Los Alamos National Laboratory maintains one of the most complete NDT facilities worldwide. In addition to many fixed pieces of equipment, the Laboratory has a very wide range of NDT and dynamic test diagnostic equipment that can be taken to the job site. Most of the equipment described here was procured for a specific purpose to support a program consistent with the nuclear weapons mission of Los Alamos. However, through the years, the equipment has found use in many other applications both within and external to weapons research, development, and testing. Various combinations of these equipments form unique capabilities, as demonstrated by the applications. The portable equipment is mainly applied to problems where the process or object under study cannot be brought into an NDT laboratory.

None

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) has conducted a series of studies to evaluate the known, remaining oil resource in twenty-three (23) states. The primary objective of the IOGCC`s effort is to examine the potential impact of an aggressive and focused program of research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) and technology transfer on future oil recovery in the United States. As part of a larger effort by the IOGCC, this report focuses on the potential economic benefits of improved oil recovery in the states of Louisiana and Texas. Individual reports for six other oil producing states and a national report have been separately published. The analysis presented in this report is based on the databases and models available in the Tertiary Oil Recovery Information System (TORIS).

A picture is worth a thousand words, which explains why digital orthophotographs have become such a popular item. Today, most procurement of orthophotographs result in a digital product. However, if one already has hard copy orthophotography, should one scan them, or have them produced as true digital orthophotographs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each methodology? This paper examines the procedure the Facility for Information Management, Analysis, and Display (FIMAD) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) uses to determine the appropriate product based on our needs. The scanned product is compared to a digitally produced orthophotograph, procured through a vendor. Comparison is performed on the screen, on hard copy output, and by spectral analysis in the red, green and blue bands. Full screen sized images look fairly good, but when enlarged, the scanned image appeared blocky and fuzzy. Hard copy output from the electrostatic plotter produces colors similar to the screen for the demo image, but renders poor color matching with the scanned image. Histograms of each band of the scanned image show a high count at the low end of the curve. These findings confirm that the images are different, and that the differences are not just in …

The COntinuous Reflectometry for Radius vs. Time EXperiment (CORRTEX) system was developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory for determining the energy released in a nuclear explosion by measuring the position of its shock front as a function of time. The CORRTEX system, fielding techniques, and the methods and software for data reduction and analysis were developed over a 15 year period with hundreds of measurements made on nuclear tests and high explosive experiments. CORRTEX is a compact, portable, fast-sampling, microprocessor-controlled system, based on time domain reflectometry, requiring only a 24 volt power source and a sensing element. Only the sensing element (a length of 50 ohm coaxial cable) is expended during the detonation. In 1979, the CORRTEX system was shown to be ideally suited for chemical explosive performance measurements. Its utility for diagnosing chemical explosives was further demonstrated with successful measurements on large multiple-hole chemical shots in rock quarries and strip mines. Accurate timing of the detonation of sequenced or ripple fired arrays, as well as data characterizing the initiation, explosive performance and detonation anomalies are obtained. This information can serve as the basis for empirical or modeled improvements to blasting operations. A summary of the special CORRTEX features …

None

The principal objective of this report is to identify and prioritize heavy metal-containing wastewaters at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in terms of their suitability for testing of and clean-up by a novel bioremediation process being developed by SRTC. This process involves the use of algal biomass for sequestering heavy metal and radionuclides from wastewaters. Two categories of SRS wastewaters were considered for this investigation: (1) waste sites (primarily non-contained wastes managed by Environmental Restoration), and (2) waste streams (primarily contained wastes managed by Waste Management). An attempt was made to evaluate all sources of both categories of waste throughout the site so that rational decisions could be made with regard to selecting the most appropriate wastewaters for present study and potential future treatment. The investigation included a review of information on surface and/or groundwater associated with all known SRS waste sites, as well as waters associated with all known SRS waste streams. Following the initial review, wastewaters known or suspected to contain potentially problematic concentrations of one or more of the toxic metals were given further consideration.

None

The combination of an interfacial tension agent and a mobility control agent has the potential to produce additional oil beyond a waterflood. The West Kiehl alkaline-surfactant-polymer project is the most advanced application of this chemical enhanced oil recovery technique. The West Kiehl alkaline-surfactant-polymer flood was initiated in September 1987 as a secondary application after primary recovery. A preliminary analysis of the West Kiehl alkaline-surfactant-polymer flood indicates that incremental oil of 20% of the original stock tank oil in place will be produced above waterflooding. The cost of the incremental oil will be less than $2.50 per incremental barrel. A statistical analysis of approximately 120 Minnelusa oil fields in the Powder River Basin indicates that the original stock tank oil in place exceeds one billion barrels. If the enhanced oil recovery technology implemented at West Kiehl field could be successfully applied to these fields, the potential incremental oil recovery would approach 200 million barrels. {open_quotes}Detailed Evaluation of the West Kiehl Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Field Project and Its Application to Mature Minnelusa Waterfloods{close_quotes} objective is to evaluate both the field performance of the alkaline-surfactant-polymer enhanced oil recovery technology as well as its potential application to other Minnelusa oil fields.

