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This report documents a finite element code designed to model subsurface flow and contaminant transport, named FACT. FACT is a transient three-dimensional, finite element code designed to simulate isothermal groundwater flow, moisture movement, and solute transport in variably saturated and fully saturated subsurface porous media.

The US Department of Energy and the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Area have been working together to develop mutually beneficial, cost-effective environmental remediation technologies such as the demonstration of bioremediation techniques for the clean up of acidic petroleum sludge impacted soils at an oil refinery in southern Poland. After an expedited site characterization, treatability study, and a risk assessment study, a remediation strategy was devised. The waste material was composed primarily of high molecular weight paraffinic and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. A biopile design which employed a combination of passive and active aeration in conjunction with nutrient and surfactant application as used to increase the biodegradation of the contaminants of concern.

Monthly newsletter discussing news and activities related to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, articles about weather and atmospheric phenomena, and other related topics.

The Administration initiative to shift federal emergency management policy away from a "response and recovery" emphasis has generated little congressional controversy, although some have raised concerns about the cost effectiveness of implementing a mitigation strategy. Greater attention, it is generally argued, should be given to mitigation (loss reduction) efforts before disasters occur in order to reduce future losses. Legislation (H.R. 707, S. 1691) pending before the 106th Congress would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) which authorizes federal assistance when the President declares that a catastrophe has overwhelmed state and local resources.

The halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon trichlorofluoromethane has been widely used as a refrigerant and aerosol propellant.

Structural analysis of the lower port connection of the Tempered Water System of the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility was performed. Subsequent detailed design changes to enhance operability resulted in the need to re-evaluate the bases of the original analysis to verify its continued validity. This evaluation is contained in Appendix A of this report. The original evaluation is contained in Appendix B.

Functional requirements and specifications document for system to replace tank farm computer automated waste tank surveillance system.

The CTFM Subproject of the SNF Project has prepared an ABU checklist per SNF Administrative Procedure (AP) CS-6-019. This checklist identifies the essential documentation needed to operate and maintain the 105 KW CTFM/CLS Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs) when ownership is transferred from the CTFM Subproject to K Basins Operations. Approval of this supporting document demonstrates an agreement by the approvers as to the documentation required at turnover.

With the exception of control of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ventilation fans, and their shutdown in the case of smoke in the ducts, all implementations of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) in Dzero have been made within the fundamental premise that no uncertified PLC apparatus shall be entrusted with the safety of equipment or personnel. Thus although PLCs are used to control and monitor all manner of intricate equipment, simple hardware interlocks and relief devices provide basic protection against component failure, control failure, or inappropriate control operation. Nevertheless, this report includes two observations as follows: (1) It may be prudent to reconfigure the link between the Pyrotronics system and the HVAC system such that the Pyrotronics system provides interlocks to the ventilation fans instead of control inputs to the uncertified HVAC PLCs. Although the Pyrotronics system is certified and maintained to life safety standards, the HVAC system is not. A hardware or software failure of the HVAC system probably should not be allowed to result in the situation where the ventilation fans in a smoke filled duct continue to operate. Dan Markley is investigating this matter. (2) It may also be prudent to examine the network security of those …

The Russian Federation Ministry for Atomic Energy (MINATOM) and the US Department of Energy (USDOE) have formed International Nuclear Safety Centers to collaborate on nuclear safety research. USDOE established the US Center (ISINSC) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in October 1995. MINATOM established the Russian Center (RINSC) at the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering (RDIPE) in Moscow in July 1996. In April 1998 the Russian center became a semi-independent, autonomous organization under MINATOM. The goals of the center are to: Cooperate in the development of technologies associated with nuclear safety in nuclear power engineering; Be international centers for the collection of information important for safety and technical improvements in nuclear power engineering; and Maintain a base for fundamental knowledge needed to design nuclear reactors. The strategic approach is being used to accomplish these goals is for the two centers to work together to use the resources and the talents of the scientists associated with the US Center and the Russian Center to do collaborative research to improve the safety of Russian-designed nuclear reactors. The two centers started conducting joint research and development projects in January 1997. Since that time the following ten joint projects have been initiated: INSC …

