This status report is published for Los Alamos National Laboratory 94-1 Research and Development (R and D) projects. The Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE/EM) funds these projects in order to support the storage or disposal of legacy plutonium and plutonium-bearing materials that resulted from weapons production throughout the DOE complex. This report summarizes status and technical progress for Materials Identification and Surveillance; Stabilization Process Development; Surveillance and Monitoring; Core Technology; Separations; Materials Science; Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Plutonium(IV) and Plutonium(VI) Phosphates; Plutonium Phosphate Solution Chemistry; and Molten Salt/Nonaqueous Electrochemistry.

This document describes the cleanup, sampling, and analysis activities associated with the closure of the 303-K Storage Facility under the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-303-610, ``Dangerous Waste Regulations.`` this document is a supplement to the 303-K Storage Facility Closure Plan (DOE-RL 1995a) (Closure Plan). The objective of these activities is to support clean closure of the 303 K Storage Facility. This document defines the information and activities needed to meet this objective, including: constituents of concern, cleanup performance standards, cleanup activities, sampling locations and methods, field screening locations and methods, field quality control requirements, laboratory analytical methods, and data validation methodology. This document supersedes the Closure Plan if the two conflict

An interlaboratory comparison exercise for 129I was organized and conducted. A total of nine laboratories participated in the exercise to either a full or limited extent. In Phase I of the comparison, a suite of 11 samples were measured. The suite of samples contained both synthetic `standard type` materials (i.e., AgI) and environmental materials. The isotopic 129I/127I ratios of the samples varied from 10`-8 to 10`-14. In this phase, each laboratory was responsible for its own chemical preparation of the environmental samples. The 129I AMS measurements obtained at different laboratories for prepared AgI were in good agreement. However, large discrepancies were seen in 129I AMS measurements of environmental samples. Because of the large discrepancies seen in the Phase I intercomparison, a subsequent study was conducted. In Phase II of the comparison, AgI was prepared from two environmental samples (IAEA 375 soil and maples leaves) by three separate laboratories. Each laboratory used its own chemical preparation method with each of the methods being distinctly different. The resulting six samples (two sets of three) were then redistributed to the participating 129I AMS facilities and 129I/127I ratios measured. Results and discussion of both the Phase I and Phase II interlaboratory comparison are presented.

This report contains results of a biennial assessment of tritium separation technology and tritium nitration techniques for control of tritium bearing wastewaters at the Hanford Site. Tritium in wastewaters at Hanford have resulted from plutonium production, fuel reprocessing, and waste handling operations since 1944. this assessment was conducted in response to the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order.

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCIL4), Title III, Section 313 [also known as the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA)], as modified by Executive Order 12856, requires all federal facilities to submit an annual Toxic Chemical Release Inventory report every July for the preceding calendar year. Owners and operators of manufacturing, processing, or production facilities are required to report their toxic chemical releases to all environmental mediums (air, water, soil, etc.). At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), nitric acid was the only toxic chemical used in 1997 that met the reportable threshold limit of 10,000 lb. Form R is the only documentation required by the Environmental Protection Agency, and it is included in the appendix of this report. This report, as requested by DOE, is provided for documentation purposes. In addition, a detailed description of the evaluation and reporting process for chemicals and processes at LANL has been included.

At the Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory in Dallas, Texas, the Earth`s surface and internal temperature are studied. With financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy, a data base containing geothermal temperature well information for the United States is being developed. During this calendar quarter, activity with this project has continued involving several different tasks: planning and development of the geothermal system thermal-well data base and temperature-depth data, development of the specifications for the data base, and completion of an initial inventory of the geothermal areas for which data are available.

