A Cooperative Research And Development Agreement (CRADA) was established April 1992 between Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. and United Technologies Corporation, Pratt and Whitney Division to evaluate the existing applicability of the Energy Systems optical tool inspection and compensation system (OTICS) for use at Pratt and Whitney`s East Hartford Plant. The OTICS was developed at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant and optically measures the shape of a single point cutting tool. The tool shape inspection provides process information relating to tool wear and if desired the tool shape geometry can be used to generate a new numerical control machining program that is compensated for the tool forms errors. The tool wear measurement capability of OTICS was successfully evaluated in the Phase-1 testing. The testing verified that OTICS can easily detect tool wear and the {+-} 0.0001 inch resolution obtained was sufficient for the larger cutter inserts used by Pratt and Whitney (P and W). During the tool wear experiments at P and W, a second potential use identified for OTICS was the accurate on-machine dimensional verification of special ground contour forming tools. The OTICS tool path compensation experiment demonstrated the varied technologies that are integrated in the tool path compensation …

The objective of this report is to describe results obtained during the second year of funding that will lead to the development of an artificial neural network (A.N.N) fault diagnostic system for the real-time classification of operational transients at nuclear power plants. The ultimate goal of this three-year project is to design, build, and test a prototype diagnostic adviser for use in the control room or technical support center at Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC); such a prototype could be integrated into the plant process computer or safety-parameter display system. The adviser could then warn and inform plant operators and engineers of plant component failures in a timely manner. This report describes the work accomplished in the second of three scheduled years for the project. Included herein is a summary of the second year`s results as well as descriptions of each of the major topics undertaken by the researchers. Also included are reprints of the articles written under this funding as well as those that were published during the funded period.

Acceptance Test Report for the Sluicer Control System, Project W-320 This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) has been prepared to demonstrate that the C-Farm tank C-106 sluicer functions as required by the design criteria.

Test report documenting results of the Project W-320 combined pump/winch test performed at Lawrence Pumps.

The Tank Farms Transition Projects organization, Transition Projects Integration Program (TPIP) Upgrade Scope Summary Report(USSR) describes the scope of work to be accomplished by project W-314. It defines the facility, the system and the actual upgrade that corrects deficiencies and addresses.

This interim safety basis provides the necessary information to conclude that hazards at the Central Waste Complex are controlled and that current and planned activities at the CWC can be conducted safely. CWC is a multi-facility complex within the Solid Waste Management Complex that receives and stores most of the solid wastes generated and received at the Hanford Site. The solid wastes that will be handled at CWC include both currently stored and newly generated low-level waste, low-level mixed waste, contact-handled transuranic, and contact-handled TRU mixed waste.

The lubricants tested in this project were chosen based on the results of liquid/liquid miscibility tests. EMKARATE RL32S and Emery 2968A were selected. The Vapor Liquid Equilibrium (VLE) viscosity reduction and gas fractionation of each was measured with three different refrigerant blends: (1) R-404A; (2) R-507; and (3) R-407C. In addition, the four single refrigerants that make up the blends, HFC-32, HFC-125, HFC-134a, and HFC-143a, were also measured. Lubricants found to have the lowest liquid/liquid miscibilities had nearly equal viscosity reduction profiles as did the more miscible lubricants. Analytical methodology consisted of maintaining equally both the composition of the head space vapor above the lubricant/refrigerant mixture, and the composition of the liquid blend refrigerant. Blends with large temperature glides were re-evaluated in order to test the concept of head space quality and a vented piston hydraulic cylinder assembly was developed to perform this task. Fluid property data, above critical temperature and pressure conditions, is presented for the two lubricants with HFC-32, HFC-125, HFC-143a refrigerants. This research shows that the lubricant EMKARATE RL32S, which had the lowest (poorest) liquid/liquid miscibilities with the selected refrigerants, also had nearly equal viscosity reduction profiles to the more miscible Emery 2968A lubricant. The analytical methodology …

