[en] Future tritium production will be accomplished by irradiation of Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rods (TPBARs) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The highly radioactive TPBARs will be shipped from the PWR to the Savannah River Site for processing. All processing operations will be accomplished remotely including preparation of the TPBARs for extraction by providing a vent path for the tritium. The Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) will accomplish this breaching operation by using a remotely operated band saw. The development of the system necessary to breach the TPBARs is the focus of this paper

[en] The Commercial Light Water Reactor-Tritium Extraction Facility (CLWR-TEF) is planned for location at the Savannah River Site (SRS) as part of the US Department of Energy CLWR tritium production alternative. This new facility will rely on processes and equipment that are significantly different from those proven in the past or currently in use at SRS. For instance, the CLWR-TEF reference design employs remote modules to provide an inert processing atmosphere, secondary confinement for tritium and the primary confinement for particulate contamination. The primary component of this modular system is the Transporter. A Transporter mock-up was developed to demonstrate concept feasibility of the required processing functions (sealing, attachment/alignment and materials handling). The module design, the seal door selection, and the planned test program are discussed

[en] Consequences of the Commission on power saving and power supply created in the province Ontario (Canada) are discussed. The report involves recommendations on the replacement of shortage of energy by means of modernization of NPPs, repeated start of NPPs, performance of politics of power saving, development of hydroelectric power stations, gas and coal stations

[en] Characterization and performance testing of a prototype DWPF Melter No.2 Dome Heater Bus Bar are described. The prototype bus bar was designed to address the design features of the existing system which may have contributed to water leaks on Melter No.1. Performance testing of the prototype revealed significant improvement over the existing design in reduction of both bus bar and heater connection maximum temperature, while characterization revealed a few minor design and manufacturing flaws in the bar. The prototype is recommended as an improvement over the existing design. Recommendations are also made in the area of quality control to ensure that critical design requirements are met

[en] The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently developing a new facility, the Actinide Packaging and Storage Facility (APSF), to process and store legacy materials from the United States nuclear stockpile. A variety of materials, with a variety of properties, packaging and handling/storage requirements, will be processed and stored at the facility. Since these materials are hazardous and radioactive, automation will be used to minimize worker exposure. Other benefits derived from automation of the facility include increased throughput capacity and enhanced security. The diversity of materials and packaging geometries to be handled poses challenges to the automation of facility processes. In addition, the nature of the materials to be processed underscores the need for safety, reliability and serviceability. The application of automation in this facility must, therefore, be accomplished in a rational and disciplined manner to satisfy the strict operational requirements of the facility. Among the functions to be automated are the transport of containers between process and storage areas via an Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV), and various processes in the Shipping Package Unpackaging (SPU) area, the Accountability Measurements (AM) area, the Special Isotope Storage (SIS) vault and the Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) vault. Other areas of the facility are also being automated, but are outside the scope of this paper

[en] The rotational dynamics of methyl groups in 2,6 dimethylpyrazine and in cobalt and nickel acetates have been studied by neutron scattering and a combination of ab initio and empirical calculations. These results and the precision of the method are compared to those obtained by DFT calculations in each case. It has been shown that DFT gave excellent agreement with observables for organic molecules. We determined the significant parameter in the evaluation of the potential in ionic metal-containing systems

[en] Purpose: Accurate calibration of radiobiological parameters is crucial to predicting radiation treatment response. Modeling differences may have a significant impact on calibrated parameters. In this study, we have integrated two existing models with kinetic differential equations to formulate a new tumor regression model for calibrating radiobiological parameters for individual patients. Methods: A system of differential equations that characterizes the birth-and-death process of tumor cells in radiation treatment was analytically solved. The solution of this system was used to construct an iterative model (Z-model). The model consists of three parameters: tumor doubling time Td, half-life of dying cells Tr and cell survival fraction SFD under dose D. The Jacobian determinant of this model was proposed as a constraint to optimize the three parameters for six head and neck cancer patients. The derived parameters were compared with those generated from the two existing models, Chvetsov model (C-model) and Lim model (L-model). The C-model and L-model were optimized with the parameter Td fixed. Results: With the Jacobian-constrained Z-model, the mean of the optimized cell survival fractions is 0.43±0.08, and the half-life of dying cells averaged over the six patients is 17.5±3.2 days. The parameters Tr and SFD optimized with the Z-model differ by 1.2% and 20.3% from those optimized with the Td-fixed C-model, and by 32.1% and 112.3% from those optimized with the Td-fixed L-model, respectively. Conclusion: The Z-model was analytically constructed from the cellpopulation differential equations to describe changes in the number of different tumor cells during the course of fractionated radiation treatment. The Jacobian constraints were proposed to optimize the three radiobiological parameters. The developed modeling and optimization methods may help develop high-quality treatment regimens for individual patients

No abstract available

[en] A recent paper has reported the observation of the rotational band of ²⁵⁴No for spins up to I=20, showing that the compound nucleus was formed and survived fission decay at angular momenta I >= 20. We show that this survival is consistent with the leading effects of angular momentum on the barrier height

[en] In order to reduce costs and achieve schedules for Closure of the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), the Waste Requirements Group has implemented a number of cost saving initiatives aimed at integrating waste volume reduction with the selection of compliant waste packaging methods for the disposal of RFETS low level radioactive waste (LLW). Waste Guidance Inventory and Shipping Forecasts indicate that over 200,000 m3 of low level waste will be shipped offsite between FY2002 and FY2006. Current projections indicate that the majority of this waste will be shipped offsite in an estimated 40,000 55-gallon drums, 10,000 metal and plywood boxes, and 5000 cargo containers. Currently, the projected cost for packaging, shipment, and disposal adds up to $80 million. With these waste volume and cost projections, the need for more efficient and cost effective packaging and transportation options were apparent in order to reduce costs and achieve future Site packaging a nd transportation needs. This paper presents some of the cost saving initiatives being implemented for waste packaging at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (the Site). There are many options for either volume reduction or alternative packaging. Each building and/or project may indicate different preferences and/or combinations of options