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DOE OSTI2023

DAISY Complement Protein ML-Ready Data

A total of 172 children from the DAISY study with multiple plasma samples collected over time, with up to 23 years of follow-up, were characterized via proteomics analysis. Of the children there were 40 controls and 132 cases. All 132 cases had measurements across time relative to IA. Sampling was not consistent for all children. There were 47 of the children who had samples taken and evaluated prior to IA (Pre-IA), and 131 children had measurements at or after IA, but prior to diagnosis of clinical T1D (Post-IA). The control children were frequency matched on HLA genotypes and age and sex with an observed lower frequency of first degree relatives within the control group versus the cases For machine learning the children that will develop islet autoantibodies the 40 control and 47 Pre-IA children were down-selected to a single sample time point. For the 40 control children this was the earliest sample collected and for the 47 Pre-IA children it was a random selection of the first or second time point prior to the detection of autoantibodies to assure the age distributions were not significantly different.

Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo M↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ISS External Microorganisms: Collecting Planetary Protection Samples During Extravehicular Activity

We have developed, tested, and flown a caddy capable of collecting aseptic samples from external surfaces of the ISS (International Space Station). The sampling caddy is certified for use during US EVA (extra vehicular activity) and was launched to ISS in the summer of 2023. We are scheduled to collect samples from 6 locations outside ISS during an EVA in May of 2024. We will freeze these samples at -80°C on orbit and return them to Earth. We will then extract and sequence any DNA collected during the EVA using next generation sequencing technologies to characterize the community composition and function of each sample. Measuring the type and quantity of microbes present on the exterior of ISS will allow us to address knowledge gap 2B, “Acceptable levels of microbial/organic releases from humans and support systems” described in a 2019 COSPAR report. Collecting data about microbial release from current crewed vehicles will inform requirements for acceptable leak rates for future crewed missions to Mars. The sampling kit consists of eight commercially available, sterile, DNA free, macrofoam swabs ( 23 mm. diameter ) installed in custom aluminum end effectors. Each end effector is housed in and individual aluminum canister. Each canister contains a 0.2 μm Teflon filter to allow the interior volume to accommodate pressure changes without permitting microbial contaminants to enter the sterile interior volume. A handle repurposed from the space shuttle tile repair kit is used to remove the end effector from the sample canister, collect a sample by swabbing a surface and then replace the end effector in its canister. The canisters and end effectors were cleaned and assembled on Earth. Prior to installing the sterile swab the canisters and end effectors were sterilized in an autoclave at 134°C, 215 kPA, for 7 min.. The final assembly occurred in a sterilized class II biosafety cabinet. We will collect six samples from the 1) airlock vestibule, 2) airlock thermal cover, 3) a gap in the micrometeorite shielding near the airlock, 4) a handrail near the airlock, 5) the CDRA (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly) vent, and 6) the VES (Vacuum Exhaust System) vent. The remaining two swabs will be reserved as controls. One swab will be exposed during the EVA without touching any surfaces to act as a blank. The final swab will remain sealed until the entire sampling kit is returned to earth. Based on previously published results from the Russian segment, we hypothesize that there will be detectable microbes at some or all of these locations. Ground-based testing of this sampling caddy confirms that the swabs remain sterile as the canisters transition in and out of vacuum. We were able to retrieve, viable bacterial and fungal cells as well as DNA from samples collected from US space suits during vacuum chamber tests lasting as long as seven hours. Based on these results and feedback from the test subjects the sampling caddy was modified to improve ergonomics and meet US EVA safety requirements. Bayonet probes were added to the sides of the sample kit as alternate mounting points. Additional locking features were added to the end effector and the filter stack to prevent inadvertent release during use. The opening mechanism was changed from one where the end effector was rocked laterally to defeat a ball detent to a twist-to-open threaded closure for similar reasons. Demonstrating, this sampling caddy’s effectiveness during a US EVA will allow us to address knowledge gaps identified in COSPAR reports and begin to define planetary protection requirements for life support systems on crewed missions to mars. This kit could also be used to collect contamination control samples during Artemis missions to verify requirements and could be easily modified for robotic sample collection.