The authors investigate the cosmological constraints on exotic stable matter states which arise in realistic free fermionic superstring models. These states appear in the superstring models due to a ``Wilson-line`` breaking of the unifying non-Abelian gauge symmetry. In the models that they consider the unifying SO(10) gauge symmetry is broken at the string level to SO(6) x SO(4), SU(5) x U(1) or SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1). The exotic matter states are classified according to the patterns of the SO(10) symmetry breaking. In SO(6) x XO(4) and SU(5) x U(1) type models one obtains fractionally charged states with Q{sub e.m.} = {+-}1/2. In SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) type models one also obtains states with the regular charges under the Standard Model gauge group but with ``fractional`` charges under the U(1){sub z{prime}} symmetry. These states include down-like color triplets and electroweak doublets, as well as states which are Standard Model singlets. By analyzing the renormalizable and nonrenormalizable terms of the superpotential in a specific superstring model, the authors show that these exotic states can be stable. They investigate the cosmological constraints on the masses and relic density of the exotic states. They propose that, while the abundance and the masses …

Experiments have shown that irradiated Type 316 stainless steel is susceptible to heat-affected-zone (HAZ) cracking upon cooling when welded using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) process under lateral constraint. The cracking has been hypothesized to be caused by stress-assisted helium bubble growth and rupture at grain boundaries. This study utilized an experimental welding setup which enabled different compressive stresses to be applied to the plates during welding. Autogenous GTA welds were produced in Type 316 stainless steel doped with 256 appm helium. The application of a compressive stress, 55 MPa, during welding suppressed the previously observed catastrophic cracking. Detailed examinations conducted after welding showed a dramatic change in helium bubble morphology. Grain boundary bubble growth along directions parallel to the weld was suppressed. Results suggest that stress-modified welding techniques may be used to suppress or eliminate helium-induced cracking during joining of irradiated materials.

Highly engineered designs increasingly require the use of improved materials and sophisticated manufacturing techniques. To obtain optimal performance from these engineered products, improved weld properties and joint reliability are a necessarily. This requirement for improved weld performance and reliability has led to the development of high-performance welding systems in which pre-programmed parameters are specified before any welding takes place. These automated systems however lack the ability to compensate for perturbations which arise during the welding process. Hence the need for systems which monitor and control the in-process status of the welding process. This report discusses work carried out on weld penetration indicators and the feasibility of using these indicators for on-line penetration control.

Experiments have shown that irradiated Type 316 stainless steel is susceptible to heat-affected-zone (HAZ) cracking upon cooling when welded using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) process under lateral constraint. The cracking has been hypothesized to be caused by stress-assisted helium bubble growth and rupture at grain boundaries. This study utilized an experimental welding setup which enabled different compressive stresses to be applied to the plates during welding. Autogenous GTA welds were produced in Type 316 stainless steel doped with 256 appm helium. The application of a compressive stress, 55 MPa, during welding suppressed the previously observed catastrophic cracking. Detailed examinations conducted after welding showed a dramatic change in helium bubble morphology. Grain boundary bubble growth along directions parallel to the weld was suppressed. Results suggest that stress-modified welding techniques may be used to suppress or eliminate helium-induced cracking during joining of irradiated materials.

Highly engineered designs increasingly require the use of improved materials and sophisticated manufacturing techniques. To obtain optimal performance from these engineered products, improved weld properties and joint reliability are a necessarily. This requirement for improved weld performance and reliability has led to the development of high-performance welding systems in which pre-programmed parameters are specified before any welding takes place. These automated systems however lack the ability to compensate for perturbations which arise during the welding process. Hence the need for systems which monitor and control the in-process status of the welding process. This report discusses work carried out on weld penetration indicators and the feasibility of using these indicators for on-line penetration control.

We decided to investigate first the interaction of hydrogen with the 4d transition-metal series, with the first element being hcp Y. Because of the recent development of soft pseudopotentials, we chose to use the plane wave basis set to carry out the calculation. Since problems had been associated with the slow convergence in transition metals, we first tested the computational methods by studying the structural properties of Y; results were encouraging. We started the calculation of YH{sub x} with hydrogen occupying different interstitial sites.

We decided to investigate first the interaction of hydrogen with the 4d transition-metal series, with the first element being hcp Y. Because of the recent development of soft pseudopotentials, we chose to use the plane wave basis set to carry out the calculation. Since problems had been associated with the slow convergence in transition metals, we first tested the computational methods by studying the structural properties of Y; results were encouraging. We started the calculation of YH[sub x] with hydrogen occupying different interstitial sites.