This document provides a documented basis for the required design pressure rating and pump pressure capacity of the Hanford Site waste-transfer system in support of the waste feed delivery to the privatization contractor for vitrification. The scope of the analysis includes the 200 East Area double-shell tank waste transfer pipeline system and the associated transfer system pumps for a11 Phase 1B and Phase 2 waste transfers from AN, AP, AW, AY, and A2 Tank Farms.

An overview is given of the potential for neutrino physics studies through parasitic use of the intense high energy neutrino beams that would be produced at future many-TeV muon colliders. Neutrino experiments clearly cannot compete with the collider physics. Except at the very highest energy muon colliders, the main thrust of the neutrino physics program would be to improve on the measurements from preceding neutrino experiments at lower energy muon colliders, particularly in the fields of B physics, quark mixing and CP violation. Muon colliders at the 10 TeV energy scale might already produce of order 10{sup 8} B hadrons per year in a favorable and unique enough experimental environment to have some analytical capabilities beyond any of the currently operating or proposed B factories. The most important of the quark mixing measurements at these energies might well be the improved measurements of the important CKM matrix elements {vert_bar}V{sub ub}{vert_bar} and {vert_bar}V{sub cb}{vert_bar} and, possibly, the first measurements of {vert_bar}V{sub td}{vert_bar} in the process of flavor changing neutral current interactions involving a top quark loop. Muon colliders at the highest center-of-mass energies that have been conjectured, 100--1,000 TeV, would produce neutrino beams for neutrino-nucleon interaction experiments with maximum center-of-mass energies …

Neutrino radiation is expected to impose major design and siting constraints on many-TeV muon colliders. Previous predictions for radiation doses at TeV energy scales are briefly reviewed and then modified for extension to the many-TeV energy regime. The energy-cubed dependence of lower energy colliders is found to soften to an increase of slightly less than quadratic when averaged over the plane of the collider ring and slightly less than linear for the radiation hot spots downstream from straight sections in the collider ring. Despite this, the numerical values are judged to be sufficiently high that any many-TeV muon colliders will likely be constructed on large isolated sites specifically chosen to minimize or eliminate human exposure to the neutrino radiation. It is pointed out that such sites would be of an appropriate size scale to also house future proton-proton and electron-positron colliders at the high energy frontier, which naturally leads to conjecture on the possibilities for a new world laboratory for high energy physics. Radiation dose predictions are also presented for the speculative possibility of linear muon colliders. These have greatly reduced radiation constraints relative to circular muon colliders because radiation is only emitted in two pencil beams directed along the …

A focal point for the HEMC'99 workshop was the evaluation of straw-man parameter sets for the acceleration and collider rings of muon colliders at center of mass energies of 10 TeV and 100 TeV. These self-consistent parameter sets are presented and discussed. The methods and assumptions used in their generation are described and motivations are given for the specific choices of parameter values. The assessment of the parameter sets during the workshop is then reviewed and the implications for the feasibility of many-TeV muon colliders are evaluated. Finally, a preview is given of plans for iterating on the parameter sets and, more generally, for future feasibility studies on many-TeV muon colliders.

A review is given of the prospects for future colliders and collider physics at the energy frontier. A proof-of-plausibility scenario is presented for maximizing the authors progress in elementary particle physics by extending the energy reach of hadron and lepton colliders as quickly and economically as might be technically and financially feasible. The scenario comprises 5 colliders beyond the LHC--one each of e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} and hadron colliders and three {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup {minus}} colliders--and is able to hold to the historical rate of progress in the log-energy reach of hadron and lepton colliders, reaching the 1 PeV constituent mass scale by the early 2040's. The technical and fiscal requirements for the feasibility of the scenario are assessed and relevant long-term R and D projects are identified. Considerations of both cost and logistics seem to strongly favor housing most or all of the colliders in the scenario in a new world high energy physics laboratory.

