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At least 811 records · Page 45

Impacts of Disturbance History on Forest Carbon Stocks and Fluxes: Merging Satellite Disturbance Mapping with Forest Inventory Data in a Carbon Cycle Model Framework

Forest carbon stocks and fluxes are highly dynamic following stand-clearing disturbances from severe fire and harvest and this presents a significant challenge for continental carbon budget assessments. In this work we use forest inventory data to parameterize a carbon cycle model to represent post-disturbance carbon trajectories of carbon pools and fluxes for specific forest types growing in high and low site productivity class settings. We then apply these trajectories to landscapes and regions based on forest age distributions derived from either the FIA data or from Landsat time series stacks (1985-2006) for 54 representative scenes throughout most of the conterminous United States. We estimate the net carbon uptake in forests caused by post-disturbance growth and decomposition ("regrowth sink") for forested regions across the country. At the landscape scale, the prevailing condition of positive net ecosystem productivity (NEP) is in stark contrast to local patches with large sources, particularly in the west where fires and clear cuts create contiguous disturbed patches. At the continental scale, regional differences in disturbance rates reflect management patterns of high disturbance rates in the Southeastern and South Central states, and lower disturbance rates in the Northeast and Northern Lakes States. Despite low contemporary disturbance rates in the Northeast and Northern Lakes States (0.61 and 0.74% y(exp −1)), the regrowth sink there remains of moderate to large strength (88 and 57 g C m(exp −2) y(exp −1)) owing to the continued legacy from historical clearing. Large regrowth sinks are also found in the Southeast, South Central, and Pacific Southwest regions (85, 86, and 95 g C m(exp −2) y(exp −1)) where disturbance rates also tend to be higher (1.59, 1.38, and 0.93% y(exp −1)). Overall, the Landsat-derived disturbance rates are elevated relative to FIA-derived rates (1.19 versus 0.93% y(exp −1)) particularly for western regions. The differences only modestly adjust regional- and continental-scale carbon budgets, reducing NEP from forest regrowth by about 8%.

carbon↗

Evaluation of fuel cycle scenarios on MOX fuel recycling in PWRs and SFRs

Prospects on advanced fuel cycle scenario are considered for achieving a progressive integration of Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) technology within the current French Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear fleet, in a view to benefit from fissile material multi-recycling capability. A step by step process is envisioned, and emphasis is put on its potential implementation through the nuclear mass inventory calculations with the COSAC code. The overall time scale is not optimized. The first step, already implemented in several countries, the plutonium coming from the reprocessing of used Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuels is recycled into a small number of LWRs. The second step is the progressive introduction of the first SFRs, in parallel with the continuation of step 1. This second step lets to prepare the optimized multi recycling of MOX fuel which is considered in step 3. Step 3 is characterized by the introduction of a greater number of SFR and MOX management between EPR reactors and SFRs. In the final step 4, all the fleet is formed with SFRs. This study assesses the viability of each step of the overall scenario. The switch from one step to the other one could result from different constrains related to issues such as resources, waste, experience feedback, public acceptance, country policy, etc.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Computationally Aided Design of a Small-Scale Waste-Glass Melter - 20452

To provide mission support to the WTP for the vitrification of legacy nuclear tank waste at the Hanford site, a reduced-scale vitrification pilot system is being designed to process simulated and actual radioactive tank wastes. The waste stored in underground tanks will be separated into HLW and LAW fractions, where the majority is LAW by mass (approximately 90%) and HLW by activity (greater than 95%). The first tank waste to be processed at the WTP will be LAW. Because Hanford tank waste and the resultant melter feed compositions are known to vary widely, pilot-scale operations are essential to identify potential problems, provide needed data, confirm assumptions, and determine impacts to full-scale melters and off-gas systems from these different feeds. In addition, the reduced-scale melter system must be capable of quickly providing results to operations without the typically high cost of full-scale radioactive operations and to provide an engineering platform in close proximity to local operations staff. The objectives of this computational modeling effort are to produce process conditions like those encountered in the WTP LAW melters and to minimize the volume of radioactive waste necessary for the evaluations. To this end, melter design features are being explored to increase production without significantly increasing surface area or melter-glass volumes or compromising data quality. In support of these objectives, a set of computational fluid dynamic models was developed to provide insight into the flow patterns within these small melters and evaluate design features to increase production without significantly increasing glass inventory. Computed velocities were evaluated at the interface between the cold cap and the molten-glass pool and within the bulk-glass pool. Since melt rate correlates with the velocity underneath the cold cap, this information can be used to select design features that produce the highest gains. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

