Limited possibilities exist for new hydrocarbon exploration regimes in the Pacific Northwest. Extensive geophysical studies have been used to outline a proposed sedimentary basin hidden beneath volcanic rocks of the Cascades region of southwestern Washington (Stanley et. al, 1992, AAPG Bull. 76, 1569-1585). Electrical geophysical imaging using the magnetotelluric (MT) method first detected thick, electrically conductive sequences believed to represent late Cretaceous to Oligocene marine sedimentary rocks. The conductive section occurs at depths from about 1 km to 10 km in the area west of a line between Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, extending westward to a line between Mt. St. Helens and just west of Morton, WA. The conductive rocks reaches thicknesses as great as 10 km. The anomalous rocks appear to be very near the surface in the axis of anticlines that bring Eocene marine shales to shallow depths. Careful consideration of physical properties and the correspondence of the morphology of the units to known fold sets suggests that the high conductivities are related to lithologic/stratigraphic units rather than to variations in physical properties. Our preference for the lithology of the anomalous section, based upon a study of regional geology and structure, is one dominated by marine shales …

The overall objective of this project is to develop a very cost-effective method for formulating a successful surfactant-enhanced alkaline flood by appropriately choosing mixed alkalis which form inexpensive buffers to obtain the desired pH (between 8.5 and 12.0) for ultimate spontaneous emulsification and ultra-low tension. In addition, the novel concept of pH gradient design to optimize flood water conditions will be tested. This quarter we investigated the phase behavior and the regions where in the middle phase occurs. Middle phase was found to go through a maximum with pH, sodium concentration and surfactant concentration. The optimum pH is about 12.0 to 13.5, the optimum sodium concentration is about 0.513 mol/liter, and the optimum surfactant concentration is about 0.2%. The effect of surfactant type was also investigated. Petrostep B-105 was found to give the most middle phase production. A white precipitate was observed in some two-phase samples. For a given surfactant concentration, as pH is increased, the maximum volume of middle phase shifts to higher salinities. For a given pH, as surfactant concentration is increased, the maximum volume of middle phase shifts to higher salinities.

This report discusses Dual-detector density logs which have been used in the petroleum industry for years. The tool was designed with a second detector to allow compensation for the effect of a layer of mudcake between the tool and the formation being measured. The compensation algorithm commonly used calculates the correction to apply to the density measured by the long-spaced detector as proportional to the difference in the densities measured by the two detectors. The coefficient of proportionality is determined from experimental data taken with the tool in a fluid-filled hole of 15 to 40 cm diameter, with uniform thickness sheets of various materials simulating the mudcake. In applying this technology for the Containment program at the Department of Energy Nevada Test Site (NTS) we have discovered two problems. First, we frequently log in air-filled holes much larger than 40 cm. Second, the gap, or layer, is rarely uniform with depth or vertical position on the face of the tool. We have developed a method to determine the proper amount of correction dynamically. No experimental data on the gap effect are needed as long as the two detectors are calibrated to read the proper density when the gap is zero. …

The method developed for investigating laser-surface interactions by measuring the ratio of ablation threshold fluence for a pair of picosecond or subpicosecond laser pulses to the single-pulse ablation threshold, was applied to ZnS (wurtzite)and to the borosilicate glass BK-7. Each sample was exposed to 1000 pulse pairs of 580-nm dye laser radiation. For ZnS, linear absorption was found to be the cause of the cumulative optical damage mechanism; the linear absorption is probably caused by defects states (such as color centers) near the surface. The nonlinear behavior of BK-7 suggests that avalanche ionization could be the damage mechanism. Results for both materials show that intrinsic multiphoton absorption mechanisms may not be significant indicators of optical damage mechanisms even when they lead to very high free-carrier densities and energy absorption.

A potentially new use for Illinois coal is its use as a fuel injected into a blast furnace to produce molten iron as the first step in steel production. Because of its increasing cost and decreasing availability, metallurgical coke is now being replaced by coal injected at the tuyere area of the furnace where the blast air enters. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the combustion of coal during the blast furnace injection process and to delineate the optimum properties of the feed coal. This investigation is significant to the use of Illinois coal in that the limited research to date suggests that coals of low fluidity and moderate to high sulfur and chlorine contents are suitable feedstocks for blast furnace injection. This study is unique in that it will be the first North American effort to directly determine the nature of the combustion of coal injected into a blast furnace. This proposal is a follow-up to one funded for the 1992--1993 period. It is intended to complete the study already underway with the Armco Inc. steel company and to initiate a new cooperative study along somewhat similar lines with the Inland Steel Company. The results of this …

Saturation profiles resulting from TOUGH2 numerical simulations of water infiltration into a tuff matrix from a saturated vertical fracture have been compared to experimental results. The purpose was to determine the sensitivity of the infiltration on local heterogeneities and different representations of two-phase characteristic curves used by the model. Findings indicate that the use of simplified (linearized) capillary pressure curves with rigorous (van Genuchten) relative permeability curves resulted in a more computationally efficient solution without a loss in accuracy. However, linearized forms of the relative permeability functions produced poor results, regardless of the form of the capillary pressure function. In addition, numerical simulations revealed that the presence of local heterogeneities in the tuff caused non-uniform saturation distributions and wetting fronts in the in matrix.