The {sub 36}Cl/Cl isotopic composition of chlorine in geothermal systems can be a useful diagnostic tool in characterizing hydrologic structure, in determining the origins and age of waters within the systems, and in differentiating the sources of chlorine (and other solutes) in the thermal waters. The {sub 36}Cl/Cl values for several geothermal water samples and reservoir host rock samples from the Coso, California geothermal field have been measured for these purposes. The results indicate that most of the chlorine is not derived from the dominant granitoid that host the geothermal system. If the chlorine was originally input into the Coso subsurface through meteoric recharge, that input occurred at least 1-1.25 million years ago. The results suggest that the thermal waters could be connate waters derived from sedimentary formations, presumably underlying and adjacent top the granitic rocks, which have recently migrated into the host rocks. Alternatively, most of the chlorine but not the water, may have recently input into the system from magmatic sources. In either case, the results indicate that most of the chlorine in the thermal waters has existed within the granitoid host rocks for no more than about 100,00-200,00 years. this residence time for the chlorine is similar …

The vector potential and the magnetic field have been derived for an arrays of quadrupole magnets with thin Cos(2{theta}) current sheet placed at r = R.{sup bc}. The field strength of each coil within the array, varies purely as a Fourier sinusoidal series of the longidutinal coordinate z in proportion to {omega}{sub m}z, where {omega}{sub m} = (2m-1){pi}/L, L denotes the half-period, and m = 1,2,3 etc. The analysis is based on the expansion of the vector potential in the region external to the windings of a linear 3D quad, and a revision of that expansion by the application of the 'Addition Theorem' from that around the coil center to that around any arbitrary point in space.

The heavy-duty roto peen technology was being evaluated at Florida International University (FIU) as a baseline technology. It is a commercially available technology and has been used for various projects at locations throughout the country. In conjunction with FIU`s evaluation of efficiency and cost, this report covers the human factors assessment for safety and health issues. The heavy-duty roto peen allows for the selective removal of concrete substrates. The peen is a tungsten carbide shot brazed to a hardened steel rivet that is supported by a heavy-duty flexible flap. The shot rivet is kept captive to the tool by mounting the roto peen in a slotted hub. The heavy-duty roto peen is designed to be used with several commercially available pieces of equipment. The equipment being used will determine the width of each pass. The equipment being used with the roto peen is then connected to a vacuum system for dust collection during scabbling. The safety and health evaluation during the human factors assessment focused on two main areas: noise and dust.

The heavy-duty roto peen technology is being evaluated at Florida International University (FIU) as a baseline technology. It is a commercially available technology and has been used for various projects at locations throughout the country. In conjunction with FIU`s evaluation of efficiency and cost, this report covers the human factors assessment for safety and health issues. The heavy-duty roto peen allows for the selective removal of concrete substrates. The peen is a tungsten carbide shot brazed to a hardened steel rivet that is supported by a heavy-duty flexible flap. The shot rivet is kept captive to the tool by mounting the roto peen in a slotted hub. The heavy-duty roto peen is designed to be used with several commercially available pieces of equipment. The equipment being used will determine the width of each pass. The equipment being used with the roto peen is then connected to a vacuum system for dust collection during scabbling. The safety and health evaluation during the human factors assessment focused on two main areas: noise and dust.

The roto peen scaler allows for the selective removal of concrete substrates. The peen is a tungsten carbide shot brazed to a hardened steel rivet that is supported by a heavy duty flexible flap. The peens are coupled with a commercially available piece of equipment that is used to scabble or remove the concrete. The scabbled debris is then collected into 55 gallon drums by means of a vacuum system. The safety and health evaluation during the human factors assessment focused on two main areas: noise and dust.

None

On May 14, 1997, at 7:53 p.m. (PDT), a chemical explosion occur-red in Tank A- 109 in Room 40 of the Plutonium Reclamation Facility (Facility) located in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site, approximately 30 miles north of Richland, Washington. The inactive processing Facility is part of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). On May 16, 1997, Lloyd L. Piper, Deputy Manager, acting for John D. Wagoner, Manager, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL), formally established an Accident Investigation Board (Board) to investigate the explosion in accordance with DOE Order 225. 1, Accident Investigations. The Board commenced its investigation on May 15, 1997, completed the investigation on July 2, 1997, and submitted its findings to the RL Manager on July 26, 1997. The scope of the Board`s investigation was to review and analyze the circumstances of the events that led to the explosion; to analyze facts and to determine the causes of the accident; and to develop conclusions and judgments of need that may help prevent a recurrence of the accident. The scope also included the application of lessons learned from similar accidents within DOE. In addition to this detailed report, a companion document has also …

