The President’s veto is effective not only in preventing the passage of legislation undesirable to the President, but also as a threat, sometimes forcing Congress to modify legislation before it is presented to the President. However, as a veto threat is carried out, Congress is faced with choices: letting the veto stand, the difficult task of overriding the veto, meeting the President’s objections and sending a new bill forward, or resubmitting the same provisions under a new bill number.

The Thermal Test Facility (TTF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, was designed and constructed using a whole-building energy design approach. This approach treats a building as a single unit, not as a shell containing many separate systems. It relies on the use of energy simulation tools for optimization throughout the design process, and requires the involvement and commitment of the architect, engineer, and owner. It can produce a building that requires substantially less energy than a building designed and constructed with conventional means. TTF operating costs are 63% less than those of a code-compliant basecase building. These savings were achieved by implementing an approach that optimized passive solar technologies and integrated energy-efficient building systems. Passive solar technologies include daylighting, high-efficiency lighting systems, engineered overhangs, direct solar gains for heating, thermal mass building materials, managed glazing, and a good thermal envelope. The energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, designed to work with the building's passive solar technologies, includes ventilation air preheat, ceiling fans, indirect/direct evaporative cooling, and an automatic control system. This paper focuses on the design features of the TTF and the results of tests conducted on the TTF since its completion in 1996. …

A statistics-based model is being developed to predict the laser-damage-limited lifetime of UV optical components on the NIF laser. In order to provide data for the model, laser damage experiments were performed on the Beamlet laser system at LLNL. An early prototype NIF focus lens was exposed to twenty 35 1 nm pulses at an average fluence of 5 J/cm{sup 2}, 3ns. Using a high resolution optic inspection system a total of 353 damage sites was detected within the 1160 cm{sup 2} beam aperture. Through inspections of the lens before, after and, in some cases, during the campaign, pulse to pulse damage growth rates were measured for damage initiating both on the surface and at bulk inclusions. Growth rates as high as 79 {micro}m/pulse (surface diameter) were observed for damage initiating at pre-existing scratches in the surface. For most damage sites on the optic, both surface and bulk, the damage growth rate was approximately l0{micro}m/pulse. The lens was also used in Beamlet for a subsequent 1053 {micro}m/526 {micro}m campaign. The 352 {micro}m-initiated damage continued to grow during that campaign although at generally lower growth rate.

Research Triangle Institute (RTI), Eastman Chemical Company, and Bechtel collectively are developing a novel three-step process for the synthesis of methyl methacrylate (MMA) from coal-derived syngas that consists of the steps of synthesis of a propionate, its condensation with formaldehyde to form methacrylic acid (MAA), and esterification of MAA with methanol to produce MMA. RTI has completed the research on the three-step methanol-based route to MMA. Under an extension to the original contract, RTI is currently evaluating a new DME-based process for MMA. The key research need for DME route is to develop catalysts for DME partial oxidation reactions and DME condensation reactions. Over the last quarter(April-June, 1998), RTI has modified the reactor system including a new preheater and new temperature settings for the preheater. Continuous condensation of formaldehyde with propionic acid were carried out over 10% Nb O /SiO at 300°C without 2 5 2 interruption. Five activity and four regeneration cycles have been completed without plugging or material balance problems. The results show that 10% Nb O /SiO deactivates slowly with time 2 5 2 but can be regenerated, at least four times, to 100% of its original activity with 2% O in nitrogen 2 at 400°C. The …

A sizable laser damage metrology effort is required as part of optics production and installation for the 192 beam National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser. The large quantities, high damage thresholds, and large apertures of polished and coated optics necessitates vendor-based metrology equipment to assure component quality during production. This equipment must be optimized to provide the required information as rapidly as possible with limited operator experience. The damage metrology tools include: (1) platinum inclusion damage test systems for laser amplifier slabs, (2) laser conditioning stations for mirrors and polarizers, and (3) mapping and damage testing stations for UV transmissive optics. Each system includes a commercial Nd:YAG laser, a translation stage for the optics, and diagnostics to evaluate damage. The scanning parameters, optical layout, and diagnostics vary with the test fluences required and the damage morphologies expected. This paper describes the technical objectives and milestones involved in fulfilling these metrology requirements.

We designed and tested an alternating-Z tripler that consisted of two detuned, Type-1, potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KD*P) doublers and one KD*P mixer. The crystal thicknesses were, respectively, 13, 10 and 10 mm, and the detunings of the doublers were +420 and -520 µrad. All three crystals were fabricated from 80% deuterated KDP. Conversion efficiency was measured and calculated for input 1053- nm pulses with approximately rectangular waveforms and durations of either 1 or 6 ns, and for 20-ns pulses that exhibited intensity variation by a factor of 10. The measured peak conversion efficiency was more than 80%, and energy conversion efficiencies ranged from 62-80% depending on the waveform of the input pulse. The expected large dynamic range in input intensity, 9-10, was observed, and the measured and calculated efficiencies were in excellent agreement.

