Rate constants for the aqueous oxidation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) have been measured in aqueous phosphate-buffered solutions using Dickson-type vessels. The initial NDMA concentrations ranged from 2.5 to 2.8 ppm and reaction temperatures varied from 180 C to 220 C. Quantitation of NDMA was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using selected ion monitoring (SIM). NDMA loss with concomitant production of nitrite and nitrate confirmed that mineralization of NDMA occurred, and no intermediates amenable to GC-MS were formed during the oxidation experiments. First order reaction rate constants for the loss of NDMA were determined by the integral method and the results are as follows: k{sub 1} = 5.21 x 10{sup -7} s{sup -1} at 180 C, k{sub 1} = 1.14 x 10{sup -6} s{sup -1} at 190 C, k{sub 1} = 2.05 x 10{sup -6} s{sup -1} at 200 C, k{sub 1} = 4.53 x 10{sup -6} s{sup -1} at 210 C and k{sub 1} = 8.81 x 10{sup -6} s{sup -1} at 220 C. The Arrhenius equation for this data is listed below: ln (k) = 20.21 - 15716 (1/T). The activation energy for this process is calculated to be 130.7 {+-} 3.5 kJ/mole. Extrapolating to a temperature of 125 …

None

In October 1993, the authors sampled soils, vegetation, and hydrology at eight sites representing a range of substrates, elevations, soil types, and plant community types within rainforest habitats on the Island of Hawaii. Their purpose was to determine whether any of these habitats were wetlands according to the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual. None of the rainforest habitats they sampled was wetland in its entirety. However, communities established on pahoehoe lava flows contained scattered wetlands in depressions and folds in the lava, where water could accumulate. Therefore, large construction projects, such as that associated with proposed geothermal energy development in the area, have the potential to impact a significant number and/or area of wetlands. To estimate those impacts more accurately, they present a supplementary scope of work and cost estimate for additional sampling in the proposed geothermal project area.

Starting in 1989, the concept that partitioning and transmuting actinides from spent nuclear fuel could be a {open_quotes}solution{close_quotes} to the apparent lack of progress in the high-level waste disposal program began to be heard from a variety of sources, both in the US and internationally. There have been numerous papers and sessions at scientific conferences and several conferences devoted to this subject in the last three years. At the request of the US Department of Energy, the National Research Council is evaluating the feasibility of this concept. Because either plutonium or highly enriched uranium is needed to startup breeder reactors, there is a sound rationale for using Pu from reprocessing spent light-water reactor fuel to start a conversion to Pu-breeding liquid metal reactors (LMRs), once society makes the determination that adding a large component of LMRs to the electricity-generating grid is desirable. This is the long-term option referred to in the title. It is compatible with the current and likely future high-level waste program, as well as the current nuclear power industry in the US. However, the thesis of this paper is that partitioning and transmutation (P-T) does not offer a near term solution to high-level waste disposal in the …

High power and high radiance laser technologies developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) such as copper-vapor lasers, solid-state slab lasers, dye lasers, harmonic wavelength conversion of these lasers, and fiber optic delivery systems show great promise for material processing tasks. Evaluation of models suggests significant potential for tenfold increases in welding, cutting, and drilling performance, as well as capability for applications in emerging technologies such as micromachining, surface treatment, and stereolithography. The goals of this program are to develop low-cost, reliable and maintainable industrial laser systems. Chains of copper lasers currently operate at more than 1.5 kW output and achieve mean time between failures of more than 1,000 hours. The beam quality of copper vapor lasers is approximately three times the diffraction limit. Dye lasers have near diffraction limited beam quality at greater than 1.0 kW. diode laser pumped, Nd:YAG slab lasers are also being developed at LLNL. Current designs achieve powers of greater than 1.0 kW and projected beam quality is in the two to five times diffraction limited range. Results from cutting and drilling studies in titanium and stainless steel alloys show that cuts and holes with extremely fine features can be made with dye and copper-vapor …

We will explore a variant of resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI). Development of the IR + UV R2PI experiment is underway. We have used optical R2PI and pulsed field ionization detection to obtain vibrational spectra of the benzyl and phenylsilane cations. In benzyl, we have learned about the vibronic coupling in the mixed 1{sup 2}A{sub 2}-2{sup 2}B{sub 2} system near 450 nm by projecting the mixed states onto the manifold of cation vibrational states. In phenylsilane{sup +}, we find that the sixfold barrier to internal rotation of the silyl group is small (V{sub 6}= +19 cm{sup {minus}1}). We are beginning to understand the mechanisms of coupling of torsional states with vibrations, overall rotation, and other electronic states, and we are developing a model of internal rotation in aromatic compounds based on Weinhold`s natural resonance theory. 1 tab, 14 refs.

