The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program has updated an extensive objective concentration factor and biological half-life data base from the international marine radioecological literature. A microcomputer-based data management system has been implemented to provide statistical and graphic summaries of these data. The data base is constructed in a manner which allows subsets to be sorted using a number of interstudy variables such as organism category, tissue/organ category, geographic location (for in situ studies), and several laboratory-related conditions (e.g., exposure time and exposure concentrator). This report updates earlier reviews, and provides summaries of the tabulated data. In addition to the concentration factor/biological half-life data base, we provide an outline of other published marine radioecological works. Our goal is to present these data in a form that enables those concerned with predictive assessment of radiation dose in the marine environment to make a more judicious selection of data for a given application. 588 refs., 18 figs., 3 tabs.
This document describes the NEFTRAN II (NEtwork Flow and TRANsport in Time-Dependent Velocity Fields) computer code and is intended to provide the reader with sufficient information to use the code. NEFTRAN II was developed as part of a performance assessment methodology for storage of high-level nuclear waste in unsaturated, welded tuff. NEFTRAN II is a successor to the NEFTRAN and NWFT/DVM computer codes and contains several new capabilities. These capabilities include: (1) the ability to input pore velocities directly to the transport model and bypass the network fluid flow model, (2) the ability to transport radionuclides in time-dependent velocity fields, (3) the ability to account for the effect of time-dependent saturation changes on the retardation factor, and (4) the ability to account for time-dependent flow rates through the source regime. In addition to these changes, the input to NEFTRAN II has been modified to be more convenient for the user. This document is divided into four main sections consisting of (1) a description of all the models contained in the code, (2) a description of the program and subprograms in the code, (3) a data input guide and (4) verification and sample problems. Although NEFTRAN II is the fourth generation code, this document is a complete description of the code and reference to past user`s manuals should not be necessary. 19 refs., 33 figs., 25 tabs.
The spatial correlation structure of volcanic tuffs at and near the site of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is estimated using samples obtained from surface outcrops and drill holes. Data are examined for four rock properties: porosity, air permeability, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and dry bulk density. Spatial continuity patterns are identified in both lateral and vertical (stratigraphic) dimensions. The data are examined for the Calico Hills tuff stratigraphic unit and also without regard for stratigraphy. Variogram models fitted to the sample data from the tuffs of Calico Hills indicate that porosity is correlated laterally over distances of up to 3000 feet. If air permeability and saturated conductivity values are viewed as semi-interchangeable for purposes of identifying spatial structure, the data suggest a maximum range of correlation of 300 to 500 feet without any obvious horizontal to vertical anisotropy. Continuity exists over vertical distances of roughly 200 feet. Similar variogram models fitted to sample data taken from vertical drill holes without regard for stratigraphy suggest that correlation exists over distances of 500 to 800 feet for each rock property examined. Spatial correlation of rock properties violates the sample-independence assumptions of classical statistics to a degree not usually acknowledged. In effect, the existence of spatial structure reduces the ``equivalent`` number of samples below the number of physical samples. This reduction in the effective sampling density has important implications for site characterization for the Yucca Mountain Project.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for designing, obtaining a license for, and constructing a geologic repository for the disposal of commercial high-level radioactive waste. The candidate repository site is currently at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Part of DOE`s responsibility is to assess compliance with the appropriate environmental regulations, including the Environmental Protection Agency`s containment requirements in 40 CFR Part 191. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL) have been contracted to aid DOE in the assessment of total systems performance. SNL has been tasked with evaluating and comparing the performance assessment methodologies developed by PNL and SNL, as applied to one conceptual model. In this report, SNL has attempted to reproduce, by way of a benchmark exercise, the results of PNL`s preliminary risk assessment of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. In general, the results of the PNL analysis and the SNL benchmark of that analysis agreed quite well, in terms of both ground-water flow and transport of unretarded radionuclides. The largest discrepancy between the analyses was noted for transport of retarded radionuclides, and was the result of different techniques for calculating retardation factors. 27 refs., 28 figs., 17 tabs.
The objective of this work is to develop a general method for remotely sensing the presence of tunneling activities using one or more boreholes and a combination of surface sources. New techniques for tunnel detection and location of tunnels containing no metal and of tunnels containing only a small diameter wire have been experimentally demonstrated. A downhole magnetic dipole and surface loop sources were used as the current sources. The presence of a tunnel causes a subsurface scattering of the field components created by the source. Ratioing of the measured responses enhanced the detection and location capability over that produced by each of the sources individually. 4 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs.
