[en] This report estimates the minimum radiological releases and potential impact of deep-lying uranium ore, so that they may be compared with projected releases and impacts from radioactive waste. Uranium concentration and groundwater flow rates are used as input data for three models developed by EPA for analyzing the impact of high-level radioactive waste. One set of data is obtained from some ore bodies which are being mined by the in situ solution process. Another, the minimum impact case, is obtained by using conservative data on uranium concentrations in uraniferous groundwaters in conjunction with a model aquifer developed by EPA

[en] The identification of environmental problems resulting from past operations and practices at federal facilities is not only a good management practice but also a logical precursor to site wide cleanup. Current problems and associated data may date back fifty years, and relevant records and personnel familiar with old operations are difficult to locate. The principal sources for information pertaining to past practices is available in records holding areas at particular facilities and at the Federal Records Centers of the National Archives and Records Administration. The volume of Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) records is on the order of 65 to 70 thousand cubic feet. The FUSRAP program reviewed documents in a systematic, ordered fashion. Reviews were focused on potential radiologic contamination of off-site facilities, and the effectiveness of this tailored procedure, necessitated by the volume of records, is well established. Sources of historical information in the public domain, such as libraries, assessor's offices and elsewhere also should be considered. The decision to use and pursue sources of information should be made by environmental managers rather than facility archivists or librarians. The manager must constantly weigh the potential records value and benefit against the expense of records search and collection. Likewise, environmental managers must realize that the records they collect, maintain and store are a vital legacy to future generations. Colleges and Universities also have an important role. Training in records management should be part of an environmental engineering curriculum, and partnerships/internships in reviewing records and implementing systems for the DOE should be pursued

[en] The global deployment of the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) nuclear system is supported by an extensive and growing technology base. Over some 25 years, the BWR design has been advanced in disciplined evolutionary stages, supported by exhaustive experimentation and confirmatory testing. The General Electric Company's (USA) current nuclear offering for example, the BWR/6 system and Mark III containment, incorporates the best features of previous BWR classes. Component designs, fuel and plant arrangements have been improved in several significant aspects which are expected to lead to higher capacity factors and reduced servicing times. Technical exchange between international BWR licensees, an impressive complex of full-scale test facilities and cooperative programmes involving BWR owners, as well as industry and government groups further broaden the technical resources brought to bear on BWR plant designs. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Holographic methods have been proposed to record bubble tracks of high-energy particles in large bubble chambers like the one at Fermi National Accelerator Lab. It has been shown that the high-power densities of standard Q-switched laser pulses induce parasitic boiling in the chamber liquid which blurs the hologram. Rectangular stretched light pulses of 1-5-μs duration are needed to provide the required beam energy but at significantly reduced power densities. Apparently, reproducible spikefree rectangular laser pulses of >0.5 μs have not been achieved before, although attempts have been made by several groups. A closed-loop Pockels cell controller (pulse stretcher) using MOSFET technology provided a solution. Using the Wagner and Longegel giant-pulse equations and nodal circuit analysis, a set of state equations was generated and then solved numerically. The resulting computed pulse shapes are highly correlated with those measured

[en] This technical report presents these assessments of long-term repository performance. It describes the models that the Agency developed specifically for this project, reviews the various assumptions made, and identifies the data used in these models. In general a relatively simple analytical methodology was formulated that should tend to overestimate the long-term risks from geologic repositories. Because much of this methodology is new, and because these risk assessments are a key part of our rulemaking, the Agency is publishing this as a draft report. During the public comment period on 40 CFR 191, a Subcommittee of the Agency's Science Advisory Board will conduct an independent technical review of our risk assessments (48 FR 509). All meetings of this Subcommittee will be announced in the Federal Register and will be open to the public

[en] It wasn't so long ago that the political events in the Persian Gulf threatened global energy supply and showed the vulnerability of global economies to the interruptions of foreign oil imports. Today, with increasing global environmental concerns associated with the use of fossil fuels, there is renewed interest in the nuclear energy option. The fast economic growth currently experienced in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive electrical demands in an unprecedented pace. Current forecast of the world's total uncommitted electrical needs exceed 1,100 GWe over the next 10-15 years. In the US, the excess of electrical generating capacity which has existed for the past 15 years is coming to an end, and as we approach the 21st century, an estimated 200+ GWe of new generating capacity will be needed in the next 15 years. This paper describes GE's advanced boiling water reactor programs aimed at providing a new generation of nuclear energy plants to provide safe, clean, reliable, and economical electricity to the world's utilities as we enter the 21st century. (author)

[en] General Electric Co. (GE), with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and a number of electricity utilities, worked out plans for a nuclear power plant with an advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) and submitted them to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1986. GE seeks to obtain a general permit for this advanced standardized type of reactor. According to the firm, the ABWR is the result of eight years of planning and development by an international team of engineers. GE hope to obtain a type approval from the NRC by 1990. The article contains a description of the design features of the 1220 MWe BWR unit at present offered by GE. (orig.)

[en] In testing a holographic particle track recording system for the Fermilab 15 foot bubble chamber, it was shown that the peak power of Q-switched laser pulses (50ns duration) at the required energy gave rise to boiling during the chamber expansion. A pulse stretching technique is described which was developed to reduce the peak power. Applied to a ruby laser (oscillator and three amplifiers) with a maximum Q-switched output of 30J, pulses of up to 10-μs duration with coherence up to and exceeding 11 m at 2.5μs were produced. The considerably increased coherence length will find applications in many fields of pulsed holography, and its use with fiber optics is particularly promising

[en] Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) establishes a two-step licensing process by which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) authorizes nuclear reactor plant construction through issuance of a construction permit and authorizes operation by issuance of an operating license. At each stage, the NRC Staff conducts technical reviews and there is potential for public hearings. In 1989, the NRC issued a new, simplified licensing process: Part 52. The purpose of the Part 52 licensing process is to provide a regulatory framework that brings about earlier resolution of licensing issues. Because issues are not resolved early in the Part 50 licensing process, approval of an operating license is not assured until after a significant investment has been made in the plant. Part 52 increases the stability and certainty of the licensing process by providing for the early resolution of safety and environmental issues. The Part 52 licensing process features (1) early site permits, (2) design certification, and (3) combined construction permit and operating licenses. As part of the U.S. Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Program to revitalize the nuclear option through the integration of government/utility/industry efforts, GE undertook the role of applying for certification for its latest product line, the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), under the U.S. ABWR certification program. The ABWR design is an essentially complete plant. Initial application for design certification was in 1987 under Part 50. GE reapplied in late 1991 under the newly promulgated Part 52. Following seven years of intensive interactions with the NRC and ACRS, GE was awarded the first Final Design Approval (FDA) under Part 52. The Commission initiated rulemaking by publishing the proposed ABWR Certification Rule in the Federal Register in early 1995. Certification is anticipated mid-1996. (J.P.N.)