Spent fuel transportation casks have arrived at final destinations with removable surface contamination levels in excess of regulatory limits, although pre-transport surveys indicated removable contamination levels were well below these limits. The control of this in-transit ''weeping'' of surface contamination on pool-loaded spent fuel transport casks is of particular concern to both the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Weeping, also known as sweating, is the transformation of fixed radioactive particulates on an exterior surface of transport cask to a removable state. Weeping has been observed sometime after a cask is removed from a fuel pool and decontaminated. The weeping phenomenon is countered by time-consuming operational constraints and procedures which have a significant impact on cask turnaround times and occupational exposures at transport facilities. Further, the arrival of a contaminated cask results in negative public perceptions that are inconsistent with DOE and NRC goals. The objectives in resolving the technical issue of weeping are to identify specific causes of the weeping phenomenon, then to implement new cask design requirements and supporting operational procedures which will limit or inhibit the accumulation, retention, and in-transit conversion of fixed surface contamination. 6 figs., 1 tab.
To protect a security instrument such as a television camera from subversion by signal substitution, the data from the instrument are digitized and submitted to an authenticator. The digital data may then be transmitted in the clear over a non-secure medium. Appended to the data is a 10-bit authentication value based on the values of the data and a random authentication number. At the receiving end, the data are submitted to an identical authenticator. If it produces the same authentication value, the data are authentic. Such a scheme can only work if the instrument, the authenticator, and the link between them can be protected from tampering. This paper describes a tamper resistant container designed to protect a data authenticator and television camera against an adversary having sophisticated resources and complete design information. The container's design includes active elements to detect and report intrusion attempts in real time. It also includes passive elements to indicate upon later inspection that the container had been violated. 1 ref., 2 figs.
Considerable interest has been generated within the past several years concerning the use of new generation video motion detection (VMD) systems as exterior intrusion sensors. The new generation VMD systems advertise advanced video signal processing techniques and algorithms which are aimed at rejecting nuisance alarm sources inherent to the uncontrolled exterior environment. Older generation VMD systems used in an exterior environment tend to have high nuisance alarm rates. The high nuisance alarm rates of the older systems made them generally unacceptable for use as an exterior sensor. This paper discusses the results of continued field testing of new generation VMD systems. Field tests were conduced in an exterior perimeter zone application and an application looking at the exterior entrance of a building. Test results include each VMD system's detection capabilities and nuisance alarm characteristics for each particular application. Also site considerations such as lighting, cameras and zone layouts for exterior video motion detection are discussed. 1 ref., 14 figs., 1 tab.
The piezoelectric polymer, polyvinylidene di-fluoride (PVDF or PVF2), properly processed by the proprietary Bauer technique, is a material for a transducing element that can be used for a wide variety of stress, pressure, or temperature related measurements. Its versatility as a sensor requires especially careful attention to the special requirements for associated gauge packaging, installation, signal conditioning, recording, and analysis that are imposed by the particular diverse test conditions. Most applications reported to date have been for tests performed under laboratory conditions. But, the PVDF sensor has also been successfully used for stress wave measurement under adverse and often hostile field test conditions that require the use of lengthy transmission lines and allow only limited recording capability. This paper discusses one crucial aspect of field application -- measuring system characterization, and correction of signals distorted by systems of marginal frequency capability. 11 refs., 7 figs.
Radiation effects on polymers in the presence of air are characterized by complicated phenomena such as dose-rate effects and post-irradiation degradation. Most applications of polymeric materials in radiation environments involve air atmospheres. Taking account of oxidation effects and time-dependent phenomena is a necessity for understanding materials changes which occur during aging, and for dealing with issues of materials lifetime prediction, aging monitoring, materials selection, and material stabilization. Time-dependent radiation-degradation effects can be understood mechanistically in terms of: (1) features of the free radical chain-reaction chemistry underlying the oxidation, and (2) oxygen diffusion effects. A profiling technique has been developed to study heterogeneous degradation resulting from oxygen diffusion, and kinetic schemes have been developed to allow long-term aging predictions from short-term high-dose-rate experiments. These methodologies have been successfully applied for predicting degradation rates of a number of different materials under ambient nuclear environments. Low molecular weight additives which act either as free-radical scavengers or else as energy-scavengers are effective as stabilizers in radiation-oxidation environments. Non-radical oxidation mechanisms, involving species such as ozone, can also be important in the radiation-oxidation of polymers. 14 refs., 13 figs.
