Publications

A treatability study has been conducted on liquid low-level and mixed wastes using the stabilization agents Aquaset, Aquaset II, Aquaset II-H, Petroset, Petroset-H, and Petroset and Petroset II. A total of 40 different waste types with activities ranging from 10{sup {minus}14} to 10{sup {minus}4} curies/ml have been stabilized. Reported data for each waste include its chemical and radiological composition and the optimum composition or range of compositions (weight of agent/volume of waste) for each stabilization agent used. All wastes were successfully stabilized with one or more of the stabilization agents and all final waste forms passed the Paint Filter Liquids Test (EPA Method 9095).

A novel approach to mitigating chatter vibrations in machine tools is presented. Encountered in many types of metal removal processes, chatter is a dangerous condition which results from the interaction of the cutting dynamics with the modal characteristics of the machine-workpiece assembly. Tool vibrations are recored on the surface of the workpiece during metal removal, imposing a waviness which alters the chip thickness during subsequent cutting passes. Deviations from the nominal chip thickness effect changes in the cutting force which, under certain conditions, can further excite vibrations. The chatter mitigation strategy presented is based on periodically altering the impedance of the cutting tool assembly. A cyclic electric (or magnetic) field is applied to the spindle quill which contains an electro-rheological (or magneto-rheological) fluid. The variable yield stress in the fluid affects the coupling of the spindle to the machine tool structure, changing the natural frequency of oscillation. Altering the modal characteristics in this fashion disrupts the modulation of current tool vibrations with previous tool vibrations recorded on the workpiece surface. Results from a simulated milling process reveal that significant reductions in vibration amplitude can be achieved through proper selection of fluid and excitation frequency.

An overview of surface micromachining projects at the Microelectronics Development Laboratory of Sandia National Laboratories is presented. Development efforts are underway for a variety of surface micromachined sensors and actuators. A technology that embeds micromechanical devices below the surface of the wafer prior to microelectronics fabrication has also been developed for integrating microelectronics with surface micromachined micromechanical devices.

This paper suggests that inexorable changes in the society are presenting both challenges and a rich selection of technologies for responding to these challenges. The citizen is more demanding of environmental and personal protection, and of information. Simultaneously, the commercial and government information technologies markets are providing new technologies like commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, common datasets, ``open`` GIS, recordable CD-ROM, and the World Wide Web. Thus one has the raw ingredients for creating new techniques and tools for spatial analysis, and these tools can support participative study and decision-making. By carrying out a strategy of thorough and demonstrably correct science, design, and development, can move forward into a new generation of participative risk assessment and routing for radioactive and hazardous materials.

This document presents the results of a system analysis and market survey of commercially available alarm communication systems for potential use as an alternate sensor communication system. Only those systems that report alarm/sensor information to a central control panel were considered. The communication systems surveyed include wireless radio frequency (RF) systems, spread spectrum systems, fiber optic systems, twisted pair/copper wire, cellular systems, and other types of communication equipment. All systems are commercially available, and most information was obtained by telephone conversations with the manufacturer, personal interviews at security conferences, and countless reviews of the manufacturers` data sheets. Many systems were identified, but only those that met a minimum set of system requirements were included. Other systems that appeared to be applicable usually did not provide adequate data encryption or could not interface directly to the system. While such features could be incorporated using additional hardware, doing so would make the system more expensive and conflict with the idea of purchasing a single unit that meets the minimum set of requirements. Several systems greatly exceed the scope of this project and utilizing such systems would mean investing in more capacity than is really needed.

The US and other leading nations are at the forefront of a global trend to implement both national and international enterprise networks via information highways. New or upgraded cabling infrastructures are essential to support these activities. Professionals in the telecommunications industry are keenly aware of the challenges presented by such cabling upgrades. Desktop connectivity must be established before quantum leaps in information flow, as suggested by new technologies and global concepts. Some businesses with campus-type facilities have undertaken this formidable challenge. Universities and other higher-level learning institutions, corporate research facilities, independent and government-funded laboratories, financial institutions, medical facilities, and unique suburban housing test sites have risen to this challenge. Sandia National Laboratories is one such organization. This report presents the lessons learned from this project and gives 13 specific recommendations for manufacturers, buyers, and installers.