The goal of the proposed National Spallation Neutron Source (NSNS) is to provide a short pulse proton beam of about 0.5 {mu}s with average beam power of 1 MW. To achieve such purpose, a proton storage ring operated at 60 Hz with 1 x 10{sup 14} protons per pulse at 1 GeV is required. The Accumulator Ring (AR) receives 1 msec long H{sup {minus}} beam bunches of 28 mA from a 1 GeV linac. Scope and design performance goals of the AR are presented, other possible technological choices and design options considered, but not adopted, are also briefly reviewed.

This document provides a printout of the ``Fuel Activity Database`` (version U6) generated by the Hanford DKPRO code and transmitted to the Los Alamos National Laboratory for input to their ``Hanford Defined Waste`` model of waste tank inventories. This fuel activity file consists of 1,276 records--each record representing the activity associated with a batch of spent reactor fuel processed by month (or shorter period) through individual Hanford separations plants between 1944 and 1989. Each record gives the curies for 46 key radionuclides, decayed to a common reference date of January 1, 1994.

A research program at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) which deals with the development and application of processes for the treatment of geothermal brines and sludges has led to the identification and design of cost-efficient and environmentally friendly treatment methodology. Initially the primary goal of the processing was to convert geothermal wastes into disposable materials whose chemical composition would satisfy environmental regulations. An expansion of the r and D effort identified a combination of biochemical and chemical processes which became the basis for the development of a technology for the treatment of geothermal brines and sludges. The new technology satisfies environmental regulatory requirements and concurrently converts the geothermal brines and sludges into commercially promising products. Because the chemical composition of geothermal wastes depends on the type of the resource, the emerging technology has to be flexible so that it can be readily modified to suit the needs of a particular type of resource. Recent conceptional designs for the processing of hypersaline and low salinity brines and sludges will be discussed.

Sandia demonstrated large-scale visualization in a conference room environment. Project focused in the installation of hardware for visualization and display, and the integration of software tools for design and animation of 3-dimensional parts. Using a high-end visualization server, 3-dimensional modeling and animation software, and leading edge World Wide Web technology, an advanced concurrent engineering environment was simulated where a design team was able to work collectively, rather than as solely disjoint individual efforts. Finally, a successful animation of a Sandia part was demonstrated, and a computer video generated. This video is now accessible on a Sandia internal web server.

This report documents the work conducted in four tasks of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) project entitled Review Criteria for Human Factors Aspects of Advanced Controls and Instrumentation. The purpose of the first task was to integrate the applicable sections of NUREG-0700 into the advanced control room design review (ACRDR) guidelines to ensure that all applicable guidelines are together in one document and conveniently accessible to users. The primary objective of the second task was to formulate a strategy for the development of new ACRDR guidelines that have not otherwise been identified. The main focus of the third task was to modify the individual ACRDR guidelines generated to date to ensure that they are suitable for the intended nuclear power plant (NPP) control station system application. The goal of the fourth task was to develop human factors guidelines for two human-system interface categories that are missing from the current ACRDR guidelines document. During the first task those areas in NUREG-0700 that are not addressed by the ACRDR guidelines document were identified, the areas were subsequently reviewed against six recent industry human factors engineering review guidelines, and the NUREG-0700 guidelines were updated as necessary. In the second task 13 general categories …

McDermott Technology, Inc. (a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox) is conducting the Advanced Emissions Control Development Project (AECDP) which is aimed at the development of practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing the emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) from coal-fired electric utility plants. The need for such controls may arise as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proceeds with implementation of requirements set forth in the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA`s) of 1990. Promulgation of air toxics emissions regulations for electric utility plants could dramatically impact utilities burning coal, their industrial and residential customers, and the coal industry. AECDP project work will supply the information needed by utilities to respond to potential HAPs regulations in a timely, cost-effective, enviromnentally-sound manner which supports the continued use of the Nation`s abundant reserves of coal, such as those in the State of Ohio. The development work is being carried out using the 10 MW Clean Environment Development Facility wherein air toxics emissions control strategies can be developed under controlled conditions. The specific objectives of the project are to (1) measure and understand production and partitioning of air toxics species for a variety of coals, (2) optimize the air toxics removal performance of conventional flue …

