A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

CEBAF is a 4 GeV, 200 {micro}A five-pass recirculating superconducting electron accelerator that has been operating for nuclear physics research at full energy since November 95. The beam current has been increased to over 180 {micro}A at 4 GeV with the maximum current in the linac over 900 {micro}A. The superconducting cavities operate in a regime where the beam-induced voltage is comparable to the accelerating gradient. The operational limits and the issues required to maintain stable operation of the 1,497 MHz superconducting cavities will be discussed, together with the implications for the other accelerator systems. There are three experimental Halls which can run simultaneously with three interleaved 499 MHz bunch trains and RF separators. Operation with simultaneous beams to two Halls is now routine, and simultaneous three beam operation has been demonstrated. The maximum design current per bunch train (120 {micro}A) has been achieved. Hall B eventually requires beam currents as low as 1 nA (200 pA has been delivered) simultaneous with delivery of up to 200 {micro}A to the other Halls. The required beam current ratio of 10,000 has been achieved; development of 1 nA beam position monitors continues.

RF and magnet system configuration and monitoring tools are being implemented at Jefferson Lab to improve system reliability and reduce operating costs. They are prototype components of the Momentum Management System being developed. The RF is of special interest because it affects the momentum and momentum spread of the beam, and because of the immediate financial benefit of managing the klystron DC supply power. The authors describe present and planned monitoring of accelerating system parameters, use of these data, RF system performance calculations, and procedures for magnet configuration for handling beam of any of five beam energies to any of three targets.

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Films with layers of Nb, Cu, and Sn have been fabricated to simulate a Nb{sub 3}Sn bronze-type process. These Nb{sub 3}Sn films have produced critical current densities greater than 1 x 10{sup 6} A/cm{sup 2} at 4.2 K and 7.5 T. Niobium films doped with Y, Sc, Dy, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and Ti have been deposited with e-beam co-evaporation onto 75 mm diameter Si wafers with a 100 nm SiO{sub 2} buffer layer. The Nb layer was followed by a layer of Cu and a layer of Sn to complete the bronze-type process. The films with the highest J{sub c} had about 8 vol. % Sc and about 18 vol. % Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Characterization of the microstructure by TEM shows that these high J{sub c} films contained high density of inclusions about 5 nm in size and that the grain size of the Nb{sub 3}Sn is about 20-25 nm for samples heat treated at 700 C for up to eight hours.

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In the process of coal cleaning operations, a significant amount of coal is washed away as waste into the ponds. Clearly, such a large quantity of dumped coal fines has a detrimental effect on the environment. This investigation presents in innovative approach to recover and utilize waste coal fines from the preparation plant effluent streams and tailing ponds. Due to the large moisture content of the recovered coal fines, this study is focused on the utilization of coal fines in the coal-water slurry fuel (CWSF). The CWSF consists of 53.3% weight solids with a viscosity of less than 500 centipoise and 80-90% of solids passing 200 mesh. The 53.3% weight solids constitute a blend of 15% effluent recovered coal fines and 85% clean coal. It is the authors premise that a blend of plant coal and recovered waste coal fines can be used to produce a coal-water slurry fuel with the desired combustion characteristics required by the industry. In order to evaluate these characteristics the coal-water slurry fuel is fired in a test furnace at three firing rates (834,330 Btu/hr, 669,488 Btu/hr and 508,215 Btu/hr) with three different burner settings for each firing rate. Combustion tests were conducted to determine …

Coal cleaning is a technology that can solve a broad array of environmental problems associated with older, state-of-the-art, and future electric generating stations. Coal cleaning provides many environmental benefits. It reduces the concentration of inorganic minerals and elements found in association with coal, some of which are potentially toxic even though they are found in coal in only trace amounts. Currently, more sulfur and related S0{sub 2}, is removed by coal cleaning than by all post-combustion technologies combined. By increasing thermal efficiency and reducing parasitic power requirements, coal cleaning reduces all power plant emissions per unit of electricity produced, including S0{sub 2}, NO{sub x} C0{sub 2}, and hazardous air pollutant precursors (HAPs). While coal cleaning is a mature technology, in the past coal cleaning has only been used for the comparatively simple purposes of removing ash-forming and sulfur-bearing minerals. The application of this technology to H APs control will require a more sophisticated approach, based on a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of trace element removal. The trace elements named as HAPs in the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act can occur in coal in numerous forms. For example, antimony is believed to be present in pyrite, accessory sulfides …

