Due to the materials that are processed through 2H Evaporator, scale is constantly being deposited on the surfaces of the evaporator pot. In order to meet the requirements of the Nuclear Criticality Safety Analysis/Evaluation (NCSA/NCSE) for 2H Evaporator, inspections of the pot are performed to determine the extent of scaling. Once the volume of scale reaches a certain threshold, the pot must be chemically cleaned to remove the scale. Prior to cleaning the pot, samples of the scale are obtained to determine the concentration of uranium and plutonium and also to provide information to assist with pot cleaning. Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested by Liquid Waste Organization (LWO) Engineering to obtain these samples from two locations within the evaporator. Past experience has proven the difficulty of successfully obtaining solids samples from the 2H Evaporator pot. To mitigate this risk, a total of four samplers were designed and fabricated to ensure that two samples could be obtained. Samples had previously been obtained from the cone surface directly below the vertical access riser using a custom scraping tool. This tool was fabricated and deployed successfully. A second scraper was designed to obtain sample from the nearby vertical thermowell and a …

The first Gordon Research Conference on Multiphoton Processes, was held in 1982. The meeting continues to evolve as it embraces both the rapid technological and intellectual growth in the field as well as the multi-disciplinary expertise of the participants. Current areas of interest include: (1) Ionization/Dissociation of Atoms and Molecules in Intense Laser Fields; (2) Frequency Domain Multi-Photon and Multiple-Resonance Spectroscopies of Molecules; (3) Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy; (4) Ultrafast Pump-Probe Spectroscopy; (5) Coherent Strong-Field Manipulation of Atoms and Molecules; (6) High-Harmonic Generation; (7) Attosecond Pulse Generation and Measurement; and (8) Super-Intense Laser-Matter Interactions. In developing the program, the conference organizers will strive to blur traditional disciplinary boundaries, involving chemists, physicists, and optical engineers, representing both experiment and theory, as presenters and discussion leaders. The broad range of expertise and different perspectives of attendees should provide a stimulating and unique environment for solving problems and developing new ideas in this rapidly evolving field.

Preferential flow commonly observed in unsaturated soils allows rapid movement of solute from the soil surface or vadose zone to the groundwater, bypassing a significant volume of unsaturated soil and increasing the risk of groundwater contamination. A variety of evidence indicates that complex preferential patterns observed from fields are fractals. In this study, we developed a relatively simple active region model to incorporate the fractal flow pattern into the continuum approach. In the model, the flow domain is divided into active and inactive regions. Flow occurs preferentially in the active region (characterized by fractals), and inactive region is simply bypassed. A new constitutive relationship (the portion of the active region as a function of saturation) was derived. The validity of the proposed model is demonstrated by the consistency between field observations and the new constitutive relationship.

This report describes the development of a simple active region model to incorporate the fractal flow pattern into the continuum approach.

This paper is based on a transcript of my EPAC'08 presentation on advanced computing tools for accelerator physics. Following an introduction I present several examples, provide a history of the development of beam dynamics capabilities, and conclude with thoughts on the future of large scale computing in accelerator physics.

Analytical Laboratory Quality Audits are designed to improve laboratory performance. The success of the audit, as for many activities, is based on adequate preparation, precise performance, well documented and insightful reporting, and productive follow-up. Adequate preparation starts with definition of the purpose, scope, and authority for the audit and the primary standards against which the laboratory quality program will be tested. The scope and technical processes involved lead to determining the needed audit team resources. Contact is made with the auditee and a formal audit plan is developed, approved and sent to the auditee laboratory management. Review of the auditee's quality manual, key procedures and historical information during preparation leads to better checklist development and more efficient and effective use of the limited time for data gathering during the audit itself. The audit begins with the opening meeting that sets the stage for the interactions between the audit team and the laboratory staff. Arrangements are worked out for the necessary interviews and examination of processes and records. The information developed during the audit is recorded on the checklists. Laboratory management is kept informed of issues during the audit so there are no surprises at the closing meeting. The audit report …

In life the importance of setting goals is stressed. The desired end result must be envisioned to chart a path and determine indicators to provide feedback on the process. Quality does not happen by accident but is achieved through a constant process of setting goals, process development, monitoring process indicators, fine tuning the process, and achieving results. These goals are to be focused and clearly measurable. In industry and life the setting of goals with clear process indicators is often difficult because of the variable end result and scarcity of measurements. Laboratories are fortunate in that they have a plethora of measurements with known or desired end results (controls) to monitor the process and give instantaneous feedback on quality. A key quality tool used by the laboratory to monitor and evaluate the lab processes is control charting. When properly utilized Quality Control (QC) Charts allow labs to be proactive in addressing problems rather than reactive. Several methods are available for control charting and some are listed in the references/information sources. The content for this paper is based on the control-charting program utilized at the Department of Energy's Fernald site. This control-charting program has specific areas of emphasis, simple charts, trend …

