This project was conducted to determine if ionizing radiation could be used to catalytically destroy organics over semiconducting metal oxide particles. We focused primarily on the destruction of organic chelating agents, such as EDTA, which are known to hamper the separation of radionucleii (such as Sr or Am) from tank waste using current ion exchange methods. Our objective was to determine if ionizing radiation could be used to destroy the chelating capability of species such as EDTA, either by partially or completely decomposing the organic, in order to free radionucleii for efficient separation. Although a considerable amount of information is available in the open literature on the roles of visible/UV light in photocatalysis, little is known about the processes initiated by ionizing radiation. In this sense, the use of ionizing radiation is both novel, and may find an important niche in the pretreatment of mixed waste. An additional aim of the project was determine the mechanism(s) by which the radiocatalysis effect took place and compare it to what is know from visible and UV photocatalytic processes in the literature. The main outcome of this work is a more thorough evaluation of the use of ionizing radiation in the catalytic remediation …

This Final Technical Report summarizes the technical accomplishments of an investigation entitled ''Laboratory Experiments to Simulate CO{sub 2} Ocean Disposal'', funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's University Coal Research Program. This investigation responds to the possibility that restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions may be imposed in the future to comply with the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The primary objective of the investigation was to obtain experimental data that can be applied to assess the technical feasibility and environmental impacts of oceanic containment strategies to limit release of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) from coal and other fossil fuel combustion systems into the atmosphere. A number of critical technical uncertainties of ocean disposal of CO{sub 2} were addressed by performing laboratory experiments on liquid CO{sub 2} jet break-up into a dispersed droplet phase, and hydrate formation, under deep ocean conditions. Major accomplishments of this study included: (1) five jet instability regimes were identified that occur in sequence as liquid CO{sub 2} jet disintegration progresses from laminar instability to turbulent atomization; (2) linear regression to the data yielded relationships for the boundaries between the five instability regimes in dimensionless Ohnesorge Number, Oh, and jet Reynolds Number, Re, space; (3) droplet size …

Brookhaven National Laboratory was established in 1947 on the site of the former Army Camp Upton. Brookhaven is a multidisciplinary Laboratory that carries out basic and applied research in the physical, biomedical and environmental sciences, and in selected energy technologies. Associated Universities, Inc. managed the Laboratory, under contract with the US Department of Energy until April 30, 1998. On March 1, 1998, Brookhaven Science Associates LLC (BSA) was awarded a contract by the US Department of Energy to manage the Laboratory. Brookhaven Science Associates has taken responsibility for all aspects of the existing Royalty Use Program from the prior contractor, AUI. This report is limited to FY 1998 activities of the Royalty Use Program that were funded by royalty income from prior fiscal years. Any FY 1998 royalty income allocated in FY 1998 shall be reported in the FY 1999 Royalty Use Program Report.

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OAK-B135 Monitoring the Durability Performance of Concrete in Nuclear Waste Containment. Second technical progress report

MORE is a consortium of educational, governmental, and industrial partners in cooperation with the state's Tribal colleges. Formed in 1994, the objectives are to develop and promote energy-related research and education in the state of Montana and the Northwestern region. Specifically, they set out to: (1) promote collaboration and cooperation among Montana's Colleges and Universities; (2) maximize use of existing personnel and resources; (3) foster partnerships with industries, state agencies, and tribal nations; and (4) enhance energy research and training. The 1st Implementation Grant consisted of Management and Coordination, Human Outreach, and two Research Clusters Petroleum Reservoir Characterization and Wind Energy. Overall, they consider this program to have been highly successful. That conclusion was mirrored by the DOE site reviewers, and by invitations from Dr. Matesh Varma, the DOE/EPSCoR National Program Director, to present their programs and outcomes as models for other states the National DOE/EPSCoR meetings.

