Now algorithms were investigated for image reconstruction in emission tomography which could incorporate complex instrumental effects such as might be obtained with a coded aperture system. The investigation focused on possible uses of the wavelet transform to handle non-stationary instrumental effects and analytic continuation of the Radon transform to handle self-absorption. Neither investigation was completed during the funding period and whether such algorithms will be useful remains an open question.

This document presents the functional design criteria for installing liquid observation wells (LOWs) into single-shell tanks containing ferrocyanide wastes. The LOWs will be designed to accommodate the deployment of gamma, neutron, and electromagnetic induction probes and to interface with the existing tank structure and environment.

Electrometallurgical treatment is a compact, inexpensive method that is being developed at Argonne National Laboratory to deal with spent nuclear fuel, primarily metallic and oxide fuels. In this method, metallic nuclear fuel constituents are electrorefined in a molten salt to separate uranium from the rest of the spent fuel. Oxide and other fuels are subjected to appropriate head end steps to convert them to metallic form prior to electrorefining. The treatment process generates two kinds of high-level waste--a metallic and a ceramic waste. Isolation of these wastes has been developed as an integral part of the process. The wastes arise directly from the electrorefiner, and waste streams do not contain large quantities of solvent or other process fluids. Consequently, waste volumes are small and waste isolation processes can be compact and rapid. This paper briefly summarizes waste isolation processes then describes development and characterization of the two waste forms in more detail.

Flux-grown ScPO{sub 4} single crystals exhibit a number of luminescence bands in their x-ray-excited luminescence spectra - including sharp lines arising from rare-earth elements plus a number of broad bands at 5.6 cV, 4.4 eV, and 3 eV. The band at 5.6 eV was attributed to a self-trapped exciton (STE) [l], and it could be excited at 7 eV and higher energies. This luminescence is strongly polarized (P = 70 %) along the optical axes of the crystal and exhibits a kinetic decay time constant that varies from several ns at room temperature to {approximately}10 {micro}s at 60 K and up to {approximately}1 ms at 10 K. It is assumed that the STE is localized on the SC ions. The band at 3 eV can be excited in the range of the ScPO{sub 4} crystal transparency (decay time = 3 to 4 {micro}s.) This band is attributed to a lead impurity that creates different luminescence centers. At high temperatures, the band at 4.4 eV is dominant in the x-ray-excited TSL and afterglow spectra. Its intensity increases with irradiation time beginning at zero at the initial irradiation time. The 4.4 eV band does not appear in a fast process under a …

A portable, autonomous, hand-held chemical laboratory ({micro}ChemLab{trademark}) is being developed for trace detection (ppb) of chemical warfare (CW) agents and explosives in real-world environments containing high concentrations of interfering compounds. Microfabrication is utilized to provide miniature, low-power components that are characterized by rapid, sensitive and selective response. Sensitivity and selectivity are enhanced using two parallel analysis channels, each containing the sequential connection of a front-end sample collector/concentrator, a gas chromatographic (GC) separator, and a surface acoustic wave (SAW) detector. Component design and fabrication and system performance are described.

The DART code is based upon a thermomechanical model that can predict swelling, recrystallization, fuel-meat interdiffusion and other issues related with MTR dispersed FE behavior under irradiation. As a part of a common effort to develop an optimized version of DART, a comparison between DART predictions and CNEA miniplates irradiation experimental data was made. The irradiation took place during 1981-82 for U3O8 miniplates and 1985-86 for U{sub 3}Si{sub x} at Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR). The microphotographs were studied by means of IMAWIN 3.0 Image Analysis Code and different fission gas bubbles distributions were obtained. Also it was possible to find and identify different morphologic zones. In both kinds of fuels, different phases were recognized, like particle peripheral zones with evidence of Al-U reaction, internal recrystallized zones and bubbles. A very good agreement between code prediction and irradiation results was found. The few discrepancies are due to local, fabrication and irradiation uncertainties, as the presence of U{sub 3}Si phase in U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} particles and effective burnup.

