Sampling and decontamination plan for the Transuranic Storage Area--1/-R container storage unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barry, G.A.

1992-11-01

This document describes the sampling and decontamination of the Transuranic Storage Area (TSA)-l/-R container storage area and the earthen-covered portion of the TSA-2 container storage unit at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex. Stored containers from the earthen-covered asphalt pads will be retrieved from the TSA-l/-R and TSA-2 container storage units. Container retrieval will be conducted under the TSA retrieval enclosure, a fabricated steel building to be constructed over the earthen-covered pad to provide containment and weather protection. Following container retrieval, the TSA retrieval enclosure will be decontaminated to remove radioactive and hazardous contamination. The underlying soils will be sampled and analyzed to determine whether any contaminated soils require removal

Recommended Immunological Assays to Screen for Ricin-Containing Samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stéphanie Simon

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Ricin, a toxin from the plant Ricinus communis, is one of the most toxic biological agents known. Due to its availability, toxicity, ease of production and absence of curative treatments, ricin has been classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC as category B biological weapon and it is scheduled as a List 1 compound in the Chemical Weapons Convention. An international proficiency test (PT was conducted to evaluate detection and quantification capabilities of 17 expert laboratories. In this exercise one goal was to analyse the laboratories’ capacity to detect and differentiate ricin and the less toxic, but highly homologuous protein R. communis agglutinin (RCA120. Six analytical strategies are presented in this paper based on immunological assays (four immunoenzymatic assays and two immunochromatographic tests. Using these immunological methods “dangerous” samples containing ricin and/or RCA120 were successfully identified. Based on different antibodies used the detection and quantification of ricin and RCA120 was successful. The ricin PT highlighted the performance of different immunological approaches that are exemplarily recommended for highly sensitive and precise quantification of ricin.

Use of individual containers for prostate biopsy samples: Do we gain diagnostic performance?

Science.gov (United States)

Panach-Navarrete, J; García-Morata, F; Valls-González, L; Martínez-Jabaloyas, J M

2016-05-01

Prostate cores from transrectal biopsies are usually sent in separate vials for pathological processing. Although this is a common practice, there are controversial studies on its usefulness. We wanted to compare the rate of prostate cancer diagnosis between processing samples in 2 containers and processing them in individual containers to see if there are differences. Our secondary objective was to check the rate of diagnosis of various tumour subtypes in each of the 2 groups. A retrospective observational study was conducted of 2,601 cases of prostate biopsies. Ten cores were extracted in each biopsy. We divided the sample into 2 groups: biopsies sent in 2 containers to the department of pathology (left and right lobes) or sent in 10 (one for each cylinder), according to the different criteria used in our centre in the past. We then classified the cases according to the absence of neoplasia, insignificant tumour (involvement of just 1 cylinder, container group, and 824 were included in the 10-container group. We diagnosed a rate of 32.4% of cancers in the 2-container group and 40% in the 10-container group, a difference that was statistically significant (Pcontainer group than in the 10-container group (6.4% vs. 4.3%, respectively; P=.03). Samples with a Gleason score of 6 were diagnosed more often in the 10-container group than in the 2-container group (11.9% vs. 8.1%, respectively; P=.002). The same occurred with the Gleason score≥7 (23.8% in the 10-container group vs. 17.9% in the 2-container group; Pcontainers. Once the procedure was conducted, we also observed in our series a reduction in the diagnoses of insignificant carcinoma to the detriment of an increased diagnosis of not insignificant carcinomas. Copyright © 2015 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Hydrazine Determination in Sludge Samples by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G. Elias; G. A. Park

2006-02-01

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method using ultraviolet (UV) detection was developed to detect and quantify hydrazine in a variety of environmental matrices. The method was developed primarily for sludge samples, but it is also applicable to soil and water samples. The hydrazine in the matrices was derivatized to their hydrazones with benzaldehyde. The derivatized hydrazones were separated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a reversed-phase C-18 column in an isocratic mode with methanol-water (95:5, v/v), and detected with UV detection at 313 nm. The detection limit (25 ml) for the new analytical method is 0.0067 mg ml-1of hydrazine. Hydrazine showed low recovery in soil samples because components in soil oxidized hydrazine. Sludge samples that contained relatively high soil content also showed lower recovery. The technique is relatively simple and cost-effective, and is applicable for hydrazine analysis in different environmental matrices.

Np Analysis in IAT-Samples Containing <10 Microgram Pu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ludwig, R.; Raab, W.; Dashdondog, J.; Balsley, S.

2008-01-01

A method for the determination of neptunium to plutonium in safeguards samples containing less than 10 microgram Pu is presented. The chemical treatment and the optimized measurement conditions for gamma spectrometry are reported. This method is based on thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) after chemical treatment and separation and was validated with mixtures of U, Pu and Np certified reference materials and using the 237 Np standard addition method, followed by separation of the waste fraction and gamma spectrometric analysis. The highest sensitivity, precision and accuracy in the determination of the Np:Pu ratio at microgram levels of Pu is achieved by evaluating 241 Pu and 233 Pa after measuring the adsorbent with a well-type gamma detector 3 weeks after chemical treatment. The repeatability of determining the Np:Pu ratio is estimated to be 5%, the maximum uncertainty as determined from comparing the 4 measurement modes is within ± 10% for samples containing 3 μg Pu, while being within ± 20% for 0.4 μg Pu. (authors)

Np Analysis in IAT-Samples Containing <10 Microgram Pu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ludwig, R.; Raab, W.; Dashdondog, J.; Balsley, S. [IAEA, Safeguards Analytical Laboratory, Wagramer Str. 5, P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna (Austria)

2008-07-01

A method for the determination of neptunium to plutonium in safeguards samples containing less than 10 microgram Pu is presented. The chemical treatment and the optimized measurement conditions for gamma spectrometry are reported. This method is based on thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) after chemical treatment and separation and was validated with mixtures of U, Pu and Np certified reference materials and using the {sup 237}Np standard addition method, followed by separation of the waste fraction and gamma spectrometric analysis. The highest sensitivity, precision and accuracy in the determination of the Np:Pu ratio at microgram levels of Pu is achieved by evaluating {sup 241}Pu and {sup 233}Pa after measuring the adsorbent with a well-type gamma detector 3 weeks after chemical treatment. The repeatability of determining the Np:Pu ratio is estimated to be 5%, the maximum uncertainty as determined from comparing the 4 measurement modes is within {+-} 10% for samples containing 3 {mu}g Pu, while being within {+-} 20% for 0.4 {mu}g Pu. (authors)

Determination of uranium in samples containing bulk aluminium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, S.K.; Kannan, R.; Dhami, P.S.; Tripathi, S.C.; Gandhi, P.M.

2015-01-01

The determination of uranium is of great importance in PUREX process and need to be analyzed at different concentration ranges depending on the stage of reprocessing. Various techniques like volumetry, spectrophotometry, ICP-OES, fluorimetry, mass spectrometry etc. are used for the measurement of uranium in these samples. Fast and sensitive methods suitable for low level detection of uranium are desirable to cater the process needs. Microgram quantities of uranium are analyzed by spectrophotometric method using 2-(5- bromo-2-pyridylazo-5-diethylaminophenol) (Br-PADAP) as the complexing agent. But, the presence of some of the metal ions viz. Al, Pu, Zr etc. interferes in its analysis. Therefore, separation of uranium from such interfering metal ions is required prior to its analysis. This paper describes the analysis of uranium in samples containing aluminium as major matrix

Production of vegetation samples containing radionuclides gamma emitters to attend the interlaboratory programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, Poliana Santos de

2016-01-01

The production of environmental samples such as soil, sediment, water and vegetation with radionuclides for intercomparison tests is a very important contribution to environmental monitoring. Laboratories that carry out such monitoring need to demonstrate that their results are reliable. The IRD National Intercomparison Program (PNI) produces and distributes environmental samples containing radionuclides used to check the laboratories performance. This work demonstrates the feasibility of producing vegetation (grass) samples containing 60 Co, 65 Zn, 134 Cs, and 137 Cs by the spike sample method for the PNI. The preparation and the statistical tests followed the ISO guides 34 and 35 recommendations. The grass samples were dried, ground and passed through a sieve of 250 μm. 500 g of vegetation was treated in each procedure. Samples were treated by two different procedures:1) homogenizing of the radioactive solution containing vegetation by hand and drying in an oven and 2) homogenizing of the radioactive solution containing the vegetation in a rotatory evaporator and drying in an oven. The theoretical activity concentration of the radionuclides in the grass had a range of 593 Bq/kg to 683 Bq/kg. After gamma spectrometry analysis the results of both procedures were compared as accuracy, precision, homogeneity and stability. The accuracy, precision and short time stability from both methods were similar but the homogeneity test of the evaporation method was not approved for the radionuclides 60 Co and 134 Cs. Based on comparisons between procedures was chosen the manual agitation procedure for the grass sample for the PNI. The accuracy of the procedure, represented by the uncertainty and based on theoretical value had a range between -1.1 and 5.1% and the precision between 0.6 a 6.5 %. This result show is the procedure chosen for the production of grass samples for PNI. (author)

Development of metallic high integrity containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Temus, C.J.; Porter, S.A.; Kent, J.D.; Goetsch, S.D.

1985-01-01

This paper presents the development program for metallic high integrity containers (HIC's). The need for a high strength, thin walled HIC became apparent with the implementation of 10 CFR 61 in late 1983. The existing containers that were in use at that time were made of either low strength material (polyethylene) or bulky, heavy material (concrete). Neither of these materials met the need for a high strength, volume and weight efficient container that could survive the deep burial environment of sites such as Hanford, Washington. Various alloys were considered for corrosion resistance for a 300 year life, high strength and toughness, and elastic stability to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 61. The alloy allowed for great flexibility in design to accommodate various waste forms. The containers were developed in various sizes with several different closures designed to minimize operator exposure during the loading operation. These design features provide the industry with efficient, disposable packages for a wide variety of waste forms. The paper describes the analytical methodology and prototype test program. The analytical methods included finite element modeling of the burial conditions, prediction of drop performance,and elastic stability analysis. Prototype testing included leak tests and drop tests at various container orientations from heights of up to 25 feet

Hayabusa2 Sample Catcher and Container: Metal-Seal System for Vacuum Encapsulation of Returned Samples with Volatiles and Organic Compounds Recovered from C-Type Asteroid Ryugu

Science.gov (United States)

Okazaki, Ryuji; Sawada, Hirotaka; Yamanouchi, Shinji; Tachibana, Shogo; Miura, Yayoi N.; Sakamoto, Kanako; Takano, Yoshinori; Abe, Masanao; Itoh, Shoichi; Yamada, Keita; Yabuta, Hikaru; Okamoto, Chisato; Yano, Hajime; Noguchi, Takaaki; Nakamura, Tomoki; Nagao, Keisuke

2017-07-01

The spacecraft Hayabusa2 was launched on December 3, 2014, to collect and return samples from a C-type asteroid, 162173 Ryugu (provisional designation, 1999 JU3). It is expected that the samples collected contain organic matter and water-bearing minerals and have key information to elucidate the origin and history of the Solar System and the evolution of bio-related organics prior to delivery to the early Earth. In order to obtain samples with volatile species without terrestrial contamination, based on lessons learned from the Hayabusa mission, the sample catcher and container of Hayabusa2 were refined from those used in Hayabusa. The improvements include (1) a mirror finish of the inner wall surface of the sample catcher and the container, (2) adoption of an aluminum metal sealing system, and (3) addition of a gas-sampling interface for gas collection and evacuation. The former two improvements were made to limit contamination of the samples by terrestrial atmosphere below 1 Pa after the container is sealed. The gas-sampling interface will be used to promptly collect volatile species released from the samples in the sample container after sealing of the container. These improvements maintain the value of the returned samples.

Materials for high-level waste containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsh, G.P.

1982-01-01

The function of the high-level radioactive waste container in storage and of a container/overpack combination in disposal is considered. The consequent properties required from potential fabrication materials are discussed. The strategy adopted in selecting containment materials and the experimental programme underway to evaluate them are described. (U.K.)

Structure and spectral properties of the silver-containing high-silica glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girsova, M A; Golovina, G F; Anfimova, I N; Antropova, T V; Arsent'ev, M Yu

2016-01-01

Silver-containing high-silica glasses were synthesized by an impregnation of the silica porous glasses (PGs) first with AgNO 3 aqueous solution (with or without the presence of the sensitizers, such as Cu(NO 3 ) 2 or Ce(NO 3 ) 3 ), next in the mixed halide salt (NH 4 Cl, KBr, KI) solution. Then some part of the samples was sintered at the temperatures from 850 to 900°C up to closing of the pores. The structure of glasses was studied by UV-VIS-NIR and IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. According to XRD data the silver-containing high-silica glasses contain the AgBr, AgI, Ag 3 PO 4 , (CuBr) 0.75 (CuI) 0.25 phases. IR spectra confirmed B-O-B, Si- O-Si, P-O-P, O-P-O, O-B-O bonds, (PO 4 ) 3- and P-O - groups in glasses. (paper)

Development of a metallic high integrity container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haelsig, R.T.

1986-01-01

Nuclear Packaging, a Pacific Nuclear Company, developed a metallic high integrity container (HIC) for the burial of low level radioactive waste. This class of container has received the most extensive review of any burial container licensed in the United States. It is also the first container that has been licensed to meet the requirements of Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulations 10CFR61. The design and subsequent review considered 300 years corrosion at a depth of 55 feet with no degradation of container structural integrity. The design also included a technical requirement that the container possess a positive vent that would exclude moisture. The alloy that was selected, allows for significant flexibility in container size and configuration which is essential to accommodating the various waste forms. This allowed the development of containers in various sizes and with a variety of closures, that accommodate the internal dimensions of various shipping shields and help minimize radiation exposure during packaging operations. The material used in the metallic container is high corrosion resistant which reduces the need for strict chemical controls at the waste generating facility. This acts to ease the operational requirements in the treatment of several waste streams. The design result is a family of metallic High Integrity Containers (HIC)s that meet all the performance criteria imposed by the regulations, as well as provide a disposable waste container with good transportation efficiency and minimum operational constraints

Adventitious Carbon on Primary Sample Containment Metal Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Calaway, M. J.; Fries, M. D.

2015-01-01

Future missions that return astromaterials with trace carbonaceous signatures will require strict protocols for reducing and controlling terrestrial carbon contamination. Adventitious carbon (AC) on primary sample containers and related hardware is an important source of that contamination. AC is a thin film layer or heterogeneously dispersed carbonaceous material that naturally accrues from the environment on the surface of atmospheric exposed metal parts. To test basic cleaning techniques for AC control, metal surfaces commonly used for flight hardware and curating astromaterials at JSC were cleaned using a basic cleaning protocol and characterized for AC residue. Two electropolished stainless steel 316L (SS- 316L) and two Al 6061 (Al-6061) test coupons (2.5 cm diameter by 0.3 cm thick) were subjected to precision cleaning in the JSC Genesis ISO class 4 cleanroom Precision Cleaning Laboratory. Afterwards, the samples were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy.

Effect of High-Temperature Curing Methods on the Compressive Strength Development of Concrete Containing High Volumes of Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wonsuk Jung

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the effect of the high-temperature curing methods on the compressive strength of concrete containing high volumes of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS. GGBS was used to replace Portland cement at a replacement ratio of 60% by binder mass. The high-temperature curing parameters used in this study were the delay period, temperature rise, peak temperature (PT, peak period, and temperature down. Test results demonstrate that the compressive strength of the samples with PTs of 65°C and 75°C was about 88% higher than that of the samples with a PT of 55°C after 1 day. According to this investigation, there might be optimum high-temperature curing conditions for preparing a concrete containing high volumes of GGBS, and incorporating GGBS into precast concrete mixes can be a very effective tool in increasing the applicability of this by-product.

Determination of radiocaesium in agriculture-related water samples containing suspended solids using gelling method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsunami, Hisaya; Shin, Moono; Takahashi, Yoshihiko; Shinano, Takuro; Kitajima, Shiori; Tsuchiya, Takashi

2015-01-01

After the TEPCO Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, the radiocaesium, which flowed into the paddy fields via irrigation water, have been widely investigated. When the concentration of radiocaesium in the water samples containing suspended solids were directly measured using a high purity germanium detector with a 2 L marinelli beaker, the radiocaesium concentration might be overestimated due to the sedimentation of the suspended solids during the measurement time. In fact, the values obtained by the direct method were higher than those obtained by the filtering method and/or the gelling method in most of the agriculture-related water samples. We concluded that the gelling method using sodium polyacrylate can be widely adapted for the analysis of the total radiocaesium in the agriculture-related water samples because of its many advantage such as simple preparation procedure, accurate analysis values, excellent long-term stability of geometry and low operating cost. (author)

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for the real-time analysis of mixed waste samples containing Sr

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barefield, J.E. II; Koskelo, A.C.; Multari, R.A.; Cremers, D.A.; Gamble, T.K.; Han, C.Y.

1995-01-01

In this report, the use of Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to analyze mixed waste samples containing Sr is discussed. The mixed waste samples investigated include vitrified waste glass and contaminated soil. Compared to traditional analysis techniques, the laser-based method is fast (i.e., analysis times on the order of minutes) and essentially waste free since little or no sample preparation is required. Detection limits on the order of pmm Sr were determined. Detection limits obtained using a fiber optic cable to deliver laser pulses to soil samples containing Cr, Zr, Pb, Be, Cu, and Ni will also be discussed

High speed network sampling

OpenAIRE

Rindalsholt, Ole Arild

2005-01-01

Master i nettverks- og systemadministrasjon Classical Sampling methods play an important role in the current practice of Internet measurement. With today’s high speed networks, routers cannot manage to generate complete Netflow data for every packet. They have to perform restricted sampling. This thesis summarizes some of the most important sampling schemes and their applications before diving into an analysis on the effect of sampling Netflow records.

High-throughput droplet analysis and multiplex DNA detection in the microfluidic platform equipped with a robust sample-introduction technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jinyang; Ji, Xinghu; He, Zhike

2015-01-01

In this work, a simple, flexible and low-cost sample-introduction technique was developed and integrated with droplet platform. The sample-introduction strategy was realized based on connecting the components of positive pressure input device, sample container and microfluidic chip through the tygon tubing with homemade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) adaptor, so the sample was delivered into the microchip from the sample container under the driving of positive pressure. This sample-introduction technique is so robust and compatible that could be integrated with T-junction, flow-focus or valve-assisted droplet microchips. By choosing the PDMS adaptor with proper dimension, the microchip could be flexibly equipped with various types of familiar sample containers, makes the sampling more straightforward without trivial sample transfer or loading. And the convenient sample changing was easily achieved by positioning the adaptor from one sample container to another. Benefiting from the proposed technique, the time-dependent concentration gradient was generated and applied for quantum dot (QD)-based fluorescence barcoding within droplet chip. High-throughput droplet screening was preliminarily demonstrated through the investigation of the quenching efficiency of ruthenium complex to the fluorescence of QD. More importantly, multiplex DNA assay was successfully carried out in the integrated system, which shows the practicability and potentials in high-throughput biosensing. - Highlights: • A simple, robust and low-cost sample-introduction technique was developed. • Convenient and flexible sample changing was achieved in microfluidic system. • Novel strategy of concentration gradient generation was presented for barcoding. • High-throughput droplet screening could be realized in the integrated platform. • Multiplex DNA assay was successfully carried out in the droplet platform

High-throughput droplet analysis and multiplex DNA detection in the microfluidic platform equipped with a robust sample-introduction technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jinyang; Ji, Xinghu [Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); He, Zhike, E-mail: zhkhe@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Biology and Medicine (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Suzhou Institute of Wuhan University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2015-08-12

In this work, a simple, flexible and low-cost sample-introduction technique was developed and integrated with droplet platform. The sample-introduction strategy was realized based on connecting the components of positive pressure input device, sample container and microfluidic chip through the tygon tubing with homemade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) adaptor, so the sample was delivered into the microchip from the sample container under the driving of positive pressure. This sample-introduction technique is so robust and compatible that could be integrated with T-junction, flow-focus or valve-assisted droplet microchips. By choosing the PDMS adaptor with proper dimension, the microchip could be flexibly equipped with various types of familiar sample containers, makes the sampling more straightforward without trivial sample transfer or loading. And the convenient sample changing was easily achieved by positioning the adaptor from one sample container to another. Benefiting from the proposed technique, the time-dependent concentration gradient was generated and applied for quantum dot (QD)-based fluorescence barcoding within droplet chip. High-throughput droplet screening was preliminarily demonstrated through the investigation of the quenching efficiency of ruthenium complex to the fluorescence of QD. More importantly, multiplex DNA assay was successfully carried out in the integrated system, which shows the practicability and potentials in high-throughput biosensing. - Highlights: • A simple, robust and low-cost sample-introduction technique was developed. • Convenient and flexible sample changing was achieved in microfluidic system. • Novel strategy of concentration gradient generation was presented for barcoding. • High-throughput droplet screening could be realized in the integrated platform. • Multiplex DNA assay was successfully carried out in the droplet platform.

Evaluation of environmental samples containing heavy hydrocarbon components in environmental forensic investigations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raia, J.C.; Blakley, C.R.; Fuex, A.N.; Villalanti, D.C.; Fahrenthold, P.D. [Triton Anal Corp, Houston, TX (United States)

2004-03-01

This article presents a procedure to evaluate and characterize environmental samples containing mixtures of hydrocarbons over a wide boiling range of materials that include fuels and other products used in commerce. The range of the method extends to the higher boiling and heavier molecular weight hydrocarbon products in the range of motor oil, bunker fuel, and heavier residue materials. The procedure uses the analytical laboratory technique of high-temperature simulated distillation along with mathematical regression of the analytical data to estimate the relative contribution of individual products in mixtures of hydrocarbons present in environmental samples. An analytical technique to determine hydrocarbon-type distributions by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with nitric oxide ionization spectrometry evaluation is also presented. This type of analysis allows complex hydrocarbon mixtures to be classified by their chemical composition, or types of hydrocarbons that include paraffins, cycloparaffins, monoaromatics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Characteristic hydrocarbon patterns for example, in the relative distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are valuable for determining the potential origin of materials present in environmental samples. These methods provide quantitative data for hydrocarbon components in mixtures as a function of boiling range and 'hydrocarbon fingerprints' of the types of materials present. This information is valuable in assessing environmental impacts of hydrocarbons at contaminated sites and establishing the liabilities and cost allocations for responsible parties.

Corrosion Testing of 304L SS 3013 Inner Container and Teardrop Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tokash, Justin Charles [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hill, Mary Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Lillard, Scott [Univ. of Akron, OH (United States); Joyce, Stephen Anthony [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Tegtmeier, Eric Lee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Berg, John M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Veirs, Douglas Kirk [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Worl, Laura Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-06-27

The Department of Energy (DOE) 3013 Standard specifies a minimum of two containers to be used for the storage of plutonium-bearing materials containing at least 30 wt.% plutonium and uranium. Three nested containers are typically used, the outer, inner, and convenience containers, shown in Figure 1. Both the outer and inner containers are sealed with a weld while the innermost convenience container must not be sealed. Lifetime of the containers is expected to be fifty years. The containers are fabricated of austenitic stainless steels (SS) due to their high corrosion resistance. Potential failure mechanisms of the storage containers have been examined by Kolman and Lillard et al.

Suitability of selected free-gas and dissolved-gas sampling containers for carbon isotopic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Eby, P; Gibson, J J; Yi, Y

2015-07-15

Storage trials were conducted for 2 to 3 months using a hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide gas mixture with known carbon isotopic composition to simulate typical hold times for gas samples prior to isotopic analysis. A range of containers (both pierced and unpierced) was periodically sampled to test for δ(13)C isotopic fractionation. Seventeen containers were tested for free-gas storage (20°C, 1 atm pressure) and 7 containers were tested for dissolved-gas storage, the latter prepared by bubbling free gas through tap water until saturated (20°C, 1 atm) and then preserved to avoid biological activity by acidifying to pH 2 with phosphoric acid and stored in the dark at 5°C. Samples were extracted using valves or by piercing septa, and then introduced into an isotope ratio mass spectrometer for compound-specific δ(13)C measurements. For free gas, stainless steel canisters and crimp-top glass serum bottles with butyl septa were most effective at preventing isotopic fractionation (pierced and unpierced), whereas silicone and PTFE-butyl septa allowed significant isotopic fractionation. FlexFoil and Tedlar bags were found to be effective only for storage of up to 1 month. For dissolved gas, crimp-top glass serum bottles with butyl septa were again effective, whereas silicone and PTFE-butyl were not. FlexFoil bags were reliable for up to 2 months. Our results suggest a range of preferred containers as well as several that did not perform very well for isotopic analysis. Overall, the results help establish better QA/QC procedures to avoid isotopic fractionation when storing environmental gas samples. Recommended containers for air transportation include steel canisters and glass serum bottles with butyl septa (pierced and unpierced). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Containment of high temperature plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bass, R.W.; Ferguson, H.R.P.; Fletcher, H. Jr.; Gardner, J.; Harrison, B.K.; Larsen, K.M.

1973-01-01

Apparatus is described for confining a high temperature plasma which comprises: 1) envelope means shaped to form a toroidal hollow chamber containing a plasma, 2) magnetic field line generating means for confining the plasma in a smooth toroidal shape without cusps. (R.L.)

Cermets for high level waste containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaron, W.S.; Quinby, T.C.; Kobisk, E.H.

1978-01-01

Cermet materials are currently under investigation as an alternate for the primary containment of high level wastes. The cermet in this study is an iron--nickel base metal matrix containing uniformly dispersed, micron-size fission product oxides, aluminosilicates, and titanates. Cermets possess high thermal conductivity, and typical waste loading of 70 wt % with volume reduction factors of 2 to 200 and low processing volatility losses have been realized. Preliminary leach studies indicate a leach resistance comparable to other candidate waste forms; however, more quantitative data are required. Actual waste studies have begun on NFS Acid Thorex, SRP dried sludge and fresh, unneutralized SRP process wastes

Microanalysis study of archaeological mural samples containing Maya blue pigment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez del Rio, M.; Martinetto, P.; Somogyi, A.; Reyes-Valerio, C.; Dooryhee, E.; Peltier, N.; Alianelli, L.; Moignard, B.; Pichon, L.; Calligaro, T.; Dran, J.-C.

2004-01-01

Elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence and particle induced X-ray emission is applied to the study of several Mesoamerican mural samples containing blue pigments. The most characteristic blue pigment is Maya blue, a very stable organo-clay complex original from Maya culture and widely used in murals, pottery and sculptures in a vast region of Mesoamerica during the pre-hispanic time (from VIII century) and during the colonization until 1580. The mural samples come from six different archaeological sites (four pre-hispanic and two from XVI century colonial convents). The correlation between the presence of some elements and the pigment colour is discussed. From the comparative study of the elemental concentration, some conclusions are drawn on the nature of the pigments and the technology used

Microanalysis study of archaeological mural samples containing Maya blue pigment

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez del Río, M.; Martinetto, P.; Somogyi, A.; Reyes-Valerio, C.; Dooryhée, E.; Peltier, N.; Alianelli, L.; Moignard, B.; Pichon, L.; Calligaro, T.; Dran, J.-C.

2004-10-01

Elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence and particle induced X-ray emission is applied to the study of several Mesoamerican mural samples containing blue pigments. The most characteristic blue pigment is Maya blue, a very stable organo-clay complex original from Maya culture and widely used in murals, pottery and sculptures in a vast region of Mesoamerica during the pre-hispanic time (from VIII century) and during the colonization until 1580. The mural samples come from six different archaeological sites (four pre-hispanic and two from XVI century colonial convents). The correlation between the presence of some elements and the pigment colour is discussed. From the comparative study of the elemental concentration, some conclusions are drawn on the nature of the pigments and the technology used.

Microanalysis study of archaeological mural samples containing Maya blue pigment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanchez del Rio, M. [ESRF, BP220, F-38043 Grenoble (France)]. E-mail: srio@esrf.fr; Martinetto, P. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie, CNRS, BP166 F-30842 Grenoble (France); Somogyi, A. [ESRF, BP220, F-38043 Grenoble (France); Reyes-Valerio, C. [INAH, Mexico DF (Mexico); Dooryhee, E. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie, CNRS, BP166 F-30842 Grenoble (France); Peltier, N. [Laboratoire de Cristallographie, CNRS, BP166 F-30842 Grenoble (France); Alianelli, L. [INFM-OGG c/o ESRF, BP220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex (France); Moignard, B. [C2RMF, 6 Rue des Pyramides, F-75041 Paris Cedex 01 (France); Pichon, L. [C2RMF, 6 Rue des Pyramides, F-75041 Paris Cedex 01 (France); Calligaro, T. [C2RMF, 6 Rue des Pyramides, F-75041 Paris Cedex 01 (France); Dran, J.-C. [C2RMF, 6 Rue des Pyramides, F-75041 Paris Cedex 01 (France)

2004-10-08

Elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence and particle induced X-ray emission is applied to the study of several Mesoamerican mural samples containing blue pigments. The most characteristic blue pigment is Maya blue, a very stable organo-clay complex original from Maya culture and widely used in murals, pottery and sculptures in a vast region of Mesoamerica during the pre-hispanic time (from VIII century) and during the colonization until 1580. The mural samples come from six different archaeological sites (four pre-hispanic and two from XVI century colonial convents). The correlation between the presence of some elements and the pigment colour is discussed. From the comparative study of the elemental concentration, some conclusions are drawn on the nature of the pigments and the technology used.

Clustering for high-dimension, low-sample size data using distance vectors

OpenAIRE

Terada, Yoshikazu

2013-01-01

In high-dimension, low-sample size (HDLSS) data, it is not always true that closeness of two objects reflects a hidden cluster structure. We point out the important fact that it is not the closeness, but the "values" of distance that contain information of the cluster structure in high-dimensional space. Based on this fact, we propose an efficient and simple clustering approach, called distance vector clustering, for HDLSS data. Under the assumptions given in the work of Hall et al. (2005), w...

High security container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreau, P.J.-M.; Monsterleet, G.A.

1979-01-01

This invention concerns containments, vessels or tanks for containing and protecting products or installations of various kinds, to be called by the general denomination 'containers'. Such products can be, inter alia, liquids such as natural gas, ammonia, vinyle chloride and hydrocarbons. Far from just forming simple means of storage, the containers used for this must now be capable of withstanding fire, sabotage for instance rocket fire, even impacts from aircraft, earthquakes and other aggressions of the same kind. The particular object of this invention is to create a container withstanding all these various agressions. It must also be considered that this container can not only be used for storing products or materials but also for enclosing particularly dangerous or delicate installations, such as nuclear or chemical reactors [fr

Assessment of Residual Stresses in 3013 Inner and Outer Containers and Teardrop Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroud, Mary Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Prime, Michael Bruce [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Veirs, Douglas Kirk [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Berg, John M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Clausen, Bjorn [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Worl, Laura Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); DeWald, Adrian T. [Hill Engineering, LLC, Rancho Cordova, CA (United States)

2015-12-08

This report is an assessment performed by LANL that examines packaging for plutonium-bearing materials and the resilience of its design. This report discusses residual stresses in the 3013 outer, the SRS/Hanford and RFETS/LLNL inner containers, and teardrop samples used in studies to assess the potential for SCC in 3013 containers. Residual tensile stresses in the heat affected zones of the closure welds are of particular concern.

Assessment of Residual Stresses in 3013 Inner and Outer Containers and Teardrop Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroud, Mary Ann; Prime, Michael Bruce; Veirs, Douglas Kirk; Berg, John M.; Clausen, Bjorn; Worl, Laura Ann; DeWald, Adrian T.

2015-01-01

This report is an assessment performed by LANL that examines packaging for plutonium-bearing materials and the resilience of its design. This report discusses residual stresses in the 3013 outer, the SRS/Hanford and RFETS/LLNL inner containers, and teardrop samples used in studies to assess the potential for SCC in 3013 containers. Residual tensile stresses in the heat affected zones of the closure welds are of particular concern.

Quality control for measurement of soil samples containing 237Np and 241Am as radiotracer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sha Lianmao; Zhang Caihong; Song Hailong; Ren Xiaona; Han Yuhu; Zhang Aiming; Chu Taiwei

2003-01-01

This paper reports quality control (QC) for the measurement of soil samples containing 237 Np and 241 Am as radiotracers in migration test of transuranic nuclides. All of the QC were done independently by the QA members of analytical work. It mainly included checking 5%-10% of the total analyzed samples; preparing blank samples, blind replicate sample and spiked samples used as quality control samples to check the quality of analytical work

High polymer-based composites for the fabrication of containers for the long-term storage or disposal of high-level radioactive waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miedema, I.; Bonin, H.W.; Bui, V.T. [Royal Military College of Canada, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)

2002-07-01

This study considers the application of PEEK and continuous graphite fibre composite as the principal component in a high level nuclear waste disposal container. The ultimate radioactive environment to which the containers will be exposed has been simulated using a SLOWPOKE-2 research nuclear reactor and a specialized heated irradiation chamber. Doses of up to 1 MGy were given to samples in combination with elevated temperatures (15{sup o}C to 75{sup o}C), which induced mechanical and chemical changes in the material. Mechanically, the composite and virgin polymer samples were minimally affected, rarely deviating beyond one standard deviation of the properties of unirradiated samples. Molecularly, crosslinking between adjacent polymer chains in the amorphous region is the primary observed phenomenon as a consequence of the radiation treatment. This effect is diminished with the application of heat during irradiation. Slight changes in crystallinity were also noted through molecular rearrangement, beginning with slight increases at lower radiation doses, and then minor decreases are noted with larger doses ({approx}10{sup 6} Gy). It is also shown in this study that the rate of radiation effects that is typical in this polymer is dependent on the temperature of irradiation. The results confirm that polymer-based composite materials, such as the PEEK/graphite fibre material studied here, are excellent candidates for the fabrication of the containers for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. (author)

High-throughput liquid-absorption preconcentrator sampling methods

Science.gov (United States)

Zaromb, Solomon

1994-01-01

A system for detecting trace concentrations of an analyte in air includes a preconcentrator for the analyte and an analyte detector. The preconcentrator includes an elongated tubular container comprising a wettable material. The wettable material is continuously wetted with an analyte-sorbing liquid which flows from one part of the container to a lower end. Sampled air flows through the container in contact with the wetted material with a swirling motion which results in efficient transfer of analyte vapors or aerosol particles to the sorbing liquid and preconcentration of traces of analyte in the liquid. The preconcentrated traces of analyte may be either detected within the container or removed therefrom for injection into a separate detection means or for subsequent analysis.

Highly oriented Bi-system bulk sample prepared by a decomposition-crystallization process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xi Zhengping; Zhou Lian; Ji Chunlin

1992-01-01

A decomposition-crystallization method, preparing highly oriented Bi-system bulk sample is reported. The effects of processing parameter, decomposition temperature, cooling rate and post-treatment condition on texture and superconductivity are investigated. The method has successfully prepared highly textured Bi-system bulk samples. High temperature annealing does not destroy the growing texture, but the cooling rate has some effect on texture and superconductivity. Annealing in N 2 /O 2 atmosphere can improve superconductivity of the textured sample. The study on the superconductivity of the Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O bulk material has been reported in numerous papers. The research on J c concentrates on the tape containing the 2223 phase, with very few studies on the J c of bulk sample. The reason for the lack of studies is that the change of superconducting phases at high temperatures has not been known. The authors have reported that the 2212 phase incongruently melted at about 875 degrees C and proceeded to orient the c-axis perpendicular to the surface in the process of crystallization of the 2212 phase. Based on that result, a decomposition-crystallization method was proposed to prepare highly oriented Bi-system bulk sample. In this paper, the process is described in detail and the effects of processing parameters on texture and superconductivity are reported

High organic containing tanks: Assessing the hazard potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, R.C.P.; Babad, H.

1991-09-01

Eight Hanford Site tanks contain organic chemicals at concentrations believed to be greater than 10 mole percent sodium acetate equivalent mixed with the oxidizing salts sodium nitrate/sodium nitrite. Also, three of the hydrogen and ferrocyanide tanks appear on the organic tank list. Concentrations of organics that may be present in some tanks could cause an exothermic reaction given a sufficient driving force, such as high temperatures. However, the difference between ignition temperatures and actual tank temperatures measured is so large that the probability of such a reaction is considered very low. The consequences of the postulated reaction are about the same as the scenarios for an explosion in a ''burping'' hydrogen tank. Although work on this issue is just beginning, consideration of hazards associated with heating nitrate-nitrite mixtures containing organic materials is an integral part of both the hydrogen and ferrocyanide tank efforts. High concentrations of organic compounds have been inferred (from tank transfer, flow sheet records, and limited analytical data) in eight single-shell tanks. Many organic chemicals, if present in concentrations above 10 dry weight percent (sodium acetate equivalent), have the potential to react with nitrate-nitrites constituents at temperatures above 200 degree C (392 degree F) in an exothermic manner. The concentrations of organic materials in the listed single-shell tanks, and their chemical identity, is not accurately known at present. A tank sampling program has been planned to provide more information on the contents of these tanks and to serve as a basis for laboratory testing and safety evaluations. 2 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

Evaluation of high-pressure containment buildings for LMFBR's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, G.R.