The gas-generation characteristics of contact-handled transuranic waste from Rocky Flats Plant (RFP) and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) will be tested at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in a series of bin-scale experiments. Bin-scale experiments are necessary because the extreme heterogeneity of CH TRU waste precludes adequate simulation of the waste in the laboratory. A stratified random sample of waste drums will be selected from the collection of drums at RFP and INEL that can be certified for shipment to the WIPP by August 1991. Before the waste is emplaced in the bins, 11 physical characteristics expected to control gas- generation behavior will be measured. These 11 controlling variables'' are expected to apply to all existing and future transuranic waste throughout the Department of Energy complex. Experiments will examine gas generation by radiolysis, microbial degradation, corrosion, and any synergistic mechanisms under many of the environmental conditions that will or may occur in the WIPP repository during the next 10,000 years. Because gas-generation behavior will be interpreted in terms of the controlling variables, gas generation by existing RFP/INEL waste that is not currently shippable, existing waste at other sites, and future waste can be predicted from the results of the WIPP bin-scale experiments. The results of the bin-scale experiments will support the WIPP Project's evaluation of compliance with 40 CFR 191, 40 CFR 268, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
A series of impact experiments on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) manufactured by Polycast Technology Corporation has recently been completed using a light gas gun. The intent of this work was to compare these Hugoniot data with those data from a previous study on PMMA manufactured by Rohm and Haas. The results show that there are no significant differences in Hugoniot parameters for the two materials in the pressure range of 1.9 to 6.9 GPa. 8 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.
This report describes the current status and recent progress in the Advanced Handling Technology Project (AHTP) initiated to explore the use of advanced robotic systems and handling technologies to perform automated cask handling operations at radioactive waste handling facilities, and to provide guidance to cask designers on the impact of robotic handling on cask design. Current AHTP tasks have developed system mock-ups to investigate robotic manipulation of impact limiters and cask tiedowns. In addition, cask uprighting and transport, using computer control of a bridge crane and robot, were performed to demonstrate the high speed cask transport operation possible under computer control. All of the current AHTP tasks involving manipulation of impact limiters and tiedowns require robotic operations using a torque wrench. To perform these operations, a pneumatic torque wrench and control system were integrated into the tool suite and control architecture of the gantry robot. The use of captured fasteners is briefly discussed as an area where alternative cask design preferences have resulted from the influence of guidance for robotic handling vs traditional operations experience. Specific robotic handling experiences with these system mock-ups highlight a number of continually recurring design principles: (1) robotic handling feasibility is improved by mechanical designs which emphasize operation with limited dexterity in constrained workspaces; (2) clearances, tolerances, and chamfers must allow for operations under actual conditions with consideration for misalignment and imprecise fixturing; (3) successful robotic handling is enhanced by including design detail in representations for model-based control; (4) robotic handling and overall quality assurance are improved by designs which eliminate the use of loose, disassembled parts. 8 refs., 15 figs.
The Pre-Tiger Team Self-Assessment (PTTSA) Report identified findings with respect to the way Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, (including Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and Kauai Test Facility (KTF)) conducts its environment, safety, and health (ES H) activities. It presented Action Plan Requirements (APR) addressing these findings. The purpose of this PTTSA Action Plan Report is to assist in managing these action plan requirements by collecting, prioritizing, and estimating required resources. The specific objectives addressed by this report include: collection of requirements for the resolution of the findings presented in the PTTSA Report; consolidation of proposed Action Plan Requirements into logical Action Plan groupings for efficiency of resolution; categorization of Action Plans according to severity of the hazards represented by the findings; provision of a basis for long-range planning and issues management; documentation of the status of the proposed corrective actions; establishment of traceability of the corrective action to the original problem or issue; and integration of these plans into the existing ES H structure. The Action Plans in this report are an intermediate step between the identification of a problem or a finding in the PTTSA Report and the execution of the solution. They consist of requirements for solution, proposed actions, and an estimate of the time and (where applicable) resources required to develop the solution. This report is an input to the process of planning, resource commitment, development, testing, implementation, and maintenance of problem resolution. 2 figs.
This handbook outlines the basic job of guest editors for the HEART Conference proceedings, published by the DoD Nuclear Information and Analysis Center in the Journal of Radiation Effects, Research and Engineering. Suggestions are offered for procedures to aid the editors, authors, reviewers, and the publisher in assuring that the journal communicates clearly, concisely, and honestly.