'The authors have made considerable progress toward a number of project objectives during the first several months of activity on the project. An exhaustive analysis was made of the growth rate and biomass yield (both derived from measurements of cell protein production) of two representative strains of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (Shewanellaalga strain BrY and Geobactermetallireducens) growing with different forms of Fe(III) as an electron acceptor. These two fundamentally different types of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (FeRB) showed comparable rates of Fe(III) reduction, cell growth, and biomass yield during reduction of soluble Fe(III)-citrate and solid-phase amorphous hydrous ferric oxide (HFO). Intrinsic growth rates of the two FeRB were strongly influenced by whether a soluble or a solid-phase source of Fe(III) was provided: growth rates on soluble Fe(III) were 10--20 times higher than those on solid-phase Fe(III) oxide. Intrinsic FeRB growth rates were comparable during reduction of HF0 and a synthetic crystalline Fe(III) oxide (goethite). A distinct lag phase for protein production was observed during the first several days of incubation in solid-phase Fe(III) oxide medium, even though Fe(III) reduction proceeded without any lag. No such lag between protein production and Fe(III) reduction was observed during growth with soluble Fe(III). This result suggested that protein …

Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power systems are being advanced worldwide for generating electricity from coal due to their superior environmental performance, economics, and efficiency in comparison to conventional coal-based power plants. Hot gas cleanup offers the potential for higher plant thermal efficiencies and lower cost. A key subsystem of hot-gas cleanup is hot-gas desulfurization using regenerable sorbents. Sorbents based on zinc oxide are currently the leading candidates and are being developed for moving- and fluidized- bed reactor applications. Zinc oxide sorbents can effectively reduce the H{sub 2}S in coal gas to around 10 ppm levels and can be regenerated for multicycle operation. However, all current first-generation leading sorbents undergo significant loss of reactivity with cycling, as much as 50% or greater loss in only 25-50 cycles. Stability of the hot-gas desulfurization sorbent over 100`s of cycles is essential for improved IGCC economics over conventional power plants. This project aims to develop hot-gas cleanup sorbents for relatively lower temperature applications, 343 to 538{degrees}C with emphasis on the temperature range from 400 to 500{degrees}. Recent economic evaluations have indicated that the thermal efficiency of IGCC systems increases rapidly with the temperature of hot-gas cleanup up to 350{degrees}C and then very slowly …

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). High magnetic fields present a unique environment for studying the electronic structure of materials. Two classes of materials were chosen for experiments at the national high Magnetic Field Laboratory at Los Alamos: highly correlated electron systems and semiconductors. Magnetotransport and thermodynamic experiments were performed on the renormalized ground states of highly correlated electron systems (such as heavy fermion materials and Kondo insulators) in the presence of magnetic fields that are large enough to disrupt the many-body correlations. A variety of optical measurements in high magnetic fields were performed on semiconductor heterostructures including GaAs/AlGaAs single heterojunctions (HEMT structure), coupled double quantum wells (CDQW), asymmetric coupled double quantum wells (ACDQW), multiple quantum wells and a CdTe single crystal thin film.

The overall goal of this project is to demonstrate that an advanced development drilling and pressure maintenance program based on advanced reservoir management methods can significantly improve oil recovery. The plan included developing a control area using standard reservoir management techniques and comparing its performance to an area developed using advanced methods. A key goal is to transfer advanced methodologies to oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin and elsewhere, and throughout the US oil and gas industry.

The overall objective of this project is to demonstrate that a development program -- based on advanced reservoir management methods -- can significantly improve oil recovery. The plan includes developing a control area using standard reservoir management techniques and comparing its performance to an area developed using advanced reservoir management methods. Specific goals are (1) to demonstrate that an advanced development drilling and pressure maintenance program can significantly improve oil recovery compared to existing technology applications and (2) to transfer these advanced methodologies to oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin and elsewhere throughout the US oil and gas industry. Results obtained to date are summarized.