The objective of this project was to develop a membrane process for the denitrogenation of natural gas. Large proven reserves in the Lower-48 states cannot be produced because of the presence of nitrogen. To exploit these reserves, cost-effective, simple technology able to reduce the nitrogen content of the gas to 4-5% is required. Technology applicable to treatment of small gas streams (below 10 MMscfd) is particularly needed. In this project membranes that selectively permeate methane and reject nitrogen in the gas were developed. Preliminary calculations show that a membrane with a methane/nitrogen selectivity of 3 to 5 is required to make the process economically viable. A number of polymer materials likely to have the required selectivities were evaluated as composite membranes. Polyacetylenes such as poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) [PTMSP] and poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne) [PMP] had high selectivities and fluxes, but membranes prepared from these polymers were not stable, showing decreasing flux and selectivity during tests lasting only a few hours. Parel, a poly(propylene oxide allyl glycidyl ether) had a selectivity of 3 at ambient temperatures and 4 or more at temperatures of {minus}20 C. However, Parel is no longer commercially available, and we were unable to find an equivalent material in the time available. Therefore, …

This report contains the experimental, theoretical and numerical studies performed under Department of Energy (DOE) Agreement Number DE-FG07-96ER14732 entitled ''Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for Imaging Subsurface Water.'' DOE and Department of Defense (DOD) complexes and test ranges are situated in widely varying climatic conditions from the desert southwest to the humid east. The mission of the Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) is to clean up the inventory of inactive DOE sites and facilities, and the goal of the EM Office of Technology Development (OTD) is to deliver technologies to make environmental restoration more efficient and cost effective. In the western United States, where a number of DOE facilities are located, the water table can occur several hundred feet below the surface. The zone between surface and water table is called the vadose zone or unsaturated zone. A characteristic of that zone is that mobility of water and contaminants is greatly reduced compared to rate of movement in the saturated zone. A thick vadose zone lowers the risk and, at least, increases the time before contaminants enter drinking water supplies. The assessment of risk is often performed by modeling of ground water flow and contaminant migration by analytical …

Metal waste generated from domestic nuclear operations for defense and commercial applications has led to a growing stockpile of radioactively contaminated scrap metal, much of which is stainless steel. This steel contains large quantities of strategic elements such as nickel and chromium and constitutes a valuable domestic resource [1]. A significant fraction of this material cannot be efficiently surface decontaminated, and burial of this material would be wasteful and expensive, since long term monitoring would be necessary in order to minimize environmental risk. Melt decontamination of this material would maintain the chemical pedigree of the stainless steel, allowing its controlled reuse within the nuclear community. This research addresses the melt decontamination of radioactively contaminated stainless steel by electroslag remelting (ESR). ESR is industrially used for the production of specialty steels and superalloys to remove a variety of contaminates and to improve metal chemistry. Correctly applied, it could maintain the specified chemistry and mechanical properties of the original material while capturing the radioactive transuranic elements in a stable slag phase. The ESR process also produces a high quality metal ingot free of porosity that can be directly forged or rolled into final shapes. The goal of this project was to optimize …

This paper describes research and development for reducing the aerodynamic drag of heavy vehicles by demonstrating new approaches for the numerical simulation and analysis of aerodynamic flow. In addition, greater use of newly developed computational tools holds promise for reducing the number of prototype tests, for cutting manufacturing costs, and for reducing overall time to market. Experimental verification and validation of new computational fluid dynamics methods are also an important part of this approach. Experiments on a model of an integrated tractor-trailer are underway at NASA Ames Research Center and the University of Southern California. Companion computer simulations are being performed by Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and California Institute of Technology using state-of-the-art techniques, with the intention of implementing more complex methods in the future.

