Section of the Federal Register related to rules and regulations established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as of May 2012. This text addresses the final rule for 40 CFR parts 141 and 142: Revisions to the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (UCMR 3) for Public Water Systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Analysis within the Office of Health, Safety and Security (HSS) publishes the annual DOE Occupational Radiation Exposure Report to provide an overview of the status of radiation protection practices at DOE (including the National Nuclear Security Administration [NNSA]). The DOE 2012 Occupational Radiation Exposure Report provides an evaluation of DOE-wide performance regarding compliance with Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), Part 835, Occupational Radiation Protection dose limits and as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) process requirements. In addition, the report provides data to DOE organizations responsible for developing policies for protection of individuals from the adverse health effects of radiation. The report provides a summary and an analysis of occupational radiation exposure information from the monitoring of individuals involved in DOE activities. Over the past 5-year period, the occupational radiation exposure information is analyzed in terms of aggregate data, dose to individuals, and dose by site. As an indicator of the overall amount of radiation dose received during the conduct of operations at DOE, the report includes information on collective total effective dose (TED). The TED is comprised of the effective dose (ED) from external sources, which includes neutron and photon …

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The proposed Saltstone Disposal Unit 6 (SDU6) is a larger structure than the SDU4 cells and larger than the disposal units (SDU2, SDU3, and SDU5) currently in use or under construction. The additional capacity provided by SDU6 is desired to reduce life cycle costs and support site accelerated closure goals. The larger size of the planned SDU6 could result in saltstone being placed in thinner lifts as the unit is filled. This study was performed to determine whether thinner layers of saltstone negatively impact the performance of the waste form. A larger number of cold joints could potentially result in increased drying, salt deposition, and surface oxidation. A matrix of samples was prepared to simulate thin pours ranging from 0.5 to 6 inches thick. Each sample was cured for at least 28 days prior to further characterization. Leachability results showed that there is no obvious impact of the number of grout layers on the Leachability Index values for Na and NO{sub 3}. The concentrations of Cr, NO{sub 2}, and C{sub 2}O{sub 4} were below detection limits for all of the leachates. No attempt was made to evaluate the oxidation of these samples since no measureable Cr was leached, although this …

This document is a report of observations and results obtained from a lighting demonstration project conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) GATEWAY Demonstration Program. The program supports demonstrations of high-performance solid-state lighting (SSL) products in order to develop empirical data and experience with in-the-field applications of this advanced lighting technology. The DOE GATEWAY Demonstration Program focuses on providing a source of independent, third-party data for use in decision-making by lighting users and professionals; this data should be considered in combination with other information relevant to the particular site and application under examination. Each GATEWAY Demonstration compares SSL products against the incumbent technologies used in that location. Depending on available information and circumstances, the SSL product may also be compared to alternate lighting technologies. Though products demonstrated in the GATEWAY program may have been prescreened for performance, DOE does not endorse any commercial product or in any way guarantee that users will achieve the same results through use of these products. This report reviews the installation and use of LED PAR38 lamps to light a collection of toned albument photographic prints at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California. Research results provided by the Getty Conservation Institute are …

This poster provides graphic data for 2010-2012 of collective total effective dose (TED) by site, and graphical data for 2008-2012 of components of TED, average measurable TED, percentage of collective TED above dose, collective dose and average measurable dose (1974-2012), and numbers of individuals in the DOE workforce, total number of records of monitored individuals, and number of individuals with a measurable dose. Also, there is a table of the number of individuals receiving >2 rems administrative control level and >5 rems annual limit for 2008-2012.

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This book chapter presents an overview of research conducted in our laboratory on preparation, optical and physico-chemical properties of metallic and nanohybrid materials. Metallic nanoparticles, particularly gold, silver, platinum or a combination of those are the main focus of this review manuscript. These metallic nanoparticles were further functionalized and used as templates for creation of complex and ordered nanomaterials with tailored and tunable structural, optical, catalytic and surface properties. Controlling the surface chemistry on/off metallic nanoparticles allows production of advanced nanoarchitectures. This includes coupled or encapsulated core-shell geometries, nano-peapods, solid or hollow, monometallic/bimetallic, hybrid nanoparticles. Rational assemblies of these nanostructures into one-, two- and tridimensional nano-architectures is described and analyzed. Their sensing, environmental and energy related applications are reviewed.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of River Protection (ORP) is responsible for the retrieval, treatment, immobilization, and disposal of Hanford's tank waste. Currently there are approximately 56 million gallons of highly radioactive mixed wastes awaiting treatment. A key aspect of the River Protection Project (RPP) cleanup mission is to construct and operate the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The WTP will separate the tank waste into high-level and low-activity waste (LAW) fractions, both of which will subsequently be vitrified. The projected throughput capacity of the WTP LAW Vitrification Facility is insufficient to complete the RPP mission in the time frame required by the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, also known as the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA), i.e. December 31, 2047. Therefore, Supplemental Treatment is required both to meet the TPA treatment requirements as well as to more cost effectively complete the tank waste treatment mission. The Supplemental Treatment chosen will immobilize that portion of the retrieved LAW that is not sent to the WTP's LAW Vitrification facility into a solidified waste form. The solidified waste will then be disposed on the Hanford site in the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF). In addition, the WTP LAW Vitrification facility …

