This report discusses monthly progress in the Power Boron Facility/Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (PBF/BNCT) Program for Cancer Treatment. Highlights of the PBF/BNCT Program during August 1990 include progress within the areas of: Gross Boron Analysis in Tissue, Blood, and Urine, boron microscopic (subcellular) analytical development, noninvasive boron quantitative determination, analytical radiation transport and interaction modeling for BNCT, large animal model studies, neutron source and facility preparation, administration and common support and PBF operations.

Abstracts of papers published or in press reporting work supported by this grant proposal during the past year are given here to describe the progress we have made in this research project. Topics include morphogenesis regulation by cell wall oligosaccharins; regulation of pectic enzymes, pathogen interactions with cell wall constituents; oligosaccharins as regulatory molecules; and characterization of oligosaccharide elicitors.

A steam blowdown test was performed at the Surtsey Direct Heating Test Facility to test the steam supply system and burst diaphragm arrangement that will be used in subsequent Surtsey Direct Containment Heating (DCH) experiments. Following successful completion of the steam blowdown test, the HIPS-10S (High-Pressure Melt Streaming) experiment was conducted to demonstrate that the technology to perform steam-driven, high-pressure melt ejection (HPME) experiments has been successfully developed. In addition, the HIPS-10S experiment was used to assess techniques and instrumentation design to create the proper timing of events in HPME experiments. This document discusses the results of this test.

Microwave pulses have been injected from a free electron-laser (FEL) into the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX) at up to 0.2 GW at 140 GHz in short pulses (10-ns duration) with O-mode polarization. The power transmitted through the plasma was measured in a first experimental study of high power pulse propagation in the plasma; no nonlinear effects were found at this power level. Calculations indicate that nonlinear effects may be found at the higher power densities expected in future experiments. 9 refs., 2 figs.

This paper presents the design, materials characteristics, and thermal performance of a new insulating material. Development of this material is motivated by the need for non-CFC based high performance insulations with applications for refrigerator/freezer and building walls. This super insulating gas filled panel technology achieves R-values of between 8 hr-ft{sup 2}-F/Btu per inch and 15 hr-ft{sup 2}-F/Btu per inch (one to two times that of CFC blown foams and two to four times that of fiberglass insulations) at estimated costs of $0.40--$1.50/in-ft{sup 2}. Prototypes have been built using commercially available materials and components, tested by the developers, and sent to an independent laboratory for independent thermal performance testing. 2 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

This report describes the 1990 yearly calibration of a gross-gamma geophysical pulse logging system owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and operated by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). The calibration was conducted to permit the continued use of this system for geological and hydrologic studies associated with remedial investigation at the Hanford Site. Primary calibrations to equivalent uranium units were conducted in borehole model standards that were recently moved to the Hanford Site from the DOE field calibration facility in Spokane, Washington. The calibrations were performed in borehole models SBL/SBH and SBA/SBB, which contain low equivalent-uranium concentrations. The integrity of the system throughout the previous year from gamma-ray monitoring was demonstrated using the before- and after-logging field calibration readings with the field source in calibration Positions 1 and 2. Most of the Position 1 readings are within an 8% limit that is set by the governing PNL technical reference procedure as a critical value above which the instrument is considered suspect. Many of the Position 2 readings exceed the 8% limit; however, the fluctuation was traced to field-source geometry variability that affected Position 1 count rates by up to 6% and Position 2 count rates by as much as …

In this report, we consider a compute-ahead computational technique in the distributed factorization of large sparse matrices using the fan-in parallel scheme. Experimental results on an Intel iPSC/2 hypercube are provided to demonstrate the relevance and effectiveness of this technique. Fortran source code is also included in an appendix. 9 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

The purpose of the procedure is to establish the methods for configuration management and responsibilities for software control. As used here, configuration management refers to the systematic process of controlling/documenting all modifications and updates to the simulation codes. Software control refers to authority and responsibility for the maintenance, development, and controlled use of the computer codes. 5 refs.

