fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum. An advanced separation system process, based on pervaporation, removes the alcohols from the fermentation broth as they are formed, along with some of the hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S), to minimize possible inhibition of the fermentations. This bioconversion process offers a critical advantage over conventional, catalytic processes for synthesis gas conversion: the microorganisms are several orders of magnitude more sulfur tolerant than metallic catalysts. The catalysts require sulfur removal to the parts per million level, while the microorganisms are unaffected by H{sub 2}S and carbonyl sulfide (COS) at one part per hundred--roughly the composition of sulfur in raw synthesis gas. During the two-year course of this project, the following major objectives have been accomplished: demonstrated long-term cell recycle of continuous fermentation of synthesis gas; demonstrated cell immobilization of Butyribacterium methylotrophicum; identified trickle-bed reactor as a viable alternative fermentation method; modulated metabolic pathways to increase C4 formation during …

The present status of solar neutrino experiments is reviewed. The discrepancy between the experimental results and the theoretical expectations has come to be known as the Solar Neutrino Problem. Possible solutions to this problem are discussed. The next generation of solar neutrino experiments are described.

This report will provide a summary report of work performed under Subcontract B324681 from November 1 through December 14, 1995 and covers work relevant to Subtasks 1-11. The work performed under this contract was presented and reviewed at the NIF Radiation Sciences Users Group meeting held on November 29-30. Present where senior representatives from the NIF Project, the DOE Office of the NIF, the DOE ICF program, and the Defense Nuclear Agency. This report is divided into seven sections, not including the Introduction to include; Potential Test Capability, Operational Scenarios, Facilitization Issues, Security Issues, Performance/Cost/Risk Considerations, a Summary of Requested Modifications to the NIF and finally, Conclusions. Within each section will be a short narrative and a copy of the view graph presentation.

The Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and Environmental Systems Corporation (ESC) have collaborated on an effort to develop the optical system for an enhanced particulate emission monitor. The purpose of this effort was to assist a small East Tennessee company in perfecting an instrument that would meet or exceed the performance of competing foreign instruments and provide measurement capabilities necessary to assure compliance of Department of Energy facilities and other industrial facilities with expected EPA regulations. The two parties collaborated on design, assembly, and bench testing of the prototype instrument. The prototype system was targeted to have the capability for measuring micron size particles in concentrations as low as 10 micrograms per cubic meter and to have the added benefit of improving sampling statistics (i.e. measurements will be made over larger regions of the stack) over current instruments. Project deliverables were a prototype optical system and characterization data.

The equations of motion describing turbulent flows (in both the low and high Reynolds-number regimes) are well established. However, present day computers cannot meet the enormous computational requirement for numerically solving the governing equations for common engineering flows in the high Reynolds number turbulent regime. The characteristics that make turbulent, high Reynolds number flows difficult to simulate is the extreme range of time and space scales of motion. Most current engineering calculations are performed using semi-empirical equations, developed in terms of the flow mean (average) properties. These turbulence{open_quote} models{close_quote} (semi-empirical/analytical approximations) do not explicitly account for the eddy structures and thus, the temporal and spatial flow fluctuations are not resolved. In these averaging approaches, it is necessary to approximate all the turbulent structures using semi-empirical relations, and as a result, the turbulence models must be tailored for specific flow conditions and geometries with parameters obtained (usually) from physical experiments. The motivation for this research is the development of a finite element turbulence modeling approach which will ultimately be used to predict the wind flow around buildings. Accurate turbulence models of building flow are needed to predict the dispersion of airborne pollutants. The building flow turbulence models used today are not …

ARIES {number_sign}1 (Autonomous Robotic Inspection Experimental System), has been developed for the Department of Energy to survey and inspect drums containing low-level radioactive waste stored in warehouses at DOE facilities. The drums are typically stacked four high and arranged in rows with three-foot aisle widths. The robot will navigate through the aisles and perform an inspection operation, typically performed by a human operator, making decisions about the condition of the drums and maintaining a database of pertinent information about each drum. A new version of the Cybermotion series of mobile robots is the base mobile vehicle for ARIES. The new Model K3A consists of an improved and enhanced mobile platform and a new turret that will permit turning around in a three-foot aisle. Advanced sonar and lidar systems were added to improve navigation in the narrow drum aisles. Onboard computer enhancements include a VMEbus computer system running the VxWorks real-time operating system. A graphical offboard supervisory UNIX workstation is used for high-level planning, control, monitoring, and reporting. A camera positioning system (CPS) includes primitive instructions for the robot to use in referencing and positioning the payload. The CPS retracts to a more compact position when traveling in the open warehouse. …

This report contains a number of studies that were performed to better understand the technology of the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. Topics of investigation include the following: diesel fuel degradation by Rhodococcus erythropolis; BTEX degradation by soil isolates; aerobic degradation of diesel fuel-respirometry; aerobic degradation of diesel fuel-shake culture; aerobic toluene degradation by A3; effect of HEPES, B1, and myo-inositol addition on the growth of A3; aerobic and anaerobic toluene degradation by contaminated soils; denitrifying bacteria MPNs; sulfate-reducing bacteria MPNs; and aerobic, DNB and SRB enrichments.

