This report gives the weekly progress for the B, D, and F piles. The report also gives a brief discussion of the following activities: process water control and pressure drop studies; purging of D, B, and F piles; slug corrosion studies; tube corrosion studies; thimble corrosion studies; and graphite expansion studies.

This project seeks to produce uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) analyses of samples taken from the KE basin filter backwash line each time the sand filter is backwashed. K Basin operations will use the analytical results to determine additions of fissile materials to the backwash sludge pit and thereby maintain a running inventory of fissile elements in the pit. K Basin Operations must not exceed a certain total inventory in order to be within a criticality specification. The second campaign of this project consisted of three samples, numbered by the customer 208KEB, 209KEB, and 210KEB.

This project seeks to produce uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) analyses of samples taken from the KE basin filter backwash line each time the sand filter is backwashed. K Basin operations will use the analytical results to determine additions of fissile materials to the backwash sludge pit and thereby maintain a running inventory of fissile elements in the pit. K Basin operations must not exceed a certain total inventory in order to be within a criticality specification. The third campaign of this project consisted of three samples, numbered by the customer 245KEB, 246KEB, and 247KEB. A revised letter of instruction controlled their processing.

This report from the reactor fuel manufacturing facilities at Hanford highlights extrusion, canning, and welding operations. Processing of thorium and bismuth is discussed. Radiography of fuels revealed voids that conformed underweight reject measurements.

Typical topics for lectures and posters include: biochemical and biophysical characterization of new metal containing proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, factors, and chelators from all forms of life; synthesis, detailed characterization, and reaction chemistry of biomimetic compounds; novel crystal and solution structures of biological molecules and synthetic metal-chelates; discussions of the roles that metals play in medicine, maintenance of the environment, and biogeochemical processes; metal homeostasis; application of theory and computations to the structure and mechanism of metal-containing biological systems; and novel applications of spectroscopy to metals in biological systems.

Acoustic emission monitoring augments other nondestructive testing methods and is sometimes applicable when other tests cannot be applied. This is, in part, due to the high sensitivity of acoustic emission monitoring. Acoustic emission monitoring is only sensitive to active flaw-growth, however, and will not detect a flaw in equilibrium. This paper describes the application of acoustic emission monitoring to nuclear reactor fuel pin end closure welds and other weldments of the reactor piping.

The results are presented of work performed on the Advanced Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor Materials Evaluation and Development Program. The objectives of this program are to evaluate candidate alloys for Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Nuclear Process Heat (NPH) and Direct Cycle Helium Turbine (DCHT) applications, in terms of the effect of simulated reactor primary coolant (helium containing small amounts of various other gases), high temperatures, and long time exposures, on the mechanical properties and structural and surface stability of selected candidate alloys. A second objective is to select and recommend materials for future test facilities and more extensive qualification programs. Work covered in this report includes the activities associated with the status of the simulated reactor helium supply system, testing equipment, and gas chemistry analysis instrumentation and equipment. The status of the data management system is presented. In addition, the progress in the screening test program is described.

Project fact sheet written for the Inventions and Innovation Program about an advanced analysis method that provides complete on-line ultrasonic inspection of tubular materials.

Our efforts to develop novel technology for a rapid DNA sequencer and large fragment analysis system based upon gel electrophoresis are described. We are using microfabrication technology to build dense arrays of high speed micro electrophoresis lanes that will ultimately increase the sequencing rate of DNA by at least 100 times the rate of current sequencers. We have demonstrated high resolution DNA fragment separation needed for sequencing in polyacrylamide microgels formed in glass microchannels. We have built prototype arrays of microchannels having up to 48 channels. Significant progress has also been made in developing a sensitive fluorescence detection system based upon a confocal microscope design that will enable the diagnostics and detection of DNA fragments in ultrathin microchannel gels. Development of a rapid DNA sequencer and fragment analysis system will have a major impact on future DNA instrumentation used in clinical, molecular and forensic analysis of DNA fragments.

Activities for this first quarter include continued effort in simulating the experiments performed in the NASA 7-ft x 10-ft wind tunnel with the GTS geometry using both LLNL's advanced computational tools and NASA's Overflow code. Along with this analysis effort, we continue to implement advanced algorithms in LLNL's models to improve simulation speed and accuracy and to verify and validate these advanced simulation tools.

Work on the AFR spent fuel storage program is focused on developing design and licensing information for the model facility. To date, the design effort is proceeding on schedule. A subcontract for soils and structural design of the fuel transfers canal is ready for DOE review. Proposals for high-density rack design to bring the model facility up to a nominal 1750 MTU capacity have been received and are being reviewed internally. This subcontract should be available for DOE review in early February. A security subcontract has been awarded to International Energy Associates Limited and the preliminary design effort is underway. Licensing activities are progressing satisfactorily. Review of the governing local, state, and federal regulations has been completed. Format and schedule for the safety analysis report and the environmental report have been established.

