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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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.

This document is a summary of the history of Tank 241-Z-361 through December 1997. Documents reviewed include engineering files, laboratory notebooks from characterization efforts, waste facility process procedures, supporting documents and interviews of people`s recollections of 20 plus years ago. Records of transfers into the tank, past characterization efforts, and speculation will be used to estimate the current condition of Tank 241-Z-361 and its contents.

Residual free water expected to remain in a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) after processing in the Cold Vacuum Drying (CVD) Facility is investigated based on three alternative models of fuel crevices. Tests and operating conditions for the CVD process are defined based on the analysis of these models. The models consider water pockets constrained by cladding defects, water constrained in a pore or crack by flow through a porous bed, and water constrained in pores by diffusion. An analysis of comparative reaction rate constraints is also presented indicating that a pressure rise test can be used to show MCO`s will be thermally stable at operating temperatures up to 75 C.

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One of the major functions of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) is to characterize wastes in support of waste management and disposal activities at the Hanford Site. Analytical data from sampling and analysis, along with other available information about a tank, are compiled and maintained in a tank characterization report (TCR). This report and its appendices serve as the TCR for single-shell tank 241-C-109. The objectives of this report are: (1) to use characterization data in response to technical issues associated with tank 241 C-109 waste; and (2) to provide a standard characterization of this waste in terms of a best-basis inventory estimate. The response to technical issues is summarized in Section 2.0, and the best-basis inventory estimate is presented in Section 3.0. Recommendations regarding safety status and additional sampling needs are provided in Section 4.0. Supporting data and information are contained in the appendices.

Nuclear waste has been sluiced and pumped from storage tank 241-AX-104, leaving a contaminated heel volume. These operations did not include measurements of the removed waste volume leaving an unknown heel volume in the tank. A magnetometer transducer will be lowered through tank riser ports to rest on the heel`s surface. The heel thickness will control the distance between the transducer and the tank`s bottom The instrument`s output varies with the distance from a magnetic mass, such as the tank`s steel bottom, thereby enabling a measurement of the heel depth. Measurements at several tank locations will permit an estimate of the tank`s heel volume. The magnetometer`s output is influenced by adjacent magnetic materials, such as the tank walls, air lift circulators or other equipment installed in the tank. An adjacent vertical steel surface produces a voltage offset in the instrument`s output. Measurements near a tank wall or other tank components may be corrected by noting the offset before the instrument`s output is influenced by the tank bottom. An unlevel or uneven heel surface could orient the magnetometer transducer so that it is not vertically level. The magnetometer readings are influenced by these skewed transducer orientations. The magnitude of these errors …

This report documents the results of a technical evaluation of the merits of ceramic and glass immobilization forms for the disposition of surplus weapons-useable plutonium. The evaluation was conducted by a Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP), whose members were selected to cover a relevant range of scientific and technical expertise and represented each of the technical organizations involved in the Plutonium Immobilization Program. The TEP held a formal review at Lawrence Liver-more National Laboratory (LLNL) from July 2%August 1, 1997. Following this review, the TEP documented the review and its evaluation of the two immobilization technologies in this report to provide a technical basis for a recommendation by LLNL to the Department of Energy (DOE) for the preferred immobilization form. The comparison of the glass and ceramic forms and manufacturing processes was a tremendous challenge to the TEP. The two forms and their processes are similar in many ways. The TEP went to great effort to accurately assess what were, in many cases, fine details of the processes, unit operations, and the glass and ceramic forms themselves. The set of criteria used by the Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP) in past screenings and down-selections was used to measure-the two options. One …

This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) as specified in the Waste Package Implementation Plan (pp. 4-8,4-11,4-24, 5-1, and 5-13; Ref. 5.10) and Waste Package Plan (pp. 3-15,3-17, and 3-24; Ref. 5.9). The design data request addressed herein is: (1) Characterize the conceptual 40 BWR and 24 BWR Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) Waste Package (WP) design to show that the design is feasible for use in the MGDS environment when loaded with BWR MOX SNF. (2) Characterize the conceptual 44 BWR and 24 BWR Uncanistered Fuel (UCF) Waste Package (WP) design to show that the design is feasible for use in the MGDS environment when loaded with BWR MOX SNF. The purpose of this analysis is to respond to a concern that the long-term disposal thermal issues for the WP Design, if used with SNF designed for a MOX fuel cycle, do not preclude WP compatibility with the MGDS. The objective of this analysis is to provide thermal parameter information for the conceptual WP design with disposal container which is loaded with BWR MOX SNF under nominal MGDS repository conditions. The results are intended to show that the design has a reasonable …