In earlier studies, zinc ferrite and zinc titanate were developed as regenerable sorbents capable of removing hydrogen sulfide from hot fuel gases originating from coal gasification. Manganese ore as well as manganese carbonate, precipitated from aqueous solutions, combined with alumina to form indurated pellets hold promise of being a highly-effective, inexpensive, regenerable sorbent for hot fuel gases. Although the thermodynamics for sulfur removal by manganese predicts somewhat higher hydrogen sulfide over-pressures (i.e. poorer degree of desulfurization) than can be accomplished with zinc-based sorbents, zinc tends to be reduced to the metallic state under coal gasification conditions resulting in loss of capacity and reactivity by volatilization of reactive surfaces. This volatilization phenomenon limits the temperatures for which desulfurization can be effectively accomplished to less than 500 C for zinc ferrite and 700 C for zinc titanate; whereas, manganese-based sorbents can be utilized at temperatures well in temperatures exceeding 700 C. Also the regeneration of manganese-based pellets under oxidizing conditions may be superior to that of zinc titanate since they can be loaded from a simulated reducing coal-derived gas and then be regenerated at higher temperatures (up to 1,300 C). The topics that will be addressed by this study include: preparation of …

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has conducted a study of the proposed National Biomedical Tracer Facility (NBTF). In collaboration with General Atomics, RUST International, Coleman Research Corporation (CRC), IsoMed, Ernst and Young and the advisory committees, they have examined the issues relevant to the NBTF in terms of facility design, operating philosophy, and a business plan. They have utilized resources within UAB, CRC and Chem-Nuclear to develop recommendations on environmental, safety and health issues. The Institute of Medicine Panel`s Report on Isotopes for Medicine and the Life Sciences took the results of prior workshops further in developing recommendations for the mission of the NBTF. The IOM panel recommends that the NBTF accelerator have the capacity to accelerate protons to 80 MeV and a minimum of 750 microamperes of current. The panel declined to recommend a cyclotron or a linac. They emphasized a clear focus on research and development for isotope production including target design, separation chemistry and generator development. The facility needs to emphasize education and training in its mission. The facility must focus on radionuclide production for the research and clinical communities. The formation of a public-private partnership resembling the TRIUMF-Nordion model was encouraged. An advisory panel …

The Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility (MWTF) East site will be constructed on the west side of the 200E area and the MWTF West site will be constructed in the SW quadrant of the 200W site in the Hanford Area. This is a description of facility hazards that site personnel or the general public could potentially be exposed to during operation. A list of preliminary Design Basis Accidents was developed.

This interim safety basis provides the necessary information to conclude that hazards at the Central Waste Complex are controlled and that current and planned activities at the CWC can be conducted safely. CWC is a multi-facility complex within the Solid Waste Management Complex that receives and stores most of the solid wastes generated and received at the Hanford Site. The solid wastes that will be handled at CWC include both currently stored and newly generated low-level waste, low-level mixed waste, contact-handled transuranic, and contact-handled TRU mixed waste.

The erosion behavior of weld overlay coatings has been studied. Eleven weld overlay alloys were deposited on 1018 steel substrates using the plasma arc welding process and erosion tested at 400{degrees}C at 90{degrees} and 30{degrees} particle impact angles. The microstructure of each coating was characterized before erosion testing. A relative ranking of the coatings erosion resistance was developed by determining the steady state erosion rates. Ultimet, Inconel-625, and 316L SS coatings showed the best erosion resistance at both impact angles. It was found that weld overlays that exhibit good abrasion resistance did not show good erosion resistance. Erosion tests were also performed for selected wrought materials with chemical composition similar to weld overlays. Eroded surfaces of the wrought and weld alloys were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Microhardness tests were performed on the eroded samples below the erosion surface to determine size of the plastically deformed region. It was found that one group of coatings experienced significant plastic deformation as a result of erosion while the other did not. It was also established that, in the steady state erosion regime, the size of the plastically deformed region is constant.

The Yucca Mountain Project is one part of the Department of Energy`s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program (the Program) which was established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, and as amended in 1987. The Program`s goal is to site the nation`s first geologic repository for the permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste, in the form of spent fuel rod assemblies, generated by the nuclear power industry and a smaller quantity of Government radioactive waste. The Program, which also encompasses the transportation system and the multipurpose canister system was not the subject of this Report. The subject of this Review was only the Yucca Mountain Project in Nevada. While the Review was directed toward the Yucca Mountain Project rather than the Program as a whole, there are certain elements of the Project which cannot be addressed except through discussion of some Program issues. An example is the Total System Life Cycle Cost addressed in Section 7 of this report. Where Program issues are discussed in this Report, the reader is reminded of the scope limitations of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) contract to review only the Yucca Mountain Project. The primary scope of the …

Historical Tank Content Estimate of the Southeast Quadrant provides historical evaluations on a tank by tank basis of the radioactive mixed wastes stored in the underground double-shell tanks of the Hanford 200 East and West Areas. This report summarizes historical information such as waste history, temperature profiles, psychrometric data, tank integrity, inventory estimates and tank level history on a tank by tank basis. Tank Farm aerial photos and in- tank photos of each tank are provided. A brief description of instrumentation methods used for waste tank surveillance are included. Components of the data management effort, such as Waste Status and Transaction Record Summary, Tank Layer Model, Supernatant Mixing Model, Defined Waste Types, and Inventory Estimates which generate these tank content estimates, are also given in this report.