The authors report on observations taken during engineering science validation time using the new adaptive optics system at the 10-m Keck II Telescope. They observe Neptune and Titan at near-infrared wavelengths. These objects are ideal for adaptive optics imaging because they are bright and small, yet have many diffraction-limited resolution elements across their disks. In addition Neptune and Titan have prominent physical features, some of which change markedly with time. They have observed infrared-bright storms on Neptune, and very low-albedo surface regions on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, Spatial resolution on Neptune and Titan was 0.05-0.06 and 0.04-0.05 arc sec, respectively.

The paper describes a proposed qualification standard for photovoltaic concentrator modules. The standard's purpose is to provide stress tests and procedures to identify any component weakness in photovoltaic concentrator modules intended for power generation applications. If no weaknesses are identified during qualification, both the manufacturer and the customer can expect a more reliable product. The qualification test program for the standard includes thermal cycles, humidity-freeze cycles, water spray, off-axis beam damage, hail impact, hot-spot endurance, as well as electrical tests for performance, ground continuity, isolation, wet insulation resistance, and bypass diodes. Because concentrator module performance can not be verified using solar simulator and reference cell procedures suitable for flat-plate modules, the standard specifies an outdoor I-V test analysis allowing a performance comparison before and after a test procedure. Two options to this complex analysis are the use of a reference concentrator module for side-by-side outdoor comparison with modules undergoing various tests and a dark I-V performance check.

The French and British nuclear programs have prepared a series of natural uranium oxide fuel samples spiked with small amounts of the individual fission products which makeup a large fraction of the total neutron absorption by fission products in spent nuclear fuel. Both programs have utilized these samples in experimental reactors and have inferred the worth of the individual fission products. These results have been used to validate the cross sections used in criticality safety calculations. These measurements constitute a major element in support of spent fuel burnup credit in these countries.

Plans to eliminate the positron accumulator ring (PAR) from the Advanced Photon Source (APS) injector complex have created the need for a device to limit the allowable beam charge injected into the APS injector synchrotrons. The beam shut-off current monitor (BESOCM) was chosen to provide this function. This new application of the BESOCM provided the opportunity to explore new design philosophies. Two design goals were to de-emphasize reliance on external signals and to become insensitive to timing variations. Both of these goals were accomplished by deriving the trigger directly from the beam. This paper will discuss the features of the new BESOCM design and present data demonstrating its function.

We have determined the surface structure of alpha-Al2O3(0001) using dynamical low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Sapphire surfaces were prepared in three different ways, and the diffraction results were analyzed using an exhaustive search of possible models. For all sample processing conditions, the clearly favored structure has a single Al layer termination and a large first interlayer contraction. In addition, we find that the surface atoms have unusually large vibrational amplitudes at room temperature, suggestive of an anharmonic vibrational mode.

Crossflow filtration will be used to filter radioactive waste slurry as part of the Late Wash Process.

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.

The Photovoltaic Manufacturing Research and Development project is a government/industry partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and members of the U.S. photovoltaic (PV) industry. The purpose of the project is to work with industry to improve manufacturing processes, reduce manufacturing costs, and improve the performance of PV products. This project is conducted through phased solicitations with industry participants selected through a competitive evaluation process. Starting in 1995, the two most recent solicitations include manufacturing improvements for balance-of-system (BOS) components, energy storage, and PV system design improvements. This paper surveys the work accomplished since that time, as well as BOS work currently in progress in the PV Manufacturing R&D project to identify areas of continued interest and product trends. Industry participants continue to work to improve inverters and to expand the features and capabilities of this key component. The industry also continues to advance fully integrated systems that meet standards for performance and safety. All participants included manufacturing improvements to reduce costs and improve reliability. Accomplishments of the project's participants are summarized to illustrate the product and manufacturing trends.