A grant, �Improved Efficiency of Miscible CO2 Floods and Enhanced Prospects for CO2 Flooding Heterogeneous Reservoirs,� DOE Contract No. DE-FG26-97BC15047, was awarded and started on June 1, 1997. This project examines three major areas in which CO2 flooding can be improved: fluid and matrix interactions, conformance control/sweep efficiency, and reservoir simulation for improved oil recovery. In this quarter we continued the examination of synergistic effects of mixed surfactant versus single surfactant systems to enhance the properties of foams used for improving oil recovery in CO2 floods. The purpose is to reduce the concentration of surfactants and find less expensive surfactants. Also, we are refining reservoir models to handle the complex relationships of CO2-foam and heterogeneous reservoirs. The third area of our report this quarter comprises the results from experiments on CO2-assisted gravity drainage in naturally fractured oil reservoirs. Two more CO2 core flood experiments have been conducted under reservoir conditions to investigate the effect of pressure on oil recovery efficiency during CO2-assisted gravity drainage.

This report provides a summary of the radiological surveys performed in support of near-facility environmental monitoring at the Hanford Site. The First Quarter 1997 survey results and the status of actions required are summarized below: (1) All of the routine environmental radiological surveys scheduled during January, February, and March 1997, were performed as planned. (2) One hundred four environmental radiological surveys were performed during the first quarter 1997, twenty-nine at the active waste sites and seventy-five at the inactive waste sites. Contamination above background levels was found at eight of the active waste sites and seven of the inactive waste sites. Contamination levels as high as >1,000,000 disintegrations per minute (dpm) were reported. Of these contaminated surveys twelve were in Underground Radioactive Material (URM) areas and three were in contamination areas. The contamination found within ten of the URM areas was immediately cleaned up and no further action was required. In the remaining five sites the areas were posted and will require decontamination. Radiological Problem Reports (RPR's) were issued and the sites were turned over to the landlord for further action if required. (3) During the first quarter of 1997, 5.6 hectares (13.8 acres) were stabilized and radiologically down posted …

The Custom J2/J3 Backplane is a full length (21 slot) user specified custom 3U backplane to be used in both the J2 and J3 positions. Slot spacing is identical to that used for VME (0.8-inch), and each backplane shall fit into a standard Eurocard VME style crate. The purpose of the Custom J2/J3 Backplane is to send and receive control and clock signals from the SVX chips via 3M pleated foil cables (Slots 2-21), and in slot 1, accept a cable connector and route its signal through to a signal distribution board.

The Alkali Metal Thermal to Electric Converter (AMTEC) is a high temperature, high efficiency system for converting thermal to electrical energy, with no moving parts. It is based on the unique properties of {beta}{double_prime}-alumina solid electrolyte (BASE), which is an excellent conductor of sodium ions, but an extremely poor conductor of electrons. When the inside of the BASE is maintained at a higher temperature and pressure, a concentration gradient is created across the BASE. Electrons and sodium atoms cannot pass through the BASE. However, the sodium atoms are ionized, and the sodium ions move through the BASE to the lower potential (temperature) region. The electrons travel externally to the AMTEC cell, providing power. There are a number of potential advantages to a wick-pumped, vapor-fed AMTEC system when compared with other designs. A wick-pumped system uses capillary forces to passively return liquid to the evaporator, and to distribute the liquid in the evaporator. Since the fluid return is self-regulating, multiple BASE tubes can use a single remote condenser, potentially improving efficiency in advanced AMTEC designs. Since the system is vapor-fed, sodium vapor is supplied at a uniform temperature and flux to the BASE tube, even with non-uniform heat fluxes and temperatures …

Some states have hired private attorneys to file complaints against the tobacco companies in court to recover Medicaid costs towards treating citizens for tobacco related illnesses. This report mentions the fee agreements between the states and private counsel.

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This report considers whether the provisions of the FDA's final rule restricting the advertising of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products violates the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech.

