The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) of Japan and the US Department of Energy (DOE) are cooperating on the development of a remote monitoring system for nuclear nonproliferation efforts. This cooperation is part of a broader safeguards agreement between PNC and DOE. A remote monitoring system is being installed in a spent fuel storage area at PNC`s experimental reactor facility Joyo in Oarai. The system has been designed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and is closely related to those used in other SNL remote monitoring projects. The Joyo project will particularly study the unique aspects of remote monitoring in contribution to nuclear nonproliferation. The project will also test and evaluate the fundamental design and implementation of the remote monitoring system in its application to regional and international safeguards efficiency. This paper will present a short history of the cooperation, the details of the monitoring system and a general schedule of activities.

ORNL has accumulated considerable quantitites of mixed wastes, many containing hazardous and radioactive components. Finding a suitable technique for treating mixed wastes is a challenging task. The Federal Facilities Compliance Act requires ODE to provide on-site treatment plans. A method of analysis was needed for quick, easy trade-off studies and alternatives evaluations. Evaluation of ORO management of mixed waste indicated that a systems analysis, including development of automated analysis tools and integrated models, was required. Integrated systems approach was needed because of the complexity. Risk, cost, performance, and uncertainty were considered. Resuts produced in these studies may be refined as more nearly accurate information is obtained about uncertanties in some treatment alternative.

This report presents the results of discussions during and work subsequent to a Workshop on Quench Analysis and Power Supply Operation held at the SSC-CDG on April 1-4, 1985. The major portion of this volume addresses quenches in the Design C and D magnets, as described in detail in Appendices A through H. Some work has been carried out on the power supply operation and the appropriate control philosophy as described in Appendices I through K. Further work will be required for a complete understanding of the quenches and of power supply operation, in particular of the response under transient conditions. A list of participants is included as Appendix L. The results of the appendices are presented in the main test of the report along with enough of the figures to verify the conclusions. Some of the effort on power supply operation can be found in the Commissioning and Operations Workshop report, SSC-SR-1005.

The damage to high-level radioactive-waste containers by pitting corrosion is an important design and performance assessment consideration. It is desirable to calculate the evolution of the pit depth distribution, not just the time required for initial penetration of the containers, so that the area available for advective of diffusive release of radionuclides through the container can be estimated. A phenomenological approach for computing the time evolution of these distributions is presented which combines elements of the deterministic and stochastic aspects of pit growth. The consistency of this approach with the mechanisms believed to control the evolution of the pit depth distribution is discussed. Qualitative comparisons of preliminary model predictions with a variety of experimental data from the literature are shown to be generally favorable. The sensitivity of the simulated distributions to changes in the input parameters is discussed. Finally, the results of the current model are compared to those of existing approaches based on extreme-value statistics, particularly regarding the extrapolation of laboratory data to large exposed surface areas.

As part of efforts to develop a three-dimensional failure model for composites, a study of failure and fatigue due to combined interlaminar stresses was conducted. The combined stresses were generated using a hollow cylindrical specimen, which was subjected to normal compression and torsion. For both glass and carbon fiber composites, normal compression resulted in a significant enhancement in the interlaminar shear stress and strain at failure. Under moderate compression levels, the failure mode transitioned from elastic to plastic. The observed failure envelope could not be adequately captured using common ply- level failure models. Alternate modeling approaches were examined and it was found that a pressure-dependent failure criterion was required to reproduce the experimental results. The magnitude of the pressure-dependent terms of this model was found to be material dependent. The interlaminar shear fatigue behavior of a carbon/epoxy system was also studied using the cylindrical specimen. Preliminary results indicate that a single S/N curve which is normalized for interlaminar shear strength may be able to reproduce the effects of both temperature and out-of-plane compression on fatigue life. The results demonstrate that there are significant gains to be made in improving interlaminar strengths of composite structures by applying out-of-plane compression. This effect …