A comprehensive stress analysis was performed for a bimaterial plate subjected to a uniform change of temperature. The steel and brass portions of the specimen were bonded along a common edge. Whole-field measurements were made by high-sensitivity moire interferometry. A companion finite element numerical analysis of a similar body was conducted to help interpret the experimental results. The experiments documented a strong free-edge effect along the entire perimeter of the joint, an effect akin to a line singularity along the perimeter. High stresses in the edge-effected zone were determined from measurements, and enormous stress gradients were deduced by analysis. The largest stresses were found at the corner, where two edge-effected zones intersected. 5 refs., 8 figs.
Advanced titanium-aluminum intermetallic alloys (often simply called titanium aluminides) have certain properties which make them potentially attractive as advanced aerospace alloys. In order to utilize these alloys in engineering applications, it is necessary to process the alloys in a variety of ways including casting, hot forming and welding. All of these processes modify the microstructure of the alloy, which in turn directly influences the properties. The key to optimizing the alloy's properties is to control the microstructure by careful control of the processing parameters. Control for the microstructure requires a thorough understanding of the evolution of the microstructure, including elemental partitioning between the various phases which form in the alloy. Analytical electron microscopy (AEM) is an ideal way to characterize the microstructures on a fine spatial scale. Such high spatial resolution microanalysis is required to understand the microstructural evolution in these alloys. In this case, the alloy is a Nb modified Ti/sub 3/Al, and the partitioning behavior of interest is between a variety of ternary phases which are produced as a function of alloy cooling rate from a single homogeneous high temperature ..beta.. phase. The Nb is added to the alloy to enhance its performance, primarily through an improvement in ductility. In this work, the details of the procedure for quantitative analysis of these alloys are presented.
An applied B-field ion diode on PBFA II has produced a 17 TW proton beam for investigation of beam generation and transport physics pertinent to inertial confinement fusion experiments. Power was fed to the diode via two conical self-magnetically-insulated transmission lines that incorporated plasma opening switches. The diode utilized a pair of B-field coils in disc shaped cathodes to produce a 3 T axial B-field that insulated the 16 mm anode-cathode gap from electron loss. The 15-cm-radius anode was configured with a 5.5-cm-tall curved ion emitting region. A 2.6 MA ion beam originated from this region, was accelerated to 6 MV in the anode-cathode gap, and then transported ballistically toward the axis in a current neutralizing gas cell. The best transport (75%) occurred with narrow 5.5-cm-tall anode sources in which a 180 kJ proton beam was observed within 1.2 cm of the diode centerline. The FWHM of the beam focused at the centerline of the diode was 5 to 7 mm. This beam gave a peak proton power density of approximately 5 TW/cm/sup 2/. 12 refs., 8 figs.
The finite control volume method (FCVM) was successfully used to calculate both laminar and turbulent buoyancy driven flow of air in a square enclosure for Ra = 10/sup 3/ to 10/sup 8/. For laminar flow, comparisons of the computed solution with both experimental data and other numerical solutions are in excellent agreement. Comparisons of selected velocities and average Nusselt numbers with a ''benchmark'' solution presented by deVahl Davis are consistently within 4%. For turbulent flow, the agreement with another numerical solution is generally good, considering the large difference in the number of nodes employed. The agreement with extrapolated experimental correlations for the average Nusselt number was acceptable. 20 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.