THE BIZARRE CHEMICAL INVENTORY OF NGC 2419, AN EXTREME OUTER HALO GLOBULAR CLUSTER

We present new Keck/HIRES observations of six red giants in the globular cluster (GC) NGC 2419. Although the cluster is among the most distant and most luminous in the Milky Way, it was considered chemically ordinary until very recently. Our previous work showed that the near-infrared Ca II triplet line strength varied more than expected for a chemically homogeneous cluster, and that at least one star had unusual abundances of Mg and K. Here, we confirm that NGC 2419 harbors a population of stars, comprising about one-third of its mass, that is depleted in Mg by a factor of eight and enhanced in K by a factor of six with respect to the Mg-normal population. Although the majority, Mg-normal population appears to have a chemical abundance pattern indistinguishable from ordinary, inner-halo GCs, the Mg-poor population exhibits dispersions of several elements. The abundances of K and Sc are strongly anti-correlated with Mg, and some other elements (Si and Ca among others) are weakly anti-correlated with Mg. These abundance patterns suggest that the different populations of NGC 2419 sample the ejecta of diverse supernovae in addition to asymptotic giant branch ejecta. However, the abundances of Fe-peak elements except Sc show no star-to-star variation. We find no nucleosynthetic source that satisfactorily explains all of the abundance variations in this cluster. Because NGC 2419 appears like no other GC, we reiterate our previous suggestion that it is not a GC at all, but rather the core of an accreted dwarf galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Integrated Ammonia Capture and Exchange on Ion‐Exchanged 4A Zeolites

Ammonia poses a challenge in effluent gas streams due to its corrosive nature. However, in fusion settings tritiated ammonia can be formed, leading to both tritium loss in inventory and the generation of reactive species. Therefore, identifying pathways in which both tritium can be recovered, and the ammonia can be easily handled would be beneficial. One such way to do so would be to combine two useful techniques: ammonia sequestration and hydrogen exchange (ND 3 →NH 3 ). However, materials that can both adsorb ammonia and subsequently perform reactions on ammonia have not been well explored. Here, in this work, we present the development of ion-exchanged A-type zeolites to be utilized as a support material for platinum catalysts. In this way, the zeolite can adsorb ammonia and the platinum catalyst can facilitate hydrogen exchange allowing for bifunctional reactivity of the material to be achieved. A variety of elements were explored for their effect on A-type zeolites and resulted in an isotopic difference in the adsorption of ND 3 and NH 3 , noting the use of deuterium as a surrogate for tritium. Several platinum-impregnated zeolites were able to remove ND 3 from the gas stream, indicating that utilizing these materials in isotope recovery processes would improve accountability of these valuable hydrogen isotopes.

Koch, Christopher J. [Savannah River National Labo↗

Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy Versus Intensity Modulated Photon Radiation Therapy for Oropharyngeal Cancer: First Comparative Results of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Purpose: We hypothesized that patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) would have lower symptom burdens, as measured by patient-reported outcome (PRO) surveys, than patients treated with intensity modulated photon therapy (IMRT). Methods and Materials: Patients were treated for oropharyngeal cancer from 2006 to 2015 through prospective registries with concurrent chemotherapy and IMPT or chemotherapy and IMRT and completed the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head and Neck Cancer (MDASI-HN) module at various times before treatment (baseline), during treatment (acute phase), within the first 3 months after treatment (subacute phase), and afterward (chronic phase). Individual symptoms and the top 5 and top 11 most severe symptoms were summarized and compared between the radiation therapy modalities. Results: PRO data were collected and analyzed from 35 patients treated with chemotherapy and IMPT and from 46 treated with chemotherapy and IMRT. The baseline symptom burdens were similar between both groups. The overall top 5 symptoms were food taste problems (mean score 4.91 on a 0-10 scale), dry mouth (4.49), swallowing/chewing difficulties (4.26), lack of appetite (4.08), and fatigue (4.00). Among the top 11 symptoms, changes in taste and appetite during the subacute and chronic phases favored IMPT (all P<.048). No differences in symptom burden were detected between modalities during the acute and chronic phases by top-11 symptom scoring. During the subacute phase, the mean (±standard deviation) top 5 MDASI scores were 5.15 ± 2.66 for IMPT versus 6.58 ± 1.98 for IMRT (P=.013). Conclusions: According to the MDASI-HN, symptom burden was lower among the IMPT patients than among the IMRT patients during the subacute recovery phase after treatment. A prospective randomized clinical trial is underway to define the value of IMPT for the management of head and neck tumors.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