1981-01-01

A study was conducted on the use of High Pressure LMFBR Containment Buildings for 1000 MW(e) LMFBRs. Two principal aspects were investigated: accident consequence mitigation and cost. Two types of hypothetical accidents were analyzed to establish consequence mitigation: melt-through and energetic expulsion. Three Containment Building (CB) design pressures were investigated: 69 kPa (10 psig), 207 kPa (30 psig), and 414 kPa (60 psig). Four types of design structures were analyzed to establish cost: steel, steel with confinement building, reinforced concrete, and prestressed/post-tensioned concrete. Results show that: it is within reason that a high pressure containment for a 1000 MW(e) reactor can be fabricated that will retain its integrity during postulated severe hypothetical accidents, if available measures are taken to reduce or prevent hydrogen production and the cost differential between basic high (414 kPa) and low (69 kPa) pressure containments is $10 x 10 6 or less

Talk about high integrity container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Shanggeng

2009-01-01

The high integrity container (HIC) has been paid great attention to recently in China. The reason and the comparison of advantages and disadvantages are described in this article. The characteristics and fabrications of some foreign HIC and their test procedures have been introduced. Finally, some opinion and discussion related to develop HIC are put forward, too. (author)

Processes to Open the Container and the Sample Catcher of the Hayabusa Returned Capsule in the Planetary Material Sample Curation Facility of JAXA

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimura, A.; Abe, M.; Yada, T.; Nakamura, T.; Noguchi, T.; Okazaki, R.; Ishibashi, Y.; Shirai, K.; Okada, T.; Yano, H.;

Remote sampling and analysis of highly radioactive samples in shielded boxes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirpikov, D.A.; Miroshnichenko, I.V.; Pykhteev, O.Yu.

2010-01-01

The sampling procedure used for highly radioactive coolant water is associated with high risk of personnel irradiation and uncontrolled radioactive contamination. Remote sample manipulation with provision for proper radiation shielding is intended for safety enhancement of the sampling procedure. The sampling lines are located in an isolated compartment, a shielded box. Various equipment which enables remote or automatic sample manipulation is used for this purpose. The main issues of development of the shielded box equipment intended for a wider ranger of remote chemical analyses and manipulation techniques for highly radioactive water samples are considered in the paper. There were three principal directions of work: Transfer of chemical analysis performed in the laboratory inside the shielded box; Prevalence of computer-aided and remote techniques of highly radioactive sample manipulation inside the shielded box; and, Increase in control over sampling and determination of thermal-hydraulic parameters of the coolant water in the sampling lines. The developed equipment and solutions enable remote chemical analysis in the restricted volume of the shielded box by using ion-chromatographic, amperometrical, fluorimetric, flow injection, phototurbidimetric, conductometric and potentiometric methods. Extent of control performed in the shielded box is determined taking into account the requirements of the regulatory documents as well as feasibility and cost of the technical adaptation of various methods to the shielded box conditions. The work resulted in highly precise determination of more than 15 indexes of the coolant water quality performed in on-line mode in the shielded box. It averages to 80% of the total extent of control performed at the prototype reactor plants. The novel solutions for highly radioactive sample handling are implemented in the shielded box (for example, packaging, sample transportation to the laboratory, volume measurement). The shielded box is

Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System Description Document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pettit, N. E.

2001-01-01

The Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System supports the confinement and isolation of waste within the Engineered Barrier System of the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). Disposal containers are loaded and sealed in the surface waste handling facilities, transferred to the underground through the accesses using a rail mounted transporter, and emplaced in emplacement drifts. The defense high level waste (HLW) disposal container provides long-term confinement of the commercial HLW and defense HLW (including immobilized plutonium waste forms [IPWF]) placed within disposable canisters, and withstands the loading, transfer, emplacement, and retrieval loads and environments. US Department of Energy (DOE)-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in disposable canisters may also be placed in a defense HLW disposal container along with commercial HLW waste forms, which is known as co-disposal. The Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System provides containment of waste for a designated period of time, and limits radionuclide release. The disposal container/waste package maintains the waste in a designated configuration, withstands maximum handling and rockfall loads, limits the individual canister temperatures after emplacement, resists corrosion in the expected handling and repository environments, and provides containment of waste in the event of an accident. Defense HLW disposal containers for HLW disposal will hold up to five HLW canisters. Defense HLW disposal containers for co-disposal will hold up to five HLW canisters arranged in a ring and one DOE SNF canister inserted in the center and/or one or more DOE SNF canisters displacing a HLW canister in the ring. Defense HLW disposal containers also will hold two Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and two HLW canisters in one disposal container. The disposal container will include outer and inner cylinders, outer and inner cylinder lids, and may include a canister guide. An exterior label will provide a means by

Sampling and analyses of SRP high-level waste sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stone, J.A.; Kelley, J.A.; McMillan, T.S.

1976-08-01

Twelve 3-liter samples of high-heat waste sludges were collected from four Savannah River Plant waste tanks with a hydraulically operated sample collector of unique design. Ten of these samples were processed in Savannah River Laboratory shielded cell facilities, yielding 5.3 kg of washed, dried sludge products for waste solidification studies. After initial drying, each batch was washed by settling and decantation to remove the bulk of soluble salts and then was redried. Additional washes were by filtration, followed by final drying. Conclusions from analyses of samples taken during the processing steps were: (a) the raw sludges contained approximately 80 wt percent soluble salts, most of which were removed by the washes; (b) 90 Sr and 238 , 239 Pu remained in the sludges, but most of the 137 Cs was removed by washing; (c) small amounts of sodium, sulfate, and 137 Cs remained in the sludges after thorough washing; (d) no significant differences were found in sludge samples taken from different risers of one waste tank. Chemical and radiometric compositions of the sludge product from each tank were determined. The sludges had diverse compositions, but iron, manganese, aluminum, and uranium were principal elements in each sludge. 90 Sr was the predominant radionuclide in each sludge product

Sampling and Analysis of the Headspace Gas in 3013 Type Plutonium Storage Containers at Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, Jay M.; Berg, John M.; Hill, Dallas D.; Worl, Laura A.; Veirs, Douglas K.

2012-01-01

Department of Energy (DOE) sites have packaged approximately 5200 3013 containers to date. One of the requirements specified in DOESTD-3013, which specifies requirements for packaging plutonium bearing materials, is that the material be no greater than 0.5 weight percent moisture. The containers are robust, nested, welded vessels. A shelf life surveillance program was established to monitor these cans over their 50 year design life. In the event pressurization is detected by radiography, it will be necessary to obtain a head space gas sample from the pressurized container. This technique is also useful to study the head space gas in cans selected for random destructive evaluation. The atmosphere is sampled and the hydrogen to oxygen ratio is measured to determine the effects of radiolysis on the moisture in the container. A system capable of penetrating all layers of a 3013 container assembly and obtaining a viable sample of the enclosed gas and an estimate of internal pressure was designed.

Alternatives for high-level waste forms, containers, and container processing systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, T.W.

1995-01-01

This study evaluates alternatives for high-level waste forms, containers, container processing systems, and onsite interim storage. Glass waste forms considered are cullet, marbles, gems, and monolithic glass. Small and large containers configured with several combinations of overpack confinement and shield casks are evaluated for these waste forms. Onsite interim storage concepts including canister storage building, bore holes, and storage pad were configured with various glass forms and canister alternatives. All favorable options include the monolithic glass production process as the waste form. Of the favorable options the unshielded 4- and 7-canister overpack options have the greatest technical assurance associated with their design concepts due to their process packaging and storage methods. These canisters are 0.68 m and 0.54 m in diameter respectively and 4.57 m tall. Life-cycle costs are not a discriminating factor in most cases, varying typically less than 15 percent

Field data analysis of active chlorine-containing stormwater samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qianyi; Gaafar, Mohamed; Yang, Rong-Cai; Ding, Chen; Davies, Evan G R; Bolton, James R; Liu, Yang

2018-01-15

Many municipalities in Canada and all over the world use chloramination for drinking water secondary disinfection to avoid DBPs formation from conventional chlorination. However, the long-lasting monochloramine (NH 2 Cl) disinfectant can pose a significant risk to aquatic life through its introduction into municipal storm sewer systems and thus fresh water sources by residential, commercial, and industrial water uses. To establish general total active chlorine (TAC) concentrations in discharges from storm sewers, the TAC concentration was measured in stormwater samples in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, during the summers of 2015 and 2016 under both dry and wet weather conditions. The field-sampling results showed TAC concentration variations from 0.02 to 0.77 mg/L in summer 2015, which exceeds the discharge effluent limit of 0.02 mg/L. As compared to 2015, the TAC concentrations were significantly lower during the summer 2016 (0-0.24 mg/L), for which it is believed that the higher precipitation during summer 2016 reduced outdoor tap water uses. Since many other cities also use chloramines as disinfectants for drinking water disinfection, the TAC analysis from Edmonton may prove useful for other regions as well. Other physicochemical and biological characteristics of stormwater and storm sewer biofilm samples were also analyzed, and no significant difference was found during these two years. Higher density of AOB and NOB detected in the storm sewer biofilm of residential areas - as compared with other areas - generally correlated to high concentrations of ammonium and nitrite in this region in both of the two years, and they may have contributed to the TAC decay in the storm sewers. The NH 2 Cl decay laboratory experiments illustrate that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration is the dominant factor in determining the NH 2 Cl decay rate in stormwater samples. The high DOC concentrations detected from a downstream industrial sampling location may contribute to a

Method and apparatus for transport, introduction, atomization and excitation of emission spectrum for quantitative analysis of high temperature gas sample streams containing vapor and particulates without degradation of sample stream temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Eckels, David E.; Hass, William J.

1989-05-30

A sample transport, sample introduction, and flame excitation system for spectrometric analysis of high temperature gas streams which eliminates degradation of the sample stream by condensation losses.

Preparation of Biological Samples Containing Metoprolol and Bisoprolol for Applying Methods for Quantitative Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corina Mahu Ştefania

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Arterial hypertension is a complex disease with many serious complications, representing a leading cause of mortality. Selective beta-blockers such as metoprolol and bisoprolol are frequently used in the management of hypertension. Numerous analytical methods have been developed for the determination of these substances in biological fluids, such as liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography. Due to the complex composition of biological fluids a biological sample pre-treatment before the use of the method for quantitative determination is required in order to remove proteins and potential interferences. The most commonly used methods for processing biological samples containing metoprolol and bisoprolol were identified through a thorough literature search using PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Willey Journals databases. Articles published between years 2005-2015 were reviewed. Protein precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction are the main techniques for the extraction of these drugs from plasma, serum, whole blood and urine samples. In addition, numerous other techniques have been developed for the preparation of biological samples, such as dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, carrier-mediated liquid phase microextraction, hollow fiber-protected liquid phase microextraction, on-line molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction. The analysis of metoprolol and bisoprolol in human plasma, urine and other biological fluids provides important information in clinical and toxicological trials, thus requiring the application of appropriate extraction techniques for the detection of these antihypertensive substances at nanogram and picogram levels.

Secondary containment system for a high tritium research cryostat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsugawa, R.T.; Fearon, D.; Souers, P.C.; Hickman, R.G.; Roberts, P.E.

1976-01-01

A 4.2- to 300-K liquid helium cryostat has been constructed for cryogenic samples of D--T containing up to 4 x 10 14 dis/s (10,000 Ci) of tritium radioactivity. The cryostat is enclosed in a secondary box, which acts as the ultimate container in case of a tritium release. Dry argon is flushed through the box, and the box atmosphere is monitored for tritium, oxygen, and water vapor. A rupture disk and abort tank protect the box atmosphere in case the sample cell breaks. If tritium breaks into the box, a powdered uranium getter trap reduces the 4 x 10 14 dis/s (10,000 Ci) to 4 x 10 9 dis/s (0.1 Ci) in 24 h. A backup palladium--zeolite getter system goes into operation if an overabundance of oxygen contaminates the uranium getter

Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System Description Document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System supports the confinement and isolation of waste within the Engineered Barrier System of the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). Disposal containers are loaded and sealed in the surface waste handling facilities, transferred to the underground through the accesses using a rail mounted transporter, and emplaced in emplacement drifts. The defense high level waste (HLW) disposal container provides long-term confinement of the commercial HLW and defense HLW (including immobilized plutonium waste forms (IPWF)) placed within disposable canisters, and withstands the loading, transfer, emplacement, and retrieval loads and environments. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in disposable canisters may also be placed in a defense HLW disposal container along with commercial HLW waste forms, which is known as 'co-disposal'. The Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System provides containment of waste for a designated period of time, and limits radionuclide release. The disposal container/waste package maintains the waste in a designated configuration, withstands maximum handling and rockfall loads, limits the individual canister temperatures after emplacement, resists corrosion in the expected handling and repository environments, and provides containment of waste in the event of an accident. Defense HLW disposal containers for HLW disposal will hold up to five HLW canisters. Defense HLW disposal containers for co-disposal will hold up to five HLW canisters arranged in a ring and one DOE SNF canister in the ring. Defense HLW disposal containers also will hold two Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and two HLW canisters in one disposal container. The disposal container will include outer and inner cylinders, outer and inner cylinder lids, and may include a canister guide. An exterior label will provide a means by which to identify the disposal container and its contents. Different materials

Passive containment system in high earthquake motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleimola, F.W.; Falls, O.B. Jr.

1977-01-01

High earthquake motion necessitates major design modifications in the complex of plant structures, systems and components in a nuclear power plant. Distinctive features imposed by seismic category, safety class and quality classification requirements for the high seismic ground acceleration loadings significantly reflect in plant costs. The design features in the Passive Containment System (PCS) responding to high earthquake ground motion are described

Effect of high-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization on milk containing low numbers of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, I R; Ball, H J; Rowe, M T

1998-02-01

The efficacy of high-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization (72 degrees C/15 s) when low numbers (HTST pasteurization using laboratory pasteurizing units. Ten bovine strains of Myco. paratuberculosis were tested in triplicate. Culture in BACTEC Middlebrook 12B radiometric medium detected acid-fast survivors in 14.8% and 10% of HTST-pasteurized milk samples at the 10(3) and 10(2) cfu ml-1 inoculum levels, respectively, whereas conventional culture on Herrold's egg yolk medium containing mycobactin J detected acid-fast survivors in only 3.7% and 6.7% of the same milk samples. IS900-based PCR confirmed that these acid-fast survivors were Myco. paratuberculosis. No viable Myco. paratuberculosis were isolated from HTST-pasteurized milk initially containing either 10 cfu ml-1 or 10 cfu 50 ml-1.

Development of high performance liquid chromatography method for miconazole analysis in powder sample

Science.gov (United States)

Hermawan, D.; Suwandri; Sulaeman, U.; Istiqomah, A.; Aboul-Enein, H. Y.

2017-02-01

A simple high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed in this study for the analysis of miconazole, an antifungal drug, in powder sample. The optimized HPLC system using C8 column was achieved using mobile phase composition containing methanol:water (85:15, v/v), a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min, and UV detection at 220 nm. The calibration graph was linear in the range from 10 to 50 mg/L with r 2 of 0.9983. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) obtained were 2.24 mg/L and 7.47 mg/L, respectively. The present HPLC method is applicable for the determination of miconazole in the powder sample with a recovery of 101.28 % (RSD = 0.96%, n = 3). The developed HPLC method provides short analysis time, high reproducibility and high sensitivity.

Separation and recovery of Cm from Cm-Pu mixed oxide samples containing Am impurity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirokazu Hayashi; Hiromichi Hagiya; Mitsuo Akabori; Yasuji Morita; Kazuo Minato

2013-01-01

Curium was separated and recovered as an oxalate from a Cm-Pu mixed oxide which had been a 244 Cm oxide sample prepared more than 40 years ago and the ratio of 244 Cm to 240 Pu was estimated to 0.2:0.8. Radiochemical analyses of the solution prepared by dissolving the Cm-Pu mixed oxide in nitric acid revealed that the oxide contained about 1 at% of 243 Am impurity. To obtain high purity curium solution, plutonium and americium were removed from the solution by an anion exchange method and by chromatographic separation using tertiary pyridine resin embedded in silica beads with nitric acid/methanol mixed solution, respectively. Curium oxalate, a precursor compound of curium oxide, was prepared from the purified curium solution. 11.9 mg of Cm oxalate having some amounts of impurities, which are 243 Am (5.4 at%) and 240 Pu (0.3 at%) was obtained without Am removal procedure. Meanwhile, 12.0 mg of Cm oxalate (99.8 at% over actinides) was obtained with the procedure including Am removals. Both of the obtained Cm oxalate sample were supplied for the syntheses and measurements of the thermochemical properties of curium compounds. (author)

Containment test in area of high latitude and low temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Jiantao; Ni Yongsheng; Jia Wutong

2014-01-01

The effects of high latitude and low temperature on containment test are detailed analyzed from the view of design, equipment, construct and start-up, and the solution is put forward. The major problems resolved is as below: the effects of low temperature and high wind on defect inspection of the containment surface, the effects of test load on the affiliated equipment of containment in the condition of low temperature, and the effects of low temperature on the containment leak rate measurement. Application in Hongyanhe Unit 1 showed that the proposed scheme can effectively overcome the influence of adverse weather on the containment test. (authors)

Health risk assessment of drinking arsenic-containing groundwater in Hasilpur, Pakistan: effect of sampling area, depth, and source.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabassum, Riaz Ahmad; Shahid, Muhammad; Dumat, Camille; Niazi, Nabeel Khan; Khalid, Sana; Shah, Noor Samad; Imran, Muhammad; Khalid, Samina

2018-02-10

Currently, several news channels and research publications have highlighted the dilemma of arsenic (As)-contaminated groundwater in Pakistan. However, there is lack of data regarding groundwater As content of various areas in Pakistan. The present study evaluated As contamination and associated health risks in previously unexplored groundwater of Hasilpur-Pakistan. Total of 61 groundwater samples were collected from different areas (rural and urban), sources (electric pump, hand pump, and tubewell) and depths (35-430 ft or 11-131 m). The water samples were analyzed for As level and other parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, cations, and anions. It was found that 41% (25 out of 61) water samples contained As (≥ 5 μg/L). Out of 25 As-contaminated water samples, 13 water samples exceeded the permissible level of WHO (10 μg/L). High As contents have been found in tubewell samples and at high sampling depths (> 300 ft). The major As-contaminated groundwater in Hasilpur is found in urban areas. Furthermore, health risk and cancer risk due to As contamination were also assessed with respect to average daily dose (ADD), hazard quotient (HQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR). The values of HQ and CR of As in Hasilpur were up to 58 and 0.00231, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed a positive correlation between groundwater As contents, pH, and depth in Hasilpur. The current study proposed the proper monitoring and management of well water in Hasilpur to minimize the As-associated health hazards.

Development of high temperature resistant geomembranes for oil sands secondary containments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mills, A. [Layfield Environmental Systems Ltd., Edmonton, AB (Canada); Martin, D. [Layfield Geosynthetics and Industrial Fabrics Ltd., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

Plastic liner materials are often adversely impacted by chemicals at elevated temperatures. Heat accelerates the oxidation of the polymeric chains, which in turn accelerates the degradation of the plastic. This paper discussed geomembrane containment systems placed under heated petroleum storage tanks at an oil sands processing plant. Various high temperature-resistant geomembrane materials were tested. Compatibility testing procedures for the various fluids contained by the systems were outlined. Installation procedures for the membranes were also discussed. The membrane systems were designed for use with heavy gas oil; light gas oil; and naphtha. Temperatures in the ground below the tanks were approximately 79 degrees C. Testing was done using sealed containers held in an oil bath at temperatures of 105 degrees C. Heat applied to the chemicals during the tests pressurized the test vessels. Liner materials used in the initial tests included an ester-based thermoplastic polyurethane liner; high density polyethylene (HDPE); linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polypropylene (PP) olefins; polyvinyl chloride (PVC); and polyvinylidene (PVDF) materials. A second set of tests was then conducted using alloy materials and PVC. Heat stability tests demonstrated that the blue 0.75 mm alloy showed a tensile strength ratio within the industry's 15 per cent pass criteria. The samples were then tested with diluted bitumen and diluents at 65, 85 and 100 degrees C. The developed liners were installed underneath petroleum tanks with leak detection chambers. It was concluded that the geomembrane liners prevented the hot liquids from leaking. 4 refs., 8 tabs.

High-pressure catalytic chemical vapor deposition of ferromagnetic ruthenium-containing carbon nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khavrus, Vyacheslav O., E-mail: V.Khavrus@ifw-dresden.de; Ibrahim, E. M. M.; Bachmatiuk, Alicja; Ruemmeli, Mark H.; Wolter, A. U. B.; Hampel, Silke; Leonhardt, Albrecht [IFW Dresden (Germany)

2012-06-15

We report on the high-pressure catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of ruthenium nanoparticles (NPs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by means of gas-phase decomposition of acetonitrile and ruthenocene in a tubular quartz flow reactor at 950 Degree-Sign C and at elevated pressures (between 2 and 8 bar). The deposited material consists of Ru metal cores with sizes ranging between 1 and 3 nm surrounded by a carbon matrix. The high-pressure CCVD seems to be an effective route to obtain composite materials containing metallic NPs, Ru in this work, inside a nanostructured carbon matrix protecting them from oxidation in ambient air. We find that in contradiction to the weak paramagnetic properties characterizing bulk ruthenium, the synthesized samples are ferromagnetic as predicted for nanosized particles of nonmagnetic materials. At low pressure, the very small ruthenium catalyst particles are able to catalyze growth of SWCNTs. Their yield decreases with increasing reaction pressure. Transmission electron microscopy, selected area energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements were used to analyze and confirm properties of the synthesized NPs and nanotubes. A discussion on the growth mechanism of the Ru-containing nanostructures is presented.

Improved Procedure for Transport of Dental Plaque Samples and Other Clinical Specimens Containing Anaerobic Bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegel, Carol A.; Minah, Glenn E.; Krywolap, George N.

1979-01-01

An improved transport system for samples containing anaerobic bacteria was developed. This system increased the recovery rate of anaerobic bacteria up to 28.8% as compared to a commonly used method. PMID:39087

TEM investigation of aluminium containing precipitates in high aluminium doped silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong-Leung, J.; FitzGerald, J.D.

2002-01-01

Full text: Silicon carbide is a promising semiconductor material for applications in high temperature and high power devices. The successful growth of good quality epilayers in this material has enhanced its potential for device applications. As a novel semiconductor material, there is a need for studying its basic physical properties and the role of dopants in this material. In this study, silicon carbide epilayers were grown on 4H-SiC wafers of (0001) orientation with a miscut angle of 8 deg at a temperature of 1550 deg C. The epilayers contained regions of high aluminium doping well above the solubility of aluminium in silicon carbide. High temperature annealing of this material resulted in the precipitation of aluminium in the wafers. The samples were analysed by secondary ion mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy. Selected area diffraction studies show the presence of aluminium carbide and aluminium silicon carbide phases. Copyright (2002) Australian Society for Electron Microscopy Inc

DESIGN ANALYSIS FOR THE DEFENSE HIGH-LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL CONTAINER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radulesscu, G.; Tang, J.S.

2000-01-01

The purpose of ''Design Analysis for the Defense High-Level Waste Disposal Container'' analysis is to technically define the defense high-level waste (DHLW) disposal container/waste package using the Waste Package Department's (WPD) design methods, as documented in ''Waste Package Design Methodology Report'' (CRWMS M andO [Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management and Operating Contractor] 2000a). The DHLW disposal container is intended for disposal of commercial high-level waste (HLW) and DHLW (including immobilized plutonium waste forms), placed within disposable canisters. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-managed spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in disposable canisters may also be placed in a DHLW disposal container along with HLW forms. The objective of this analysis is to demonstrate that the DHLW disposal container/waste package satisfies the project requirements, as embodied in Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System Description Document (SDD) (CRWMS M andO 1999a), and additional criteria, as identified in Waste Package Design Sensitivity Report (CRWMS M andQ 2000b, Table 4). The analysis briefly describes the analytical methods appropriate for the design of the DHLW disposal contained waste package, and summarizes the results of the calculations that illustrate the analytical methods. However, the analysis is limited to the calculations selected for the DHLW disposal container in support of the Site Recommendation (SR) (CRWMS M andO 2000b, Section 7). The scope of this analysis is restricted to the design of the codisposal waste package of the Savannah River Site (SRS) DHLW glass canisters and the Training, Research, Isotopes General Atomics (TRIGA) SNF loaded in a short 18-in.-outer diameter (OD) DOE standardized SNF canister. This waste package is representative of the waste packages that consist of the DHLW disposal container, the DHLW/HLW glass canisters, and the DOE-managed SNF in disposable canisters. The intended use of this

DESIGN ANALYSIS FOR THE DEFENSE HIGH-LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL CONTAINER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G. Radulesscu; J.S. Tang

2000-06-07

The purpose of ''Design Analysis for the Defense High-Level Waste Disposal Container'' analysis is to technically define the defense high-level waste (DHLW) disposal container/waste package using the Waste Package Department's (WPD) design methods, as documented in ''Waste Package Design Methodology Report'' (CRWMS M&O [Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management and Operating Contractor] 2000a). The DHLW disposal container is intended for disposal of commercial high-level waste (HLW) and DHLW (including immobilized plutonium waste forms), placed within disposable canisters. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-managed spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in disposable canisters may also be placed in a DHLW disposal container along with HLW forms. The objective of this analysis is to demonstrate that the DHLW disposal container/waste package satisfies the project requirements, as embodied in Defense High Level Waste Disposal Container System Description Document (SDD) (CRWMS M&O 1999a), and additional criteria, as identified in Waste Package Design Sensitivity Report (CRWMS M&Q 2000b, Table 4). The analysis briefly describes the analytical methods appropriate for the design of the DHLW disposal contained waste package, and summarizes the results of the calculations that illustrate the analytical methods. However, the analysis is limited to the calculations selected for the DHLW disposal container in support of the Site Recommendation (SR) (CRWMS M&O 2000b, Section 7). The scope of this analysis is restricted to the design of the codisposal waste package of the Savannah River Site (SRS) DHLW glass canisters and the Training, Research, Isotopes General Atomics (TRIGA) SNF loaded in a short 18-in.-outer diameter (OD) DOE standardized SNF canister. This waste package is representative of the waste packages that consist of the DHLW disposal container, the DHLW/HLW glass canisters, and the DOE-managed SNF in disposable

A study of western pharmaceuticals contained within samples of Chinese herbal/patent medicines collected from New York City's Chinatown.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Gretchen M; Stripp, Richard

2007-09-01

In America, recent growth in the popularity of Chinese herbal/patent medicines (CHM/CPM) has generated concerns as to the safety of these and other herbal remedies. Lack of strict federal regulations has lead to the possibility of improper labeling and even adulteration of these products with western drugs or other chemical contaminants. Our laboratory has conducted an analytical study to determine the presence of undeclared pharmaceuticals and therapeutic substances within CHM/CPM sold in New York City's Chinatown. Ninety representative samples randomly purchased in the form of pills, tablets, creams and teas were screened by appropriate analytical techniques including TLC, GC/MS and HPLC. Five samples contained nine different western pharmaceuticals. Two of these samples contained undeclared or mislabeled substances. One sample contained two pharmaceuticals contraindicated in people for whom the product was intended. Drugs identified include promethazine, chlormethiazole, chlorpheniramine, diclofenac, chlordiazepoxide, hydrochlorothiazide, triamterene, diphenhydramine and sildenafil citrate (Viagra).

High-throughput liquid-absorption air-sampling apparatus and methods

Science.gov (United States)

Zaromb, Solomon

2000-01-01

A portable high-throughput liquid-absorption air sampler [PHTLAAS] has an asymmetric air inlet through which air is drawn upward by a small and light-weight centrifugal fan driven by a direct current motor that can be powered by a battery. The air inlet is so configured as to impart both rotational and downward components of motion to the sampled air near said inlet. The PHTLAAS comprises a glass tube of relatively small size through which air passes at a high rate in a swirling, highly turbulent motion, which facilitates rapid transfer of vapors and particulates to a liquid film covering the inner walls of the tube. The pressure drop through the glass tube is 20% for vapors or airborne particulates in the 2-3.mu. range and >50% for particles larger than 4.mu.. In conjunction with various analyzers, the PHTLAAS can serve to monitor a variety of hazardous or illicit airborne substances, such as lead-containing particulates, tritiated water vapor, biological aerosols, or traces of concealed drugs or explosives.

High-throughput liquid-absorption air-sampling apparatus and methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

A portable high-throughput liquid-absorption air sampler [PHTLAAS] has an asymmetric air inlet through which air is drawn upward by a small and light-weight centrifugal fan driven by a direct current motor that can be powered by a battery. The air inlet is so configured as to impart both rotational and downward components of motion to the sampled air near said inlet. The PHTLAAS comprises a glass tube of relatively small size through which air passes at a high rate in a swirling, highly turbulent motion, which facilitates rapid transfer of vapors and particulates to a liquid film covering the inner walls of the tube. The pressure drop through the glass tube is 20% for vapors or airborne particulates in the 2--3 microns range and > 50% for particles larger than 4 microns. In conjunction with various analyzers, the PHTLAAS can serve to monitor a variety of hazardous or illicit airborne substances, such as lead-containing particulates, tritiated water vapor, biological aerosols, or traces of concealed drugs or explosives

Chemical durability of borosilicate glasses containing simulated high-level nuclear wastes, 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, Shigeo; Terai, Ryohei; Yamanaka, Hiroshi

1983-01-01

The Soxhlet-type leaching test apparatus has been developed to evaluate the chemical durability of some borosilicate glasses containing simulated High-Level nuclear Wastes, HLW. After the leaching over the temperature range of 50 0 -95 0 C, the weight loss of specimens with time was determined on both the samples of blocks and grains, and various components dissolved into water were analyzed by atomic absorption and colorimetry technique. It was found that Soxhlet-type test method was more useful than JIS test method, because the specimens in Soxhlet type apparatus were forced always to react with pure water and the mechanism of leaching could be evaluate accurately. The chemical durability of commercial glasses decreases generally with increasing of alkali contents in glasses. In the case of these borosilicate glasses containing HLW, however, the leachability was apparently independent on the alkali contents because of the complexity of these glass compositions. The variation of leaching rate with temperature suggests that dissolution mechanism changes with temperature. (author)

Systems and methods for enhancing isolation of high-temperature reactor containments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peterson, Per F.

2017-09-26

A high-temperature containment-isolation system for transferring heat from a nuclear reactor containment to a high-pressure heat exchanger is presented. The system uses a high-temperature, low-volatility liquid coolant such as a molten salt or a liquid metal, where the coolant flow path provides liquid free surfaces a short distance from the containment penetrations for the reactor hot-leg and the cold-leg, where these liquid free surfaces have a cover gas maintained at a nearly constant pressure and thus prevent high-pressures from being transmitted into the reactor containment, and where the reactor vessel is suspended within a reactor cavity with a plurality of refractory insulator blocks disposed between an actively cooled inner cavity liner and the reactor vessel.

MUSIC ALGORITHM FOR LOCATING POINT-LIKE SCATTERERS CONTAINED IN A SAMPLE ON FLAT SUBSTRATE

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Dong Heping; Ma Fuming; Zhang Deyue

2012-01-01

In this paper,we consider a MUSIC algorithm for locating point-like scatterers contained in a sample on flat substrate.Based on an asymptotic expansion of the scattering amplitude proposed by Ammari et al.,the reconstruction problem can be reduced to a calculation of Green function corresponding to the background medium.In addition,we use an explicit formulation of Green function in the MUSIC algorithm to simplify the calculation when the cross-section of sample is a half-disc.Numerical experiments are included to demonstrate the feasibility of this method.

In-situ high resolution particle sampling by large time sequence inertial spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prodi, V.; Belosi, F.

1990-09-01

In situ sampling is always preferred, when possible, because of the artifacts that can arise when the aerosol has to flow through long sampling lines. On the other hand, the amount of possible losses can be calculated with some confidence only when the size distribution can be measured with a sufficient precision and the losses are not too large. This makes it desirable to sample directly in the vicinity of the aerosol source or containment. High temperature sampling devices with a detailed aerodynamic separation are extremely useful to this purpose. Several measurements are possible with the inertial spectrometer (INSPEC), but not with cascade impactors or cyclones. INSPEC - INertial SPECtrometer - has been conceived to measure the size distribution of aerosols by separating the particles while airborne according to their size and collecting them on a filter. It consists of a channel of rectangular cross-section with a 90 degree bend. Clean air is drawn through the channel, with a thin aerosol sheath injected close to the inner wall. Due to the bend, the particles are separated according to their size, leaving the original streamline by a distance which is a function of particle inertia and resistance, i.e. of aerodynamic diameter. The filter collects all the particles of the same aerodynamic size at the same distance from the inlet, in a continuous distribution. INSPEC particle separation at high temperature (up to 800 C) has been tested with Zirconia particles as calibration aerosols. The feasibility study has been concerned with resolution and time sequence sampling capabilities under high temperature (700 C)

Tank farms backlog soil sample and analysis results supporting a contained-in determination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, C.L., Fluor Daniel Hanford

1997-02-27

Soil waste is generated from Tank Farms and associated Tank Farms facilities operations. The soil is a mixed waste because it is an environmental media which contains tank waste, a listed mixed waste. The soil is designated with the listed waste codes (FOO1 through F005) which have been applied to all tank wastes. The scope of this report includes Tank Farms soil managed under the Backlog program. The Backlog Tank Farm soil in storage consists of drums and 5 boxes (originally 828 drums). The Backlog Waste Program dealt with 2276 containers of solid waste generated by Tank Farms operations during the time period from 1989 through early 1993. The containers were mismanaged by being left in the field for an extended period of time without being placed into permitted storage. As a corrective action for this situation, these containers were placed in interim storage at the Central Waste Complex (CWC) pending additional characterization. The Backlog Waste Analysis Plan (BWAP) (RL 1993) was written to define how Backlog wastes would be evaluated for proper designation and storage. The BWAP was approved in August 1993 and all work required by the BWAP was completed by July 1994. This document presents results of testing performed in 1992 & 1996 that supports the attainment of a Contained-In Determination for Tank Farm Backlog soils. The analytical data contained in this report is evaluated against a prescribed decision rule. If the decision rule is satisfied then the Washington State Department of ecology (Ecology) may grant a Contained-In Determination. A Contained-In Determination for disposal to an unlined burial trench will be requested from Ecology . The decision rule and testing requirements provided by Ecology are described in the Tank Farms Backlog Soil Sample Analysis Plan (SAP) (WHC 1996).

Reactivity and neutron emission measurements of highly burnt PWR fuel rod samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, M.F.; Jatuff, F.; Grimm, P.; Seiler, R.; Brogli, R.; Meier, G.; Berger, H.-D.; Chawla, R.

2006-01-01

Fuel rods with burnup values beyond 50 GWd/t are characterised by relatively large amounts of fission products and a high abundance of major and minor actinides. Of particular interest is the change in the reactivity of the fuel as a function of burnup and the capability of modern codes to predict this change. In addition, the neutron emission from burnt fuel has important implications for the design of transport and storage facilities. Measurements have been made of the reactivity effects and the neutron emission rates of highly burnt uranium oxide and mixed oxide fuel rod samples coming from a pressurised water reactor (PWR). The reactivity measurements have been made in a PWR lattice in the PROTEUS zero-energy reactor moderated in turn with: water, a water and heavy water mixture and water containing boron. A combined transport flask and sample changer was used to insert the 400 mm long burnt fuel rod segments into the reactor. Both control rod compensation and reactor period methods were used to determine the reactivities of the samples. For the range of burnup values investigated, an interesting exponential relationship has been found between the neutron emission rate and the measured reactivity

The feasibility of sampling the glass pour in a high level waste vitrification plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, G.V.; Shilton, P.; Morris, J.B.

1986-06-01

Vitrified high level waste can be sampled for quality assurance purposes in three general ways: (I) from the glass pour, (II) from the canister, and (III) from the melter. A discussion of the potential advantages and disadvantages of each route is presented. The second philosophy seems to show the best promise; it is recommended that the Contained Pot method and the Token method are best suited for further development. An international survey of policy at vitrification plants shows that with one possible exception no glass sampling is intended and that quality is normally to be assured by control of the vitrification process. (author)

Application of high strength steel to nuclear reactor containment vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susukida, H.; Sato, M.; Takano, G.; Uebayashi, T.; Yoshida, K.

1976-01-01

Nuclear reactor containment vessels are becoming larger in size with the increase in the power generating capacity of nuclear power plants. For example, a containment vessel for a PWR power plant with an output of 1,000 MWe becomes an extremely large one if it is made of the conventional JIS SGV 49 (ASTM A 516 Gr. 70) steel plates less than 38 mm in thickness. In order to design the steel containment vessel within the conventional dimensional range, therefore, it is necessary to use a high strength steel having a higher tensile strength than SGV 49 steel, good weldability and a higher fracture toughness and moreover, possessing satisfactory properties without undergoing post-weld heat treatment. The authors conducted a series of verification tests on high strength steel developed by modifying the ASTM A 543 Grade B Class 1 steel with a view to adopting it as a material for the nuclear reactor containment vessels. As the result of evaluation of the test results from various angles, we confirmed that the high strength steel is quite suitable for the manufacture of nuclear reactor containment vessels. (auth.)