The spatial arrangement of sodium cations for a series of sodium phosphate glasses, xNa{sub 2}O(100-x)P{sub 2}O{sub 5} (x<55), were investigated using {sup 23}Na spin-echo NMR spectroscopy. The spin-echo decay rate is a function of the Na-Na homonuclear dipolar coupling and is related to the spatial proximity of neighboring Na nuclei. The spin-echo decay rate in these sodium phosphate glasses increases non-linearly with higher sodium number density, and thus provides a measure of the Na-Na extended range order. The results of these {sup 23}Na NMR experiments are discussed within the context of several structural models, including a decimated crystal lattice model, cubic dilation lattice model, a hard sphere (HS) random distribution model and a pair-wise cluster hard sphere model. While the experimental {sup 23}Na spin-echo M{sub 2} are described adequately by both the decimated lattice and the random HS model, it is demonstrated that the slight non-linear behavior of M{sub 2} as a function of sodium number density is more correctly described by the random distribution in the HS model. At low sodium number densities the experimental M{sub 2} is inconsistent with models incorporating Na-Na clustering. The ability to distinguish between Na-Na clusters and non-clustered distributions becomes more difficult at higher …

The FENIX facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was upgraded and refurbished in 1996-1998 for testing CICC superconducting magnets. The FENIX facility was used for superconducting high current, short sample tests for fusion programs in the late 1980s--early 1990s. The new facility includes a 4-m diameter vacuum vessel, two refrigerators, a 40 kA, 42 V computer controlled power supply, a new switchyard with a dump resistor, a new helium distribution valve box, several sets of power leads, data acquisition system and other auxiliary systems, which provide a lot of flexibility in testing of a wide variety of superconducting magnets in a wide range of parameters. The detailed parameters and capabilities of this test facility and its systems are described in the paper.

The temperature dependence of the oxygen flux across the BaCe0G03 dense membrane (BCG membrane) tube was investigated. In the temperature range of 688C to 955C, the increase in the oxygen flux with temperature obeyed the Arrhenius law. An increase in the helium sweep flow membrane tube. rate in the tube side resulted in an increase in the oxygen flux through the The oxygen fluxes through the BCG dense membrane tube were measured at different oxygen partial pressures in the shell side. The oxygen flux increased with the oxygen partial pressure in the shell side. The BCG dense membrane was tested in a membrane reactor for the catalytic oxidative coupling of methane. The BCG membrane is not a complete combustion catalyst, and the catalytic activity of the BCG membrane was found to be much higher than the Argonne dense membrane. As the oxygen partial pressure in the shell side increased, the C2 decreased while the C2 yield remained unchanged, indicating that non-selective, reactions still played a significant role in the membrane reactor.

Rare earth (RE) modification of automotive catalysts (e.g., ZrO{sub 2}) for exhaust gas treatment results in outstanding improvement of the structural stability, catalytic functions and resistance to sintering at high temperatures. Owing to the low redox potential of nonstoichiometric CeO{sub 2}, oxygen release and intake associated with the conversion between the 3+ and 4+ oxidation states of the Ce ions in Ce-doped ZrO{sub 2} provide the oxygen storage capacity that is essentially to effective catalytic functions under dynamic air-to-fuel ratio cycling. Doping tripositive RE ions such as La and Nd in ZrO{sub 2}, on the other hand, introduces oxygen vacancies that affect the electronic and ionic conductivity. These effects, in conjunction with the nanostructure and surface reactivity of the fine powders, present a challenging problem in the development of better ZrO{sub 2}-containing three-way catalysts. We have carried out in-situ small-to-wide angle neutron diffraction at high temperatures and under controlled atmospheres to study the structural phase transitions, sintering behavior, and Ce{sup 3+} {leftrightarrow} Ce{sup 4+} redox process. We found substantial effects due to RE doping on the nature of aggregation of nanoparticles, defect formation, crystal phase transformation, and metal-support interaction in ZrO{sub 2} catalysts for automotive emission control.