The oceanographic toolbox for the collection of sinking and suspended marine particles

Marine particles play a central role in controlling the transport, cycling, and inventories of many major elements and trace elements and isotopes throughout the oceans. Studies seeking to elucidate the biogeochemical roles of marine particles often require reliable ways to collect them from the ocean. Here, we review the oceanographic toolbox of techniques and instrumentation that are employed to collect both suspended and sinking particles. With these tools, it is possible to determine both the concentrations and vertical fluxes of important elements and individual particle types. We describe the various methods for quantifying the concentrations of particulate matter with in situ pumps, towed sampling devices, bottle collectors, and large volume capture devices. The uses of various types of flux collection platforms are discussed including surface tethered, neutrally buoyant, and bottom moored devices. We address the issues of sediment trap collection biases and the apparent inconsistencies that can arise due to differences in the temporal and spatial scales sampled by the various methodologies. Special attention is given to collection considerations made for the analysis of trace metals and isotopes, as these methodologies are of high importance to the ongoing GEOTRACES program which seeks to identify the processes and quantify fluxes that control the distributions of key trace elements and isotopes in the ocean. With the emergence of new particle collection methodologies and the continued reliance on traditional collection methods, it is imperative that we combine these multiple approaches in ways that will help improve their accuracy and precision while enhancing their utility in advancing understanding of the biogeochemical and ecological roles of marine particles.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Comparison of Global Aboveground Biomass Estimates From Satellite Observations and Dynamic Global Vegetation Models

The global forest carbon stocks represent the amount of carbon stored in woody vegetation and are important for quantifying the ability of the global forests to sequester atmospheric CO 2 and to provide ecosystem services (e.g., timber) under climate change. The forest ecosystem carbon pool estimates are highly variable and poorly quantified in areas lacking forest inventory estimates. Here, we compare and analyze aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates from five satellite-based global data sets and nine dynamic global vegetation models (DVGMs). We find that across the data sets, mean AGB exhibits the largest variability around the tropical area. In addition, AGB shows a similar latitudinal trend but large variability among the data sets. Satellite-based AGB estimates are lower than those simulated by DVGMs. The divergence among the satellite-based AGB estimates can be driven by the methodology, input satellite products, and the forested areas used to estimate AGB. The modeled NPP, autotrophic respiration, and carbon allocation mostly drive the variability of AGB simulated by DGVMs. The future availability of a high-quality global forest area map is anticipated to improve AGB estimate accuracy and to reduce the discrepancies among different satellite- and model-based AGB estimates. Furthermore, we suggest the carbon-modeling community reexamine the methodology used to estimate AGB and forested areas for a more robust global forest carbon stock estimation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

BAWLD-CH 4 : a comprehensive dataset of methane fluxes from boreal and arctic ecosystems