DOE`s contract reform initiatives at Fernald and the performance-based system DOE is now using to evaluate FERMCO are key elements to the current and future success of DOE and FERMCO at Fernald. Final cleanup of the Fernald site is planned for completion by 2005 per an accelerated 10-year remediation plan which has been approved by DOE and endorsed by the US EPA, Ohio EPA, and the Fernald Citizens Task Force. Required funding of approximately $276 million plus inflation annually for 10 years to accomplish final cleanup is now being considered by US Congress. Contract reform initiatives and modified performance measurement systems, along with best business practices, are clearing the path for the expedited cleanup of Fernald.

Quantum-based atomistic simulations are being used to study fundamental deformation and defect properties relevant to the multiscale modeling of plasticity in bcc metals at both ambient and extreme conditions. Ab initio electronic-structure calculations on the elastic and ideal-strength properties of Ta and Mo help constrain and validate many-body interatomic potentials used to study grain boundaries and dislocations. The predicted C(capital Sigma)5 (310)[100] grain boundary structure for Mo has recently been confirmed in HREM measurements. The core structure, (small gamma) surfaces, Peierls stress, and kink-pair formation energies associated with the motion of a/2(111) screw dislocations in Ta and Mo have also been calculated. Dislocation mobility and dislocation junction formation and breaking are currently under investigation.

One option for control and disposal of surplus fissile materials is the Glass Material Oxidation and Dissolution System (GMODS), a process developed at ORNL for directly converting Pu-bearing material into a durable high-quality glass waste form. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the GMODS process flowsheet using FLOW, a chemical process simulator. The simulation showed that the glass chemistry postulated ion the models has acceptable levels of risks.

Collaboration is an increasingly important aspect of magnetic fusion energy research. With the increased size and cost of experiments needed to approach reactor conditions, the numbers being constructed has become limited. In order to satisfy the desire for many groups to conduct research on these facilities, we have come to rely more heavily on collaborations. Fortunately, at the same time, development of high performance computers and fast and reliable wide area networks has provided technological solutions necessary to support the increasingly distributed work force without the need for relocation of entire research staffs. Development of collaboratories, collaborative or virtual laboratories, is intended to provide the capability needed to interact from afar with colleagues at multiple sites. These technologies are useful to groups interacting remotely during experimental operations as well as to those involved in the development of analysis codes and large scale simulations The term ``collaboratory`` refers to a center without walls in which researchers can perform their studies without regard to geographical location - interacting with colleagues, accessing instrumentation, sharing data and computational resources, and accessing information from digital libraries [1],[2]. While it is widely recognized that remote collaboration is not a universal replacement for personal contact, it does …

The major problem with cavitation in pumps and hydraulic systems is that there is no effective (conventional) method for detecting or predicting its inception. The traditional method of recognizing cavitation in a pump is to declare the event occurring when the total head drops by some arbitrary value (typically 3%) in response to a pressure reduction at the pump inlet. However, the device is already seriously cavitating when this happens. What is actually needed is a practical method to detect impending rather than incipient cavitation. Whereas the detection of incipient cavitation requires the detection of features just after cavitation starts, the anticipation of cavitation requires the detection and identification of precursor features just before it begins. Two recent advances that make this detection possible. The first is acoustic sensors with a bandwidth of 1 MHz and a dynamic range of 80 dB that preserve the fine details of the features when subjected to coarse vibrations. The second is the application of Bayesian parameter estimation which makes it possible to separate weak signals, such as those present in cavitation precursors, from strong signals, such as pump vibration. Bayesian parameter estimation derives a model based on cavitation hydrodynamics and produces a figure …