The comprehensive rehabilitation of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Sanitary Sewer System centers around a Cured-in-Place Pipe project. Driven by regulatory requirements to eliminate the potential for exfiltration, a careful condition assessment of the existing infrastructure was conducted. Under programmatic constraints to maintain continuous operations, the INLINER USA cured-in-place pipe system was selected as the appropriate technology, and the project is currently under contract.

This report summarizes our study of the price elasticity of demand for home appliances, including refrigerators, clothes washers, and dishwashers. In the context of increasingly stringent appliance standards, we are interested in what kind of impact the increased manufacturing costs caused by higher efficiency requirements will have on appliance sales. We begin with a review of existing economics literature describing the impact of economic variables on the sale of durable goods.We then describe the market for home appliances and changes in this market over the past 20 years, performing regression analysis on the shipments of home appliances and relevant economic variables including changes to operating cost and household income. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the demand for home appliances is price inelastic.

To gain a clearer understanding of orientation and grain deformation of crystalline materials, x-ray powder diffraction has played an integral role in extracting three-dimensional structural information from one-dimensional diffraction patterns. Powder diffraction models identical geometry to the intersection of a normal right cone with a plane. The purpose of this paper is to develop a general expression defining the conic sections based on the geometry of a powder diffraction experiment. Applying the derived formulation of a diffraction arc to experimental data will give insight to the molecular and structural properties of the sample in question. Instead of using complex three-dimensional Euclidian geometry, we define the problem solving technique with a simpler two-dimensional transformation approach to arrive at the final equation describing the conic sections. Using the diffraction geometry parameters, we can use this equation to calibrate the diffractometer from the diffraction pattern of a known reference material, or to determine the crystalline lattice structure of the compound.

Contained in the following report are data for radioactivity in the environment collected and analyzed by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's Princeton Environmental, Analytical, and Radiological Laboratory (PEARL). The PEARL is located on-site and is certified for analyzing radiological and non-radiological parameters through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Laboratory Certification Program, Certification Number 12471. Non-radiological surface and ground water samples are analyzed by NJDEP certified subcontractor laboratories - QC, Inc. and Accutest Laboratory. To the best of our knowledge, these data, as contained in the "Annual Site Environmental Report for 2005 and 2006," are documented and certified to be correct.

We report on an ab initio calculation of the {sup 4}He total photo-absorption cross section using two- and three-nucleon interactions based upon chiral effective field theory. The microscopic treatment of the continuum problem is achieved using the Lorentz integral transform method, applied within the no-core shell model approach.

The objectives of this project are to continue reservoir characterization of the Cypress Sandstone; to identify and map fades-defined waterflood units (FDWS); and to design and Implement water-alternating-gas (WAG) oil recovery utilizing carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}). The producibility problems are permeability variation and poor sweep efficiency. Phase 1 of the project focuses on the development of computer-generated geological and reservoir simulation models that will be used to select sites for the demonstration and implementation of CO{sub 2} displacement programs in Phase 2. Included in Phase 1 is the site selection and drilling of an infill well, coring of the Cypress interval, and injectivity testing to gather information used to update the reservoir simulation model. Phase 2 involves field implementation of WAG. Technology Transfer includes outreach activity such as seminars, workshops, and field trips. Technical progress for this quarter is described.

In 2002, the Richland Operations Office (RL) of the US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) developed milestones for transitioning the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) facility to a clean slab-on-grade configuration. These milestones required developing an engineering evaluation/cost analysis (EF/CA) for the facility's sub-grade structures and installations as part of a series of evaluations intended to provide for the transition of the facility to a clean slab-on-grade configuration. In addition to supporting decisions for interim actions, the analyses of sub-grade structures and installations performed through this EE/CA will contribute to the remedial investigation feasibility study(ies) and subsequently to the final records of decision for the relevant operable units responsible for site closure in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site.