This Criticality Safety Evaluation Report (CSER) covers the 340 Facility which acts as a collecting point for liquid and solid waste from various facilities in the 300 Area. Criticality safety is achieved by controlling the amount and concentration of the fissionable material sent to the 340 Facility from the originating facilities in the 300 Area, a method similar to that used elsewhere at Hanford for the waste tank farms. Unlike those, however, the waste received at the 340 Facility will be far less radioactive. It is concluded that present operations meet the two contingency criterion. The facility will still be safely subcritical even after two independent and concurrent failures (either of equipment or administrative controls). The solid waste storage and liquid waste will be managed separately. The solid waste storage area is classified as exempt because it contains less than 15 grams of fissionable materials. The Radioactive Liquid Waste System is classified as isolated because it contains less than one third of a minimum critical mass. The criticality safety of the 340 Facility devoted to the Radioactive Liquid Waste System (RLWS) is assured by the form and concentration of the fissile material and could also be classified as a limited …

This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) describes the quality assurance (QA) requirements for sampling, analysis, equipment, and data reporting for the 183 KE Potable Water Facility.

The objective of this project was to build and test the Field Grid Sense system for yield mapping and machine control during harvesting. Secondly, to use Field Grid Sense system with chemical application equipment to demonstrate a workable in-field system. This document contains summarized quarterly reports.

This document presents sampling data resulting from the December 16, 1994, sampling of SST 241-TX-118 using the vapor sampling system.

The emission flux (mass/time-area) of tritiated water from TA-54 was measured to support the characterization of radioactive air emissions from waste sites for the Radioactive Air Emissions Management (RAEM) program and for the Area G Performance Assessment. Measurements were made at over 180 locations during the summers of 1993 and 1994, including randomly selected locations across Area G, three suspected areas of contamination at Area G, and the property surrounding TA-54. The emission fluxes of radon were measured at six locations and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at 30 locations. Monitoring was performed at each location over a several-hour period using the U.S. EPA flux chamber approach. Separate samples for tritiated water, radon, and VOCs were collected and analyzed in off-site laboratories. The measured tritiated water emission fluxes varied over several orders of magnitude, from background levels of about 3 pCi/m{sup 2}-min to 9.69 x 10{sup 6} pCi/m{sup 2}-min near a disposal shaft. Low levels of tritiated water were found to have migrated into Pajarito Canyon, directly south of Area G. The tritium flux data were used to generate an estimated annual emission rate of 14 Curies/yr for all of Area G, with the majority of this activity being emitted from …

This document presents sampling data resulting from the October 26, 1994, sampling of SST 241-BY-107 using the Vapor Sampling System.

This Functional Description for the Worldwide Port System (WPS) Regional Integrated Cargo Database (ICDB) documents the purpose of and requirements for the ICDB in order to ensure a mutual understanding between the development group and the user group of the system. This Functional Description defines ICDB and provides a clear statement of the initial operational capability to be developed.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was created pursuant to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of December 22, 1975 (Public Law 94-163). Its purposes are to reduce the impact of disruptions in supplies of petroleum products and to carry out obligations of the United States under the Agreement on an International Energy Program. Section 165(a) of the Act requires the submission of Annual Reports and Section 165(b)(1) requires the submission of Quarterly Reports. This Quarterly Report highlights activities undertaken during the third quarter of calendar year 1995, including: inventory of petroleum products stored in the Reserve; current storage capacity and ullage available; current status of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage facilities, major projects and the acquisition of petroleum products; funds obligated by the Secretary from the SPR Petroleum Account and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Account during the prior calendar quarter and in total; and major environmental actions completed, in progress, or anticipated.

Original objective of this project was to retrofit the Balice Boilerhouse with a TCS Coal Micronization system and Amerex baghouses to achieve higher combustion efficiencies and lower air emission, including SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, CO and particulate matter. The Balice Boilerhouse is located adjacent to the Krakow Airport and provides heating steam for the Polish Military Unit No. 1616. In May 1995 the Polish Military announced it had decided to convert its boiler house to gas; thus cancelling the TCS Project. The balance of 1995 was spent considering alternative Project sites in Krakow for the application of the TCS coal Micronization technology.

This document describes the software that controls the void fraction instrument. The format of the document may differ from typical Software Design Reports because it was created with a graphical programming language. Hardware is described in Section 2. The purpose of this document is describe the software, so the hardware description is brief. Software is described in Section 3. LabVIEW was used to develop the viscometer software, so Section 3 begins with an introduction to LabVIEW. This is followed by a description of the main program. Finally each Westinghouse developed subVI (sub program) is discussed.