Aqueous radioactive wastes from Savannah River Site (SRS) separations and vitrification processes are contained in large underground carbon steel tanks. Inspections made during 2008 to evaluate these vessels and other waste handling facilities along with evaluations based on data from previous inspections are the subject of this report.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is being used to predict the thermal-hydraulic performance of the liquid mercury target for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Features in the liquid mercury flow through the target present problems to the credibility of the simulated results because the turbulence models and wall functions have not been validated for these flow conditions. Discussion is presented in this paper of the plan for establishing the relevance of the CFD simulations to the SNS target. Some of the tasks proposed as a part of this plan have been completed, some (such as the three experimental loops) are currently underway, and some have yet to be performed. The SNS is a high-power accelerator-based pulsed spallation source being designed by a multi laboratory team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to achieve high fluxes of neutrons for scientific experiments. In addition to thermal shock and materials compatibility, the thermal-hydraulic performance of the target is an important issue in prolonging the life of the target. Present uncertainty in the application of turbulence models and wall functions typically used in CFD. To build confidence in the analyses, three experiments are currently underway which will provide validation data for various aspects of …

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During the first four decades of its 56 year existence, the Savannah River Site (SRS) was a key supplier of nuclear material for national defense. During the 1990s, the site's primary missions became waste site closure, environmental restoration, and deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) of remnant cold war apparatus. Since 1989, with the approval of State and Federal regulatory agencies and with the participation of interested stakeholders, SRS has implemented a final remedy for a majority of the more than 500 individual waste sites at the former nuclear materials complex. These waste sites range from small, inert rubble pits to large, heavy industrial areas and radioactive waste disposal grounds. The closure and final remediation of these waste sites mark significant progress toward achieving SRS's overarching goal of reducing or eliminating future environmental damage and human health threats. However, larger challenges remain. For example, what are appropriate and achievable end-states for decommissioned nuclear facilities? What environmental and human health risks are associated with these end-states? To answer these questions within the strictures of smaller budgets and accelerated schedules, SRS is implementing an ''area completion'' strategy that: (1) unites several discrete waste units into one conceptual model, (2) integrates historically disparate environmental characterization …

We report on a new research and development program at the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab directed to establish both at-wavelength and conventional optical metrology techniques suitable to characterize the surface profile of super-high-quality x-ray optics with sub-microradian precision.

The paper describes work to enable improved energy performance of existing and new retail stores belonging to a national chain and thereby also identify measures and tools that would improve the performance of 'big box' stores generally. A detailed energy simulation model of a standard store design was developed and used to: (1) demonstrate the benefits of benchmarking the energy performance of retail stores of relatively standard design using baselines derived from simulation, (2) identify cost-effective improvements in the efficiency of components to be incorporated in the next design cycle, and (3) use simulation to identify potential control strategy improvements that could be adopted in all stores, improving operational efficiency. The core enabling task of the project was to develop an energy model of the current standard design using the EnergyPlus simulation program. For the purpose of verification of the model against actual utility bills, the model was reconfigured to represent twelve existing stores (seven relatively new stores and five older stores) in different US climates and simulations were performed using weather data obtained from the National Weather Service. The results of this exercise, which showed generally good agreement between predicted and measured total energy use, suggest that dynamic benchmarking …

A considerable fraction of radioactivity entering the environment from different nuclear events is associated with particles. The impact of these events can only be fully assessed where there is some knowledge about the mobility of particle bound radionuclides entering the environment. The behavior of particulate radionuclides is dependent on several factors, including the physical, chemical and redox state of the environment, the characteristics of the particles (e.g., the chemical composition, crystallinity and particle size) and on the oxidative state of radionuclides contained in the particles. Six plutonium-containing particles stemming from Runit Island soil (Marshall Islands) were characterized using non-destructive analytical and microanalytical methods. By determining the activity of {sup 239,240}Pu and {sup 241}Am isotopes from their gamma peaks structural information related to Pu matrix was obtained, and the source term was revealed. Composition and elemental distribution in the particles were studied with synchrotron radiation based micro X-ray fluorescence (SR-{mu}-XRF) spectrometry. Scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray detector (SEMEDX) and secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) were used to examine particle surfaces. Based on the elemental composition the particles were divided into two groups; particles with plain Pu matrix, and particles where the plutonium is included in Si/O-rich matrix being …

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Over the last three decades, microscopists and microanalysts have successfully developed, documented and exploited a large number of experimental techniques for the characterization of the morphology, crystallography, elemental, chemical and electronic structure of their samples. While the application of any of these now ''routine'' tools of microcharacterization remains the foundation of the work reported in the microscopy or microanalysis literature, it can be safely asserted that the technologically important problems of the next decade will demand an ever increasing sophistication in how we attack and solve the ensuing generation of problems using the resources we have at hand. It is also reasonably safe to say that while improving something as basic as the resolution of an instrument will generally facilitate studying a new class of materials, it will not fundamentally change how we work, it will only change what one studies. To truly create a new paradigm of how we, as experimentalists, enlist resources to solve vexing problems; we have to step back and consider what are all the limiting factors to employing our resources to their greatest utility, then we must come up with new ways of combining these resources to change the how we might tackle new problems.