Planetary Protection↗

DOE OSTI2014

Search for doubly charmed baryons and study of charmed strange baryons at Belle

We report results of a study of doubly charmed baryons and charmed strange baryons. The analysis is performed using a 980 fb –1 data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e + e – collider. Here, we search for doubly charmed baryons Ξ$^{+(+)}_{cc}$ with the Λ$^{+}_{c}$K – π + (π + ) and Ξ$^{0}_{c}$π + (π + ) final states. No significant signal is observed. We also search for two excited charmed strange baryons, Ξ c (3055) + and Ξ c (3123) + with the Σ$^{++}_{c}$(2455)K – and Σ$^{++}_{c}$(2520)K – final states. Here, the Ξ c (3055) + signal is observed with a significance of 6.6 standard deviations including systematic uncertainty, while no signature of the Ξ c (3123) + is seen. We also study properties of the Ξ c (2645) + and measure a width of 2.6 ± 0.2(stat) ± 0.4(syst) MeV/c 2 , which is the first significant determination.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Rapid thinning of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in coastal Maine, USA, during late Heinrich Stadial 1

We report that few data are available to infer the thinning rate of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) through the last deglaciation, despite its importance for constraining past ice sheet response to climate warming. We measured 31 cosmogenic 10 Be exposure ages in samples collected on coastal mountainsides in Acadia National Park and from the slightly inland Pineo Ridge moraine complex, a ~100-km-long glaciomarine delta, to constrain the timing and rate of LIS thinning and subsequent retreat in coastal Maine. Samples collected along vertical transects in Acadia National Park have indistinguishable exposure ages over a 300 m range of elevation, suggesting that rapid, century-scale thinning occurred at 15.2 ± 0.7 ka, similar to the timing of abrupt thinning inferred from cosmogenic exposure ages at Mt. Katahdin in central Maine (Davis et al., 2015). This rapid ice sheet surface lowering, which likely occurred during the latter part of the cold Heinrich Stadial 1 event (19–14.6 ka), may have been due to enhanced ice-shelf melt and calving in the Gulf of Maine, perhaps related to regional oceanic warming associated with a weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at this time. The ice margin subsequently stabilized at the Pineo Ridge moraine complex until 14.5 ± 0.7 ka, near the onset of Bølling Interstadial warming. Our 10 Be ages are substantially younger than marine radiocarbon constraints on LIS retreat in the coastal lowlands, suggesting that the deglacial marine reservoir effect in this area was ~1,200 14 C years, perhaps also related to the sluggish Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during Heinrich Stadial 1.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Fine Ash-Bearing Particles as a Major Aerosol Component in Biomass Burning Smoke

Biomass burning (BB) events are occurring globally with increasing frequency, and their emissions are having more impacts on human health and climate. Large ash particles are recognized as a BB product with major influences on soil and water environments. However, fine-ash particles, which have diameters smaller than several microns and characteristic morphologies and compositions (mainly Ca and Mg carbonates), have not yet been explicitly considered as a major BB aerosol component either in field observations or climate models. This study measured BB aerosol samples using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ion chromatography during the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) campaign. We show that significant amounts of fine ash-bearing particles are transported >100 km from their fire sources. Our environmental chamber experiments suggest that they can act as cloud condensation and ice nuclei. We also found considerable amounts of fine ash-bearing particles in the TEM samples collected during previous campaigns (Biomass Burning Observation Project and Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations). These ash particles are commonly mixed with organic matter and make up ~8% and 5% of BB smoke by number and mass, respectively, in samples collected during the FIREX-AQ campaign. The measured ash-mass concentrations are approximately five times and six times greater than those of BB black carbon and potassium, respectively, scaling to an estimated global emission of 11.6 Tg yr -1 with a range of 8.8–16.3 Tg yr -1 . Better characterization and constraints on these fine ash-bearing particles will improve BB aerosol measurements and strengthen assessments of BB impacts on human health and climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2009

Potential of Probing the Lunar Regolith using Rover-Mounted Ground Penetrating Radar: Moses Lake Dune Field Analog Study

