Newsletter distributed to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum members describing current news, policies, and legislation, as well as other information relevant to the management of low-level radioactive waste.

Purpose of this document is to define the system requirements necessary to improve computer support for the WHC backlog waste business process through enhancements to the backlog waste function of the SWITS system. This SRS document covers enhancements to the SWITS system to support changes to the existing Backlog Waste screens including new data elements, label changes, and new pop-up screens. The pop-ups will allow the user to flag the processes that a waste container must have performed on it, and will provide history tracking of changes to data. A new screen will also be provided allowing Acceptable Services to perform mass updates to specific data in Backlog Waste table. The SWITS Backlog Waste enhancements in this document will support the project goals in WHC-SD-WM-003 and its Revision 1 (Radioactive Solid Waste Tracking System Conceptual Definition) for the control, tracing, and inventory management of waste as the packages are generated and moved through final disposal (cradle-to-grave).

The purpose of this document is to identify potential transuranic (TRU) material among the Hanford Site tank wastes for possible disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as an alternative to disposal in the high-level waste (HLW) repository. Identification of such material is the initial task in a trade study suggested in WHC-EP-0786, Tank Waste Remediation System Decisions and Risk Assessment (Johnson 1994). The scope of this document is limited to the identification of those tanks that might be segregated from the HLW for disposal as TRU, and the bases for that selection. It is assumed that the tank waste will be washed to remove soluble inert material for disposal as low-level waste (LLW), and the washed residual solids will be vitrified for disposal. The actual recommendation of a disposal strategy for these materials will require a detailed cost/benefit analysis and is beyond the scope of this document.

Froth flotation technique is an effective and efficient process for recovering of ultra-fine (minus 74 {mu}m) clean coal. Economical dewatering of an ultra-fine clean coal product to a 20 percent level moisture will be an important step in successful implementation of the advanced cleaning processes. This project is a step in the Department of Energy`s program to show that ultra-clean coal could be effectively dewatered to 20 percent or lower moisture using either conventional or advanced dewatering techniques. The cost-sharing contract effort is for 36 months beginning September 30, 1994. This report discusses technical progress made during the quarter from January 1 to March 31, 1995.

Tank 241-BY-103 headspace gas and vapor samples were collected and analyzed to help determine the potential risks to tank farm workers due to fugitive emissions from the tank. The drivers and objectives of waste tank headspace sampling and analysis are discussed in {open_quotes}Program Plan for the Resolution of Tank Vapor Issues.{close_quotes} Tank 241-BY-103 was vapor sampled in accordance with {open_quotes}Data Quality Objectives for Generic In-Tank Health and Safety Issue Resolution.{close_quotes}

Tank 241-BY-107 headspace gas and vapor samples were collected and analyzed to help determine the potential risks to tank farm workers due to fugitive emissions from the tank. The drivers and objectives of waste tank headspace sampling and analysis are discussed in {open_quotes}Program Plan for the Resolution of Tank Vapor Issues{close_quotes}. Tank 241-BY-107 was vapor sampled in accordance with {open_quotes}Data Quality Objectives for Generic In-Tank Health and Safety Issue Resolution{close_quotes}.

Tank 241-C-108 headspace gas and vapor samples were collected and analyzed to help determine the potential risks to tank farm workers due to fugitive emissions from the tank. The drivers and objectives of waste tank headspace sampling and analysis are discussed in Program Plan for the Resolution of Tank Vapor Issues (Osborne and Huckaby 1994). Tank 241-C-108 was vapor sampled in accordance with Data Quality Objectives for Generic In-Tank Health and Safety Issue Resolution (Osborne et al., 1994).

This document is a report of the analytical results for samples collected from the radioactive wastes in Tank 241-U-202 at the Hanford Reservation. Core samples were collected from the solid wastes in the tank and underwent safety screening analyses including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and total alpha analysis. Results indicate that no safety screening notification limits were exceeded.

This document contains impacts, plans, resource requirements, schedules, and documents to ensure the conduct of activities for the operation of the Hanford Action Tracking System (HATS). Each discrete topic in this document applies to a specific area of management and team interaction. These formally establish the planning, resources, documentation, and training responsibilities for the system management team. This document is composed of four appendices. These include the following: (1) organization impacts and implementation plan--expected organizational impacts resulting from setting up the new support system for the HATS, the plan to address each of these impacts and other system implementation requirements; (2) training and information requirements--training and information needed to use and operate the HATS; (3) operation/maintenance resources--resources required to maintain and operate the HATS once the system becomes operations; (4) training package--HATS implementation training needs, includes a training procedure, the environment for training users (tools and materials required for the facility, trainer, and trainee); schedule, and handout materials and forms to be completed at the time of training.