Changes in pollutant profiles observed in contaminated soils have been attributed to biological activity when in actuality abiotic processes caused pollutant removal.1 This sometimes casual implication of biodegradation is not acceptable, but understandable, because factors which cause the disappearance of pollutants are not always easy to identify. Several pollutant removal or transformation pathways are possible with most pollutants found in soil and these processes may or may not operate independently. Careful evaluation of bioremediation necessitates that all transformation and removal pathways are anticipated so that the pathways are either controlled or monitored but in practice this is generally not possible. The diminution in pollutant oxidation might track with several candidate loss mechanisms and when this occurs the real cause becomes problematic to pin point. Many factors disguise or prevent the effectual tracking of bioremediation processes among which are three general types of problems: (1) The estimate that only about 0.1% or less of the microorganisms living in soils are culturable leads to the conclusion that the possibility for unknown organisms participating in a biodegradation pathway is high. How should these imperceptible microorganisms be tracked? (2) The diversity of the microcosm is large, yet several different genera have been shown to …

Changes in pollutant profiles observed in contaminated soils have been attributed to biological activity when in actuality abiotic processes caused pollutant removal.1 This sometimes casual implication of biodegradation is not acceptable, but understandable, because factors which cause the disappearance of pollutants are not always easy to identify. Several pollutant removal or transformation pathways are possible with most pollutants found in soil and these processes may or may not operate independently. Careful evaluation of bioremediation necessitates that all transformation and removal pathways are anticipated so that the pathways are either controlled or monitored but in practice this is generally not possible. The diminution in pollutant oxidation might track with several candidate loss mechanisms and when this occurs the real cause becomes problematic to pin point. Many factors disguise or prevent the effectual tracking of bioremediation processes among which are three general types of problems: (1) The estimate that only about 0.1% or less of the microorganisms living in soils are culturable leads to the conclusion that the possibility for unknown organisms participating in a biodegradation pathway is high. How should these imperceptible microorganisms be tracked? (2) The diversity of the microcosm is large, yet several different genera have been shown to …

Transition metal oxides are presently the focus of much attention in condensed matter physics because of the diverse phenomena exhibited by these materials. Examples include antiferromagnetism, superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. The origin of these phenomena lies in the strong electron correlations present in these materials which place them between the well understood limits of band insulators and simple metals. The presence of these correlations makes these materials hard to handle theoretically, and there is a need for more detailed experimental work, in particular in regard to the electronic structure and excitations.

The U.S. Department of Energy manages the Nevada Test Site in a manner that meets evolving DOE Missions and responds to the concerns of affected and interested individuals and agencies. This Routine Radiological Monitoring Plan addressess complicance with DOE Orders 5400.1 and 5400.5 and other drivers requiring routine effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance on the Nevada Test Site. This monitoring plan, prepared in 1998, addresses the activities conducted onsite NTS under the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision. This radiological monitoring plan, prepared on behalf of the Nevada Test Site Landlord, brings together sitewide environmental surveillance; site-specific effluent monitoring; and operational monitoring conducted by various missions, programs, and projects on the NTS. The plan provides an approach to identifying and conducting routine radiological monitoring at the NTS, based on integrated technical, scientific, and regulatory complicance data needs.

This project is designed to develop a family of novel NO{sub x} control technologies, called Second Generation Advanced Reburning (SGAR) which has the potential to achieve 90+ NO{sub x} control in coal fired boilers at a significantly lower cost than Selective Catalytic Reduction. The ninth reporting period in Phase II (October 1-December 31, 1999) included preparation of the 10 x 10{sup 6} Btu/hr Tower Furnace for tests and setting the SGAR model to predict process performance under Tower Furnace conditions. Based on results of previous work, a paper has been prepared and submitted for the presentation at the 28 Symposium (International) on Combustion to be held at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The knowledge gap on vadose zone colloid transport limits predicting contaminant transport at many DOE sites, and remains an outstanding scientific challenge. Although the process of contaminant sorption at mineral surfaces has received much recognition as a major mechanism controlling contaminant behavior in subsurface environments, virtually little attention has been given to the possibility of contaminant sorption at gas-water interfaces, a major interface in the vadose zone. Moreover, little effort has yet been advanced to optimize such interactions for the purpose of facilitating in-situ remediation. Gas-water interfaces, unlike water-solid interfaces, are mobile. Therefore, associations of contaminants with gas-water interfaces can be very important not only in subsurface contaminant distributions, but also in contaminant mobilization, and potentially in remediation. The first objective of this project was to develop a fundamental understanding of interactions between contaminants and gas-water interfaces. For surface-active molecules, surface excesses can be determined through the Gibbs equation combined with measuring changes in surface tension with respect to changes in their solution concentration. However, for surface-active colloids, surface tension changes are too small to measure. Until initiation of this research project, there were no techniques available for quantifying sorption of colloids at gas-water interfaces. The second purpose of the …

