A commercial light-weight portable bandsaw was fitted with a grip to permit it to be maneuvered remotely in a hot cell by means of a General Mills manipulator The bandsaw was supported in various positions to make cuts on typical pieces. Photographs show the saw in operation. (auth)

A description is given of the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) facilities and program of objectives. The hazards associated with equipment failures and malfunctions, personnel errors, natural causes, and operation are evaluated (C.J.G.)

This work focuses on developing a scientific understanding of the processes associated with NO{sub x} trap operation. NO{sub x} traps are the most advanced technology for achieving future emissions standards with diesel engines. Successful development of NO{sub x} traps will allow widespread use of diesel engines in light-duty vehicles, reducing oil imports by as much as 60%. Diesel engines have a high efficiency and low maintenance that makes them the ideal choice for transportation applications. Use of diesel engines in all light-duty vehicles would reduce oil consumption in the USA by 30% and oil imports by 60%, considerably improving our energy security. For heavy trucks, there is no viable alternative to diesel engines. Only diesel engines can provide the necessary high efficiency and long life. These benefits are offset by high emission of pollutants. Diesel engines have high emissions of NO{sub x} and particulate matter. Over the last 20 years, EPA has been reducing allowable emissions from diesel engines, and NO{sub x} emissions are scheduled to be cut by a factor of 10 over the next 7 years. The target NO{sub x} emissions for year 2010 is 0.20 g/hp-hr. This value is well below 1 g/hp-hr, which has been identified …

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Can we use the pressure associated with sequestration to make brine into fresh water? This project is establishing the potential for using brine pressurized by Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) operations in saline formations as the feedstock for desalination and water treatment technologies including reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF). Possible products are: Drinking water, Cooling water, and Extra aquifer space for CO{sub 2} storage. The conclusions are: (1) Many saline formation waters appear to be amenable to largely conventional RO treatment; (2) Thermodynamic modeling indicates that osmotic pressure is more limiting on water recovery than mineral scaling; (3) The use of thermodynamic modeling with Pitzer's equations (or Extended UNIQUAC) allows accurate estimation of osmotic pressure limits; (4) A general categorization of treatment feasibility is based on TDS has been proposed, in which brines with 10,000-85,000 mg/L are the most attractive targets; (5) Brines in this TDS range appear to be abundant (geographically and with depth) and could be targeted in planning future CCS operations (including site selection and choice of injection formation); and (6) The estimated cost of treating waters in the 10,000-85,000 mg/L TDS range is about half that for conventional seawater desalination, due to the anticipated pressure …

The Parameter Display Page program (DP) is a Motif/X11-based program to allow easily configured, dynamic device and process variable monitoring and manipulation in the EPICS environment. DP provides a tabular data format for interactive viewing and manipulation of device and process variable statistics, as well as formatted PostScript output to files and printers. DP understands and operates in two (unfortunately disjoint at this time) namespaces in the EPICS environment ``devices`` and ``process variables``. The higher level namespace of devices includes Composite and Atomic Devices registered via the Device Access server; the lower level (flat) namespace is that of normal Process Variables accessible via Channel Access.

Progress is reported for a research program on the resuspension in the atmosphere of plutonium fallout deposited on the earth surface. The long-range goal of the resuspension studies is to produce a set of equations which can be used to predict the timedependent average concentration of resuspended material downwind from a source of any geometrical configuration and soil sunface characteristics. The experiments are conducted at the Nevada Test Site where plutonium-high explosive tests were performed during the period from 1954 to early 1958. The investigations have included: monitoring of soil samples for Pu; development of ultra-high volume air samplers, in-situ panticle spectrometers, particle counters, and a micrometeorology field laboratory; determination of Pu redistribution due to the rolling of soil particles pushed by winds (creep), the bouncing of wind-pushed particles (saltation), and transport by dust devils; and measurements of meteorological parameters. Results from these experiments will be used to establish a data bank on radioisotope distribution and meteorological conditions at NTS and to provide information of the relation between the source and the dose to man from existing radioactivity. (LCL)

A total of 66 urine samples, 6 blank fecal and 6 spiked artificial fecal samples were submitted during the report period (April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007) to General Engineering Laboratories, South Carolina by the Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program (IDP) to check the accuracy, precision, and detection levels of their analyses. Urine analyses for tritium, Sr, 238Pu, 239Pu, 241Am, 243Am 235U, 238U, elemental uranium and fecal analyses for 241Am, 238Pu and 239Pu were tested this year. The number of QC urine samples submitted during the report period represented 1.7% of the total samples submitted. In addition to the samples provided by IDP, GEL was also required to conduct their own QC program, and submit the results of analyses to IDP. About 36% of the analyses processed by GEL during the second year of this contract were quality control samples. GEL tested the performance of 16 radioisotopes, all of which met or exceeded the specifications in the Statement of Work. IDP concluded that GEL was performing well for all analyses tested, and concerns identified earlier were satisfactorily resolved.