Methane (CH 4 ) emissions from the boreal and arctic region are globally significant and highly sensitive to climate change. There is currently a wide range in estimates of high-latitude annual CH 4 fluxes, where estimates based on land cover inventories and empirical CH 4 flux data or process models (bottom-up approaches) generally are greater than atmospheric inversions (top-down approaches). A limitation of bottom-up approaches has been the lack of harmonization between inventories of site-level CH 4 flux data and the land cover classes present in high-latitude spatial datasets. Here we present a comprehensive dataset of small-scale, surface CH 4 flux data from 540 terrestrial sites (wetland and non-wetland) and 1247 aquatic sites (lakes and ponds), compiled from 189 studies. The Boreal–Arctic Wetland and Lake Methane Dataset (BAWLD-CH 4 ) was constructed in parallel with a compatible land cover dataset, sharing the same land cover classes to enable refined bottom-up assessments. BAWLD-CH 4 includes information on site-level CH 4 fluxes but also on study design (measurement method, timing, and frequency) and site characteristics (vegetation, climate, hydrology, soil, and sediment types, permafrost conditions, lake size and depth, and our determination of land cover class). The different land cover classes had distinct CH 4 fluxes, resulting from definitions that were either based on or co-varied with key environmental controls. Fluxes of CH 4 from terrestrial ecosystems were primarily influenced by water table position, soil temperature, and vegetation composition, while CH 4 fluxes from aquatic ecosystems were primarily influenced by water temperature, lake size, and lake genesis. Models could explain more of the between-site variability in CH 4 fluxes for terrestrial than aquatic ecosystems, likely due to both less precise assessments of lake CH 4 fluxes and fewer consistently reported lake site characteristics. Analysis of BAWLD-CH 4 identified both land cover classes and regions within the boreal and arctic domain, where future studies should be focused, alongside methodological approaches. Overall, BAWLD-CH 4 provides a comprehensive dataset of CH 4 emissions from high-latitude ecosystems that are useful for identifying research opportunities, for comparison against new field data, and model parameterization or validation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Carbonaceous Meteorites Contain a Wide Range of Extraterrestrial Nucleobases

All terrestrial organisms depend on nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), which use pyrimidine and purine nucleobases to encode genetic information. Carbon-rich meteorites may have been important sources of organic compounds required for the emergence of life on the early Earth; however, the origin and formation of nuc1eobases in meteorites has been debated for over 50 y. So far, the few nuc1eobases reported in meteorites are biologically common and lacked the structural diversity typical of other indigenous meteoritic organics. Here, we investigated the abundance and distribution of nucleobases and nucleobase analogs in formic acid extracts of 12 different meteorites by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The Murchison and Lonewolf Nunataks 94102 meteorites contained a diverse suite of nucleobases, which included three unusual and terrestrially rare nucleobase analogs; purine, 2,6-diminopurine, and 6,8-diaminopurine. In a parallel experiment, we found an identical suite of nucleobases and nucleobase analogs generated in reactions of ammonium cyanide. Additionally, these nucleobase analoge were not detected above our parts-per-billion detection limits in any of the procedural blanks, control samples, a terrestrial soil sample, and an Antarctic ice sample. Our results demonstrate that the purines detected in meteorites are consistent with products of ammonium cyanide chemistry, which provides a plausible mechanism for their synthesis in the asteroid parent bodies, and strongly supports an extraterrestrial origin. The discovery of new nucleobase analogs in meteorites also expands the prebiotic molecular inventory available for constructing the first genetic molecules.

Callahan, Michael P.↗

Distribution Development for Residual Inventory at the New York West Valley Site - 20400