This paper documents the fiscal year (FY) 2006 assessment to evaluate potential chemical and radiological hazards associated with vessels and piping in the former plutonium process areas at Hanford's Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). Evaluations by PFP engineers as design authorities for specific systems and other subject-matter experts were conducted to identify the chemical hazards associated with transitioning the process areas for the long-term layup of PFP before its eventual final decontamination and decommissioning (D and D). D and D activities in the main process facilities were suspended in September 2005 for a period of between 5 and 10 years. A previous assessment conducted in FY 2003 found that certain activities to mitigate chemical hazards could be deferred safely until the D and D of PFP, which had been scheduled to result in a slab-on-grade condition by 2009. As a result of necessary planning changes, however, D and D activities at PFP will be delayed until after the 2009 time frame. Given the extended project and plant life, it was determined that a review of the plant chemical hazards should be conducted. This review to determine the extended life impact of chemicals is called the ''Plutonium Finishing Plant Chemical Hazards Assessment, …

To accurately estimate the flare contribution from the out-of-band (OOB), the integration of a DUV source into the SEMATECH Berkeley 0.3-NA Micro-field Exposure tool is proposed, enabling precisely controlled exposures along with the EUV patterning of resists in vacuum. First measurements evaluating the impact of bandwidth selected exposures with a table-top set-up and subsequent EUV patterning show significant impact on line-edge roughness and process performance. We outline a simulation-based method for computing the effective flare from resist sensitive wavelengths as a function of mask pattern types and sizes. This simulation method is benchmarked against measured OOB flare measurements and the results obtained are in agreement.

The accuracy of a numerical method for solving the neutron transport equation is limited by the smallest mean free path in the problem. Since problems in the asymptotic diffusive regimes have vanishingly small mean free paths, it seems hopeless, given a limited amount of computer memory, that an accurate solution can be obtained for these problems. However we found that the accuracy of a numerical method improves as the scattering ratio increases with the total cross section and the grid spacing held fixed for problems that are in the asymptotic diffusive regime. This phenomenon is independent of the numerical method and can be explained on physical grounds. The numerical results by the Diamond Difference Method are given to show this phenomenon.

Atomic processes dominate antiproton stopping in matter at nearly all energies of interest. They significantly influence or determine the antiproton annihilation rate at all energies around or below several MeV. This article reviews what is known about these atomic processes. For stopping above about 10 eV the processes are antiproton-electron collisions, effective at medium keV through high MeV energies, and elastic collisions with atoms and adiabatic ionization of atoms, effective from medium eV through low keB energies. For annihilation above about 10 eV is the enhancement of the antiproton annihilation rate due to the antiproton-nucleus coulomb attraction, effective around and below a few tens of MeV. At about 10 eV and below, the atomic rearrangement/annihilation process determines both the stopping and annihilation rates. Although a fair amount of theoretical and some experimental work relevant to these processes exist, there are a number of energy ranges and material types for which experimental data does not exist and for which the theoretical information is not as well grounded or as accurate as desired. Additional experimental and theoretical work is required for accurate prediction of antiproton stopping and annihilation for energies and material relevant to antiproton experimentation and application.

Neutron hardening and embrittlement of pressure vessel steels is due to a high density of nanometer scale features, including Cu-rich precipitates which form as a result of radiation enhanced diffusion. High-energy displacement cascades generate large numbers of both isolated point defects and clusters of vacancies and interstitials. The subsequent clustering, diffusion and ultimate annihilation of primary damage is inherently coupled with solute transport and hence, the overall chemical and microstructural evolutions under irradiation. In this work, we present atomistic simulation results, based on many-body interatomic potentials, of the migration of vacancies, solute and self-interstitial atoms (SIA) in pure Fe and binary Fe-0.9 and 1.0 at.% Cu alloys. Cu diffusion occurs by a vacancy mechanism and the calculated Cu diffusivity is in good agreement with experimental data. Strain field interactions between the oversized substitutional Cu solute atoms and SIA and SIA clusters are predominantly repulsive and result in both a decreased activation energy and diffusion pre-factor for SIA and small (N < 5) SIA cluster migration, which occurs by three-dimensional motion. The Cu appears to enhance the reorientation of the SIA clusters to different <111> directions, as well as the transition from <110> to mobile <111> configurations. The migration behavior of …

The Westinghouse Savannah River Company operates the Savannah River Site for the US Department of Energy (Department) under a cost-plus-award-fee contract. Department policies require contractors to ensure a high level of performance in operating Department facilities by establishing operating standards, assessing performance against such standards, and holding contractor employees accountable for their performance. The purpose of the audit was to review Westinghouse`s policies and practices for determining staffing requirements. Since assuming responsibility for the Savannah River Site in 1989, Westinghouse increased its staffing by over 4,000 employees. The Department had undertaken some actions to reduce the number of contractor employees at the Savannah River Site. Our audit showed that the use of industry and federal performance work standards in its construction and management activities could enable Westinghouse to further reduce its staff by over 1,800 employees. The potential savings in salaries and benefits associated with such action could be about $399 million over a 5-year period. Additional staffing reductions could be attained through the use of engineered time standards in the maintenance and fabrication shops. In addition, Westinghouse significantly understated, in periodic reports to the Department, the personnel resources applied to accomplish contract requirements. Of course, the actual staffing reductions …