The purpose of this activity is to develop a representative ''limiting'' axial burnup profile for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), which would encompass the isotopic axial variations caused by different assembly irradiation histories, and produce conservative isotopics with respect to criticality. The effect that the low burnup regions near the ends of spent fuel have on system reactivity is termed the ''end-effect''. This calculation will quantify the end-effects associated with Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies emplaced in a hypothetical 21 PWR waste package. The scope of this calculation covers an initial enrichment range of 3.0 through 5.0 wt% U-235 and a burnup range of 10 through 50 GWd/MTU. This activity supports the validation of the process for ensuring conservative generation of spent fuel isotopics with respect to criticality safety applications, and the use of burnup credit for commercial spent nuclear fuel. The intended use of these results will be in the development of PWR waste package loading curves, and applications involving burnup credit. Limitations of this evaluation are that the limiting profiles are only confirmed for use with the B&W 15 x 15 fuel assembly design. However, this assembly design is considered bounding of all other typical commercial PWR fuel …

The objective of this project is to develop a sonic well performance enhancement technology that focuses on near wellbore formations. In order to successfully achieve this objective, a three-year project has been defined with each year consisting of four tasks. The first task is the laboratory-scale study whose goal is to determine the underlying principles of the technology. The second task will develop a scale-up mathematical model to serve as the design guide for tool development. The third task is to develop effective transducers that can operate with variable frequency so that the most effective frequencies can be applied in any given situation. The system, assembled as part of the production string, ensures delivery of sufficient sonic energy to penetrate the near-wellbore formation. The last task is the actual field testing of the tool. The first year of the project has been completed.

Under the Sister Laboratory Arrangement between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Moroccan National Center for Nuclear Energy Sciences and Techniques (CNESTEN), environmental sampling and analysis were performed to assess the background concentrations of nonradiological constituents in various environmental media at the Maamora Forest CNESTEN Laboratory Site. Samples were collected from surface soil, surface water and groundwater wells, short-lived vegetation (mainly native grass), and long-lived vegetation (cork oak). Samples were collected inside the property fence line, in the buffer zone surrounding the site, and off site at water locations. The soil and vegetation samples were analyzed for metals and pesticides and screened for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); the water samples were analyzed for metals, general minerals, and pesticides and screened for PCBs.

The first three years of RHIC physics, with Au/Au collisions induced at 65, 130 and 200 GeV per nucleon pair, produced dramatic results, particularly with respect to collective observables such as transverse flow and anisotropies in transverse momentum spectra. It has become clear that the data show very strong rescattering at very early times of the reaction, strong enough in fact to be described by the hydrodynamic limit. Therefore, with today's experiments, we are able to investigate the equation of state of hot quark gluon matter, discuss its thermodynamic properties and relate them to experimental observables. At this workshop we came together to discuss our latest efforts both in the theoretical description of heavy ion collisions as well as most recent experimental results that ultimately allow us to extract information on the properties of RHIC matter. About 50 participants registered for the workshop, but many more dropped in from the offices at BNL. The workshop lasted for three days, of which each day was assigned a special topic on which the talks focused. On the first day we dealt with the more general question what the strong collective phenomena observed in RHIC collisions tell us about the properties and the …

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The RELAP/MOD3.2 computer code has been assessed using an 11% upper plenum break experiment in the PSB test facility at the Electrogorsk Research and Engineering Center. This work was performed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's International Nuclear Safety Program, and is part of the effort addressing the capability of the RELAP5/MOD3.2 code to model transients in Soviet-designed reactors. Designated VVER Standard Problem PSBV1, the test addressed several important phenomena related to VVER behavior that the code needs to simulate well. The code was judged to reasonably model the phenomena of two-phase flow natural circulation in the primary coolant system, asymmetric loop behavior, leak flow, loop seal clearance in the cold legs, heat transfer in a covered core, heat transfer in a partially covered core, pressurizer thermal-hydraulics, and integral system effects. The code was judged to be in minimal agreement with the experiment data for the mixture level and entrainment in the core, leading to a user recommendation to assess the sensitivity of transient calculations to the interphase drag modeling in the core. No judgments were made for the phenomena of phase separation without mixture level formation, mixture level and entrainment in the steam generators, pool formation in …