The development of hydrogen transport ceramic membranes offers increased opportunities for hydrogen gas separation and utilization. Commercial application of such membranes will most likely take place under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure, where industrial processes producing and or utilizing hydrogen occur, and where such membranes are theoretically expected to have the greatest permeability. Hydrogen separation membrane performance data at elevated temperature is quite limited, and data at elevated pressures is conspicuously lacking. This paper will describe the design, construction, and recent experimental results obtained from a membrane testing unit located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC). The membrane testing unit is capable of operating at temperatures up to 900 C and pressures up to 500 psi. Mixed-oxide ceramic ion-transport membranes, fabricated at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), were evaluated for hydrogen permeability and characterized for surface changes and structural integrity using scanning electron microscopy/X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), as a function of temperature, pressure, and hydrogen exposure.

The structure of a completely amorphous zircon was determined by time-of-flight neutron diffraction at Argonne's Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS). The sample of metamict zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}),initially doped to 8.85 weight percent {sup 238}Pi, had been completely amorphized by alpha-recoil damage since its synthesis in 1981 at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The measured diffraction structure factor, S(Q), indicated a completely amorphous sample, with no signs of residual zircon microcrystallinity. The pair distribution function obtained indicated that the structure was that of an oxide glass, retaining the Si-0, Zr-0, and O-O bond lengths of crystalline zircon.

Horizontal orbit errors at the sextuples in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring can cause changes in tune and modulation of the beta functions around the ring. To determine the significance of these effects requires knowing the orbit relative to the magnetic center of the sextuples. The method considered here to determine the horizontal beam position in a given sextupole is to measure the tune shift caused by a change in the sextupole strength. The tune shift and a beta function for the same plane uniquely determine the horizontal beam position in the sextupole. The beta function at the sextupole was determined by propagating the beta functions measured at nearby quadrupoles to the sextupole location. This method was used to measure the sextupole magnetic center offset relative to an adjacent beam position monitor (BPM) at a number of sextupole locations. We report on the successes and problems of the method as well as an improved method.

Various alternative fuels and improved engine and vehicle systems have been proposed in order to reduce emissions and energy use associated with heavy vehicles (predominantly trucks). For example, oil companies have proposed improved methods for converting natural gas to zero-aromatics, zero-sulfur diesel fuel via the Fischer-Tropsch process. Major heavy-duty diesel engine companies are working on ways to simultaneously reduce particulate-matter and NOX emissions. The trend in heavy vehicles is toward use of lightweight materials, tires with lower rolling resistance, and treatments to reduce aerodynamic drag. In this paper, we compare the Mecycle energy use and emissions from trucks using selected alternatives, such as Fisher-Tropsch diesel fuel and advanced fuel-efficient engines. We consider heavy-duty, Class 8 tractor-semitrailer combinations for this analysis. The total life cycle includes production and recycling of the vehicle itself, extraction, processing, and transportation of the fuel itself, and vehicle operation and maintenance. Energy use is considered in toto, as well as those portions that are imported, domestic, and renewable. Emissions of interest include greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants. Angonne's Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model is used to generate per-vehicle fuel cycle impacts. Energy use and emissions for materials manufacturing and vehicle …

Lodestar has been an active participant in the low power Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic at TFTR in collaboration with MIT. Extensive studies were conducted regarding the use of gyrotron scattering as a low cost diagnostic for both energetic ions and alpha particles on TFTR. The numerical scattering code has been improved and compared with similar code developed at JET. The authors have participated and assisted in the CTS experiments through onsite visits and have successfully performed most of the data analysis tasks remotely. Through their analysis on the initial data base accumulated, they are able to understand qualitatively the general features of the anomalous large scattered signal, have proposed an explanation for its generation mechanism, and have suggested a potential new use of CTS as an edge diagnostic.