The nuclear fission of actinides in reactor fuel produces large quantities of Kr and Xe as fission products. Because of the high levels of fission Kr and Xe, sample collection and analysis of noble gases for spent fuel diagnostic measurements is a simple, straight-forward technique. In modern reprocessing plants with continuous dissolvers, it will not be possible to use traditional methods for isolating input batches of fuel. This study investigates the feasibility of using noble gas isotope abundance measurements (isotope correlation techniques - ICT) to solve safeguards requirements. Noble gas measurements might be able to provide an independent analysis of Pu contained within dissolves fuel, on an individual fuel assembly basis. The isotopic composition of Kr and Xe in spent fuel reflects both the composition (isotope abundance ratios) of the fission products and the effects of neutron capture on those fission products. We have reviewed the available literature for noble gas analyses of spent reactor fuel. While references are made to noble gas isotope correlations over the last 20 years, we have found little if any detailed analysis of large data sets. The literature search did find several useful reports. Of these papers, one is particularly useful for evaluating noble …

What technical, economic and institutional factors make radioactive and/or hazardous waste management technologies publicly acceptable? The goal of this paper is to initiate an identification of factors likely to render radioactive and hazardous waste management technologies publicly acceptable and to provide guidance on how technological R&D might be revised to enhance the acceptability of alternative waste management technologies. Technology development must attend to the full range of technology characteristics (technical, engineering, physical, economic, health, environmental, and socio-institutional) relevant to diverse stakeholders. ORNL`s efforts in recent years illustrate some attempts to accomplish these objectives or, at least, to build bridges toward the integrated design of waste management technologies.

Four series of cyclic direct-shear experiments were conducted on several replicas of three natural fractures and a tensile fracture of welded tuff from Yucca Mountain. The objective of these tests was to examine the effect of cyclic loading on joint shear behavior under different boundary conditions. The shear tests were performed under either different levels of constant normal load ranging between 0.6 and 25.6 kips (2.7 and 113.9 kN) or constant normal stiffness ranging between 14.8 and 187.5 kips/in (25.9 and 328.1 kn/cm) . Bach test in the two categories consisted of five cycles of forward and reverse shear. Normal compression tests were also performed both before and after each shear experiment to measure changes in joint normal deformability. In order to quantify fracture surface damage during shear, fracture-surface fractal dimensions were obtained from measurements before and after shear.

The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository. An important aspect of this evaluation is to understand the geologic history of the site including the diagenetic processes that are largely responsible for the present-day chemical and physical properties of the altered tuffs. This study evaluates the use of K/Ar geochronology in determining the alteration history of the zeolitized portions of Miocene tuffs at Yucca Mountain. Clinoptilolite is not generally regarded as suitable for dating because of its open structure and large ion-exchange capacity. However, it is the most abundant zeolite at Yucca Mountain and was selected for this study to assess the feasibility of dating the zeolitization process and/or subsequent processes that may have affected the zeolites. In this study we examine the ability of this mineral to retain all or part of its K and radiogenic Ar during diagenesis and evaluate the usefulness of the clinoptilolite K/Ar dates for determining the history of alteration.

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has initiated the design and development of a novel pulsed accelerator-based, active interrogation concept. The proposed concept, referred to as the Material Identification Technology (MIT), enables rapid (between accelerator pulses), non-destructive, elemental composition analysis of both nuclear and non-nuclear materials. Applications of this technique include material monitoring in support of counter-proliferation activities, such as export controls (at domestic and international inspection locations), SNM controls, nuclear weapon dismantlement, and chemical weapon verification. Material Identification Technology combines a pulsed, X-ray source (an electron accelerator) and a gamma detection system. The accelerator must maximize neutron production (pulse width, beam current, beam energy, and repetition rate) and minimize photon dose to the object. Current available accelerator technology can meet these requirements. The detection system must include detectors which provide adequate gamma energy resolution capability, rapid recovery after the initial X-ray interrogation pulse, and multiple single gamma event detection between accelerator pulses. Further research is required to develop the detection system. This report provides the initial feasibility assessment of the MIT concept.