We have discovered a possible "natural fueling" mechanism in tokamak fusion reactors using large scale gyrokinetic turbulence simulation. In the presence of a heat flux dominated tokamak plasma, cold ions naturally pinch radially inward. If cold DT fuel is introduced near the edge using shallow pellet injection, the cold fuel will pinch inward, at the expense of hot helium ash going radially outward. By adjusting the cold DT fuel concentration, the core DT density profiles can be maintained. We have also shown that cold source ions from edge recycling of cold neutrals are pinched radially inward. This mechanism may be important for fully understanding the edge pedestal buildup after an ELM crash. Work includes benchmarking the gyrokinetic turbulence codes in the electromagnetic regime. This includes cyclone base case parameters with an increasing plasma beta. The code comparisons include GEM, GYRO and GENE. There is good linear agreement between the codes using the Cyclone base case, but including electromagnetics and scanning the plasma beta. All the codes have difficulty achieving nonlinear saturation as the kinetic ballooning limit is approached. GEM does not saturate well when beta gets above about 1/2 of the ideal ballooning limit. We find that the lack of …

The compact Wedge Range Filter (WRF) proton spectrometer was developed for OMEGA and transferred to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) as a National Ignition Campaign (NIC) diagnostic. The WRF measures the spectrum of protons from D-{sup 3}He reactions in tuning-campaign implosions containing D and {sup 3}He gas; in this work we report on the first proton spectroscopy measurement on the NIF using WRFs. The energy downshift of the 14.7-MeV proton is directly related to the total {rho}R through the plasma stopping power. Additionally, the shock proton yield is measured, which is a metric of the final merged shock strength.

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, fielded alongside a Wedge Range-Filter (WRF) proton spectrometer, will provide an absolute timing for the shock-burn weighted {rho}R measurements that will validate the modeling of implosion dynamics at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). In the first phase of the project, pTOF has recorded accurate bang times in cryogenic DT, DT-Exploding Pusher and D{sup 3}He implosions using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than {+-}70 ps. In the second phase of the project, a deflecting magnet will be incorporated into the pTOF design for simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D{sup 3}He-filled surrogate implosions using D{sup 3}He protons and DD-neutrons, respectively.

An efficient, cost-effective hydrogen storage system is a key enabling technology for the widespread introduction of hydrogen fuel cells to the domestic marketplace. Air Products, an industry leader in hydrogen energy products and systems, recognized this need and responded to the DOE 'Grand Challenge' solicitation (DOE Solicitation DE-PS36-03GO93013) under Category 1 as an industry partner and steering committee member with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in their proposal for a center-of-excellence on Carbon-Based Hydrogen Storage Materials. This center was later renamed the Hydrogen Sorption Center of Excellence (HSCoE). Our proposal, entitled 'Designing Microporous Carbons for Hydrogen Storage Systems,' envisioned a highly synergistic 5-year program with NREL and other national laboratory and university partners.

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is used for elemental and isotopic analysis of solid samples. The greatest strength of SIMS is the ability to analyze very small areas (as small as 50 nm using the CAMECA NanoSIMS, for example) and to generate high-spatial resolution maps of the distribution of elements and isotopes within the sample. The measurement of the isotopic composition of sample is usually straightforward, only requiring the analysis of the sample and that of an isotopic reference material for determination of the mass bias of the instrument. Quantification of elements, however, involves the analysis of matrix matched standards for the determination of the relative sensitivity factor (a function of both the element to be analyzed and the matrix). SIMS is commonly used in nuclear forensics for exploring the heterogeneity of the material on fine spatial scale.

