In 1967, a series of critical experiments were conducted at the Westinghouse Reactor Evaluation Center (WREC) using mixed-oxide (MOX) PuO{sub 2}-UO{sub 2} and/or UO{sub 2} fuels in various lattices and configurations. These experiments were performed under the joint sponsorship of Empire State Atomic Development Associates (ESADA) plutonium program and Westinghouse. The purpose of these experiments was to develop experimental data useful in validating analytical methods used in the design of plutonium-bearing replacement fuel for water reactors. Three different fuel types were used during the experimental program: two MOX fuels and a low-enriched UO{sub 2} fuel. The MOX fuels were distinguished by their {sup 240}Pu content: 8 wt % {sup 240}Pu and 24 wt % {sup 240}Pu. Both MOX fuels contained 2.0 wt % PuO{sub 2} in natural UO{sub 2}. The UO{sub 2} fuel with 2.72 wt % enrichment was used for comparison with the plutonium data and for use in multiregion experiments.

The US Department of Energy and the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas, Katowice, Poland have been cooperating in the development and implementation of innovative environmental remediation technologies since 1995. U.S. experts worked in tandem with counterparts from the IETU and CZOR throughout this project to characterize, assess and subsequently, design, implement and monitor a bioremediation system.

Thirty-nine black Members serve in the 107th Congress, all in the House of Representatives. In 210 years of congressional history, there have been 107 black Members of Congress: 103 elected to the House and four to the Senate. This report includes alphabetical listing of black members, selected biographical information, and committee assignments during their tenure in office.

The frictional properties of interfaces are of interest in a broad range of applications. We have formulated a new plasticity model for interface friction and applied it to represent the frictional characteristics of A16111-T4 sheet against D2 tool steel for sheet forming applications.

Simulating the behavior of geologic materials under impact loading conditions requires the use of a constitutive model that includes the effects of bulking, yielding, damage, porous compaction and loading rate on the material response. This paper describes the development, implementation and calibration of a thermodynamically consistent constitutive model that incorporates these features. The paper also describes a computational study in which the model was used to perform numerical simulations of PILE DRIVER, a deeply-buried underground nuclear explosion detonated in granite at the Nevada Test Site. Particle velocity histories, peak velocity and peak displacement as a function of slant range obtained from the code simulations compare favorably with PILE DRIVER data. The simulated attenuation of peak velocity and peak displacement also agrees with the results from several other spherical wave experiments in granite.

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Germanium Blocked Impurity Band (BIB) detectors require a high purity blocking layer (< 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3}) approximately 1 mm thick grown on a heavily doped active layer ({approx} 10{sup 16} cm{sup -3}) approximately 20 mm thick. Epilayers were grown using liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) of germanium out of lead solution. The effects of the crystallographic orientation of the germanium substrate on LPE growth modes were explored. Growth was studied on substrates oriented by Laue x-ray diffraction between 0.02{sup o} and 10{sup o} from the {l_brace}111{r_brace} toward the {l_brace}100{r_brace}. Terrace growth was observed, with increasing terrace height for larger misorientation angles. It was found that the purity of the blocking layer was limited by the presence of phosphorus in the lead solvent. Unintentionally doped Ge layers contained {approx}10{sup 15} cm{sup -3} phosphorus as determined by Hall effect measurements and Photothermal Ionization Spectroscopy (PTIS). Lead purification by vacuum distillation and dilution reduced the phosphorus concentration in the layers to {approx} 10{sup 14} cm{sup -3} but further reduction was not observed with successive distillation runs. The graphite distillation and growth components as an additional phosphorus source cannot be ruled out. Antimony ({approx}10{sup 16} cm{sup -3}) was used as a dopant for the …

The Hanford Site 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) processes contaminated liquids derived from Hanford Site facilities. The clean water generated by these processes is occasionally enriched in tritium, and is discharged to the 200 Area State Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS). Groundwater monitoring for tritium and other constituents is required by the state-issued permit at 22 wells surrounding the facility. During FY 2001, tritium activities in the SALDS proximal well 699-48-77A increased (maximum 670,000 pCi/L) as a result of the resumption of tritium disposal in September 2000, following a 16-month hiatus in significant tritium discharges. Well 699-48-77C, where tritium results reached a maximum value of 980,000 pCi/L, is reflecting the result of the delayed penetration of effluent deeper into the aquifer from 1999 SALDS tritium discharges. Speculation in FY 2000 (Barnett 2000b) that tritium may have reached two wells due south of the facility is probably premature. FY 2001 results indicate no departures from historical levels of tritium in these wells.