Magmatic activity, and particularly silicic magmatic activity, is the fundamental process by which continental crust forms and evolves. Drilling in the Inyo Chain, a 600-year-old chain of volcanic vents in California, has shown the close relationship of silicic eruption to shallow dike emplacement, the control of eruptive style by shallow porous-flow degassing, the origin of obsidian by welding, the development of igneous zonation by viscosity segregation, and the character and size of conduits in relation to well- understood magmatic and phreatic eruptions. Planned drilling at the site of the largest eruption of the century, in the Mt. Katmai region of Alaska, will test models for explosive eruptions, elucidate the process of vapor-transport of metals, and provide the first measurements of rates of cooling and chemical alteration in a relatively simple, non-composite igneous system. -Author
To overcome the heat deficit and oxidizing atmosphere problems and to reduce fuel consumption, a small gas forge furnace has been developed which incorporates recuperative heating; as the combustion air is drawn into the furnace it is preheated by passing it through a simple heat exchanger which is heated by the exhaust gases from the furnace. This recuperative heating principle is the same used by blast and open hearth furnaces but they typically employ complex heat exchangers, and extensive blowers and valving to direct the flow of the intake and exhaust gases. In the furnace described in this article a chimney is provided at the rear of the furnace and the air intake ducts pass through the chimney before reaching the venturi where the fuel gas is injected. Thermocouples were place in the air intake ducts and the temperature of the recuperated air was 1000 F. Based on data in the Mechanical Engineers Handbook (Industrial Heating Furnaces) fuel savings are directly related to the temperature of the preheated air. The theoretical saving in fuel with 800 F. combustion air is about 19%. The furnace is very quiet, since no blowers are used and the venturi is located in the center of a long tube. To control the furnace atmosphere and to help reduce heat loss, a close fitting swing away door has been incorporated, and the entire furnace is insulated with lightweight high performance ceramic insulation. The resulting furnace easily achieves forge welding temperatures, has an oxygen depleted atmosphere and has proven to be very effective and capable for small machine and hand forging operations. 6 figs.
Need for standardization has been discussed for years by many government agencies. In the past, every perimeter site upgrade resulted in the design, specification, procurement, and fabrication of a unique power and signal junction box. To save design and specification cost, a standard terminal panel and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) design for an exterior intrusion sensor detection system was developed for a security system within the Sandia National Laboratories complex at Albuquerque, New Mexico. In facilitating this requirement a design was sought that could easily be modified for other government or commercial applications and one that could easily be fabricated in the shop. Also of primary importance was the need for lightning protection for both the communications and voltage sources. A 12V dc UPS with a current capacity of up to 4 amperes complements the standard terminal design and allows uninterrupted sensor operation for a number of hours should the primary ac source be interrupted. This report encompasses the features of the designs. The designs are also being used and continuously evaluated in Sandia's Area III exterior test field. 7 figs.
Radiation effects on polymers in the presence of air are characterized by complicated phenomena such as dose-rate effects and post-irradiation degradation. These time-dependent effects can be understood in these terms: (1) features of the free radical chain-reaction chemistry underlying the oxidation, and (2) oxygen diffusion effects. A profiling technique has been developed to study heterogeneous degradation resulting from oxygen diffusion, and kinetic schemes have been developed to allow long-term aging predictions from short-term high dose-rate experiments. Low molecular weight additives which act either as free-radical scavengers or else as energy-scavengers are effective as stabilizers in radiation-oxidation environments. Non-radical oxidation mechanisms, involving species such as ozone, can also be important in the radiation-oxidation of polymers. 18 refs., 15 figs.
Introduced in 1951 and 1966 respectively, the field ion microscope and atom-probe mass spectrometer can hardly be considered new or emerging microprobes. Over the years, the ability to use these instruments to examine the structure and composition of various materials at the atomic level has been well established. However,recent advances in more conventional microanalytical techniques, particularly progress toward a higher degree of spatial resolution, has created renewed interest in all techniques capable of analysis on a very fine scale. Also, there has been an increased emphasis over the past several years in the application of the field ion microscope and atom-probe to problems of greater general interest in surface and materials science. It is therefore not totally inappropriate to discuss the field ion microscope and atom-probe within the context of ''emerging'' microprobes. The intent of this paper is to familiarize the reader with the techniques of field ion microscopy and atom-probe mass spectroscopy and describe several recent applications which demonstrate some of their unique attributes. 45 refs., 8 figs.
This paper reviews several techniques available to the experimenter to characterize the mechanical properties of near surface layers of engineering materials. The test methods examined are: micro-tensile testing, bulge testing, ultra-low load indentation testing, and microfabricated test structures. The applicability of these techniques as well as their advantages and difficulties are examined. Special emphasis is given to recent developments in ultra-low load indentation testing and microfabricated test structures. 61 refs., 2 figs.
The Department of Energy (DOE) established the seals task force in 1986 to scope the extent of seals problems, develop guidelines and criteria, and recommend improvements. Recent task force activities have been to update the Safeguards Seals Reference manual produced in 1986, lay the groundwork for seal standardization, and make recommendations for general and specific seals problems in the field. This paper will discuss the manual updates and other general task force activities. 5 refs.
