There is a great need for a rapid and simple means of determining the moisture content in combustible cartridge case (ccc) munitions. Previous studies have demonstrated that accumulation of moisture in ccc rounds, such as the M829, leads to softening of the case wall and weakening of the adhesive joint. Moisture in the ccc can lead to incomplete combustion of the case upon firing the round. Currently, there are no facile methods for measuring the moisture content. A prototype portable meter for non-destructive and rapid estimation of moisture in ccc has been developed. The Munitions Case Moisture Meter Model ORNL-1 demonstrates the feasibility of developing an instrument based on the moisture dependence of dielectric properties, to measure moisture in ccc munitions in storage and in the field. These instruments are simple, inexpensive, lightweight, portable, low-power battery operated, and intrinsically safe. They provide nondestructive, noninvasive, and rapid measurements. Calibration data for the prototype are not available at this time. Therefore, calibration of the meter and the development of a scale reading directly moisture content in munitions rounds could not be completed. These data will be supplied by the US Army from its tests of the meter with actual munitions. However, experimental …

Thermodynamic studies are of interest for any chemically reacting system. Thermodynamics constitute the limiting cases for kinetically reacting systems. In many systems, as a result of the exponential nature of most chemical reactions (reaction rate = k Ae/sub -..delta..H/RT/), reactions of interest occur over a fairly narrow temperature region. At lower temperatures, reaction rates are negligible, while at higher temperatures the reaction can be so rapid as to be controlled either by thermodynamics or mass transfer. Thus, thermodynamic equilibrium at a characteristic temperature can often be a close approximation to a kinetic system. Previous work by Stephens in the coal-water-oxygen thermodynamic system is extended. Results with 20 percent combustion and amorphous carbon are shown to be a good approximation to kinetic data. Experimental Lurgi coal gasification data are closely approximated by a calculated thermodynamic temperature of 1060 K. This temperature is used to show that for underground coal gasification with a constant oxygen/coal ratio, optimum steam/oxygen ratios should be as low as possible. Probably the steam/oxygen ratio should exceed 3.6 to avoid slagging of the ash. At this ratio, about twice as much methane can be obtained in comparison to the Lurgi ratio of 7.7. (auth)

It is pointed out that corrections due to the Coulomb-nuclear interference could amount to an order of 1 to 2 mb at P/sub lab/ around 1 GeV/c in recently performed measurements of the pp-total cross section difference in pure spin states.

A preliminary set of experiments was conducted in order to determine the sorptive characteristics of rock with respect to ionic species under conditions of dynamic flow of an aqueous solution through a rock core. The results of the dynamic experiments have been compared to the results of static or batch experiments which were conducted under corresponding physical and chemical conditions. It was found that, gram for gram, sorption of the ion of interest was always greater in the dynamic experiments. These results are contrary to early predictions and indicate that the effect of rock surface area on adsorption was overshadowed by another parameter. It has been suggested as a working hypothesis that the competitive effect of ions that were dissolved and/or leached from the rock in batch experiments has resulted in reduced sorption of the ion of interest. If the hypothesis is confirmed by further experimental work, a ramification of the study is that calculations concerning transport of radioactivity in groundwater which utilize input parameters derived from static tests will tend to be conservative with respect to what occurs in nature. (auth)

The OF-2 irradiation experiment was designed and built to test candidate High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) fuel and fuel-rod matrix designs. The capsule was designed with two separate specimen cells, allowing for independent temperature control as well as independent fission gas release measurements. The OF-2 capsule is presently operating at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR). Initial fuel rod linear heat rates are between 16.4 and 23.0 kW/m (5 and 7 kW/ft) and fuel centerline temperatures are approximately 1150 and 1350/sup 0/C. Plans are to operate the capsule for nine ORR cycles to accumulate a maximum damage fluence of 9 x 10/sup 21/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/ (E > 0.18 MeV).

The report discusses the current status of liquid-metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) development and one of the principal safety issues, a hypothetical core-disruptive accident (HCDA). Bibliographic information on worldwide LMFBRs relative to the development of the breeder reactor as a safe source of nuclear power is presented for the period 1972 through 1974. The bibliography consists of approximately 1380 abstracts covering research and development and operating experiences leading up to the present design practices that are necessary for the licensing of breeder reactors. Key-word, author, and permuted-title indexes are included.