The Hanford Site 200 Area Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) processes contaminated liquids derived from Hanford Site facilities. The clean water generated by these processes is occasionally enriched in tritium, and is discharged to the 200 Area State Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS). Groundwater monitoring for tritium and other constituents is required by the state-issued permit at 22 wells surrounding the facility. During FY 2001, tritium activities in the SALDS proximal well 699-48-77A increased (maximum 670,000 pCi/L) as a result of the resumption of tritium disposal in September 2000, following a 16-month hiatus in significant tritium discharges. Well 699-48-77C, where tritium results reached a maximum value of 980,000 pCi/L, is reflecting the result of the delayed penetration of effluent deeper into the aquifer from 1999 SALDS tritium discharges. Speculation in FY 2000 (Barnett 2000b) that tritium may have reached two wells due south of the facility is probably premature. FY 2001 results indicate no departures from historical levels of tritium in these wells.

The subjects covered in this report are: thermoelectrics, 1-kW generator for diesel engine; self-powered heater; power for wireless data transmission; and quantum-well thermoelectrics.

Historic accounts and recent observations of Pacific lampreys (Lampetra tridentata) at mainstem Columbia River dams indicate the number of Pacific lampreys migrating upriver has decreased dramatically over the last 60 years. Consequently, state, federal, and tribal governments have recently expressed concern for this species. Little is known about the biological and ecological characteristics of habitats suitable for upstream migrating Pacific lampreys. If rehabilitation efforts are to be done effectively and efficiently, we must gain knowledge of factors limiting survival and reproduction of Pacific lampreys. From data gathered in the first year of this project, we can for the first time, describe the timing, extent, and patterns of movements for Pacific lampreys. We have tested methods and gained information that will allow us to refine our objectives and approach in future work. Knowledge of behavior, timing, and the resulting quantification of habitat use will provide a means to assess the suitability of overwintering and spawning habitats and allow the establishment of goals for recovery projects. Further research is necessary, including multiple years of data collection, tracking of movement patterns through the spawning season, and more rigorously examining habitat use.

During the FY 1998 Saltcake Dissolution Workshop, participants identified nine tasks to be performed prior to the FY 1999 workshop. Discussions during the workshop indicated that significant progress was made in each area. The workshop focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the Environmental Simulation Program (ESP). In addition, the ESP predictions for the Tank SY-101 remediation and the ESP validation efforts were evaluated. Finally, the need for a broader user base was identified. At the request of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS), the ESP model was successfully utilized to predict the effects of Hanford tank farm operations such as waste transfers and water dilutions. The ESP model was originally developed to predict the compositions of solutions from off gas scrubbers. Therefore, the original database for the ESP model was designed for use with solutions with low ionic strengths. However, the Hanford tanks contain waste with very high ionic strengths. TWRS and Tank Focus Area (TFA) staff members have measured the solubilities of key components at high ionic strengths. The results from these studies were used to develop the Hanford database for the ESP model so the model could more accurately predict the compositions of Hanford waste streams with …

This report discusses National Estuary Program and is based on 11 of the 28 estuaries that are currently in the National Estuary Program which represent common environmental problems along the nation’s coastline: on the Pacific Coast, the Columbia River, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, and Santa Monica Bay; on the Atlantic Coast, Albemarle-Pamlico Sound, Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, and Maryland’s coastal bays (excluding Chesapeake Bay); and on the Gulf of Mexico, Charlotte Harbor, Corpus Christi Bay, and Sarasota Bay.

Existing reliable ordered group communication protocols have been developed for local-area networks and do not, in general, scale well to large numbers of nodes and wide-area networks. The InterGroup suite of protocols is a scalable group communication system that introduces an unusual approach to handling group membership, and supports a receiver-oriented selection of service. The protocols are intended for a wide-area network, with a large number of nodes, that has highly variable delays and a high message loss rate, such as the Internet. The levels of the message delivery service range from unreliable unordered to reliable timestamp ordered. We also present a secure group layer that builds on InterGroup to provide SSL-like security for groups.

This report includes information regarding intelligence issues for Congress. The CIA and the Israel-Palestinian Accord, Kosovo/Operation Allied Force, and counterintelligence are among topics discussed in this report.