The surface of a divertor plate typically has fine structure. Depending on the material - and the duration of exposure to the plasma, the characteristic size of the surface imperfections may vary over a broad range. In this paper, we consider the case where these structures have scale h that is much smaller than the ion gyroradius {rho}{sub i} but greater than the electron gyroradius {rho}{sub e}. The magnetic field intersects the divertor plate at a shallow angle {alpha}<<I. The present paper demonstrates that the combination of these two factors, fine surface structures and strongly tilted magnetic field, gives rise to many interesting new phenomena in the sheath. We consider only the plasma part of the problem: given the presence of some structure, what are the consequences in terms of the plasma properties in the vicinity of the surface? We are not addressing the issue of what process has caused the appearance of the structure. However, once the plasma part of the problem is solved, on could return to the analysis of the wall erosion problem, based on the solution obtained. For the environment of the divertor region of a medium-size tokamak (plasma density n{approximately}4x10{sup 13} cm{sup -3}, plasma temperature …

We have utilized electroplating technology in a damascene process to produce low resistance copper interconnects in sub-half-micron ULSI patterns having aspect ratios of 2.4:1. The use of a pulsed-voltage plating technique allows trench filling capability without voids. Samples of 150 mm diameter were patterned and sputtered with a barrier layer, followed by a copper seed layer. Pulsed-voltage electroplating, deposited about 2 microns of copper uniformly (1 sigma < 5%) over the surface. The electroplated copper has low levels of impurities, excellent adhesion, excellent step coverage, and rates comparable to other deposition methods. We present details of the electroplating equipment, and data on the filling characteristics of the copper metallization which prevent void formation and reduce contact resistance.

Progress during the first year of this program has been noteworthy in both theoretical and experimental areas. Substantial improvements to the MIT CARM codes have been carried out, and the code has been successfully benchmarked against other codes, linear theory, and experimental work. CARM amplifier phase stability has been studied theoretically and found to be significantly better than that of free-electron lasers or relativistic klystrons, provided the device is properly designed. Both multimode simulations and particle-in-cell simulations have been carried out to study mode competition effects between convectively unstable and absolutely unstable modes. Improvement of the Pierce-Wiggler code for modeling the beam formation prior to the interaction region has been carried out. Experimental designs for a long-pulse, modulator-driven CARM amplifier experiment which will be carried out by the end of this fiscal year have been mostly completed. Designs for an induction-linac-driven CARM amplifier experiment, which will be carried out by the end of Year II of this program,, have also been performed. Finally, a CARM oscillator experiment is presently underway at our facility.

Modeling the transport of contaminant metals and designing systems for their remediation requires an understanding of the metal`s speciation. Thus, analysis of contaminant speciation and evaluation of the processes that can change the speciation should be done during characterization of the contaminated site. This approach is being used at the Savannah River Site for a metals contaminated site that will serve as a test platform for metals remediation technologies. The site is adjacent to a coal storage pile and the basin that contains the coal pile runoff. A network of well clusters allows definition of the plume, including profiles of contamination with depth. The groundwater is acidic (pH {approx} 2) and contains high concentrations of sulfate (up to 2300 mg/l) and metals, with chromium, nickel, cadmium and lead exceeding drinking water standards. Aluminum and total iron concentrations range up to 1326 mg/l and 7991 mg/l, respectively. Speciation calculations on dissolved contaminants indicate that as much as 65% of the lead, 54% of the cadmium, and 34% of the nickel may be present in sulfate complexes. Chromium occurs predominantly as Cr{sup +3}. There is evidence that some contaminant metals may be associated with colloidal material. Contamination in the groundwater is stratified …

Research on cluster compounds this period (past periods covered such compounds such as NbMTe{sub 2}, TaFe{sub 1.25}Te{sub 3}, Nb{sub 3}SiTe{sub 6}, etc.) was concentrated on LiMo{sub 3}Se{sub 3}. A LiMo{sub 3}Se{sub 3} bundle {approximately} 70 nm wide was grown on a holey carbon substrate; STEM was used to resolve individual 6 {angstrom} wires, and the Mo{sub 3}Se{sub 3} flat ''monomer'' units is resolved at 2.3 {angstrom} (Mo atoms wrapped in Se atoms). Inorganic-organic polymer composites are being studied; conducting films have been prepared. The sheet structure of Nb{sub 3}SiTe{sub 6} is shown. 4 figs. (DLC)