Detection of silver nanoparticles in parsley by solid sampling high-resolution-continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Feichtmeier, Nadine S; Leopold, Kerstin

2014-06-01

In this work, we present a fast and simple approach for detection of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in biological material (parsley) by solid sampling high-resolution-continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS). A novel evaluation strategy was developed in order to distinguish AgNPs from ionic silver and for sizing of AgNPs. For this purpose, atomisation delay was introduced as significant indication of AgNPs, whereas atomisation rates allow distinction of 20-, 60-, and 80-nm AgNPs. Atomisation delays were found to be higher for samples containing silver ions than for samples containing silver nanoparticles. A maximum difference in atomisation delay normalised by the sample weight of 6.27 ± 0.96 s mg(-1) was obtained after optimisation of the furnace program of the AAS. For this purpose, a multivariate experimental design was used varying atomisation temperature, atomisation heating rate and pyrolysis temperature. Atomisation rates were calculated as the slope of the first inflection point of the absorbance signals and correlated with the size of the AgNPs in the biological sample. Hence, solid sampling HR-CS AAS was proved to be a promising tool for identifying and distinguishing silver nanoparticles from ionic silver directly in solid biological samples.

High temperature performance limit of containment system of transport cask

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Osamu; Saegusa, Toshiari

1998-01-01

The containment performance of a containment system using elastomer gaskets for transport casks under a high temperature and high pressure was clarified. Major results are as follows; (1) The deformation characteristics of the gaskets were represented by the compressive permanent strain rate (Dp). The temperature and time dependence was shown by Larson-Miller Parameter (LMP). (2) Generally, the high temperature performance limit is obtained by a value of LMP when the Dp value reaches 80%. However, the gaskets (FKM, VMQ, EPDM) used for real transport casks were not damaged and the containment performance was not deteriorated as a conservative condition. (3) Assuming that the service period of the gaskets for transport casks is 3 months or 1 year, the high temperature performance limit of the gasket made of fluorine rubber (FKM) is 202degC or 182degC, respectively, which includes safety margin. (author)

High priority tank sampling and analysis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, T.M.

1998-01-01

In July 1993, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Board issued Recommendation 93-5 (Conway 1993) which noted that there was insufficient tank waste technical information and the pace to obtain it was too slow to ensure that Hanford Site wastes could be safely stored, that associated operations could be conducted safely, and that future disposal data requirements could be met. In response, the US Department of Energy, in May 1996, issued Revision 1 of the Recommendation 93-5 Implementation Plan (DOE-RL 1996). The Implementation Plan presented a modified approach to achieve the original plan's objectives, concentrating on actions necessary to ensure that wastes can be safely stored, that operations can be safely conducted, and that timely characterization information for the tank waste Disposal Program could be obtained. The Implementation Plan proposed 28 High Priority tanks for near term core sampling and analysis, which along with sampling and analysis of other non-High Priority tanks, could provide the scientific and technical data to confirm assumptions, calibrate models, and.measure safety related phenomenology of the waste. When the analysis results of the High Priority and other-tank sampling were reviewed, it was expected that a series of 12 questions, 9 related to safety issues and 3 related to planning for the disposal process, should be answered allowing key decisions to be made. This report discusses the execution of the Implementation Plan and the results achieved in addressing the questions. Through sampling and analysis, all nine safety related questions have been answered and extensive data for the three disposal planning related questions have been collected, allowing for key decision making. Many more tanks than the original 28 High Priority tanks identified in the Implementation Plan were sampled and analyzed. Twenty-one High Priority tanks and 85 other tanks were core sampled and used to address the questions. Thirty-eight additional tanks were auger

High-throughput liquid-absorption air-sampling apparatus and methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-11

A portable high-throughput liquid-absorption air sampler [PHTLAAS] has an asymmetric air inlet through which air is drawn upward by a small and light-weight centrifugal fan driven by a direct current motor that can be powered by a battery. The air inlet is so configured as to impart both rotational and downward components of motion to the sampled air near said inlet. The PHTLAAS comprises a glass tube of relatively small size through which air passes at a high rate in a swirling, highly turbulent motion, which facilitates rapid transfer of vapors and particulates to a liquid film covering the inner walls of the tube. The pressure drop through the glass tube is < 10 cm of water, usually < 5 cm of water. The sampler's collection efficiency is usually > 20% for vapors or airborne particulates in the 2--3 microns range and > 50% for particles larger than 4 microns. In conjunction with various analyzers, the PHTLAAS can serve to monitor a variety of hazardous or illicit airborne substances, such as lead-containing particulates, tritiated water vapor, biological aerosols, or traces of concealed drugs or explosives.

Understanding the Effects of Sampling on Healthcare Risk Modeling for the Prediction of Future High-Cost Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Moturu, Sai T.; Liu, Huan; Johnson, William G.

Rapidly rising healthcare costs represent one of the major issues plaguing the healthcare system. Data from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Arizona's Medicaid program provide a unique opportunity to exploit state-of-the-art machine learning and data mining algorithms to analyze data and provide actionable findings that can aid cost containment. Our work addresses specific challenges in this real-life healthcare application with respect to data imbalance in the process of building predictive risk models for forecasting high-cost patients. We survey the literature and propose novel data mining approaches customized for this compelling application with specific focus on non-random sampling. Our empirical study indicates that the proposed approach is highly effective and can benefit further research on cost containment in the healthcare industry.

MgAl2O4 spinel refractory as containment liner for high-temperature alkali salt containing environments

Science.gov (United States)

Peascoe-Meisner, Roberta A [Knoxville, TN; Keiser, James R [Oak Ridge, TN; Hemric, James G [Knoxville, TN; Hubbard, Camden R [Oak Ridge, TN; Gorog, J Peter [Kent, WA; Gupta, Amul [Jamestown, NY

2008-10-21

A method includes containing a high-temperature alkali salt containing environment using a refractory containment liner containing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel. A method, includes forming a refractory brick containing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel having an exterior chill zone defined by substantially columnar crystallization and an interior zone defined by substantially equiaxed crystallization; and removing at least a portion of the exterior chill zone from the refractory brick containing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel by scalping the refractory brick containing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel to define at least one outer surface having an area of substantially equiaxed crystallization. A product of manufacture includes a refractory brick containing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4 spinel including an interior zone defined by substantially equiaxed crystallization; and at least one outer surface having an area of substantially equiaxed crystallization.

Feasibility Study of Neutron Multiplicity Assay for a Heterogeneous Sludge Sample containing Na, Pu and other Impurities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, H.; Nakamichi, H.; Mukai, Y.; Yoshimoto, K.; Beddingfield, D.H.

2010-01-01

To reduce radioactivity of liquid waste generated at PCDF, a neutralization precipitation processes of radioactive nuclides by sodium hydroxide is used. We call the precipitate a 'sludge' after calcination. Pu mass in the sludge is normally determined by sampling and DA within the required uncertainty on DIQ. Annual yield of the mass is small but it accumulates and reaches to a few kilograms, so it is declared as retained waste and verified at PIV. A HM-5-based verification is applied for sludge verification. The sludge contains many chemical components. For example, Pu (-10wt%), U, Am, SUS components, halogens, NaNO 3 (main component), residual NaOH, and moisture. They are mixed together as an impure heterogeneous sludge sample. As a result, there is a large uncertainty in the sampling and DA that is currently used at PCDF. In order to improve the material accounting, we performed a feasibility study using neutron multiplicity assay for impure sludge samples. We have measured selected sludge samples using a multiplicity counter which is called FCAS (Fast Carton Assay System) which was designed by JAEA and Canberra. The PCDF sludge materials fall into the category of 'difficult to measure' because of the high levels of impurities, high alpha values and somewhat small Pu mass. For the sludge measurements, it was confirmed that good consistency between Pu mass in a pure sludge standard (PuO 2 -Na 2 U 2 O 7 , alpha=7) and the DA could be obtained. For unknown samples, using 14-hour measurements, we could obtain quite low statistical uncertainty on Doubles (-1%) and Triples (-10%) count rate although the alpha value was extremely high (15-25) and FCAS efficiency was relatively low (40%) for typical multiplicity counters. Despite the detector efficiency challenges and the material challenges (high alpha, low Pu mass, heterogeneous matrix), we have been able to obtain assay results that greatly exceed the accountancy requirements for retained waste materials. We have

Commercial disposal of high integrity containers (HICs) containing EPICOR-II prefilters from Three Mile Island: Reflections and projections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McConnell, J.W. Jr.; Schmitt, R.C.

1986-09-01

The processes of loading, transporting, and commerically disposing of 46 EPICOR-II prefilters, each contained in a High Integrity Container (HIC), are described. Also described are participation of the regulatory agencies and industrial organizations in combining their efforts to accomplish this task. The significant aspect of the task was that the commerical disposal involved the first-of-a-kind production use of a reinforced concrete HIC at the US Ecology, Inc., facility in the State of Washington. The same type of container probably can be used in below- or above-ground disposal of other types of high specific activity, low-level nuclear wastes. 14 refs., 4 figs

Direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Washington, K.E.; Williams, D.C.

1995-08-01

The potential exists in a nuclear reactor core melt severe accident for molten core debris to be dispersed under high pressure into the containment building. If this occurs, the set of phenomena that result in the transfer of energy to the containment atmosphere and its surroundings is referred to as direct containment heating (DCH). Because of the potential for DCH to lead to early containment failure, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has sponsored an extensive research program consisting of experimental, analytical, and risk integration components. An important element of the analytical research has been the development and assessment of direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code. This report documents the DCH models in the CONTAIN code. DCH models in CONTAIN for representing debris transport, trapping, chemical reactions, and heat transfer from debris to the containment atmosphere and surroundings are described. The descriptions include the governing equations and input instructions in CONTAIN unique to performing DCH calculations. Modifications made to the combustion models in CONTAIN for representing the combustion of DCH-produced and pre-existing hydrogen under DCH conditions are also described. Input table options for representing the discharge of debris from the RPV and the entrainment phase of the DCH process are also described. A sample calculation is presented to demonstrate the functionality of the models. The results show that reasonable behavior is obtained when the models are used to predict the sixth Zion geometry integral effects test at 1/10th scale

Direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington, K.E.; Williams, D.C.

1995-08-01

The potential exists in a nuclear reactor core melt severe accident for molten core debris to be dispersed under high pressure into the containment building. If this occurs, the set of phenomena that result in the transfer of energy to the containment atmosphere and its surroundings is referred to as direct containment heating (DCH). Because of the potential for DCH to lead to early containment failure, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has sponsored an extensive research program consisting of experimental, analytical, and risk integration components. An important element of the analytical research has been the development and assessment of direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code. This report documents the DCH models in the CONTAIN code. DCH models in CONTAIN for representing debris transport, trapping, chemical reactions, and heat transfer from debris to the containment atmosphere and surroundings are described. The descriptions include the governing equations and input instructions in CONTAIN unique to performing DCH calculations. Modifications made to the combustion models in CONTAIN for representing the combustion of DCH-produced and pre-existing hydrogen under DCH conditions are also described. Input table options for representing the discharge of debris from the RPV and the entrainment phase of the DCH process are also described. A sample calculation is presented to demonstrate the functionality of the models. The results show that reasonable behavior is obtained when the models are used to predict the sixth Zion geometry integral effects test at 1/10th scale.

System for sampling active solutions in transport container; Systeme de prelevements de solutions actives sur les recipients de transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fradin, J.

1958-12-03

This report presents a system aimed at sampling active solution from a specific transport container (SCRGR model) while transferring this solution with a maximum safety. The sampling principle is described (a flexible tube connected to the receiving container, with a needle at the other end which goes through a rubber membrane and enters a plunger tube). Its benefits are outlined (operator protection, reduction of contamination risk; only the rubber membrane is removed and replaced). Some manufacturing details are described concerning the membrane and the cover.

Development of high integrity containers for rad-waste treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Yung Chul; Cho, Myung Sug; Jung, Yun Sub [Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Taejon (Korea, Republic of). Research Center

1995-12-31

Nuclear power plants are generating rad waste such as solid wastes, concentrated liquid wastes, spent resins and spent filters, and various types of imported containers which have different specifications and material properties are employed to handle the rad wastes according to facility characteristics of the plants or the type of wastes. These containers are stored at the intermediate storage facilities at the plant site due to the construction delay of permanent disposal site, and the additional construction of storage and disposal sites become more difficult with increase of the numbers and the operation time of the plants. In order to solve these difficulties, rad wastes volume reduction facilities such as High Pressure Compression Facility or Drying Facility are being installed and use of High Integrity Containers(HIC) are increasing. Therefore, we decide quality and technology standards required for the HIC, and then develop the HIC which satisfies the standards with new composite material called Steel Fiber Polymer Impregnated Concrete(SFPIC) (author). 84 refs., 118 figs.

Development of high integrity containers for rad-waste treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Yung Chul; Cho, Myung Sug; Jung, Yun Sub [Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Taejon (Korea, Republic of). Research Center

1996-12-31

Nuclear power plants are generating rad waste such as solid wastes, concentrated liquid wastes, spent resins and spent filters, and various types of imported containers which have different specifications and material properties are employed to handle the rad wastes according to facility characteristics of the plants or the type of wastes. These containers are stored at the intermediate storage facilities at the plant site due to the construction delay of permanent disposal site, and the additional construction of storage and disposal sites become more difficult with increase of the numbers and the operation time of the plants. In order to solve these difficulties, rad wastes volume reduction facilities such as High Pressure Compression Facility or Drying Facility are being installed and use of High Integrity Containers(HIC) are increasing. Therefore, we decide quality and technology standards required for the HIC, and then develop the HIC which satisfies the standards with new composite material called Steel Fiber Polymer Impregnated Concrete(SFPIC) (author). 84 refs., 118 figs.

Commercial disposal of High Integrity Containers (HICs) containing EPICOR-II prefilters from Three Mile Island

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McConnell, J.W. Jr.; Lynch, R.J.; Tyacke, M.J.

1985-09-01

This report describes the processes of loading, transporting, and commercially disposing of 45 High Integrity Containers (HICs), each containing an EPICOR-II prefilter. Also described are the improvements that were applied in the disposition of the 45 commercial EPICOR-II prefilters at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), versus those used for the demonstration unit. The significance of this effort was that the commercial disposal campaign involved the first-of-a-kind production use of a reinforced concrete HIC at the US Ecology, Inc. facility in the State of Washington. This allowed for safe disposal of high-specific-activity ion exchange material in EPICOR-II prefilters generated during the cleanup of the Unit-2 Auxiliary and Fuel Handling Building of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station. 26 figs

1988-year of high integrity container evaluation, controversy and regulatory action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, D.

1989-01-01

During 1988, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) completed review of and prepared technical evaluation reports on several topical reports describing containers designed to meet the 10CFR61 requirements for high integrity containers (HICs). An all metal Ferralium container and a stainless steel/polyethylene lined container were approved by the NRC. However, the NRC did not approve any containers designed from polyethylene material. The NRC staff concluded that polyethylene containers do not meet the structural stability requirements of Part 61, and unless they are combined with some engineered structure or overpack, they are not adequate for disposal of low-level radioactive wastes that require disposal in a structurally stable form. In conflict with these NRC findings, the State of South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) has given interim approval for continued use of polyethylene containers at the Barnwell disposal site with some restrictions on how the containers are buried depending on the classification of the waste. This paper reviews the applicable federal regulations, presents a chronology of events describing how the controversy over high integrity containers evolved from 1980 to 1989, summarizes the technical issues involved and suggests an approach that waste generators should follow during this situation of regulatory uncertainty

Liquid scintillation measurements of aqueous 14C or 3H containing samples in a toluene cocktail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelmann, A.; Reinhard, G.

1980-01-01

On the basis of investigations of the ternary system toluene/methanol/water that composition of toluene/methanol scintillation cocktails has been determined, which allows liquid scintillation measurements of 14 C or 3 H containing samples in homogeneous distribution. Because of more pronounced quenching the optimum sample quantity was less for blood solutions extracted with a HClO 4 /H 2 O 2 mixture than for water. The effect of beta radiation energy has to be taken into account. (author)

Role of americium interference in analysis of samples containing rare earths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohapatra, P.K.; Adya, V.C.; Thulasidas, S.K.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Kumar, Mithlesh; Godbole, S.V.; Manchanda, V.K.

2007-01-01

Quality control of nuclear fuel samples requires precise estimation of rare earths which have high neutron absorption cross sections and act as neutron poisons. Am is generated by nuclear decay where as lanthanides may be present as impurities picked up during reprocessing/fuel fabrication. Precise estimation of the rare earths by ICP-AES method in presence of 241 Am is a challenging task due to the likelihood of spectral interference of the latter. Rare earths impurities in the purified Am sample were estimated by ICP-AES method. Known amounts of the rare earths viz. Sm, Eu, Dy and Gd were used as synthetic sample and the interference due to Am was investigated. (author)

Determination of 210Pb and 210Po in soil or rock samples containing refractory matrices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia Guogang; Torri, Giancarlo

2007-01-01

A new method has been developed for determination of 21 Pb and 21 Po in soil or rock samples containing refractory matrices. The samples were first fused with Na 2 CO 3 and Na 2 O 2 at 600 o C for pre-treatment and then 210 Pb and 210 Po were sequentially leached out at 200-250 o C with HNO 3 +HF, HClO 4 and HCl. About 10% of the leaching solution was used for 21 Po determination, carried out by spontaneous deposition of polonium on a silver disc from a weakly acidic solution that contained hydroxylamine hydrochloride, sodium citrate and 209 Po tracer, measurement being made by α-spectrometry. The remains of the leaching solution were used for determination of 21 Pb, conducted by precipitation as sulphate, purification with Na 2 S as PbS in 6 M ammonium acetate, separation from α-emitters by an anion-exchange resin column, source preparation as PbSO 4 , and measurement with a β-counter. The procedure has been checked with two certified IAEA reference materials, showing good agreement with the recommended values. The lower limits of detection for 1 g of analysed soil or rock samples were found to be 0.75 Bq kg -1 for 210 Po and 2.2 Bq kg -1 for 210 Pb. A variety of solid sample species analysed through use of the procedure gave average yields of 90.0±9.8% for 210 Po and 88.4±7.1% for 210 Pb

Container floor at high temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reutler, H.; Klapperich, H.J.; Mueller-Frank, U.

1978-01-01

The invention describes a floor for container which is stressed at high, changing temperatures and is intended for use in gas-cooled nuclear reactors. Due to the downward cooling gas flow in these types of reactor, the reactor floor is subjected to considerable dimensional changes during switching on and off. In the heating stage, the whole graphite structure of the reactor core and floor expands. In order to avoid arising constraining forces, sufficiently large expansion spaces must be allowed for furthermore restoring forces must be present to close the gaps again in the cooling phase. These restoring forces must be permanently present to prevent loosening of the core cuits amongst one another and thus uncontrollable relative movement. Spring elements are not suitable due to fast fatigue as a result of high temperatures and radiation exposure. It is suggested to have the floor elements supported on rollers whose rolling planes are downwards inclined to a fixed point for support. The construction is described in detail by means of drawings. (GL) [de

Characterization of solidified radioactive waste and container due to the incorporation of high density polyethylene granules and powder in mortar matrices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peric, A.D.

1999-01-01

Powder and granules of the high density polyethylene (PEHD) were used to prepare mortar based matrices for immobilization of radioactive waste materials containing 137 Cs, as well as containers for solidified radioactive waste form. Seven types of matrices, differ due to the percentage of granules and filler material added, were investigated. PEHD powder and granules were added to mortar matrix preparations with the objective of improving physico-chemical characteristics of the radwaste-mortar matrix mixtures, in particular the leach-rate of the immobilized radionuclide, as well as mechanical characteristics either of mortar matrix and container. In this paper, only mechanical strength aspect of the investigated mortar and concrete container formulations, is presented. The equivalent diameter of the PEHD granules used was 2.0 mm. PEHD granules were used to replace 100 volume percent of stone granules, sifted size of 2.0 mm, normally used in the matrix preparation, in order to decrease the porosity and density of the mortar matrix and to avoid segregation of the stone particles at the bottom of the immobilized radioactive waste cylindrical form. PEHD powder, particle size of 250 micrometer, was added as filler to the mortar formulation, replacing 5, 8 and 10 wt% of the total cement weight in matrix formulation and 15 and 18 wt% of the total cement weight in container formulation. Cured samples were investigated on mechanical strength, using 150 MPa hydraulic press, in order to determine influence of added polyethylene granules and powder on samples resistance to mechanical forces that solidified waste materials and concrete containers may experience at the disposal site. Results of performed investigations have shown that samples prepared with polyethylene granules, replacing 100 wt% of the stone granules, have almost twice as much mechanical strength than samples prepared with stone aggregate. Samples prepared with PEHD granules and powder have mechanical strength

Identification of heparin samples that contain impurities or contaminants by chemometric pattern recognition analysis of proton NMR spectral data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zang, Qingda [University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Department of Pharmacology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ (United States); Snowdon, Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ (United States); University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Department of Health Informatics, School of Health Related Professions, Newark, NJ (United States); Keire, David A.; Buhse, Lucinda F.; Trehy, Michael L. [Food and Drug Administration, CDER, Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis, St. Louis, MO (United States); Wood, Richard D. [Snowdon, Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ (United States); Mital, Dinesh P.; Haque, Syed; Srinivasan, Shankar [University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Department of Health Informatics, School of Health Related Professions, Newark, NJ (United States); Moore, Christine M.V.; Nasr, Moheb; Al-Hakim, Ali [Food and Drug Administration, CDER, Office of New Drug Quality Assessment, Silver Spring, MD (United States); Welsh, William J. [University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Department of Pharmacology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ (United States)

2011-08-15

Chemometric analysis of a set of one-dimensional (1D) {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral data for heparin sodium active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) samples was employed to distinguish USP-grade heparin samples from those containing oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) contaminant and/or unacceptable levels of dermatan sulfate (DS) impurity. Three chemometric pattern recognition approaches were implemented: classification and regression tree (CART), artificial neural network (ANN), and support vector machine (SVM). Heparin sodium samples from various manufacturers were analyzed in 2008 and 2009 by 1D {sup 1}H NMR, strong anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, and percent galactosamine in total hexosamine tests. Based on these data, the samples were divided into three groups: Heparin, DS {<=} 1.0% and OSCS = 0%; DS, DS > 1.0% and OSCS = 0%; and OSCS, OSCS > 0% with any content of DS. Three data sets corresponding to different chemical shift regions (1.95-2.20, 3.10-5.70, and 1.95-5.70 ppm) were evaluated. While all three chemometric approaches were able to effectively model the data in the 1.95-2.20 ppm region, SVM was found to substantially outperform CART and ANN for data in the 3.10-5.70 ppm region in terms of classification success rate. A 100% prediction rate was frequently achieved for discrimination between heparin and OSCS samples. The majority of classification errors between heparin and DS involved cases where the DS content was close to the 1.0% DS borderline between the two classes. When these borderline samples were removed, nearly perfect classification results were attained. Satisfactory results were achieved when the resulting models were challenged by test samples containing blends of heparin APIs spiked with non-, partially, or fully oversulfated chondroitin sulfate A, heparan sulfate, or DS at the 1.0%, 5.0%, and 10.0% (w/w) levels. This study demonstrated that the combination of 1D {sup 1}H NMR spectroscopy

Nickel and Copper-Free Sintered Structural Steels Containing Mn, Cr, Si, and Mo Developed for High Performance Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cias A.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In an attempt to study the sinterability of potential high-strength nickel-free sintered structural steels containing Mn, Cr, Si and Mo compacts were prepared based on sponge and water atomised iron powders and on Astaloy prealloyed powders. To these were admixed ferromanganese, ferroslicon, and graphite. The samples were sintered at temperatures 1120 and 1250°C in laboratory tube furnaces in hydrogen, hydrogen-nitrogen atmospheres with dew points better than -60°C or in nitrogen in a semiclosed container in a local microatmosphere. After sintering the samples were slowly cooled or sinterhardened. Generally resultant microstructures were inhomogeneous, consisted of pearlite/ bainite/martensite, but were characterised by an absence of oxide networks. Sintering studies performed over a range of compositions have shown that superior strength, ranging beyond 900 MPa, along with reasonable tensile elongation, can be achieved with these new steels.

Storage of hydrogen in advanced high pressure container. Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentzen, J.J.; Lystrup, A.

2005-07-01

The objective of the project has been to study barriers for a production of advanced high pressure containers especially suitable for hydrogen, in order to create a basis for a container production in Denmark. The project has primarily focused on future Danish need for hydrogen storage in the MWh area. One task has been to examine requirement specifications for pressure tanks that can be expected in connection with these stores. Six potential storage needs have been identified: (1) Buffer in connection with start-up/regulation on the power grid. (2) Hydrogen and oxygen production. (3) Buffer store in connection with VEnzin vision. (4) Storage tanks on hydrogen filling stations. (5) Hydrogen for the transport sector from 1 TWh surplus power. (6) Tanker transport of hydrogen. Requirements for pressure containers for the above mentioned use have been examined. The connection between stored energy amount, pressure and volume compared to liquid hydrogen and oil has been stated in tables. As starting point for production technological considerations and economic calculations of various container concepts, an estimation of laminate thickness in glass-fibre reinforced containers with different diameters and design print has been made, for a 'pure' fibre composite container and a metal/fibre composite container respectively. (BA)

Enhancement of high density polyethylene high integrity containers at a low level radioactive waste disposal site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauer, R.E.; Wong, O.P.

1989-01-01

High integrity containers (HIC) made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) have been used for disposal in South Carolina since the late seventies. With the recent definitive position taken by the NRC on the suitability of these containers for disposal, alternative means of assuring the structural integrity of the containers for the long term became necessary. The authors' company has developed an utilized reinforced concrete caissons at the Hanford, Washington site as an additional barrier and structural element to assure the long term high integrity function of the current HDPE HIC's also known as Poly HIC's on the market. This paper outlines the background of the HIC's in question, the NRC positions and ruling, and presents technical bases for the applicability of appropriately designed concrete overpacks to augment the structural integrity of HIC's

The U phase formation in cement-based systems containing high amounts of Na2SO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, G.; Moranville, M.; Le Bescop, P.

1996-01-01

Simulated cemented low level wastes containing high amounts of Na 2 SO 4 (10--15%) were examined with respect to the mineralogy of the solid phases, chemical composition of the interstitial aqueous phase and immersion behavior in water. All results reveal the formation of a mineral called U phase, first observed by Dosch and zur Strassen in 1967, and its deleterious effects on the samples immersed in water. It appears that this phase can form only at very high alkaline concentration, not compatible with traditional cement paste. Two possible degradation mechanisms associated with the U phase are proposed which are to be elucidated in further works

High throughput sample processing and automated scoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gunnar eBrunborg

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The comet assay is a sensitive and versatile method for assessing DNA damage in cells. In the traditional version of the assay, there are many manual steps involved and few samples can be treated in one experiment. High throughput modifications have been developed during recent years, and they are reviewed and discussed. These modifications include accelerated scoring of comets; other important elements that have been studied and adapted to high throughput are cultivation and manipulation of cells or tissues before and after exposure, and freezing of treated samples until comet analysis and scoring. High throughput methods save time and money but they are useful also for other reasons: large-scale experiments may be performed which are otherwise not practicable (e.g., analysis of many organs from exposed animals, and human biomonitoring studies, and automation gives more uniform sample treatment and less dependence on operator performance. The high throughput modifications now available vary largely in their versatility, capacity, complexity and costs. The bottleneck for further increase of throughput appears to be the scoring.

Determination of UV filters in high ionic strength sample solutions using matrix-compatible coatings for solid-phase microextraction.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Jiwoo; Anderson, Jared L

2018-05-15

A double-confined polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) sorbent coating was fabricated for the determination of nine ultraviolet (UV) filters in sample solutions containing high salt content by direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The IL monomer and crosslinker cations and anions, namely, 1-vinyl-3-decylimidazolium styrenesulfonate ([VImC 10 ][SS]) and 1,12-di(3-vinylbenzylimidazolium) dodecane distyrenesulfonate ([(VBIm) 2 C 12 ] 2[SS]), were co-polymerized to create a highly stable sorbent coating which allowed for up to 120 direct-immersion extractions in 25% NaCl (w/v) solution without a decrease in its extraction capability. Extraction and desorption parameters such as desorption solvent, agitation rate, extraction time, desorption solvent volume, and desorption time were evaluated and optimized. The analytical performance of the styrenesulfonate anion-based PIL fiber, PIL fiber containing chloride anions, and a commercially available polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber were compared. Coefficients of determination (R 2 ) for the styrenesulfonate anion-based PIL fiber ranged from 0.995 to 0.999 and the limits of detection (LODs) varied from 0.1 to 5 µg L -1 . The developed method was successfully applied in real water samples including tap, pool, and lake water, and acceptable relative recovery values were obtained. The lifetime of the PIL fiber containing chloride anions as well as the PDMS/DVB fiber were considerably shorter than the PIL fiber containing the styrenesulfonate anion, with both fibers showing a notable decrease in reproducibility and significant damage to the sorbent coating surface after 40 and 70 extractions, respectively. The R 2 values for the chloride anion containing PIL fiber were at or higher than 0.991 with LODs ranging from 0.5 to 5 µg L -1 . For the PDMS/DVB fiber, R 2 values ranged from 0.992 to 0.999 and LODs were found to be as low as 0.2�

Acceptance sampling using judgmental and randomly selected samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sego, Landon H.; Shulman, Stanley A.; Anderson, Kevin K.; Wilson, John E.; Pulsipher, Brent A.; Sieber, W. Karl

2010-09-01

We present a Bayesian model for acceptance sampling where the population consists of two groups, each with different levels of risk of containing unacceptable items. Expert opinion, or judgment, may be required to distinguish between the high and low-risk groups. Hence, high-risk items are likely to be identifed (and sampled) using expert judgment, while the remaining low-risk items are sampled randomly. We focus on the situation where all observed samples must be acceptable. Consequently, the objective of the statistical inference is to quantify the probability that a large percentage of the unsampled items in the population are also acceptable. We demonstrate that traditional (frequentist) acceptance sampling and simpler Bayesian formulations of the problem are essentially special cases of the proposed model. We explore the properties of the model in detail, and discuss the conditions necessary to ensure that required samples sizes are non-decreasing function of the population size. The method is applicable to a variety of acceptance sampling problems, and, in particular, to environmental sampling where the objective is to demonstrate the safety of reoccupying a remediated facility that has been contaminated with a lethal agent.

Sampling calorimeters in high energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, H.A.; Smith, S.D.

1981-01-01

At our current understanding of elementary particle physics, the fundamental constituents are the photon, quarks, gluons and leptons with a few highly forecasted heavy bosons. Calorimeters are essential for detecting all of these particles. Quarks and gluons fragment into many particles - at high energies, so many particles that one may not want to measure each one separately. This group of both charged and neutral particles can only be measured by calorimeters. The energy of an electron needs to be measured by a calorimeter and muon identification is enhanced by the recognition of a minimum ionizing particle passing through the calorimeter. Sampling calorimeters - those instruments in which part of the shower is sampled in an active medium sandwiched between absorbing layers - are reviewed. What follows is a very cursory overview of some fundamental aspects of sampling calorimeters. First, the properties of shower development are described for both the electromagnetic and hadronic cases. Then, examples of various readout schemes are discussed. Finally, some currently promising new ideas in calorimetry are described. 21 references

Production of a High-Level Waste Glass from Hanford Waste Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, C.L.; Farrara, D.M.; Ha, B.C.; Bibler, N.E.

1998-09-01

The HLW glass was produced from a HLW sludge slurry (Envelope D Waste), eluate waste streams containing high levels of Cs-137 and Tc-99, solids containing both Sr-90 and transuranics (TRU), and glass-forming chemicals. The eluates and Sr-90/TRU solids were obtained from ion-exchange and precipitation pretreatments, respectively, of other Hanford supernate samples (Envelopes A, B and C Waste). The glass was vitrified by mixing the different waste streams with glass-forming chemicals in platinum/gold crucibles and heating the mixture to 1150 degree C. Resulting glass analyses indicated that the HLW glass waste form composition was close to the target composition. The targeted waste loading of Envelope D sludge solids in the HLW glass was 30.7 wt percent, exclusive of Na and Si oxides. Condensate samples from the off-gas condenser and off-gas dry-ice trap indicated that very little of the radionuclides were volatilized during vitrification. Microstructure analysis of the HLW glass using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDAX) showed what appeared to be iron spinel in the HLW glass. Further X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the presence of nickel spinel trevorite (NiFe2O4). These crystals did not degrade the leaching characteristics of the glass. The HLW glass waste form passed leach tests that included a standard 90 degree C Product Consistency Test (PCT) and a modified version of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP)

Designing high pressure containers for research- principles and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anandkumar, V.

1997-01-01

The high pressure scientist looks for a well engineered pressure apparatus for high pressure experiments for 1 kbar (0.1 GPa) and above. Often, a variety of difficulties including the choice of materials, design configuration, optimum utilisation of the strength of materials used in the design, are encountered. This article is intended to help the high pressure scientist to select the design approach for pressure retaining container. The limitations imposed by the strength of available materials and engineering standards in building high pressure containers are discussed. Engineering solutions to overcome these limitations with optimal utilisation of the strength of the materials are also discussed. Novel methods to boost up the pressure retaining capacity like multilayered design and autofrettaging are compared along with their relative advantages and disadvantages. Special methods by which it is possible to attain pressures which are several times the yield strength of the materials of construction are presented. In this aspects such as the basis of the codes and their relevance in the design of high pressure equipment will also be described. Discussions are centered around the methods to tackle situations where experimental constraints dictate requirements of pressures higher than those permitted by design codes. Safety features are also discussed. (author)

High intensity discharge device containing oxytrihalides

Science.gov (United States)

Lapatovich, W.P.; Keeffe, W.M.; Liebermann, R.W.; Maya, J.

1987-06-09

A fill composition for a high intensity discharge device including mercury, niobium oxytrihalide, and a molecular stabilization agent is provided. The molar ratio of niobium oxytrihalide to the molecular stabilization agent in the fill is in the range of from about 5:1 to about 7.5:1. Niobium oxytrihalide is present in the fill in sufficient amount to produce, by dissociation in the discharge, atomic niobium, niobium oxide, NbO, and niobium dioxide, NbO[sub 2], with the molar ratio of niobium-containing vapor species to mercury in the fill being in the range of from about 0.01:1 to about 0.50:1; and mercury pressure of about 1 to about 50 atmospheres at lamp operating temperature. There is also provided a high intensity discharge device comprising a sealed light-transmissive arc tube; the arc tube including the above-described fill; and an energizing means for producing an electric discharge within the arc tube. 7 figs.

Corrosion Resistance of Murataite-Based Ceramics Containing Simulated Actinide/Rare Earth Fraction of High Level Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stefanovsky, S.V.; Varlakova, G.A.; Burlaka, O.A.; Stefanovsky, O.I.; Nikonov, B.S.; Yudintsev, S.V.

2009-01-01

Two samples of murataite-based ceramics containing simulated Actinide/Rare Earth (An/RE) fraction of high level waste (HLW) produced by a cold crucible inductive melting (CCIM) were tested using a single-pass-flow-through (SPFT) procedure. As-prepared and leached samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive system (SEM/EDS). The as-prepared ceramics were composed of murataite, perovskite and crichtonite as well as minor zirconolite and rutile (in one sample). Elemental concentrations at pH=2 and T=90 deg. C were measured and leach rates were calculated. Perovskite concentrating Ca and Ce-group REs (La, Ce, Pr, Nd) was found to be the lowest durable phase. Leach rates of Ca and Ce-group REs (Ce, Nd) from the sample with higher perovskite content were found to be higher than those of U and Zr by one to three orders of magnitude. Elemental leach rates from the ceramic with lower perovskite content are lower by up to 10 times. (authors)

Investigating effects of sample pretreatment on protein stability using size-exclusion chromatography and high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakow, Tobias; El Deeb, Sami; Hahne, Thomas; El-Hady, Deia Abd; AlBishri, Hassan M; Wätzig, Hermann

2014-09-01

In this study, size-exclusion chromatography and high-resolution atomic absorption spectrometry methods have been developed and evaluated to test the stability of proteins during sample pretreatment. This especially includes different storage conditions but also adsorption before or even during the chromatographic process. For the development of the size exclusion method, a Biosep S3000 5 μm column was used for investigating a series of representative model proteins, namely bovine serum albumin, ovalbumin, monoclonal immunoglobulin G antibody, and myoglobin. Ambient temperature storage was found to be harmful to all model proteins, whereas short-term storage up to 14 days could be done in an ordinary refrigerator. Freezing the protein solutions was always complicated and had to be evaluated for each protein in the corresponding solvent. To keep the proteins in their native state a gentle freezing temperature should be chosen, hence liquid nitrogen should be avoided. Furthermore, a high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry method was developed to observe the adsorption of proteins on container material and chromatographic columns. Adsorption to any container led to a sample loss and lowered the recovery rates. During the pretreatment and high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, adsorption caused sample losses of up to 33%. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Complete Local Volume Groups Sample - I. Sample selection and X-ray properties of the high-richness subsample

Science.gov (United States)

O'Sullivan, Ewan; Ponman, Trevor J.; Kolokythas, Konstantinos; Raychaudhury, Somak; Babul, Arif; Vrtilek, Jan M.; David, Laurence P.; Giacintucci, Simona; Gitti, Myriam; Haines, Chris P.