Combustion experiments were carried out on four different residual fuel oils in a 732 kW boiler. Particulate matter (PM) emission samples were separated aerodynamically by a cyclone into fractions that were nominally less than and greater than 2.5 microns in diameter. However, examination of several of the samples by computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM) revealed that part of the <2.5 micron fraction (PM{sub 2.5}) in fact consists of carbonaceous cenospheres and vesicular particles that range up to 10 microns in diameter. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy data were obtained at the S, V, Ni, Fe, Cu, Zn, and As Kedges, and at the Pb L-edge. Deconvolution of the x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) region of the S spectra established that the dominant molecular forms of S present were sulfate (26-84% of total S) and thiophene (13-39% of total S). Sulfate was greater in the PM{sub 2.5} samples than in the >2.5 micron samples (PM{sub 2.5+}). Inorganic sulfides and elemental sulfur were present in lower percentages. The Ni XANES spectra from all of the samples agree fairly well with that of NiSO4, while most of the V spectra closely resemble that of vanadyl sulfate (VO{center_dot}SO{sub 4}{center_dot}xH{sub 2}O). The other …

An open-gradient magnetic separation (OGMS) process is being considered to separate deleterious elements from radioactive and mixed waste streams prior to vitrification or stabilization. By physically segregating solid wastes and slurries based on the magnetic properties of the solid constituents, this potentially low-cost process may serve the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by reducing the large quantities of glass produced from defense-related high-level waste (HLW). Furthermore, the separation of deleterious elements from low-level waste (LLW) also can reduce the total quantity of waste produced in LLW immobilization activities. Many HLW 'and LLW waste' streams at both Hanford and the Savannah River Site (SRS) include constituents deleterious to the durability of borosilicate glass and the melter many of the constituents also possess paramagnetism. For example, Fe, Cr, Ni, and other transition metals may limit the waste loading and affect the durability of the glass by forming spine1 phases at the high operating temperature used in vitrification. Some magnetic spine1 phases observed in glass formation are magnetite (Fe,O,), chromite (FeCrO,), and others [(Fe, Ni, Mg, Zn, Mn)(Al, Fe, Ti, Cr)O,] as described elsewhere [Bates-1994, Wronkiewicz-1994] Stable spine1 phases can cause segregation between the glass and the crystalline phases. As a consequence of …

Strategic Technology Resources, L.L.C. (STR) provided work for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in response to Request for Proposal 005BZ0019-35. The objectives of the work in this project were to: (1) support the completion of the Advanced Reservoir Management (ARM) cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) LA9502037, and (2) support the development of a field demonstration of the LANL-developed Global Weapons Information System (GWIS) model for virtual enterprises. The second objective was contingent upon DOE approval of the Advanced Information Management (AIM) CRADA. At the request of the LANL Technical Representative, the project was granted a no-cost extension to November 30, 1999. As part of the project, STR provided managerial support for the ARM CRADA by: (1) assessing the data resources of the participating companies, (2) facilitating the transfer of technical data to LANL, (3) preparing reports, (4) managing communications between the parties to the ARM CRADA, and (5) assisting with the dissemination of information between the parties to technical professional societies and trade associations. The first phase of the current project was to continue to engage subcontractors to perform tasks in the ARM CRADA for which LANL expertise was lacking. All of the ARM field studies required of the …

