The surface figure of the individual mirrors of a two mirror, four reflection, ring field imaging system has been measured after each phase of the construction process: substrate fabrication, coating and potting. Contributions to the final system wavefront error and performance of the system in terms of the modulation transfer function and initial imaging tests are discussed.

Performance assessments are required for low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives, consider human exposures from water, air, and inadvertent intruder pathways. Among these, the groundwater pathway analysis usually involves complex numerical simulations with results which are often difficult to verify and interpret. This paper presents a technique to identify and simplify the essential parts of the groundwater analysis. The transport process of radionuclides including infiltration of precipitation, leachate generation, and advection and dispersion in the groundwater is divided into several steps. For each step, a simple analytical model is constructed and refined to capture the dominant phenomena represented in the complex analysis included in a site-specific performance assessment. This step-wise approach provides a means for gaining insights into the transport process and obtaining reasonable estimates of relevant quantities for facility design and site evaluation.

Simplified models of EBR-II control and safety rods have been developed for core modeling under various operational and shutdown conditions. A parametric study was performed on normal worth, high worth, and safety rod type control rods. A summary of worth changes due to individual modeling approximations is tabulated. Worth effects due to structural modeling simplification are negligible. Fuel region homogenization and burnup compression contributes more than any other factor. Reference case C/E values (ratio of calculated worth from detailed model to measured worth) of 1.072 and 1.142 for safety and normal worth rods indicate acceptable errors when the approximations are used. Fuel burnup effect illustrates rod worth sensitivity to the modeling approximation. Aggregate effects are calculated under a reduced mesh.

The scalar wave theory is used to evaluate the expected diffraction patterns from a circular aperture. The standard far-field Kirchhoff approximation is compared to the exact result expressed in terms of oblate spheroidal harmonics. Deviations from an expanding spherical wave are calculated for circular aperture radius and the incident beam wavelength using suggested values for a recently proposed point diffractin interferometer. The Kirchhoff approximation is increasingly reliable in the far-field limit as the aperture radius is increased, although significant errors in amplitude and phase persist.

Work is underway at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to design and build a small-scale, heavy ion recirculating induction accelerator. An essential part of this design work is the development of small nonintercepting diagnostics to measure beam current and position. This paper describes some of this work, with particular emphasis on the development of a small capacitive probe beam position monitor to resolve beam position to the 100 {mu}m level in a 6 cm diameter beam pipe. Initial measured results with an 80 keV potassium ion beam are presented.

The design, installation and performance data of a 20 W pulsed laser system for the 3 meter Shane telescope at the Lick Observatory is presented.

An experimental program has been designed to examine the chemical durability of glass compositions derived from the vitrification of simulated wastewater treatment sludges. These sludges represent the majority of low-level mixed wastes currently in need of treatment by the US DOE. The major oxides in these model glasses included SiO{sub 2}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, B{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Na{sub 2}O, CaO and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. In addition, three minor oxides, BaO, NiO, and PbO, were added as hazardous metals. The major oxides were each varied at two levels resulting in 32 experimental glasses. The chemical durability was measured by the 7-Day Product Consistency Test (PCT). The normalized sodium release rates (NRR{sub Na}) of these glasses ranged from 0.01 to 4.99 g/m{sup 2}. The molar ratio of the glass-former to glass-modifier (F/M) was found to have the greatest effect on PCT durability. Glass-formers included SiO{sub 2}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and B{sub 2}O{sub 3}, while Na{sub 2}O, CaO, BaO, NiO, and PbO were glass-modifiers. As this ratio increased from 0.75 to 2.0, NRR{sub Na} was found to decrease between one and two orders of magnitude. Another important effect on NRR{sub Na} was the Na{sub 2}O/CaO ratio. As this ratio increased from 0.5 to …

A uranium plume emanating from the U.S. Department of Energy`s Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) in Fernald, Ohio had migrated off site and the leading edge of the plume had already mixed with an organic and inorganic plume emanating from two industries south of the FEMP. A method was needed to prevent the further southern migration of the plume, minimize any impacts to the geometry, concentrations, distribution or flow patterns of the organic and inorganic plumes emanating from the off-site industries, while meeting the ultimate cleanup goals for the FEMP. This paper discusses the use of a hydraulic barrier created to meet these goals by pumping a five well recovery system and the problems associated with the disposition of over 2 million gallons per day of water with low concentrations of uranium.

In thinking about this issue, one comes to fundamental question: Why are we concerned at all? Why have all of us gathered here, rather than simply continue to clean up what we should from the past and control our emissions for the present and the future? The answer, I think, may be hinted at by several scenarios (which, although plausible given current trends, are intended to be hypothetical).

We detail the design and development of a miniature thermal cycling instrument for performing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that uses microfabricated, silicon-based reaction chambers. The MEMS-based, battery-operated instrument shows significant improvements over commercial thermal cycling instrumentation. Several different biological systems have been amplified and verified with the miniature PCR instrument including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus; both cloned and genomic DNA templates of {beta} globin; and the genetic disease, Cystic Fibrosis from human DNA. The miniaturization of a PCR thermal cycler is the initial module of a fully-integrated portable, low-power, rapid, and highly efficient bioanalytical instrument.

High-power density electronic components such as fast microprocessors and power semiconductors are often limited by inability to keep the device junctions below their max rated operating temperature. Present high power multichip module and single chip package designs use substrate materials such as Si nitride or copper tungsten with thermal conductivity in the range of 200 W/m{center_dot}K. We have developed a copper-diamond composite (Dymalloy) with a thermal conductivity of 420 W/m{center_dot}K, better than Cu, and an adjustable thermal expansion coefficient (TCE=5.5 ppM/C at 25 C), compatible with Si and GaAs. Because of the matched TCE, it is possible to use low thermal resistance hard die attach methods. The mechanical properties of the composite also make it attractive as an electronic component substrate material.