2017-12-01

We present the Complete Local-Volume Groups Sample (CLoGS), a statistically complete optically selected sample of 53 groups within 80 Mpc. Our goal is to combine X-ray, radio and optical data to investigate the relationship between member galaxies, their active nuclei and the hot intra-group medium (IGM). We describe sample selection, define a 26-group high-richness subsample of groups containing at least four optically bright (log LB ≥ 10.2 LB⊙) galaxies, and report the results of XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of these systems. We find that 14 of the 26 groups are X-ray bright, possessing a group-scale IGM extending at least 65 kpc and with luminosity >1041 erg s-1, while a further three groups host smaller galaxy-scale gas haloes. The X-ray bright groups have masses in the range M500 ≃ 0.5-5 × 1013 M⊙, based on system temperatures of 0.4-1.4 keV, and X-ray luminosities in the range 2-200 × 1041 erg s-1. We find that ∼53-65 per cent of the X-ray bright groups have cool cores, a somewhat lower fraction than found by previous archival surveys. Approximately 30 per cent of the X-ray bright groups show evidence of recent dynamical interactions (mergers or sloshing), and ∼35 per cent of their dominant early-type galaxies host active galactic nuclei with radio jets. We find no groups with unusually high central entropies, as predicted by some simulations, and confirm that CLoGS is in principle capable of detecting such systems. We identify three previously unrecognized groups, and find that they are either faint (LX, R500 < 1042 erg s-1) with no concentrated cool core, or highly disturbed. This leads us to suggest that ∼20 per cent of X-ray bright groups in the local universe may still be unidentified.

Treating high-mercury-containing lamps using full-scale thermal desorption technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, T C; You, S J; Yu, B S; Chen, C M; Chiu, Y C

2009-03-15

The mercury content in high-mercury-containing lamps are always between 400 mg/kg and 200,000 mg/kg. This concentration is much higher than the 260 mg/kg lower boundary recommended for the thermal desorption process suggested by the US Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. According to a Taiwan EPA survey, about 4,833,000 cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), 486,000 ultraviolet lamps and 25,000 super high pressure mercury lamps (SHPs) have been disposed of in the industrial waste treatment system, producing 80, 92 and 9 kg-mercury/year through domestic treatment, offshore treatment and air emissions, respectively. To deal with this problem we set up a full-scale thermal desorption process to treat and recover the mercury from SHPs, fluorescent tube tailpipes, fluorescent tubes containing mercury-fluorescent powder, and CCFLs containing mercury-fluorescent powder and monitor the use of different pre-heating temperatures and desorption times. The experimental results reveal that the average thermal desorption efficiency of SHPs and fluorescent tube tailpipe were both 99.95%, while the average thermal desorption efficiencies of fluorescent tubes containing mercury-fluorescent powder were between 97% and 99%. In addition, a thermal desorption efficiency of only 69.37-93.39% was obtained after treating the CCFLs containing mercury-fluorescent powder. These differences in thermal desorption efficiency might be due to the complexity of the mercury compounds contained in the lamps. In general, the thermal desorption efficiency of lamps containing mercury-complex compounds increased with higher temperatures.

Nickel container of highly-enriched uranium bodies and sodium

Science.gov (United States)

Zinn, Walter H.

1976-01-01

A fuel element comprises highly a enriched uranium bodies coated with a nonfissionable, corrosion resistant material. A plurality of these bodies are disposed in layers, with sodium filling the interstices therebetween. The entire assembly is enclosed in a fluid-tight container of nickel.

Nickel container of highly-enriched uranium bodies and sodium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinn, W.H.

1976-01-01

A fuel element comprises highly enriched uranium bodies coated with a nonfissionable, corrosion resistant material. A plurality of these bodies are disposed in layers, with sodium filling the interstices therebetween. The entire assembly is enclosed in a fluid-tight container of nickel

A Positron Annihilation Study of Copper Containing a High Concentration of Krypton

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eldrup, Morten Mostgaard; Evans, John H.

1982-01-01

Bulk Cu samples containing up to 4 at.% Kr have been produced by the Harwell combined ion implantation and sputtering method at temperatures near ambient, and then examined by the positron annihilation technique. Both angular correlation and lifetime measurements were made and, in addition, the s...

The design, fabrication, and testing of WETF high-quality, long-term-storage, secondary containment vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, Kane J.

2000-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory's Weapons Engineering Tritium Facility (WETF) requires secondary containment vessels to store primary tritium containment vessels. The primary containment vessel provides the first boundary for tritium containment. The primary containment vessel is stored within a secondary containment vessel that provides the secondary boundary for tritium containment. WETF requires high-quality, long-term-storage, secondary tritium containment vessels that fit within a Mound-designed calorimeter. In order to qualify the WETF high-quality, long-term-storage, secondary containment vessels for use at WETF, steps have been taken to ensure the appropriate design, adequate testing, quality in fabrication, and acceptable documentation

Radioactivity level of different cinnamon samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Czegledi, P; Cieleszky, V [Institut of Nutrition, Budapest (Hungry); Andrasi, A; Zombori, P [Koezponti Fizikai Kutato Intezet, Budapest (Hungary)

1980-06-01

/sup 40/K, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 226/Ra, and /sup 232/Th were determined in cinnamon samples from China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The Chinese sample contained an extremenly high quantity of /sup 90/Sr and its /sup 137/Cs content was also considerably higher than that of the other samples.

High-resolution X-ray diffraction with no sample preparation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansford, G M; Turner, S M R; Degryse, P; Shortland, A J

2017-07-01

It is shown that energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) implemented in a back-reflection geometry is extremely insensitive to sample morphology and positioning even in a high-resolution configuration. This technique allows high-quality X-ray diffraction analysis of samples that have not been prepared and is therefore completely non-destructive. The experimental technique was implemented on beamline B18 at the Diamond Light Source synchrotron in Oxfordshire, UK. The majority of the experiments in this study were performed with pre-characterized geological materials in order to elucidate the characteristics of this novel technique and to develop the analysis methods. Results are presented that demonstrate phase identification, the derivation of precise unit-cell parameters and extraction of microstructural information on unprepared rock samples and other sample types. A particular highlight was the identification of a specific polytype of a muscovite in an unprepared mica schist sample, avoiding the time-consuming and difficult preparation steps normally required to make this type of identification. The technique was also demonstrated in application to a small number of fossil and archaeological samples. Back-reflection EDXRD implemented in a high-resolution configuration shows great potential in the crystallographic analysis of cultural heritage artefacts for the purposes of scientific research such as provenancing, as well as contributing to the formulation of conservation strategies. Possibilities for moving the technique from the synchrotron into museums are discussed. The avoidance of the need to extract samples from high-value and rare objects is a highly significant advantage, applicable also in other potential research areas such as palaeontology, and the study of meteorites and planetary materials brought to Earth by sample-return missions.

Heat transfer effects in vertically emplaced high level nuclear waste container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moujaes, S.F.; Lei, Y.M.

1994-01-01

Modeling free convection heat transfer in an cylindrical annular enclosure is still an active area of research and an important problem to be addressed in the high level nuclear waste repository. For the vertically emplaced waste container, the air gap which is between the container shell and the rock borehole, have an important role of dissipating heat to surrounding rack. These waste containers are vertically emplaced in the borehole 300 meters below ground, and in a horizontal grid of 30 x 8 meters apart. The borehole will be capped after the container emplacement. The expected initial heat generated is between 3--4.74 kW per container depending on the type of waste. The goal of this study is to use a computer simulation model to find the borehole wall, air-gap and the container outer wall temperature distributions

High priority tank sampling and analysis report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, T.M.

1998-03-05

In July 1993, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) transmitted Recommendation 93-5 (Conway 1993) to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Recommendation 93-5 noted that there was insufficient tank waste technical information and the pace to obtain it was too slow to ensure that Hanford Site wastes could be safely stored, that associated operations could be conducted safely, and that future disposal data requirements could be met. In May 1996, the DOE issued Revision 1 of the Recommendation 93-5 Implementation Plan (DOE-RL 1996). The Implementation Plan revision presented a modified approach to achieve the original plan`s objectives. The approach concentrated on actions necessary to ensure that wastes can be safely stored, that operations can be safely conducted, and that timely characterization information for the tank waste Disposal Program could be obtained. The Implementation Plan proposed 28 High Priority tanks, which, if sampled and analyzed, were expected to provide information to answer questions regarding safety and disposal issues. The High Priority tank list was originally developed in Section 9.0 of the Tank Waste Characterization Basis (Brown et al. 1995) by integrating the needs of the various safety and disposal programs. The High Priority tank list represents a set of tanks that were expected to provide the highest information return for characterization resources expended. The High Priority tanks were selected for near-term core sampling and were not expected to be the only tanks that would provide meaningful information. Sampling and analysis of non-High Priority tanks also could be used to provide scientific and technical data to confirm assumptions, calibrate models, and measure safety related phenomenological characteristics of the waste. When the sampling and analysis results of the High Priority and other tanks were reviewed, it was expected that a series of questions should be answered allowing key decisions to be made. The first

High priority tank sampling and analysis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, T.M.

1998-01-01

In July 1993, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) transmitted Recommendation 93-5 (Conway 1993) to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Recommendation 93-5 noted that there was insufficient tank waste technical information and the pace to obtain it was too slow to ensure that Hanford Site wastes could be safely stored, that associated operations could be conducted safely, and that future disposal data requirements could be met. In May 1996, the DOE issued Revision 1 of the Recommendation 93-5 Implementation Plan (DOE-RL 1996). The Implementation Plan revision presented a modified approach to achieve the original plan's objectives. The approach concentrated on actions necessary to ensure that wastes can be safely stored, that operations can be safely conducted, and that timely characterization information for the tank waste Disposal Program could be obtained. The Implementation Plan proposed 28 High Priority tanks, which, if sampled and analyzed, were expected to provide information to answer questions regarding safety and disposal issues. The High Priority tank list was originally developed in Section 9.0 of the Tank Waste Characterization Basis (Brown et al. 1995) by integrating the needs of the various safety and disposal programs. The High Priority tank list represents a set of tanks that were expected to provide the highest information return for characterization resources expended. The High Priority tanks were selected for near-term core sampling and were not expected to be the only tanks that would provide meaningful information. Sampling and analysis of non-High Priority tanks also could be used to provide scientific and technical data to confirm assumptions, calibrate models, and measure safety related phenomenological characteristics of the waste. When the sampling and analysis results of the High Priority and other tanks were reviewed, it was expected that a series of questions should be answered allowing key decisions to be made. The first

Non destructive Testing (NDT) of concrete containing hematite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamad Pauzi Ismail; Noor Azreen Masenwat; Suhairy Sani; Nasharuddin Isa; Mohamad Haniza Mahmud

2014-01-01

This paper described the results of Non-destructive ultrasonic and rebound hammer measurements on concrete containing hematite. Local hematite stones were used as aggregates to produce high density concrete for application in X-and gamma shielding. Concrete cube samples (150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm) containing hematite as coarse aggregates were prepared by changing mix ratio, water to cement ratio (w/c) and types of fine aggregate. All samples were cured in water for 7 days and then tested after 28 days. Density, rebound number(N) and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) of the samples were taken before compressed to failure. The measurement results are explained and discussed. (author)

Portable tester for determining gas content within a core sample

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, F. Jr.; Schatzel, S.J.

1998-04-21

A portable tester is provided for reading and displaying the pressure of a gas released from a rock core sample stored within a sealed container and for taking a sample of the released pressurized gas for chemical analysis thereof for subsequent use in a modified direct method test which determines the volume of gas and specific type of gas contained within the core sample. The portable tester includes a pair of low and high range electrical pressure transducers for detecting a gas pressure; a pair of low and high range display units for displaying the pressure of the detected gas; a selector valve connected to the low and high range pressure transducers and a selector knob for selecting gas flow to one of the flow paths; control valve having an inlet connection to the sealed container; and outlets connected to: a sample gas canister, a second outlet port connected to the selector valve means for reading the pressure of the gas from the sealed container to either the low range or high range pressure transducers, and a connection for venting gas contained within the sealed container to the atmosphere. A battery is electrically connected to and supplies the power for operating the unit. The pressure transducers, display units, selector and control valve means and the battery is mounted to and housed within a protective casing for portable transport and use. 5 figs.

A highly sensitive method for detection of molybdenum-containing proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalakutskii, K.L.; Shvetsov, A.A.; Bursakov, S.A.; Letarov, A.V.; Zabolotnyi, A.I.; L'vov, N.P.

1992-01-01

A highly sensitive method for detection of molybdenum-containing proteins in gels after electrophoresis has been developed. The method involves in vitro labeling of the proteins with the radioactive isotope 185 W. The method used to detect molybdenum-accumulating proteins in lupine seeds, xanthine dehydrogenase and another molybdenum-containing protein in wheat, barley, and pea seedlings, and nitrate reductase and xanthine dehydrogenase in bacteroides from lupine nodules. Nitrogenase could not be detected by the method. 16 refs., 5 figs

Efficient estimation for ergodic diffusions sampled at high frequency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Michael

A general theory of efficient estimation for ergodic diffusions sampled at high fre- quency is presented. High frequency sampling is now possible in many applications, in particular in finance. The theory is formulated in term of approximate martingale estimating functions and covers a large class...

High-energy photoproduction of states containing heavy quarks and other rare phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cumalat, J.; Butler, J.; Gaines, I.

1981-01-01

We propose to study the photoproduction of states containing heavy quarks, charm and beauty, using a multiparticle spectrometer at the Tevatron. The apparatus is similar to that used in E87 and E401, but is upgraded to have a much larger acceptance, better γ and π 0 reconstruction capabilities, and a prompt decay vertex detector. To achieve high sensitivity to low cross sections, the experiment must run in a wide band photon beam, preferably the new beam proposed for the Proton East area. The experiment has two phases. Phase 1 is a 500 hour run with a thick target (1 interaction length) and a beam dump. This phase will produce a large sample of dimuon decays of T's and J/PSI's with energies up to 450 GeV and will measure the size of beauty photoproduction through the detection of multimuon final states. Phase 2 is a 1500 hour run with an open geometry and a 10% interaction length target. We will collect very large samples (> 10 6 ) of charm particle events and will search for specific B-meson and B-baryon final states. The power of the spectrometer and the flexibility of the trigger scheme we employ enables us to do sensitive searches for completely new phenomena with less bias than other experiments

High-resolution, high-sensitivity NMR of nano-litre anisotropic samples by coil spinning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakellariou, D [CEA Saclay, DSM, DRECAM, SCM, Lab Struct and Dynam Resonance Magnet, CNRS URA 331, F-91191 Gif Sur Yvette, (France); Le Goff, G; Jacquinot, J F [CEA Saclay, DSM, DRECAM, SPEC: Serv Phys Etat Condense, CNRS URA 2464, F-91191 Gif Sur Yvette, (France)

2007-07-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can probe the local structure and dynamic properties of liquids and solids, making it one of the most powerful and versatile analytical methods available today. However, its intrinsically low sensitivity precludes NMR analysis of very small samples - as frequently used when studying isotopically labelled biological molecules or advanced materials, or as preferred when conducting high-throughput screening of biological samples or 'lab-on-a-chip' studies. The sensitivity of NMR has been improved by using static micro-coils, alternative detection schemes and pre-polarization approaches. But these strategies cannot be easily used in NMR experiments involving the fast sample spinning essential for obtaining well-resolved spectra from non-liquid samples. Here we demonstrate that inductive coupling allows wireless transmission of radio-frequency pulses and the reception of NMR signals under fast spinning of both detector coil and sample. This enables NMR measurements characterized by an optimal filling factor, very high radio-frequency field amplitudes and enhanced sensitivity that increases with decreasing sample volume. Signals obtained for nano-litre-sized samples of organic powders and biological tissue increase by almost one order of magnitude (or, equivalently, are acquired two orders of magnitude faster), compared to standard NMR measurements. Our approach also offers optimal sensitivity when studying samples that need to be confined inside multiple safety barriers, such as radioactive materials. In principle, the co-rotation of a micrometer-sized detector coil with the sample and the use of inductive coupling (techniques that are at the heart of our method) should enable highly sensitive NMR measurements on any mass-limited sample that requires fast mechanical rotation to obtain well-resolved spectra. The method is easy to implement on a commercial NMR set-up and exhibits improved performance with miniaturization, and we

Evaluation of five sampling methods for Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) and L. decolor (Pearman) (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae) in steel bins containing wheat

Science.gov (United States)

An evaluation of five sampling methods for studying psocid population levels was conducted in two steel bins containing 32.6 metric tonnes of wheat in Manhattan, KS. Psocids were sampled using a 1.2-m open-ended trier, corrugated cardboard refuges placed on the underside of the bin hatch or the surf...

Containment at the Source during Waste Volume Reduction of Large Radioactive Components Using Oxylance High-Temperature Cutting Equipment - 13595

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeney, G. Neil

2013-01-01

As a waste-volume reduction and management technique, highly contaminated Control Element Drive Mechanism (CEDM) housings were severed from the Reactor Pressure Vessel Head (RPVH) inside the San Onofre Unit 2 primary containment utilizing Oxylance high-temperature cutting equipment and techniques. Presented are relevant data concerning: - Radiological profiles of the RPVH and individual CEDMs; - Design overviews of the engineering controls and the specialized confinement housings; - Utilization of specialized shielding; - Observations of apparent metallurgical-contamination coalescence phenomena at high temperatures resulting in positive control over loose-surface contamination conditions; - General results of radiological and industrial hygiene air sampling and monitoring; - Collective dose and personnel contamination event statistics; - Lessons learned. (author)

Containment at the Source during Waste Volume Reduction of Large Radioactive Components Using Oxylance High-Temperature Cutting Equipment - 13595

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keeney, G. Neil [Health Physicist, HazMat CATS, LLC (United States)

2013-07-01

As a waste-volume reduction and management technique, highly contaminated Control Element Drive Mechanism (CEDM) housings were severed from the Reactor Pressure Vessel Head (RPVH) inside the San Onofre Unit 2 primary containment utilizing Oxylance high-temperature cutting equipment and techniques. Presented are relevant data concerning: - Radiological profiles of the RPVH and individual CEDMs; - Design overviews of the engineering controls and the specialized confinement housings; - Utilization of specialized shielding; - Observations of apparent metallurgical-contamination coalescence phenomena at high temperatures resulting in positive control over loose-surface contamination conditions; - General results of radiological and industrial hygiene air sampling and monitoring; - Collective dose and personnel contamination event statistics; - Lessons learned. (author)

Contestability of Container Liner Shipping Market in Alliance Era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enna Hirata

2017-03-01

Full Text Available A cross section panel model is applied to estimate the effect that the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI has on container freight rates for a sample of six major container liner shipping routes during 2009 to 2011. The estimated coefficient of HHI is non-positive and statistically insignificant, indicating that higher concentration level does not lead to high price and the container liner shipping market is contestable for the period under consideration. The suggestion that efficiency can be achieved without actual competition in a contestable market is highly significant for policy makers.

Study on high-silicon boron-containing zeolite by thermogravimetric and IR-spectroscopy techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chukin, G.D.; Nefedov, B.K.; Surin, S.A.; Polinina, E.V.; Khusid, B.L.; Sidel'kovskaya, V.G.

1985-01-01

The structure identity of initial Na-forms of boron-containing and aluminosilicate high-silicon zeolites is established by thermogravimetric and IR-spectroscopy methods. The presence of boron in Na-forms of high-silicon zeolites is shown to lead to reduction of structure thermal stability. It is noted that thermal stability of the H-form of both high-silicon boron-containing and boron-free zeolites is practically equal and considerably higher than that of Na-forms

Investigation of the fire at the Uranium Enrichment Laboratory. Analysis of samples and pressurization experiment/analysis of container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akabori, Mitsuo; Minato, Kazuo; Watanabe, Kazuo

1998-05-01

To investigate the cause of the fire at the Uranium Enrichment Laboratory of the Tokai Research Establishment on November 20, 1997, samples of uranium metal waste and scattered residues were analyzed. At the same time the container lid that had been blown off was closely inspected, and the pressurization effects of the container were tested and analyzed. It was found that 1) the uranium metal waste mainly consisted of uranium metal, carbides and oxides, whose relative amounts were dependent on the particle size, 2) the uranium metal waste hydrolyzed to produce combustible gases such as methane and hydrogen, and 3) the lid of the outer container could be blown off by an explosive rise of the inner pressure caused by combustion of inflammable gas mixture. (author)

Sampling from complex networks with high community structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Mostafa; Rabiee, Hamid R; Rajabi, Arezo

2012-06-01

In this paper, we propose a novel link-tracing sampling algorithm, based on the concepts from PageRank vectors, to sample from networks with high community structures. Our method has two phases; (1) Sampling the closest nodes to the initial nodes by approximating personalized PageRank vectors and (2) Jumping to a new community by using PageRank vectors and unknown neighbors. Empirical studies on several synthetic and real-world networks show that the proposed method improves the performance of network sampling compared to the popular link-based sampling methods in terms of accuracy and visited communities.

7 CFR 201.42 - Small containers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Small containers. 201.42 Section 201.42 Agriculture... REGULATIONS Sampling in the Administration of the Act § 201.42 Small containers. In sampling seed in small containers that it is not practical to sample as required in § 201.41, a portion of one unopened container or...

A high pressure sample facility for neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlile, C.J.; Glossop, B.H.

1981-06-01

Commissioning tests involving deformation studies and tests to destruction as well as neutron diffraction measurements of a standard sample have been carried out on the SERC high pressure sample facility for neutron scattering studies. A detailed description of the pressurising equipment is given. (author)

High nitrogen-containing cotton derived 3D porous carbon frameworks for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Li-Zhen; Chen, Tian-Tian; Song, Wei-Li; Li, Xiaogang; Zhang, Shichao

2015-01-01

Supercapacitors fabricated by 3D porous carbon frameworks, such as graphene- and carbon nanotube (CNT)-based aerogels, have been highly attractive due to their various advantages. However, their high cost along with insufficient yield has inhibited their large-scale applications. Here we have demonstrated a facile and easily scalable approach for large-scale preparing novel 3D nitrogen-containing porous carbon frameworks using ultralow-cost commercial cotton. Electrochemical performance suggests that the optimal nitrogen-containing cotton-derived carbon frameworks with a high nitrogen content (12.1 mol%) along with low surface area 285 m2 g−1 present high specific capacities of the 308 and 200 F g−1 in KOH electrolyte at current densities of 0.1 and 10 A g−1, respectively, with very limited capacitance loss upon 10,000 cycles in both aqueous and gel electrolytes. Moreover, the electrode exhibits the highest capacitance up to 220 F g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and excellent flexibility (with negligible capacitance loss under different bending angles) in the polyvinyl alcohol/KOH gel electrolyte. The observed excellent performance competes well with that found in the electrodes of similar 3D frameworks formed by graphene or CNTs. Therefore, the ultralow-cost and simply strategy here demonstrates great potential for scalable producing high-performance carbon-based supercapacitors in the industry. PMID:26472144

High nitrogen-containing cotton derived 3D porous carbon frameworks for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Li-Zhen; Chen, Tian-Tian; Song, Wei-Li; Li, Xiaogang; Zhang, Shichao

2015-10-01

Supercapacitors fabricated by 3D porous carbon frameworks, such as graphene- and carbon nanotube (CNT)-based aerogels, have been highly attractive due to their various advantages. However, their high cost along with insufficient yield has inhibited their large-scale applications. Here we have demonstrated a facile and easily scalable approach for large-scale preparing novel 3D nitrogen-containing porous carbon frameworks using ultralow-cost commercial cotton. Electrochemical performance suggests that the optimal nitrogen-containing cotton-derived carbon frameworks with a high nitrogen content (12.1 mol%) along with low surface area 285 m2 g-1 present high specific capacities of the 308 and 200 F g-1 in KOH electrolyte at current densities of 0.1 and 10 A g-1, respectively, with very limited capacitance loss upon 10,000 cycles in both aqueous and gel electrolytes. Moreover, the electrode exhibits the highest capacitance up to 220 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and excellent flexibility (with negligible capacitance loss under different bending angles) in the polyvinyl alcohol/KOH gel electrolyte. The observed excellent performance competes well with that found in the electrodes of similar 3D frameworks formed by graphene or CNTs. Therefore, the ultralow-cost and simply strategy here demonstrates great potential for scalable producing high-performance carbon-based supercapacitors in the industry.

Reinforced concrete containment structures in high seismic zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, T.S.

1977-01-01

A new structural concept for reinforced concrete containment structures at sites where earthquake ground motions in terms of the Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) exceeds 0.3 g is presented. The structural concept is based on: (1) an inner steel-lined concrete shell which houses the reactor and provides shielding and containment in the event of loss of coolant accident; (2) an outer annular concrete shell structure which houses auxilary reactor equipment and safeguards systems. These shell structures are supported on a common foundation mat which is embeded in the subgrade. Under stipulated earthquake conditions the two shell structures interact to resist lateral inertia forces. Thus the annular structure which is not a pressure boundary acts as a lateral support for the inner containment shell. The concept is practical, economically feasible and new to practice. An integrated configuration which includes the interior shell, the annular structure and the subgrade is analyzed for several static and dynamic loading conditions. The analysis is done using a finite difference solution scheme for the static loading conditions. A semi-analytical three-dimensional finite element scheme combined with a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm is used for the dynamic loading conditions. The effects of cracking of the containment structure due to pressurization in conjunction with earthquake loading are discussed. Analytical results for both the finite difference and the finite element schemes are presented and the sensitivity of the results to changes in the input parameters is studied. General recommendations are given for plant configurations where high seismic loading is a major design consideration

Development of rubidium and niobium containing plastic foams. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botham, R.A.; McClung, C.E.; Schwendeman, J.I.

1978-01-01

Rubidium fluoride and niobium metal-containing foam samples (rods and sheets) were prepared using two foam sytems: (1) hydrophilic polyurethanes prepared from W.R. Grace Co.'s Hypol prepolymers and (2) polyimides prepared from Monsanto Company's Skybond polyimide resin. The first system was used only for preparation of rubidium fluoride-containing foams while the second was used for both rubidium fluoride and niobium-containing foams. The niobium metal could readily be incorporated into the polyimide foam during molding, to produce foam sheets of the required dimensions and density. The rubidium fluoride-containing polyimide foams were preferably prepared by first rendering the molded polyimide foam hydrophilic with a postcuring treatment, then absorbing the rubidium fluoride from water solution. Similarly, rubidium fluoride was absorbed into the hydrophilic polyurethanes from water solution. Since the high reactive rubidium metal could not be employed, rubidium fluoride, which is very hygroscopic, was used instead, primarily because of its high rubidium content (approximately 82 weight percent). This was important in view of the low total densities and the high weight percentage rubidium required in the foam samples. In addition, at the later request of LLL, a block of rigid Hypol hydrophilic polyurethane foam (with a density of approximately 0.04 g/cm 3 and cell sizes = or <0.2 mm) was prepared without any metal or metal compounds in it. Two shipments of foam samples, which met or closely approximated the project specifications, were submitted to LLL during the course of this project. Information on these samples is contained in Table 1. A complete description of their preparation is given in the Experimental Results and Discussion Section

Physical properties of highly active liquor containing molybdate solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunnett, B.; Ward, T.; Roberts, R.; Cheeseright, J.

2016-01-01

The reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel at Sellafield produces a nitric acid based Highly Active Liquor (HAL) waste. The liquor, containing fission products and process additives, is concentrated in an evaporator in order to reduce the volume and is then stored in Highly Active Storage Tanks (HASTs) prior to vitrification. Caesium phosphomolybdate (CPM) is precipitated during the evaporation process and can convert to zirconium molybdate (ZM) during storage. During Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) of the HASTs, it is expected that their highly active content will be reduced by repeated cycles of washing using nitric acid and other reagents. Initial washings are likely to have a chemical composition comparable to concentrated HAL, becoming more dilute during the wash-out process. It is expected that the wash-out process will also recover significant quantities of molybdate solids (ZM, CPM or a mixture) from the HASTs. In order to determine the processing challenges from such washings during POCO, the physical properties of varying concentrations of non-active HAL simulants containing molybdate solids have recently been measured by the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory. The following measurements are presented and discussed: Particle size distribution; Density; Settling behaviour of solids; Voidage of settled sediment beds; Viscosity; Yield stress; And influence of ZM morphology on physical properties. (authors)

Physical properties of highly active liquor containing molybdate solids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunnett, B.; Ward, T.; Roberts, R. [National Nuclear Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1PG (United Kingdom); Cheeseright, J. [Sellafield Ltd, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1PG (United Kingdom)

2016-07-01

The reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel at Sellafield produces a nitric acid based Highly Active Liquor (HAL) waste. The liquor, containing fission products and process additives, is concentrated in an evaporator in order to reduce the volume and is then stored in Highly Active Storage Tanks (HASTs) prior to vitrification. Caesium phosphomolybdate (CPM) is precipitated during the evaporation process and can convert to zirconium molybdate (ZM) during storage. During Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) of the HASTs, it is expected that their highly active content will be reduced by repeated cycles of washing using nitric acid and other reagents. Initial washings are likely to have a chemical composition comparable to concentrated HAL, becoming more dilute during the wash-out process. It is expected that the wash-out process will also recover significant quantities of molybdate solids (ZM, CPM or a mixture) from the HASTs. In order to determine the processing challenges from such washings during POCO, the physical properties of varying concentrations of non-active HAL simulants containing molybdate solids have recently been measured by the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory. The following measurements are presented and discussed: Particle size distribution; Density; Settling behaviour of solids; Voidage of settled sediment beds; Viscosity; Yield stress; And influence of ZM morphology on physical properties. (authors)

76 FR 45397 - Export Inspection and Weighing Waiver for High Quality Specialty Grain Transported in Containers

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-29

...-AB18 Export Inspection and Weighing Waiver for High Quality Specialty Grain Transported in Containers... permanent a waiver due to expire on July 31, 2012, for high quality specialty grain exported in containers... of high quality specialty grain exported in containers are small entities that up until recently...

Sample preparation of environmental samples using benzene synthesis followed by high-performance LSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filippis, S. De; Noakes, J.E.

1991-01-01

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) techniques have been widely employed as the detection method for determining environmental levels of tritium and 14 C. Since anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic inputs to the environment are a concern, sampling the environment surrounding a nuclear power facility or fuel reprocessing operation requires the collection of many different sample types, including agriculture products, water, biota, aquatic life, soil, and vegetation. These sample types are not suitable for the direct detection of tritium of 14 C for liquid scintillation techniques. Each sample type must be initially prepared in order to obtain the carbon or hydrogen component of interest and present this in a chemical form that is compatible with common chemicals used in scintillation counting applications. Converting the sample of interest to chemically pure benzene as a sample preparation technique has been widely accepted for processing samples for radiocarbon age-dating applications. The synthesized benzene is composed of the carbon or hydrogen atoms from the original sample and is ideal as a solvent for LSC with excellent photo-optical properties. Benzene synthesis followed by low-background scintillation counting can be applied to the preparation and measurement of environmental samples yielding good detection sensitivities, high radionuclide counting efficiency, and shorter preparation time. The method of benzene synthesis provides a unique approach to the preparation of a wide variety of environmental sample types using similar chemistry for all samples

Mechanical Conversion for High-Throughput TEM Sample Preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kendrick, Anthony B; Moore, Thomas M; Zaykova-Feldman, Lyudmila

2006-01-01

This paper presents a novel method of direct mechanical conversion from lift-out sample to TEM sample holder. The lift-out sample is prepared in the FIB using the in-situ liftout Total Release TM method. The mechanical conversion is conducted using a mechanical press and one of a variety of TEM coupons, including coupons for both top-side and back-side thinning. The press joins a probe tip point with attached TEM sample to the sample coupon and separates the complete assembly as a 3mm diameter TEM grid, compatible with commercially available TEM sample holder rods. This mechanical conversion process lends itself well to the high through-put requirements of in-line process control and to materials characterization labs where instrument utilization and sample security are critically important

Corrosion considerations of high-nickel alloys and titanium alloys for high-level radioactive waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gdowski, G.E.; McCright, R.D.

1991-07-01

Corrosion resistant materials are being considered for the metallic barrier of the Yucca Mountain Project's high-level radioactive waste disposal containers. High nickel alloys and titanium alloys have good corrosion resistance properties and are considered good candidates for the metallic barrier. The localized corrosion phenomena, pitting and crevice corrosion, are considered as potentially limiting for the barrier lifetime. An understanding of the mechanisms of localized corrosion of how various parameters affect it will be necessary for adequate performance assessments of candidate container materials. Examples of some of the concerns involving candidate container materials. Examples of some of the concerns of involving localized corrosion are discussed. The effects of various parameters, such as temperature and concentration of halide species, on localized corrosion are given. In addition concerns about aging of the protective oxide layer in the expected service temperature range (50 to 250 degrees C) are presented. Also some mechanistic considerations of localized corrosion are given. 31 refs., 1 tab

Practical and highly sensitive elemental analysis for aqueous samples containing metal impurities employing electrodeposition on indium-tin oxide film samples and laser-induced shock wave plasma in low-pressure helium gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurniawan, Koo Hendrik; Pardede, Marincan; Hedwig, Rinda; Abdulmadjid, Syahrun Nur; Lahna, Kurnia; Idris, Nasrullah; Jobiliong, Eric; Suyanto, Hery; Suliyanti, Maria Margaretha; Tjia, May On; Lie, Tjung Jie; Lie, Zener Sukra; Kurniawan, Davy Putra; Kagawa, Kiichiro

2015-09-01

We have conducted an experimental study exploring the possible application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for practical and highly sensitive detection of metal impurities in water. The spectrochemical measurements were carried out by means of a 355 nm Nd-YAG laser within N2 and He gas at atmospheric pressures as high as 2 kPa. The aqueous samples were prepared as thin films deposited on indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass by an electrolysis process. The resulting emission spectra suggest that concentrations at parts per billion levels may be achieved for a variety of metal impurities, and it is hence potentially feasible for rapid inspection of water quality in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries, as well as for cooling water inspection for possible leakage of radioactivity in nuclear power plants. In view of its relative simplicity, this LIBS equipment offers a practical and less costly alternative to the standard use of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for water samples, and its further potential for in situ and mobile applications.

Atmospheric Sampling of Aerosols to Stratospheric Altitudes using High Altitude Balloons

Science.gov (United States)

Jerde, E. A.; Thomas, E.

2010-12-01

Although carbon dioxide represents a long-lived atmospheric component relevant to global climate change, it is also understood that many additional contributors influence the overall climate of Earth. Among these, short-lived components are more difficult to incorporate into models due to uncertainties in the abundances of these both spatially and temporally. Possibly the most significant of these short-lived components falls under the heading of “black carbon” (BC). There are numerous overlapping definitions of BC, but it is basically carbonaceous in nature and light absorbing. Due to its potential as a climate forcer, an understanding of the BC population in the atmosphere is critical for modeling of radiative forcing. Prior measurements of atmospheric BC generally consist of airplane- and ground-based sampling, typically below 5000 m and restricted in time and space. Given that BC has a residence time on the order of days, short-term variability is easily missed. Further, since the radiative forcing is a result of BC distributed through the entire atmospheric column, aircraft sampling is by definition incomplete. We are in the process of planning a more comprehensive sampling of the atmosphere for BC using high-altitude balloons. Balloon-borne sampling is a highly reliable means to sample air through the entire troposphere and into the lower stratosphere. Our system will incorporate a balloon and a flight train of two modules. One module will house an atmospheric sampler. This sampler will be single-stage (samples all particle sizes together), and will place particles directly on an SEM sample stub for analysis. The nozzle depositing the sample will be offset from the center of the stub, placing the aerosol particles toward the edge. At various altitudes, the stub will be rotated 45 degrees, providing 6-8 sample “cuts” of particle populations through the atmospheric column. The flights will reach approximately 27 km altitude, above which the balloons

Self-contained microfluidic systems: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd-Moss, Mitchell; Baratchi, Sara; Di Venere, Martina; Khoshmanesh, Khashayar

2016-08-16

Microfluidic systems enable rapid diagnosis, screening and monitoring of diseases and health conditions using small amounts of biological samples and reagents. Despite these remarkable features, conventional microfluidic systems rely on bulky expensive external equipment, which hinders their utility as powerful analysis tools outside of research laboratories. 'Self-contained' microfluidic systems, which contain all necessary components to facilitate a complete assay, have been developed to address this limitation. In this review, we provide an in-depth overview of self-contained microfluidic systems. We categorise these systems based on their operating mechanisms into three major groups: passive, hand-powered and active. Several examples are provided to discuss the structure, capabilities and shortcomings of each group. In particular, we discuss the self-contained microfluidic systems enabled by active mechanisms, due to their unique capability for running multi-step and highly controllable diagnostic assays. Integration of self-contained microfluidic systems with the image acquisition and processing capabilities of smartphones, especially those equipped with accessory optical components, enables highly sensitive and quantitative assays, which are discussed. Finally, the future trends and possible solutions to expand the versatility of self-contained, stand-alone microfluidic platforms are outlined.