No abstract is available for this document at this time.

NAFEMS was originally founded at the United Kingdom's National Engineering Laboratory as the National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards. It was subsequently privatized as the not-for-profit organization NAFEMS, Ltd., but retains its mission ''To promote the safe and reliable use of finite element and related technology''. That mission has been pursued in part by sponsoring a series of studies that published benchmarked deemed suitable to assess the basic accuracy of engineering simulation tools. The early studies focused on FEA for linear solid and structural mechanics and then extended to nonlinear solid mechanics, eventually including contact. These benchmarks are complemented by educational materials concerning analysis technologies and approaches. More recently NAFEMS is expanding to consider thermal-fluid problems. Further information is available at www.nafems.org. Essentially all major commercial firms selling FEA for solid mechanics are members of NAFEMS and it seemed clear that Methods Development Group should leverage from this information resource, too. In 2002, W Program ASCI funding purchased a three-year membership in NAFEMS. In the summer of 2003 the first author hosted a summer graduate student to begin modeling some of the benchmark problems. We concentrated on NIKE3D, as the benchmarks are most typically problems most naturally run …

Single crystal samples of micron dimensions oriented in the [001] direction were shortened 10 to 40% in uniaxial compression with superposed hydrostatic pressure to begin investigation of how the onset of yielding evolves with pressure. A testing machine based on opposed anvil geometry with precision pneumatic control of the applied force and capability to measure sub micron displacements was developed to produce shape changing deformation at pressure. The experiments extend observations of pressure dependent deformation to {approx}5Gpa at shortening rates of {approx}2*10{sup -4}. Samples have been recovered for post run characterization and analysis to determine if deformation mechanisms are altered by pressure. Experiments under hydrostatic pressure provide insight into the nature of materials under extreme conditions, and also provide a means for altering deformation behavior in a controlled fashion. The approach has a long history demonstrating that pressure enhances ductility in general, and produces enhanced hardening relative to that expected from normal cold work in the BCC metals Mo, Ta and Nb{sup 2}. The pressure hardening is in excess of that predicted from the measured increase in shear modulus at pressure, and therefore is likely due to a dislocation mechanism, such as suppression of kink pair formation or the interaction …

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) personnel have supported US Air Force (USAF) ballistic missile flight tests for about 15 years for Peacekeeper and Minuteman missiles launched at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). Associated re-entry vehicles (RV's) re-enter at Regan Test Site (RTS) at the US Army base at Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) where LLNL has supported scoring, recovery operations for RV materials, and environmental assessments. As part of ongoing USAF ballistic missile flight test programs, LLNL is participating in an updated EA being written for flights originating at VFAB. Marine fauna and sediments (beach-sand samples) were collected by US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and LLNL at Illeginni Island and Boggerik Island (serving as a control site) at Kwajalein Atoll. Data on the concentration of DU (hereafter, U) and Be in collected samples was requested by USFWS and NMFS to determine whether or not U and Be in RV's entering the Illeginni area are increasing U and Be concentrations in marine fauna and sediments. LLNL agreed to do the analyses for U and Be in support of the EA process and provide a report of the results. There is no statistically significant difference in the concentration …

With the operation of the RHIC heavy ion program, the theoretical understanding of QCD at finite temperature and density has become increasingly important. Though QCD at finite temperature has been extensively studied using lattice Monte-Carlo simulations over the past twenty years, most physical questions relevant for RHIC (and future) heavy ion experiments remain open. In lattice QCD at finite temperature and density there have been at least two major advances in recent years. First, for the first time calculations of real time quantities, like meson spectral functions have become available. Second, the lattice study of the QCD phase diagram and equation of state have been extended to finite baryon density by several groups. Both issues were extensively discussed in the course of the workshop. A real highlight was the study of the QCD phase diagram in (T, {mu})-plane by Z. Fodor and S. Katz and the determination of the critical end-point for the physical value of the pion mass. This was the first time such lattice calculations at, the physical pion mass have been performed. Results by Z Fodor and S. Katz were obtained using a multi-parameter re-weighting method. Other determinations of the critical end point were also presented, in …

This months issue has the following articles: (1)''Computing Science: One Arrow in the Quiver for Homeland Security''--Commentary by Wayne Shotts; (2) ''On the Front Lines of Biodefense''--The Laboratory's pathogen bioinformatics group is developing ways to rapidly identify microbes that could pose a threat to the nation's citizens, livestock, and crops. (3) ''Defending against Corrosion''--Livermore researchers are designing a rugged system to prevent nuclear wastes from seeping into the environment at the proposed underground repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. (4) ''Engine Shows Diesel Efficiency without the Emissions''--Computer models are helping Laboratory engineers better understand the homogeneous compression charge ignition engine, a fuel-efficient engine with reduced emissions.