Probing radars have been widely recognized by the science community to be an efficient tool to explore lunar subsurface providing a unique capability to address several scientific and operational issues. A wideband (200 to 1200 MHz) Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) mounted on a surface rover can provide high vertical resolution and probing depth from few tens of centimeters to few tens of meters depending on the sounding frequency and the ground conductivity. This in term can provide a better understand regolith thickness, elemental iron concentration (including ilmenite), volatile presence, structural anomalies and fracturing. All those objectives are of important significance for understanding the local geology and potential sustainable resources for future landing sites in particular exploring the thickness, structural heterogeneity and potential volatiles presence in the lunar regolith. While the operation and data collection of GPR is a straightforward case for most terrestrial surveys, it is a challenging task for remote planetary study especially on robotic platforms due to the complexity of remote operation in rough terrains and the data collection constrains imposed by the mechanical motion of the rover and limitation in data transfer. Nevertheless, Rover mounted GPR can be of great support to perform systematic subsurface surveys for a given landing site as it can provide scientific and operational support in exploring subsurface resources and sample collections which can increase the efficiency of the EVA activities for potential human crews as part of the NASA Constellation Program. In this study we attempt to explore the operational challenges and their impact on the EVA scientific return for operating a rover mounted GPR in support of potential human activity on the moon. In this first field study, we mainly focused on the ability of GPR to support subsurface sample collection and explore shallow subsurface volatiles.

Horz, F.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Lab and Reservoir Study of Produced Hydrocarbon Molecular Weight Selectivity during CO 2 Enhanced Oil Recovery

Two laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the molecular weight selectivity of crude oil hydrocarbons mobilized into CO 2 at the reservoir temperature (42 °C) and pressures ranging from below the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) of 9.69 MPa (1406 psi) to pressures well above the MMP (8.27–27.58 MPa, 1200–4000 psi). The hydrocarbon composition at equilibrium in the CO 2 -rich upper “miscible” phase was measured, as was the ability of four pore volumes of CO 2 to recover crude oil hydrocarbons from a sand bed. Both experiments showed significant selectivity against producing higher molecular weight hydrocarbons at lower pressures. In addition, the bias against higher molecular weight hydrocarbons continued even at pressures well above the 9.69 MPa MMP. For example, both the total hydrocarbon concentration in the CO 2 -rich “miscible” phase and the fraction of C 21 –C 36 increased dramatically from 10.34 to 21.13 MPa (from 1500 to 3500 psi), even though both pressures were above the MMP. In addition, when crude oil was first equilibrated at 20.68 MPa (3000 psi) and then lowered before sampling the “miscible” phase, substantial deposition of the higher molecular weight hydrocarbons occurred with the result that the hydrocarbon composition and concentrations were similar to those when the crude oil was exposed to only the lower CO 2 pressures without first being exposed to any higher pressure. The sand flush experiments showed similar results to the “miscible” phase samplings in that both the total hydrocarbons and the fraction of C 21 –C 36 recovered increased dramatically with pressure, regardless of whether the pressures were below or more than double the MMP. The crude oil samples remaining after CO 2 exposures also showed large increases in molecular weight as well as higher viscosity and lower American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity than the original crude oil. As predicted by both lab experiments, produced crude oil samples collected from two wells before and after CO 2 breakthrough showed significant bias against high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, with the fraction of C 21 –C 36 produced dropping by as much as 60–80% after CO 2 breakthrough compared to crude oil samples collected from the same wells before CO 2 breakthrough. Furthermore, these results verify that crude oil during a CO 2 flood does not move as a homogeneous “miscible” phase and that hydrocarbon dissolution (vaporization into the “miscible” phase) of lower molecular weight hydrocarbons dominates oil recovery in both the field and lab experiments.

02 PETROLEUM↗

DOE OSTI2021

Search for long-lived particles using displaced jets in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

An inclusive search is presented for long-lived particles using displaced jets. The search uses a data sample collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in 2017 and 2018, from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The results of this search are combined with those of a previous search using a data sample collected with the CMS detector in 2016, yielding a total integrated luminosity of 132 fb - 1 . The analysis searches for the distinctive topology of displaced tracks and displaced vertices associated with a dijet system. For a simplified model, where pair-produced long-lived neutral particles decay into quark-antiquark pairs, pair production cross sections larger than 0.07 fb are excluded at 95% confidence level (C.L.) for long-lived particle masses larger than 500 GeV and mean proper decay lengths between 2 and 250 mm. For a model where the standard model-like Higgs boson decays to two long-lived scalar particles that each decays to a quark-antiquark pair, branching fractions larger than 1% are excluded at 95% C.L. for mean proper decay lengths between 1 mm and 340 mm. A group of supersymmetric models with pair-produced long-lived gluinos or top squarks decaying into various final-state topologies containing displaced jets is also tested. Gluino masses up to 2500 GeV and top squark masses up to 1600 GeV are excluded at 95% C.L. for mean proper decay lengths between 3 and 300 mm. The highest lower bounds on mass reach 2600 GeV for long-lived gluinos and 1800 GeV for long-lived top squarks. These are the most stringent limits to date on these models.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Extended Characterization of Chemical Processes in Hot Cells Using Environmental Swipe Samples