The effect of ROSA pretreatment on the solderability of environmentally stressed PWB test coupons was investigated. The PWB surface finish was an electroplated, reflowed solder. Test results demonstrated the ability to recover plated-through-hole fill of steam aged samples with solder after ROSA processing. ROSA offers an alternative method for restoring the solderability of aged PWB surfaces.

This report uses the scenarios described in NUREG/CR-6075 and NUREG/CR-6075, Supplement 1, to address the direct containment heating (DCH) issue for all Westinghouse plants with large dry or subatmospheric containments. DCH is considered resolved if the conditional containment failure probability (CCFP) is less than 0.1. Loads versus strength evaluations of the CCFP were performed for each plant using plant-specific information. The DCH issue is considered resolved for a plant if a screening phase results in a CCFP less than 0.01, which is more stringent than the overall success criterion. If the screening phase CCFP for a plant is greater than 0.01, then refined containment loads evaluations must be performed and/or the probability of high pressure at vessel breach must be analyzed. These analyses could be used separately or could be integrated together to recalculate the CCFP for an individual plant to reduce the CCFP to meet the overall success criterion of less than 0.1. The CCFPs for all of the Westinghouse plants with dry containments were less than 0.01 at the screening phase, and thus, the DCH issue is resolved for these plants based on containment loads alone. No additional analyses are required.

In this paper, a review of the Spatial Twist Contiuum and the basic whisker weaving algorithm are given. Progress in the detection and resolution of several types of degeneracies formed by whisker weaving are discussed. These examples include so-called knife doublets, triple doublets, through-cells and through-chords. Knife doublets and triple doublets are resolved by preventing their formation a-priori, which forces whisker weaving to remove the element(s) causing the degeneracy. Through-chords and through-cells are left in the weave and resolved after the weave has been closed. The paper concludes with three examples of geometries ``closed`` by whisker weaving.

The DELSOL computer code was used to model the annual Performance for numerous off-axis alignments of the Lugo heliostats located at the Solar Two site in Dagget, California. Recommended canting times are presented for the Lugo heliostats based upon their location in the field. Predicted annual performance of an off-axis alignment was actually higher than for on-axis alignment in some cases, and approximately equal if the recommended times are used. The annual performances of Solar One heliostats located nearby were also calculated, and illustrated the poorer performance expected of the Lugo heliostats.

A novel technique has been used to test the relative low cycle thermal fatigue resistance of different grades of US and Russian beryllium, which is proposed as plasma facing armor for fusion reactor first wall, limiter, and divertor components. The 30 kW electron beam test system at Sandia National Laboratories was used to sweep the beam spot along one direction at 1 Hz. This produces a localized temperature ``spike`` of 750{degree}C for each pass of the beam. Large thermal stresses in excess of the yield strength are generated due to very high spot heat flux, 250 MW/m{sup 2}. Cyclic plastic strains on the order of 0.6% produced visible cracking on the heated surface in less than 3000 cycles. An in-vacuo fiber optic borescope was used to visually inspect the beryllium surfaces for crack initiation. Grades of US beryllium tested included: S-65C, S- 65H, S-200F, S-200F-H, SR-200, I-400, extruded high purity, HIP`d spherical powder, porous beryllium (94% and 98% dense), Be/30% BeO, Be/60% BeO, and TiBe{sub 12}. Russian grades included: TGP-56, TShGT, DShG-200, and TShG-56. Both the number of cycles to crack initiation, and the depth of crack propagation, were measured. The most fatigue resistant grades were S-65C, DShG-200, TShGT, and TShG-56. Rolled sheet Be (SR-200) showed excellent crack propagation resistance in the plane of rolling, despite early formation of delamination cracks. Only one sample showed no evidence of surface melting, Extruded (T). Metallographic and chemical analyses are provided. Good agreement was found between the measured depth of cracks and a 2-D elastic-plastic finite element stress analysis.