Research on cluster compounds this period (past periods covered such compounds such as NbMTe{sub 2}, TaFe{sub 1.25}Te{sub 3}, Nb{sub 3}SiTe{sub 6}, etc.) was concentrated on LiMo{sub 3}Se{sub 3}. A LiMo{sub 3}Se{sub 3} bundle {approximately} 70 nm wide was grown on a holey carbon substrate; STEM was used to resolve individual 6 {angstrom} wires, and the Mo{sub 3}Se{sub 3} flat ``monomer`` units is resolved at 2.3 {angstrom} (Mo atoms wrapped in Se atoms). Inorganic-organic polymer composites are being studied; conducting films have been prepared. The sheet structure of Nb{sub 3}SiTe{sub 6} is shown. 4 figs. (DLC)

An improved ultra-high bandwidth helical coil deflection structure for a cathode ray tube is described comprising a first metal member having a bore therein, the metal walls of which form a first ground plane; a second metal member coaxially mounted in the bore of the first metal member and forming a second ground plane; a helical deflection coil coaxially mounted within the bore between the two ground planes; and a resistive load disposed in one end of the bore and electrically connected to the first and second ground planes, the resistive load having an impedance substantially equal to the characteristic impedance of the coaxial line formed by the two coaxial ground planes to inhibit cavity resonance in the structure within the ultra-high bandwidth of operation. Preferably, the resistive load comprises a carbon film on a surface of an end plug in one end of the bore.

The purpose of this report is to identify and provide information on the waste package and disposal facility concepts to be used for the low-level waste tank interim performance assessment. Current concepts for the low-level waste form, canister, and the disposal facility will be used for the interim performance assessment. The concept for the waste form consists of vitrified glass cullet in a sulfur polymer cement matrix material. The waste form will be contained in a 2 {times} 2 {times} 8 meter carbon steel container. Two disposal facility concepts will be used for the interim performance assessment. These facility concepts are based on a preliminary disposal facility concept developed for estimating costs for a disposal options configuration study. These disposal concepts are based on vault type structures. None of the concepts given in this report have been approved by a Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS) decision board. These concepts will only be used in th interim performance assessment. Future performance assessments will be based on approved designs.

Spatially Resolved X-Ray Diffraction (SRXRD) is used to map the {alpha}{r_arrow}{beta}{r_arrow}{alpha} phase transformation in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of commercially pure titanium gas tungsten arc welds. In-situ SRXRD experiments were conducted on arc welds using a 200 pm diameter x-ray beam at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL). A map was created which identifies six HAZ microstructural regions that exist between the liquid weld pool and the base metal during welding. The first region is single phase {beta}-Ti that forms in a 2- to 3-mm band adjacent to the liquid weld pool. The second region is back transformed {alpha}-Ti that forms behind the portion of the HAZ where {beta}-Ti was once present at higher temperatures. The third region is completely recrystallized {alpha}-Ti that forms in a 2- to 3-mm band surrounding the single phase {beta}-Ti region. Recrystallized {alpha}-Ti was observed by itself and also with varying amounts of {beta}-Ti. The fourth region of the weld is the partially transformed zone where {alpha}-Ti and {beta}-Ti coexist during welding. The fifth region is directly behind the partially transformed zone and consists of a mixture of recrystallized and back transformed {alpha}-Ti The sixth region is farthest from the weld pool and consists of …

At present, there are three seriously considered options for the disposition of excess weapons plutonium: (i) incorporation, partial burn-up and direct disposal of MOX-fuel; (ii) vitrification with defense waste and disposal as glass ``logs``; (iii) deep borehole disposal (National Academy of Sciences Report, 1994). The first two options provide a safeguard due to the high activity of fission products in the irradiated fuel and the defense waste. The latter option has only been examined in a preliminary manner, and the exact form of the plutonium has not been identified. In this paper, we review the potential for the immobilization of plutonium in highly durable crystalline ceramics apatite, pyrochlore, monazite and zircon. Based on available data, we propose zircon as the preferred crystalline ceramic for the permanent disposition of excess weapons plutonium.