The purpose of this document is to provide the technical requirements for preparation for use, operation, inspection, and maintenance of a Transuranic Package Transporter Model II (TRUPACT-II) Shipping Package and directly related components. This document complies with the minimum requirements as specified in the TRUPACT-II Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Certificate of Compliance (C of C) 9218. In the event there is a conflict between this document and the TRUPACT-II SARP, the TRUPACT-II SARP shall govern. TRUPACT-II C of C number 9218 states, ''... each package must be prepared for shipment and operated in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 7.0, Operating Procedures, of the application.'' It further states, ''... each package must be tested and maintained in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter 8.0, Acceptance Tests and Maintenance Program of the application.'' Chapter 9 of the TRUPACT-II SARP charges the Westinghouse Electric Corporation Waste Isolation Division (WID) with assuring that the TRUPACT-II is used in accordance with the requirements of the C of C. To meet this requirement and verify consistency of operations when loading and unloading the TRUPACT-II on the trailer, placing a payload in the packaging, unloading the payload …

During the initial part of this period the concentrated effort was placed on getting comprehensive analysis and design of the turbine prototype. This was in order to be able to initiate its fabrication as needed for its building, assembling and timely testing. In the second part of this period the effort was placed on design and other considerations needed to acquire the test rig within the limited budget based on subsequent grant from the DOE.

This report describes the assessment of the physical and chemical properties of the jet fuel (180-300 C) distillation fraction of nine direct coal liquefaction products and compares those properties to the corresponding specifications for aviation turbine fuels. These crude coal liquids were compared with finished fuel specifications specifically to learn what the refining requirements for these crudes will be to make them into finished fuels. The properties of the jet fuel fractions were shown in this work to require extensive hydrotreating to meet Jet A-1 specifications. However, these materials have a number of desirable qualities as feedstocks for the production of high energy-density jet fuels.

Direct fast-neutron detection is the detection of fast neutrons before they are moderated to thermal energy. We have investigated two approaches for using proton-recoil in plastic scintillators to detect fast neutrons and distinguish them from gamma-ray interactions. Both approaches use the difference in travel speed between neutrons and gamma rays as the basis for separating the types of events. In the first method, we examined the pulses generated during scattering in a plastic scintillator to see if they provide a means for distinguishing fast-neutron events from gamma-ray events. The slower speed of neutrons compared to gamma rays results in the production of broader pulses when neutrons scatter several times within a plastic scintillator. In contrast, gamma-ray interactions should produce narrow pulses, even if multiple scattering takes place, because the time between successive scattering is small. Experiments using a fast scintillator confirmed the presence of broader pulses from neutrons than from gamma rays. However, the difference in pulse widths between neutrons and gamma rays using the best commercially available scintillators was not sufficiently large to provide a practical means for distinguishing fast neutrons and gamma rays on a pulse-by-pulse basis. A faster scintillator is needed, and that scintillator might become available …

This report presents the results of the bench-scale work, Bench Run PB-09, HTI Run Number 227-106, conducted under the DOE Proof-of-Concept Option Program indirect coal liquefaction at Hydrocarbon Technologies Inc. in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Bench Run PB-09 was conducted using two types of Chinese coal, Shenhua No.2 and Shenhua No.3, and had several goals. One goal was to study the liquefaction performance of Shenhua No.2 and Shenhua No.3 with respect to coal conversion and distillate production. Another goal of Bench Run PB-09 was to study the effect of different GelCatw formulations and loadings. At the same time, the space velocity and the temperature of the fmt reactor, K-1, were varied to optimize the liquefaction of the two Chinese coals. The promoter-modified HTI GelCat{trademark} catalyst was very effective in the direct liquefaction of coal with nearly 92% maf coal conversion with Shenhua No.3 and 93% maf coal conversion with 9 Shenhua No.2. Distillate yields (CQ-524 C)varied from 52-68% maf for Shenhua No.3 coal to 54-63% maf for Shenhua No.2 coal. The primary conclusion from Bench Run PB-09 is that Shenhua No.3 coal is superior to Shenhua No.2 coal in direct liquefaction due to its greater distillate production, although coal conversion is …