Parametric studies on containment thermal hydraulic loads during high pressure melt ejection in a BWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silde, A.; Lindholm, I. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1997-12-01

The containment thermal hydraulic loads during high pressure melt ejection in a Nordic BWR are studied parametrically with the CONTAIN and the MELCOR codes. The work is part of the Nordic RAK-2 project. The containment analyses were divided into two categories according to composition of the discharged debris: metallic and oxidic debris cases. In the base case with highly metallic debris, all sources from the reactor coolant system to the containment were based on the MELCOR/BH calculation. In the base case with the oxidic debris, the source data was specified assuming that {approx} 15% of the whole core material inventory and 34,000 kg of saturated water was discharged from the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) during 30 seconds. In this case, the debris consisted mostly of oxides. The highest predicted containment pressure peaks were about 8.5 bar. In the scenarios with highly metallic debris source, very high gas temperature of about 1900 K was predicted in the pedestal, and about 1400 K in the upper drywell. The calculations with metallic debris were sensititive to model parameters, like the particle size and the parameters, which control the chemical reaction kinetics. In the scenarios with oxidic debris source, the predicted pressure peaks were comparable to the cases with the metallic debris source. The maximum gas temperatures (about 450-500 K) in the containment were, however, significantly lower than in the respective metallic debris case. The temperatures were also insensitive to parametric variations. In addition, one analysis was performed with the MELCOR code for benchmarking of the MELCOR capabilities against the more detailed CONTAIN code. The calculations showed that leak tightness of the containment penetrations could be jeopardized due to high temperature loads, if a high pressure melt ejection occurred during a severe accident. Another consequence would be an early containment venting. (au). 28 refs.

Challenging genosensors in food samples: The case of gluten determination in highly processed samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Martín-Fernández, Begoña; de-los-Santos-Álvarez, Noemí; Martín-Clemente, Juan Pedro; Lobo-Castañón, María Jesús; López-Ruiz, Beatriz

2016-01-01

Electrochemical genosensors have undergone an enormous development in the last decades, but only very few have achieved a quantification of target content in highly processed food samples. The detection of allergens, and particularly gluten, is challenging because legislation establishes a threshold of 20 ppm for labeling as gluten-free but most genosensors expresses the results in DNA concentration or DNA copies. This paper describes the first attempt to correlate the genosensor response and the wheat content in real samples, even in the case of highly processed food samples. A sandwich-based format, comprising a capture probe immobilized onto the screen-printed gold electrode, and a signaling probe functionalized with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), both hybridizing with the target was used. The hybridization event was electrochemically monitored by adding an anti-FITC peroxidase (antiFITC-HRP) and its substrate, tetramethylbenzidine. Binary model mixtures, as a reference material, and real samples have been analyzed. DNA from food was extracted and a fragment encoding the immunodominant peptide of α2-gliadin amplified by a tailored PCR. The sensor was able to selectively detect toxic cereals for celiac patients, such as different varieties of wheat, barley, rye and oats, from non-toxic plants. As low as 0.001% (10 mg/kg) of wheat flour in an inert matrix was reliably detected, which directly compete with the current method of choice for DNA detection, the real-time PCR. A good correlation with the official immunoassay was found in highly processed food samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-impact concrete for fill in US Department of Transportation type shipping containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenhalgh, W.O.; Cash, R.J.

1990-01-01

This report describes the use of light-weight, high-impact concrete in U.S. Department of Transportation-type shipments. The formulations described are substantially lighter in weight (20 to 50 percent) than construction concrete, but product test specimens generally yield superior impact characteristics. The use of this specialty concrete for container fill, encapsulations, or liquid-waste solidification can be advantageous. Use of the material for container or cask construction has the advantage of lighter weight for easier handling, and the container consistently exhibits better performance on drop tests. High-impact concrete does have the disadvantage of less gamma radiation shielding per volume, but some formulation changes discussed in this report can be used to prepare better shielding concrete. Test characteristics of high-impact concrete are included. 3 refs., 6 figs., 7 tabs

Extraction of DNA from Forensic Biological Samples for Genotyping.

Science.gov (United States)

Stray, J E; Liu, J Y; Brevnov, M G; Shewale, J G

2010-07-01

Biological forensic samples constitute evidence with probative organic matter. Evidence believed to contain DNA is typically processed for extraction and purification of its nucleic acid content. Forensic DNA samples are composed of two things, a tissue and the substrate it resides on. Compositionally, a sample may contain almost anything and for each, the type, integrity, and content of both tissue and substrate will vary, as will the contaminant levels. This fact makes the success of extraction one of the most unpredictable steps in genotypic analysis. The development of robust genotyping systems and analysis platforms for short tandem repeat (STR) and mitochondrial DNA sequencing and the acceptance of results generated by these methods in the court system, resulted in a high demand for DNA testing. The increasing variety of sample submissions created a need to isolate DNA from forensic samples that may be compromised or contain low levels of biological material. In the past decade, several robust chemistries and isolation methods have been developed to safely and reliably recover DNA from a wide array of sample types in high yield and free of PCR inhibitors. In addition, high-throughput automated workflows have been developed to meet the demand for processing increasing numbers of samples. This review summarizes a number of the most widely adopted methods and the best practices for DNA isolation from forensic biological samples, including manual, semiautomated, and fully automated platforms. Copyright © 2010 Central Police University.

Precipitation in solid solution and structural transformations in single crystals of high rhenium ruthenium-containing nickel superalloys at high-temperature creep

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alekseev, A.A.; Petrushin, N.V.; Zaitsev, D.V.; Treninkov, I.A.; Filonova, E.V. [All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM), Moscow (Russian Federation)

2010-07-01

The phase composition and structure of single crystals of two superalloys (alloy 1 and alloy 2) were investigated in this work. For alloy 1 (Re - 9 wt%) the kinetics of precipitation in solid solution at heat treatment (HT) was investigated. TEM and X-Ray examinations have revealed that during HT rhombic phase (R-phase) precipitation (Immm class (BCR)) occurs. The TTT diagram is plotted, it contains the time-temperature area of the existence of R-phase particles. The element content of R-phase is identified (at. %): Re- 51.5; Co- 23.5; Cr- 14.8; Mo- 4.2; W- 3.3; Ta- 2.7. For alloy 2 (Re - 6.5 wt %, Ru - 4 wt %) structural transformations at high-temperature creep are investigated. By dark-field TEM methods it is established, that in alloy 2 the additional phase with a rhombic lattice is formed during creep. Particles of this phase precipitate in {gamma}-phase and their quantity increases during high-temperature creep. It is revealed that during creep 3-D dislocation network is formed in {gamma}-phase. At the third stage of creep the process of inversion structure formation is observed in the alloy, i.e. {gamma}'-phase becomes a matrix. Thus during modeling creep the volume fraction of {gamma}'-phase in the samples increases from 30% (at creep duration of 200 hrs) up to 55% (at 500 hrs). The processes of structure formation in Re and Ru-containing nickel superalloys are strongly affected by decomposition of solid solution during high-temperature creep that includes precipitation of additional TCP-phases. (orig.)

Cerenkov fiber sampling calorimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrington, K.; Kefford, D.; Kennedy, J.; Pisani, R.; Sanzeni, C.; Segall, K.; Wall, D.; Winn, D.R.; Carey, R.; Dye, S.; Miller, J.; Sulak, L.; Worstell, W.; Efremenko, Y.; Kamyshkov, Y.; Savin, A.; Shmakov, K.; Tarkovsky, E.

1994-01-01

Clear optical fibers were used as a Cerenkov sampling media in Pb (electromagnetic) and Cu (hadron) absorbers in spaghetti calorimeters, for high rate and high radiation dose experiments, such as the forward region of high energy colliders. The fiber axes were aligned close to the direction of the incident particles (1 degree--7 degree). The 7 λ deep hadron tower contained 2.8% by volume 1.5 mm diameter core clear plastic fibers. The 27 radiation length deep electromagnetic towers had packing fractions of 6.8% and 7.2% of 1 mm diameter core quartz fibers as the active Cerenkov sampling medium. The energy resolution on electrons and pions, energy response, pulse shapes and angular studies are presented

Lipase-catalyzed highly enantioselective kinetic resolution of boron-containing chiral alcohols.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Leandro H; Barcellos, Thiago

2009-07-16

The first application of enzymes as catalysts to obtain optically pure boron compounds is described. The kinetic resolution of boron-containing chiral alcohols via enantioselective transesterification catalyzed by lipases was studied. Aromatic, allylic, and aliphatic secondary alcohols containing a boronate ester or boronic acid group were resolved by lipase from Candida antartica (CALB), and excellent E values (E > 200) and high enantiomeric excesses (up to >99%) of both remaining substrates and acetylated product were obtained.

Corrosion models for predictions of performance of high-level radioactive-waste containers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farmer, J.C.; McCright, R.D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Gdowski, G.E. [KMI Energy Services, Livermore, CA (United States)

1991-11-01

The present plan for disposal of high-level radioactive waste in the US is to seal it in containers before emplacement in a geologic repository. A proposed site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is being evaluated for its suitability as a geologic repository. The containers will probably be made of either an austenitic or a copper-based alloy. Models of alloy degradation are being used to predict the long-term performance of the containers under repository conditions. The models are of uniform oxidation and corrosion, localized corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking, and are applicable to worst-case scenarios of container degradation. This paper reviews several of the models.

Oversight of High-Containment Biological Laboratories: Issues for Congress

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-04

Laboratories: Issues for Congress Congressional Research Service 14 Industry and Non-Profit Laboratories Private sector companies and non-profit...resources for these endeavors. Whether public or private sector , high-containment laboratories are planned and designed to minimize the possibility of... equine encephalitis, and yellow fever. Some of the pathogens that cause these diseases have been considered as biological weapons.104 Expanding the number

Toward high-resolution NMR spectroscopy of microscopic liquid samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Butler, Mark C.; Mehta, Hardeep S.; Chen, Ying; Reardon, Patrick N.; Renslow, Ryan S.; Khbeis, Michael; Irish, Duane; Mueller, Karl T.

2017-01-01

A longstanding limitation of high-resolution NMR spectroscopy is the requirement for samples to have macroscopic dimensions. Commercial probes, for example, are designed for volumes of at least 5 mL, in spite of decades of work directed toward the goal of miniaturization. Progress in miniaturizing inductive detectors has been limited by a perceived need to meet two technical requirements: (1) minimal separation between the sample and the detector, which is essential for sensitivity, and (2) near-perfect magnetic-field homogeneity at the sample, which is typically needed for spectral resolution. The first of these requirements is real, but the second can be relaxed, as we demonstrate here. By using pulse sequences that yield high-resolution spectra in an inhomogeneous field, we eliminate the need for near-perfect field homogeneity and the accompanying requirement for susceptibility matching of microfabricated detector components. With this requirement removed, typical imperfections in microfabricated components can be tolerated, and detector dimensions can be matched to those of the sample, even for samples of volume << 5 uL. Pulse sequences that are robust to field inhomogeneity thus enable small-volume detection with optimal sensitivity. We illustrate the potential of this approach to miniaturization by presenting spectra acquired with a flat-wire detector that can easily be scaled to subnanoliter volumes. In particular, we report high-resolution NMR spectroscopy of an alanine sample of volume 500 pL.

N Basin deactivation high exposure rate hardware container offgassing final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, R.S.; Palmer, D.L.; Pisarcik, D.J.; Vail, S.W.

1996-11-01

The N Reactor's 105-N Basin (N Basin) and the methods of packaging high-exposure rate hardware (HERH) were inspected, and gas bubbles were observed rising from the top surface of the third monolith prepared, Monolith No. 3. The HERH packaging was discontinued until the gas and the source could be explained and the safety of continued operation was verified. This report documents the investigation and the conclusions that support decisions regarding N Basin water removal, future storage, shipping, and Monolith No. 3 burial. Samples indicate that the gas emitted from Monolith No. 3 is almost exclusively hydrogen, containing some air and trace quantities of stable xenon. Gamma-energy analysis indicated trace amounts of 85 Kr in the samples. The literature review and the laboratory test results support the conclusion that aluminum is the only potentially grouted metal capable of corroding rapidly enough to generate the quantities of hydrogen gas that are observed. Based on aluminum components known to be found in the N Basin, the likely source of the aluminum is a used aluminum rupture can. All gas pockets in Monolith No. 3 caused by offgassing should be vented to the surface of the monolith. The peak offgas pressure within Monolith No. 3 (after it is removed from the N Basin water) should be approximately 0.62 psi above atmospheric pressure. Sufficient testing and analysis has been completed to remove Monolith No. 3 from the N Basin water and place the monolith in temporary storage until arrangements have been made for its shipment and disposition

Analysis of Fluconazole in Human Urine Sample by High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermawan, D; Ali, N A Md; Ibrahim, W A Wan; Sanagi, M M

2013-01-01

A method for determination of fluconazole, antifungal drug in human urine by using reversed-phased high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detector was developed. Optimization HPLC conditions were carried out by changing the flow rate and composition of mobile phase. The optimum separation conditions at a flow rate 0.85 mL/min with a composition of mobile phase containing methanol:water (70:30, v/v) with UV detection at a wavelength 254 nm was able to analyze fluconazole within 3 min. The excellent linearity was obtained in the range of concentration 1 to 10 μg/mL with r 2 = 0.998. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.39 μg/mL and 1.28 μg/mL, respectively. Solid phase extraction (SPE) method using octadecylsilane (C18) as a sorbent was used to clean-up and pre-concentrated of the urine sample prior to HPLC analysis. The average recoveries of fluconazole in spiked urine sample was 72.4% with RSD of 3.21% (n=3).

The structural integrity of high level waste containers for deep disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keer, T.J.; Martindale, N.J.; Haijtink, B.

1990-01-01

Most countries with a nuclear power program are developing plans to dispose of high level waste in deep geological repositories. These facilities are typically in the range 500-1000m below ground. Although long term safety analyses mainly rely on the isolation function of the geological barrier, for the medium term (between 500 and 1000 years) a barrier such as a container (overpack) may play an important role. This paper addresses the mechanical/structural behavior of these structures under extreme geological pressures. The work described in the paper was conducted within the COMPAS project (Container Mechanical Performance Assessment) funded by the Commission of the European Communities and the United Kingdom Department of the Environment. The work was aimed at predicting the modes of failure and failure pressures which characterize the heavy, thick walled mild steel containers which might be considered for the disposal of vitrified waste. The work involved a considerable amount of analytical work, using 3-D non-linear finite element techniques, coupled with a large parallel program of experimental work. The experimental work consisted of a number of scale model tests in which the response of the containers was examined under external pressures as high as 120MPa. Extensive strain-gauge instrumentation was used to record the behavior of the models as they were driven to collapse. A number of comparative computer calculations were carried out by organizations from various European countries. Correlations were established between experimental and analytical data and guidelines regarding the choice of suitable software were established. The work concluded with a full 3-D simulation of the behavior of a container under long-term disposal conditions. In this analysis, non-linearities due to geological effects and material/geometry effects in the container were properly accounted for. 6 refs., 9 figs., 4 tabs

Design and installation of high-temperature ultrasonic measuring system and grinder for nuclear fuel containing trans-uranium elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serizawa, Hiroyuki; Kikuchi, Hironobu; Iwai, Takashi; Arai, Yasuo; Kurosawa, Makoto; Mimura, Hideaki; Abe, Jiro

2005-07-01

A high-temperature ultrasonic measuring system had been designed and installed in a glovebox (711-DGB) to study a mechanical property of nuclear fuel containing trans-uranium (TRU) elements. A figuration apparatus for the cylinder-type sample preparation had also been modified and installed in an established glovebox (142-D). The system consists of an ultrasonic probe, a heating furnace, cooling water-circulating system, a cooling air compressor, vacuum system, gas supplying system and control system. An A/D converter board and an pulsar/receiver board for the measurement of wave velocity were installed in a personal computer. The apparatus was modified to install into the glovebox. Some safety functions were supplied to the control system. The shape and size of the sample was revised to minimize the amount of TRU elements for the use of the measurement. The maximum sample temperature is 1500degC. The performance of the installed apparatuses and the glovebox were confirmed through a series of tests. (author)

Effect of high temperature on integrity of concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhat, P.D.

1986-01-01

The effect of high temperature on concrete material properties and structural behavior are studied in order to relate these effects to the performance of concrete containment structures. Salient data obtained from a test program undertaken to study the behavior of a restrained concrete structure under thermal gradient loads up to its ultimate limit are described. The preliminary results indicate that concrete material properties can be considered to remain unaltered up to temperatures of 100 0 C. The presence of thermal gradients did not significantly affect the structures ultimate mechanical load capacity. Relaxation of restraint forces due to creep was found to be an important factor. The test findings are compared with the observations made in available literature. The effect of test findings on the integrity analysis of a containment structure are discussed. The problem is studied from the viewpoint of a CANDU heavy water reactor containment

High temperature attack of ores by a liquor containing essentially a soluble bicarbonate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maurel, Pierre; Nicolas, Francois; Bosca, Bernard.

1978-01-01

New process for high temperature oxidizing digestion of ores containing at least one metal in the uranium, vanadium and molybdenum group, by an aqueous liquor containing sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate in the presence of free oxygen insufflated into the reaction medium [fr

Gamma spectroscopy analysis of archived Marshall Island soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herman, S.; Hoffman, K.; Lavelle, K.; Trauth, A.; Glover, S.E.; Connick, W.; Spitz, H.; LaMont, S.P.; Hamilton, T.

2016-01-01

Four samples of archival Marshall Islands soil were subjected to non-destructive, broad energy (17 keV-2.61 MeV) gamma-ray spectrometry analysis using a series of different high-resolution germanium detectors. These archival samples were collected in 1967 from different locations on Bikini Atoll and were contaminated with a range of fission and activation products, and other nuclear material from multiple weapons tests. Unlike samples collected recently, these samples have been stored in sealed containers and have been unaffected by approximately 50 years of weathering. Initial results show that the samples contained measurable but proportionally different concentrations of plutonium, 241 Am, and 137 Cs, and 60 Co. (author)

Survey of degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bullen, D.B.; Gdowski, G.E.; Weiss, H.

1988-06-01

Three copper-based alloys, CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper), CDA 613 (Cu-7Al), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni), are being considered along with three austenitic candidates as possible materials for fabrication of containers for disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The waste will include spent fuel assemblies from reactors as well as high-level reprocessing wastes in borosilicate glass and will be sent to the prospective repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal. The containers must maintain mechanical integrity for 50 yr after emplacement to allow for retrieval of waste during the preclosure phase of repository operation. Containment is required to be substantially complete for up to 300 to 1000 yr. During the early period, the containers will be exposed to high temperatures and high gamma radiation fields from the decay of high-level waste. The final closure joint will be critical to the integrity of the containers. This volume surveys the available data on the metallurgy of the copper-based candidate alloys and the welding techniques employed to join these materials. The focus of this volume is on the methods applicable to remote-handling procedures in a hot-cell environment with limited possibility of postweld heat treatment. The three copper-based candidates are ranked on the basis of the various closure techniques. On the basis of considerations regarding welding, the following ranking is proposed for the copper-based alloys: CDA 715 (best) > CDA 102 > CDA 613 (worst). 49 refs., 15 figs., 1 tab

Adaptive sampling strategies with high-throughput molecular dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Clementi, Cecilia

Despite recent significant hardware and software developments, the complete thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of large macromolecular complexes by molecular simulations still presents significant challenges. The high dimensionality of these systems and the complexity of the associated potential energy surfaces (creating multiple metastable regions connected by high free energy barriers) does not usually allow to adequately sample the relevant regions of their configurational space by means of a single, long Molecular Dynamics (MD) trajectory. Several different approaches have been proposed to tackle this sampling problem. We focus on the development of ensemble simulation strategies, where data from a large number of weakly coupled simulations are integrated to explore the configurational landscape of a complex system more efficiently. Ensemble methods are of increasing interest as the hardware roadmap is now mostly based on increasing core counts, rather than clock speeds. The main challenge in the development of an ensemble approach for efficient sampling is in the design of strategies to adaptively distribute the trajectories over the relevant regions of the systems' configurational space, without using any a priori information on the system global properties. We will discuss the definition of smart adaptive sampling approaches that can redirect computational resources towards unexplored yet relevant regions. Our approaches are based on new developments in dimensionality reduction for high dimensional dynamical systems, and optimal redistribution of resources. NSF CHE-1152344, NSF CHE-1265929, Welch Foundation C-1570.

Immobilization of simulated radioactive soil waste containing cerium by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao, Xianhe; Qin, Zhigui; Yuan, Xiaoning; Wang, Chunming; Cai, Xinan; Zhao, Weixia; Zhao, Kang; Yang, Ping; Fan, Xiaoling

2013-01-01

A simulated radioactive soil waste containing cerium as an imitator element has been immobilized by a thermite self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process. The compositions, structures, and element leaching rates of products with different cerium contents have been characterized. To investigate the influence of iron on the chemical stability of the immobilized products, leaching tests of samples with different iron contents with different leaching solutions were carried out. The results showed that the imitator element cerium mainly forms the crystalline phases CeAl 11 O 18 and Ce 2 SiO 5 . The leaching rate of cerium over a period of 28 days was 10 −5 –10 −6 g/(m 2 day). Iron in the reactants, the reaction products, and the environment has no significant effect on the chemical stability of the immobilized SHS products

Immobilization of simulated radioactive soil waste containing cerium by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Xianhe; Qin, Zhigui; Yuan, Xiaoning; Wang, Chunming; Cai, Xinan; Zhao, Weixia; Zhao, Kang; Yang, Ping; Fan, Xiaoling

2013-11-01

A simulated radioactive soil waste containing cerium as an imitator element has been immobilized by a thermite self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process. The compositions, structures, and element leaching rates of products with different cerium contents have been characterized. To investigate the influence of iron on the chemical stability of the immobilized products, leaching tests of samples with different iron contents with different leaching solutions were carried out. The results showed that the imitator element cerium mainly forms the crystalline phases CeAl11O18 and Ce2SiO5. The leaching rate of cerium over a period of 28 days was 10-5-10-6 g/(m2 day). Iron in the reactants, the reaction products, and the environment has no significant effect on the chemical stability of the immobilized SHS products.

Liquid scintillation systems and apparatus for measuring high-energy radiation emitted by samples in standard laboratory test tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benvenutti, R.A.

1976-01-01

Liquid scintillation detection system employs improved sample holders in which the cap of a glass vial is provided with a well for receiving a standard laboratory test tube containing a radioactive sample. The well is immersed in a liquid scintillator in the vial, the scintillator containing lead acetate solution to enhance its efficiency. A commercially available beta-counting liquid scintillation apparatus is modified to provide gamma-counting with the improved sample holders

Sampling of high molecular weight hydrocarbons with adsorbent tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroemberg, B.

1996-12-01

Adsorption tubes have been used to determine the content of hydrocarbons in gas samples from small scale combustion and gasification of biomass. Compounds from benzene (mw 78) to indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene (mw 276) have been examined. The results show that it is possible to analyze polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with 4 aromatic rings (mw 202). Detection limits for these compounds are 3 . PAH with higher molecule weight can be identified and quantified in samples with high amounts of PAH e.g. at gasification of biomass. Sampling on adsorption tubes is extremely quick and easy. The tube is inserted in the gas of interest and the sample is sucked through the tube with a pump. Sampling times of 2-10 minutes are often sufficient. High moisture content in the gas may result in losses of the most volatile compounds, when drying. Even very low concentrations of water in the tube may cause ice formation in the cold-trap and the sample will be destroyed. The analysis is unfortunately time-consuming because the desorption oven must be cooled between every analysis. This will reduce the number of samples which can be analyzed per day. The tubes can be stored for several weeks before analysis without deterioration. 4 refs, 5 figs, 3 tabs

Two-way and three-way approaches to ultra high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array dataset for the quantitative resolution of a two-component mixture containing ciprofloxacin and ornidazole.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinç, Erdal; Ertekin, Zehra Ceren; Büker, Eda

2016-09-01

Two-way and three-way calibration models were applied to ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array data with coeluted peaks in the same wavelength and time regions for the simultaneous quantitation of ciprofloxacin and ornidazole in tablets. The chromatographic data cube (tensor) was obtained by recording chromatographic spectra of the standard and sample solutions containing ciprofloxacin and ornidazole with sulfadiazine as an internal standard as a function of time and wavelength. Parallel factor analysis and trilinear partial least squares were used as three-way calibrations for the decomposition of the tensor, whereas three-way unfolded partial least squares was applied as a two-way calibration to the unfolded dataset obtained from the data array of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. The validity and ability of two-way and three-way analysis methods were tested by analyzing validation samples: synthetic mixture, interday and intraday samples, and standard addition samples. Results obtained from two-way and three-way calibrations were compared to those provided by traditional ultra high performance liquid chromatography. The proposed methods, parallel factor analysis, trilinear partial least squares, unfolded partial least squares, and traditional ultra high performance liquid chromatography were successfully applied to the quantitative estimation of the solid dosage form containing ciprofloxacin and ornidazole. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Corrosion of Alloy 690 process pot by sulfate containing high level radioactive waste at feed stage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sengupta, P.; Soudamini, N.; Kaushik, C.P.; Jagannath; Mishra, R.K.; Kale, G.B.; Raj, K.; Das, D.; Sharma, B.P.

2008-01-01

Prolonged exposure of Alloy 690 process pot to sulfate containing high level radioactive waste leads to (a) depletion of Cr from the alloy, (b) intergranular attack and (c) building up of Cr 2 O 3 -Ni 2 O 3 -Fe 2 O 3 mixed oxide surface layer containing Na and Cs sulfate precipitates. Time dependence of material loss from Alloy 690 is found to follow a linear relationship of the type Δw (material loss) = -7.05 + 0.05t. Corrosion rate calculated for 2400 h exposure is 3.66 mpy. Cr and Ni leach rates obtained for the same sample are 1.61 g m -2 d -1 and 2.52 g m -2 d -1 , respectively. Ni leach rates followed a linear time dependence relationship of the type dNL Ni /dt (leach rate) = -0.09 + 0.027t, whereas Cr leach rates obeyed a non-linear relationship of the type dNL Cr /dt (leach rate) = 0.241 + 0.027t - 1.33 x 10 -4 t 1/2

High-temperature ultrasonic measurements applied to directly heated samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, R.I.; Taylor, R.E.

1984-01-01

High-temperature ultrasonic measurements of Young's modulus were made of graphite samples heated directly. The samples were cylindrical rods of the same geometry as that used in the multiproperty apparatus for simultaneous/consecutive measurements of a number of thermophysical properties to high temperatures. The samples were resonated in simple longitudinal vibration modes. Measurements were performed up to 2000 K. Incorporation of ultrasonic measurements of Young's modulus in the capabilities of the multiproperty apparatus is valuable because (i) ultrasonic measurements can be related to normal destructive measurements of this property; (ii) they can be used for screening materials or acceptance testing of specimens; (iii) they can be used to increase the understanding of thermophysical properties and property correlations. (author)

Analyzer for measuring gas contained in the pore space of rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Kudasik, Mateusz; Skoczylas, Norbert

2017-10-01

In the present paper, the authors discussed the functioning of their own analyzer for measuring gas contained in the pore space of high strength rocks. A sample is placed inside a hermetic measuring chamber, and then undergoes impact milling as a result of colliding with the vibrating blade of a knife which is rotationally driven by a high-speed brushless electric motor. The measuring chamber is equipped with all the necessary sensors, i.e. gas, pressure, and temperature sensors. Trial tests involving the comminution of dolomite and anhydrite samples demonstrated that the constructed device is able to break up rocks into grains so fine that they are measured in single microns, and the sensors used in the construction ensure balancing of the released gas. The tests of the analyzer showed that the metrological concept behind it, together with the way it was built, make it fit for measurements of the content and composition of selected gases from the rock pore space. On the basis of the conducted tests of balancing the gases contained in the two samples, it was stated that the gas content of Sample no. 1 was (0.055  ±  0.002) cm3 g-1, and Sample no. 2 contained gas at atmospheric pressure, composed mostly of air.

High 5-hydroxymethylfurfural concentrations are found in Malaysian honey samples stored for more than one year.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, M I; Sulaiman, S A; Gan, S H

2010-01-01

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content is an indicator of the purity of honey. High concentrations of HMF in honey indicate overheating, poor storage conditions and old honey. This study investigated the HMF content of nine Malaysian honey samples, as well as the correlation of HMF formation with physicochemical properties of honey. Based on the recommendation by the International Honey Commission, three methods for the determination of HMF were used: (1) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), (2) White spectrophotometry and (3) Winkler spectrophotometry methods. HPLC and White spectrophotometric results yielded almost similar values, whereas the Winkler method showed higher readings. The physicochemical properties of honey (pH, free acids, lactones and total acids) showed significant correlation with HMF content and may provide parameters that could be used to make quick assessments of honey quality. The HMF content of fresh Malaysian honey samples stored for 3-6 months (at 2.80-24.87 mg/kg) was within the internationally recommended value (80 mg/kg for tropical honeys), while honey samples stored for longer periods (12-24 months) contained much higher HMF concentrations (128.19-1131.76 mg/kg). Therefore, it is recommended that honey should generally be consumed within one year, regardless of the type. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spectral studies on the interaction of acetylacetone with aluminum-containing MCM-41 mesoporous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zanjanchi, M.A.; Vaziri, M.

2008-01-01

Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was used to study the interaction of acetylacetone (acac) with the mesoporous aluminum-containing MCM-41 materials. A room temperature synthesis method was used for preparation of purely siliceous MCM-41 and for aluminum-containing MCM-41 materials. Samples with Si/Al ratios of 50, 20, 10 and 5 were synthesized. The synthesized mesoporous materials possess highly ordered structure and high surface area as evidenced from X-ray diffraction and nitrogen physisorption measurements, respectively. The treatment of the as-synthesized aluminum-containing MCM-41 samples with acac shows a distinct band at ∼290 nm. This band is assigned to six coordinated aluminum atoms in the structure which is produced by diffusion of acac molecules through surfactant micelles and their interaction with aluminum atoms. The 290-nm band disappears upon several successive washing of the sample with ethanol. The treatment of the calcined aluminum-containing MCM-41 sample with acac produces the same 290-nm band where its intensity increases with the aluminum content of the sample. The intensity of this band is reduced upon successive ethanol washing, but remains nearly constant after three times washing. This irremovable aluminum species can be assigned to framework aluminum. The measured acidity for our aluminum-containing MCM-41 samples correlates linearly with the intensity of 290-nm band for the ethanol treated samples. This supports the idea that the Bronsted acidity in aluminum-modified MCM-41 samples is a function of the amount of tetrahedral framework aluminum in the structure

The High Altitude Sampling Program: Radioactivity in the stratosphere: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leifer, R.; Juzdan, Z.R.

1986-12-01

Radioactivity data are presented from Project Airstream (aircraft) for the year 1983 and for Project Ashcan (balloon) for the years 1982 and 1984. Due to budgetary constraints both Projects Airstream and Ashcan have been terminated. This will be the final report containing radioactivity data collected during projects airstream and ashcan. Included are gross gamma, gamma spectral and radiochemical analyses of filter samples. Quality control samples submitted along with the air filter samples were analyzed and the results are presented. Low activity on many of the filters precludes the estimation of the stratospheric inventories of /sup 239,240/Pu and 90 Sr. Based on data with count errors 90 Sr and /sup 239,240/Pu concentration for November 1983 was 0.2 +- 0.1 and 0.009 +- 0.006 Bq/1000 scm, respectively

Design analysis report: high-integrity container for disposal of EPICOR-II prefilter liners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, R.L.; Reno, H.W.

1983-06-01

A high-integrity container has been developed to (a) immobilize the EPIROC-II prefilter liners from Unit-2 of the Three Mile Island (TMI) Nuclear Power Station, and (b) protect possible future, inadvertent intruders from damaging radiation. The container is designed for disposal depths to 90 feet in either wet or dry subsurface conditions. A built-in vent system for each container will permit the release of gas and function as a water barrier at pressures reaching 45 psig. The container has outside dimensions of 62.5 inches diameter by 84 inches high, and is designed to ensure a 300-year functional life. Its design features multiple barriers that prevent corrosives from penetrating container walls. The multiple-barrier approach provides a 1204-year mean time to total failure, based on an assumed single-event-failure probability of 20%. The multiple-corrosion-barrier concept is supplemented by aluminum hydroxide, which reduces the chemical activity of corrosives potentially arising from chemical decomposition of organic resins in the EPICOR-II prefilter liner. Aluminum hydroxide, an effective amphoteric material, tends to neutralize both acids and bases. An epoxy seal between the lid and container body functions as a barrier against any loss of container contents. Two separate epoxy materials fill the space between the lid and container body; they form a seal, mechanically bonding the lid in place. After curing, this epoxy material has a greater strength than the concrete; thus, the concrete has to fail in order for the lid to loosen

Double-contained receiver tank 244-TX, grab samples, 244TX-97-1 through 244TX-97-3 analytical results for the final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esch, R.A.

1997-01-01

This document is the final report for the double-contained receiver tank (DCRT) 244-TX grab samples. Three grabs samples were collected from riser 8 on May 29, 1997. Analyses were performed in accordance with the Compatibility Grab Sampling and Analysis Plan (TSAP) and the Data Quality Objectives for Tank Farms Waste Compatibility Program (DQO). The analytical results are presented in a table

Heat transfer effects in vertically emplaced high level nuclear waste container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moujaes, S.F.; Lei, Y.M.

1994-01-01

Modeling free convection heat transfer in a cylindrical annular enclosure is still an active area of research and an important problem to be addressed in the high level nuclear waste repository. For the vertically emplaced waste container, the air gap which is between the container shell and the rock borehole, have an important role of dissipating heat to surrounding rock. These waste containers are vertically emplaced in the borehole 300 meters just below ground, and in a horizontal grid of 30 x 8 meters apart. The borehole will be capped after the container emplacement. The expected initial heat generated is between 3-4.74 kW per container depending on the type of waste. The goal of this study is to use a computer simulation model to find the borehole wall, air-gap and the container outer wall temperature distributions. The borehole wall temperature history has been found in the previous study, and was estimated to reach a maximum temperature of about 218 degrees C after 18 years from the emplacement. The temperature history of the rock surface is then used for the air-gap simulation. The problem includes convection and radiation heat transfer in a vertical enclosure. This paper will present the results of the convection in the air-gap over one thousand years after the containers' emplacement. During this long simulation period it was also observed that a multi-cellular air flow pattern can be generated in the air gap

Analysis of chlorpheniramine in human urine samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Maham

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A simple and environmentally friendly microextraction technique was used for determination of chlorpheniramine (CPM, an antihistamine drug, in human urine samples using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD. In this extraction technique, an appropriate mixture of acetonitrile (disperser solvent and carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent was rapidly injected into the urine sample containing the target analyte. Tiny droplets of extractant were formed and dispersed into the sample solution and then sedimented at the bottom of the conical test tube by centrifugation. Under optimal conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.055-5.5 µg mL-1, with a detection limit of 16.5 ng mL-1. This proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of real urine samples. Low consumption of toxic organic solvents, simplicity of operation, low cost and acceptable figures of merit are the main advantages of the proposed technique.

Analytical strategy for the determination of various arsenic species in landfill leachate containing high concentrations of chlorine and organic carbon by HPLC-ICPMS

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, J.; An, J.; Kim, J.; Jung, H.; Kim, K.; Yoon, C.; Yoon, H.

2012-12-01

As a variety of wastes containing arsenic are disposed of in landfills, such facilities can play a prominent role in disseminating arsenic sources to the environment. Since it is widely recognized that arsenic toxicity is highly dependent on its species, accurate determination of various arsenic species should be considered as one of the essential goals to properly account for the potential health risk of arsenic in human and the environment. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry linked to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-ICPMS) is acknowledged as one of the most important tools for the trace analysis of metallic speciation because of its superior separation capability and detectability. However, the complexity of matrices can cause severe interferences in the analysis results, which is the problem often encountered with HPLC-ICPMS system. High concentration of organic carbon in a sample solution causes carbon build-up on the skimmer and sampling cone, which reduces analytical sensitivity and requires a high maintenance level for its cleaning. In addition, argon from the plasma and chlorine from the sample matrix may combine to form 40Ar35Cl, which has the same nominal mass to charge (m/z) ratio as arsenic. In this respect, analytical strategy for the determination of various arsenic species (e.g., inorganic arsenite and arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, dimethyldithioarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine) in landfill leachate containing high concentrations of chlorine and organic carbon was developed in the present study. Solid phase extraction disk (i.e., C18 disk), which does not significantly adsorb any target arsenic species, was used to remove organic carbon in sample solutions. In addition, helium (He) gas was injected into the collision reaction cell equipped in ICPMS to collapse 40Ar35Cl into individual 40Ar and 35Cl. Although He gas also decreased arsenic intensity by blocking 75As, its signal to noise ratio

Aluminium oxide containers for the final disposal of high-level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-03-01

The report presents a highly radioactive waste container concept based on the use of hot isostatically pressed aluminium oxide. The container is made of two cylindrical parts closed each at one end, which are sealed by means of a gold diffusion weld after introduction of the vitrified waste package. It is shown that the corrosion rate of the alumina material under conditions similar to those expected in Switzerland will most probably be less than 0.15 mm in 1000 years. The design consists of a cylinder about 2 m in length and 0.7 m in outer diameter, with hemispherical ends, ensuring that no tensional stress is present when the container is subjected to an external uniform pressure. The seal is positioned in the cylindrical part of the container, 150 mm away from the hemispherical end; in this way the stresses in the seal due to end effects and local bending can be made sufficiently small. A stress analysis shows that for such a design a wall thickness of 60 mm is sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the stress and stability criteria even with the use of a very high safety factor, for an external pressure of 300 bar, corresponding to a repository depth of 1200 m. For the protection of the personnel during the transport operations in the repository a metallic, temporary transport overpack is necessary; this overpack also protects the container against shocks. (author)

Effect of seasonal variation on some physical properties and heat stability of milk subjected to ultra-high temperature and in-container sterilisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Biye; Grandison, Alistair S; Lewis, Michael J

2015-08-15

Heat stability was evaluated in bulk raw milk, collected throughout the year and subjected to ultra-high temperature (UHT) or in-container sterilisation, with and without added calcium chloride (2mM), disodium hydrogen phosphate (DSHP, 10mM) and trisodium citrate (TSC, 10mM). More sediment was observed following in-container sterilisation (0.24%) compared with UHT (0.19%). Adding CaCl2 made the milk more unstable to UHT than to in-container sterilisation, while adding DSHP and TSC made the milk more unstable during in-container sterilisation than to UHT processing, although TSC addition increased the sediment formed by UHT processing. Better heat stability was observed in autumn and winter than in spring and summer following UHT. However, following in-container sterilisation, samples with added stabilising salts showed significantly improved heat stability in autumn, whereas with added CaCl2, the best heat stability was observed in spring. No correlation was found between urea and heat stability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Superconductivity degradation in Gd-containing high temperature superconductors (HTSC) under thermal neutron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrov, A.; Kudrenitskis, I.; Makletsov, A.; Arhipov, A.; Karklin, N.