The Sandia National Laboratories Environmental Restoration Project is expected to generate relatively large volumes of hazardous waste as a result of cleanup operations. These volumes will exceed the Laboratories existing waste management capacity. This paper presents four options for managing remediation wastes, including three alternatives for on-site waste management utilizing a corrective action management unit (CAMU). Costs are estimated for each of the four options based on current volumetric estimates of hazardous waste. Cost equations are derived for each of the options with the variables being waste volumes, the major unknowns in the analysis. These equations provide a means to update cost estimates as volume estimates change. This approach may be helpful to others facing similar waste management decisions.

The natural dip of the Salado Formation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), although regionally only about 111, has the potential to affect brine inflow and gas-migration distances due to buoyancy forces. Current models, including those in WIPP Performance Assessment calculations, assume a perfectly horizontal repository and stratigraphy. With the addition of buoyancy forces due to the dip, brine and gas flow patterns can be affected. Brine inflow may increase due to countercurrent flow, and gas may preferentially migrate up dip. This scoping study has used analytical and numerical modeling to evaluate the impact of the dip on brine inflow and gas-migration distances at the WIPP in one, two, and three dimensions. Sensitivities to interbed permeabilities, two-phase curves, gas-generation rates, and interbed fracturing were studied.

Sandia National Laboratories is involved in a safety assessment for the shipment of radioactive material by sea. One part of this study is investigation of the consequences of ship-to-ship collisions. This paper describes two sets of finite element analyses performed to assess the structural response of a small freighter and the loading imparted to radioactive material (RAM) packages during several postulated collision scenarios with another ship. The first series of analyses was performed to evaluate the amount of penetration of the freighter hull by a striking ship of various masses and initial velocities. Although these analyses included a representation of a single RAM package, the package was not impacted during the collision so forces on the package could not be computed. Therefore, a second series of analyses incorporating a representation of a row of seven packages was performed to ensure direct package impact by the striking ship. Average forces on a package were evaluated for several initial velocities and masses of the striking ship. In addition to. providing insight to ship and package response during a few postulated ship collisions scenarios, these analyses will be used to benchmark simpler ship collision models used in probabilistic risk assessment analyses.

The scientific issues concerning disposal of radioactive wastes in salt formations have received 40 years of attention since the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) first addressed this issue in the mid-50s. For the last 21 years, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have directed site specific studies for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This paper will focus primarily on the WIPP scientific studies now in their concluding stages, the major scientific controversies regarding the site, and some of the surprises encountered during the course of these scientific investigations. The WIPP project`s present understanding of the scientific processes involved continues to support the site as a satisfactory, safe location for the disposal of defense-related transuranic waste and one which will be shown to be in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Compliance will be evaluated by incorporating data from these experiments into Performance Assessment (PA) models developed to describe the physical and chemical processes that could occur at the WIPP during the next 10,000 years under a variety of scenarios. The resulting compliance document is scheduled to be presented to the EPA in October 1996 and all relevant information from scientific studies will be included in this application and the supporting analyses. Studies supporting this compliance application conclude the major period of scientific investigation for the WIPP. Further studies will be of a ``confirmatory`` and monitoring nature.

Knowledge of in situ stress and how stress changes with reservoir depletion and pore pressure drawdown is important in a multi-disciplinary approach to reservoir characterization, reservoir management, and improved oil recovery projects. This report summarizes a compilation of in situ stress data from six fields showing the effects of pore pressure and production-induced changes in pore pressure on the minimum horizontal stress. The in situ stress data and corresponding pore pressure data were obtained from field records of the operating companies and published reports. Horizontal stress was determined from closure pressure data of hydraulic fractures and leak-off tests. The stress measurements clearly demonstrate that the total minimum-horizontal stress is dependent on pore pressure. A decrease in pore pressure either by geologic processes or production of a reservoir will result in a decrease in the total minimum-horizontal stress. The magnitude of changes in stress state with net changes in pore pressure is dependent on local field conditions and cannot be accurately predicted by the uniaxial strain model that is commonly used by the petroleum industry.