Japanese automakers have introduced hybrid passenger cars in Japan and will soon do so in the US. In this paper, we report how we used early computer simulation model results to compare the commercial viability of a hypothetical near-term (next decade) hybrid mid-size passenger car configuration under varying fuel price and driving patterns. The fuel prices and driving patterns evaluated are designed to span likely values for major OECD nations. Two types of models are used. One allows the ''design'' of a hybrid to a specified set of performance requirements and the prediction of fuel economy under a number of possible driving patterns (called driving cycles). Another provides an estimate of the incremental cost of the hybrid in comparison to a comparably performing conventional vehicle. In this paper, the models are applied to predict the NPV cost of conventional gasoline-fueled vehicles vs. parallel hybrid vehicles. The parallel hybrids are assumed to (1) be produced at high volume, (2) use nickel metal hydride battery packs, and (3) have high-strength steel bodies. The conventional vehicle also is assumed to have a high-strength steel body. The simulated vehicles are held constant in many respects, including 0-60 time, engine type, aerodynamic drag coefficient, tire …

At an international conference on global warming, held in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997, the United States committed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 7% over its 1990 level by the year 2012. To help achieve that goal, transportation GHG emissions need to be reduced. Using Argonne's fuel-cycle model, I estimated GHG emissions reduction potentials of various near- and long-term transportation technologies. The estimated per-mile GHG emissions results show that alternative transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies can help significantly reduce transportation GHG emissions. Of the near-term technologies evaluated in this study, electric vehicles; hybrid electric vehicles; compression-ignition, direct-injection vehicles; and E85 flexible fuel vehicles can reduce fuel-cycle GHG emissions by more than 25%, on the fuel-cycle basis. Electric vehicles powered by electricity generated primarily from nuclear and renewable sources can reduce GHG emissions by 80%. Other alternative fuels, such as compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, offer limited, but positive, GHG emission reduction benefits. Among the long-term technologies evaluated in this study, conventional spark ignition and compression ignition engines powered by alternative fuels and gasoline- and diesel-powered advanced vehicles can reduce GHG emissions by 10% to 30%. Ethanol dedicated vehicles, electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and …

Radioactive strontium can serve as a tracer to gain information concerning calcium metabolism in human subjects. Gamma-emitting Sr{sup 85} is used rather than the much more hazardous, beta-emitting Sr{sup 89} and Sr{sup 90}. (ca{sup 47} -- the ideal tracer for normal calcium -- is quite expensive and difficult to procure.) Very significant information may be obtained merely by measuring and recording the changes in radioactivity in various body areas during the first hour after intravenous injection of the bone-seeking radioisotope. This is accomplished by placing a lead-shielded gamma-scintillation detector in contact with the skin over the sites of interest and recording the activities on a scaler or ratemeter. The activity versus time curves so obtained are called radioisotope osteograms. Data were presented which indicated that Sr{sup 85} osteograms for patients afflicted with osteoporosis, Paget`s disease, tumor metastases to bone, and possibly multiple myeloma, differ significantly from those obtained from subjects with no skeletal abnormalities. Some interpretations of these deviations were discussed. The value of conducting double-tracer tests (e.g. -- Sr{sup 85} plus radio-iodinated serum albumin) was demonstrated, and correlations with excretion data were made. With further refinements the technique may ultimately become useful for certain diagnostic problems in the clinic …

We probe the dynamic nature of driven vortex motion in superconductors with a new type of transport experiment. An inhomogeneous Lorentz driving force is applied to the sample, inducing vortex velocity gradients that distinguish the hydrodynamic motion of the vortex liquid from the elastic and-plastic motion of the vortex solid. We observe elastic depinning of the vortex lattice at the critical current, and shear induced plastic slip of the lattice at high Lorentz force gradients.

A series of studies is presented in which an electrical-impedance tomography (EXT) system is validated for two-phase flow measurements. The EIT system, developed at Sandia National Laboratories, is described along with the computer algorithm used for reconstructing phase volume fraction profiles. The algorithm is first tested using numerical data and experimental phantom measurements, with good results. The EIT system is then applied to solid-liquid and gas-liquid flows, and results are compared to an established gamma-densitometry tomography (GDT) system. In the solid-liquid flows, the average solid volume fractions measured by EIT are in good agreement with nominal values; in the gas-liquid flows, average gas volume fractions and radial gas volume fraction profiles from GDT and EIT are also in good agreement.