A test program has been conducted in which the use of pilot-scale centrifugal solvent extraction contactors for cesium removal from an alkaline waste stream has been successfully demonstrated. The program was designed specifically to evaluate the use of centrifugal contactors having 5-cm-diam rotors for the removal of cesium from alkaline high-level waste (HLW) that was generated and is being stored at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS). The removal of cesium from this waste is highly desirable because it will reduce the volume of waste that must be treated and disposed of as HLW. The parameters applied in the test effort are those that have been established for the Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) process, a multistage extraction operation that has been designed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). In the CSSX process, cesium is extracted by calix(4)arene-bis-(fert-octylbenzo-crown-6), commonly referred to as BOBCalixC6. The extract is scrubbed with dilute (0.05 M) nitric acid, both to remove coextracted elements (primarily potassium and sodium) and to adjust the pH of the extract to facilitate recovery of the cesium. The scrubbed solvent is contacted with 0.001 M HNO{sub 3}, which results in the stripping …

A test program has been conducted to determine the extent to which irradiation of a calixarene-based cesium extractant affects-separation of the organic (solvent) phase from aqueous solutions with which it is contacted in a prototype extraction flowsheet. A caustic-side solvent extraction process, known as CSSX, has been developed for the selective removal of cesium from wastes generated by the processing of irradiated nuclear reactor fuels. This process consists of a cascade of mass transfer stages in which cesium is transferred from an aqueous feed into the CSSX extractant (BOBCalixC6), the extract is scrubbed with 0.05 M nitric acid to remove coextracted elements, and the solvated cesium is stripped (or back-extracted) into 0.001 M HNO{sub 3}. Removal of cesium from stored waste supernatants is desirable as a means of segregating high-activity cesium-137 ({sup 137}Cs) from the solution, thereby reducing the volume of material that must be processed and disposed of as high-level waste. The CSSX process is one of three cesium removal technologies currently being considered for deployment for treatment of wastes that are stored at the U. S. Department of Energy's (USDOE's) Savannah River Site (SRS). The irradiation tests described in this report were designed to simulate the effect of …

The Phenyl + O{sub 2} association results in a chemically activated phenyl-peroxy radical which can dissociate to phenoxy radical + O, undergo intramolecular addition of the peroxy radical to several unsaturated carbon sites or react back to phenyl + O{sub 2}. The intramolecular addition channels further react through several paths to ring opening (unsaturated + carbonyl moieties) as well as cyclopentadieny radical + CO{sub 2}. Enthalpy ({Delta}H{sub f(298)}{sup o}), Entropy (S{sub 298}), and heat capacities Cp(T) for species in the decomposition of the ring are evaluated using density functional and ab initio calculations and by comparisons to vinyl + O{sub 2} data of Mebel et al, and phenyl + O{sub 2} data of Hadad et al. Isodesmic reaction analysis is used to estimate enthalpy values of the intermediates and well depths of the adducts. High Pressure limit kinetic parameters are obtained from the calculation results using canonical Transition State Theory. Quantum RRK analysis is utilized to obtain k(E) and modified strong collision or master equation analysis is used for evaluation of pressure fall-off in this complex bimolecular, chemical activation, reaction system. Uncertainty in key barriers is discussed, resulting variations in important reaction product ratios are illustrated, and changes in these …

Numerous papers have appeared in the literature over the past thirty years discussing projection-type methods for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. A recurring difficulty encountered is the choice of boundary conditions for the intermediate or predicted velocity in order to obtain at least second order convergence. A further issue is the formula for the pressure correction at each timestep. A simple overview is presented here based on recently published results by Brown, Cortez and Minion [2].

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A need arose to define the hazards associated with the operation of a process. The process involved the evolution of a hydrogen gas stream from thermal decomposition of uranium hydride at approximately 400 C into the interior of a purged argon-filled glove box. Specific hazards of interest included the potential reaction severity of the evolved hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen, either downstream in the vent system or inside the box in the event of serious air inleakage. Another hazard might be the energetic reaction of inleaked air with the hot uranium and uranium hydride powder bed, possibly resulting in the dispersion of powders into an air atmosphere and the rapid combustion of the powders. This was approached as a problem in calculational simulation. Given the parameters associated with the process and the properties of the glove box system, certain scenarios were defined and the potential for flammable or detonation reactions estimated. Calculation tools included a comprehensive fluid dynamics code, a spreadsheet, a curve-fitting program, an equation solver, and a thermochemistry software package. Results are reported which suggest that the process can be operated without significant hazard to operators or significant damage to equipment, assuming that operators take account of potential upset …

1,3-Propanediol is one of two ingredients used in producing polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), a polymer which can be used in polyester and nylon applications. Researchers are developing a process to ferment biomass feedstock to malonic acid using filamentous fungi and then catalytically convert malonic acid to 1,3-propanediol.

Clean Fractionation is a new technology that enables energy-efficient and environmentally-clean separation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin from lignocellulosic biomass.

The Department of Energy launched the Education Initiative in 1999 to promote the establishment of multi-disciplinary, graduate-level education and research programs.