The use of cross-borehole ground penetrating radar (GPR) imaging for determining g the two dimensional (2D) in situ moisture content distribution within the vadose zone is being investigated. The ultimate goal is to use the GPR images as input to a 2D hydrologic inversion scheme for recovering the van Genuchten parameters governing unsaturated ,hydraulic flow. Initial experiments conducted on synthetic data have shown that at least in theory, cross-borehole GPR measurements can provide realistic estimates of the spatial variation in moisture content that are needed for this type of hydrologic inversion scheme. However, the method can not recover exact values of moisture content due to the break down of the empirical expression often employed to convert GPR velocity images to moisture content, and to the smearing nature of the imaging algorithm. To test the applicability of this method in a real world environment cross- borehole GPR measurements were made at a hydrologic/geophysical vadose zone test site in Socorro, New Mexico. Results show that the GPR images compare well with the uncalibrated borehole neutron log data. GPR data acquisition will continue once an infiltration test has started, and the results from these measurements will be employed in a 2D hydrologic inverse …

LIGA fabricated materials and components exhibit several processing issues affecting their metallurgical and mechanical properties, potentially limiting their usefulness for MEMS applications. For example, LIGA processing by metal electrodeposition is very sensitive to deposition conditions which causes significant processing lot variations of mechanical and metallurgical properties. Furthermore, the process produces a material with a highly textured lenticular rnicrostructural morphology suggesting an anisotropic material response. Understanding and controlling out-of-plane anisotropy is desirable for LIGA components designed for out-of-plane flexures. Previous work by the current authors focused on results from a miniature servo-hydraulic mechanical test frame constructed for characterizing LIGA materials. Those results demonstrated microstructural and mechanical properties dependencies with plating bath current density in LIGA fabricated nickel (LIGA Ni). This presentation builds on that work and fosters a methodology for controlling the properties of LIGA fabricated materials through processing. New results include measurement of mechanical properties of LIGA fabricated copper (LIGA Cu), out-of-plane and localized mechanical property measurements using compression testing and nanoindentation of LIGA Ni and LIGA Cu.

The conceptual model for WIPP dissolved concentrations is a description of the complex natural and artificial chemical conditions expected to influence dissolved actinide concentrations in the repository. By a set of physical and chemical assumptions regarding chemical kinetics, sorption substrates, and waste-brine interactions, the system was simplified to be amenable to mathematical description. The analysis indicated that an equilibrium thermodynamic model for describing actinide solubilities in brines would be tractable and scientifically supportable. This paper summarizes the conceptualization and modeling approach and the computational results as used in the WIPP application for certification of compliance with relevant regulations for nuclear waste repositories. The WIPP site contains complex natural brines ranging from sea water to 10x more concentrated than sea water. Data bases for predicting solubility of Am(III) (as well as Pu(III) and Nd(III)), Th(IV), and Np(V) in these brines under potential repository conditions have been developed, focusing on chemical interactions with Na, K, Mg, Cl, SO{sub 4}, and CO{sub 3} ions, and the organic acid anions acetate, citrate, EDTA, and oxalate. The laboratory and modeling effort augmented the Harvie et al. parameterization of the Pitzer activity coefficient model so that it could be applied to the actinides and oxidation states …

This paper describes the microseismic mapping of repeated injections of drill cuttings into two separate formations at a test site near Mounds, OK. Injections were performed in sandstone and shale formations at depths of 830 and 595 m, respectively. Typical injection disposal was simulated using multiple small-volume injections over a three-day period, with long shut-in periods interspersed between the injections. Microseismic monitoring was achieved using a 5-level array of wireline-run, triaxial- accelerometer receivers in a monitor well 76 m from the disposed well. Results of the mapped microseismic locations showed that the disposal domti W= generally aligns with the major horizontal stress with some variations in azimuth and that wide variations in height and length growth occurred with continued injections. These experiments show that the cuttings injection process cm be adequately monitored from a downhole, wireline-run receiver array, thus providing process control and environmental assurance.