1999-01-01

The physical properties of ordered crystals are extremely sensitive to the degree of order in the distribution of the various kinds of atoms over the corresponding sites in the crystal lattice. An increasingly popular means of creating disordered states is to use nuclear radiation. The type of radiation defects which appear and the nature and degree of the structural changes in ordered crystals depend on the kind of radiation and the fluence level, the irradiation temperature, the type of crystal structure, the composition and initial disorder of the material, the character of the interatomic forces, etc. There are many such scientific publications where the effects of fast neutron irradiation on high temperature superconductors (HTSC) have been studied in both polycrystalline and single crystalline superconductors. It is known also that the role of thermal neutrons in structural defects forming is negligible in comparison with fast neutrons because of their small (∼0.025 eV) energy. But it is evident enough that in superconductors containing isotopes with large thermal neutron cross sections the important results concerning the role of point defects could be obtained. Such point defects are creating due to soft displacements of isotopes having interacted with thermal neutrons. Such the possibility of creating point defects in solids including HTSC is investigating by several groups (Austria, USA, China, Latvia) and these investigations have found the support in the person of IAEA. In this review the authors consider the changes brought about by thermal-neutron irradiation (E∼0.025 eV) in the structure, superconducting and magnetic properties of gadolinium containing ordered HTSC with the structure 123, whose extreme electric and magnetic properties continue to attract both research and practical interest. All of the studies reviewed have been done on bulk polycrystalline samples RBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (where R - natural mixture of Gd isotopes, 155 Gd, 157 Gd, 160

Problems in the design and specification of containers for vitrified high-level liquid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corbet, A.D.W.; Hall, G.G.; Spiller, G.T.

1976-01-01

In the United Kingdom the growing problem of ensuring the safe storage of high-level liquid waste over long time scales has led to a policy for implementing solidification. A brief description is given of the HARVEST vitrification process, which is essentially a scaled-up version of the FINGAL process with increased throughput. The functional requirements of the container are considered. It must be made of a material which can be fabricated to a high standard. Diameters up to 600 mm for right circular cylindrical containers and 1200 mm for annular containers are contemplated. Computer aids for axisymmetric and three-dimensional heat transfer and stress analysis are identified. One example is given of the thermal profile for the cylindrical container in the furnace and another example for the annular container following an accident condition. Measured values are given for high temperature oxidation, emissivity and the short-term creep strength of various alloys. Corrosion in fresh water and sea water over long time periods and leaching of partially exposed solid waste are discussed and a conceptual package for sea bed disposal is described. The relative merits of the different methods of manufacture are pointed out and the paper concludes that HK-40 or better INCOLOY alloy 800L are suitable materials of construction. (author)

Evolution of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory to the Astromaterial Sample Curation Facility: Technical Tensions Between Containment and Cleanliness, Between Particulate and Organic Cleanliness

Science.gov (United States)

Allton, J. H.; Zeigler, R. A.; Calaway, M. J.

2016-01-01

The Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) was planned and constructed in the 1960s to support the Apollo program in the context of landing on the Moon and safely returning humans. The enduring science return from that effort is a result of careful curation of planetary materials. Technical decisions for the first facility included sample handling environment (vacuum vs inert gas), and instruments for making basic sample assessment, but the most difficult decision, and most visible, was stringent biosafety vs ultra-clean sample handling. Biosafety required handling of samples in negative pressure gloveboxes and rooms for containment and use of sterilizing protocols and animal/plant models for hazard assessment. Ultra-clean sample handling worked best in positive pressure nitrogen environment gloveboxes in positive pressure rooms, using cleanable tools of tightly controlled composition. The requirements for these two objectives were so different, that the solution was to design and build a new facility for specific purpose of preserving the scientific integrity of the samples. The resulting Lunar Curatorial Facility was designed and constructed, from 1972-1979, with advice and oversight by a very active committee comprised of lunar sample scientists. The high precision analyses required for planetary science are enabled by stringent contamination control of trace elements in the materials and protocols of construction (e.g., trace element screening for paint and flooring materials) and the equipment used in sample handling and storage. As other astromaterials, especially small particles and atoms, were added to the collections curated, the technical tension between particulate cleanliness and organic cleanliness was addressed in more detail. Techniques for minimizing particulate contamination in sample handling environments use high efficiency air filtering techniques typically requiring organic sealants which offgas. Protocols for reducing adventitious carbon on sample

Hydrogen storage properties of carbon nanomaterials and carbon containing metal hydrides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maehlen, Jan Petter

2003-07-01

The topic of this thesis is structural investigations of carbon containing materials in respect to their hydrogen storage properties. This work was initially triggered by reports of extremely high hydrogen storage capacities of specific carbon nanostructures. It was decided to try to verify and understand the mechanisms in play in case of the existence of such high hydrogen densities in carbon. Two different routes towards the goal were employed; by studying selected hydrides with carbon as one of its constituents (mainly employing powder diffraction techniques in combination with hydrogen absorption and desorption measurements) and by carefully conducting hydrogen sorption experiments on what was believed to be the most ''promising'' carbon nanomaterial sample. In the latter case, a lot of effort was attributed to characterisations of different carbon nanomaterial containing samples with the aid of electron microscopy. Three different carbon-containing metal hydride systems, Y2C-H, YCoC-H and Y5SiC0.2-H, were examined. A relation between hydrogen occupation and the local arrangement of metal and carbon atoms surrounding the hydrogen sites was established. Several characteristic features of the compounds were noted in addition to solving the structure of the former unknown deuterideY5Si3C0.2D2.0 by the use of direct methods. Several carbon-nanomaterial containing samples were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy and powder diffraction, thus gaining knowledge concerning the structural aspects of nanomaterials. Based on these investigations, a specific sample containing a large amount of open-ended single-wall carbon nanotubes was chosen for subsequent hydrogen storage experiments. The latter experiments revealed moderate hydrogen storage capacities of the nanotubes not exceeding the values obtained for more conventional forms of carbon. These two different routes in investigating the hydrogen storage properties of carbon and carbon containing alloys

Hydrogen storage properties of carbon nanomaterials and carbon containing metal hydrides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maehlen, Jan Petter

2003-07-01

The topic of this thesis is structural investigations of carbon containing materials in respect to their hydrogen storage properties. This work was initially triggered by reports of extremely high hydrogen storage capacities of specific carbon nanostructures. It was decided to try to verify and understand the mechanisms in play in case of the existence of such high hydrogen densities in carbon. Two different routes towards the goal were employed; by studying selected hydrides with carbon as one of its constituents (mainly employing powder diffraction techniques in combination with hydrogen absorption and desorption measurements) and by carefully conducting hydrogen sorption experiments on what was believed to be the most ''promising'' carbon nanomaterial sample. In the latter case, a lot of effort was attributed to characterisations of different carbon nanomaterial containing samples with the aid of electron microscopy. Three different carbon-containing metal hydride systems, Y2C-H, YCoC-H and Y5SiC0.2-H, were examined. A relation between hydrogen occupation and the local arrangement of metal and carbon atoms surrounding the hydrogen sites was established. Several characteristic features of the compounds were noted in addition to solving the structure of the former unknown deuterideY5Si3C0.2D2.0 by the use of direct methods. Several carbon-nanomaterial containing samples were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy and powder diffraction, thus gaining knowledge concerning the structural aspects of nanomaterials. Based on these investigations, a specific sample containing a large amount of open-ended single-wall carbon nanotubes was chosen for subsequent hydrogen storage experiments. The latter experiments revealed moderate hydrogen storage capacities of the nanotubes not exceeding the values obtained for more conventional forms of carbon. These two different routes in investigating the hydrogen storage properties of carbon and

Determination of ethanol in acetic acid-containing samples by a biosensor based on immobilized Gluconobacter cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

VALENTINA A. KRATASYUK

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Reshetilov AN, Kitova AE, Arkhipova AV, Kratasyuk VA, Rai MK. 2012. Determination of ethanol in acetic acid containing samples by a biosensor based on immobilized Gluconobacter cells. Nusantara Bioscience 4: 97-100. A biosensor based on Gluconobacter oxydans VKM B-1280 bacteria was used for detection of ethanol in the presence of acetic acid. It was assumed that this assay could be useful for controlling acetic acid production from ethanol and determining the final stage of the fermentation process. Measurements were made using a Clark electrode-based amperometric biosensor. The effect of pH of the medium on the sensor signal and the analytical parameters of the sensor (detection range, sensitivity were investigated. The residual content of ethanol in acetic acid samples was analyzed. The results of the study are important for monitoring the acetic acid production process, as they represent a method of tracking its stages

Survey of degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gdowski, G.E.; Bullen, D.B.

1988-08-01

Three copper-based alloys and three iron- to nickel-based austenitic alloys are being considered as possible materials for fabrication of containers for disposal of high-level radioactive waste. This waste will include spent fuel assemblies from reactors as well as high-level waste in borosilicate glass and will be sent to the prospective site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal. The containers must maintain substantially complete containment for at least 300 yr and perhaps as long as 1000 yr. During the first 50 yr after emplacement, they must be retrievable from the disposal site. Shortly after the containers are emplaced in the repository, they will be exposed to high temperatures and high gamma radiation fields from the decay of the high-level waste. This volume surveys the available data on oxidation and corrosion of the iron- to nickel-based austenitic materials (Types 304L and 316L stainless steels and Alloy 825) and the copper-based alloy materials [CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper), CDA 613 (Cu-7Al), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni)], which are the present candidates for fabrication of the containers. Studies that provided a large amount of data are highlighted, and those areas in which little data exists are identified. Examples of successful applications of these materials are given. On the basis of resistance to oxidation and general corrosion, the austenitic materials are ranked as follows: Alloy 825 (best), Type 316L stainless steel, and then Type 304L stainless steel (worst). For the copper-based materials, the ranking is as follows: CDA 715 and CDA 613 (both best), and CDA 102 (worst). 110 refs., 30 figs., 13 tabs

Survey of degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gdowski, G.E.; Bullen, D.B. (Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., Pleasanton, CA (USA))

1988-08-01

Three copper-based alloys and three iron- to nickel-based austenitic alloys are being considered as possible materials for fabrication of containers for disposal of high-level radioactive waste. This waste will include spent fuel assemblies from reactors as well as high-level waste in borosilicate glass and will be sent to the prospective site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal. The containers must maintain substantially complete containment for at least 300 yr and perhaps as long as 1000 yr. During the first 50 yr after emplacement, they must be retrievable from the disposal site. Shortly after the containers are emplaced in the repository, they will be exposed to high temperatures and high gamma radiation fields from the decay of the high-level waste. This volume surveys the available data on oxidation and corrosion of the iron- to nickel-based austenitic materials (Types 304L and 316L stainless steels and Alloy 825) and the copper-based alloy materials (CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper), CDA 613 (Cu-7Al), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni)), which are the present candidates for fabrication of the containers. Studies that provided a large amount of data are highlighted, and those areas in which little data exists are identified. Examples of successful applications of these materials are given. On the basis of resistance to oxidation and general corrosion, the austenitic materials are ranked as follows: Alloy 825 (best), Type 316L stainless steel, and then Type 304L stainless steel (worst). For the copper-based materials, the ranking is as follows: CDA 715 and CDA 613 (both best), and CDA 102 (worst). 110 refs., 30 figs., 13 tabs.

Bounding analysis of containment of high pressure melt ejection in advanced light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Additon, S.L.; Fontana, M.H.; Carter, J.C.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on the loadings on containment due to direct containment heating (DCH) as a result of high pressure melt ejection (HPME) in advanced light water reactors (ALWR) which were estimated using conservative, bounding analyses. The purpose of the analyses was to scope the magnitude of the possible loadings and to indicate the performance needed from potential mitigation methods, such as a cavity configuration that limits energy transfer to the upper containment volume. Analyses were performed for three cases which examined the effect of availability of high pressure reactor coolant system water at the time of reactor vessel melt through and the effect of preflooding of the reactor cavity. The amount of core ejected from the vessel was varied from 100% to 0% for all cases. Results indicate that all amounts of core debris dispersal could be accommodated by the containment for the case where the reactor cavity was preflooded. For the worst case, all the energy from in-vessel hydrogen generation and combustion plus that from 45% of the entire molten core would be required to equilibrate with the containment upper volume in order to reach containment failure pressure

Cost estimate of high-level radioactive waste containers for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russell, E.W.; Clarke, W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Domian, H.A. [Babcock and Wilcox Co., Lynchburg, VA (United States); Madson, A.A. [Kaiser Engineers California Corp., Oakland, CA (United States)

1991-08-01

This report summarizes the bottoms-up cost estimates for fabrication of high-level radioactive waste disposal containers based on the Site Characterization Plan Conceptual Design (SCP-CD). These estimates were acquired by Babcock and Wilcox (B&S) under sub-contract to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). The estimates were obtained for two leading container candidate materials (Alloy 825 and CDA 715), and from other three vendors who were selected from a list of twenty solicited. Three types of container designs were analyzed that represent containers for spent fuel, and for vitrified high-level waste (HLW). The container internal structures were assumed to be AISI-304 stainless steel in all cases, with an annual production rate of 750 containers. Subjective techniques were used for estimating QA/QC costs based on vendor experience and the specifications derived for the LLNL-YMP Quality Assurance program. In addition, an independent QA/QC analysis is reported which was prepared by Kasier Engineering. Based on the cost estimates developed, LLNL recommends that values of $825K and $62K be used for the 1991 TSLCC for the spent fuel and HLW containers, respectively. These numbers represent the most conservative among the three vendors, and are for the high-nickel anstenitic steel (Alloy 825). 6 refs., 7 figs.

Cost estimate of high-level radioactive waste containers for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, E.W.; Clarke, W.; Domian, H.A.; Madson, A.A.

1991-08-01

This report summarizes the bottoms-up cost estimates for fabrication of high-level radioactive waste disposal containers based on the Site Characterization Plan Conceptual Design (SCP-CD). These estimates were acquired by Babcock and Wilcox (B ampersand S) under sub-contract to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). The estimates were obtained for two leading container candidate materials (Alloy 825 and CDA 715), and from other three vendors who were selected from a list of twenty solicited. Three types of container designs were analyzed that represent containers for spent fuel, and for vitrified high-level waste (HLW). The container internal structures were assumed to be AISI-304 stainless steel in all cases, with an annual production rate of 750 containers. Subjective techniques were used for estimating QA/QC costs based on vendor experience and the specifications derived for the LLNL-YMP Quality Assurance program. In addition, an independent QA/QC analysis is reported which was prepared by Kasier Engineering. Based on the cost estimates developed, LLNL recommends that values of $825K and $62K be used for the 1991 TSLCC for the spent fuel and HLW containers, respectively. These numbers represent the most conservative among the three vendors, and are for the high-nickel anstenitic steel (Alloy 825). 6 refs., 7 figs

A multi-sample based method for identifying common CNVs in normal human genomic structure using high-resolution aCGH data.

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Chihyun Park

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is difficult to identify copy number variations (CNV in normal human genomic data due to noise and non-linear relationships between different genomic regions and signal intensity. A high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH containing 42 million probes, which is very large compared to previous arrays, was recently published. Most existing CNV detection algorithms do not work well because of noise associated with the large amount of input data and because most of the current methods were not designed to analyze normal human samples. Normal human genome analysis often requires a joint approach across multiple samples. However, the majority of existing methods can only identify CNVs from a single sample. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed a multi-sample-based genomic variations detector (MGVD that uses segmentation to identify common breakpoints across multiple samples and a k-means-based clustering strategy. Unlike previous methods, MGVD simultaneously considers multiple samples with different genomic intensities and identifies CNVs and CNV zones (CNVZs; CNVZ is a more precise measure of the location of a genomic variant than the CNV region (CNVR. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: We designed a specialized algorithm to detect common CNVs from extremely high-resolution multi-sample aCGH data. MGVD showed high sensitivity and a low false discovery rate for a simulated data set, and outperformed most current methods when real, high-resolution HapMap datasets were analyzed. MGVD also had the fastest runtime compared to the other algorithms evaluated when actual, high-resolution aCGH data were analyzed. The CNVZs identified by MGVD can be used in association studies for revealing relationships between phenotypes and genomic aberrations. Our algorithm was developed with standard C++ and is available in Linux and MS Windows format in the STL library. It is freely available at: http://embio.yonsei.ac.kr/~Park/mgvd.php.

Experimental Investigation and Prediction of Compressive Strength of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementitious Materials

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Jisong Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC has superior mechanical properties and durability to normal strength concrete. However, the high amount of cement, high environmental impact, and initial cost are regarded as disadvantages, restricting its wider application. Incorporation of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs in UHPC is an effective way to reduce the amount of cement needed while contributing to the sustainability and cost. This paper investigates the mechanical properties and microstructure of UHPC containing fly ash (FA and silica fume (SF with the aim of contributing to this issue. The results indicate that, on the basis of 30% FA replacement, the incorporation of 10% and 20% SF showed equivalent or higher mechanical properties compared to the reference samples. The microstructure and pore volume of the UHPCs were also examined. Furthermore, to minimise the experimental workload of future studies, a prediction model is developed to predict the compressive strength of the UHPC using artificial neural networks (ANNs. The results indicate that the developed ANN model has high accuracy and can be used for the prediction of the compressive strength of UHPC with these SCMs.

Design study on containers for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arup, O.

1985-01-01

A study has been made of the requirements and design features for containers to isolate vitrified high-level radioactive waste from the environment for a period of 500 to 1000 years. The requirements for handling, storing and transporting containers have been identified following a study of disposal operations, and the pressures and temperatures which may possibly be experienced in clay, granite and salt formations have been estimated. A range of possible container designs have been proposed to satisfy the requirements of each of the disposal environments. Alternative design concepts in corrosion resistant or corrosion allowance material have been suggested. Some resist pressure by using a structural shell leaving the contents unstressed whereas others transmit loads to their contents. Potentially suitable container shell materials have been selected following a review of corrosion studies and although metals have not been specified in detail, titanium alloys and low carbon steels are thought to be appropriate for corrosion resistant and corrosion allowance designs respectively. Performance requirements for container filler materials have been identified and candidate materials assessed. However, no entirely suitable materials have been found and further research is required in this area. A preliminary container stress analysis has shown the importance of thermal modelling and that if lead is used as a filler it dominates the stress response of the container. Possible methods of manufacturing disposal containers have been assessed and found to be generally feasible although filling operations and container closure could be difficult

High temperature tribological properties of plasma-sprayed metallic coatings containing ceramic particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dallaire, S.; Legoux, J.G.

1995-01-01

For sealing a moving metal component with a dense silica-based ceramic pre-heated at 800 C, coatings with a low coefficient of friction and moderate wear loss are required. As reported previously, plasma-sprayed coatings containing solid lubricants could reduce sliding wear in high-temperature applications. Plasma-sprayed metal-based coatings containing ceramic particles have been considered for high temperature sealing. Selected metal powders (NiCoCrAlY, CuNi, CuNiIn, Ag, Cu) and ceramic particles (boron nitride, Zeta-B ceramic) were agglomerated to form suitable spray powders. Plasma-sprayed composite coatings and reference materials were tested in a modified pin-on-disc apparatus in which the stationary disc consisted of a dense silica-based ceramic piece initially heated at 800 C and allowed to cool down during tests. The influence of single exposure and repeated contacts with a dense silica-based ceramic material pre-heated to 800 C on the coefficient of friction, wear loss and damage to the ceramic piece was evaluated. Being submitted to a single exposure at high temperature, coatings containing malleable metals such as indium, silver and copper performed well. The outstanding tribological characteristics of the copper-Zeta-B ceramic coating was attributed to the formation of a glazed layer on the surface of this coating which lasted over exposures to high temperature. This glazed layer, composed of fine oxidation products, provided a smooth and polished surface and helped maintaining the coefficient of friction low

Multivariate statistics high-dimensional and large-sample approximations

CERN Document Server

Fujikoshi, Yasunori; Shimizu, Ryoichi

2010-01-01

A comprehensive examination of high-dimensional analysis of multivariate methods and their real-world applications Multivariate Statistics: High-Dimensional and Large-Sample Approximations is the first book of its kind to explore how classical multivariate methods can be revised and used in place of conventional statistical tools. Written by prominent researchers in the field, the book focuses on high-dimensional and large-scale approximations and details the many basic multivariate methods used to achieve high levels of accuracy. The authors begin with a fundamental presentation of the basic

Serum sample containing endogenous antibodies interfering with multiple hormone immunoassays. Laboratory strategies to detect interference

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Elena García-González

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Endogenous antibodies (EA may interfere with immunoassays, causing erroneous results for hormone analyses. As (in most cases this interference arises from the assay format and most immunoassays, even from different manufacturers, are constructed in a similar way, it is possible for a single type of EA to interfere with different immunoassays. Here we describe the case of a patient whose serum sample contains EA that interfere several hormones tests. We also discuss the strategies deployed to detect interference. Subjects and methods: Over a period of four years, a 30-year-old man was subjected to a plethora of laboratory and imaging diagnostic procedures as a consequence of elevated hormone results, mainly of pituitary origin, which did not correlate with the overall clinical picture. Results: Once analytical interference was suspected, the best laboratory approaches to investigate it were sample reanalysis on an alternative platform and sample incubation with antibody blocking tubes. Construction of an in-house ‘nonsense’ sandwich assay was also a valuable strategy to confirm interference. In contrast, serial sample dilutions were of no value in our case, while polyethylene glycol (PEG precipitation gave inconclusive results, probably due to the use of inappropriate PEG concentrations for several of the tests assayed. Conclusions: Clinicians and laboratorians must be aware of the drawbacks of immunometric assays, and alert to the possibility of EA interference when results do not fit the clinical pattern. Keywords: Endogenous antibodies, Immunoassay, Interference, Pituitary hormones, Case report

Corrosion behaviour of container materials for geological disposal of high level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Accary, A.

1985-01-01

The disposal of high level radioactive waste in geological formations, based on the multibarrier concept, may include the use of a container as one of the engineered barriers. In this report the requirements imposed on this container and the possible degradation processes are reviewed. Further on an overview is given of the research being carried out by various research centres in the European Community on the assessment of the corrosion behaviour of candidate container materials. The results obtained on a number of materials under various testing conditions are summarized and evaluated. As a result, three promising materials have been selected for a detailed joint testing programme. It concerns two highly corrosion resistant alloys, resp. Ti-Pd (0.2 Pd%) and Hastelloy C4 and one consumable material namely a low carbon steel. Finally the possibilities of modelling the corrosion phenomena are discussed

Emissions from Open burning of Used Agricultural Pesticide Containers

Science.gov (United States)

Emissions from simulated open burning of used agricultural pesticide containers were sampled for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs), and particle matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Clean high density polyethyl...

Effect of aluminizing of Cr-containing ferritic alloys on the seal strength of a novel high-temperature solid oxide fuel cell sealing glass

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Yeong-Shyung; Stevenson, Jeffry W.; Singh, Prabhakar

A novel high-temperature alkaline earth silicate sealing glass was developed for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. The glass was used to join two metallic coupons of Cr-containing ferritic stainless steel for seal strength evaluation. In previous work, SrCrO 4 was found to form along the glass/steel interface, which led to severe strength degradation. In the present study, aluminization of the steel surface was investigated as a remedy to minimize or prevent the strontium chromate formation. Three different processes for aluminization were evaluated with Crofer22APU stainless steel: pack cementation, vapor-phase deposition, and aerosol spraying. It was found that pack cementation resulted in a rough surface with occasional cracks in the Al-diffused region. Vapor-phase deposition yielded a smoother surface, but the resulting high Al content increased the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), resulting in the failure of joined coupons. Aerosol spraying of an Al-containing salt resulted in the formation of a thin aluminum oxide layer without any surface damage. The room temperature seal strength was evaluated in the as-fired state and in environmentally aged conditions. In contrast to earlier results with uncoated Crofer22APU, the aluminized samples showed no strength degradation even for samples aged in air. Interfacial and chemical compatibility was also investigated. The results showed aluminization to be a viable candidate approach to minimize undesirable chromate formation between alkaline earth silicate sealing glass and Cr-containing interconnect alloys for SOFC applications.

Preterm Cord Blood Contains a Higher Proportion of Immature Hematopoietic Progenitors Compared to Term Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Podestà, Marina; Bruschettini, Matteo; Cossu, Claudia; Sabatini, Federica; Dagnino, Monica; Romantsik, Olga; Spaggiari, Grazia Maria; Ramenghi, Luca Antonio; Frassoni, Francesco

2015-01-01

Cord blood contains high number of hematopoietic cells that after birth disappear. In this paper we have studied the functional properties of the umbilical cord blood progenitor cells collected from term and preterm neonates to establish whether quantitative and/or qualitative differences exist between the two groups. Our results indicate that the percentage of total CD34+ cells was significantly higher in preterm infants compared to full term: 0.61% (range 0.15-4.8) vs 0.3% (0.032-2.23) p = 0.0001 and in neonates <32 weeks of gestational age (GA) compared to those ≥32 wks GA: 0.95% (range 0.18-4.8) and 0.36% (0.15-3.2) respectively p = 0.0025. The majority of CD34+ cells co-expressed CD71 antigen (p<0.05 preterm vs term) and grew in vitro large BFU-E, mostly in the second generation. The subpopulations CD34+CD38- and CD34+CD45- resulted more represented in preterm samples compared to term, conversely, Side Population (SP) did not show any difference between the two group. The absolute number of preterm colonies (CFCs/10microL) resulted higher compared to term (p = 0.004) and these progenitors were able to grow until the third generation maintaining an higher proportion of CD34+ cells (p = 0.0017). The number of colony also inversely correlated with the gestational age (Pearson r = -0.3001 p<0.0168). We found no differences in the isolation and expansion capacity of Endothelial Colony Forming Cells (ECFCs) from cord blood of term and preterm neonates: both groups grew in vitro large number of endothelial cells until the third generation and showed a transitional phenotype between mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitors (CD73, CD31, CD34 and CD144)The presence, in the cord blood of preterm babies, of high number of immature hematopoietic progenitors and endothelial/mesenchymal stem cells with high proliferative potential makes this tissue an important source of cells for developing new cells therapies.

Preterm Cord Blood Contains a Higher Proportion of Immature Hematopoietic Progenitors Compared to Term Samples.

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Marina Podestà

Full Text Available Cord blood contains high number of hematopoietic cells that after birth disappear. In this paper we have studied the functional properties of the umbilical cord blood progenitor cells collected from term and preterm neonates to establish whether quantitative and/or qualitative differences exist between the two groups.Our results indicate that the percentage of total CD34+ cells was significantly higher in preterm infants compared to full term: 0.61% (range 0.15-4.8 vs 0.3% (0.032-2.23 p = 0.0001 and in neonates <32 weeks of gestational age (GA compared to those ≥32 wks GA: 0.95% (range 0.18-4.8 and 0.36% (0.15-3.2 respectively p = 0.0025. The majority of CD34+ cells co-expressed CD71 antigen (p<0.05 preterm vs term and grew in vitro large BFU-E, mostly in the second generation. The subpopulations CD34+CD38- and CD34+CD45- resulted more represented in preterm samples compared to term, conversely, Side Population (SP did not show any difference between the two group. The absolute number of preterm colonies (CFCs/10microL resulted higher compared to term (p = 0.004 and these progenitors were able to grow until the third generation maintaining an higher proportion of CD34+ cells (p = 0.0017. The number of colony also inversely correlated with the gestational age (Pearson r = -0.3001 p<0.0168.We found no differences in the isolation and expansion capacity of Endothelial Colony Forming Cells (ECFCs from cord blood of term and preterm neonates: both groups grew in vitro large number of endothelial cells until the third generation and showed a transitional phenotype between mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitors (CD73, CD31, CD34 and CD144The presence, in the cord blood of preterm babies, of high number of immature hematopoietic progenitors and endothelial/mesenchymal stem cells with high proliferative potential makes this tissue an important source of cells for developing new cells therapies.

Engineering Performance of High Strength Concrete Containing Steel Fibre Reinforcement

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Md Azree Othuman Mydin

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The development and utilization of the high strength concrete in the construction industry have been increasing rapidly. Fiber reinforced concrete is introduced to overcome the weakness of the conventional concrete because concrete normally can crack under a low tensile force and it is known to be brittle. Steel fibre is proved to be the popular and best combination in the high strength concrete to result the best in the mechanical and durability properties of high strength concrete with consideration of curing time, steel fibre geometry, concrete grade and else more. The incorporation of steel fibre in the mortar mixture is known as steel fibre reinforced concrete have the potential to produce improvement in the workability, strength, ductility and the deformation of high strength concrete. Besides that, steel fibre also increases the tensile strength of concrete and improves the mechanical properties of the steel fibre reinforced concrete. The range for any high strength concrete is between 60MPa-100MPa. Steel fibre reinforced concrete which contains straight fibres has poorer physical properties than that containing hooked end stainless steel fibre due to the length and the hooked steel fibre provide a better effective aspects ratio. Normally, steel fibre tensile strength is in the range of 1100MPa-1700MPa. Addition of less steel fibre volumes in the range of 0.5% to 1.0% can produce better increase in the flexural fatigue strength. The strength can be increased with addition of steel fibre up to certain percentage. This paper will review and present some basic properties of steel fibre reinforced concrete such as mechanical, workability and durability properties.

Sample size choices for XRCT scanning of highly unsaturated soil mixtures

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Smith Jonathan C.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Highly unsaturated soil mixtures (clay, sand and gravel are used as building materials in many parts of the world, and there is increasing interest in understanding their mechanical and hydraulic behaviour. In the laboratory, x-ray computed tomography (XRCT is becoming more widely used to investigate the microstructures of soils, however a crucial issue for such investigations is the choice of sample size, especially concerning the scanning of soil mixtures where there will be a range of particle and void sizes. In this paper we present a discussion (centred around a new set of XRCT scans on sample sizing for scanning of samples comprising soil mixtures, where a balance has to be made between realistic representation of the soil components and the desire for high resolution scanning, We also comment on the appropriateness of differing sample sizes in comparison to sample sizes used for other geotechnical testing. Void size distributions for the samples are presented and from these some hypotheses are made as to the roles of inter- and intra-aggregate voids in the mechanical behaviour of highly unsaturated soils.

High-throughput diagnosis of potato cyst nematodes in soil samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Alex; Evans, Fiona; Mulholland, Vincent; Cole, Yvonne; Pickup, Jon

2015-01-01

Potato cyst nematode (PCN) is a damaging soilborne pest of potatoes which can cause major crop losses. In 2010, a new European Union directive (2007/33/EC) on the control of PCN came into force. Under the new directive, seed potatoes can only be planted on land which has been found to be free from PCN infestation following an official soil test. A major consequence of the new directive was the introduction of a new harmonized soil sampling rate resulting in a threefold increase in the number of samples requiring testing. To manage this increase with the same staffing resources, we have replaced the traditional diagnostic methods. A system has been developed for the processing of soil samples, extraction of DNA from float material, and detection of PCN by high-throughput real-time PCR. Approximately 17,000 samples are analyzed each year using this method. This chapter describes the high-throughput processes for the production of float material from soil samples, DNA extraction from the entire float, and subsequent detection and identification of PCN within these samples.

Salt removal from tanks containing high-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiser, D.L.

1981-01-01

At the Savannah River Plant (SRP), there are 23 waste storage tanks containing high-level radioactive wastes that are to be retired. These tanks contain about 23 million liters of salt and about 10 million liters of sludge, that are to be relocated to new Type III, fully stress-relieved tanks with complete secondary containment. About 19 million liters of salt cake are to be dissolved. Steam jet circulators were originally proposed for the salt dissolution program. However, use of steam jet circulators raised the temperature of the tank contents and caused operating problems. These included increased corrosion risk and required long cooldown periods prior to transfer. Alternative dissolution concepts were investigated. Examination of mechanisms affecting salt dissolution showed that the ability of fresh water to contact the cake surface was the most significant factor influencing dissolution rate. Density driven and mechanical agitation techniques were developed on a bench scale and then were demonstrated in an actual waste tank. Actual waste tank demonstrations were in good agreement with bench-scale experiments at 1/85 scale. The density driven method utilizes simple equipment, but leaves a cake heel in the tank and is hindered by the presence of sludge or Zeolite in the salt cake. Mechanical agitation overcomes the problems found with both steam jet circulators and the density driven technique and is the best method for future waste tank salt removal

Selection of 3013 Containers for Field Surveillance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larry Peppers; Elizabeth Kelly; James McClard; Gary Friday; Theodore Venetz; Jerry Stakebade

2007-01-01

This report revises and combines three earlier reports dealing with the binning, statistical sampling, and sample selection of 3013 containers for field surveillance. It includes changes to the binning specification resulting from completion of the Savannah River Site packaging campaign and new information from the shelf-life program and field surveillance activities. The revised bin assignments result in changes to the random sample specification. These changes are necessary to meet the statistical requirements of the surveillance program. This report will be reviewed regularly and revised as needed. Section 1 of this report summarizes the results of an extensive effort to assign all of the current and projected 3013 containers in the Department of Energy (DOE) inventory to one of three bins (Innocuous, Pressure and Corrosion, or Pressure) based on potential failure mechanisms. Grouping containers into bins provides a framework to make a statistical selection of individual containers from the entire population for destructive and nondestructive field surveillance. The binning process consisted of three main steps. First, the packaged containers were binned using information in the Integrated Surveillance Program database and a decision tree. The second task was to assign those containers that could not be binned using the decision tree to a specific bin using container-by-container engineering review. The final task was to evaluate containers not yet packaged and assign them to bins using process knowledge. The technical basis for the decisions made during the binning process is included in Section 1. A composite decision tree and a summary table show all of the containers projected to be in the DOE inventory at the conclusion of packaging at all sites. Decision trees that provide an overview of the binning process and logic are included for each site. Section 2 of this report describes the approach to the statistical selection of containers for surveillance and

Sampling of high amounts of bioaerosols using a high-volume electrostatic field sampler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, A. M.; Sharma, Anoop Kumar

2008-01-01

For studies of the biological effects of bioaerosols, large samples are necessary. To be able to sample enough material and to cover the variations in aerosol content during and between working days, a long sampling time is necessary. Recently, a high-volume transportable electrostatic field...... and 315 mg dust (net recovery of the lyophilized dust) was sampled during a period of 7 days, respectively. The sampling rates of the electrostatic field samplers were between 1.34 and 1.96 mg dust per hour, the value for the Gravikon was between 0.083 and 0.108 mg dust per hour and the values for the GSP...... samplers were between 0.0031 and 0.032 mg dust per hour. The standard deviations of replica samplings and the following microbial analysis using the electrostatic field sampler and GSP samplers were at the same levels. The exposure to dust in the straw storage was 7.7 mg m(-3) when measured...

Status of the CONTAIN computer code for LWR containment analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergeron, K.D.; Murata, K.K.; Rexroth, P.E.; Clauser, M.J.; Senglaub, M.E.; Sciacca, F.W.; Trebilcock, W.

1983-01-01

The current status of the CONTAIN code for LWR safety analysis is reviewed. Three example calculations are discussed as illustrations of the code's capabilities: (1) a demonstration of the spray model in a realistic PWR problem, and a comparison with CONTEMPT results; (2) a comparison of CONTAIN results for a major aerosol experiment against experimental results and predictions of the HAARM aerosol code; and (3) an LWR sample problem, involving a TMLB' sequence for the Zion reactor containment

Status of the CONTAIN computer code for LWR containment analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergeron, K.D.; Murata, K.K.; Rexroth, P.E.; Clauser, M.J.; Senglaub, M.E.; Sciacca, F.W.; Trebilcock, W.

1982-01-01

The current status of the CONTAIN code for LWR safety analysis is reviewed. Three example calculations are discussed as illustrations of the code's capabilities: (1) a demonstration of the spray model in a realistic PWR problem, and a comparison with CONTEMPT results; (2) a comparison of CONTAIN results for a major aerosol experiment against experimental results and predictions of the HAARM aerosol code; and (3) an LWR sample problem, involving a TMLB' sequence for the Zion reactor containment

Loads on EPR containment after RPV failure at high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, G.