The time evolution of the current filaments in an optically triggered, high gain GaAs switch was studied by recording the infrared photoluminescence from the filaments. When the switch is triggered with two laser diode arrays (through a fiber optic) that are activated within 1 ns of each other, two current filaments are observed, each one emanating from the point of illumination. By delaying one laser with respect to the other, the evolution of the filament was recorded in a time resolved fashion. The first filament that is triggered crosses the switch, the voltage drops and the other filament ceases to grow. By varying the delay between the trigger lasers, the tip velocity is measured to be up to 5.9 {plus_minus} 1 {times} 10{sup 9} cm/s. This speed is 600 times larger than the peak drift velocity of carriers in GaAs. This observation supports switching models that rely on carrier generation at the tip of the filament. The filaments speed up as they cross the switch: for one voltage range initial speeds were 0.7 {plus_minus} 1 {times} 10{sup 9} cm/s and final speeds (the last 100 ps of motion) exceed 5.5 {plus_minus} 1 {times} 10{sup 9} cm/s. This experiment also shows …

The Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) supports the applied research, development, demonstration, and evaluation of a multitude of advanced technologies. These technologies are being integrated to form a comprehensive remediation system for the effective and efficient remediation of buried waste. These efforts are identified and coordinated in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (ER/WM) needs and objectives. This document summarizes previous demonstrations and describes the FY-94 BWID technology development and demonstration activities. Sponsored by the DOE Office of Technology Development (OTD), BWID works with universities and private industry to develop these technologies, which are being transferred to the private sector for use nationally and internationally. A public participation policy has been established to provide stakeholders with timely and accurate information and meaningful opportunities for involvement in the technology development and demonstration process.

Simple conservation relationships (``Jump`` conditions) in conjunction with postulated material constitutive behavior are applied to steady plastic strain waves propagating in problems of uniaxial stress and Taylor Cylinder Impact. These problems are simulated with a two-dimensional Lagrangian continuum mechanics code for numerically validating the Jump relationships as an accurate analytical representation of plastic wave propagation. The constitutive behavior used in this effort assumes isotropy and models the thermodynamic response with a Mie-Grunisen Equation-of-State and the mechanical response with the rate-dependent Johnson-Cook and MTS flow stress models. The Jump relationships successfully replicate the results produced by continuum code simulations of plastic wave propagation and provide a methodology for constructing mechanical constitutive models from experimental plastic wave speed information. Comparisons are also presented between experimental speeds from Taylor Cylinder Impact tests with Jump relationships and continuum code predictions, indicating that the above mentioned flow stress models may not accurately capture plastic wave propagation speeds in annealed and hardened copper.

None

The results of a study of the condition of spent nuclear fuel elements from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) currently being stored underwater at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) are presented. This study was motivated by a need to estimate the corrosion behavior of dried, spent ATR fuel elements during dry storage for periods up to 50 years. The study indicated that the condition of spent ATR fuel elements currently stored underwater at the INEL is not very well known. Based on the limited data and observed corrosion behavior in the reactor and in underwater storage, it was concluded that many of the fuel elements currently stored under water in the facility called ICPP-603 FSF are in a degraded condition, and it is probable that many have breached cladding. The anticipated dehydration behavior of corroded spent ATR fuel elements was also studied, and a list of issues to be addressed by fuel element characterization before and after forced drying of the fuel elements and during dry storage is presented.

Two independent high beam current shut-off current monitoring systems (BESOCM) have been installed in the APS linac and the low energy transport line to provide personnel safety protection in the event of acceleration of excessive beam currents. Beam current is monitored by a fast current transformer (FCT) and fully redundant supervisory circuits connected to the Access Control Interlock System (ACIS) for beam intensity related shutdowns of the linac. One FCT is located at the end of the positron linac and the other in the low energy transport line, which directs beam to the positron accumulator ring (PAR). To ensure a high degree of reliability, both systems employ a continuous self-checking function, which injects a test pulse to a single-turn test winding after each ``real`` beam pulse to verify that the system is fully functional. The system is designed to be fail-safe for all possible system faults, such as loss of power, open or shorted signal or test cables, loss of external trigger, malfunction of gated integrator, etc. The system has been successfully commissioned and is now a reliable part of the total ACIS.

None

The oxidation of uranium to form Uranium `roaster oxide` was investigated with respect to concerns of unreacted metal remaining in the roaster oxide matrix. It was found that ignition of unreacted uranium chips in the roaster oxide as synthesized is unlikely under normal storage conditions.

None

None

None

None

None

The primary objective of this SBIR research program is to increase the performance, durability, and corrosion resistance of lightweight filter candles and filter tubesheet components (Fibrosic{trademark}), fabricated from vacuum formed chopped ceramic fiber (VFCCF), for use in advanced coal utilization applications. Phase I results proved that significant gains in material strength and particle retentivity are possible by treatment of VFCCF materials with colloidal ceramic oxides. Phase II efforts will show how these treated materials tolerate high temperature and vapor-phase alkali species, on a long-term basis. With good durability and corrosion resistance, high temperature capability, and a low installed and replacement cost, these novel materials will help promote commercial acceptance of ceramic candle filter technology, as well as increase the efficiency and reliability of coal utilization processes in general.

None