Environmental sampling is used extensively by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for verification of information from State declarations or a facility’s design regarding nuclear activities occurring within the country or a specific facility. Environmental sampling of hot cells within a facility under safeguards is conducted using 10.2 cm x 10.2 cm cotton swipe material or cellulose swipes. Traditional target analytes used by the IAEA to verify operations within a facility include a select list of gamma-emitting radionuclides and total and isotopic U and Pu. Analysis of environmental swipe samples collected within a hot-cell facility where chemical processing occurs may also provide information regarding specific chemicals used in fuel processing. However, using swipe material to elucidate what specific chemical processes were/are being used within a hot cell has not been previously evaluated. Staff from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) teamed to evaluate the potential use of environmental swipe samples as collection media for volatile and semivolatile organic compounds. This evaluation was initiated with sample collection during a series of Coupled End-to-End (CETE) reprocessing runs at ORNL. The study included measurement of gamma emitting radionuclides, total and isotopic U and Pu, and volatile and semivolatile organic compounds. These results allowed us to elucidate what chemical processes used in the hot cells during reprocessing of power reactor and identify other legacy chemicals used in hot cell operations which predate the CETE process.

Environmental Sampling↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MBSE Applications for the MSR SRC Mars Ascent Vehicle

The objective of the NASA Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is to collect samples from the surface of Mars and return them to Earth for scientific research. The Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) will be integrated into a larger Mars Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL) for transit to and storage on Mars. After all Martian samples have been collected and loaded into the MAV payload assembly, MAV will deliver the samples from the Martian surface to Mars orbit. A separate spacecraft, the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) will retrieve the samples from Mars orbit and return them to Earth. To address common systems engineering challenges associated with using traditional systems engineering practices on complex projects, the MAV systems engineering team has explored implementation of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools and languages. This paper describes the current state of implementation and development of the MAV MBSE model with the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) within the scope of the MAV Systems Requirement Cycle (SRC) systems engineering workflow. The MAV MBSE model has been developed within Magic Draw – a SysML editor commonly used to implement MBSE. The MAV MBSE model has been used to develop mission phase functional flow diagrams for the Concept of Operations, decompose mission to vehicle subsystem functions, develop a functional decomposition, derive functional requirements, trace requirements up to customer-imposed requirements, trace requirements within MAV requirement space, identify requirements trace gaps, define and map the physical design space architecture, allocate requirements to subsystems, develop validation items, define assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) operations, and trace these items across driving goals to develop an integrated digital thread of systems engineering information used to drive design specifications, decision making, and ultimately design verification and validation. Findings and results associated with implementing MBSE in these ways, alongside traditional methods will be discussed.

MBSE↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MBSE Applications for the MSR SRC Mars Ascent Vehicle

MBSE↗

NASA NTRS2020

Meteoritic Material Recovered from the 07 March 2018 Meteorite Fall into the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

On 07 March 2018 at 20:05 local time (08 March 03:05 UTC), a dramatic meteor occurred over Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) off of the Washington state coast (“OCNMS fall”, henceforth). Data to include seismometry (from both on-shore and submarine seismometers), weather radar imagery (Figure 1), and a moored weather buoy, were used to accurately identify the fall site. The site was visited by the exploration vessel E/V Nautilus (Ocean Exploration Trust) on 01 July 2018 [1] and by the research vessel R/V Falkor (Schmidt Ocean Institute) from 03-06 June 2019. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) from both vessels were used to search for meteorites and sample seafloor sediments. These expeditions performed the first attempts to recover meteorites from a specific observed fall in the open ocean. Analysis of weather radar data indicates that this fall was unusually massive and featured meteorites of unusually high mechanical toughness, such that large meteorites were disproportionately produced compared to other meteorite falls (Figure 2)[2-4]. We report the recovery of many (>100) micrometeorite-sized melt spherules and other fragments, and one small (~1mm3 ) unmelted meteorite fragment identified to date. Approximately 80% of the fragments were recovered from a single sample, collected from a round pit in the seafloor sediment. Melt spherules are almost exclusively type I iron-rich spherules with little discernible oxidation. Analyses are currently underway to attempt to answer the primary science question by identifying the parent meteorite type. Also, differences in the number and nature of samples collected by Nautilus and Falkor reveal a distinct loss rate to oxidation over the 15 months following the fall that is useful to inform future recovery efforts.