Mercuric iodide is a high-density, high-Z semiconducting material useful for gamma ray detection. This makes it convertible to a thermal neutron detector by covering it with a boron rich material and detecting the 478 keV gamma rays resulting from the {sup 10}B(n, {alpha}){sup 7}Li* reaction. However, the 374 barn thermal capture cross section of {sup nat}Hg, makes the detector itself an attractive absorber, and this has been exploited previously. Since previous work indicates that there are no low-energy gamma rays emitted in coincidence with the 368 keV capture gamma from the dominant {sup 199}Hg(n, {gamma}){sup 200}Hg reaction, only the 368 keV capture gamma is seen with any efficiency a relatively thin (few mm) detector. In this paper we report preliminary measurements of neutrons via capture reactions in a bare mercuric iodide crystal and a crystal covered in {sup 10}B-loaded epoxy. The covered detector is an improvement over the bare detector because the presence of both the 478 and 368 keV gamma rays removes the ambiguity associated with the observation of only one of them. Pulse height spectra, obtained with and without lead and cadmium absorbers, showed the expected gamma rays and demonstrated that they were caused by neutrons.

The impact of aerosol particulate matter of mean mass aerodynamic diameter {le} 2.5 {proportional_to}m (PM 2.5 aerosols), on health, visibility, and compliance with EPA's regional haze regulations is a growing concern. Techniques that can help better characterize particulate matter are required to better understand the constituents, causes and sources of PM 2.5 aerosols. Measurement of the {sup 14}C/C ratio of the PM 2.5 aerosols, the absence of {sup 14}C in fossil carbon materials and the known {sup 14}C/C levels in contemporary carbon materials allows use of a two-component model to derive contemporary and fossil carbon contents of the particulate matter. Such data can be used to estimate the relative contributions of fossil fuels and biogenic aerosols to the total aerosol loading. Here, the methodology for performing such an assessment using total suspended particulate Hi-vol aerosol samplers to collect PM 2.5 aerosols on quartz fiber filters and the technique of accelerator mass spectrometry to measure {sup 14}C/C ratios is presented and illustrated using PM 2.5 aerosols collected at Yosemite National Park.

Thomsen's anisotropy parameters for weak elastic and poroelastic anisotropy are now commonly used in exploration, and can be conveniently expressed in terms of the layer averages of Backus. Although there are five effective shear moduli for any layered VTI medium, only one effective shear modulus for the layered system contains all the dependence of pore fluids on the elastic or poroelastic constants that can be observed in vertically polarized shear waves in VTI media. The effects of the pore fluids on this effective shear modulus can be substantial when the medium behaves in an undrained fashion, as might be expected at higher frequencies such a sonic and ultrasonic for well-logging or laboratory experiments, or at seismic frequencies for lower permeability regions of reservoirs.

Inverse bremsstrahlung absorption of the pump laser beam in a backward Raman amplifier over the round-trip light transit time through the sub-critical density plasma can more than double the electron temperature of the plasma and produce time-varying axial temperature gradients. The resulting increased Landau damping of the plasma wave and detuning of the resonance can act to stabilize the pump against unwanted amplification of Langmuir noise without disrupting nonlinear amplification of the femtosecond seed pulse. Because the heating rate increases with the charge state Z, only low-Z plasmas (hydrogen, helium, or helium-hydrogen mixtures) will maintain a low enough temperature for efficient operation.

The Syntroleum plant is mechanically complete and currently undergoing start-up. The fuel production and demonstration plan is near completion. The study on the impact of small footprint plant (SFP) fuel on engine performance is about half-completed. Cold start testing has been completed. Preparations have been completed for testing the fuel in diesel electric generators in Alaska. Preparations are in progress for testing the fuel in bus fleets at Denali National Park and the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. The experiments and analyses conducted during this project show that Fischer-Tropsch (FT) gas-to-liquid diesel fuel can easily be used in a diesel engine with little to no modifications. Additionally, based on the results and discussion presented, further improvements in performance and emissions can be realized by configuring the engine to take advantage of FT diesel fuel's properties. The FT fuel also shows excellent cold start properties and enabled the engine tested to start at more the ten degrees than traditional fuels would allow. This plant produced through this project will produce large amounts of FT fuel. This will allow the fuel to be tested extensively, in current, prototype, and advanced diesel engines. The fuel may also contribute to the nation's energy security. The …

The primary objective of this characterization was to determine if there was any evidence for the accumulation of fissile material relative to the element Fe in the deposits. Secondary objectives were to determine their chemical and crystalline compositions and determine what species could be leached from the deposits and appear in condensate water going to the SRS Tank Farm system.