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is the owner of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC), a 1,351 ha site located approximately 48 km south of Buffalo, New York. In 1962, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS) entered into Agreements with the Atomic Energy Commission and New York State to construct the first commercial reprocessing plant of nuclear fuel in the United States. NFS, a private company, built and operated the spent fuel reprocessing plant and waste disposal facilities, processing 640 Mg of spent nuclear fuel from 1966 to 1972 under an Atomic Energy Commission license. Nuclear fuel reprocessing operations ended in 1972 and never reopened, leaving behind radioactive and chemical wastes. Operations led to contamination in a number of facilities and locations. Some of that contamination has migrated from waste disposal zones to other layers, formations, and features on and off the WNYNSC. Phase I decommissioning activities are ongoing and involve the removal of a number of areas and structures that have been associated with contamination. The purpose of this work is to outline the approach for characterizing contamination not associated with disposed wastes, contaminated structures, or specific releases. In this work, the term, residual radiological activity, is used to describe environmental contamination that exists subsequent to the completion of Phase I decommissioning activities, that is not associated with disposed wastes, contaminated structures, or specific releases. Contamination from the Site was quantified relative to data that characterize the concentrations of radionuclides that exist in background. Background concentrations are those present in the area but having no influence from Site related activities. The existence of residual radiological activity that is elevated relative to background has the potential to contribute to future risks to human health and the environment. As a consequence, the residual inventory information is used to inform the West Valley Probabilistic Performance Assessment (PPA) model to characterize potential future risks to human health and the environment. The centralized West Valley Data Management System (DMS) was the source of information for the data assembled in this analysis. The DMS is a fairly large compilation consisting of thousands of records from investigation studies, with sample dates ranging from 1990 to present. Samples from monitoring wells, boreholes, geoprobe studies, surface water, surface soils, storm water outfalls, ventilation stack filters, plant and animal tissues, and more are included in the DMS. Results are typically reported in units of activity per unit volume. For the purpose of the analyses presented here, all results were converted into consistent units of pCi per unit volume. Since 1990, data have been collected from various locations across the WNYNSC at different times with varying frequency over the course of several decades. As a consequence, a number of potential issues can arise with respect to the assembly of a dataset that is deemed adequate for the characterization of residual radiological activity. These issues were assessed and resolved to the extent possible through careful consideration of the properties of the distributions. The intent was to use data which characterize the current state of the Site. Radionuclides can be designated to one of several groups depending on their origin. In this work the groups considered were 1) Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), 2) fallout, and 3) Other (including power plant, medical research, etc). This grouping is a useful construct with respect to the interpretation of fixed laboratory results. For example, NORM radionuclides that exist within a decay chain should have approximately equivalent distributions of concentrations if they are representative of background conditions. Insights such as these can be used as a check to identify sample results that need to be further investigated or omitted due to issues associated with reported results from fixed laboratory analyses. This type of analysis provided a foundation for the assessment of the adequacy of sample results for use in subsequent components of an assessment. The general process for the assessment of residual radiological contamination at the Site consists of a sequence of several steps. First, for each analyte, several statistical tests were performed to assess the weight of evidence against the null hypothesis that the mean of the distribution of concentrations was equal to zero. If the mean of the distribution of concentrations for a given radionuclide was not found to be greater than zero, then it was removed from consideration as a component of the residual radiological contamination. If there was significant evidence to reject the hypothesis of the mean being equal to zero, the second step was to compare the distribution of the data from the Site to that of the corresponding background. A suite of tests was used to compare the distributions of the site and background data. The results of these tests were collectively used to determine if site data are elevated relative to background. The third step was to develop distributions using a Bayesian framework to characterize the distribution of mean of the increment present above background for each of the radionuclides. The Bayesian model implemented allowed for the comparison of site-specific records to background concentrations to better approximate contamination attributed to the Site. A final screening step was employed for radionuclides that exceed background. This screening step compared 95% upper confidence limits (UCLs) from the increment distribution developed in the previous step to the risk screening levels. This approach yields a list of analytes that were determined to be elevated relative to background.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Design, Development, and Operation of an Integrated Fluidized Carbon Capture Unit Using Polyethylenimine Sorbents

In this paper, we present the design, development, and operation of a reactor system for CO 2 capture. Modifications were implemented to address differences in sorbent from 180 μm Geldart group B to 115 μm Geldart group A material; operational issues were discovered during experimental trials. The major obstacle in system operation was the ability to maintain a constant circulation of a solid sorbent stemming from this change in sorbent material. The system consisted of four fluid beds, through which a polyamine impregnated sorbent was circulated and adsorption, preheat, regeneration, and cooling processes occurred. Pressure transducers, thermocouples, gas flow meters, and gas composition instrumentation were used to characterize thermal, hydrodynamic, and gas adsorption performance in this integrated unit. A series of shakedown tests were performed and the configuration altered to meet the needs of the sorbent performance and achieve desired target capture efficiencies. Methods were identified, tested, and applied to continuously monitor critical operating parameters including solids circulation rate, adsorbed and desorbed CO 2 , solids inventories, and pressures. The working capacity and CO 2 capture efficiency were used to assess sorbent performance while CO 2 closure was used to define data quality and approach to steady-state. Testing demonstrated >90% capture efficiencies and identified the regenerator to be the process step limiting throughput. Sorbent performance was found to be related to the reactant stoichiometry. Finally, a stochastic model with an exponential dependence on the relative CO 2 /amine concentration was used to describe 90% of the variance in the data.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Using Radioiodine Speciation to Address Environmental Remediation and Waste Stream Sequestration Problems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and a DOE Site