In this report, we demonstrate that this induction of HIV-LTR transcription occurs when stably transfected HeLa cells are exposed to agents which mediate cell killing, such as UV radiation, electroporation of sucrose buffer, prolonged heating, and low and high pH. Cells cultured following UV exposure demonstrated a peak in CAT expression that is evident in viable (but not necessarily cell division-competent) cells 24 h after exposure; this inductive response continued until at least 72 h after exposure. HIV-LTR induction was dose-dependent, and the amount of CAT transcription induced was correlated with the amount of cell killing that occurred in the culture.

Developing new sites for noxious facilities has become a complex process with many potential pitfalls. In addition to the need to negotiate conditions acceptable to the host community, siting success may depend on the facility proposer`s ability to identify a candidate site that not only meets technical requirements, but that is located in a community or region whose population is not highly averse to the risks associated with the type of facility being proposed. Success may also depend on the proposer accurately assessing potential impacts of the facility and offering an equitable compensation package to the people affected by it. Facility impact assessments, as typically performed, include only the effects of changes in population, employment and economic activity associated with facility construction and operation. Because of their scope, such assessments usually show a short-run, net economic benefit for the host region, making the intensely negative public reaction to some types and locations of facilities seem unreasonable. The impact component excluded from these assessments is the long-run economic effect of public perceptions of facility risk and nuisance characteristics. Recent developments in psychological and economic measurement techniques have opened the possibility of correcting this flaw by incorporating public perceptions in projections of …

The Lathrop Wells volcanic center is located 20 km south of the potential Yucca Mountain site, at the south end of the Yucca Mountain range. It has long been recognized as the youngest basalt center in the region. However, determination of the age and eruptive history of the center has proven problematic. The purpose of this paper is to describe the status of field and geochronology studies of the Lathrop Wells center. Our perspective is that it is critical to assess all possible methods for obtaining cross-checking data to resolve chronology and field problems. It is equally important to consider application of the range of chronology methods available in Quaternary geologic research. Such an approach seeks to increase the confidence in data interpretations through obtaining convergence among separate isotopic, radiogenic, and age-correlated methods. Finally, the assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses of each dating method need to be carefully described to facilitate an impartial evaluation of results.

Tunnels buried deep within the earth constitute an important class geomechanics problems. Two numerical techniques used for the analysis of geomechanics problems, the finite element method and the boundary element method, have complementary characteristics for applications to problems of this type. The usefulness of combining these two methods for use as a geomechanics analysis tool has been recognized for some time, and a number of coupling techniques have been proposed. However, not all of them lend themselves to efficient computational implementations for large-scale problems. This report examines a coupling technique that can form the basis for an efficient analysis tool for large scale geomechanics problems through the use of an iterative equation solver.

This report is a summary of available hydrologic data from in situ and laboratory testing of the Calico Hills nonwelded hydrogeologic unit, including hydraulic conductivity, porosity, saturation, pore-size distribution and parameters from curve-fits to pressure-saturation data. Sample statistics of hydraulic conductivity, porosity and saturation data for vitric, devitrified and zeolitic tuffs are presented and discussed. While a high degree of variability is observed in both laboratory and in situ hydraulic conductivity measurements, uncertainties arising from differences in size of laboratory test samples, sample handling, test procedures and insufficient number of samples point to the need for additional data of specific types to adequately characterize the unit. Hydrologic issues related to transport analysis in the Calico Hills nonwelded hydrogeologic unit at Yucca Mountain are discussed together with recommendations for future work. The compiled data are included as an appendix.

The Office of Fuels Programs prepares quarterly reports summarizing the data provided by companies authorized to import or export natural gas. Companies are required, as a condition of their authorizations, to file quarterly reports with the OFP. This report is for the fourth quarter of 1993 (October--December). Attachment A shows the percentage of takes to maximum firm contract levels and the weighted average per unit price for each of the long-term importers during the 5 most recent reporting quarters. Attachment B shows volumes and prices of gas purchased by long-term importers and exporters during the past 12 months. Attachment C shows volume and price information for gas imported on a short-term basis. Attachment D shows the gas exported on a short-term basis to Canada and Mexico. During 1993, data indicates gas imports grew by about 10 percent over the 1992 level (2328 vs. 2122 Bcf), with Canadian and Algerian imports increasing by 8 and 82 percent, respectively. During the same time period, exports declined by 41 percent (144 vs. 243 Bcf). Exports to Canada decreased 47 percent from the 1992 level (50 vs. 95 Bcf) and exports to Mexico decreased by 60 percent (38 vs. 95 Bcf).