The output intensity of a laser can be expressed in the form I{sub out} = Ag{sub 0}I{sub s} + BI{sub s}. The constants A and B are independent of the pump rate for laser systems with nonsaturable losses, but both g{sub 0}I{sub s} and I{sub s} can depend upon the pump rate. Methods for determining the pump rate dependence of g{sub 0}I{sub s} and I{sub s} are given for experiments in which the pump rate varies continuously. 6 refs., 1 fig.
A towed linear hydrophone array is subject to snakelike bending. If the array were processed as if it were truly linear, poor array gain coupled with a degraded source bearing estimate would result. The signal phase errors produced by sensor position uncertainty in passive sonar arrays are similar to those observed in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. The Phase Gradient Autofocus (PGA) Algorithm has been shown to be a robust and effective method used to extract degrading phase errors prevalent in SAR imagery. This report shows that with slight modifications, the PGA algorithm can be applied to correct phase errors resulting from sensor position uncertainty introduced into linear-passive arrays. The results of the technique applied to simulated linear array data is also presented. 9 refs., 8 figs.
As part of Sandia National Laboratories` (SNL) pollution prevention program a system is under development to track the movement of hazardous and radioactive materials from procurement, through use, to final disposition. The information provided by this system will improve the flow and enhance the quality of data, avoid duplication of effort, facilitate timely and accurate reporting, better support the information needs of various Environmental, Safety, and Health (ES&H) programs, and allow waste to be minimized more effectively. Such a comprehensive system will incorporate information from other sources and build upon existing databases. The component include the Chemical Information System/Material Safety Data Sheet (CIS/MSDS) system installed by AT&T Bell Laboratories (AT&T-BL) at SNL in Livermore, along with a barcode chemical waste tracking system already in operation at SNL in Albuquerque. Also being developed in Albuquerque are Process Waste Assessments, a radioactive material tracking system, and a radioactive/mixed waste tracking system. A SNL and AT&T-BL joint project is addressing how PWAs will link raw materials to waste streams. With a ``cradle-to-grave`` tracking system, it is possible to assess both financial and environmental life cycle costs. Once in place, this information will improve long-run efficiency and environmental protection, and provide benefits exceeding the initial demands placed upon personnel.
Tests have been conducted on bench-scale heat-pipe solar receivers to explore methods of constructing wicks. The primary objective was to develop a wick structure that was easy to fabricate and was capable of transporting liquid sodium over long distances against hydrostatic and frictional pressure drops. One of the wicks tested in this program was able to lift sodium 45 cm by capillary pumping alone to cool a 3-cm×10-cm area subjected to an average flux of 50 W/cm2.
Knowledge of the solubility of gases in pure water and sodium chloride brine is required for the evaluation of gas-liquid behavior associated with numerous processes in the chemical, biological, and geological sciences and in chemical engineering. Modelling of multiphase flow and transport processes used to simulate fluid behavior in geological media requires suitable and accurate gas solubility data, especially when applied to potential nuclear waste repositories such as WIPP. This report contains a critical evaluation of data available in the literature and provides compiled data sets for the solubility of hydrogen, nitrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide gases in pure water and in sodium chloride brine. Mole fraction gas solubilities are presented as functions of temperature and pressure. To evaluate the influence of electrolyte content of the aqueous solution upon the gas solubility, Sechenov coefficients are provided for several concentrated sodium chloride solution. An estimate of the solubility of hydrogen in 5 N sodium chloride brine as a function of pressure exhibits a solubility at 40 MPa that is one fifth the value observed for pure water at the same pressure.
In this paper, a design methodology is presented for assessing drift stability for a potential high-level radioactive waste repository. Excavation stability is required during construction, emplacement, retrieval (if required) and closure phases to ensure worker health and safety, and to prevent development of potential pathways for radionuclide migration in the post-closure period. Requirements for the design, site conditions and stresses are considered in the methodology. Methods for evaluating empirical and analytical results in order to estimate ground support requirements are outlined.
There are three aspects to an environmentally safe battery. The first deals with the manufacturing process, the second with the use of environmentally friendly materials, and the third with the disposal and/or recycling of spent units. In this paper, several ongoing programs at Sandia National Laboratories that relate to the environmentally conscious manufacturing of batteries, are discussed. The solvent substitution/elimination program is a two-pronged effort, aimed at identifying new solvents which are compatible with the environment, while at the same time developing dry process cleaning technology. The joining program is evaluating new solvents for flux removal as well as the development of fluxless soldering processes. In the area of welding, new cleaning processes are under study. Chemical microsensors are under development that are capable of identifying and quantifying single chemical species. These sensors have been used to monitor and improve processes using toxic/hazardous solvents. 1 ref., 1 fig.
