A literature survey and technical evaluation was carried out of past and present battery technologies with the goal of identifying appropriate candidates for use in geothermal borehole and, to a lesser extent, oil/gas boreholes. The various constraints that are posed by such an environment are discussed. The promise as well as the limitations of various candidate technologies are presented. Data for limited testing of a number of candidate systems are presented and the areas for additional future work are detailed. The use of low-temperature molten salts shows the most promise for such applications and includes those that are liquid at room temperature. The greatest challenges are to develop an appropriate electrochemical couple that is kinetically stable with the most promising electrolytes--both organic as well as inorganic--over the wide operating window that spans both borehole environments.

Using an optimized thermal-spray process, coherent, dense deposits of pyrite (FeS{sub 2}) with good adhesion were formed on 304 stainless steel substrates (current collectors). After leaching with CS{sub 2} to remove residual free sulfur, these served as cathodes in Li(Si)/FeS{sub 2} thermal cells. The cells were tested over a temperature range of 450 C to 550 C under baseline loads of 125 and 250 mA/cm{sup 2}, to simulate conditions found in a thermal battery. Cells built with such cathodes outperformed standard cells made with pressed-powder parts. They showed lower interracial resistance and polarization throughout discharge, with higher capacities per mass of pyrite. Post-treatment of the cathodes with Li{sub 2}O coatings at levels of >7% by weight of the pyrite was found to eliminate the voltage transient normally observed for these materials. Results equivalent to those of standard lithiated catholytes were obtained in this manner. The use of plasma-sprayed cathodes allows the use of much thinner cells for thermal batteries since only enough material needs to be deposited as the capacity requirements of a given application demand.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing regulations that would establish requirements for discharging synthetic-based drill cuttings from offshore wells into the ocean. Justification for allowing discharges of these cuttings is that the environmental impacts from discharging drilling wastes into the ocean may be less harmful than the impacts from hauling them to shore for disposal. In the past, some onshore commercial facilities that disposed of these cuttings were improperly managed and operated and left behind environmental problems. This report provides background information on commercial waste disposal facilities in Texas, Louisiana, California, and Alaska that received or may have received offshore drilling wastes in the past and are now undergoing cleanup.

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The results of the environmental surveillance program conducted at Site A/Plot M in the Palos Forest Preserve area for Calendar Year 1999 are presented. Based on the results of the 1976-1978 radiological characterization of the site, a determination was made that a surveillance program be established. The characterization study determined that very low levels of hydrogen-3 (as tritiated water) had migrated from the burial ground and were present in two nearby hand-pumped picnic wells. The current surveillance program consists of sample collection and analysis of surface and subsurface water. The results of the analyses are used to (1) monitor the migration pathway of water from the burial ground (Plot M) to the handpumped picnic wells, (2) establish if buried radionuclides other than hydrogen-3 have migrated, and (3) generally characterize the radiological environment of the area. Hydrogen-3 in the Red Gate Woods picnic wells was still detected this year, but the average and maximum concentrations were significantly less than found earlier. Tritiated water continues to be detected in a number of wells, boreholes, dolomite holes, and a surface stream. For many years it was the only radionuclide found to have migrated in measurable quantities. Analyses since 1984 have indicated the presence …

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In 1999, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the National Academy of Sciences' U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Microbiological Sciences (IUMS) jointly organized a competitive travel grant program to support the participation of U.S. scientists in the 9th International Congresses of the Bacteriological and Applied Microbiology, Mycology and Virology Divisions of the IUMS in Sydney, Australia, August 16-20, 1999. Funding was solicited for the program, and the ASM Minority and International Activities department administered the $40,000 raised. Travel grants in the amount of $2,000 were offered to U.S. investigators (citizens, including federal employees, and permanent residents working in the United States) in the early stages of their careers who planned to attend and present their research at the Congress. Teams of established and new investigators who applied jointly were eligible to received a combined $3,000 award. IUMS developed a questionnaire th at each applicant were required to complete and return, which asked each award recipient about their experience at the Congresses. Questionnaire results are included.

This report provides background information relating to tax depreciation of structures, including a discussion of the methods of measuring economic depreciation.

A general tax cut (H.R. 2488), costing $792 billion over 10 years, was vetoed in September 1999. A more narrowly focused bill (H.R. 1180) extending certain expiring provisions was adopted in December. Several tax proposals have been or are likely to be considered in 2000. The largest of these was marriage penalty legislation (H.R. 6 and S. 2346). Tax provisions are also included in health care legislation and minimum wage legislation; the latter passed the House on March 9 and included distressed communities legislation and a repeal of the installment sales provision included in the extenders bill. A number of separate tax bills are also under consideration. The general tax cut proposal included across-the-board tax cuts, benefits for married couples, phase-out of the alternative minimum tax, a reduction in capital gains taxes, a phase-out of the estate tax and provisions relating to education and health.

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Treasury, Postal Service, Executive Office of the President, and General Government.

ABSIM (an acronym for ABsorption SIMulation) is a user-oriented computer code designed for the simulation of absorption systems at steady state, in both flexible and modular form. ABSIM makes it possible to investigate various cycle configurations with different working fluids, to calculate their operating parameters, to predict their performance and to compare them with each other on a uniform basis. A graphical user interface enables the user to draw the cycle diagram on the computer screen, enter data interactively, run the program and view the results either in the form of a table or superimposed on the cycle diagram. Special utilities enable the user to plot the results and produce a pressure-temperature-concentration (P-T-X) diagram of the cycle. Most absorption systems consist of a number of standard components or units (e.g., absorber, condenser) that may be combined in different forms to produce various cycles. Recognizing this, ABSIM has been structured around unit subroutines, each of which contains the governing equations for the particular unit. These subroutines are activated by a main program that interprets the input for the cycle, calls the units, and links them to each other in an order corresponding to the user's specification to form the complete system. …

This report documents a statistical data analysis of radiological data obtained to characterize the 324 Facility B-Cell decontamination and decommissioning waste stream.