The uncertainty in setting the renormalization scale in finite-order perturbative QCD predictions using standard methods substantially reduces the precision of tests of the Standard Model in collider experiments. It is conventional to choose a typical momentum transfer of the process as the renormalization scale and take an arbitrary range to estimate the uncertainty in the QCD prediction. However, predictions using this procedure depend on the choice of renormalization scheme, leave a non-convergent renormalon perturbative series, and moreover, one obtains incorrect results when applied to QED processes. In contrast, if one fixes the renormalization scale using the Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC), all non-conformal {l_brace}{beta}{sub i}{r_brace}-terms in the perturbative expansion series are summed into the running coupling, and one obtains a unique, scale-fixed, scheme-independent prediction at any finite order. The PMC renormalization scale {mu}{sub R}{sup PMC} and the resulting finite-order PMC prediction are both to high accuracy independent of choice of the initial renormalization scale {mu}{sub R}{sup init}, consistent with renormalization group invariance. Moreover, after PMC scale-setting, the n!-growth of the pQCD expansion is eliminated. Even the residual scale-dependence at fixed order due to unknown higher-order {l_brace}{beta}{sub i}{r_brace}-terms is substantially suppressed. As an application, we apply the PMC procedure to obtain …

The ultimate objective of this work was to eliminate approximately 30% of the machining performed in typical automotive engine and transmission plants by using thread forming fasteners in as-cast holes of aluminum and magnesium cast components. The primary issues at the source of engineers’ reluctance to implementing thread forming fasteners in lightweight castings are: * Little proof of consistency of clamp load vs. input torque in either aluminum or magnesium castings. * No known data to understand the effect on consistency of clamp load as casting dies wear. The clamp load consistency concern is founded in the fact that a portion of the input torque used to create clamp load is also used to create threads. The torque used for thread forming may not be consistent due to variations in casting material, hole size and shape due to tooling wear and process variation (thermal and mechanical). There is little data available to understand the magnitude of this concern or to form the basis of potential solutions if the range of clamp load variation is very high (> +/- 30%). The range of variation that can be expected in as-cast hole size and shape over the full life cycle of a …

Developing a sophisticated theory to understand the electronic structure of 5f-metals is a great challenge to solid state physics. Complicated electronic structures of 5f-metals make their properties strongly sensitive to small energy changes produced by the addition of a small amount of alloy, impurities, or crystal structure defects caused by irradiation. A theoretical material science technique applicable to investigate these effects is atomistic simulation using Classical Molecular Dynamics (CMD). In contrast to ab initio techniques, CMD may include several million particles, so that there is a possibility of direct simulation of very low concentration impurities and defects (as well as phenomena such as plasticity and polymorphous transitions) under given conditions. The goal is to develop theoretical models to understand and predict changes in materials properties of actinides caused by self-irradiation.

The field of solid state protonics has had a small but dedicated following for the past several decades. The collection of papers compiled in this special issue of Solid State Ionics were presented at the most recent international conference focused specifically on this topic, the 15th International Conference on Solid State Proton Conductors (SSPC-15) held in Santa Barbara, California, United States, August 15-20, 2010. Early recognition of the importance of proton transport in solids led to the establishment of the first meeting in this series in 1981, held in Paris in the form of a Danish-Frenchworkshop. The subsequent thirteen meetingswere all held inWestern Europe,with increasing participation from Asian, Eastern European and North and South American researchers. In recognition of the growing international interest in the field, SSPC-14 was held in Kyoto, Japan. SSPC-15, the first North American meeting in this series, built on the momentum of internationalization achieved in SSPC-14, ensuring that the best and brightest minds continue to contribute to the important problems still facing the understanding and manipulation of proton transport in solids. This occasion warrants an update to the SSPC history, and is given. Overall, the oxide proton conductors were the topic of greatest interest, reflecting the …

The purpose of environmental monitoring is to promote the early identification of, and response to, potential adverse environmental impacts associated with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) operations. Environmental monitoring supports the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management Systems standard, and U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment. Specifically, environmental monitoring enables LLNL to detect, characterize, and respond to releases from LLNL activities; assess impacts; estimate dispersal patterns in the environment; characterize the pathways of exposure to members of the public; characterize the exposures and doses to individuals and to the population; and to evaluate the potential impacts to the biota in the vicinity of LLNL. Environmental monitoring is also a major component of compliance demonstration for permits and other regulatory requirements. The Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) addresses the sample collection and analytical work supporting environmental monitoring to ensure the following: (1) A consistent system for collecting, assessing, and documenting environmental data of known and documented quality; (2) A validated and consistent approach for sampling and analysis of samples to ensure laboratory data meets program-specific needs and requirements within the framework of a performance-based approach …

In this note, recent results of studies of semileptonic B meson decays from BABAR are discussed and preliminary results given. In particular, a recent measurement of {Beta}(B {yields} D{sup (*)}{tau}{nu}) and the ratio {Beta}(B {yields} D{sup (*)}{tau}{nu})/{Beta}(B {yields} D{sup (*)}{ell}{nu}) is presented. For the D* mode, a branching fraction of 1.79 {+-} 0.13(stat) {+-} 0.17(syst) is found, with a ratio of 0.325 {+-} 0.023(stat) {+-} 0.027(syst). For the D mode, the results are 1.04 {+-} 0.12(stat) {+-} 0.14(syst) and 0.456 {+-} 0.053(stat) {+-} 0.056(syst), respectively. In addition, a study of B{sub s} production and semileptonic decays using data collected in a center-of-mass energy region above the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance is discussed. The semileptonic branching fraction {Beta}(B{sub s} {yields} {ell}{nu}X) is measured to be 9.9{sub -2.1}{sup +2.6}(stat){sub -2.0}{sup +1.3}(syst).