For years the lighting industry has manually entered and manually performed calculations on the photometric data that is necessary for lighting designs. In the past few years many lighting manufacturers and private lighting design software companies have published computer programs to enter and perform these calculations. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and other interested organizations, are involved in outdoor lighting designs for Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) that require lighting design software programs. During the period when no commercial lighting design software programs existed, SNL first used a government agency's program and then developed an in-house program. The in-house program is very powerful but has limitations, so it is not feasible to distribute it to interested organizations. This program has been used extensively for many high security outdoor lighting design projects. There is still a demand for lighting design programs, so SNL has ordered several that are commercially available. These programs are being evaluated for two reasons: (1) to determine if their features are adequate to aid the user in lighting designs, and (2) to provide that information to SNL and other organizations. The information obtained in this paper is to be used to help an end user decide if a program is needed, and if so, to choose one. This paper presents the results of evaluations performed. 5 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.
Rigid, closed-cell, polyurethane foam is used in impact limiters in nuclear waste transport containers. During a hypothetical nuclear waste transport accident, the foam is expected to absorb a significant amount of impact energy by undergoing large inelastic volume reductions. Consequently, the crushing of polyurethane foams must be well characterized and accurately modeled to properly analyze a transport container accident. At the request of Sandia National Laboratories, a series of uniaxial, hydrostatic and triaxial compression tests on polyurethane foams were performed by the New Mexico Engineering Research Institute (NMERI). The combination of hydrostatic and triaxial tests was chosen to provide sufficient data to characterize both the volumetric and deviatoric behaviors of the foams and the coupling between the two responses. Typical results from the NMERI tests are included in this paper. A complete description of these tests can be found in Neilsen et al., 1987. Constitutive models that have been used in the past to model foam did not capture some important foam behaviors observed in the NMERI tests. Therefore, a new constitutive model for rigid, closed-cell, polyurethane foams was developed and implemented in two finite element codes. Development of the new model is discussed in this paper. Also, results from analyses with the new model and other constitutive models are presented to demonstrate differences between the various models. 4 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
There are many Safeguards applications which have a need for a reliable system that uses state-of-the-art processing techniques to detect and track targets moving through a scene. A general purpose Target Cueing and Tracking System (TCATS), which is independent of the application and the user interface, is under development. The TCATS algorithms were developed and evaluated with commercially available image processing boards and a VME bus based microcomputer. The TCATS algorithms have successfully demonstrated a high detection capability and the ability to ignore exterior environmental conditions, such as cloud shadows moving through the scene, snow, blowing dust, rain, and moderate camera motion. These algorithms remove camera motion. These algorithms remove camera motion and perform target detection and tracking at near real time. The algorithms can handle many targets and retain the identity of each object from one frame to the next. Special ruggedized hardware is also under development to reduce the size, cost, and power consumption, and to increase the processing rate, reliability, and environmental operating capability of the TCATS. Field evaluations are underway specifically for Exterior Fixed Site Security applications. Testing includes nuisance alarm data gathering and detection capability evaluation of human targets crossing perimeter zones. This paper describes the detection and tracking techniques, custom hardware, and future development plans for the TCATS. 5 refs., 9 figs.
The Outsider Analysis (Outsider) module is part of the Analytic System and Software for Evaluation of Safeguards and Security (ASSESS). Outsider and the ASSESS Facility Descriptor (Facility) module together supercede the Systematic Analysis of Vulnerability to Intrusion (SAVI) PC software package. Outsider calculates P(I), the probability that outsiders are interrupted during an attack on a facility by security forces at the facility, and P(W), the probability of security system win. SAVI exhaustively examines every possible path to find the ten most vulnerable paths. Exhaustive search is adequate if the number of paths to examine is small, but moderately complex facilities can have millions of paths, making exhaustive search too slow for practical purposes. Outsider has two new algorithms that generate paths in order of vulnerability, finishing in a fraction of the time required by SAVI. The new Outsider algorithms make containment analysis easier for analysts than ever before. We describe the new algorithms and show how much better they perform than the SAVI exhaustive search algorithm. 6 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.