In this talk, we investigate the relic density and direct detection prospects of rSUGRA, a simple paradigm for supersymmetry breaking that allows for nonuniversal gaugino masses. We present updated plots reflecting the latest cosmological measurements from WMAP.

This report summarizes research conducted in 2001 and 2002 under the above grant entitled " All Not Fit to Breed: Survivors of America's First Eugenics Movement"

Approximately 400 Multi-canister overpacks (MCO) containing spent nuclear fuel are to be interim stored at the Canister Storage Building (CSB). Several MCOs (monitored MCOs) are designated to be gas sampled periodically at the CSB sampling/weld station (Bader 2002a). The monitoring program includes pressure, temperature and gas composition measurements of monitored MCOs during their first two years of interim storage at the CSB. The MCO sample cart (CART-001) is used at the sampling/weld station to measure the monitored MCO gas temperature and pressure, obtain gas samples for laboratory analysis and refill the monitored MCO with high purity helium as needed. The sample cart and support equipment were functionally and operationally tested and validated before sampling of the first monitored MCO (H-036). This report documents the results of validation testing using training MCO (TR-003) at the CSB. Another report (Bader 2002b) documents the sample results from gas sampling of the first monitored MCO (H-036). Validation testing of the MCO gas sampling system showed the equipment and procedure as originally constituted will satisfactorily sample the first monitored MCO. Subsequent system and procedural improvements will provide increased flexibility and reliability for future MCO gas sampling. The physical operation of the sampling equipment during testing …

A series of analyses were performed to assess the structural response of spent nuclear fuel dry casks subjected to various handling and on-site transfer events. The results of these analyses are being used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to perform a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Although the PRA study is being performed for a specific nuclear plant, the PRA study is also intended to provide a framework for a general methodology that could also be applied to other dry cask systems at other nuclear plants. The dry cask system consists of a transfer cask, used for handling and moving the multi-purpose canister (MPC) that contains the fuel, and a storage cask, used to store the MPC and fuel on a concrete pad at the site. This paper describes the analyses of the casks for two loading events. The first loading consists of dropping the transfer cask while it is lowered by a crane to a concrete floor at ground elevation. The second loading consists of dropping the storage cask while it is being transferred to the concrete storage pad outdoors. Three dimensional finite element models of the transfer cask and storage cask, containing the MPC and fuel, were utilized …

A series of analyses were performed to assess the structural response of spent nuclear fuel dry casks subjected to various handling and on-site transfer events. The results of these analyses are being used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to perform a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Although the PRA study is being performed for a specific nuclear plant, the PRA study is also intended to provide a framework for a general methodology that could also be applied to other dry cask systems at other nuclear plants. The dry cask system consists of a transfer cask, used for handling and moving the multi-purpose canister OLIIpC that contains the fuel, and a storage cask, used to store the MPC and fuel on a concrete pad at the site. This paper describes the analyses of the casks for two loading events. The first loading consists of dropping the transfer cask while it is lowered by a crane to a concrete floor at ground elevation. The second loading consists of dropping the storage cask while it is being transferred to the concrete storage pad outdoors. Three dimensional finite element models of the transfer cask and storage cask, containing the MPC and fuel, were utilized …

The MiniCAM, short for the Mini-Climate Assessment Model, is an integrated assessment model of moderate complexity focused on energy and agriculture sectors. The model produces emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) and other radiatively important substances such as sulfur dioxide. Through incorporation of the simple climate model MAGICC, the consequences of these emissions for climate change and sea-level rise can be examined. The MiniCAM is designed to be fast and flexible.