Prior to the current project, development of the DSRP was done in a laboratory setting, using synthetic gas mixtures to simulate the regeneration off-gas and coal gas feeds. The objective of the current work is to further the development of zinc titanate fluidized-bed desulfurization (ZTFBD) and the DSRP for hot-gas cleanup by testing with actual coal gas. The objectives of this project are to: (1) Develop and test an integrated, skid-mounted, bench-scale ZTFBD/DSRP reactor system with a slipstream of actual coal gas; (2) Test the bench-scale DSRP over an extended period with a slipstream of actual coal gas to quantify the degradation in performance, if any, caused by the trace contaminants present in coal gas (including heavy metals, chlorides, fluorides, and ammonia); (3) Expose the DSRP catalyst to actual coal gas for extended periods and then test its activity in a laboratory reactor to quantify the degradation in performance, if any, caused by static exposure to the trace contaminants in coal gas; (4) Design and fabricate a six-fold larger-scale DSRP reactor system for future slipstream testing; (5) Further develop the fluidized-bed DSRP to handle high concentrations (up to 14 percent) of SO{sub 2} that are likely to be encountered when …

The mathematical models and numerical methods employed by the FEHM application, a finite-element heat- and mass-transfer computer code that can simulate nonisothermal multiphase multi-component flow in porous media, are described. The use of this code is applicable to natural-state studies of geothermal systems and groundwater flow. A primary use of the FEHM application will be to assist in the understanding of flow fields and mass transport in the saturated and unsaturated zones below the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada. The component models of FEHM are discussed. The first major component, Flow- and Energy-Transport Equations, deals with heat conduction; heat and mass transfer with pressure- and temperature-dependent properties, relative permeabilities and capillary pressures; isothermal air-water transport; and heat and mass transfer with noncondensible gas. The second component, Dual-Porosity and Double-Porosity/Double-Permeability Formulation, is designed for problems dominated by fracture flow. Another component, The Solute-Transport Models, includes both a reactive-transport model that simulates transport of multiple solutes with chemical reaction and a particle-tracking model. Finally, the component, Constitutive Relationships, deals with pressure- and temperature-dependent fluid/air/gas properties, relative permeabilities and capillary pressures, stress dependencies, and reactive and sorbing solutes. Each of these components is discussed in detail, including purpose, assumptions and …

The overall objective of this project was to learn more about controlling emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from coal-fired power plants that are equipped with wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. The project was included by FETC as a Phase I project in its Mega-PRDA program. Phase I of this project focused on three research areas. These areas in order of priority were: (1) Catalytic oxidation of vapor-phase elemental mercury; (2) Enhanced particulate-phase HAPs removal by electrostatic charging of liquid droplets; and (3) Enhanced mercury removal by addition of additives to FGD process liquor. Mercury can exist in two forms in utility flue gas--as elemental mercury and as oxidized mercury (predominant form believed to be HgCl{sub 2}). Previous test results have shown that wet scrubbers effectively remove the oxidized mercury from the gas but are ineffective in removing elemental mercury. Recent improvements in mercury speciation techniques confirm this finding. Catalytic oxidation of vapor-phase elemental mercury is of interest in cases where a wet scrubber exists or is planned for SO{sub 2} control. If a low-cost process could be developed to oxidize all of the elemental mercury in the flue gas, then the maximum achievable mercury removal across the existing …

