Publications

In November 1988, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Generic Letter 88-20 requesting that all licensees perform an individual Plant Examination (IPE) to identify any plant-specific vulnerability to severe accidents and report the results to the Commission. This paper provides perspectives gained from reviewing 75 Individual Plant Examination (IPE) submittals covering 108 nuclear power plant units. Variability both within and among reactor types is examined to provide perspectives regarding plant-specific design and operational features, and modeling assumptions that play a significant role in the estimates of core damage frequencies in the IPEs.

This paper provides perspectives on human actions gained from reviewing 76 individual plant examination (IPE) submittals. Human actions found to be important in boiling water reactors (BWRs) and in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are presented and the events most frequently found important are discussed. Since there are numerous factors that can influence the quantification of human error probabilities (HEPs) and introduce significant variability in the resulting HEPs (which in turn can influence which events are found to be important), the variability in HEPs for similar events across IPEs is examined to assess the extent to which variability in results is due to real versus artifactual differences. Finally, similarities and differences in human action observations across BWRs and PWRs are examined.

Arylamine-containing diblock copolymers were prepared via ring- opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to afford well-defined phase- separated materials. Alteration of the functionaity in a block, as well as the size of the blocks, allowed for the synthesis of self- assembled monolayers on a copper surface. The arylamine-containing block exhibited a strong binding affinity for the copper surface as seen by neutron reflectivity experiments. In addition, neutron reflectivity data verifies the self-assembly of block copolymer monolayers normal to the copper surface. Block copolymers prepared in this manner allow for the preparation of a wide range of adhesives and corrosion resistant materials. The use of ring-opening metathesis polymerization is important because it permits the synthesis of a variety of functionalized block copolymers.

The Agreement Between the Department of Defense of the United States and The Ministry of the Russian Federation for Atomic Energy (MINATOM) Concerning Control, Accounting, and Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, as well as a subsequent amendment to that agreement and a joint statement signed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and MINATOM, resulted in the selection of the Mayak Production Association (MPA) as one of the Russian enterprises that would participate with DOE Laboratories in expanded cooperation aimed at enhancing Material protection, Control and Accounting (MPC&A) systems in both countries. This paper describes the nature and scope of the expanded cooperation involving MPA and six DOE laboratories at an operating civilian, spent-nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant designated RT-1. RT-1 produces, among other materials, reactor-grade plutonium dioxide, a direct-use material that is stored within the boundaries of this plant. Initial efforts at expanded cooperation will focus on enhancements to the existing MPC&A systems at MPA`s RT-1 plant.

This paper describes an evolutionary development process that will lead to spent fuel measurements that directly measure fissile reactivity. First, the Fork measurement system has been used to verify the burnup of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent-fuel assemblies at U.S. nuclear utilities. Fork measurements have demonstrated the utility of the passive Fork system to verify reactor records with a single 100-second measurement on each assembly. Second, an Advanced Fork system incorporating collimated gamma-ray spectroscopy has been designed to permit advanced calibration techniques that are independent of reactor burnup records and to allow rapid axial scanning of spent fuel assemblies. Third, an Active Fork system incorporating a neutron source to interrogate spent fuel is proposed to provide the capability to measure fissile reactivity, when compared to measurements on fresh fuel assemblies of the same design. The Advanced and Active Fork systems have wide applicability to spent fuel verification for PWR, boiling water reactor (BWR), and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) spent fuel.

Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided cooperative assistance to the non-nuclear weapons states of the Former Soviet Union. This effort, within DOE`s program of Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A), identified the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) in Uzbekistan and the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) in Lithuania as sites for cooperative MPC&A projects. The INP, located just outside of Tashkent, is the site of a 10-megawatt WWR-SM research reactor. This reactor is expected to remain operational as a major nuclear research and isotope production reactor for Central Asia. The INPP, located 100 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Vilnius, consists of two Russian-made RBMK reactors with a combined power output of 3,000 megawatts (electric). This power plant has been the subject of international safety and security concerns, which prompted DOE`s cooperative assistance effort. This paper describes U.S. progress in a multi-national effort directed at implementing physical protection upgrades in Lithuania and Uzbekistan. The upgrades agreed upon between DOE and the INP and between DOE and the INPP have been designed to interface with upgrades being implemented by other donor countries. DOE/INPP upgrade projects include providing training on U.S. approaches to physical protection, access control through the main vehicle portal, a hardened central alarm station, and improved guard force communications. DOE/INP upgrade projects in Uzbekistan include an access control system, a hardened fresh fuel storage vault, an interior intrusion detection and assessment system, and an integrated alarm display and assessment system.