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In order to set up a powerful proton source for a future Neutrino Factory, increasing at the same time the flux of protons available for new and existing facilities, CERN is studying a 2.2 GeV superconducting H- linac for 4 MW beam power, called SPL. The superconducting part of this linac covers the energy range from 120 MeV to 2.2 GeV. Three sections made of 352 MHz cavities with nominal beta of 0.52, 0.7 and 0.8 bring the beam energy up to 1 GeV. From this energy, superconducting cavities from LEP or beta 0.8 cavities can be used up to the final energy of 2.2 GeV. This paper covers the optimization for the superconducting part, the beam dynamics design principles, the matching between sections, and the results of multiparticle simulations with up to 50 million particles. To demonstrate the stability of the design, matched and mismatched input beams are used.

The Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) High-Temperature Combustion Facility (HTCF) was used to perform hydrogen deflagration and detonation experiments at temperatures to 650 K. Safety features that were designed to ensure safe and reliable operation of the experimental program are described. Deflagration and detonation experiments have been conducted using mixtures of hydrogen, air, and steam. Detonation cell size measurements were made as a function of mixture composition and thermodynamic gas conditions. Deflagration-to-detonation transition experiments were also conducted. Results of the experimental program are presented, and implications with respect to hydrogen safety are discussed.

The Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is one of the most promising power sources for stand-alone utility and electric vehicle applications. Platinum (Pt) Catalyst is used for both fuel and air electrodes in PEMFCs. However, carbon monoxide (CO) contamination of H{sub 2} greatly affects electro catalysts used at the anode of PEMFCs and decreases cell performance. The irreversible poisoning of the anode can occur even in CO concentrations as low as few parts per million (ppm). In this work, we have synthesized several novel elctrocatalysts (Pt/C, Pt/Ru/C, Pt/Mo/C, Pt/Ir and Pt/Ru/Mo) for PEMFCs. These catalysts have been tested for CO tolerance in the H{sub 2}/air fuel cell, using CO concentrations in the H{sub 2} fuel that varies from 10 to 100 ppm. The performance of the electrodes was evaluated by determining the cell potential against current density. The effects of catalyst composition and electrode film preparation method on the performance of PEM fuel cell were also studied. It was found that at 70 C and 3.5 atm pressure at the cathode, Pt-alloy catalyst (10 wt% Pt/Ru/C, 20 wt% Pt/Mo/C) were more CO tolerant than the 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst alone. It was also observed that spraying method was better …

Modern diagnostic techniques provide detailed information on beam conditions in injector, transport, and final focus experiments in the HIF-VNL. Parameters of interest include beam current, beam energy, transverse and longitudinal distributions, emittance, and space charge neutralization. Imaging techniques, based on kapton films and optical scintillators, complement and in some cases, may replace conventional techniques based on slit scans. Time-resolved optical diagnostics that provide 4-D transverse information on the experimental beams are in operation on the existing experiments. Current work includes a compact optical diagnostic suitable for insertion in transport lines, improved algorithms for optical data analysis and interpretation, a high-resolution electrostatic energy analyzer, and an electron beam probe. A longitudinal diagnostic kicker generates longitudinal space-charge waves that travel on the beam. Time of flight of the space charge waves and an electrostatic energy analyzer provide an absolute measure of the beam energy. Special diagnostics to detect secondary electrons and gases desorbed from the wall have been developed.

Final report summarizing the completed work of the project entitled 'Dissolution of Feldspar in the Field and Laboratory.' One of the highly debated questions today in low-temperature geochemical kinetics centers upon the rate and mechanism of dissolution of feldspar, the most common mineral in the crust. In this project, the mechanisms of feldspar dissolution were investigated by emphasizing experiments with feldspar glass and crystal while comparing surface and solution chemistry. Specifically, laboratory work focused on the structure of altered surface layers on feldspars, the rate of dissolution of feldspar crystal and glass, and the presence of porosity and surface coatings on feldspars. In a complementary field project, the use of Sr concentrations and isotopic ratios were used to calculate feldspar dissolution rates.

This report extend the approach to heterogeneous systems, by considering the simpler case of in-situ combustion in layered porous media (and particularly to a two-layer model). Analytical models were developed to delineate the combined elects of fluid flow, reaction and heat transfer on the dynamics of combustion fronts in layered porous media, using as parameters the thermal coupling between the layers, the heat transfer to the surroundings and the permeability contrast.

This report examines the gas phase growth from a supersaturated, slightly compressible, liquid in a porous medium, driven by heat transfer and controlled by the application of a constant-rate decline of the system pressure.