The results from the RELAP5/MOD3 and PARET/ANL codes are compared with the SPERT-IV series of experimental reactivity insertion transients. The PARET/ANL code provides conservative estimates of SPERT-IV experimental data for the midrange transients and for the more severe transients. The PARET results are similar to the results obtained earlier for the SPERT-I D-12/25 series of experiments. The RELAP5/MOD3 code (including the developmental version 3.2.1.2) gives results comparable to PARET for some midrange transients, but seriously diverges from the experimental data when significant boiling is present. Based on the results of this study, the use of the RELAP5 code for research reactor applications should be limited to transients that do not generate substantial boiling and voids. We hope to be able to resolve these differences in further work with the NRC staff and its contractors. The RELAP5 code would be a more useful tool for the analyses research reactor transients with the addition of suitable correlations for low pressures and plate type geometry.

Microstructural evolution due to aging of solder alloys determines their long-term reliability as electrical, mechanical and thermal interconnects in electronics packages. The ability to accurately determine the reliability of existing electronic components as well as to predict the performance of proposed designs depends upon the development of reliable material models. A kinetic Monte Carlo simulation was used to simulate microstructural evolution in solder-class materials. The grain growth model simulated many of the microstructural features observed experimentally in 63Sn-37Pb, a popular near-eutectic solder alloy. The model was validated by comparing simulation results to new experimental data on coarsening of Sn-Pb solder. The computational and experimental grain growth exponent for two-phase solder was found to be much lower than that for normal, single phase grain growth. The grain size distributions of solders obtained from simulations were narrower than that of normal grain growth. It was found that the phase composition of solder is important in determining grain growth behavior.

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as part of the Hanford Groundwater Monitoring Project, examines the potential for offsite migration of contamination within underlying aquifer systems. Well water-level elevation measurements from selected wells within these aquifer systems commonly form the basis for delineating groundwater-flow patterns (i.e., flow direction and hydraulic gradient). In addition, the analysis of water-level responses obtained in wells during hydrologic tests provides estimates of hydraulic properties that are important for evaluating groundwater-flow velocity and transport characteristics. Barometric pressure fluctuations, however, can have a discernible impact on well water-level measurements. These barometric effects may lead to erroneous indications of hydraulic head within the aquifer. Total hydraulic head (i.e., sum of the water-table elevation and the atmospheric pressure at the water-table surface) within the aquifer, not well water-level elevation, is the hydrologic parameter for determining groundwater-flow direction and hydraulic gradient conditions. Temporal variations in barometric pressure may also adversely affect well water-level responses obtained during hydrologic tests. If significant, adjustments or removal of these barometric effects from the test-response record may be required for quantitative hydraulic property determination. This report examines the effects of barometric fluctuations on well water-level measurements and evaluates adjustment and removal methods for determining areal aquifer …

The Self-Describing Data Sets (SDDS) toolkit comprises about 70 generally-applicable programs sharing a common data protocol. At the Advanced Photon Source (APS), SDDS performs the vast majority of operational data collection and processing, most data display functions, and many control functions. In addition, a number of accelerator simulation codes use SDDS for all post-processing and data display. This has three principle advantages: first, simulation codes need not provide customized post-processing tools, thus simplifying development and maintenance. Second, users can enhance code capabilities without changing the code itself, by adding SDDS-based pre- and post-processing. Third, multiple codes can be used together more easily, by employing SDDS for data transfer and adaptation. Given its broad applicability, the SDDS file protocol is surprisingly simple, making it quite easy for simulations to generate SDDS-compliant data. This paper discusses the philosophy behind SDDS, contrasting it with some recent trends, and outlines the capabilities of the toolkit. The paper also gives examples of using SDDS for accelerator simulation.