DT neutron yield (Y{sub n}), ion temperature (T{sub i}) and down-scatter ratio (dsr) determined from measured neutron spectra are essential metrics for diagnosing the performance of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) implosions at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). A suite of neutron-Time-Of-Flight (nTOF) spectrometers and a Magnetic Recoil Spectrometer (MRS) have been implemented in different locations around the NIF target chamber, providing good implosion coverage and the redundancy required for reliable measurements of Yn, Ti and dsr. From the measured dsr value, an areal density ({rho}R) is determined from the relationship {rho}R{sub tot} (g/cm{sup 2}) = (20.4 {+-} 0.6) x dsr{sub 10-12 MeV}. The proportionality constant is determined considering implosion geometry, neutron attenuation and energy range used for the dsr measurement. To ensure high accuracy in the measurements, a series of commissioning experiments using exploding pushers have been used for in situ calibration. The spectrometers are now performing to the required accuracy, as indicated by the good agreement between the different measurements over several commissioning shots. In addition, recent data obtained with the MRS and nTOFs indicate that the implosion performance of cryogenically layered DT implosions, characterized by the experimental Ignition Threshold Factor (ITFx) which is a function of dsr (or …

A series of tests were performed to examine the sorption of stable Sr versus the sorption of {sup 85}Sr by monosodium titanate (MST) and modified monosodium titanate (mMST) from simulated waste solutions. Earlier testing indicated a discrepancy between the decontamination factors (DFs) obtained by measuring the stable Sr concentrations by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and the {sup 85}Sr activities by gamma spectroscopy. One hypothesis to explain this discrepancy was that the stable Sr and {sup 85}Sr were in different chemical forms in the simulated solutions. Several simulants were prepared using different methods for adding the Sr and performance tests were carried out using MST and mMST to determine the Sr and {sup 85}Sr DFs with the various simulants. Testing indicated no discrepancy between the Sr and {sup 85}Sr DFs in tests with these simulants.

Measured distribution coefficients (K{sub d} values) for environmental contaminants provide input data for performance assessments (PA) that evaluate physical and chemical phenomena for release of radionuclides from wasteforms, degradation of engineered components and subsequent transport of radionuclides through environmental media. Research efforts at SRNL to study the effects of formulation and curing variability on the physiochemical properties of the saltstone wasteform produced at the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) are ongoing and provide information for the PA and Saltstone Operations. Furthermore, the range and distribution of plutonium K{sub d} values in soils is not known. Knowledge of these parameters is needed to provide guidance for stochastic modeling in the PA. Under the current SRS liquid waste processing system, supernate from F & H Tank Farm tanks is processed to remove actinides and fission products, resulting in a low-curie Decontaminated Salt Solution (DSS). At the Saltstone Production Facility (SPF), DSS is mixed with premix, comprised of blast furnace slag (BFS), Class F fly ash (FA), and portland cement (OPC) to form a grout mixture. The fresh grout is subsequently placed in SDF vaults where it cures through hydration reactions to produce saltstone, a hardened monolithic waste form. Variation in saltstone composition and …

This project had the goal(s) of understanding the mechanism(s) of extracellular electron transport (EET) in the microbe Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, and a number of other strains and species in the genus Shewanella. The major accomplishments included sequencing, annotation, and analysis of more than 20 Shewanella genomes. The comparative genomics enabled the beginning of a systems biology approach to this genus. Another major contribution involved the study of gene regulation, primarily in the model organism, MR-1. As part of this work, we took advantage of special facilities at the DOE: e.g., the synchrotron radiation facility at ANL, where we successfully used this system for elemental characterization of single cells in different metabolic states (1). We began work with purified enzymes, and identification of partially purified enzymes, leading to initial characterization of several of the 42 c-type cytochromes from MR-1 (2). As the genome became annotated, we began experiments on transcriptome analysis under different conditions of growth, the first step towards systems biology (3,4). Conductive appendages of Shewanella, called bacterial nanowires were identified and characterized during this work (5, 11, 20,21). For the first time, it was possible to measure the electron transfer rate between single cells and a solid substrate (20), …