The role of weak interactions, particularly electron capture and {beta}{sup {minus}} decay, in presupernova evolution is discussed. The present uncertainty in these rates is examined and the possibility of improving the situation is addressed. 12 refs., 4 figs.

Until relatively recent advances in technology, astronomical observations from the ground were limited in image resolution by the blurring effects of earth's atmosphere. The blur extent, ranging typically from 0.5 to 2 seconds of arc at the best astronomical sights, precluded ground-based observations of the details of the solar system's moons, asteroids, and outermost planets. With the maturing of a high resolution image processing technique called speckle imaging the resolution limitation of the atmosphere can now be largely overcome. Over the past three years they have used speckle imaging to observe Titan, a moon of Saturn with an atmospheric density comparable to Earth's, Io, the volcanically active innermost moon of Jupiter, and Neptune, a gas giant outer planet which has continually changing planet-encircling storms. These observations were made at the world's largest telescope, the Keck telescope in Hawaii and represent the highest resolution infrared images of these objects ever taken.

As thin films become increasingly popular (for solar cells, LEDs, microelectronics, batteries), quantitative morphological information is needed to predict and optimize the film's electronic, optical and mechanical properties. This quantification can be obtained quickly and easily with X-ray diffraction using an area detector and synchrotron radiation in two simple geometries. In this paper, we describe a methodology for constructing complete pole figures for thin films with fiber texture (isotropic in-plane orientation). We demonstrate this technique on semicrystalline polymer films, self-assembled nanoparticle semiconductor films, and randomly-packed metallic nanoparticle films. This method can be immediately implemented to help understand the relationship between film processing and microstructure, enabling the development of better and less expensive electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Light Water reactor (LWR) fuel performance is currently limited by thermal, chemical and mechanical constraints associated with the design, fabrication, and operation of the fuel in incore operation. Corrosion of the zirconium based (Zircaloy-4) alloy cladding of the fuel is a primary limiting factor. Recent success at the University of Florida in developing thin ceramic films with great adhesive properties for metal substrates offers an innovative breakthrough for eliminating a major weakness of the Zircaloy clad. ?The University of Florida proposes to coat the existing Zircaloy clad tubes with a ceramic coating for corrosion protection. An added bonus of this approach would be the implementation of a boron-containing burnable poison outer layer will also be demonstrated as part of the ceramic coating development. In this proposed effort, emphasis will be on the ceramic coating with only demonstration of feasibility on the burnable outer coating approach. This proposed program i s expected to give a step change (approximately a doubling) in clad lifetime before failure due to corrosion. In the development of ceramic coatings for Zircaloy-4 clad, silicon carbide and zirconium carbide coatings will first be applied to Zircaloy-4 coupons and cladding samples by thermal assisted chemical vapor deposition, plasma assisted …

This document presents details of the status of irradiations performed by Fuel and Target Irradiation Technology for BNW as of January 31, 1970.

The central research problem of this project is the effective representation, computation, and display of surfaces interpolating to information in three or more dimensions. If the given information is located on another surface, then the problem is to construct a surface defined on a surface''. Sometimes properties of an already defined surface are desired, which is geometry processing''. Visualization of multivariate surfaces is possible by means of contouring higher dimensional surfaces. These problems and more are discussed below. The broad sweep from constructive mathematics through computational algorithms to computer graphics illustrations is utilized in this research. The breadth and depth of this research activity makes this research project unique.

The central research problem of this project is the effective representation, computation, and display of surfaces interpolating to information in three or more dimensions. If the given information is located on another surface, then the problem is to construct a ``surface defined on a surface``. Sometimes properties of an already defined surface are desired, which is ``geometry processing``. Visualization of multivariate surfaces is possible by means of contouring higher dimensional surfaces. These problems and more are discussed below. The broad sweep from constructive mathematics through computational algorithms to computer graphics illustrations is utilized in this research. The breadth and depth of this research activity makes this research project unique.