Fries, M.↗

DOE OSTI2024

High efficiency active environmental sampling of chemical traces

A method of sample collection includes collecting an analyte from a sampling surface using a rapidly curable liquid gel comprising one or more metal particles; co-aggregating the one or more metal particles from the rapidly curable liquid gel and the analyte from the sampling surface; and rapidly curing the rapidly curable liquid gel. The composition and sample preparation conditions may facilitate improved collection efficiency of analytes during environmental and forensic evidence sampling. In addition, the composition and sample preparation conditions may facilitate enhanced detection and identification of the analyte using e.g., Surface Enhanced Raman Spectrometry (SERS).

Junghans, Ann↗

DOE OSTI2016

System and method for liquid extraction electrospray-assisted sample transfer to solution for chemical analysis

A system for sampling a surface includes a surface sampling probe comprising a solvent liquid supply conduit and a distal end, and a sample collector for suspending a sample collection liquid adjacent to the distal end of the probe. A first electrode provides a first voltage to solvent liquid at the distal end of the probe. The first voltage produces a field sufficient to generate electrospray plume at the distal end of the probe. A second electrode provides a second voltage and is positioned to produce a plume-directing field sufficient to direct the electrospray droplets and ions to the suspended sample collection liquid. The second voltage is less than the first voltage in absolute value. A voltage supply system supplies the voltages to the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode can apply the first voltage directly to the solvent liquid. A method for sampling for a surface is also disclosed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2006

Improving the Near-Earth Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Environment Definition with LADC

The Large Area Debris Collector (LADC) is a 10 m(sup 2) aerogel and acoustic sensor system designed to characterize and collect submillimeter micrometeoroids and orbital debris on the International Space Station (ISS). The project is led by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with major collaboration by the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office at Johnson Space Center. The U.S. Department of Defense Space Test Program (STP) is responsible for the integration, deployment, and retrieval of the system. The deployment is scheduled for August 2007 with an orbital collection period of one to two years. The combined area time product of LADC will provide a much needed orbital debris population update in the size regime that is important to the safety community - 100 mm and larger. Another key element for LADC is the source identification of the collected samples. Impact features such as track length and track volume can be used to estimate the impact speed and direction of any selected residual embedded in aerogel. Acoustic sensors can provide impact timing and impact location information. The combined dynamical signatures make it possible to reconstruct the orbits of some of the collected samples and lead to their source identification. Compositional analysis on the residuals can also separate debris from meteoroids and provide additional population breakdown for orbital debris (e.g., Al, paint, steel, Al2O3). To maximize the science return and minimize potential contamination from other ISS modules, a careful selection of the location and orientation of LADC on the ISS is needed. Key issues and engineering constraints encountered during mission preparation, and the expected science return based on the mission configuration, are summarized in this paper.

Liou, J.-C.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Nutritional Status Assessment (SMO 016E)