Radioactive material packages containing fiberboard insulation have been subjected to Hypothetical Accident Condition (HAC) thermal tests for many years. Historically, the packages` thermal performance has always been difficult to grasp. A package designer needs to understand the effects of temperature and pyrolysis on the rate of heat transfer and performance. This paper describes in detail the one-dimensional HAC thermal tests performed on fiberboard to understand the effects of pyrolysis, its char and its gas products. The tests were conducted by the Packaging and Transportation Group at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Test fixtures were assembled at SRS and thermal testing conducted in the Radiant Heat Facility at the Sandia National Laboratories. Descriptions of the test fixtures are provided, as well as the time dependent temperature profiles. In addition, lessons learned are discussed.

Perhaps the most common approximation in engineering is that, relative to its neighbors, a system component is structurally rigid. This paper presents a development of the rigid assumption for use in nonlinear, implicit finite element codes. In this method, computational economy is gained by condensing the size of the associated linear system of equations, eliminating the processing of rigid elements, and reducing the overall nonlinearity of the problem.

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.

In the open field line region of the scrape-off layer (SOL), plasma potential is to a considerable degree determined by the boundary conditions on the divertor plates. By introducing toroidal asymmetries of the surface relief of the divertor plates or of their chemical composition, one can create toroidally asymmetric potential variations over the whole SOL and thereby induce convective plasma motion. This motion should lead to a broadening of the SOL and to reduction of beat load on the divertor plates. Convective motion can be induced also by a toroidally asymmetric gas-puff. In the present paper the authors consider all these techniques and evaluate the possible increase in the cross-field transport.

We present experimental results of a version of the Choppertron microwave generator designed to work with the high emittance beam of the Advanced Test Accelerator (ATA). Simulations showed that a 800-A, 120 {pi} cm-mrad beam (typical of ATA), could produce 800 MW of rf (11.4 GHz) power using two 12-cell, traveling-wave output structures. Funding contraints prevented final tuning of the modulator system and limited the experiment to 530 MW in narrow pulses. Over 400 MW were extracted from a single output structure through fundamental waveguide. Beam breakup was successfully suppressed with >800 amperes transported through the extraction section.

Chemical kinetic modeling of hydrocarbon ignition is discussed with reference to a range of experimental configurations, including shock tubes, detonations, pulse combustors, static reactors, stirred reactors and internal combustion engines. Important conditions of temperature, pressure or other factors are examined to determine the main chemical reaction sequences responsible for chain branching and ignition, and kinetic factors which can alter the rate of ignition are identified. Hydrocarbon ignition usually involves complex interactions between physical and chemical factors, and it therefore is a suitable and often productive subject for computer simulations. In most of the studies to be discussed below, the focus of the attention is placed on the chemical features of the system. The other physical parts of each application are generally included in the form of initial or boundary conditions to the chemical kinetic parts of the problem, as appropriate for each type of application being addressed.

Navigation systems have been vital to transportation ever since man took to the air and sea. Early navigation systems utilized the sextant to navigate by starlight as well as the magnetic needle compass. As electronics and communication technologies improved, inertial navigation systems were developed for use in ships and missile delivery. These systems consisted of electronic compasses, gyro-compasses, accelerometers, and various other sensors. Recently, systems such as LORAN and the Global Positioning System (GPS) have utilized the properties of radio wave propagation to triangulate position. The Local Positioning System (LPS), described in this paper, is an implementation of a limited inertial navigation system designed to be used on a bicycle. LPS displays a cyclist`s current position relative to a starting location. This information is displayed in Cartesian-like coordinates. To accomplish this, LPS relies upon two sensors, an electronic compass sensor and a distance sensor. The compass sensor provides directional information while the distance sensor provides the distance traveled. This information yields a distance vector for each point in time which when summed produces the cyclist`s current position. LPS is microprocessor controlled and is designed for a range of less than 90 miles.

Traditional encryption, which protects messages from prying eyes, has been used for many decades. The present concepts of encryption are built from that heritage. Utilization of modern software-based encryption techniques implies much more than simply converting files to an unreadable form. Ubiquitous use of computers and advances in encryption technology coupled with the use of wide-area networking completely changed the reasons for utilizing encryption technology. The technology demands a new and extensive infrastructure to support these functions. Full understanding of these functions, their utility and value, and the need for an infrastructure, takes extensive exposure to the new paradigm. This paper addresses issues surrounding the establishment and operation of a key management system (i.e., certification authority) that is essential to the successful implementation and wide-spread use of encryption.

In a heavy-ion driven, inertial confinement fusion power plant, a space-charge dominated beam of heavy ions must be transported through a reactor chamber and focused on a 2-3 mm spot at the target. The spot size at the target is determined by the beam emittance and space charge, plus chromatic aberrations in the focusing lens system and errors in aiming the beam. The gain of the ICF capsule depends on the focal spot size. We are investigating low density, nearly-ballistic transport using an electromagnetic, r-z particle-in-cell code. Even at low density (n {approx} 5 {times} 10{sup 13} cm{sup {minus}3}), beam stripping may be important. To offset the effects of stripping and reduce the space charge, the beam is partially charge neutralized via a pre-formed plasma near the chamber entrance. Additional electrons for charge neutralization come from ionization of the background gas by the beam. Simulations have shown that stripping can greatly increase the spot size; however, partial neutralization can offset most of this increase.