The UCu5-x Pdx system exhibits non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behavior in thermodynamic and transport properties at low temperatures for Pd concentrations 0.9 less than or approximately x less than or approximately 1.5. The local structure around the U, Cu, and Pd atoms has been measured for

We have established a comprehensive program for the US Department of Energy to develop electrofibrous prefilters to extend the life of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that are used in the nuclear industry. We have selected the electrofibrous filter because, compared to the mechanical fibrous filter, it has a higher efficiency and longer lifetime. Two different electrofibrous filters have been developed for use in nuclear ventilation systems. One prototype is a stationary prefilter while the other is a rolling prefilter. Both prefilters use the same basic filtering technique in which a fibrous filter medium is sandwiched between a high voltage electrode and a ground electrode, both electrodes having a sufficient open area to offer minimum air resistance. The applied voltage on the electrodes generates an electric field that polarizes the filter fibers, which then attract suspended particles via electrostatic forces. The filter media and electrodes have been pleated to provide a sufficiently long particle residence time. The special requirement of protecting the HEPA filter from a high concentration of smoke aerosols during fire conditions led to the development of the rolling, electrofibrous prefilter. We established the feasibility of this concept in a series of tests using commercially available rolling …

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Selected components from a staianless steel nonregenerative heat exchanger removed from the U.S.S. Nautilus (SSN571) have been examined for evidence of stress-corrosion cracking. The examination was conducted on three baffle plates, all primary-face seal welds, and the tubes and the surrounding tube sheets of 7 out of a total of 35 tubes. Maximum operating temperature of the heat exchanger was 260 ction prod- F for the inlet primary water and 164 ction prod- F for the exit secondary water. Chloride content of the secondary water averaged 5 ppm, with a maximum of 15 ppm. Only one suspected stress-corrosion crack was found in the components normally in contact with the secondary water. The crack, 2.5 mils in depth, was located on a fully exposed tube. At the 95 per cent confidence level this represented a probability of finding cracking on fully exposed surfaces in 0 to 60 per cent of the rest of the tubes in the heat exchanger. Severe stress-corrosion cracking was found in tubes in the tube-sheet drain area at the juncture with the inner tube sheet at the inlet end, where secondary water seeped past the expanded tubes. Cracks were detected in five of seven tubes for a …

Using an end-pumped technology developed at LLNL we have demonstrated a Yb:YAG laser capable of delivering up to 434 W of CW power and 226 W of Q-switched power. In addition, we have frequency doubled the output to 515 nm using a dual crystal scheme to produce 76 W at 10 kHz in a 30 ns pulse length.

Tests have been conducted to determine if satisfactory mass transfer performance is achieved using a fully pumping 5-cm centrifugal contactor under conditions present in the Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) process. Tests utilized a commercially available contactor that had been modified by installation of a rotor housing bottom that had straight radial vanes on the process side. As received from the vendor, the housing bottom was equipped with curved (impeller-type) vanes that were intended to promote phase separation by minimizing mixing of influent solutions. Stage efficiencies exceeding 85% were obtained under conditions, present in the extraction section of the CSSX flowsheet. Under CSSX stripping conditions the stage efficiency exceeded 90%. In both cases, the efficiencies obtained exceed the minimum requirement for acceptable transfer of cesium in the CSSX process.

The activities that have been carried out this quarter include continued planning and development of the geothermal system thermal-well data-base that will be one of the main contract results. The authors are continuing to modify the specifications of the database and continuing initial input. They have added several additional areas to their inventory of the geothermal areas for which data are available in the literature (published and open file) and on open file as described in the third quarterly report. A map was enclosed with the second quarterly report that gave the preliminary location of sites of various categories of wells. They will include a revised map with the next quarterly report when all of the sites, including the new ones described below, have been located and added to the index map. In particular in the last quarter the authors have added about 100 wells in west Texas in the transPecos region from a previously proprietary report that they recently obtained. In addition they have made arrangements to obtain thermal data collected by AMAX Geothermal during their exploration activities. The number of wells is large, several hundred, and the sites are spread throughout the western US from New Mexico and …

OAK-B135 The major accomplishments of this project were: (1) the initial characterization of dcsA, the gene for the putative catalytic subunit of cellulose synthase in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum; (2) the detection of a developmentally regulated event (unidentified, but perhaps a protein modification or association with a protein partner) that is required for cellulose synthase activity (i.e., the dcsA product is necessary, but not sufficient for cellulose synthesis); (3) the continued exploration of the developmental context of cellulose synthesis and DcsA; (4) the isolation of a GFP-DcsA-expressing strain (work in progress); and (5) the identification of Dictyostelium homologues for plant genes whose products play roles in cellulose biosynthesis. Although our progress was slow and many of our results negative, we did develop a number of promising avenues of investigation that can serve as the foundation for future projects.