This report consists of four appendices for the final report. They are: Appendix A: 700 C Vapor-Fed AMTEC Cell Calculations; Appendix B: 700 C Vapor-Fed AMTEC Cell Parts Drawings; Appendix C: 800 C Vapor-Fed AMTEC Cell Calculations; and Appendix D: 800 C Wick-Pumped AMTEC Cell System Design.

Newsletter of the Texas Department of Health discussing the news, activities, and events of the organization and other information related to health in Texas. This 1997 edition contains information on the "A, B, Seeds of an Outbreak of Foodborne Illnesses" and Endemic Arboviral Activity.

The engineering process of integrating the Petawatt (10{sup 15} watts) laser system into the existing 30 kJ (UV) Nova laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is described in detail. The nanosecond-long, chirped Petawatt laser pulse is initially generated in a separate master oscillator room and then injected into one of Nova`s 10 beamlines. There, the pulse is further amplified and enlarged to {approximately}{phi}60 cm, temporally compressed under vacuum to <500 fs using large diameter diffraction gratings, and then finally focused onto targets using a parabolic mirror. The major Petawatt components are physically large which created many significant engineering challenges in design, installation and implementation. These include the diffraction gratings and mirrors, vacuum compressor chamber, target chamber, and parabolic focusing mirror. Other Petawatt system components were also technically challenging and include: an injection beamline, transport spatial filters, laser diagnostics, alignment components, motor controls, interlocks, timing and synchronization systems, support structures, and vacuum systems. The entire Petawatt laser system was designed, fabricated, installed, and activated while the Nova laser continued its normal two-shift operation. This process required careful engineering and detailed planning to prevent experimental downtime and to complete the project on schedule.

Congress, federal agencies, and affected mid-Atlantic states are seeking to better understand Pftesteria piscicida, a recently identified species of dinoflagellate algae that appears to have harmful effects on both fish and human health, and to determine how best to mitigate its impacts. While individual states seek to address concerns, Congress and federal agencies are considering how best to assist state efforts. Issues of likely interest to Congress include water quality management, agriculture and its possible role in the problem, human health effects, and impacts on fisheries.

Authorizing legislation for federal surface transportation programs highway, highway safety, and transit expired at the end of FY1997. The federal framework for these programs was created by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-240), better known as ISTEA. ISTEA was the first major highway act of the post interstate highway construction era. As such, it is regarded as landmark legislation.

The intended objective of this project was to show the benefits of using a fluidized bed furnace for austenitizing and austempering of steel castings in a continuous manner. The division of responsibilities was as follows: (1) design of the fluidized bed furnace--Kemp Development Corporation; (2) fabrication of the fluidized bed furnace--Quality Electric Steel, Inc.; (3) procedure for austempering of steel castings, analysis of the results after austempering--Texas A and M University (Texas Engineering Experiment Station). The Department of Energy provided funding to Texas A and M University and Kemp Development Corporation. The responsibility of Quality Electric Steel was to fabricate the fluidized bed, make test castings and perform austempering of the steel castings in the fluidized bed, at their own expense. The project goals had to be reviewed several times due to financial constraints and technical difficulties encountered during the course of the project. The modifications made and the associated events are listed in chronological order.

Ever-stringent environmental constraints dictate that future coal cleaning technologies be compatible with micron-size particles. For super-clean coal production, the degree of liberation needed to separate coal from mineral matter, including pyrite, requires grinding to 10 mm or below. In addition, large amounts of fine coal are discharged to refuse ponds because current coal cleaning technology cannot adequately treat such finely divided materials. This research program seeks to develop an advanced coal cleaning technology uniquely suited to micron-size particles, i.e., aqueous biphase extraction. This technique relies on the ability of an aqueous system consisting of a water-soluble organic polymer and an inorganic metal salt to separate into two immiscible aqueous phases. Differences in the hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of particulates can then be exploited to effect selective transfers to either the upper polymer-rich phase, or the lower salt-rich phase. An experimental program is proposed involving phase diagram determination, phase separation rate measurements, partition measurements, and washing experiments.

The response matrix, consisting of the closed orbit change at each beam position monitor (BPM) due to corrector magnet excitations, was measured and analyzed in order to calibrate a linear optics model of SPEAR. The model calibration was accomplished by varying model parameters to minimize the chi-square difference between the measured and the model response matrices. The singular value decomposition (SVD) matrix inversion method was used to solve the simultaneous equations. The calibrated model was then used to calculate corrections to the operational lattice. The results of the calibration and correction procedures are presented.