In the early 1980s, the US Department of Energy (DOE) implemented a program to encourage beneficial uses of nuclear byproduct materials, such as cesium-137 and strontium-90, created during the production of defense materials. Potential uses of the cesium-137 ({sup 137}CS) isotope included sterilizing medical products, maintaining the quality of certain food products, and disinfecting municipal sewage sludge. Strontium-90 ({sup 90}Sr) is a good heat source and has been used in thermoelectric generators and other products that require a constant supply of heat. During that same period, a proposed facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was designed to use cesium-137 to sterilize sewage sludge. To support the sewage sludge treatment facility, Sandia National Laboratories was funded by the DOE to develop a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-certified Type B shipping container to transport cesium chloride (CsCl) or strontium fluoride (SrF{sub 2}) capsules produced by the Hanford Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) in the State of Washington. The primary purpose of the Beneficial Uses Shipping System (BUSS) cask is to provide shielding and confinement, as well as impact, puncture, and thermal protection for certified, special form contents during transport under normal and hypothetical accident conditions. The BUSS cask was designed to meet dimensional and weight constraints of the WESF and user facilities. Attaining as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) radiation exposures in the design and operation of the transport system was a major design goal. Another goal was to obtain regulatory approval of the design by preparing a safety analysis report for packaging (SARP) (Yoshimura et al. 1993).

The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Tritium Supply and Recycling considers several methods for the production of tritium. One of these methods is the Accelerator Production of Tritium. This report summarizes the design characteristics of APT including the accelerator, target/blanket, tritium extraction facility, and the balance of plant. Two spallation targets are considered: (1) a tungsten neutron-source target and (2) a lead neutron-source target. In the tungsten target concept, the neutrons are captured by the circulating He-3, thus producing tritium; in the lead target concept, the tritium is produced by neutron capture by Li-6 in a surrounding lithium-aluminum blanket. This report also provides information to support the PEIS including construction and operational resource needs, waste generation, and potential routine and accidental releases of radioactive material. The focus of the report is on the impacts of a facility that will produce 3/8th of the baseline goal of tritium. However, some information is provided on the impacts of APT facilities that would produce smaller quantities.

Short communication.

The Environmental Restoration Project at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico is tasked with assessing and remediating the Mixed Waste Landfill in Technical Area III. The Mixed Waste Landfill is a 2.6 acre, inactive radioactive and mixed waste disposal site. In 1993 and 1994, an extensive passive and active soil gas sampling program was undertaken to identify and quantify volatile organic compounds in the subsurface at the landfill. Passive soil gas surveys identified levels of PCE, TCE, 1,1, 1-TCA, toluene, 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane, dichloroethyne, and acetone above background. Verification by active soil gas sampling confirmed concentrations of PCE, TCE, 1,1,1-TCA, and 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane at depths of 10 and 30 feet below ground surface. In addition, dichlorodifluoroethane and trichlorofluoromethane were detected during active soil gas sampling. All of the volatile organic compounds detected during the active soil gas survey were present in the low ppb range.

This paper presents the results of an instantaneous profile test conducted near the Mixed Waste Landfill at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico. The purpose of the test was to measure the unsaturated hydraulic properties of soils near the Mixed Waste Landfill, including the relations between hydraulic conductivity, moisture content, and soil water tension. A 4.7 meter by 4.7 meter plot was saturated with water to a depth of 2 meters, and the wetting and drying responses of the vertical profile were observed. These data were analyzed to obtain in situ measurements of the unsaturated hydraulic properties.