The floor of a black liquor recovey boiler at a mill in central Canada has experienced cracking and delamination of the composite tubing near the spout wall and deformation of the floor panels that is most severe in the vicinity of the spout wall. One possible explanation for the observed damage is impacts of salt cake falling from the convective section onto the floor. In order to determine if such impacts do occur, strain gauges and thermocouples were installed on the boiler floor in areas where cracking and deformation were most frequent. The data obtained from these instruments indicate that brief, sudden temperature fluctuations do occur, and changes in the strain experienced by the affected tube occur simultaneously. These fluctuations appear to occur less often along the spout wall and more frequently with increasing distance from the wall. The frequency of these temperature fluctuations is insufficient for thermal fatigue to be the sole cause of the cracking observed on the tubes, but the data are consistent with what might be expected from pieces of falling salt cake.

An improved understanding of strongly-driven laser plasma coupling is important for optimal use of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) for both inertial fusion and for a variety of advanced applications. Such applications range from high energy x- ray sources and high temperature hohlraums to fast ignition and laser radiography. We discuss a novel model for the scaling of strongly-driven stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering. This model postulates an intensity dependent correlation length associated with spatial incoherence due to filamentation and stimulated forward scattering. We first motivate the model and then relate it to a variety of experiments. Particular attention is paid to high temperature hohlraum experiments, which exhibited low to modest stimulated Brillouin scattering even though this instability was strongly driven. We also briefly discuss the strongly nonlinear interaction physics for efficient generation of high energy electrons either _ by irradiating a large plasma with near quarter-critical density or by irradiating overdense targets with ultra intense laser

The intermetallic-based alloys for high-temperature applications are introduced. General characteristics of intermetallics are followed by identification of nickel and iron aluminides as the most practical alloys for commercial applications. An overview of the alloy compositions, melting processes, and mechanical properties for nickel and iron aluminizes are presented. The current applications and commercial producers of nickel and iron aluminizes are given. A brief description of the future prospects of intermetallic-based alloys is also given.

InGaAsN is a new semiconductor alloy system with the remarkable property that the inclusion of only 2% nitrogen reduces the bandgap by more than 30%. In order to help understand the physical origin of this extreme deviation from the typically observed nearly linear dependence of alloy properties on concentration, we have investigated the pressure dependence of the excited state energies using both experimental and theoretical methods. We report measurements of the low temperature photohnninescence energy of the material for pressures between ambient and 110 kbar. We describe a simple, density-functional-theory-based approach to calculating the pressure dependence of low lying excitation energies for low concentration alloys. The theoretically predicted pressure dependence of the bandgap is in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Based on the results of our calculations, we suggest an explanation for the strongly non-linear pressure dependence of the bandgap that, surprisingly, does not involve a nitrogen impurity band. Addhionally, conduction-band mass measurements, measured by three different techniques, will be described and finally, the magnetoluminescence determined pressure coefficient for the conduction-band mass is measured.

Rate estimation of nuclear pulses emitted from nuclear detectors has been well documented in papers written as early as 1965 to as recently as 1990. It is well known that pulses emitted from a nuclear detector can vary with time and an accurate estimate of the count rate must be based on a sifficient number of pulse counts within a sample period as well as the recent history of pulse counts acquired in previous windows to accurately estimate the current rate. This paper will review the attributes of three popular counting methods and show the implementation of one of these methods, the floating mean algorithm on an embedded controller system. The software discussion will look at how to apply the chosen algorithm on two popular platforms: the Motorola 68HC11 and the Intel 805X series embedded controllers.

