At the end of 1992, the PUREX and UO{sub 3} plants were deemed no longer necessary for the defense needs of the United States. Although no longer necessary, they were very costly to maintain in their post-operation state. The DOE embarked on a deactivation strategy for these plants to reduce the costs of providing continuous surveillance of the facilities and their hazards. Deactivation of the PUREX and UO{sub 3} plants was estimated to take 5 years and cost $222.5 million and result in an annual surveillance and maintenance cost of $2 million. Deactivation of the PUREX/UO{sub 3} plants officially began on October 1, 1993. The deactivation was 15 months ahead of the original schedule and $75 million under the original cost estimate. The annual cost of surveillance and maintenance of the plants was reduced to less than $1 million.

It is shown that unlike a gas plasma or an electron plasma in a metal, an ionized cluster material ({open_quotes}cluster plasma{close_quotes}) permits propagation below the plasma cut-off of electromagnetic (EM) waves whose phase velocity is close to but below the speed of light. Its unique properties allow a variety of applications, including direct acceleration of particles with its EM fields and the phase matching of waves of high harmonic generation (HHG).

The Liquid Phase Methanol (LPMEOH{trademark}) demonstration project at Kingsport, Tennessee, is a $213.7 million cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Air Products Liquid Phase Conversion Company, L.P. (the Partnership). Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Air Products) and Eastman Chemical Company (Eastman) formed the Partnership to execute the Demonstration Project. A demonstration unit producing 80,000 gallons per day (260 TPD) of methanol was designed, constructed, and has begun operation at a site located at the Eastman complex in Kingsport. The Partnership will own and operate the facility for the four-year demonstration period. This project is sponsored under the DOE`s Clean Coal Technology Program, and its primary objective is to {open_quotes}demonstrate the production of methanol using the LPMEOH{trademark} Processing conjunction with an integrated coal gasification facility.{close_quotes} The project will also demonstrate the suitability of the methanol produced for use as a chemical feedstock or as a low-sulfur dioxide, low-nitrogen oxides alternative fuel in stationary and transportation applications. The project may also demonstrate the production of dimethyl ether (DME) as a mixed coproduct with methanol, if laboratory- and pilot-scale research and market verification studies show promising results. If implemented, the DME would be produced during the last six months …

The 1994 National Academy of Sciences study and the 1997 assessment by DOE`s Office of Nonproliferation and National Security have emphasized the importance of the overall objectives of the Plutonium Disposition Program of beginning disposition rapidly. President Clinton and other leaders of the G-7 plus one (`Political Eight`) group of states, at the Moscow Nuclear Safety And Security Summit in April 1996, agreed on the objectives of accomplishing disposition of excess fissile material as soon as practicable. To meet these objectives, DOE has laid out an aggressive schedule in which large-scale immobilization operations would begin in 2005. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the lead laboratory for the development of Pu immobilization technologies for the Department of Energy`s Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (MD), was requested by MD to recommend the preferred immobilization form and technology for the disposition of excess weapons-usable Pu. In a series of three separate evaluations, the technologies for the candidate glass and ceramic forms were compared against criteria and metrics that reflect programmatic and technical objectives: (1) Evaluation of the R&D and engineering data for the two forms against the decision criteria/metrics by a technical evaluation panel comprising experts from within the immobilization program. (2) Integrated …

This document presents a summary of safety class criteria for the 241-AY/AZ Tank Farm primary ventilation system upgrade under Project W-030, and recommends acceptance of the system as constructed, based on a review of supporting documentation.

The Excess Fissile Materials Disposition Program`s Record of Decision (ROD) published in January 1997 by DOE/MD describes three potential pathways for the disposition of excess fissile materials: burning as MOX fuel rods, and two can-in-canister immobilization candidates: glass and ceramics. In addition, the ROD introduced processing schedules for MD disposition program. Prior to the ROD, the only acceptance specification that AMD had for incoming materials was DOE- STD-3013. However, STD-3013 is a specification aimed at maintaining safety for long term storage (approximately 100 years) and was never intended to act as an acceptance specification. An effort has begun to examine all of the technical issues associated with the processing and transfer of materials from EM to MD. Since that time, several related initiatives have begun to deal with the many issues, including the EM Material Stewardship program, the latest EM-66 sponsored trade studies, and a new storage standard. A draft of feed material requirements for the ceramic Immobilization Facility that will be used for the disposition of surplus plutonium has been developed for discussion. It established impurity limits for feed materials to the immobilization process, identifies impurities in feed materials that may have an adverse effect on the immobilization process, …

The SC`96 Education Program provided a three-day professional development experience for middle and high school science, mathematics, and computer technology teachers. The program theme was Computers at Work in the Classroom, and a majority of the sessions were presented by classroom teachers who have had several years experience in using these technologies with their students. The teachers who attended the program were introduced to classroom applications of computing and networking technologies and were provided to the greatest extent possible with lesson plans, sample problems, and other resources that could immediately be used in their own classrooms. The attached At a Glance Schedule and Session Abstracts describes in detail the three-day SC`96 Education Program. Also included is the SC`96 Education Program evaluation report and the financial report.

This report documents the testing of the Health Physics Instrumentation associated with phase 2 and 3 start-up of Project W-026, WRAP. The Health Physics Instrumentation includes: Alpha and Beta Continuous Air Monitors (CAMS), Personnel Contamination Monitors (PCMs), Gamma Area Radiation Monitors (ARMs), Criticality Monitors, Alpha and Beta Smear Sample Counters, Portable Friskers, and Operator Breathing Zone Air Samplers. This OTR will cover only the Health Physics Instrumentation that was tested under the Operational test Plan for Health Physics Instrumentation (Phase 2 and 3). That instrumentation included: Alpha CAMS, Beta CAMs and ARMs located in rooms 107 and 113 of 2336-W. The remaining Health Physics Instrumentation that will be used for phase 2 and 3 start-up is tested during calibrations. These calibrations are outside the scope of the Operational Test Plan.