We report on the status of the MINOS long baseline neutrino experiment presently under construction at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the Soudan mine. There is growing evidence that the solar neutrino and atmospheric neutrino anomalies [1] are the result of neutrino oscillations. The MINOS experiment is a long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment designed to study the region of parameter space indicated by the SuperKamiokande atmospheric neutrino results [2]. The experiment consists of two detectors, one with a mass of 980 tons located at Fermilab (the near detector) and the other of mass 5400 tons located 731 km away in the Soudan mine in northern Minnesota (the far detector). The third component is the neutrino beam which is currently under construction at Fermilab.

The SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation) computer software system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. The well-known KENO V.a three-dimensional Monte Carlo criticality computer code is the primary criticality safety analysis tool in SCALE. The KENO V.a primer is designed to help a new user understand and use the SCALE/KENO V.a Monte Carlo code for nuclear criticality safety analyses. It assumes that the user has a college education in a technical field. There is no assumption of familiarity with Monte Carlo codes in general or with SCALE/KENO V.a in particular. The primer is designed to teach by example, with each example illustrating two or three features of SCALE/KENO V.a that are useful in criticality analyses. The primer is based on SCALE 4.4a, which includes the Criticality Safety Processor for Analysis (CSPAN) input processor for Windows personal computers (PCs). A second edition of the primer, which uses the new KENO Visual Editor, is currently under development at ORNL and is planned for publication in late 2003. Each example in this first edition of the primer uses CSPAN to provide the framework for data input. Starting with …

Since pre-industrial times, the concentrations of various aerosol types (e.g., sulfate, black carbon, and mineral dust) and several key greenhouse gases such as methane (CH{sub 4}), nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O), and ozone (O{sub 3}), have been changing because of anthropogenic activities. Collectively, the magnitude of the climate forcing from these species is larger than that of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) although some are positive and some are negative (see Fig. 27). The behavior and effect of these non-CO{sub 2} species is more complicated than for CO{sub 2} because they are affected by atmospheric chemistry and aerosol microphysics, so their distributions are more heterogeneous. There are also feedbacks between climate, chemistry, and aerosols that further increase the importance of chemistry and aerosols, e.g. a change in any one of stratospheric ozone, stratospheric temperature, or stratospheric dynamics will feedback on the other two. For aerosols, in addition to the direct effect of scattering and absorbing light, they act indirectly by serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), leading to clouds with more (but smaller) droplets that reflect more sunlight and last longer, thus cooling the atmosphere. Aerosols and atmospheric chemistry can also have an impact through interaction with the biosphere, e.g., fertilization of …

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This is the final report for the LLNL LDRD 01-LW-068. The Principle Investigator was Daniel White of the Center for Applied Scientific Computing (CASC). Collaborators included Paul Castillo and Mark Stowell of CASC, and Ph.D students Joe Koning and Rob Rieben of UC Davis. Some of the simulation results in this report were partially funded by a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research grant, and the two Ph.D. students were supported by the LLNL Student-Employee Graduate Research Fellow program. We begin with a short Administrative Overview which describes the motivation, scope, and deliverables of this research effort. Then follows the Technical section, which introduces the theory behind our Discrete Differential Forms approach, provides an overview of our FEMSTER C++ class library, and concludes with example simulations.

A new potential energy function representing the conformational preferences of sequentially local regions of a protein backbone is presented. This potential is derived from secondary structure probabilities such as those produced by neural network-based prediction methods. The potential is applied to the problem of remote homolog identification, in combination with a distance dependent inter-residue potential and position-based scoring matrices. This fold recognition jury is implemented in a Java application called JThread. These methods are benchmarked on several test sets, including one released entirely after development and parameterization of JThread. In benchmark tests to identify known folds structurally similar (but not identical) to the native structure of a sequence, JThread performs significantly better than PSI-BLAST, with 10 percent more structures correctly identified as the most likely structural match in a fold library, and 20 percent more structures correctly narrowed down to a set of five possible candidates. JThread also significantly improves the average sequence alignment accuracy, from 53 percent to 62 percent of residues correctly aligned. Reliable fold assignments and alignments are identified, making the method useful for genome annotation. JThread is applied to predicted open reading frames (ORFs) from the genomes of Mycoplasma genitalium and Drosophila melanogaster, identifying 20 new …