With public concern over the security and reliability of our existing electricity infrastructure and the resurgence of wind energy, the wind industry offers an immediate, first point of entry for the application and demonstration of an active load control technology. An innovative microtab approach is being investigated and demonstrated for active aerodynamic load control applications under the mid-year LDRD (June-Sept. 2002) effort. With many of these million dollar turbines failing at only half the design lifespans, conventional techniques for stiffening rotors, enlarging generators and gearboxes, and reinforcing towers are insufficient to accommodate the demands for bigger, taller and more powerful turbines. The DOE through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) supports R&D efforts to develop lighter, more efficient and longer lasting wind turbines and advance turbine components. However, as wind turbine systems continue to increase in size and complexity, fundamental research and technology development has not kept pace with needs. New technologies to increase turbine life spans and to reduce costs are needed to realize wind electricity generation potentials. It is becoming quite evident that without a better understanding of static and dynamic response to normal and abnormal operating loads coupled with sophisticated flow analysis and control techniques, large turbine …

In 2002, the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) proposed the concept for a state-of-the-science appraisal of climate models to be performed approximately every two years. Motivation for this idea arose from the perceived needs of the international modeling groups and the broader climate research community to document progress more frequently than provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports. A committee of external reviewers, which included senior researchers from four leading international modeling centers, supported the concept by stating in its review: ''The panel enthusiastically endorses the suggestion that PCMDI develop an independent appraisal of coupled model performance every 2-3 years. This would provide a useful 'mid-course' evaluation of modeling progress in the context of larger IPCC and national assessment activities, and should include both coupled and single-component model evaluations.''

The study of sonoluminescence has been under taken to determine the mechanisms for the production of the short burst of light that arises in an acoustically driven water cell. The investigations have reached a state of understanding where the underlying physical processes causing the conversion of acoustic energy to radiation can now be successfully simulated. Further, the effort has led to substantial outreach to the community including undergraduate student, post-graduate students, and professors. Finally, the experimental program has provided important information on the region where sonoluminescence works.

The goals of this report are: (1) Analyze boreal summer Asian monsoon intraseasonal variability general circulation models--How well do the models represent the eastward and northward propagating components of the convection and how well do the models represent the interactive control that the western tropical Pacific rainfall exerts on the rainfall over India and vice-versa? (2) Role of air-sea interactions--prescribed vs. interactive ocean; and (3) Mean monsoon vs. variability.

This standard establishes requirements that, when coupled with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) methods and other Work Smart Standards for assuring worker safety, assure that the impacts of nonnuclear operations authorized in LLNL facilities are well understood and controlled in a manner that protects the health of workers, the public, and the environment. All LLNL facilities shall be classified based on potential for adverse impact of operations to the health of co-located (i.e., nearby) workers and the public in accordance with this standard, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 830, Subpart B, and Department of Energy Order (DOE O) 420.2A. This standard provides information on: Objectives; Applicability; Safety analysis requirements; Control selection and maintenance; Documentation requirements; Safety basis review, approval, and renewal; and Safety basis implementation.

This project is divided into method experimental measurements, theoretical development, and geochemical applications. We have completed experimental volumetric measurements on aqueous solutions of CO{sub 2} H{sub 2}S, CH{sub 4}, NH{sub 3} and B(OH){sub 3} at 25 to 432{degree}C and 280 and 350 bar. A vibrating tube densitometer that allows density measurements near bubble point and also measures the bubble pressure was developed and used to measure densities and bubble pressures of aqueous Co{sub 2}. Heat capacity measurements should be completed by the end of the grant period. Simulations of models for methane in water at temperatures to 1000{degrees}C are in progress. In order to facilitate these free energy calculations the possible errors associated with the calculations have been explored in two papers (Wood, 1991; Wood et al., 1991) and methods of controlling and estimating these errors have been developed. Applications of the new data to geochemical processes is now possible. Efforts have focussed on extracting equilibrium constants for carbonic acid dissociation at supercritical condition from published experiments on mineral equilibria in H{sub 2}0-CO{sub 2} fluids (Boehlke and Shock, 1990; and in prep.). As a result, estimates of pKa for carbonic acid are now available at temperatures from 300 to 750{degrees}C …