The purpose of this Specific Test and Evaluation Plan (STEP) is to provide a detailed written plan for the systematic testing of the newly constructed 200E Waste Transfer System in the W-314 Project. The STEP provides the outline for test and evaluation methods that verify the system's performance and compliance to the established Project design criteria. The STEP is a ''lower tier'' document based on the W-314 Test & Evaluation Plan (TEP).

We developed fundamental methods and techniques for transferring germplasm from wild to cultivated species. Germplasm transferred included diverse cytoplasms, new genes for pest resistance, genes controlling dry matter yield and apomixis. Some of the germplasm has been shown to be valuable in plant breeding and has been incorporated into commercial cultivators.

DWPF Engineering requested that the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) provide a demonstration of the DWPF flowsheet on sludge from Tank 42H in the Shielded Cell facility. A 5 liter sample of the Tank 42H sludge (ESP-200), obtained with the tank contents fully mixed, arrived at SRTC on January 20, 1998. This report details receipt of the 5 liter sample at SRTC, the decant of the sample, and the characterization of the pre- and post-decant Tank 42H sludge. Evaluation of the measured composition of the supernate indicates Sample ESP-200 became diluted approximately 20 percent by volume prior to receipt. This dilution complicates the relationship of the characterization of Post-Decant ESP-200 to the current contents of Tank 42H. For the purposes of modeling the current tank contents of Tank 42H, this report provides an estimated composition based on analytical data of recent samples from Tank 42H.

The Environmental Management Division of the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, is conducting a remedial investigation (RI) and feasibility study (FS) of the J-Field area at APG, pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended. As part of that activity, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) conducted an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of the J-Field site. This report presents the results of that assessment.

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This report is an analysis of the potential for Block Island Power Company (BIPCO) to use renewable energy and clean distributed resources to supply power to its customers. The preliminary conclusion of this work is that a system composed of clean distributed resources has the potential to be a technically and economically feasible alternative for BIPCO.

Large scale QCD Monte Carlo calculations have typically been performed on either commercial supercomputers or specially built massively parallel computers such as Fermilab's ACPMAPS. Commodity computer systems offer impressive floating point performance-to-cost ratios which exceed those of commercial supercomputers. As high performance networking components approach commodity pricing, it becomes reasonable to assemble a massively parallel supercomputer from commodity parts. The authors describe the work and progress to date of a collaboration working on this problem.

An improved understanding of dislocation dynamics and interactions is an outstanding problem in the multi scale modeling of materials properties, and is the current focus of major theoretical efforts world wide. We have developed experimental and theoretical tools that will enable us to measure and calculate quantities defined by the defect structure. Unique to the measurements is a new spectroscopy that determines the detailed elemental composition at the defect site. The measurements are based on positron annihilation spectroscopy performed with a 3 MeV positron beam [1]. Positron annihilation spectroscopy is highly sensitive to dislocations and associated defects and can provide unique elements of the defect size and structure. Performing this spectroscopy with a highly penetrating positron beam enables flexibility in sample handling. Experiments on fatigued and stressed samples have been done and in situ measurement capabilities have been developed. We have recently performed significant upgrades to the accelerator operation and novel new experiments have been performed [2-4] To relate the spectrographic results and the detailed structure of a defect requires detailed calculations. Measurements are coupled with calculated results based on a description of positions of atoms at the defect. This gives an atomistic view of dislocations and associated defects including …

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This report is a summary of the following topics of the first quarter of 2000: (1) Han Padron Associates (HPA) provided conceptual structural design of the mooring buoy; and (2) they completed partial review of the HPA design and designed the sealing elements.

A proprietary tritium loading bed developed by Molecular Separations, Inc (MSI) has been shown to selectively load tritiated water as waters of hydration at near ambient temperatures. Tests conducted with a 126 {micro}C{sub 1} tritium/liter water standard mixture showed reductions to 25 {micro}C{sub 1}/L utilizing two, 2-meter long columns in series. Demonstration tests with Hanford Site wastewater samples indicate an approximate tritium concentration reduction from 0.3 {micro}C{sub 1}/L to 0.07 {micro}C{sub 1}/L for a series of two, 2-meter long stationary column beds Further reduction to less than 0.02 {micro}C{sub 1}/L, the current drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL), is projected with additional bed media in series. Tritium can be removed from the loaded beds with a modest temperature increase and the beds can be reused Results of initial tests are presented and a moving bed process for treating large quantities of wastewaters is proposed. The moving bed separation process appears promising to treat existing large quantities of wastewater at various US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The enriched tritium stream can be grouted for waste disposition. The separations system has also been shown to reduce tritium concentrations in nuclear reactor cooling water to levels that allow reuse. Energy requirements to …

This is the first of two papers describing the application of simulator-optimization methods to a natural gas storage field development planning problem. The results presented here illustrate the large gains in cost-effectiveness that can be made by employing the reservoir simulator as the foundation for a wide-ranging search for solutions to management problems. The current paper illustrates the application of these techniques given a deterministic view of the reservoir. A companion paper will illustrate adaptations needed to accommodate uncertainties regarding reservoir properties.