We describe methods for measuring dynamical properties for underdense materials (e.g. snow) over a stress range of roughly 0. 1 - 4 GPa. Particular material properties measured by the present methods include Hugoniot states, reshock states and release paths. The underdense materials may pose three primary experimental difficulties. Snow in particular is perishable; it can melt or sublime during storage, preparation and testing. Many of these materials are brittle and crushable; they cannot withstand such treatment as traditional machining or launch in a gun system. Finally, with increasing porosity the calculated Hugoniot density becomes rapidly more sensitive to errors in wave time-of-arrival measurements. A family of 36 impact tests was conducted on snow and six proposed snow simulants at Sandia, yielding reliable Hugoniot states, somewhat less reliable reshock 3 states, and limited release property information. Natural snow of density {approximately}0.5 gm/cm{sup 3}, a lightweight concrete of density {approximately}0.7 gm/cm{sup 3} and a {open_quotes}snow-matching grout{close_quotes} of density {approximately}0.28 gm/cm 3 were the subjects of the majority of the tests. Hydrocode calculations using CTH were performed to elucidate sensitivities to edge effects as well as to assess the applicability of SESAME 2-state models to these materials. Simulations modeling snow as porous water provided good agreement for Hugoniot stresses to 1 GPa; a porous ice model was preferred for higher Hugoniot stresses. On the other hand, simulations of tests on snow, lightweight concrete and the snow-matching grout based on (respectively) porous ice, tuff and polyethylene showed a too-stiff response. Other methods for characterizing these materials are discussed. Based on the Hugoniot properties, the snow-matching grout appears to be a better snow simulant than does the lightweight concrete.

This paper uses two high-cycle fatigue data bases, US blade materials and one for European materials the service lifetime of a wind turbine blade sit WISPER load spectrum for northern European sit 19921 and the WISPER protocol load spectrum farm sites. The US data base, developed by Mandell, et al. (1995), contains over 2200 data points that were obtained using coupon testing procedures. These data are used to construct a Goodman diagram that is suitable for analyzing wind turbine blades. This result is compared to the Goodman diagram derived from the European fatigue data base FACT. The LIFE2 fatigue analysis code for wind turbines is then used to predict the service lifetime of a turbine blade subjected to the two loading histories. The results of this study indicate that the WISPER load spectrum from northern European sites significantly underestimates the WISPER protocol load spectrum from a US wind farm site; i.e., the WISPER load spectrum significantly underestimates the number and magnitude of the loads observed at a US wind farm site. Further, the analyses demonstrate that the European and the US fatigue material data bases are in general agreement for the prediction of tensile failures. However, for compressive failures, the two data bases are significantly different, with the US data base predicting significantly shorter service lifetimes than the European data base.

For many years the standard weak-link, pulse-discharge capacitors for DOE systems have utilized either the dry-wrap-and-fill, buried-foil Mylar capacitor or the Flourinert-filled, extended-foil Mylar capacitor designs. New stringent system requirements demanded a low-inductance, weak-link capacitor with higher energy density than the dry-wrap-and-fill, extended-foil Mylar capacitor. The hoop-shaped requirement, so that vital components could be thermally protected inside the weak-link capacitor, made the Flourinert capacitor design too expensive, complex and impractical. The low-inductance requirement eliminated the standard dry-wrap-and-fill, buried-foil design. This paper discusses evolvement of the close-tap-pair design of a buried-foil capacitor, which resulted in a capacitor that met the volume, shape, inductance, and reliability requirements.

The Prosperity Game conducted for the Laboratory Development Division of National Laboratories on May 24--25, 1995, focused on the individual and organizational autonomy plaguing the Department of Energy (DOE)-Congress-Laboratories` ability to manage the wrenching change of declining budgets. Prosperity Games are an outgrowth and adaptation of move/countermove and seminar War Games. Each Prosperity Game is unique in that both the game format and the player contributions vary from game to game. This particular Prosperity Game was played by volunteers from Sandia National Laboratories, Eastman Kodak, IBM, and AT&T. Since the participants fully control the content of the games, the specific outcomes will be different when the team for each laboratory, Congress, DOE, and the Laboratory Operating Board (now Laboratory Operations Board) is composed of executives from those respective organizations. Nevertheless, the strategies and implementing agreements suggest that the Prosperity Games stimulate cooperative behaviors and may permit the executives of the institutions to safely explore the consequences of a family of DOE concert.