The objective of this project to develop an advanced flue gas desulfurization (FGD) process that has decreased capital and operating costs, higher SO{sub 2} removal efficiency, and better by-product solids quality than existing, commercially available technology. A clear liquor process (which uses a scrubbing liquid with no solids) will be used to accomplish this objective rather than a slurry liquor process (which contains solids). This clear liquor scrubbing (CLS) project is focused on three research areas: (1) Development of a clear liquor scrubbing process that uses a clear solution to remove SO{sub 2} from flue gas and can be operated under inhibited-oxidation conditions; (2) Development of an anhydrite process that converts precipitated calcium sulfite to anhydrous calcium sulfate (anhydrite); and (3) Development of an alkali/humidification process to remove HCl from flue gas upstream of the FGD system. The anhydrite process also can be retrofit into existing FGD systems to produce a valuable by-product as an alternative to gypsum. This fits well into another of FETC's PRDA objectives of developing an advanced byproduct recovery subsystem capable of transforming SO{sub 2} into a useable byproduct or high-volume valuable commodities of interest. This paper describes the proposed processes, outlines the test approach, and …

This study aims at the development of an effective nondestructive evaluation technique to predict the remaining useful life of a ceramic candle filter during a power plant's annual maintenance shutdown. The objective of the present on-going study is to establish the vibration signatures of ceramic candle filters at varying degradation levels due to different operating hours, and to study the various factors involving the establishment of the signatures.

Ash behavior in power systems can have a significant impact on the design and performance of advanced power systems. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has focused significant effort on ash behavior in conventional power systems that can be applied to advanced power systems. This initiative focuses on filling gaps in the understanding of fundamental mechanisms of ash behavior that has relevance to commercial application and marketable products. This program develops methods and means to better understand and mitigate adverse coal ash behavior in power systems and can act to relieve the U.S. reliance on diminishing recoverable oil resources, especially those resources that are not domestically available and are fairly uncertain.

Heat flow in a cylinder with internal heating is used as a basis for deriving a simple theory of detonation front curvature, leading to the prediction of quadratic curve shapes. A thermal conductivity of 50 MW/mm{sup 2} is found for TATB samples.

The objective of this study is to develop a second generation HGD process that regenerates the sulfided sorbent directly to elemental sulfur using SO{sub 2}, with minimal consumption of coal gas. The goal is to have better overall economics than DSRP when integrated with the overall IGCC system.

This document presents a compilation of chemical and isotopic data for groundwater samples analyzed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in support of the Hydrology and Radionuclide Migration Program (HRMP) and the Underground Test Area Program (UGTA) for the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. Included are data for 107 samples collected from wells and springs located on and around the Nevada Test Site (NTS), within an area approximately bounded by latitudes 36{sup o} to 38{sup o}15'N and longitudes 115{sup o} to 117{sup o}15'W. The samples were collected during the time period 1992 to early 1997. The data represents one of the largest internally consistent geochemical data sets to be gathered for groundwater in southern Nevada. This database is available in electronic or hardcopy formats to interested parties upon request. In addition to the LLNL data we have included a table of selected isotopic data summarized from a larger database compiled by GeoTrans, Inc. (1994). This data is included for comparative purposes as a means of placing the LLNL data in the context of other data for the same geographic region.

This document describes the technical details of the Siemens SIMOREG line of DC variable speed drives as applied to Fermilab wet and dry mechanical expander engines. The expander engines are used throughout the lab in Helium refrigerator installations.

Low-activity products will be in the form of soldified waste and optional matrix and filler materials enclosed in sealed metal boxes. Acceptance specifications limit the physical characteristics of the containers, the chemical and physical characteristics of the waste form and other materials that may be in the container, the waste loading, and the radionuclide leaching characteristics of the waste form. The specifications are designed to ensure that low-activity waste products will be compatible with the driving regulatory and operational requirements and with existing production technologies.

The authors conducted Product Consistency Tests (PCTs) with a surrogate low-activity waste (LAW) glass to (1) evaluate the possible use of various test conditions in a specification test for LAW waste forms, (2) measure the reproducibility of the test at low temperatures, and (3) determine if the rates calculated from 7-day PCTs bound the rates measured in PCT conducted for longer durations, which represent more advanced corrosion. The effects of temperature and pH on the dissolution rate in PCTs are much less than the effects observed in dilute solutions due to the buildup of dissolved glass components in the PCTs. The precision of replicate 7-day tests at 20 and 40{degrees}C was limited by the analytical uncertainty. The dissolution rates at all temperatures decreased with the test duration initially. However, the dissolution rates in tests at 70 and 90{degrees}C increased when certain alteration phases formed after about 100 and 500 days, respectively; the rates in some tests exceeded that measured in a 7-day PCT. While the 7-day PCT does not provide a bounding rate for this glass at 70 or 90{degrees}C, tests for longer durations are needed to determine if a 7-day test provides a bounding rate at lower temperatures.