The Petroleum Marketing Monthly is designed to give information and statistical data about a variety of crude oils and refined petroleum products. The publication provides statistics on crude oil costs and refined petroleum products sales for use by industry, government, private sector analysts, educational institutions, and consumers. Data on crude oil include the domestic first purchase price, the f.o.b. and landed cost of imported crude oil, and the refiner`s acquisition cost of crude oil. Sales data for motor gasoline, distillates, residuals, aviation fuels, kerosene, and propane are presented.

Progress during the past year of research under ``Measurements of Surface Ocean Carbon Dioxide Partial Pressure During WOCE`` has been significant. As was described in our previous progress report, the startup phase of this research was severely frustrated by delays in the US WOCE Hydrographic Program (WHP), which in turn were caused by delays in the mid-life refit of the R/V Knorr. As a result the high latitude southeastern Pacific work (WHP lines P19S and P16S) originally scheduled for the 1990 austral summer has still not been carried out. As a substitute, the smaller R/V Thomas Washington was pressed into service during mid-1991 to carry out lower-latitude portions of the WHP P16 and P17 lines - the TUNES Expedition. Because this ship is much smaller than the R/V Knorr, she could not carry a full complement of WHP programs and seagoing personnel and was restricted by her size and the time of year to lower-latitude work. Our original proposal for carbon dioxide measurements was designed to divide the work between legs in which we participated as part of the WHP dissolved CFC program (under separate NSF funding) and legs in which we entrusted the operation of our system to other …

This document is the Process Test Report for performing operation testing with water of the modified E-F11 concentrator in PUREX on water. The test was performed to determine the effects of the following concentrator modifications; routing concentrator off-gasses via the PUREX air tunnel to the main stack, blanking of condenser cooling water, blanking of process condensate route to a crib, restricting flow to steam tube bundles, and routing of steam condensate to TK-F12. The test was successful. Concentrator boil-off rates of 6--7 gpm were achieved while the overheads exited the PUREX plant in vapor form. With minor recommended modifications, this process is recommended for use in processing PUREX deactivation flush solutions and other miscellaneous wastes accumulated during the completion of the deactivation project.

This report covers the period from October, 1993 to January, 1994. It summarizes the activities on the grant to develop novel surfactants for enhanced oil recovery, and represents the first quarterly report for the project. During the period covered by this report, considerable effort was spent in arrangements for procuring equipment, chemicals and in educating students about the substance of the project. Unfortunately, the major equipment order to fully implement the project have not yet been delivered. A few surfactants, however have either been synthesized in the Morgan State laboratories or purchased from commercial manufacturers. South Carolina State continued to plan and set its laboratories during the period, and significant project administrative and management support was provided by the Institute for College Research Development and Support. As a starting point in the education, training and eventual proficiency in surfactant synthesis, the following cationic surfactants have been successfully synthesized: cetyltriethylammonium bromide, cetyltripropylammonium bromide and cetyltributylammonium bromide. NMR analysis of these surfactants was also carried out. In the absence of the major equipment, the critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of the surfactants to be synthesized, were determined using the conductometric method. The CMC determination was necessary because there is a correlation between surface …

The NGM highlights activities, events, and analyses of interest to public and private sector organizations associated with the natural gas industry. Volume and price data are presented each month for natural gas production, distribution, consumption, and interstate pipeline activities. Producer-related activities and underground storage data are also reported. The NGM also features articles designed to assist readers in using and interpreting natural gas information.

Alkali corrosion kinetics of mullite were studied in a constant partial pressure of sodium nitrate. Reaction layer thickness appears to be linearly related to reaction time; linear reaction rate constants are 9 {mu}m/h at 1000{degrees}C and 25 {mu}m/h at 1050{degrees}C. XRD after reaction revealed sodium aluminate and carnegieite, with a suggestion of a solid solution of the sodium aluminate and carnegieite phases. SEM reveals a large number of microcracks in the reaction layer.

A mathematical model for the formation rate of ammonium nitrate in the off-gas line of the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and the Slurry Mixed Evaporator (SME) in DWPF has been developed. The formation rate of ammonium nitrate in the off-gas line depends on pH, temperature, volume and total concentration of ammonia and ammonium ion. Based on a typical SRAT and SME cycle in DWPF, this model predicts the SRAT contributes about 50 lbs of ammonium nitrate while SME contributes about 60 lbs of ammonium nitrate to the off-gas line.