The optical correlator described in this report is intended to serve as an attention-focusing processor. The objective is to narrowly bracket the range of a parameter value that characterizes the correlator input. The input is a waveform collected by a satellite-borne receiver. In the correlator, this waveform is simultaneously correlated with an ensemble of ionosphere impulse-response functions, each corresponding to a different total-electron-count (TEC) value. We have found that correlation is an effective method of bracketing the range of TEC values likely to be represented by the input waveform. High accuracy in a computational sense is not required of the correlator. Binarization of the impulse-response functions and the input waveforms prior to correlation results in a lower correlation-peak-to-background-fluctuation (signal-to-noise) ratio than the peak that is obtained when all waveforms retain their grayscale values. The results presented in this report were obtained by means of an acousto-optic correlator previously developed at SNL as well as by simulation. An optical-processor architecture optimized for 1D correlation of long waveforms characteristic of this application is described. Discussions of correlator components, such as optics, acousto-optic cells, digital micromirror devices, laser diodes, and VCSELs are included.

The simplest general kinetic schemes applicable to the oxidation of polymers are presented, discussed and analyzed in terms of the underlying kinetic assumptions. For the classic basic autoxidation scheme (BAS), which involves three bimolecular termination steps and is applicable mainly to unstabilized polymers, typical assumptions used singly or in groups include (1) long kinetic chain length, (2) a specific ratio of the termination rate constants and (3) insensitivity to the oxygen concentration (e.g., domination by a single termination step). Steady-state solutions for the rate of oxidation are given in terms of one, two, three, or four parameters, corresponding respectively to three, two, one, or zero kinetic assumptions. The recently derived four-parameter solution predicts conditions yielding unusual dependencies of the oxidation rate on oxygen concentration and on initiation rate, as well as conditions leading to some unusual diffusion-limited oxidation profile shapes. For stabilized polymers, unimolecular termination schemes are typically more appropriate than bimolecular. Kinetics incorporating unimolecular termination reactions are shown to result in very simple oxidation expressions which have been experimentally verified for both radiation-initiated oxidation of an EPDM and thermoxidative degradation of nitrile and chloroprene elastomers.

One emphasis of weapon surety (safety and security) at Sandia National Laboratories is the assessment of fire-related risk to weapon systems. New developments in computing hardware and software make possible the application of a new generation of very powerful analysis tools for surety assessment. This paper illustrates the application of some of these computational tools to assess the robustness of a conceptual firing set design in severe thermal environments. With these assessment tools, systematic interrogation of the parameter space governing the thermal robustness of the firing set has revealed much greater vulnerability than traditional ad hoc techniques had indicated. These newer techniques should be routinely applied in weapon design and assessment to produce more fully characterized and robust systems where weapon surety is paramount. As well as helping expose and quantify vulnerabilities in systems, these tools can be used in design and resource allocation processes to build safer, more reliable, more optimal systems.

A massively-parallel ab initio computer code, which uses Gaussian bases, pseudopotentials, and the local density approximation, permits the study of transition-metal systems with literally hundreds of atoms. We present total energies and relaxed geometries for Ru, Pd, and Ag clusters with N = 55, 135, and 140 atoms; we also used the DMOL code to study 13-atom Pd and Cu clusters, with and without hydrogen. The N = 55 and 135 clusters were chosen because of simultaneous cubo-octahedral (fcc) and icosahedral (icos) sub-shell closings, and we find icos geometries are preferred. Remarkably large compressions of the central atoms are observed for the icos structures (up to 6% compared with bulk interatomic spacings), while small core compressions ({approx} 1 %) are found for the fcc geometry. In contrast, large surface compressive relaxations are found for the fcc clusters ({approx} 2-3% in average nearest neighbor spacing), while the icos surface displays small compressions ({approx} 1%). Energy differences between icos and fcc are smallest for Pd, and for all systems the single-particle densities of states closely resembles bulk results. Calculations with N = 134 suggest slow changes in relative energy with N. Noting that the 135-atom fcc has a much more open surface than the icos, we also compare N = 140 icos and fcc, the latter forming an octahedron with close packed facets. These icos and fcc clusters have identical average coordinations and the octahedron is found to be preferred for Ru and Pd but not for Ag. Finally, we compare Harris functional and LDA energy differences on the N = 140 clusters, and find fair agreement only for Ag.