Population radiation dose commitments have been estimated from reported radionuclide releases from commercial power reactors operating during 1987. Fifty-year dose commitments for a one-year exposure from both liquid and atmospheric releases were calculated for four population groups (infant, child, teen-ager and adult) residing between 2 and 80 km from each of 70 reactor sites. This report tabulates the results of these calculations, showing the dose commitments for both water and airborne pathways for each age group and organ. Also included for reach of the sites is a histogram showing the fraction of the total population within 2 to 80 km around each site receiving various average dose commitments from the airborne pathways. The site average individual dose commitment from all pathways ranged from a low of 2 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} mrem to a high of 0.009 mrem. No attempt was made in this study to determine the maximum dose commitment received by any one individual from the radionuclides released at any of the sites. However, licensee calculation of doses to the maximally exposed individual at some sites indicated values of up to approximately 100 times average individual doses (on the order of a few millirem per year). 2 refs., 2 …

The recirculating linear accelerator at CEBAF presents unique problems in beam position measurement. As many as five beams with different energies may be simultaneously in the linac. Modulation of the beam intensity by pseudorandom pulse sequences offers a simple, effective method for distinguishing between the individual beamlets.

Ongoing research by the US Geological Survey at the INEL involves investigation of the migration of radioactive elements contained in low-level radioactive waste, hydrologic and geologic factors affecting waste movement, and geochemical factors that influence the chemical composition of the waste. Identification of the mineralogy of the Snake River Plain is needed to aid in the study of the hydrology and geochemistry of subsurface waste disposal. The US Geological Surveys project office at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, in cooperation with the US Department of Energy, used mineralogical data to correlate surficial sediment samples from the Big Lost River, Little Lost River, and Birch Greek drainages with selected sedimentary interbed core samples taken from test holes at the RWMC (Radioactive Waste Management Complex), TRA (Test Reactors Area), ICPP (Idaho Chemical Processing Plant), and TAN (Test Area North). Correlating the mineralogy of a particular present-day drainage area with a particular sedimentary interbed provides information on historical source of sediment for interbeds in and near the INEL. Mineralogical data indicate that surficial sediment samples from the Big Lost River drainage contained a larger amount of feldspar and pyroxene and a smaller amount of calcite and dolomite than samples from the Little Lost …

The results of tests done using the Unsaturated Test Method are presented. These tests, done to determine the suitability of glass in a potential high-level waste repository as developed by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project, simulate conditions anticipated for the post-containment phase of the repository when only limited contact between the waste form and water is expected. The reaction of glass occurs via processes that are initiated due to glass/water vapor and glass/liquid water contact. Vapor interaction results in the initiation of an exchange process between water and the more mobile species (alkalis and boron) in the glass. The liquid reaction produces interactions similar to those seen in standard leaching tests, except due to the limited amount of water present and the presence of partially sensitized 304L stainless steel, the formation of reaction products greatly exceeds that found in MCC-1 type leach tests. The effect of sensitized stainless steel on the reaction is to enhance breakdown of the glass matrix thereby increasing the release of the transuranic elements from the glass. However, most of the Pu and Am released is entrained by either the metal components of the test or by the reaction phases, and is not released …

The proton intensity delivered to the AGS experimental areas is expected to increase fourfold when the full potential of the Booster is realized. It is therefore necessary to anticipate the modifications to the shielding and radiation monitoring that will be required in order to insure safe operation within the appropriate guidelines for radiation exposure. This report examines the consequences of site boundary requirements and soil and air activation as well as the protection of radiation workers, i.e., AGS personnel and experimenters, from unnecessary radiation exposure in the experimental areas. Where possible, Health Physics surveys and fault studies carried out in the Spring of 1990 have been used to estimate levels in and around the experimental areas with 5 {times} 10{sup 13} protons per pulse or 75% of the total anticipated intensity delivered to each of the target stations under normal'' as well as fault conditions. Where fault studies were not possible due to construction, the new beams and facilities were designed for the higher intensities that will be available and radiation patterns were calculated. Weak spots were identified and improvements recommended. Capital and manpower estimates were developed for the upgrades. 7 refs.