Proteins are remarkable molecular machines that are essential for life. They can do many things ranging from the precise control of blood clotting to synthesizing complex organic compounds. Pictures of protein molecules are in high demand in biotechnology because they are important for applications such as drug discovery and for engineering enzymes for commercial use. X-ray crystallography is the most common method for determining the three-dimensional structures of protein molecules. When a crystal of a protein is placed in an X-ray beam, scattering of X-rays off the ordered molecules produces a diffraction pattern that can be measured on a position-sensitive CCD or image-plate detector. Protein crystals typically contain thousands of atoms and the diffraction data are generally measured to relatively low resolution. Consequently the direct methods approaches generally cannot be applied. Instead, if the crystal is modified by adding metal atoms at specific sites or by tuning the wavelength of the X-rays to cross an absorption edge of a metal atom in the crystal, then the information from these additional measurements is sufficient to first identify the /locations of the metal atoms. This information is then used along with the diffraction data to make a three-dimensional picture of electron densities. …

Hypereutectoid steels have the potential for dramatically increasing the strength of wire used in tire cord and in other high strength wire applications. The basis for this possible breakthrough is the elimination of a brittle proeutectoid network that can form along grain boundaries if appropriate processing procedures and alloy additions are used. A review is made of work done by Japanese and other researchers on eutectoid and mildly hypereutectoid wires. A linear extrapolation of the tensile strength of fine wires predicts higher strengths at higher carbon contents. The influence of processing, alloy additions and carbon content in optimizing the strength, ductility and fracture behavior of hypereutectoid steels is presented. It is proposed that the tensile strength of pearlitic wires is dictated by the fracture strength of the carbide lamella at grain boundary locations in the carbide. Methods to improve the strength of carbide grain boundaries and to decrease the carbide plate thickness will contribute to enhancing the ultrahigh strength obtainable in hypereutectoid steel wires. 23 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.

Rolling contact fatigue experiments were performed on all-steel and hybrid Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-M50 steel rolling bearing systems using particulate contaminated lubricants. The particulate contaminants used were glycothermally synthesized {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} platelets or Arizona test dust. The effects of contaminant composition and morphology on rolling contact fatigue and wear behavior were explored. The effects of bearing element material properties on fatigue and wear behavior were also examined. Rolling wear behavior is related to bearing component material configuration and the type of particulate contaminant present in the lubricant. Component and particulate material properties such as hardness and elastic modulus are observed to affect rolling wear behavior. Wear mechanisms such as contact stress fatigue, indenting, cutting and plowing are observed.

We use a model for negative central shear (NCS) heat transport which has a parametric dependence on the plasma conditions with a transport barrier dependence on the minimum of the safety factor profile, 4, qualitatively consistant with experimental observations. Our intention is not to do a detailed investigation of transport models but rather to provide a reasonable model of heat conductivity to be able to simulate effects of electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive (ECCD) on confinement in NCS configurations. We adjust free parameters (c, cl and c2) in the model to obtain a reasonable representation of the temporal evolution of electron and ion temperature profiles consistent with those measured in selected DIII-D shots. In all cases, we use the measured density profiles rather than self- consistently solve for particle sources and particle transport at this time In these results, we employ a simple model for the ECH power deposition by providing an externally supplied heat source for the electrons. The heating deposition location and profile are specified as a function of the toroidal flux coordinate to allow us to independently vary the heating dynamics For the results shown here, we assume a Gaussian profile, typically using a width …

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and its subcontractors recently completed a nine-month legacy material clean-up effort. Legacy materials were defined as chemicals, hazardous, non-hazardous, and both hazardous and radioactive (mixed), that no longer served a programmatic use and had no identified individual owner within the Laboratory. Once personnel identified the legacy materials, the items were transferred to Solid Waste Operation`s (EM-SWO) control. Upon completing this process, the responsible division-level manager was required to certify that all non-radioactive hazardous and non-hazardous materials and acceptable mixed legacy materials had been identified and transferred to EM-SWO for proper handling or disposal. The major expense in this project was the cost of actual chemical and radiological analysis. This expense was the result of items not having an identified individual owner. The major benefit of this project is that LANL is now in an excellent position to implement its Integrated Safety Management (ISM) Plan, which requires the implementation of safe work practices, including requirements for removing unused items when vacating workspaces. Effective implementation of ISM will go a long way toward ensuring that legacy materials are no longer an issue at the Laboratory.