Gas-gun impact tests were performed on twelve rocks and rock simulants pertinent to the HYDROPLUS nuclear yield measurement program: A variety of tuffs, rhyolites, carbonates, grouts, an epoxy-alumina mixture and quartzite permafrost samples recovered in an apparently preserved frozen state from northern Canada. The present report presents results for all of these materials except for the carbonates. Two classes of impact techniques were employed for measuring equation-of-state properties for these materials. Both use velocity interferometry diagnostics. One, employing a sample-in-projectile geometry, provides high-precision Hugoniot data and continuous release trajectories for dry or water-saturated materials. The majority of the experiments were performed with this geometry. The other, employing a sample-in-target geometry, provides loading path and Hugoniot data as well as limited release data. Uncertainties in the results have been estimated by analyzing the effects of errors in observables and ancillary material properties.

SYNCH is a computer program for use in the design and analysis of synchrotrons, storage rings, and beamlines. It has a large repertoire of commands that can be accessed in a flexible way. The input statements and the results of the calculations they invoke are saved in an internal database so that this information may be shared by other statements. SYNCH is the first accelerator program to organize its input in the form of a language. The statements, which resemble sentences, provide a natural way of describing lattices and invoking relevant calculations. The organization of the program is modular, so that it has been possible to expand its capabilities progressively.

Achievements are reported for the following 4 areas: {pi}/{sigma} equillibria in aldehyde and ketone complexes; thermodynamic ligand binding affinities ({alpha},{beta} unsaturated organic carbonyl compounds); (a new form of coordinated carbon) an unsupported C{sub 3} chain that spans two different transition metals; and (a new form of coordinated carbon) an C{sub 3} chain that is anchored by a metal on each end and spanned by a third.

The main purposes of this paper are to first use the direct method of GGFP to calculate the transmission of the individual molecules H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, O{sub 3}, CH{sub 4}, and N{sub 2}O, plus the transmission of a mixture of all these molecules. Second, to use the G2 model for overlapping k-distributions to calculate the transmission for the CH{sub 4}-N{sub 2}O and H{sub 2}O-CO{sub 2} systems in the spectral regions in which there are overlapping absorption features. For the wavenumber interval 0--2500 cm{sup {minus}1} and altitude range of 0--60 km, a calculation of the atmospheric heating rates, upward fluxes, and downward fluxes will be made for each of the above cases and compared to line by line calculations.

Fractures have been characterized for fluid-flow, geomechanical, and paleostress modeling at three localities in the vicinity of drill hole USW G-4 at Yucca Mountain in southwestern Nevada. A method for fracture characterization is introduced that integrates mapping fracture-trace networks and quantifying eight fracture parameters: trace length, orientation, connectivity, aperture, roughness, shear offset, trace-length density, and mineralization. A complex network of fractures was exposed on three 214- to 260-m 2 pavements cleared of debris in the upper lithophysal unit of the Tiva Canyon Member of the Miocene Paint-brush Tuff. The pavements are two-dimensional sections through the three-dimensional network of strata-bound fractures. All fractures with trace lengths greater than 0.2 m were mapped and studied.

In order to study diffusion in any region of phase space containing nested closed curves we choose action-angle variables, {gamma}, J. the action J labels each closed phase curve and is equal to its area divided by 2{pi}. We can introduce rectangular variables Q,P by the equations Q=(2J){sup 1/2}sin{gamma}, P=(2J){sup 1/2}cos{gamma}, where the angle variable {gamma} is measured clockwise from the P-axis. The phase curves are circles in the Q,P plane with radius (2J){sup 1/2}. We assume that the motion consists of a Hamiltonian motion along a curve of fixed J (in the original coordinate system and in the system Q,P) plus a diffusion and a damping which can change the value of J. Now consider a system of particles described by a density {rho}(J,t), so that the number of particles between the curves J and J+dJ is dN={rho}(J,t)dJ. These cN particles are distributed uniformly in the phase space between the curves J and J+dJ.

Assessing the risk of future magmatic activity at a potential Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository requires, in addition to event probabilities, some knowledge of the consequences of such activity. Magmatic consequences are divided into an eruptive component, which pertains to the possibility of radioactive waste being erupted onto the surface of Yucca Mountain, and a subsurface component, which occurs whether there is an accompanying eruption or not. The subsurface component pertains to a suite of processes such as hydrothermal activity, changes in country rock properties, and long term alteration of the hydrologic flow field which change the waste isolation system. This paper is the second in a series describing progress on studies of the effects of magmatic activity. We describe initial results of field analog studies at small volume basaltic centers where detailed measurements are being conducted of the amount of wall rock debris that can be erupted as a function of depth in the volcanic plumbing system. Constraints from field evidence of wall rock entrainment mechanisms are also discussed. Evidence is described for a mechanism of producing subhorizontal sills versus subvertical dikes, an issue that is important for assessing subsurface effects. Finally, new modeling techniques, which are being developed …