Printed circuit boards that comprise US Army electronic systems are repaired at Army depots. An existing automated diagnostic system determines the area of failure; either by identifying failed components or failed board traces. Currently, repairs are performed manually by trained technicians. A system is being developed for repair of through-hole printed circuit boards. It is comprised of many automated and operator-assisted functions to perform the multiple operations related to replacement of failed components. When completed, this system will demonstrate economic payback by reducing skilled labor requirements and decreasing rework. The semi-automated system integrates human operators into the process while maintaining high productivity. After several fully automated systems were conceived and modelled, it was found that the configuration that provided the best return on investment was comprised of a mix of autonomous and operator-assisted functions. 1 ref., 1 fig.

We have, in cooperation with industry, developed high-efficiency filters made from sintered stainless-steel fibers for use in several air-cleaning applications in the nuclear industry. These filters were developed to overcome the failure modes in present high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. HEPA filters are made from glass paper and glue, and they may fail when they get hot or wet and when they are overpressured. In developing our steel filters, we first evaluated the commercially available stainless-steel filter media made from sintered powder and sintered fiber. The sintered-fiber media performed much better than sintered-powder media, and the best media had the smallest fiber diameter. Using the best media, we then built prototype filters for venting compressed gases and evaluated them in our automated filter tester. 12 refs., 20 figs.

Data collected for the 37 Mesoscale Transport Studies (MATS) experiments are available on a single, double-sided, high-density (1.2MB), IBM-formatted, 5.25 in. floppy disk (MATS disk). Standard ASCII characters are used. This report discusses how to install this disk, symbols used, format of the ratio, and the sample experiment.

Data collected for the 37 Mesoscale Transport Studies (MATS) experiments are available on a single, double-sided, high-density (1.2MB), IBM-formatted, 5.25 in. floppy disk (MATS disk). Standard ASCII characters are used. This report discusses how to install this disk, symbols used, format of the ratio, and the sample experiment.

Accelerator mass spectrometry systems based on >3MV tandem accelerators often use multi-anode ionization detectors and/or time-of-flight detectors to identify individual isotopes through multi-parameter analysis. A Macintosh llcx has been programmed to collect AMS data from a CAMAC-implemented analyzer and to display the histogrammed individual parameters and a double-parameter array. The computer-CAMAC connection is through a Nu-Bus to CAMAC dataway interface which allows direct addressing to all functions and locations in the crate. The asynchronous data from counting the rare isotope is sorted into a CAMAC memory module by a list sequence controller. Isotope switching is controlled by a one-cycle timing generator. A rate-dependent amount of time is used to transfer the data from the memory module at the end of each timing cycle. The present configuration uses 10 to 75 ms for rates of 500--10000 cps. Parameter analysis occurs during the rest of the 520 ms data collection cycle. Completed measurements of the isotope concentrations of each sample are written to files which are compatible with standard Macintosh databases or other processing programs. The system is inexpensive and operates at speeds comparable to those obtainable using larger computers.

We review the most recent data from Experiments 802, 810 and 814 of the heavy-ion program at the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS). 8 refs., 6 figs.

Computer models have been developed for evaluating conceptual designs of integrated coal gasification combined cycle power plants. An overall system model was developed for performing thermodynamic cycle analyses, and detailed models were developed for predicting performance characteristics of fixed bed coal gasifiers and hot gas clean up subsystem components. The overall system model performs mass and energy balances and does chemical equilibrium analyses to determine the effects of changes in operating conditions, or to evaluate proposed design changes. An existing plug flow model for fixed bed gasifiers known as the Wen II model was revised and updated. Also, a spread sheet model of zinc ferrite sulfur sorbent regeneration subsystem was developed. Parametric analyses were performed to determine how performance depends on variables in the system design. The work was done to support CRS Sirrine Incorporated in their study of standardized air blown coal gasifier gas turbine concepts.