Iodine-129 ( 129 I), with a half-life of half-life of 16 million years, is commonly considered the single greatest risk driver in high-level and low-level nuclear repositories. This risk stems from several basic properties of 129 I, and under many geochemical conditions, it can move as an anion at nearly the rate of water through the subsurface environment. 129 I is also extremely radiologically toxic because over 90% of body burden accumulates in the thyroid, which weighs only about 14g in an adult. There is also a large worldwide inventory of radioiodine as a result of its high fission yield and this inventory is rapidly increasing as a result of nuclear energy production. Radioiodine is produced at a rate of 40 GBq (1 Ci) per gigawatt of electricity produced by nuclear power. To illustrate how the properties of 129 I magnify its risk, 129 I accounts for only 0.00002% of the radiation released from the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, but contributes 13% of the population dose, a six orders of magnitude magnification of risk with respect to its radioactivity. The currently favored solid phase for LLW immobilization is cement, while HLW immobilization is the incorporation of waste into glass (vitrification). However, so far, the incorporation into cement and subsequent leaching of only iodide has been seriously investigated. The major problem with this approach is that it ignores the complex speciation of iodine, i.e., it ignores iodate and organo-iodine which have different chemistries. Most of the past research was devoted to the mechanism of iodide uptake in cement hydrate phases that is sorption and/or incorporation. Very few data exist on iodate and organo-iodine incorporation in cement, even though large quantities of liquid waste containing also radioiodine have already been solidified in cement Iodine-129 from low-level waste is commonly disposed of in cementitious materials. Grout, a dense cementitious fluid, mixed with a reducing slag, is often used to immobilize radionuclides. However, the reducing environment might not be conducive to immobilize iodine. For example, the silver based immobilization technologies (e.g., AgCl, Ag-impregnated granular activated carbon, Ag-mordenite) remove iodine from the aqueous phase by promoting the formation of Ag-iodide precipitates. The solubility of AgI is eight orders of magnitude lower than it is for AgIO 3 . Similarly, coprecipitation of iodine into calcium carbonate phases occurs only with IO 3 - and not with I - and org-I. If one would want to immobilize iodine more effectively, different engineering approaches would need to be used to promote binding of I - , IO 3 - , or organo-I. Using laboratory experiments with grout, slag, and silver-based adsorbents, and GC-MS and I K-edge XANES and EXAFS and C K-edge XANES spectroscopy for identifying iodine speciation, the major problems with these methods have been identified as focused too much on just one of the iodine species for immobilization, while others, especially organo-I, remained mobile. Finally, we established that most of the adsorbents that are used contain sufficient amounts of organic matter to create organo-I . It is anticipated that increased attention directed at understanding and quantifying the speciation of radioiodine, as opposed to simply total radioiodine, will lead to improved remediation results to be used for long-term radioiodine disposal in cementitious waste forms.

129-Iodine↗

Composite Analysis for Low-Level Waste Disposal in the Hanford Site Central Plateau (FY 2020) (Rev. 2)