This paper demonstrates the use of the Analytic System and Software for Evaluating Safeguards and Security. ASSESS is an integrated approach for evaluating the effectiveness of safeguards against theft of special nuclear material by different types of adversaries: insiders, outsiders, and colluding insiders and outsiders. ASSESS consists of six modules: System Manager, Facility Descriptor, Insider Analysis, Outsider Analysis, Neutralization Analysis, and Collusion Analysis. This paper introduces the modules, describes their scope, and highlights the interactions among them. Separate papers will provide detailed discussion and demonstration of each of the modules. The ASSESS code runs on the IBM PC family of computers with 640K RAM, the DOS operating system, and Microsoft Windows. The Windows environment provides a very efficient and convenient graphics user interface as well as drivers for many types of output devices. ASSESS is being developed jointly by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Safeguards and Security. The first version of the ASSESS code was delivered to DOE/OSS in March 1989. 7 refs., 4 figs.
Historically, large scale safeguards alarm and communication systems have required the expensive computational power of a mainframe of midsize computer. Due to the widespread availability and reduced cost of PC-based technology, this class of machine is a much preferred solution. This paper will discuss a development program integrating this technology with inexpensive local area network (LAN) hardware to support (1) many touch panel based operator graphics consoles, (2) redundant LAN communications, (3) fault-tolerant LAN communication, (4) redundancy in subsystem failure, (5) modularity in design, (6) fault-tolerant video communication, (7) inexpensive PC-based video annotation and switcher design, (8) inexpensive video replay capability, (9) use of fiber optic communication media, (10) distributed parallel processing, and (11) minimized overall system cost. The Intel BitBus architecture was selected for network communications between PC CPUs. The network supports both fiber optic and copper media and insures message integrity/receival. Custom boards have been developed to transform PCs modular expandable routing switchers with video presence detection and annotation. 1 fig.
The Outsider Analysis (Outsider) module is part of the Analytic System and Software for Evaluating Safeguards and Security (ASSESS). Outsider and the ASSESS Facility Descriptor (Facility) module together supersede the Systematic Analysis of Vulnerability to Intrusion (SAVI) software package. Outsider calculates P(I), the probability that outsiders are interrupted during an attack by security forces at the facility, and P(W), the probability of security system win, and has other features not found in SAVI. Analysts can select intruders from a set of ten reference threats, ranging from well-equipped terrorists to intruders with no equipment at all. New analysis algorithms run 60 to more than 100 times faster. New reports detail how safeguards are defeated at each element in a path and give other data critical to effective upgrade decisions. Outsider takes as input a facility security system defined in Facility and produces intermediate results for the ASSESS Collision module. 8 refs., 6 figs.
The feasibility of competitive, modular bulk electric power from the sun may be greatly enhanced by the use of a reflux heat pipe receiver to combine a heat engine such as Stirling with a paraboloidal dish concentrator. This combination represents a potential improvement over previous successful demonstrations of dish-electric technology in terms of enhanced performance, lower cost, longer life, and greater flexibility in engine design. There are, however, important issues and unknowns which must be addressed to determine engineering feasibility of these devices. In the pool boiler reflux receiver, concentrated solar radiation causes liquid metal (sodium or potassium) to boil. The vapor flows to the engine heater heads, where it condenses and releases the latent heat. The condensate is returned to the receiver absorber pool by gravity (refluxing). This is essentially an adaptation of heat pipe technology to the peculiar requirements of concentrated solar flux, and provides many advantages over conventional heated tube receiver technology. Boiling theory indicates that long-term stable boiling of liquid metal may be difficult to achieve. Laboratory scale experiments have been performed. Initial tests confirmed that boiling is unstable in a baseline boiler. Boiling stability was established after the addition of ''artificial cavities'' to the heated surface, and successful boiling of sodium was demonstrated for 100 hours. Other stabilizing influences may have been present, and will be discussed. The flux and geometry closely simulated a real receiver. The results of these tests are presented, along with the design of a full scale receiver for on-sun testing and considerations for long term operation. 15 refs., 10 figs.
Techniques are being developed to gain understanding of energy transport efficiencies through changes in pulsed power transmission line geometries. These techniques are being applied to design study of the PBFA-II accelerator which has the goal of increasing the energy available for ICF experiments. Transverse electromagnetic (TEM) wave analysis yields a simple circuit model of the new coax-to- parallel-plate transition. This simple model gives insight into the dominant physics of the device and suggests design improvements that will lead to the desired energy efficiencies. Insights gained by this simple model are confirmed and refined by 3-dimensional, time dependent computer simulations with the SOS code and scale model experiments. Simulations have predicted experimental results to high degree of accuracy which adds confidence in both the simulations and the scale model experiments. 1 ref., 11 figs., 1 tab.