We will explore a variant of resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI). Development of the IR + UV R2PI experiment is underway. We have used optical R2PI and pulsed field ionization detection to obtain vibrational spectra of the benzyl and phenylsilane cations. In benzyl, we have learned about the vibronic coupling in the mixed 1[sup 2]A[sub 2]-2[sup 2]B[sub 2] system near 450 nm by projecting the mixed states onto the manifold of cation vibrational states. In phenylsilane[sup +], we find that the sixfold barrier to internal rotation of the silyl group is small (V[sub 6]= +19 cm[sup [minus]1]). We are beginning to understand the mechanisms of coupling of torsional states with vibrations, overall rotation, and other electronic states, and we are developing a model of internal rotation in aromatic compounds based on Weinhold's natural resonance theory. 1 tab, 14 refs.

A mathematical model for the formation rate of ammonium nitrate in the off-gas line of the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and the Slurry Mixed Evaporator (SME) in DWPF has been developed. The formation rate of ammonium nitrate in the off-gas line depends on pH, temperature, volume and total concentration of ammonia and ammonium ion. Based on a typical SRAT and SME cycle in DWPF, this model predicts the SRAT contributes about 50 lbs of ammonium nitrate while SME contributes about 60 lbs of ammonium nitrate to the off-gas line.

Progress during the past year of research under Measurements of Surface Ocean Carbon Dioxide Partial Pressure During WOCE'' has been significant. As was described in our previous progress report, the startup phase of this research was severely frustrated by delays in the US WOCE Hydrographic Program (WHP), which in turn were caused by delays in the mid-life refit of the R/V Knorr. As a result the high latitude southeastern Pacific work (WHP lines P19S and P16S) originally scheduled for the 1990 austral summer has still not been carried out. As a substitute, the smaller R/V Thomas Washington was pressed into service during mid-1991 to carry out lower-latitude portions of the WHP P16 and P17 lines - the TUNES Expedition. Because this ship is much smaller than the R/V Knorr, she could not carry a full complement of WHP programs and seagoing personnel and was restricted by her size and the time of year to lower-latitude work. Our original proposal for carbon dioxide measurements was designed to divide the work between legs in which we participated as part of the WHP dissolved CFC program (under separate NSF funding) and legs in which we entrusted the operation of our system to other …

None

The report is about the AC Quadrupole in RHIC

The North Endcap Calorimeter (NEC) is to be moved from the clean room to the north sidewalk in preparation for the final installation on the DO detector center beam. In order to make this move, the cable bridge must be 'flattened' and the NEC lifted to move over it. The detector is moved west, approximately 24 feet, while the moveable counting house remains stationary. This movement allows the cable bridge to 'flatten' i.e. become horizontal. The cable bridge lowering is steadied and stabilized by 7.5 ton hoist mounted on the moveable counting house. By moving the detector to lower the bridge, a vacancy has been created in the pit that must be filled to the level of the clean room rail elevation. This filler will consist of concrete shield blocks, stacked in two rows. These rows are spaced appropriately to match the wheel base of the EC transporter. A steel plate is placed on top of each row of shield blocks and leveled to the elevation of the clean room rails. Steel plates will be installed and leveled on the north sidewalk similar to those used on the south sidewalk for the CC installation. These plates are used as rails …

This report describes emergency supplemental initiatives for the year 1999. The initiatives include: agriculture, embassy security and counter-terrorism, year 2000 computer conversion, U.S. troops in Bosnia, defense readiness, and other topics.

“Rhetoric,” wrote Aristotle, “is the power of determining in a particular case what are the available means of persuasion.” This report reviews some effective means for the rhetoric of persuasive communication in speeches written by congressional staff for Senators and Representatives.

This report provides information about the Debt-Limit Legislation in the Congressional Budget Process. The gross federal debt consists of the debt held by the public plus the debt held by government accounts.

None

Pressure vessel and piping systems are widely used throughout industry and research laboratories and contain a very large concentration of energy, and yet, despite the fact that their design and installation comply with federal, state and local regulations and recognized industrial standards, there continue to be serious pressure equipment failures. There are many reasons for pressure equipment failure: degradation and thinning of materials with usage, aging, hidden flaws during fabrication, etc. Fortunately, periodic testing and internal and external inspections significantly improve the safety of a pressure vessel or facility. A good testing and inspection program is based on development of procedures for specific industries or types of vessels. This paper describes the elements that should be a part of a pressure testing safety program and the requirements that it should address. The program should comply with pressure safety standards and include the requirements for inspecting pressure vessels, establishing and implementing a written pressure system test work permit, maintaining safety in the testing area, developing in-place pressure testing procedures, keeping records for pressure test calculations and results, and evaluating the system's internal and external integrity.