Recent work in dynamic graph algorithms has led to efficient algorithms for dynamic undirected graph problems such as connectivity. However, no efficient algorithms are known for the dynamic versions of fundamental directed graph problems like strong connectivity and transitive closure, as well as some undirected graph problems such as maximum matchings and cuts. We provide some explanation for this lack of success by presenting quadratic lower bounds on the certificate complexity of the seemingly difficult problems, in contrast to the known linear certificate complexity for the problems which have efficient dynamic algorithms. A direct outcome of our lower bounds is the demonstration that a generic technique for designing efficient dynamic graph algorithms, viz., sparsification, will not apply to the difficult problems. More generally, it is our belief that the boundary between tractable and intractable dynamic graph problems can be demarcated in terms of certificate complexity. In many applications of dynamic (di)graph problems, a certain form of lookahead is available. Specifically, we consider the problems of assembly planning in robotics and the maintenance of relations in databases. These give rise to dynamic strong connectivity and dynamic transitive closure problems, respectively. We explain why it is reasonable, and indeed natural and desirable, …

This paper describes the design, development and performance of a lightweight precision gimbal with dual-axis slew capability to be used in a closed-loop optical tracking system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory-LLNL. The motivation for the development of this gimbal originates from the need to acquire and accurately localize warm objects (T{approximately}500 K) in a cluttered background. The design of the gimbal is centered around meeting the following performance requirements: pointing accuracy with control < 35 {mu}rad-(1-{omega}); slew capability > 0.2 rad/sec; mechanical weight < 5 kg. These performance requirements are derived by attempting to track a single target from multiple satellites in low Earth orbit using a mid-wave infrared camera. Key components in the gimbal hardware that are essential to meeting the performance objectives include a nickel plated beryllium mirro, an accurate lightweight capacitive pickoff device for angular measurement about the elevation axis, a 16-bit coarse/fine resolver for angular measurement about the azimuth axis, a toroidally wound motor with low hysteresis for providing torque about the azimuth axis, and the selection of beryllium parts to insure high stiffness to weight ratios and more efficient thermal conductivity. Each of these elements are discussed in detail to illustrate the design trades performed …

Two one-segment core samples from tank 241-U-203 (U-203) were received by the 222-S Laboratories and underwent safety screening analysis, consisting of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and total alpha activity. In addition to the safety screening requirements, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrographic analysis for lithium was performed to determine the extent of hydrostatic head fluid contamination during the sampling event. No notification limits were exceeded for these analyses.

A limited study consisting of scoping experiments was carried out to determine if a uranium-niobium alloy was weakly or strongly resistant to penetration by liquid aluminum alloy 6061. Our investigation was limited to temperatures between 700{degrees}and 900{degrees}C and carried out using small cylindrical coupons of U-6wt.%Nb and unalloyed U in unsaturated molten aluminum and aluminum alloy 6061 baths. The results indicate that indeed, significant dissolution of uranium into molten aluminum occurs and in relatively short times. The diameters of U-6wt.%Nb test cylinders immersed in unsaturated Al-6061 decreased linearly with time at 700{degrees}C, 800{degrees}C, and 900{degrees}C at rates of 1.14 mm/h, 3.0 mm/h, and 3.5 mm/h, respectively. However, we have found that the reaction rates were significantly reduced by the alloying elements niobium and magnesium. These results suggest that a more detailed investigation could lead to a predictive capability for control of these reaction rates. In unalloyed U, the rate of U dissolution increased by up to a factor of ten relative to that in U- 6wt.%Nb. In both materials, the dissolution of the U core was found to occur by advance of a continuous intermetallic layer, which redissolves into the unsaturated liquid Al bath. The Nb additions resulted in the …

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

A goal of the Department of Energy project management system is to ensure that projects are necessary to fulfill mission needs and are cost effective. This requires that the Department justify each project and explore competitive alternatives. The objective of this audit was to assess the need to construct protective force training facilities at the Department`s Pantex Plant. Our audit disclosed that (1) construction of a physical training facility was not necessary to fulfill mission needs, and (2) the Department did not consider all viable alternatives to constructing a weapons tactics and training facility. These conditions occurred, in part, because a Justification for New Start was never prepared and approved for the Security Enhancements Major System Acquisition, which included these two projects. We recommended that the Manager, Albuquerque Operations Office, cancel construction of the physical training facility, make needed repairs and upgrades to the existing facilities, and reduce the cost of the Security Enhancements Major System Acquisition accordingly. Implementation of this recommendation will save about $1.7 million. We also recommended that the Manager direct Mason & Hanger to perform economic analyses of all viable alternatives to constructing a weapons tactics and training facility before proceeding with construction. Such analyses could …

Profiles of Foreign Direct Investment in US Energy 1993 describes the role of foreign ownership in US energy resources. This report also looks at the investment patterns of US energy companies in other countries. The data used in this report come from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Commerce, company annual reports, and public disclosures of investment activities.