The down-blending of Russian highly enriched uranium (HEU) takes place at three Russian gaseous centrifuge enrichment plants. The fluorination of HEU oxide and down-blending of HEU hexafluoride began in 1994, and shipments of low enriched uranium (LEU) hexafluoride product to the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) began in 1995 US transparency monitoring under the HEU Purchase Agreement began in 1996 and includes a permanent monitoring presence US transparency monitoring at these facilities is intended to provide confidence that HEU is received and down-blended to LEU for shipment to USEC The monitoring begins with observation of the receipt of HEU oxide shipments, including confirmation of enrichment using US nondestructive assay equipment The feeding of HEU oxide to the fluorination process and the withdrawal of HEU hexafluoride are monitored Monitoring is also conducted where the blending takes place and where shipping cylinders are filled with LEU product. A series of process and material accountancy documents are provided to US monitors.

The objective of the vadose zone characterization under this program is to develop a better conceptual geohydrologic model of identified tank farms which will be characterized so that threats to human health and the environment from past leaks and spills, intentional liquid discharges, potential future leaks during retrieval, and from residual contaminants that may remain in tank farms at closure can be explicitly addressed in decision processes. This model will include geologic, hydrologic, and hydrochemical parameters as defined by the requirements of each of the TWRS programs identified here. The intent of this TWRS Vadose Zone Program Plan is to provide justification and an implementation plan for the following activities: Develop a sufficient understanding of subsurface conditions and transport processes to support decisions on management, cleanup, and containment of past leaks, spills, and intentional liquid discharges; Develop a sufficient understanding of transport processes to support decisions on controlling potential retrieval leaks; Develop a sufficient understanding of transport processes to support decisions on tank farm closure, including allowable residual waste that may remain at closure; and Provide new information on geotechnical properties in the 200 Area to supplement data used for design and performance assessment for immobilized low-activity waste disposal facilities.

Iron aluminides have excellent corrosion resistance in high-temperature oxidizing-sulfidizing environments; however, there are problems at room and medium temperatures with hydrogen embrittlement as related to exposure to moisture. In this research, a coordinated computational modeling/experimental study of mechanisms related to environmental-assisted fracture behavior of selected iron aluminides has been undertaken. The modeling and the experimental work connect at the level of coordinated understanding of the mechanisms for hydrogen penetration and for loss of strength and susceptibility to fracture. The focus of the modeling component has been on the challenging question of accurately predicting the iron vacancy formation energy in Fe{sub 3}Al and the subsequent tendency, if present, for vacancy clustering. The authors have successfully performed, on an ab initio basis, the first calculation of the vacancy formation energy in Fe{sub 3}Al. These calculations include lattice relaxation effects which are quite large for one of the two types of iron sites. This has significant implications for vacancy clustering effects with consequences for hydrogen diffusion. Indeed, the ab-initio-based estimate of the divacancy binding energy indicates a likely tendency toward such clustering for iron vacancies on the sites with large lattice relaxation. The experimental work has focused on the relationship of the choice …

This document provides an evaluation and recommendations for radiological workplace air monitoring and response to ventilation failure for the Critical Mass Laboratory, 209-E Building. The Critical Mass Laboratory, part of the 209-E Building, was designed to provide a heavily shielded room where plutonium and uranium liquid solutions could be brought into various critical configurations under readily controlled and monitored conditions. The facility is contained within a one-story L-shaped concrete block and reinforced concrete building. One wing houses offices, a control room, shops, and a common area while the other wing includes an equipment room, the change room, work areas, and the two-story Critical Assembly Room (CAR). Three of the rooms contain radiologically contaminated equipment and materials.

Work focused on the program development phase, which has been successfully completed. A revised timetable has been prepared that reflects the June start date and other modifications associated with internal budgeting problems and the actual versus proposed start dates.

The authors have developed a computer application, called the Bayes Inference Engine, to enable one to make inferences about models of a physical object from radiographs taken of it. In the BIE calculational models are represented by a data-flow diagram that can be manipulated by the analyst in a graphical-programming environment. The authors demonstrate the operation of the BIE in terms of examples of two-dimensional tomographic reconstruction including uncertainty estimation.

The President's veto authority is among their most significant tools in the legislative dealing with Congress. It is effective not only in preventing the passage of legislation undesirable to the President, but also as a threat, sometimes forcing Congress to modify legislation before it is presented to the President. As of the writing of this document, Presidents had vetoed 1,471 bills and Congres had overridden only 105 of them. This report details what bills have been vetoed by President Clinton and how they were vetoed.

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Waste processing and preparing waste to support waste processing relies heavily on ventilation. Ventilation is used at the Hanford Site on the waste storage tanks to provide confinement, cooling, and removal of flammable gases.

Oil based aerosol ``Smoke`` commonly used for testing the efficiency and penetration of High Efficiency Particulate Air filters (HEPA) and HEPA systems can produce flammability hazards that may not have been previously considered. A combustion incident involving an aerosol generator has caused an investigation into the hazards of the aerosol used to test HEPA systems at Hanford.