A prototype sensor fusion framework called the {open_quotes}Knowledge Assistant{close_quotes} has been developed and tested on a gantry robot at Sandia National Laboratories. This Knowledge Assistant guides the robot operator during the planning, execution, and post analysis stages of the characterization process. During the planning stage, the Knowledge Assistant suggests robot paths and speeds based on knowledge of sensors available and their physical characteristics. During execution, the Knowledge Assistant coordinates the collection of data through a data acquisition {open_quotes}specialist.{close_quotes} During execution and postanalysis, the Knowledge Assistant sends raw data to other {open_quotes}specialists,{close_quotes} which include statistical pattern recognition software, a neural network, and model-based search software. After the specialists return their results, the Knowledge Assistant consolidates the information and returns a report to the robot control system where the sensed objects and their attributes (e.g., estimated dimensions, weight, material composition, etc.) are displayed in the world model. This report highlights the major components of this system.

Nuclear cooperation between Argentina and Brazil has been growing since the early 1980`s and as it grew, so did cooperation with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) was formed in December 1991 to operate the Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (SCCC). In April 1994, ABACC and the DOE signed an Agreement of Cooperation in nuclear material safeguards. This cooperation has included training safeguards inspectors, exchanging nuclear material measurement and containment and surveillance technology, characterizing reference materials, and studying enrichment plant safeguards. The goal of the collaboration is to exchange technology, evaluate new technology in Latin American nuclear facilities, and strengthen regional safeguards. This paper describes the history of the cooperation, its recent activities, and future projects. The cooperation is strongly supported by all three governments: the Republics of Argentina and Brazil and the United States.

With increased awareness of the significant changes of the past several years and their effect on the expectations to international safeguards, it is necessary to reflect on the direction for development of nuclear safeguards in a new era and the resulting implications. The time proven monitoring techniques, based on quantitative factors and demonstrated universal application, have shown their merit. However, the new expectations suggest a possibility that a future IAEA safeguards system could rely more heavily on the value of a comprehensive, transparent, and open implementation regime. With the establishment of such a regime, it is highly likely that remote monitoring will play a significant role. Several states have seen value in cooperating with each other to address the many problems associated with the remote interrogation of integrated monitoring systems. As a consequence the International Remote Monitoring Project was organized to examine the future of remote monitoring in International Safeguards. This paper provides an update on the technical issues, the future plans, and the safeguards implications of cooperative programs relating to remote monitoring. Without providing answers to the policy questions involved, it suggests that it is timely to begin addressing these issues.

To support the signal processing and data visualization needs of CTBT related projects at SNL, a MATLAB based GUI was developed. This program is known as MatSeis. MatSeis was developed quickly using the available MATLAB functionality. It provides a time-distance profile plot integrating origin, waveform, travel-time, and arrival data. Graphical plot controls, data manipulation, and signal processing functions provide a user friendly seismic analysis package. In addition, the full power of MATLAB (the premier tool for general numeric processing and visualization) is available for prototyping new functions by end users. This package is being made available to the seismic community in the hope that it will aid CTBT research and will facilitate cooperative signal processing development. 2 refs., 5 figs.

In the field of explosives detection there is currently a need for a calibrated source of explosives vapor. Such a source could be used to test and calibrate explosives detection systems which identify explosives via the collection of vapor or air borne particulate matter. This paper describes the principles of operation and evaluation of one such explosives vapor generator. This generator is based on the diffusion of vapor from a condensed phase (i.e., solid or liquid) in a source reservoir, and the output has been tied to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) mass standard. We discuss results of the calibration of this generator using the explosives 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and cyclonite (RDX). The mass output of this generator is stable over hundreds of hours of continuous operation, and is adjustable from the low picograms(pg)/sec range to at least 10 nanograms(ng)/sec. In the case of TNT, the mass output correlates well with predictions based on gas phase diffusion theory. In the case of RDX, the agreement with theory is less good. This may be attributable to a variety of factors, possibly including inaccuracies in the published data on RDX vapor pressure as a function of temperature.