Researchers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory tested the performance of electric motors and actuator gearboxes typical of the equipment installed on motor-operated valves used in nuclear power plants. Using a test stand that simulates valve closure loads against flow and pressure, the authors tested five electric motors (four ac and one dc) and three gearboxes at conditions a motor might experience in a power plant, including such off-normal conditions as operation at high temperature and reduced voltage. They also monitored the efficiency of the actuator gearbox. All five motors operated at or above their rated starting torque during tests at normal voltages and temperatures. For all five motors, actual torque losses due to voltage degradation were greater than the losses calculated by methods typically used for predicting motor torque at degraded voltage conditions. For the dc motor the actual torque losses due to elevated operating temperatures were greater than the losses calculated by the typical predictive method. The actual efficiencies of the actuator gearboxes were generally lower than the running efficiencies published by the manufacturer and were generally nearer the published pull-out efficiencies. Operation of the gearbox at elevated temperature did not affect the operating efficiency.

Experiments were established at Tully, New York, by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, in cooperation with the University of Toronto and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, to assess the potential of willows for wood biomass production. Specific objectives included determining the effects of clone type, fertilization, spacing, cutting cycle, and irrigation on biomass production. Production was high, with willow clone SV1 yielding nearly 32 oven dry tons per acre (odt ac{sup -1}) with three-year harvest cycle, irrigation, and fertilization. Clone type, fertilization, spacing, cutting cycle, and irrigation all significantly affected biomass production. Willow clone-site trials planted at Massena, and Tully, NY in 1993 grew well during 1994 and 1995, but some clones in the Massena trial were severely damaged by deer browse. Several new cooperators joined the project, broadening the funding base, and enabling establishment of additional willow plantings. Willow clone-site trials were planted at Himrod, King Ferry, Somerset, and Tully, NY, during 1995. A willow cutting orchard was planted during 1995 at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Saratoga Tree Nursery in Saratoga, NY. Plans are to begin site preparation for a 100+ acre willow bioenergy demonstration farm in central New …

The U.S. Department of Energy funded the M.I.T. Earth Resources Laboratory to investigate electroseismic phenomena. Because electroseismic phenomena in fluid-saturated porous media provide geophysicists with a unique opportunity to detect a seismic-wave-generated flow of pore fluid with respect to the porous matrix. The term {open_quotes}electroseismic{close_quotes} describes phenomena in which a seismic wave induces an electrical field or causes radiation of an electromagnetic wave. Electroseismic phenomena take place in fluid-saturated porous rocks, because the pore fluid carries an excess electrical charge. When the charged pore fluid is forced to flow through the rock by pressure gradients within a seismic wave, a streaming electrical current is generated. This electrical current results in charge separation, which induces an electrical field. Measuring this seismic-wave-induced electrical field allows detection of the fluid flow generated by the wave in the porous medium. In turn, detecting the fluid flow allows characterization of fluid transport properties of the medium. The major contribution of our research is in the following three areas: (1) Theory. Theoretical models of various electroseismic phenomena in fluid-saturated porous media were developed. Numerical algorithms were developed for modeling electroseismic measurements in surface (Paper 1 in this report) and VSP (Paper 2) geometries. A closed-form analytical …

Special case waste is historically defined as radioactive waste that does not have a path forward or fit into current Department of Energy management plans for final treatment or disposal. The objectives of this report, relative to special case waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, are to (a) identify its current storage locations, conditions, and configuration; (b) review and verify the currently reported inventory; (c) segregate the inventory into manageable categories; (d) identify the portion that has a path forward or is managed under other major programs/projects; (e) identify options for reconfiguring and separating the disposable portions; (f) determine if the special case waste needs to be consolidated into a single storage location; and (g) identify a preferred facility for storage. This report also provides an inventory of stored sealed sources that are potentially greater than Class C or special case waste based on Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Site-Specific Waste Acceptance Criteria.