Phased-array antenna systems are well known for rapid beam steering and their ability to bring high power to the target. Such systems are also quite complex and heavy, which have limited their usefulness. The issues of weight, size, power use, and complexity have been addressed through a system named COMPASS (Coherent Optical Monolithic Phased Array Steering System). All phased-array antenna systems need: (1) small size; (2) low power use; (3) high-speed beam steering; and (4) digitally-controlled phase shifting. COMPASS meets these basic requirements, and provides some very desirable additional features. These are: (1) phase control separate from the transmit/receive module; (2) simple expansion to large arrays; (3) fiber optic interconnect for reduced sensitivity to EMI; (4) an intrinsically radiation-hard GaAs chip; and (5) optical power provided by a commercially available continuous wave (CW) laser. 4 refs., 8 figs.
Titanium alloys offer desirable properties that make them attractive candidates for tribological applications. Their surface-related properties, however, such as coefficient of friction and wear rate, are less than optimum and must be improved by surface modification. To increase the tribological properties of Ti-6Al-4V, a high temperature ion implantation method, employing a high current density beam (e.g., 500 {mu}A/cm{sup 2}) of nitrogen (N) ions is being developed, where surface temperatures greater than 1000{degrees}C can be obtained. A systematic study was performed with N implantation at temperatures from 400{degrees} to >1000{degrees}C, and to a range of doses from 0.1--1.0{times}10{sup 18} N{sub 2}{sup +}--N{sup +}/cm{sup 2}. Microstructure characterization by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) and Glancing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GID) was performed to determine N distribution and compound formation. RBS analysis showed enhanced N penetrations (i.e., greater than 0.3 {mu}m) for the 800{degrees} and 1000{degrees}C implantations, with the deepest penetration (about 3.5 atomic percent N remaining at 0.75 {mu}m) for the 1000{degrees}C treatment. GID indicated TiN and Ti{sub 2}N concentrations were the greatest for the 800{degrees}C implantation treatment. 11 refs., 4 figs.
The debonding rates of H-passivated P and As in silicon have been observed to be very sensitive to the concentration of majority and minority charge carriers. A theoretical study of the stable and metastable configurations of the {l brace}P,H{r brace} and {l brace}As,H{r brace} pairs in the 0 and +1 charge states has been carried out at the near-ab-initio Hartree-Fock level. These calculations show that the lowest-energy configuration in the 0 charge state is the highest-energy configuration in the +1 charge state and vice-versa. This bistability of donor-hydrogen pairs implies that H cannot remain in place upon change of charge state, whether 0 {r arrow} +1 or +1 {r arrow} 0. Quantitative differences between the P and the As cases are qualitatively consistent with the observed differences in the temperature dependence of the debonding rates of {l brace}P,H{r brace} and {l brace}As,H{r brace}. 14 refs., 1 fig.
The usefulness of neutron radiography as a nondestructive engineering tool is heavily dependent on how a neutron reaches the image plane. Neutron interactions such as scattering and absorption, within a neutron radiography facility or a test part, affect the contrast of the resulting image generated by the process. It is important that the radiographer has a general understanding of how neutrons interact with matter to produce a quality image utilizing a neutron beam. 4 refs.
Conference Record - 7th Biennial IEEE-USA Careers Conference: Change and Competitiveness and Careers
Cannon, Thomas
Engineers invest several years becoming skilled in the many disciplines necessary to effectively carry out analysis, design and development. This typically includes math, physics, computer science, and special study in their core area of expertise. However, once promoted into management, engineers use less and less of these hard-earned technical skills and find themselves operating in nontechnical arenas in which they have little or no formal training. (The formal training that they do get is often through company-sponsored courses, lacking both the rigor and cohesiveness that they have grown accustomed to in their engineering curriculum.) Often, what they are exposed to are continually varying management doctrines that resemble the flavor of the month, each laying claim to the true secrets of motivation, productivity, and organizational competitiveness. Under such circumstances, it is difficult for the neophyte manager to sort out fact from fancy, and help from hype. It therefore would be helpful to put such theories in perspective and present them in a form most easily digested by technical managers, i.e., from an analytical point of view. This paper attempts to do just that. There are many factors that influence a manager's career progression. One of the most rational factors is how the manager's actions affect the productivity of his or her group. This paper focuses on principles and techniques that a manager can, and should, employ to improve group productivity and enhance his or her opportunities for further advancement.