1995-01-01

As regards the desgin of the EPR, the general strategy is to eliminate, the vessel failure at high pressure by preventive and mitigative measures. The design proposals involved trust in the reliability of dedicated devices (relief valves) for rapid depressurization. The aim is to attain a lower pressure level at the moment of vessel failure, so that the containment is capable to cope with the blowdown impact on the pit walls and the vessel supporting structures. Nevertheless, the potential of a high-pressure failure of the vessel must be kept in mind, whatever well thought-out and reliable preventive depressurization measures might be. Therefore, the reactor pressure blowdown has been studied in order to quantify the ultimate containment load, which might support future design requirements. The calculations were performed with the LWR transient analysis thermal-hydraulics computer code REALAP5/MOD3. In previous analyses, the nodalization of the problem was based on the geometrical conditions of a typical German 1300 MW(e) NPP. In the present analysis a new input model has been used, which was based on the EPR conditions. (orig./HP)

Recoil Reactions in Neutron-Activation Analysis. The Szilard-Chalmers Effect Applied in the Analysis of Biological Samples; II. Transfer of Activities from Container Material to Sample

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brune, D

1965-01-15

The present investigation consists of two parts. The one part concerns the application of the Szilard-Chalmers effect in the separation of activities from neutron-irradiated biological material. The nuclides As-76, Au-198, Br-82, Ca-47, Cd-115, Cl-38, Co-60, Cr-51, Cs-134, Cu-64, Fe-59, Mg-27, Mo-99, Na-24, P-32, Rb-86, Se-75 and Zn-65 were extracted from either liver tissue, whole blood or muscle tissue. The extractions were made in water, 0.1 N HCl, 1 N HCl or conc. HCl respectively. The nuclides belonging to the alkali metals together with Br and Cl, were found present in the water and hydrochloric extracts to 96 per cent or more. In the conc. HCl extracts, the greater part of the nuclides were recovered to 90 per cent or more. The enrichment of the different nuclides obtained in the Szilard-Chalmers process was investigated as follows. After extraction of the nuclides from the irradiated material the solution obtained was divided into two parts, one of which was reactivated. The specific activities of the nuclides in the two solutions were then compared, thus giving the enrichment factor In one case, the residue of organic material after extraction was reactivated and the activity compared to the initial one. The effect of dilution together with the application of short irradiation periods favouring higher yield was investigated in the separation of Fe-59 from whole blood samples irradiated in frozen conditions. The other part of the investigation concerns an estimation of the amounts of the activities originating from polyethylene and quartz containers transferred to container surface due to the recoil effect in the thermal neutron-capture process, thus causing contamination of the sample. The universal range-energy relationship given by Lindhard and Scharff has been applied in these calculations. As regards containers with impurities in the ppm region, the amounts of activities transferred owing to this effect were found to be quite negligible. However, when

Simple transmission Raman measurements using a single multivariate model for analysis of pharmaceutical samples contained in capsules of different colors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yeojin; Kim, Jaejin; Lee, Sanguk; Woo, Young-Ah; Chung, Hoeil

2012-01-30

Direct transmission Raman measurements for analysis of pharmaceuticals in capsules are advantageous since they can be used to determine active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) concentrations in a non-destructive manner and with much less fluorescence background interference from the capsules themselves compared to conventional back-scattering measurements. If a single calibration model such as developed from spectra simply collected in glass vials could be used to determine API concentrations of samples contained in capsules of different colors rather than constructing individual models for each capsule color, the utility of transmission measurements would be further enhanced. To evaluate the feasibility, transmission Raman spectra of binary mixtures of ambroxol and lactose were collected in a glass vial and a partial least squares (PLS) model for the determination of ambroxol concentration was developed. Then, the model was directly applied to determine ambroxol concentrations of samples contained in capsules of 4 different colors (blue, green, white and yellow). Although the prediction performance was slightly degraded when the samples were placed in blue or green capsules, due to the presence of weak fluorescence, accurate determination of ambroxol was generally achieved in all cases. The prediction accuracy was also investigated when the thickness of the capsule was varied. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use the Bar Code System to Improve Accuracy of the Patient and Sample Identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Chuang, Shu-Hsia; Yeh, Huy-Pzu; Chi, Kun-Hung; Ku, Hsueh-Chen

2018-01-01

In time and correct sample collection were highly related to patient's safety. The sample error rate was 11.1%, because misbranded patient information and wrong sample containers during January to April, 2016. We developed a barcode system of "Specimens Identify System" through process of reengineering of TRM, used bar code scanners, add sample container instructions, and mobile APP. Conclusion, the bar code systems improved the patient safety and created green environment.

High-resolution electron-beam patternable nanocomposite containing metal nanoparticles for plasmonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abargues, R; Marques-Hueso, J; Canet-Ferrer, J; Pedrueza, E; Valdes, J L; Jimenez, E; MartInez-Pastor, J P

2008-01-01

Polymer nanocomposites containing noble metal nanoparticles are promising materials for plasmonic applications. In this paper, we report on a high-resolution negative-tone nanocomposite resist based on poly(vinyl alcohol) where silver nanoparticles and nanopatterns are simultaneously generated by electron-beam lithography. Our results indicate nanostructures with a relatively high concentration of nanoparticles and, consequently, an electromagnetic coupling among the nanoparticles. Therefore, the patternable nanocomposite described in this work may be a suitable material for future plasmonic circuitry

A multi-probe thermophoretic soot sampling system for high-pressure diffusion flames

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vargas, Alex M.; Gülder, Ömer L. [Institute for Aerospace Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T6 (Canada)

2016-05-15

Optical diagnostics and physical probing of the soot processes in high pressure combustion pose challenges that are not faced in atmospheric flames. One of the preferred methods of studying soot in atmospheric flames is in situ thermophoretic sampling followed by transmission electron microscopy imaging and analysis for soot sizing and morphology. The application of this method of sampling to high pressures has been held back by various operational and mechanical problems. In this work, we describe a rotating disk multi-probe thermophoretic soot sampling system, driven by a microstepping stepper motor, fitted into a high-pressure chamber capable of producing sooting laminar diffusion flames up to 100 atm. Innovative aspects of the sampling system design include an easy and precise control of the sampling time down to 2.6 ms, avoidance of the drawbacks of the pneumatic drivers used in conventional thermophoretic sampling systems, and the capability to collect ten consecutive samples in a single experimental run. Proof of principle experiments were performed using this system in a laminar diffusion flame of methane, and primary soot diameter distributions at various pressures up to 10 atm were determined. High-speed images of the flame during thermophoretic sampling were recorded to assess the influence of probe intrusion on the flow field of the flame.

High-performance electrically conductive silver paste prepared by silver-containing precursor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Jianguo; Cao, Yu; Li, Xiangyou; Wang, Xiaoye; Zeng, Xiaoyan [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, College of Optoelectronics Science and Engineering, Wuhan (China)

2010-09-15

A high-performance electrically conductive silver paste with no solid particles before drying and/or sintering is developed, in which silver-containing precursor is employed as conductive functional phase. Thermogravimetry analysis, volume electrical resistivity tests and sintering experiments show that the paste with about 14 wt.% silver pristine content is able to achieve the volume electrical resistivity of (2-3) x 10{sup -5} {omega} cm after it is sintered at 220 C. A micro-pen direct-writing process indicates that it is very suitable for the fabrication of high-resolution (25 {mu}m) and high-integration devices and apparatus. (orig.)

Production of vegetation samples containing radionuclides gamma emitters to attend the interlaboratory programs; Producao de amostras de vegetacao contendo radionuclideos emissores gama para participar de programas interlaboratoriais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Souza, Poliana Santos de

2016-07-01

The production of environmental samples such as soil, sediment, water and vegetation with radionuclides for intercomparison tests is a very important contribution to environmental monitoring. Laboratories that carry out such monitoring need to demonstrate that their results are reliable. The IRD National Intercomparison Program (PNI) produces and distributes environmental samples containing radionuclides used to check the laboratories performance. This work demonstrates the feasibility of producing vegetation (grass) samples containing {sup 60}Co, {sup 65}Zn, {sup 134}Cs, and {sup 137}Cs by the spike sample method for the PNI. The preparation and the statistical tests followed the ISO guides 34 and 35 recommendations. The grass samples were dried, ground and passed through a sieve of 250 μm. 500 g of vegetation was treated in each procedure. Samples were treated by two different procedures:1) homogenizing of the radioactive solution containing vegetation by hand and drying in an oven and 2) homogenizing of the radioactive solution containing the vegetation in a rotatory evaporator and drying in an oven. The theoretical activity concentration of the radionuclides in the grass had a range of 593 Bq/kg to 683 Bq/kg. After gamma spectrometry analysis the results of both procedures were compared as accuracy, precision, homogeneity and stability. The accuracy, precision and short time stability from both methods were similar but the homogeneity test of the evaporation method was not approved for the radionuclides {sup 60}Co and {sup 134}Cs. Based on comparisons between procedures was chosen the manual agitation procedure for the grass sample for the PNI. The accuracy of the procedure, represented by the uncertainty and based on theoretical value had a range between -1.1 and 5.1% and the precision between 0.6 a 6.5 %. This result show is the procedure chosen for the production of grass samples for PNI. (author)

H1259 Container Foams: Performance Data on Aged Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linda Domeier

2002-01-01

Samples of the three cushioning foams used in the H1259 weapon storage container were obtained in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001 and tested for density, compression set and compressive strength using the same procedures specified for acceptance testing. Foams from six containers, all about 30 years old and located at Pantex, were evaluated. The bottom cushioning foam is a General Plastics polyurethane foam and the two side pads are rebonded polyurethane foams. All the tests were carried out at room temperature. When compared to the original acceptance requirements the foams were generally in-spec for density and compressive strength at 10% strain and were generally out-of-spec for compression set and compressive strength at 50% strain. Significant variability was noted in the performance of each foam sample and even more in the container-to-container foam performance. The container-to-container variability remains the major unknown in predicting the long-term suitability of these containers for continued use. The performance of the critical bottom cushion foams was generally more uniform and closer to the specified performance than that of the rebonded foams. It was judged that all the foams were adequate for continued use as storage container foams (not shipping) under controlled conditions to mitigate temperature extremes or high impact. This archived information is important in evaluations of the continued suitability for weapon storage use of the H1259 containers and other containers using the same foam cushions

High temperature concrete composites containing organosiloxane crosslinked copolymers

Science.gov (United States)

Zeldin, A.; Carciello, N.; Kukacka, L.; Fontana, J.

High temperature polymer concrete composites comprising about 10 to 30% by weight of a liquid monomer mixture is described. It consists essentially of an organosiloxane polymer crosslinked with an olefinically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of styrene, methyl methacrylate, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, triallyl cyanurate, n-phenylmalimide, divinyl benzene and mixtures thereof. About 70 to 90% by weight of an inert inorganic filler system containing silica sand and portland cement, Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/, carbon black or mixtures thereof. Optionally a free radical initiator such as di-tert-butyl peroxide, azobisisobyutyronitrile, benzoyl peroxide, lauryl peroxide and other organic peroxides are used to initiate crosspolymerization of the monomer mixture in the presence of the inorganic filler.

Speciation of arsenic in biological samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Badal Kumar; Ogra, Yasumitsu; Anzai, Kazunori; Suzuki, Kazuo T

2004-08-01

Speciation of arsenicals in biological samples is an essential tool to gain insight into its distribution in tissues and its species-specific toxicity to target organs. Biological samples (urine, hair, fingernail) examined in the present study were collected from 41 people of West Bengal, India, who were drinking arsenic (As)-contaminated water, whereas 25 blood and urine samples were collected from a population who stopped drinking As contaminated water 2 years before the blood collection. Speciation of arsenicals in urine, water-methanol extract of freeze-dried red blood cells (RBCs), trichloroacetic acid treated plasma, and water extract of hair and fingernail was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). Urine contained arsenobetaine (AsB, 1.0%), arsenite (iAs(III), 11.3), arsenate (iAs(V), 10.1), monomethylarsonous acid (MMA(III), 6.6), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA(V), 10.5), dimethylarsinous acid (DMA(III), 13.0), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V), 47.5); fingernail contained iAs(III) (62.4%), iAs(V) (20.2), MMA(V) (5.7), DMA(III) (8.9), and DMA(V) (2.8); hair contained iAs(III) (58.9%), iAs(V) (34.8), MMA(V) (2.9), and DMA(V) (3.4); RBCs contained AsB (22.5%) and DMA(V) (77.5); and blood plasma contained AsB (16.7%), iAs(III) (21.1), MMA(V) (27.1), and DMA(V) (35.1). MMA(III), DMA(III), and iAs(V) were not found in any plasma and RBCs samples, but urine contained all of them. Arsenic in urine, fingernails, and hair are positively correlated with water As, suggesting that any of these measurements could be considered as a biomarker to As exposure. Status of urine and exogenous contamination of hair urgently need speciation of As in these samples, but speciation of As in nail is related to its total As (tAs) concentration. Therefore, total As concentrations of nails could be considered as biomarker to As exposure in the endemic areas.

Speciation of arsenic in biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, Badal Kumar; Ogra, Yasumitsu; Anzai, Kazunori; Suzuki, Kazuo T.

2004-01-01

Speciation of arsenicals in biological samples is an essential tool to gain insight into its distribution in tissues and its species-specific toxicity to target organs. Biological samples (urine, hair, fingernail) examined in the present study were collected from 41 people of West Bengal, India, who were drinking arsenic (As)-contaminated water, whereas 25 blood and urine samples were collected from a population who stopped drinking As contaminated water 2 years before the blood collection. Speciation of arsenicals in urine, water-methanol extract of freeze-dried red blood cells (RBCs), trichloroacetic acid treated plasma, and water extract of hair and fingernail was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). Urine contained arsenobetaine (AsB, 1.0%), arsenite (iAs III , 11.3), arsenate (iAs V , 10.1), monomethylarsonous acid (MMA III , 6.6), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA V , 10.5), dimethylarsinous acid (DMA III , 13.0), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA V , 47.5); fingernail contained iAs III (62.4%), iAs V (20.2), MMA V (5.7), DMA III (8.9), and DMA V (2.8); hair contained iAs III (58.9%), iAs V (34.8), MMA V (2.9), and DMA V (3.4); RBCs contained AsB (22.5%) and DMA V (77.5); and blood plasma contained AsB (16.7%), iAs III (21.1), MMA V (27.1), and DMA V (35.1). MMA III , DMA III , and iAs V were not found in any plasma and RBCs samples, but urine contained all of them. Arsenic in urine, fingernails, and hair are positively correlated with water As, suggesting that any of these measurements could be considered as a biomarker to As exposure. Status of urine and exogenous contamination of hair urgently need speciation of As in these samples, but speciation of As in nail is related to its total As (tAs) concentration. Therefore, total As concentrations of nails could be considered as biomarker to As exposure in the endemic areas

Experiments on container materials for Swiss high-level waste disposal projects. Part IV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, J.P.

1989-12-01

One concept for final disposal of high-level waste in switzerland consists of a repository at a depth of 1000 to 1500 m in the crystalline bedrock of Northern Switzerland. The waste will be placed in a container which will be required to function as a high integrity barrier for at least 100 years. This report is the fourth and last in the current series dealing with the evaluation of potential materials for such containers. Four materials were identified for further evaluation in the first of these reports: cast steel, nodular cast iron, copper and Ti-Code 12. This report deals with the problem of demonstrating that cast steel containers will not fail by stress corrosion cracking and with the problem of hydrogen produced by the reduction of water. The experimental results on pre-cracked specimens revealed no susceptibility of cast steel to stress corrosion cracking under model repository conditions. No crack growth was detected on compact DCB specimens exposed in aerobic and anaerobic groundwaters at 80 and 140 o C for 16-24 months. Cast steel remains a candidate material for high-level waste containers. As expected from thermodynamic considerations no hydrogen could be detected from copper immersed in model groundwaters at 50 o C. Hydrogen is evolved from corroding steel under anaerobic conditions. Hydrogen evolution due to corrosion of iron or steel in waste repositories has to be considered in any safety analysis; the amounts produced can be significant. Evidence todate suggests that both cast steel and copper are suitable container materials. Because the corrosion behaviour of both materials is sensitive to service conditions, in particular length of the aerobic phase, groundwater chemistry and temperature, further testing should be undertaken when a specific site has been identified. (author) 9 tabs., 11 figs., 25 refs

Forensic analysis of high explosives residues in post-blast water samples employing solid phase extraction for analyte pro-concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umi Kalsom Ahmad; Rajendran, Sumathy; Ling, Lee Woan

2008-01-01

Nitro aromatic, nitramine and nitrate ester compounds are a major group of high order explosive or better known as military explosives. Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), 1,3,5-hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro triazine (RDX), 2,4,6-trinitro-toluene (TNT), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) are secondary high explosives classified as most commonly used explosives components. There is an increasing demand for pre-concentration of these compounds in water samples as the sensitivity achieved by instrumental analytical methods for these high explosives residues are the main drawback in the application at trace levels for forensic analysis. Hence, a simple cartridge solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure was optimized as the off-line extraction and pre-concentration method to enhance the detection limit of high explosive residues using micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) methods. The SPE cartridges utilized LiChrolut EN as the SPE adsorbent. By emplying pre-concentration using SPE, the detection limits of the target analytes in water sample were lowered by more than 1000 times with good percentage recovery (>87%) for MEKC method and lowered by 120 times with more than 2 % percentage recovery for GC-ECD methods. In order to test the feasibility of the developed method to real cases, post-blast water samples were analyzed. The post-blast water samples which were collected from Baling Bom training range, Ulu Kinta, Perak contained RDX and PETN in the range of 0.05 - 0.17 ppm and 0.0124 - 0.0390 ppm respectively. (author)

Exact Sampling and Decoding in High-Order Hidden Markov Models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carter, S.; Dymetman, M.; Bouchard, G.

2012-01-01

We present a method for exact optimization and sampling from high order Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), which are generally handled by approximation techniques. Motivated by adaptive rejection sampling and heuristic search, we propose a strategy based on sequentially refining a lower-order language

Report on Status of Shipment of High Fluence Austenitic Steel Samples for Characterization and Stress Corrosion Crack Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clark, Scarlett R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Leonard, Keith J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-09-01

The goal of the Mechanisms of Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC) task in the LWRS Program is to conduct experimental research into understanding how multiple variables influence the crack initiation and crack growth in materials subjected to stress under corrosive conditions. This includes understanding the influences of alloy composition, radiation condition, water chemistry and metallurgical starting condition (i.e., previous cold work or heat treatments and the resulting microstructure) has on the behavior of materials. Testing involves crack initiation and growth testing on irradiated specimens of single-variable alloys in simulated Light Water Reactor (LWR) environments, tensile testing, hardness testing, microstructural and microchemical analysis, and detailed efforts to characterize localized deformation. Combined, these single-variable experiments will provide mechanistic understanding that can be used to identify key operational variables to mitigate or control IASCC, optimize inspection and maintenance schedules to the most susceptible materials/locations, and, in the long-term, design IASCC-resistant materials. In support of this research, efforts are currently underway to arrange shipment of “free” high fluence austenitic alloys available through Électricité de France (EDF) for post irradiation testing at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and IASCC testing at the University of Michigan. These high fluence materials range in damage values from 45 to 125 displacements per atom (dpa). The samples identified for transport to the United States, which include nine, no-cost, 304, 308 and 316 tensile bars, were relocated from the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (RIAR) in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, and received at the Halden Reactor in Halden, Norway, on August 23, 2016. ORNL has been notified that a significant amount of work is required to prepare the samples for further shipment to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The

Evolution of concentration-discharge relations revealed by high frequency diurnal sampling of stream water during spring snowmelt

Science.gov (United States)

Olshansky, Y.; White, A. M.; Thompson, M.; Moravec, B. G.; McIntosh, J. C.; Chorover, J.

2017-12-01

Concentration discharge (C-Q) relations contain potentially important information on critical zone (CZ) processes including: weathering reactions, water flow paths and nutrient export. To examine the C-Q relations in a small (3.3 km2) headwater catchment - La Jara Creek located in the Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory, daily, diurnal stream water samples were collected during spring snow melt 2017, from two flumes located in outlets of the La Jara Creek and a high elevation zero order basin within this catchment. Previous studies from this site (McIntosh et al., 2017) suggested that high frequency sampling was needed to improve our interpretation of C-Q relations. The dense sampling covered two ascending and two descending limbs of the snowmelt hydrograph, from March 1 to May 15, 2017. While Na showed inverse correlation (dilution) with discharge, most other solutes (K, Mg, Fe, Al, dissolved organic carbon) exhibited positive (concentration) or chemostatic trends (Ca, Mn, Si, dissolved inorganic carbon and dissolved nitrogen). Hysteresis in the C-Q relation was most pronounced for bio-cycled cations (K, Mg) and for Fe, which exhibited concentration during the first ascending limb followed by a chemostatic trend. A pulsed increase in Si concentration immediately after the first ascending limb in both flumes suggests mixing of deep groundwater with surface water. A continual increase in Ge/Si concentrations followed by a rapid decrease after the second rising limb may suggest a fast transition between soil water to ground water dominating the stream flow. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of selected samples across the hydrograph demonstrated pronounced changes in dissolved organic matter molecular composition with the advancement of the spring snow melt. X-ray micro-spectroscopy of colloidal material isolated from the collected water samples indicated a significant role for organic matter in the transport of inorganic colloids. Analyses of high

75 FR 41693 - Export Inspection and Weighing Waiver for High Quality Specialty Grains Transported in Containers

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-19

... Specialty Grains Transported in Containers AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration... rule to potentially make permanent the current waiver for high quality grain exported in containers... exported in containers that was established by a final rule on December 13, 2005 (70 FR 73556). This...

Water culture of the rice containing Cs-137

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yong Ho; Keum, Dong Kwon; Lim, Kwang Muk; Jun, In; Park, Doo Won

2008-10-01

Pot experiments were carried out in a greenhouse in order to produce Cs-137-containing rice seeds as a source material for use in manufacturing reference rice samples of a high Cs-137 activity. Two kinds of soil were used and two pots were prepared for each kind of soil. Rice plants were water-cultured in the pots and Cs-137 was applied to the surface water to induce a Cs-137 contamination of rice seeds via a plant uptake of Cs-137. Mature rice plants were harvested and Cs-137-containing rice seeds were obtained after some treatment of the harvested plants. These produced rice seeds are going to be provided for the KRISS so as to be used in manufacturing reference rice samples for Cs-137

High sensitivity high-resolution full range relaxometry using a fast mechanical sample shuttling device and a cryo-probe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chou, Ching-Yu [Université Paris-Saclay, NIMBE, CEA, CNRS (France); Chu, Minglee [Academia Sinica, Institute of Physics (China); Chang, Chi-Fon [Academia Sinica, Genomics Research Center (China); Yu, Tsunai; Huang, Tai-huang, E-mail: bmthh@gate.sinica.edu.tw [Academia Sinica, Institute of Biomedical Science (China); Sakellariou, Dimitris, E-mail: dimitrios.sakellariou@cea.fr [Université Paris-Saclay, NIMBE, CEA, CNRS (France)

2016-11-15

Field-dependent NMR studies of bio-molecular systems using a sample shuttling hardware operating on a high-field NMR apparatus have provided valuable structural and dynamic information. We have recently published a design of a compact sample transportation device, called “field-cycler”, which was installed in a commercial spectrometer and which provided highly precise positioning and stability during high speed shuttling. In this communication, we demonstrate the first use of a sample shuttling device on a commercial high field standard bore NMR spectrometer, equipped with a commercial triple resonance cryogenically cooled NMR probe. The performance and robustness of the hardware operating in 1D and 2D field cycling experiments, as well as the impact of the sample shuttling time on the signal intensity are discussed.

Standard test method for the analysis of refrigerant 114, plus other carbon-containing and fluorine-containing compounds in uranium hexafluoride via fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2004-01-01

1.1 This test method covers determining the concentrations of refrigerant-114, other carbon-containing and fluorine-containing compounds, hydrocarbons, and partially or completely substituted halohydrocarbons that may be impurities in uranium hexafluoride. The two options are outlined for this test method. They are designated as Part A and Part B. 1.1.1 To provide instructions for performing Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis for the possible presence of Refrigerant-114 impurity in a gaseous sample of uranium hexafluoride, collected in a "2S" container or equivalent at room temperature. The all gas procedure applies to the analysis of possible Refrigerant-114 impurity in uranium hexafluoride, and to the gas manifold system used for FTIR applications. The pressure and temperatures must be controlled to maintain a gaseous sample. The concentration units are in mole percent. This is Part A. 1.2 Part B involves a high pressure liquid sample of uranium hexafluoride. This method can be appli...

Disposal demonstration of a high integrity container (HIC) containing an EPICOR-II prefilter from Three Mile Island

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McConnell, J.W. Jr.; Tyacke, M.J.; Schmitt, R.C.; Reno, H.W.

1985-02-01

A high integrity container (HIC) was developed, tested, and certified for use in disposing of unusual low-level radioactive waste from Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2). The work was coordinated by EG and G Idaho, Inc. and funded by the US Department of Energy. A disposal demonstration using an HIC containing an EPICOR-II prefilter from TMI-2 was completed at the commercial disposal facility in the State of Washington. A Certification of Compliance was issued by the Department of Social and Health Services of the State of Washington to use the HIC in disposing of up to 50 EPICOR-II prefilters. That Certification of Compliance was issued after rigorous review of the HIC design and test program by the State and by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This report describes the processes of loading, transporting, and disposing of the demonstration HIC and briefly describes the design, testing, and approval effort leading up to the demonstration

Focused-microwave-assisted sample preparation (M8)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nobrega, J.A.; Santos, D.M.; Trevizan, L.C.; Costa, L.M.; Nogueira, A.R.A.

2002-01-01

Full text: Focused-microwave-assisted sample preparation is a suitable strategy when dealing with high masses of organic samples. However, the final acid concentration of the digestate can difficult routine analytical measurements using spectroscopic techniques. Acids could be evaporated, but this step could be slow even when using microwave-assisted heating and requires a scrubber system for acid vapor collection and neutralization. We are investigating two procedures to decrease the acid concentration of digestates. The first one is based on acid vapor phase digestion of samples contained in PTFE devices' inserted into the microwave flask. The acid solution is heated by absorption of microwave radiation, then the acid vapor partially condenses in the upper part of the reaction flask and it is partially collected in each sample container. Calcium, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn were quantitatively recovered in samples of animal and vegetable tissues. Better recoveries were attained when adding a small volume of sodium hypochlorite to the sample. This effect is probably related to the generation of chlorine in the sample container after collecting condensed acid. The second procedure developed is based on the gradual addition of liquid samples to a previously heated acid digestion mixture. This procedure was successfully applied for digestion of milk, fruit juices, and red wine. The main advantage is the possibility of digesting up to four-fold more sample using up to ten-fold lower amounts of concentrated acids. Results obtained using both digestion procedures and measurements by ICP-OES with axial view will be presented. (author)

Survey of degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bullen, D.B.; Gdowski, G.E.

1988-08-01

Three copper-based alloys and three iron- to nickel-based austenitic alloys are being considered as possible materials for fabrication of high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers. The waste will include spent fuel assemblies from reactors as well as high-level waste in borosilicate glass and will be sent to the prospective site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for disposal. The copper-based alloy materials are CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper), CDA 613 (Cu-7Al), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni). The austenitic materials are Types 304L and 316L stainless steels and Alloy 825. The waste-package containers must maintain substantially complete containment for at least 300 yr and perhaps as long as 1000 yr, and they must be retrievable from the disposal site during the first 50 yr after emplacement. The containers will be exposed to high temperatures and high gamma radiation fields from the decay of high-level waste. This volume surveys the available data on the phase stability of both groups of candidate alloys. The austenitic alloys are reviewed in terms of the physical metallurgy of the iron-chromium-nickel system, martensite transformations, carbide formation, and intermetallic-phase precipitation. The copper-based alloys are reviewed in terms of their phase equilibria and the possibility of precipitation of the minor alloying constituents. For the austenitic materials, the ranking based on phase stability is: Alloy 825 (best), Type 316L stainless steel, and then Type 304L stainless steel (worst). For the copper-based materials, the ranking is: CDA 102 (oxygen-free copper) (best), and then both CDA 715 and CDA 613. 75 refs., 24 figs., 6 tabs

Novel sample preparation method for surfactant containing suppositories: effect of micelle formation on drug recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalmár, Éva; Ueno, Konomi; Forgó, Péter; Szakonyi, Gerda; Dombi, György

2013-09-01

Rectal drug delivery is currently at the focus of attention. Surfactants promote drug release from the suppository bases and enhance the formulation properties. The aim of our work was to develop a sample preparation method for HPLC analysis for a suppository base containing 95% hard fat, 2.5% Tween 20 and 2.5% Tween 60. A conventional sample preparation method did not provide successful results as the recovery of the drug failed to fulfil the validation criterion 95-105%. This was caused by the non-ionic surfactants in the suppository base incorporating some of the drug, preventing its release. As guidance for the formulation from an analytical aspect, we suggest a well defined surfactant content based on the turbidimetric determination of the CMC (critical micelle formation concentration) in the applied methanol-water solvent. Our CMC data correlate well with the results of previous studies. As regards the sample preparation procedure, a study was performed of the effects of ionic strength and pH on the drug recovery with the avoidance of degradation of the drug during the procedure. Aminophenazone and paracetamol were used as model drugs. The optimum conditions for drug release from the molten suppository base were found to be 100 mM NaCl, 20-40 mM NaOH and a 30 min ultrasonic treatment of the final sample solution. As these conditions could cause the degradation of the drugs in the solution, this was followed by NMR spectroscopy, and the results indicated that degradation did not take place. The determined CMCs were 0.08 mM for Tween 20, 0.06 mM for Tween 60 and 0.04 mM for a combined Tween 20, Tween 60 system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alternative Dissolution Methods for Analysis of Niobium containing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was applied for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the different high purity Nb containing samples such as Nb metal, Nb2O5 and NbF5. Microwave-assisted digestion of the Nb compounds with concentrated H2SO4 in PTFE vessels produced Nb recoveries ...

The effect of sampling rate and anti-aliasing filters on high-frequency response spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Boore, David M.; Goulet, Christine

2013-01-01

The most commonly used intensity measure in ground-motion prediction equations is the pseudo-absolute response spectral acceleration (PSA), for response periods from 0.01 to 10 s (or frequencies from 0.1 to 100 Hz). PSAs are often derived from recorded ground motions, and these motions are usually filtered to remove high and low frequencies before the PSAs are computed. In this article we are only concerned with the removal of high frequencies. In modern digital recordings, this filtering corresponds at least to an anti-aliasing filter applied before conversion to digital values. Additional high-cut filtering is sometimes applied both to digital and to analog records to reduce high-frequency noise. Potential errors on the short-period (high-frequency) response spectral values are expected if the true ground motion has significant energy at frequencies above that of the anti-aliasing filter. This is especially important for areas where the instrumental sample rate and the associated anti-aliasing filter corner frequency (above which significant energy in the time series is removed) are low relative to the frequencies contained in the true ground motions. A ground-motion simulation study was conducted to investigate these effects and to develop guidance for defining the usable bandwidth for high-frequency PSA. The primary conclusion is that if the ratio of the maximum Fourier acceleration spectrum (FAS) to the FAS at a frequency fsaa corresponding to the start of the anti-aliasing filter is more than about 10, then PSA for frequencies above fsaa should be little affected by the recording process, because the ground-motion frequencies that control the response spectra will be less than fsaa . A second topic of this article concerns the resampling of the digital acceleration time series to a higher sample rate often used in the computation of short-period PSA. We confirm previous findings that sinc-function interpolation is preferred to the standard practice of using

Enhanced, targeted sampling of high-dimensional free-energy landscapes using variationally enhanced sampling, with an application to chignolin.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Patrick; Valsson, Omar; Parrinello, Michele

2016-02-02

The capabilities of molecular simulations have been greatly extended by a number of widely used enhanced sampling methods that facilitate escaping from metastable states and crossing large barriers. Despite these developments there are still many problems which remain out of reach for these methods which has led to a vigorous effort in this area. One of the most important problems that remains unsolved is sampling high-dimensional free-energy landscapes and systems that are not easily described by a small number of collective variables. In this work we demonstrate a new way to compute free-energy landscapes of high dimensionality based on the previously introduced variationally enhanced sampling, and we apply it to the miniprotein chignolin.

Enhanced, targeted sampling of high-dimensional free-energy landscapes using variationally enhanced sampling, with an application to chignolin

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Patrick; Valsson, Omar; Parrinello, Michele

2016-01-01

The capabilities of molecular simulations have been greatly extended by a number of widely used enhanced sampling methods that facilitate escaping from metastable states and crossing large barriers. Despite these developments there are still many problems which remain out of reach for these methods which has led to a vigorous effort in this area. One of the most important problems that remains unsolved is sampling high-dimensional free-energy landscapes and systems that are not easily described by a small number of collective variables. In this work we demonstrate a new way to compute free-energy landscapes of high dimensionality based on the previously introduced variationally enhanced sampling, and we apply it to the miniprotein chignolin. PMID:26787868

High energy PIXE: A tool to characterize multi-layer thick samples

Science.gov (United States)

Subercaze, A.; Koumeir, C.; Métivier, V.; Servagent, N.; Guertin, A.; Haddad, F.

2018-02-01

High energy PIXE is a useful and non-destructive tool to characterize multi-layer thick samples such as cultural heritage objects. In a previous work, we demonstrated the possibility to perform quantitative analysis of simple multi-layer samples using high energy PIXE, without any assumption on their composition. In this work an in-depth study of the parameters involved in the method previously published is proposed. Its extension to more complex samples with a repeated layer is also presented. Experiments have been performed at the ARRONAX cyclotron using 68 MeV protons. The thicknesses and sequences of a multi-layer sample including two different layers of the same element have been determined. Performances and limits of this method are presented and discussed.

Design, development and testing of a high speed door for a blast containment fixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shapiro, C.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the concept of a large door able to close over a three foot diameter hole in less than 50 milliseconds evolved during the design of a test containment fixture at the Idaho National Engineering laboratory (INEL). This facility was designed for use at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Aberdeen, Maryland. EPA regulations required new technologies for blast containment at APG, which culminated in the design of the blast chamber with a high speed door at its entrance. The main requirement of the fixture is to contain large explosion pressure pulses and explosive by-products during a variety of test scenarios. The door was designed to allow entrance of test projectiles and then to close over the entrance hole to contain explosive by-products inside the fixture. The speed of the projectile and the resultant blast pressure pulse required door closure within 56 msec. Analytical modelling of the door closure indicated velocities of up to 150 ft/sec before impact, for closure within the required time. Lightweight materials were used for the moving parts to minimize this impact force, including aluminum honeycomb composite panels and energy absorbers. Actuation was accomplished with a standard explosive bolt. High pressure nitrogen accelerated the door during closure. Time measurement for the door closer were obtained using high speed video equipment

Suitability of different containers for the sampling and storage of biogas and biomethane for the determination of the trace-level impurities--A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Arrhenius, Karine; Brown, Andrew S; van der Veen, Adriaan M H

2016-01-01

The traceable and accurate measurement of biogas impurities is essential in order to robustly assess compliance with the specifications for biomethane being developed by CEN/TC408. An essential part of any procedure aiming to determinate the content of impurities is the sampling and the transfer of the sample to the laboratory. Key issues are the suitability of the sample container and minimising the losses of impurities during the sampling and analysis process. In this paper, we review the state-of-the-art in biogas sampling with the focus on trace impurities. Most of the vessel suitability studies reviewed focused on raw biogas. Many parameters need to be studied when assessing the suitability of vessels for sampling and storage, among them, permeation through the walls, leaks through the valves or physical leaks, sorption losses and adsorption effects to the vessel walls, chemical reactions and the expected initial concentration level. The majority of these studies looked at siloxanes, for which sampling bags, canisters, impingers and sorbents have been reported to be fit-for-purpose in most cases, albeit with some limitations. We conclude that the optimum method requires a combination of different vessels to cover the wide range of impurities commonly found in biogas, which have a wide range of boiling points, polarities, water solubilities, and reactivities. The effects from all the parts of the sampling line must be considered and precautions must be undertaken to minimize these effects. More practical suitability tests, preferably using traceable reference gas mixtures, are needed to understand the influence of the containers and the sampling line on sample properties and to reduce the uncertainty of the measurement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nuclear reactor container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaki, Rika; Kawabe, Ryuhei.

1989-01-01

A venturi scrubber is connected to a nuclear reactor container. Gases containing radioactive aerosols in the container are introduced into the venturi scrubber in the form of a high speed stream under the pressure of the container. The radioactive aerosols are captured by inertia collision due to the velocity difference between the high speed gas stream and water droplets. In the case of the present invention, since the high pressure of the reactor container generated upon accident is utilized, compressor, etc. is no more required, thereby enabling to reduce the size of the aerosol removing device. Further, since no external power is used, the radioactive aerosols can be removed with no starting failure upon accidents. (T.M.)

BEAMGAA. A chance for high precision analysis of big samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goerner, W.; Berger, A.; Haase, O.; Segebade, Chr.; Alber, D.; Monse, G.