This is the monthly report for the Hanford Atomic Laboratories Products Operation, February, 1956. Metallurgy, reactor fuels, chemistry, dosimetry, separation processes, reactor technology, financial activities, visits, biology operation, physics and instrumentation research, and employee relations are discussed.

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The Internet is becoming the preferred method for disseminating scientific data from a variety of disciplines. This can result in information overload on the part of the scientists, who are unable to query all of the relevant sources, even if they knew where to find them, what they contained, how to interact with them, and how to interpret the results. A related issue is keeping up with current trends in information technology often taxes the end-user's expertise and time. Thus instead of benefiting from this information rich environment, scientists become experts on a small number of sources and technologies, use them almost exclusively, and develop a resistance to innovations that can enhance their productivity. Enabling information based scientific advances, in domains such as functional genomics, requires fully utilizing all available information and the latest technologies. In order to address this problem we are developing a end-user centric, domain-sensitive workflow-based infrastructure, shown in Figure 1, that will allow scientists to design complex scientific workflows that reflect the data manipulation required to perform their research without an undue burden. We are taking a three-tiered approach to designing this infrastructure utilizing (1) abstract workflow definition, construction, and automatic deployment, (2) complex agent-based workflow …

There is a great need for a rapid and simple means of determining the moisture content in combustible cartridge case (ccc) munitions. Previous studies have demonstrated that accumulation of moisture in ccc rounds, such as the M829, leads to softening of the case wall and weakening of the adhesive joint. Moisture in the ccc can lead to incomplete combustion of the case upon firing the round. Currently, there are no facile methods for measuring the moisture content. A prototype portable meter for non-destructive and rapid estimation of moisture in ccc has been developed. The Munitions Case Moisture Meter Model ORNL-1 demonstrates the feasibility of developing an instrument based on the moisture dependence of dielectric properties, to measure moisture in ccc munitions in storage and in the field. These instruments are simple, inexpensive, lightweight, portable, low-power battery operated, and intrinsically safe. They provide nondestructive, noninvasive, and rapid measurements. Calibration data for the prototype are not available at this time. Therefore, calibration of the meter and the development of a scale reading directly moisture content in munitions rounds could not be completed. These data will be supplied by the US Army from its tests of the meter with actual munitions. However, experimental …

Analyses of sludge and soluble waste samples and the inventory of sludge and soluble waste have been used to estimate the concentration of technetium-99 (Tc-99) in sludge solids and soluble waste. These data were also used to establish if the source term assumptions for Tc-99 in the Defense waste Processing Facility (DWPF) flowsheet are accurate and determine the fraction of the Tc-99 inventory in the waste that is soluble. This analysis was needed to establish if the present basis for decontaminated salt feed to the saltstone process is correct. These results and the projected leach rate for Tc-99 from saltstone can then be used to establish if Tc-99 must be removed from contaminated supernate.

Two tritium extraction campaigns were conducted at the 108 B facility. Both glass and metal extraction lines were utilized during the first campaign which began in February 1949 and was completed in March 1952. Five glass lines were constructed and made available for use as needed. Operation of the metal extraction line was begun on May 3, 1951. It continued in production until completion of the first campaign in March 1952. The second campaign used only the metal line. It was initiated in December 1953 and fulfilled in August 1954. Tritium production and extraction throughput information from Hanford operations was recently declassified. This document presents tritium extraction throughput information excerpted from monthly production reports which remain classified SECRET-RESTRICTED DATA because they contain information on weapon part fabrication, shipments, tritium technology and unit costs. Individuals with the appropriate level of clearance and need-to-know may request access to these reports through the DOE or appropriate Hanford contractor, following established written procedures. This data was collected for use by the Source Term Task Leader of the hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project, to develop a source term for tritium to meet a 1994 milestone. The extraction quantities for the two campaigns are presented.