This document provides an updated Hanford Site composite analysis (CA). A Hanford Site CA was prepared and issued in 1998 (PNNL-11800) with an addendum provided in 2002 (PNNL-11800 Addendum 1). The CA was approved in 2002 (Frei, 2002) and has been maintained (DOE/RL-2000-29 and subsequent revisions) to support low-level waste disposal performance assessments (PAs) and disposal authorizations for facilities at the Hanford Site, including the following: Continued operation of the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF) and the 200 East and 200 West Low-Level Burial Grounds; Construction of the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF); Forthcoming closure of tank residual waste systems such as Waste Management Area (WMA) C. The CA maintenance program resulted in a determination in 2015 (DOE/RL-2015-66) that the Hanford Site CA needed an update for the following reasons: While the initial Hanford Site CA has been maintained since 2001, the accumulation of basis changes reported in the annual summary reports over the succeeding 14 years merit evaluation in an updated analysis; The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Headquarters requested in a memorandum in 2015 (Gilbertson and Marcinowski, 2015) that “as soon as the relevant PAs are complete, the CA will be revised to account for all of the new information.” This updated Hanford Site CA accounts for the following new information: 1. Inclusion of a detailed Hanford Site baseline disposition that projects remedial activities through site closure. There have been significant changes through decision making in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) process that were not available when the original CA was produced; 2. Inclusion of an updated inventory basis, new modeling capabilities, and new decisions reached in the associated record of decision (ROD) that was provided by issuance of DOE/EIS-0391 in fiscal year (FY) 2013. Development of a Hanford Site groundwater model from the baseline provided in a technical transfer of models for the Final Tank Closure and Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0391) commenced in FY 2014 and resulted in the plateau-to-river (P2R) groundwater flow model that is used in this updated Hanford Site CA; 3. Accounting for pump and treat systems, which were not evaluated in the initial CA. Pump and treat systems have had significant impact on groundwater flow system behavior, contaminant transport, and contaminant removal from Hanford Site groundwater. This process is accounted for in the use of the P2R model for this updated Hanford Site CA; 4. Inclusion of water-level data collected since the initial CA was completed. Data collected as the unconfined aquifer water levels continue to recede since the cessation of large liquid discharges in the late 1990s have led to marked improvement in understanding of the flow system for future conditions, particularly regarding northward flow potential in the critical Gable Gap area. The calibration in the latest version of the P2R model accounts for this information; 5. Inclusion of results from the revised ERDF PA completed in 2013 (WCH-5209) that account for updated inventory and expansion of the ERDF facility to about twice the size that was evaluated in the original CA; 6. Use of updated geoframeworks to provide the structural basis for numerical fate and transport models in the groundwater pathway of this updated CA. The geologic basis for groundwater models has continued to improve with additional data collection and interpretation with the creation and maintenance of the Hanford South Geoframework and the Central Plateau Vadose Zone Geoframework tools; 7. Incorporation of updated tank residual inventory estimates. Tank residual inventory estimates have improved with the incorporation of tank retrieval inventory data for those tanks that have completed retrieval. The CA inventory data package includes this updated information; 8. Incorporation of WMA C PA results. Two additional PAs for tank farm closure decisions are in preparation during the period required to prepare an updated Hanford Site CA: WMA C (FY 2016) and WMA A-AX (in preparation). The WMA C PA results are incorporated into the updated Hanford Site CA, and its grouted residuals model is used as the basis for a release model to account for the other tank farm systems modeling in this updated CA; 9. An update to the IDF PA was submitted in FY 2017 and has been reviewed and approved. The results of the IDF PA are incorporated into this updated CA; 10. Updated risk assessment scenarios. The risk assessment scenarios currently in use for Hanford Site CERCLA and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) analyses differ from those evaluated in the initial Hanford Site CA. The representative person exposure scenario evaluated in this updated Hanford Site CA is consistent with recent PAs and CERCLA and RCRA analyses as the Hanford Site. This updated Hanford Site CA provides the following: A comparison of the updated Hanford Site CA all-pathway dose results with the performance measures during the compliance period, which is assumed to begin with site closure in calendar 2070 with the last scheduled disposal action and continue for 1,000 years postclosure (to calendar year 3069); A comparison of Hanford Site CA all-pathway dose results with the performance measures during the postcompliance period to address potential peaks beyond the compliance period. This is accomplished by evaluating dose in the period for 9,000 years following the compliance period (i.e., from calendar year 3070 to 12070).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

COSMIC: Software catalog 1991 edition diskette format

The PC edition of the annual COSMIC Software contains descriptions of the over 1,200 computer programs available for use within the United States as of January 1, 1991. By using the PC version of the catalog, it is possible to conduct extensive searches of the software inventory for programs that meet specific criteria. Elements such as program keywords, hardware specifications, source code languages, and title acronyms can be used for the basis of such searches. After isolating those programs that might be of best interest to the user, it is then possible to either view at the monitor, or generate a hardcopy listing of all information on those packages. In addition to the program elements that the user can search on, information such as total program size, distribution media, and program price, as well as extensive abstracts on the program, are also available to the user at this time. Another useful feature of the catalog allows for the retention of programs that meet certain search criteria between individual sessions of using the catalog. This allows users to save the information on those programs that are of interest to them in different areas of application. They can then recall a specific collection of programs for information retrieval or further search reduction if desired. In addition, this version of the catalog is adaptable to a network/shared resource environment, allowing multiple users access to a single copy of the catalog database simultaneously.