It has not been possible to assess nutritional status of crew members on the ISS during flight because blood and urine could not be collected during ISS missions. Postflight observations of alterations in nutritional status for several nutrients are troubling, and we require the ability to monitor the status of these nutrients during flight to determine if there is a specific impetus or timeframe for these changes. In addition to the monitoring of crew nutritional status during flight, in-flight sample collection would allow better assessment of countermeasure effectiveness. SMO 016E is also designed to expand the current medical requirement for nutritional assessment (MR016L) to include additional normative markers for assessing crew health and countermeasure effectiveness. Additional markers of bone metabolism will be measured to better monitor bone health and the effectiveness of countermeasures to prevent bone resorption. New markers of oxidative damage will be measured to better assess the type of oxidative insults that occur during space flight. The array of nutritional assessment parameters will be expanded to include parameters that will allow us to better understand changes in folate and vitamin B6 status, and related cardiovascular risk factors during and after flight. Additionally, stress hormones and hormones that affect bone and muscle metabolism will also be measured. This additional assessment will allow us to better monitor the health of crew members and make more accurate recommendations for their rehabilitation. Several nutritional assessment parameters are altered at landing, but it is not known how long these changes persist. We extended the current protocol to include an additional postflight blood and urine sample collection 30 days after landing. Data are being collected before, during, and after flight. These data will provide a complete survey of how nutritional status and related systems are affected by space flight. Analyzing the data will help us to define nutritional requirements for long-duration missions. This expanded set of measurements will also aid in the identification of nutritional countermeasures to counteract, for example, the deleterious effects of microgravity on bone and muscle and the effects of space radiation.

Smith, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS2006

U-Pb Ages of Lunar Apatites

Apatite is one of the minerals that is rarely utilized in U-Pb geochronology, compared to some other U-rich accessory phases. Relatively low U concentration, commonly high proportion of common Pb and low closure temperature of U-Pb system of apatite inhibit its application as geochronological tool when other minerals such as zircon are widely available. However, zircon appear to be restricted to certain type of lunar rocks, carrying so called KREEP signature, whereas apatite (and whitlockite) is a common accessory mineral in the lunar samples. Therefore, utilizing apatite for lunar chronology may increase the pool of rocks that are available for U-Pb dating. The low stability of U-Pb systematics of apatite may also result in the resetting of the system during meteoritic bombardment, in which case apatite may provide an additional tool for the study of the impact history of the Moon. In order to investigate these possibilities, we have analysed apatites and zircons from two breccia samples collected during the Apollo 14 mission. Both samples were collected within the Fra Mauro formation, which is interpreted as a material ejected during the impact that formed the Imbrium Basin.

Vaughan, J.↗

DOE OSTI2017

Completion Report for Well ER-2-2 Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Revision 1

Well ER-2-2 was drilled for the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada National Security Administration Nevada Field Office in support of the Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity. The well was drilled from January 17 to February 8, 2016, as part of the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) for Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. The primary purpose of the well was to collect hydrogeologic data to evaluate uncertainty in the flow and transport conceptual model and its contamination boundary forecasts, and to detect radionuclides in groundwater from the CALABASH (U2av) underground test. Well ER-2-2 was not completed as planned due to borehole stability problems. As completed, the well includes a piezometer (p1) to 582 meters (m) (1,909 feet [ft]) below ground surface (bgs) installed in the Timber Mountain lower vitric-tuff aquifer (TMLVTA) and a 12.25-inch (in.) diameter open borehole to 836 m (2,743 ft) bgs in the Lower tuff confining unit (LTCU). A 13.375-in. diameter carbon-steel casing is installed from the surface to a depth of 607 m (1,990 ft) bgs. Data collected during borehole construction include composite drill cutting samples collected every 3.0 m (10 ft), geophysical logs to a depth of 672.4 m (2,206 ft) bgs, water-quality measurements (including tritium), water-level measurements, and slug test data. The well penetrated 384.05 m (1,260 ft) of Quaternary alluvium, 541.93 m (1,778 ft) of Tertiary Volcanics (Tv) rocks, and 127.71 m (419 ft) of Paleozoic carbonates. The stratigraphy and lithology were generally as expected. However, several of the stratigraphic units were significantly thicker then predicted—principally, the Tunnel formation (Tn), which had been predicted to be 30 m (100 ft) thick; the actual thickness of this unit was 268.22 m (880 ft). Fluid depths were measured in the borehole during drilling as follows: (1) in the piezometer (p1) at 552.15 m (1,811.53 ft) bgs and (2) in the main casing (m1) at 551.69 m (1,810.01 ft) bgs. As expected, field measurements for tritium were above the Safe Drinking Water Act limit (20,000 picocuries per liter) for a portion of the Tertiary volcanic section near the water table. Tritium concentrations were at or near the field detection limit in the Lower carbonate aquifer (LCA) while drilling. During drilling, a sample was collected while circulating in the LCA. The sample was submitted for off-site laboratory analysis. The sample results indicated low but measurable tritium concentrations. All Fluid Management Plan requirements were met during drilling activities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