Computer models have been developed for evaluating conceptual designs of integrated coal gasification combined cycle power plants. An overall system model was developed for performing thermodynamic cycle analyses, and detailed models were developed for predicting performance characteristics of fixed bed coal gasifiers and hot gas clean up subsystem components. The overall system model performs mass and energy balances and does chemical equilibrium analyses to determine the effects of changes in operating conditions, or to evaluate proposed design changes. An existing plug flow model for fixed bed gasifiers known as the Wen II model was revised and updated. Also, a spread sheet model of zinc ferrite sulfur sorbent regeneration subsystem was developed. Parametric analyses were performed to determine how performance depends on variables in the system design. The work was done to support CRS Sirrine Incorporated in their study of standardized air blown coal gasifier gas turbine concepts.

This report describes the current status and recent accomplishments of gas stream cleanup (GSCU) projects sponsored by the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC) of the US Department of Energy (DOE). The primary goal of the Gas Stream Cleanup Program is to develop contaminant control strategies that meet environmental regulations and protect equipment in advanced coal conversion systems. Contaminant control systems are being developed for integration into seven advanced coal conversion processes: Pressurized fludized-bed combustion (PFBC), Direct coal-fueled turbine (DCFT), Intergrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC), Gasification/molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), Gasification/solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), Coal-fueled diesel (CFD), and Mild gasification (MG). These advanced coal conversion systems present a significant challenge for development of contaminant control systems because they generate multi-contaminant gas streams at high-pressures and high temperatures. Each of the seven advanced coal conversion systems incorporates distinct contaminant control strategies because each has different contaminant tolerance limits and operating conditions. 59 refs., 17 figs., 5 tabs.

CEBAF is a large recirculating linear accelerator with approximately 1600 magnet power supplies in the beam transport system. The average beam power can be as great as 800 kW, concentrated into a spot of area less than 0.01 mm{sup 2}. Control of the transport is therefore quite critical, to avoid missteering the beam. To prevent dangerous beam losses and to prepare optics changes, the control programs must read the magnet power supplies and calculate the optics in a virtually real-time manner. A program named OLE (On-Line Envelope) has been developed at CEBAF to give a graphical display of the calculated machine {beta} function or, equivalently, the beam envelope. The time interval necessary to execute the program is somewhat less than one second, short enough that the operator can use it for setting up his lattice. Emphasis in the design was placed on speed of program execution at the expense of generality of application. As a result, the accelerator operator will be able to alter the magnetic field in any element in the machine, calculate the {beta} functions in both planes at the entrance and exit of each magnet, and display graphs of the functions, all within one second. The time …

The US Department of Energy is examining options of improving soil conditions at Hanford reclamation sites. One promising technology is the incorporation of municipal sewage sludge into the soil profile. This report reviews the potential benefits and adverse consequences of sludge use in land reclamation. Land reclamation comprises those activities instigated to return a mechanically disturbed site to some later successional state. Besides the introduction of suitable plant species to disturbed lands, reclamation generally requires measures to enhance long-term soil nutrient content, moisture retention or drainage, and mitigation of toxic effects from metals and pH. One of the more effective means of remediating adverse soil characteristics is the application of complex organic manures such as municipal sewage sludge. Sewage sludges contain complete macro- and micronutrients necessary to sustain plant growth. The application of sewage sludge may reestablish microbial activity in sterile soils. Physical properties, such as water-holding capacity and percentage water-stable aggregates, also improve with the addition of sewage sludge. Sludge applications may also increase the rate of degradation of some hydrocarbon pollutants in soils. Potential adverse impacts associated with the application of sewage sludge to land include negative public perception of human waste products; concerns regarding pathogen buildup and …