A previously-developed approximation to the first integral of the Poisson equation enables one to obtain solutions for the voltage- current characteristics of a radio-frequency (rf) plasma sheath that are valid over the whole range of inertial response of the ions to an imposed rf voltage or current-specified conditions. The theory reproduced the time-dependent voltage-current characteristics of the two extreme cases corresponding to the Lieberman rf sheath theory and the Metze-Ernie-Oskam theory. In this paper the sheath model is connected to the plasma bulk description, and a prescription is given for the ion relaxation time constant, which determines the time-dependent ion impact energy on the electrode surface. It appears that this connected model should be applicable to those high density, low pressure plasmas in which the Debye length is a small fraction of the ion mean free path, which itself is a small fraction of the plasma dimension.

Edge finishing processes have seemed like ideal candidates for automation. Most edge finishing processes are unpleasant, dangerous, tedious, expensive, not repeatable and labor intensive. Estimates place the cost of manual edge finishing processes at 12% of the total cost of fabricating precision parts. For small, high precision parts, the cost of hand finishing may be as high as 305 of the total part cost. Up to 50% of this cost could be saved through automation. This cost estimate includes the direct costs of edge finishing: the machining hours required and the 30% scrap and rework rate after manual finishing. Not included in these estimates are the indirect costs resulting from cumulative trauma disorders and retraining costs caused by the high turnover rate for finishing jobs.. Despite the apparent economic advantages, edge finishing has proven difficult to automate except in low precision and/or high volume production environments. Finishing automation systems have not been deployed successfully in Department of Energy defense programs (DOE/DP) production, A few systems have been attempted but have been subsequently abandoned for traditional edge finishing approaches: scraping, grinding, and filing the edges using modified dental tools and hand held power tools. Edge finishing automation has been an elusive but potentially lucrative production enhancement. The amount of time required for reconfiguring workcells for new parts, the time required to reprogram the workcells to finish new parts, and automation equipment to respond to fixturing errors and part tolerances are the most common reasons cited for eliminating automation as an option for DOE/DP edge finishing applications. Existing automated finishing systems have proven to be economically viable only where setup and reprogramming costs are a negligible fraction of overall production costs.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and Gosatomnadzor (GAN) of Russia are engaged in a program of cooperation to enhance the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons by developing a strong national system of nuclear material protection, control and accounting (MPC&A). The purpose of this system is to prevent the theft, diversion or unauthorized use of nuclear materials. DOE and GAN signed an agreement to this effect in June 1995. DOE and GAN have since agreed to cooperate in several important areas including: developing regulatory documents; designing a federal material control and accounting (MC&A) information; providing MPC&A equipment for GAN inspectors and assistance in developing Russian equipment; designing an MPC&A oversight information system for GAN; training inspectors and operators; and upgrading MPC&A at six non-Minatom facilities that operate with highly enriched uranium. In order to assist GAN in its ongoing efforts to enhance its national system of nuclear MPC&A, DOE provides GAN with technical assistance in the form of equipment, supplies, training and other services. This paper will describe the program of cooperation between DOE and GAN to further the national security interests of both the United States and Russia. Specifically, it will focus on those mutually beneficial, technically oriented projects that are encompassed in the program. This cooperative effort represents a vital aspect of DOE`s government-to-government program to support Russia`s nonproliferation efforts.

The objective of the Remote Monitoring Transparency Program is to evaluate and demonstrate the use of remote monitoring technologies to advance nonproliferation and transparency efforts that are currently being developed by Russia and the United States without compromising the national security to the participating parties. Under a lab-to-lab transparency contract between Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the Kurchatov Institute (KI RRC), the Kurchatov Institute will analyze technical and procedural aspects of the application of remote monitoring as a transparency measure to monitor inventories of direct- use HEU and plutonium (e.g., material recovered from dismantled nuclear weapons). A goal of this program is to assist a broad range of political and technical experts in learning more about remote monitoring technologies that could be used to implement nonproliferation, arms control, and other security and confidence building measures. Specifically, this program will: (1) begin integrating Russian technologies into remote monitoring systems; (2) develop remote monitoring procedures that will assist in the application of remote monitoring techniques to monitor inventories of HEU and Pu from dismantled nuclear weapons; and (3) conduct a workshop to review remote monitoring fundamentals, demonstrate an integrated US/Russian remote monitoring system, and discuss the impacts that remote monitoring will have on the national security of participating countries.

Thermal desorption/gas chromatography (TD/GC) was used to screen soil samples on site for total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content during a RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI). It proved to be a rapid, cost- effective tool for detecting non-aromatic mineral oil in soil. The on- site TD/GC results correlated well with those generated at an off- site laboratory for samples analyzed in accordance with EPA Method 418.1.