Source record↗

International Space Station Water Balance Operations

In November 2008, the Water Regenerative System racks were launched aboard Space Shuttle flight, STS-126 (ULF2) and installed and activated on the International Space Station (ISS). These racks, consisting of the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) and Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), completed the installation of the Regenerative (Regen) Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), which includes the Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) that was launched 2 years prior. With the onset of active water management on the US segment of the ISS, a new operational concept was required, that of water balance . In November of 2010, the Sabatier system, which converts H2 and CO2 into water and methane, was brought on line. The Regen ECLSS systems accept condensation from the atmosphere, urine from crew, and processes that fluid via various means into potable water, which is used for crew drinking, building up skip-cycle water inventory, and water for electrolysis to produce oxygen. Specification (spec) rates of crew urine output, condensate output, O2 requirements, toilet flush water, and drinking needs are well documented and used as the best guess planning rates when Regen ECLSS came online. Spec rates are useful in long term planning, however, daily or weekly rates are dependent upon a number of variables. The constantly changing rates created a new challenge for the ECLSS flight controllers, who are responsible for operating the ECLSS systems onboard ISS from Mission Control in Houston. This paper reviews the various inputs to water planning, rate changes, and dynamic events, including but not limited to: crew personnel makeup, Regen ECLSS system operability, vehicle traffic, water storage availability, and Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA), Sabatier, and OGA capability. Along with the inputs that change the various rates, the paper will review the different systems, their constraints, and finally the operational challenges and means by which flight controllers manage this new concept of "water balance."

Tobias, Barry↗

Life cycle energy demand and carbon emissions of scalable single-junction and tandem perovskite PV

Perovskite photovoltaics reached record efficiencies in the laboratory and, if sustainably commercialized, they would accelerate a green energy transition. Here, this article presents the development of life-cycle inventory material and energy databases of most promising four single-junction and three tandem scalable perovskite systems with assumptions regarding scalable production validated by industry experts. We conducted comprehensive “ex ante” Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Net Energy Analysis, analyzing their cumulative energy demand, global warming potential profiles, energy payback times and energy return on investment (EROI). LCA contribution analysis elucidates the most impactful material and process choices. It shows that solution-based perovskite manufacturing would have lower environmental impact than vapor-based methods, and that roll-to-roll (RtR) printing offers the lowest impact. Among material choices, MoOx/Al has lower impact than Ag, and fluorine-tin-oxide lower than indium-tin-oxide. Furthermore, we compare perovskites with commercial crystalline-silicon and thin-film PV, accounting for the most recent developments in crystalline-Si wafer production and differences in life expectancies and efficiencies. It is shown that perovskite systems produced with RtR manufacturing could reach in only 12 years of life the same EROI as that of single-crystalline-Si PV lasting 30-years. This work lays a foundation for sustainability investigations of perovskite large-scale deployment.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

The Proposed Operations Master Plan of Cigeo - 17013

The proposed operations master plan of Cigeo describes the so-called 'reference progression' of the Cigeo project as envisaged by Andra at the end of the preliminary design studies. It aims at clarifying the objectives of the industrial pilot phase and present the choices offered by the reversibility for the management of the Cigeo project. The reference progression includes the inventory of the waste to be disposed of in Cigeo used for the dimensioning (73 600 m{sup 3} of ILW-LL and 10 100 m{sup 3} of HLW). Cigeo is designed to store the waste already produced and those that will be produced in the future by the existing nuclear installations and those whose creation was authorized, until the predictable end of their operation and their dismantling. All spent fuel is assumed to be reprocessed. The reference progression also includes the duration and the projected milestones of the construction and operation phases of Cigeo until termination. Across the operating life of Cigeo, the extensions of the Cigeo repository areas proceed by successive incremental phases, from the start of the industrial pilot phase (2025) to the final closure operations planned by 2150. Reversibility is defined as the ability to offer to the next generations different choices in terms of radioactive waste long-term management. The implementation of the reversibility principle is based on both governance and technical project management tools. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