Photovoltaic (PV) power systems offer the prospect of allowing a utility company to meet part of the daily peak system load using a renewable resource. Unfortunately, some utilities have peak system- load periods that do not match the peak production hours of a PV system. Adding a battery energy storage system to a grid-connected PV power system will allow dispatching the stored solar energy to the grid at the desired times. Batteries, however, pose system limitations in terms of energy efficiency, maintenance, and cycle life. A new control system has been developed, based on available PV equipment and a data acquisition system, that seeks to minimize the limitations imposed by the battery system while maximizing the use of PV energy. Maintenance requirements for the flooded batteries are reduced, cycle life is maximized, and the battery is operated over an efficient range of states of charge. This paper presents design details and initial performance results on one of the first installed control systems of this type.

This report presents the results of laboratory tests conducted on soil core samples obtained prior to an instantaneous profile test conducted west of the Mixed Waste Landfill in Technical Area III. The instantaneous profile test was conducted to measure in situ hydrologic parameters controlling unsaturated flow and contaminant transport in the near - surface vadose zone. Soil core samples from the instantaneous profile test plot were tested in the Sandia National Laboratory`s Environmental Restoration Project Hydrology Laboratory to measure saturated hydraulic conductivity and the relationships between moisture content and soil water tension. Data from laboratory tests and the instantaneous profile field test were then modeled using the computer code RETC to quantify moisture content, soil water tension, and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity relationships. Results content, soil verified that a combination of laboratory and field data yielded a more complete definition of hydrologic properties than either laboratory or field data alone. Results also indicated that at native moisture contents, the potential for significant unsaturated aqueous flow is limited, while at saturated or near - saturated conditions, preferential flow may occur.

Over an extended period of time station noise spectra were collected from various sources for use in estimating the detection and location performance of global networks of seismic stations. As the database of noise spectra enlarged and duplicate entries became available, an effort was mounted to more carefully select station noise spectra while discarding others. This report discusses the methodology and criteria by which the noise spectra were selected. It also identifies and illustrates the station noise spectra which survived the selection process and which currently contribute to the modeling efforts. The resulting catalog of noise statistics not only benefits those who model network performance but also those who wish to select stations on the basis of their noise level as may occur in designing networks or in selecting seismological data for analysis on the basis of station noise level. In view of the various ways by which station noise were estimated by the different contributors, it is advisable that future efforts which predict network performance have available station noise data and spectral estimation methods which are compatible with the statistics underlying seismic noise. This appropriately requires (1) averaging noise over seasonal and/or diurnal cycles, (2) averaging noise over time intervals comparable to those employed by actual detectors, and (3) using logarithmic measures of the noise.

The Explosive Components Facility (ECF) is a major, low-hazard, non-nuclear, research and development facility of the Sandia National Laboratories/Albuquerque (SNL). Sandia Corporation, a subsidiary of Lockheed-Martin, operates this designated User Facility for the Department of Energy (DOE). The ECF consolidates many SNL energetic-materials activities and provides a unique combination of explosive-technologies, neutronic-components, batteries, and weapons-evaluation capabilities. This paper describes the project objectives, the basic building features, programmatic capabilities, and the processes used to beneficially occupy and assess readiness to operate.

The Precision Linear Shaped Charge (PLSC) design concept involves the independent fabrication and assembly of the liner (wedge of PLSC), the tamper/confinement, and explosive. The liner is the most important part of a linear shaped charge (LSC) and should be fabricated by a more quality controlled, precise process than the tamper material. Also, this concept allows the liner material to be different from the tamper material. The explosive can be loaded between the liner and tamper as the last step in the assembly process rather than the first step as in conventional LSC designs. PLSC designs have been shown to produce increased jet penetrations in given targets, more reproducible jet penetration, and more efficient explosive cross-section geometries using a minimum amount of explosive. The Linear Explosive Shaped Charge Analysis (LESCA) code developed at Sandia National Laboratories has been used to assist in the design of PLSCs. LESCA predictions for PLSC jet tip velocities, jet-target impact angles, and jet penetration in aluminum and steel targets are compared to measured data. The advantages of PLSC over conventional LSC are presented. As an example problem, the LESCA code was used to analytically develop a conceptual design for a PLSC component to sever a three-inch thick 1018 steel plate at a water depth of 500 feet (15 atmospheres).