2005-01-01

In activation analysis of traces in small samples, the non-equivalence of the activating radiation doses of sample and calibration material gives rise to sometimes tolerable systematic errors. Conversely, analysis of major components usually demands high trueness and precision. To meet this, beam geometry activation analysis (BEAMGAA) procedures have been developed for instrumental photon (IPAA) and neutron activation analysis (INAA) in which the activating neutron/photon beam exhibits broad, flat-topped characteristics. This results in a very low lateral activating flux gradient compared to known radiation facilities, however, at significantly lower flux density. The axial flux gradient can be accounted for by a monitor-sample-monitor assembly. As a first approach, major components were determined in high purity substances as well as selenium in a cattle fodder additive. (author)

Synthesis of all-silica zeolites from highly concentrated gels containing hexamethonium cations

KAUST Repository

Liu, Xiaolong; Ravon, Ugo; Tuel, Alain

2012-01-01

A pure and highly crystalline all-silica EU-1 zeolite has been obtained from the crystallization of gels containing very low water contents in the presence of hexamethonium cations. Decreasing the water content in the gel down to H 2O/Si < 1

Technology Development and Advanced Planning for Curation of Returned Mars Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Lindstrom, David J.; Allen, Carlton C.

2002-01-01

NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) curates extraterrestrial samples, providing the international science community with lunar rock and soil returned by the Apollo astronauts, meteorites collected in Antarctica, cosmic dust collected in the stratosphere, and hardware exposed to the space environment. Curation comprises initial characterization of new samples, preparation and allocation of samples for research, and clean, secure long-term storage. The foundations of this effort are the specialized cleanrooms (class 10 to 10,000) for each of the four types of materials, the supporting facilities, and the people, many of whom have been doing detailed work in clean environments for decades. JSC is also preparing to curate the next generation of extraterrestrial samples. These include samples collected from the solar wind, a comet, and an asteroid. Early planning and R\\&D are underway to support post-mission sample handling and curation of samples returned from Mars. One of the strong scientific reasons for returning samples from Mars is to search for evidence of current or past life in the samples. Because of the remote possibility that the samples may contain life forms that are hazardous to the terrestrial biosphere, the National Research Council has recommended that all samples returned from Mars be kept under strict biological containment until tests show that they can safely be released to other laboratories. It is possible that Mars samples may contain only scarce or subtle traces of life or prebiotic chemistry that could readily be overwhelmed by terrestrial contamination . Thus, the facilities used to contain, process, and analyze samples from Mars must have a combination of high-level biocontainment and organic / inorganic chemical cleanliness that is unprecedented. JSC has been conducting feasibility studies and developing designs for a sample receiving facility that would offer biocontainment at least the equivalent of current maximum containment BSL-4 (Bio

Stability of penicillin G sodium diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection and stored in polyvinyl chloride bag containers and elastomeric pump containers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, Mirza Akram; Friciu, Mihaela; Aubin, Sebastien; Leclair, Grégoire

2014-04-15

The stability of penicillin G sodium solutions stored in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bags or elastomeric pump containers was studied. Test samples were prepared by diluting powdered penicillin G sodium (10 million units/10-mL vial) to solutions of 2,500 or 50,000 units/mL with 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection. The preparations were transferred to 250-mL PVC bags and elastomeric pump containers. All samples were prepared in triplicate and stored at 5°C. Chemical stability was measured by a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay and by pH evaluation. Particulate matter was evaluated according to compendial standards using a light-obscuration particle count test. Preparations were visually examined throughout the study. After 21 days of storage, all test samples remained chemically stable, with an HPLC assay recovery value of more than 90% of the initial value. After 28 days, all samples prepared with either diluent and stored in PVC bags, as well as the samples diluted to 2,500 units/mL with sodium chloride injection and stored in elastomeric pump containers, did not meet the recovery acceptance limit. For all test samples, the mean pH consistently decreased during storage, from about 6.4 to about 5.5. Particle counts remained acceptable throughout the study, and no change in appearance was observed. Penicillin G for injection (2,500 and 50,000 units/mL) diluted in 0.9% sodium chloride injection or 5% dextrose injection and stored at 5°C in PVC containers or elastomeric pump containers was physically and chemically stable for a period of at least 21 days.

Radiolysis products and sensory properties of electron-beam-irradiated high-barrier food-packaging films containing a buried layer of recycled low-density polyethylene.

Science.gov (United States)

Chytiri, S D; Badeka, A V; Riganakos, K A; Kontominas, M G

2010-04-01

The aim was to study the effect of electron-beam irradiation on the production of radiolysis products and sensory changes in experimental high-barrier packaging films composed of polyamide (PA), ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Films contained a middle buried layer of recycled LDPE, while films containing 100% virgin LDPE as the middle buried layer were taken as controls. Irradiation doses ranged between zero and 60 kGy. Generally, a large number of radiolysis products were produced during electron-beam irradiation, even at the lower absorbed doses of 5 and 10 kGy (approved doses for food 'cold pasteurization'). The quantity of radiolysis products increased with irradiation dose. There were no significant differences in radiolysis products identified between samples containing a recycled layer of LDPE and those containing virgin LDPE (all absorbed doses), indicating the 'functional barrier' properties of external virgin polymer layers. Sensory properties (mainly taste) of potable water were affected after contact with irradiated as low as 5 kGy packaging films. This effect increased with increasing irradiation dose.

Experiments on container materials for Swiss high-level waste disposal projects. Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, J.P.

1984-12-01

The present concept for final disposal of high-level waste in Switzerland consists of a repository at a depth of 1000 to 1500 m in the crystalline bedrock of northern Switzerland. The waste will be placed in a container which is required to function as a high integrity barrier for at least 1000 years. This report is the second of a set of two dealing with the evaluation of potential materials for such containers. Four materials were identified for further evaluation in the first of these reports; they were cast steel, nodular cast iron, copper and Ti-Code 12. It was concluded that some testing was needed, in particular with respect to corrosion, in order to confirm these materials as candidate container materials. The experimental programme included: 1) corrosion tests on copper under gamma radiation; 2) immersion corrosion tests on the four candidate materials including welded specimens; 3) corrosion testing of the four materials in saturated bentonite; 4) constant strain rate testing of Ti-Code 12 and copper at 80 degrees C; 5) the behaviour of copper, Ti-Code 12 and Zircaloy-2 when immersed in liquid lead; 6) corrosion potential and galvanic current measurements on several material pairs. The standard test medium was natural mineral water from the Bad Saeckingen source. This water has a total dissolved solids content of approx. 3200 mg/l, about 1600 mg/l as chloride. The oxygen level was defined as 0.1 μg/g. In certain cases this medium was modified in order to test under more severe conditions. The results of the corrosion tests confirm in general the evaluation in the first part of the report. All of the materials are suitable for high-level waste containers: cast steel, nodular cast iron and copper as single layer containers, and Ti-Code 12 as an outer corrosion resistant layer. Copper could also be used under an outer steel layer, where it could arrest local penetration

Preliminary study of the characteristics of a high Mg containing Al-Mg-Si alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, F; McKay, B J; Fan, Z; Chen, M F

2012-01-01

An Al-20Mg-4Si high Mg containing alloy has been produced and its characteristics investigated. The as-cast alloy revealed primary Mg 2 Si particles evenly distributed throughout an α-Al matrix with a β-Al 3 Mg 2 fully divorced eutectic phase observed in interdendritic regions. The Mg 2 Si particles displayed octahedral, truncated octahedral, and hopper morphologies. Additions of Sb, Ti and Zr had a refining influence reducing the size of the Mg 2 Si from 52 ± 4 μm to 25 ± 0.1 μm, 35 ± 1 μm and 34 ± 1 μm respectively. HPDC tensile test samples could be produced with a 0.6 wt.% Mn addition which prevented die soldering. Solution heating for 1 hr was found to dissolve the majority of the Al 3 Mg 2 eutectic phase with no evidence of any effect on the primary Mg 2 Si. Preliminary results indicate that the heat treatment has a beneficial effect on the elongation and the UTS.

Raman spectroscopy for forensic examination of β-ketophenethylamine "legal highs": reference and seized samples of cathinone derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Samantha P; Bell, Steven E J; Fletcher, Nicholas C; Bouazzaoui, Samira; Ho, Yen Cheng; Speers, S James; Peters, K Laota

2012-01-20

Raman spectra of a representative range of β-ketophenethylamine (β-KP), the rapidly growing family of cathinone-related "legal high" recreational drugs, have been recorded. These spectra showed characteristic changes that were associated with the pattern of substitution on the aromatic rings, for example, the compounds carrying substituents at the 4- position could be distinguished from 3,4-methylenedioxy "ecstasy" derivatives. They also showed small but detectable changes with differences in substitution on the ethylamine substituent. These features allowed the β-KPs present in seized casework samples to be identified. The seized samples typically contained only small amounts of bulking agents, which meant that the band intensities of these components within averaged data were very small. In contrast, grid sampling normally gave at least some spectra which had a higher than average proportion of the bulking agent(s), which allowed them to also be identified. This study therefore demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy can be used both to provide a rapid, non-destructive technique for identification of this class of drugs in seized samples and to detect minor constituents, giving a composition profile which can be used for drugs intelligence work. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High level waste containing granules coated and embedded in metal as an alternative to HLW glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neumann, W.

1980-01-01

Simulated high level waste containing granules were overcoated with pyrocarbon or nickel respectively. The coatings were performed by the use of chemical vapour deposition in a fluidized bed. The coated granules were embedded in an aluminium-silicon-alloy to improve the dissipation of radiation induced heat. The metal-granules-composites obtained were of improved product stability related to the high level waste containing glasses. (orig.) [de

Quantitative portable gamma spectroscopy sample analysis for non-standard sample geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enghauser, M.W.; Ebara, S.B.

1997-01-01

Utilizing a portable spectroscopy system, a quantitative method for analysis of samples containing a mixture of fission and activation products in nonstandard geometries was developed. The method can be used with various sample and shielding configurations where analysis on a laboratory based gamma spectroscopy system is impractical. The portable gamma spectroscopy method involves calibration of the detector and modeling of the sample and shielding to identify and quantify the radionuclides present in the sample. The method utilizes the intrinsic efficiency of the detector and the unattenuated gamma fluence rate at the detector surface per unit activity from the sample to calculate the nuclide activity and Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA). For a complex geometry, a computer code written for shielding applications (MICROSHIELD) is utilized to determine the unattenuated gamma fluence rate per unit activity at the detector surface. Lastly, the method is only applicable to nuclides which emit gamma rays and cannot be used for pure beta emitters. In addition, if sample self absorption and shielding is significant, the attenuation will result in high MDA's for nuclides which solely emit low energy gamma rays. The following presents the analysis technique and presents verification results demonstrating the accuracy of the method

White-Beam X-ray Diffraction and Radiography Studies on High-Boron Containing Borosilicate Glass at High Pressures

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Kathryn; Vohra, Yogesh; Kono, Yoshio; Wereszczak, Andrew; Patel, Parimal

Multi-angle energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction studies and white-beam x-ray radiography were conducted with a cylindrically shaped (1 mm diameter and 0.7 mm high) high-boron content borosilicate glass sample (17.6% B2O3) to a pressure of 13.7 GPa using a Paris-Edinburgh (PE) press at Beamline 16-BM-B, HPCAT of the Advanced Photon Source. The measured structure factor S(q) to large q = 19 Å-1, is used to determine information about the internuclear bond distances between various species of atoms within the glass sample. Sample pressure was determined with gold as a pressure standard. The sample height as measured by radiography showed an overall uniaxial compression of 22.5 % at 13.7 GPa with 10.6% permanent compaction after decompression to ambient conditions. The reduced pair distribution function G(r) was extracted and Si-O, O-O, and Si-Si bond distances were measured as a function of pressure. Raman spectroscopy of pressure recovered sample as compared to starting material showed blue-shift and changes in intensity and widths of Raman bands associated with silicate and B3O6 boroxol rings. US Army Research Office under Grant No. W911NF-15-1-0614.

Passive containment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleimola, F.W.

1977-01-01

Disclosed is a containment system that provides complete protection entirely by passive means for the loss of coolant accident in a nuclear power plant and wherein all stored energy released in the coolant blowdown is contained and absorbed while the nuclear fuel is prevented from over-heating by a high containment back-pressure and a reactor vessel refill system. The primary containment vessel is restored to a high sub-atmospheric pressure within a few minutes after accident initiation and the decay heat is safely transferred to the environment while radiolytic hydrogen is contained by passive means. 20 claims, 14 figures

Reactor container structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yoshimi; Fukuda, Yoshio.

1993-01-01

A main container of an FBR type reactor using liquid sodium as coolants is attached to a roof slug. The main container contains, as coolants, lower temperature sodium, and high temperature sodium above a reactor core and a partitioning plate. The main container has a structure comprising only longitudinal welded joints in parallel with axial direction in the vicinity of the liquid surface of high temperature sodium where a temperature gradient is steep and great thermal stresses are caused without disposing lateral welded joints in perpendicular to axial direction. Only the longitudinal welded joints having a great fatigue strength are thus disposed in the vicinity of the liquid surface of the high temperature sodium where axial thermal stresses are caused. This can improve reliability of strength at the welded portions of the main container against repeating thermal stresses caused in vicinity of the liquid surface of the main container from a view point of welding method. (I.N.)

A Study on the Evaluation of Field Application of High-Fluidity Concrete Containing High Volume Fly Ash

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yun-Wang Choi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the recent concrete industry, high-fluidity concrete is being widely used for the pouring of dense reinforced concrete. Normally, in the case of high-fluidity concrete, it includes high binder contents, so it is necessary to replace part of the cement through admixtures such as fly ash to procure economic feasibility and durability. This study shows the mechanical properties and field applicability of high-fluidity concrete using mass of fly ash as alternative materials of cement. The high-fluidity concrete mixed with 50% fly ash was measured to manufacture concrete that applies low water/binder ratio to measure the mechanical characteristics as compressive strength and elastic modulus. Also, in order to evaluate the field applicability, high-fluidity concrete containing high volume fly ash was evaluated for fluidity, compressive strength, heat of hydration, and drying shrinkage of concrete.

Structural determination of ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) containing high degree of controlled long-chain branching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitra, Susanta; Jørgensen, Mikkel; Pedersen, Walther Batsberg

2009-01-01

findings and the available theories, an attempt was made to identify the chemical nature and degree of LCB. This study reveals the possibility of detailed characterization of molecular architecture of EPDM containing LCB by comparing with an essentially linear EPDM in light of an existing theory. © 2009...... mass and the presence of LCB. Both rubbers contained 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) as diene. Solution cast films of pure EPDM samples were used for different characterization techniques. 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR were used for assessing the comonomer ratios and LCB. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC...

Highly Dispersed Nickel-Containing Mesoporous Silica with Superior Stability in Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane: The Effect of Anchoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenjia Cai

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A series of nickel-containing mesoporous silica samples (Ni-SiO2 with different nickel content (3.1%–13.2% were synthesized by the evaporation-induced self-assembly method. Their catalytic activity was tested in carbon dioxide reforming of methane. The characterization results revealed that the catalysts, e.g., 6.7%Ni-SiO2, with highly dispersed small nickel particles, exhibited excellent catalytic activity and long-term stability. The metallic nickel particle size was significantly affected by the metal anchoring effect between metallic nickel particles and unreduced nickel ions in the silica matrix. A strong anchoring effect was suggested to account for the remaining of small Ni particle size and the improved catalytic performance.

High throughput and accurate serum proteome profiling by integrated sample preparation technology and single-run data independent mass spectrometry analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lin; Zheng, Jiaxin; Yu, Quan; Chen, Wendong; Xing, Jinchun; Chen, Chenxi; Tian, Ruijun

2018-03-01

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based serum proteome analysis is extremely challenging due to its high complexity and dynamic range of protein abundances. Developing high throughput and accurate serum proteomic profiling approach capable of analyzing large cohorts is urgently needed for biomarker discovery. Herein, we report a streamlined workflow for fast and accurate proteomic profiling from 1μL of blood serum. The workflow combined an integrated technique for highly sensitive and reproducible sample preparation and a new data-independent acquisition (DIA)-based MS method. Comparing with standard data dependent acquisition (DDA) approach, the optimized DIA method doubled the number of detected peptides and proteins with better reproducibility. Without protein immunodepletion and prefractionation, the single-run DIA analysis enables quantitative profiling of over 300 proteins with 50min gradient time. The quantified proteins span more than five orders of magnitude of abundance range and contain over 50 FDA-approved disease markers. The workflow allowed us to analyze 20 serum samples per day, with about 358 protein groups per sample being identified. A proof-of-concept study on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) serum samples confirmed the feasibility of the workflow for large scale serum proteomic profiling and disease-related biomarker discovery. Blood serum or plasma is the predominant specimen for clinical proteomic studies while the analysis is extremely challenging for its high complexity. Many efforts had been made in the past for serum proteomics for maximizing protein identifications, whereas few have been concerned with throughput and reproducibility. Here, we establish a rapid, robust and high reproducible DIA-based workflow for streamlined serum proteomic profiling from 1μL serum. The workflow doesn't need protein depletion and pre-fractionation, while still being able to detect disease-relevant proteins accurately. The workflow is promising in clinical application

Wet gas sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Welker, T.F.

1997-07-01

The quality of gas has changed drastically in the past few years. Most gas is wet with hydrocarbons, water, and heavier contaminants that tend to condense if not handled properly. If a gas stream is contaminated with condensables, the sampling of that stream must be done in a manner that will ensure all of the components in the stream are introduced into the sample container as the composite. The sampling and handling of wet gas is extremely difficult under ideal conditions. There are no ideal conditions in the real world. The problems related to offshore operations and other wet gas systems, as well as the transportation of the sample, are additional problems that must be overcome if the analysis is to mean anything to the producer and gatherer. The sampling of wet gas systems is decidedly more difficult than sampling conventional dry gas systems. Wet gas systems were generally going to result in the measurement of one heating value at the inlet of the pipe and a drastic reduction in the heating value of the gas at the outlet end of the system. This is caused by the fallout or accumulation of the heavier products that, at the inlet, may be in the vapor state in the pipeline; hence, the high gravity and high BTU. But, in fact, because of pressure and temperature variances, these liquids condense and form a liquid that is actually running down the pipe as a stream or is accumulated in drips to be blown from the system. (author)

High-pressure oxygenation of thin-wall YBCO single-domain samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaud, X; Savchuk, Y; Sergienko, N; Prikhna, T; Diko, P

2008-01-01

The oxygen annealing of ReBCO bulk material, necessary to achieve superconducting properties, usually induces micro- and macro-cracks. This leads to a crack-assisted oxygenation process that allows oxygenating large bulk samples faster than single crystals. But excellent superconducting properties are cancelled by the poor mechanical ones. More progressive oxygenation strategy has been shown to reduce drastically the oxygenation cracks. The problem then arises to keep a reasonable annealing time. The concept of bulk Y123 single-domain samples with thin-wall geometry has been introduced to bypass the inherent limitation due to a slow oxygen diffusion rate. But it is not enough. The use of a high oxygen pressure (16 MPa) enables to speed up further the process. It introduces a displacement in the equilibrium phase diagram towards higher temperatures, i.e., higher diffusion rates, to achieve a given oxygen content in the material. Remarkable results were obtained by applying such a high pressure oxygen annealing process on thin-wall single-domain samples. The trapped field of 16 mm diameter Y123 thin-wall single-domain samples was doubled (0.6T vs 0.3T at 77K) using an annealing time twice shorter (about 3 days). The initial development was made on thin bars. The advantage of thin-wall geometry is that such an annealing can be applied directly to a much larger sample

High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield in Band Gap Tunable Bromide Containing Mixed Halide Perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter-Fella, Carolin M; Li, Yanbo; Amani, Matin; Ager, Joel W; Toma, Francesca M; Yablonovitch, Eli; Sharp, Ian D; Javey, Ali

2016-01-13

Hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite based semiconductor materials are attractive for use in a wide range of optoelectronic devices because they combine the advantages of suitable optoelectronic attributes and simultaneously low-cost solution processability. Here, we present a two-step low-pressure vapor-assisted solution process to grow high quality homogeneous CH3NH3PbI3-xBrx perovskite films over the full band gap range of 1.6-2.3 eV. Photoluminescence light-in versus light-out characterization techniques are used to provide new insights into the optoelectronic properties of Br-containing hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites as a function of optical carrier injection by employing pump-powers over a 6 orders of magnitude dynamic range. The internal luminescence quantum yield of wide band gap perovskites reaches impressive values up to 30%. This high quantum yield translates into substantial quasi-Fermi level splitting and high "luminescence or optically implied" open-circuit voltage. Most importantly, both attributes, high internal quantum yield and high optically implied open-circuit voltage, are demonstrated over the entire band gap range (1.6 eV ≤ Eg ≤ 2.3 eV). These results establish the versatility of Br-containing perovskite semiconductors for a variety of applications and especially for the use as high-quality top cell in tandem photovoltaic devices in combination with industry dominant Si bottom cells.

Studies of corrosion in metallic container for storage of high level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azkarate, I.; Madina, V.; Insausti, M.

1999-01-01

The metallic container is one of the most important barriers that, along with engineered and natural barriers, will isolate high level nuclear waste in saline and granite geological formations from the geosphere. However, general and localized corrosion modes such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC), pitting, crevice corrosion and hydrogen damage can be active under disposal conditions, so the corrosion behaviour of the metal container material must be carefully studied. Several metals and their alloys have been proposed for the fabrication of nuclear waste containers including carbon steels, stainless steels, titanium and titanium alloys and copper and copper-base alloys. Carbon steels and copper alloys are considered for the two rock formations, titanium is considered for salt environments and the stainless steel only in the case of a granite formation. (Author)

Arrhenius equation modeling for the shelf life prediction of tomato paste containing a natural preservative.

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari, Seid Mahdi; Ganje, Mohammad; Dehnad, Danial; Ghanbari, Vahid; Hajitabar, Javad

2017-12-01

The shelf life of tomato paste with microencapsulated olive leaf extract was compared with that of samples containing a commercial preservative by accelerated shelf life testing. Based on previous studies showing that olive leaf extract as a rich source of phenolic compounds can have antimicrobial properties, application of its encapsulated form to improve the storage stability of tomato paste is proposed here. Regarding total soluble solids, the control and the sample containing 1000 µg g -1 sodium benzoate had the lowest (Q 10  = 1.63) and highest (Q 10  = 1.88) sensitivity to temperature changes respectively; also, the microencapsulated sample containing 1000 µg g -1 encapsulated olive leaf extract (Q 10  = 1.83) followed the sample containing 1000 µg g -1 sodium benzoate in terms of the highest kinetic rates. In the case of consistency, the lowest and highest activation energies (E a ) corresponded to samples containing 1000 µg g -1 non-encapsulated olive leaf extract and 1000 µg g -1 microencapsulated olive leaf extract respectively. Interestingly, samples containing microencapsulated olive leaf extract could maintain the original quality of the tomato paste very well, while those with non-encapsulated olive leaf extract rated the worst performance (among all specimens) in terms of maintaining their quality indices for a long time period. Overall, the shelf life equation was able to predict the consistency index of all tomato paste samples during long-time storage with high precision. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Quantification of damage in DNA recovered from highly degraded samples – a case study on DNA in faeces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eveson J Paige

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Poorly preserved biological tissues have become an important source of DNA for a wide range of zoological studies. Measuring the quality of DNA obtained from these samples is often desired; however, there are no widely used techniques available for quantifying damage in highly degraded DNA samples. We present a general method that can be used to determine the frequency of polymerase blocking DNA damage in specific gene-regions in such samples. The approach uses quantitative PCR to measure the amount of DNA present at several fragment sizes within a sample. According to a model of random degradation the amount of available template will decline exponentially with increasing fragment size in damaged samples, and the frequency of DNA damage (λ can be estimated by determining the rate of decline. Results The method is illustrated through the analysis of DNA extracted from sea lion faecal samples. Faeces contain a complex mixture of DNA from several sources and different components are expected to be differentially degraded. We estimated the frequency of DNA damage in both predator and prey DNA within individual faecal samples. The distribution of fragment lengths for each target fit well with the assumption of a random degradation process and, in keeping with our expectations, the estimated frequency of damage was always less in predator DNA than in prey DNA within the same sample (mean λpredator = 0.0106 per nucleotide; mean λprey = 0.0176 per nucleotide. This study is the first to explicitly define the amount of template damage in any DNA extracted from faeces and the first to quantify the amount of predator and prey DNA present within individual faecal samples. Conclusion We present an approach for characterizing mixed, highly degraded PCR templates such as those often encountered in ecological studies using non-invasive samples as a source of DNA, wildlife forensics investigations and ancient DNA research. This method will

Sol-gel silica-based nanocomposites containing a high PEG amount: Chemical characterization and study of biological properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Catauro, Michelina; Bollino, Flavia [Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, Second University of Naples, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE) (Italy); Gloria, Antonio [Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials - National Research Council of Italy, V.le J. F. Kennedy 54 - Mostra d’Oltremare Pad. 20, 80125 Naples (Italy)

2016-05-18

The objective of the present study was to synthesize and to characterize Silica/polyethylene glycol (SiO{sub 2}/PEG) organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing a high polymer amount (60 and 70 wt%) for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the samples are homogeneous on the nanometer scale, confirming that they are nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that the materials are class I hybrids because the two phases (SiO{sub 2} and PEG) interact by hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the possibility of using them in the biomedical field, the bioactivity and biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrids have been ascertained. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer was observed on the hybrid surface by SEM/EDX and FTIR after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, their biocompatibility was assessed by performing WST-8 cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

Sol-gel silica-based nanocomposites containing a high PEG amount: Chemical characterization and study of biological properties

Science.gov (United States)

Catauro, Michelina; Bollino, Flavia; Gloria, Antonio

2016-05-01

The objective of the present study was to synthesize and to characterize Silica/polyethylene glycol (SiO2/PEG) organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing a high polymer amount (60 and 70 wt%) for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the samples are homogeneous on the nanometer scale, confirming that they are nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that the materials are class I hybrids because the two phases (SiO2 and PEG) interact by hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the possibility of using them in the biomedical field, the bioactivity and biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrids have been ascertained. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer was observed on the hybrid surface by SEM/EDX and FTIR after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, their biocompatibility was assessed by performing WST-8 cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

Sol-gel silica-based nanocomposites containing a high PEG amount: Chemical characterization and study of biological properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Catauro, Michelina; Bollino, Flavia; Gloria, Antonio

2016-01-01

The objective of the present study was to synthesize and to characterize Silica/polyethylene glycol (SiO 2 /PEG) organic-inorganic hybrid materials containing a high polymer amount (60 and 70 wt%) for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the samples are homogeneous on the nanometer scale, confirming that they are nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that the materials are class I hybrids because the two phases (SiO 2 and PEG) interact by hydrogen bonds. To evaluate the possibility of using them in the biomedical field, the bioactivity and biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrids have been ascertained. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer was observed on the hybrid surface by SEM/EDX and FTIR after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, their biocompatibility was assessed by performing WST-8 cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

Lead corrosion evaluation in high activity nuclear waste container (Argentina)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guasp, R.; Lanzani, L.; Bruzzoni, P.; Cufre, W.; Semino, C.J.

2000-01-01

This report describes a study of high activity nuclear waste canister corrosion in a deep geological disposal. In this canister design, the vitrified nuclear waste stainless steel container is shielded by a 100 mm thick lead wall. For mechanical resistance, the canister will also have a thin carbon steel external liner. Experimental and mathematical modeling studies are aimed to asses the corrosion kinetics of the carbon steel liner in first instance and then, once this liner has been corroded away, the corrosion kinetics of the main lead barrier. Being that oxygen reduction is the main cathodic reaction that supports the anodic oxidation of iron, a model is described predicting the rate of oxygen consumption in a sealed deep nuclear waste disposal vault as a result of the canister corrosion. Oxidation processes other than container corrosion, and that can account also for oxygen depletion, are not taken into consideration. Corrosion experimental studies on lead and its alloys in groundwater are also reported. These experiments are aimed to improve the corrosion resistance of commercial lead in groundwater. (author)

Recording of interference fringe structure by femtosecond laser pulses in samples of silver-containing porous glass and thick slabs of dichromated gelatin

Science.gov (United States)

Andreeva, Olga V.; Dement'ev, Dmitry A.; Chekalin, Sergey V.; Kompanets, V. O.; Matveets, Yu. A.; Serov, Oleg B.; Smolovich, Anatoly M.

2002-05-01

The recording geometry and recording media for the method of achromatic wavefront reconstruction are discussed. The femtosecond recording on the thick slabs of dichromated gelatin and the samples of silver-containing porous glass was obtained. The applications of the method to ultrafast laser spectroscopy and to phase conjugation were suggested.

High internal phase emulsion (HIPE)-templated biopolymeric oleofilms containing an ultra-high concentration of edible liquid oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijaya, Wahyu; Van der Meeren, Paul; Dewettinck, Koen; Patel, Ashok R

2018-04-25

We report, for the first time, the fabrication of oleofilms (containing more than 97 wt% edible liquid oil) using high internal phase emulsions (with oil volume fraction φoil = 0.82) as templates. Advanced microscopy studies revealed an interesting microstructure of these films where jammed oil droplets were embedded in a dried matrix of biopolymeric complexes.

High resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy applied to bulk sample analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosanke, K.L.; Koch, C.D.; Wilson, R.D.

1980-01-01

A high resolution Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectrometer has been installed and made operational for use in routine bulk sample analysis by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation (BFEC) geochemical analysis department. The Ge(Li) spectrometer provides bulk sample analyses for potassium, uranium, and thorium that are superior to those obtained by the BFEC sodium iodide spectrometer. The near term analysis scheme permits a direct assay for uranium that corrects for bulk sample self-absorption effects and is independent of the uranium/radium disequilibrium condition of the sample. A more complete analysis scheme has been developed that fully utilizes the gamma-ray data provided by the Ge(Li) spectrometer and that more properly accounts for the sample self-absorption effect. This new analysis scheme should be implemented on the BFEC Ge(Li) spectrometer at the earliest date

BioSAXS Sample Changer: a robotic sample changer for rapid and reliable high-throughput X-ray solution scattering experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Round, Adam, E-mail: around@embl.fr; Felisaz, Franck [European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Université Grenoble Alpes–EMBL–CNRS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Fodinger, Lukas; Gobbo, Alexandre [European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Huet, Julien [European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Université Grenoble Alpes–EMBL–CNRS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Villard, Cyril [European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Blanchet, Clement E., E-mail: around@embl.fr [EMBL c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22603 Hamburg (Germany); Pernot, Petra; McSweeney, Sean [ESRF, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38000 Grenoble (France); Roessle, Manfred; Svergun, Dmitri I. [EMBL c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22603 Hamburg (Germany); Cipriani, Florent, E-mail: around@embl.fr [European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France); Université Grenoble Alpes–EMBL–CNRS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, 38042 Grenoble (France)

2015-01-01

A robotic sample changer for solution X-ray scattering experiments optimized for speed and to use the minimum amount of material has been developed. This system is now in routine use at three high-brilliance European synchrotron sites, each capable of several hundred measurements per day. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of macromolecules in solution is in increasing demand by an ever more diverse research community, both academic and industrial. To better serve user needs, and to allow automated and high-throughput operation, a sample changer (BioSAXS Sample Changer) that is able to perform unattended measurements of up to several hundred samples per day has been developed. The Sample Changer is able to handle and expose sample volumes of down to 5 µl with a measurement/cleaning cycle of under 1 min. The samples are stored in standard 96-well plates and the data are collected in a vacuum-mounted capillary with automated positioning of the solution in the X-ray beam. Fast and efficient capillary cleaning avoids cross-contamination and ensures reproducibility of the measurements. Independent temperature control for the well storage and for the measurement capillary allows the samples to be kept cool while still collecting data at physiological temperatures. The Sample Changer has been installed at three major third-generation synchrotrons: on the BM29 beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the P12 beamline at the PETRA-III synchrotron (EMBL@PETRA-III) and the I22/B21 beamlines at Diamond Light Source, with the latter being the first commercial unit supplied by Bruker ASC.

Micro-PIXE evaluation of radioactive cesium transfer in contaminated soil samples

Science.gov (United States)

Fujishiro, F.; Ishii, K.; Matsuyama, S.; Arai, H.; Ishizaki, A.; Osada, N.; Sugai, H.; Kusano, K.; Nozawa, Y.; Yamauchi, S.; Karahashi, M.; Oshikawa, S.; Kikuchi, K.; Koshio, S.; Watanabe, K.; Suzuki, Y.

2014-01-01

Micro-PIXE analysis has been performed on two soil samples with high cesium activity concentrations. These soil samples were contaminated by fallout from the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. One exhibits a radioactive cesium transfer of ˜0.01, and the other shows a radioactive cesium transfer of less than 0.001, even though both samples have high cesium activity concentrations exceeding 10,000 Bq/kg. X-ray spectra and elemental images of the soil samples revealed the presence of chlorine, which can react with cesium to produce an inorganic soluble compound, and phosphorus-containing cesium-capturable organic compounds.

Electrochemical probing of high-level radioactive waste tanks containing washed sludge and precipitates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bickford, D.F.; Congdon, J.W.; Oblath, S.B.

1986-12-01

At the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant, corrosion of carbon steel storage tanks containing alkaline, high-level radioactive waste is controlled by specification of limits on waste composition and temperature. Processes for the preparation of waste for final disposal will result in waste with low corrosion inhibitor concentrations and, in some cases, high aromatic organic concentrations, neither of which are characteristic of previous operations. Laboratory tests, conducted to determine minimum corrosion inhibitor levels indicated pitting of carbon steel near the waterline for proposed storage conditions. In situ electrochemical measurements of full-scale radioactive process demonstrations have been conducted to assess the validity of laboratory tests. Probes included pH, Eh (potential relative to a standard hydrogen electrode), tank potential, and alloy coupons. In situ results are compared to those of the laboratory tests, with particular regard given to simulated solution composition. Transition metal hydroxide sludge contains strong passivating species for carbon steel. Washed precipitate contains organic species that lower solution pH and tend to reduce passivating films, requiring higher inhibitor concentrations than the 0.01 molar nitrite required for reactor fuel reprocessing wastes. Periodic agitation, to keep the organic phase suspended, or cathodic protection are possible alternatives to higher nitrite inhibitor concentrations

CONTAIN code analyses of direct containment heating experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, D.C.; Griffith, R.O.; Tadios, E.L.; Washington, K.E.

1995-01-01

In some nuclear reactor core-melt accidents, a potential exists for molten core-debris to be dispersed into the containment under high pressure. Resulting energy transfer to the containment atmosphere can pressurize the containment. This process, known as direct containment heating (DCH), has been the subject of extensive experimental and analytical programs sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The DCH modeling has been an important focus for the development of the CONTAIN code. Results of a detailed independent peer review of the CONTAIN code were published recently. This paper summarizes work performed in support of the peer review in which the CONTAIN code was applied to analyze DCH experiments. Goals of this work were comparison of calculated and experimental results, CONTAIN DCH model assessment, and development of guidance for code users, including development of a standardized input prescription for DCH analysis

Inherent N,O-containing carbon frameworks as electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Fangyuan; Wang, Jinyan; Hu, Shui; Li, Linfei; Wang, Gang; Qiu, Jieshan; Jian, Xigao

2016-09-15

N,O-Containing micropore-dominated materials have been developed successfully via temperature-dependent cross-linking of 4,4'-(dioxo-diphenyl-2,3,6,7-tetraazaanthracenediyl)dibenzonitrile (DPDN) monomers. By employing a molecular engineering strategy, we have designed and synthesized a series of porous heteroatom-containing carbon frameworks (PHCFs), in which nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms are distributed homogeneously throughout the whole framework at the atomic level, which can ensure the stability of its electrical properties. The as-made PHCFs@550 exhibits a high specific capacitance of 378 F g -1 , with an excellent long cycling life, including excellent cycling stability (capacitance retention of ca. 120% over 20 000 cycles). Moreover, the successful preparation of PHCFs provides new insights for the fabrication of nitrogen and oxygen-containing electrode materials from readily available components via a facile route.

Chapter 12. Sampling and analytical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busenberg, E.; Plummer, L.N.; Cook, P.G.; Solomon, D.K.; Han, L.F.; Groening, M.; Oster, H.

2006-01-01

When water samples are taken for the analysis of CFCs, regardless of the sampling method used, contamination of samples by contact with atmospheric air (with its 'high' CFC concentrations) is a major concern. This is because groundwaters usually have lower CFC concentrations than those waters which have been exposed to the modern air. Some groundwaters might not contain CFCs and, therefore, are most sensitive to trace contamination by atmospheric air. Thus, extreme precautions are needed to obtain uncontaminated samples when groundwaters, particularly those with older ages, are sampled. It is recommended at the start of any CFC investigation that samples from a CFC-free source be collected and analysed, as a check upon the sampling equipment and methodology. The CFC-free source might be a deep monitoring well or, alternatively, CFC-free water could be carefully prepared in the laboratory. It is especially important that all tubing, pumps and connection that will be used in the sampling campaign be checked in this manner

High photoconductive hydrogenated silicon by reactive sputtering in helium containing atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohbiki, Tohru; Imura, Takeshi; Hiraki, Akio

1982-01-01

Mixed phase of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon-hydrogen alloys has been fabricated by reactive sputtering in He containing H 2 of which mole fraction is less than about 5 mole%. The degree of the crystallization, evaluated by electron microscopy and optical absorption spectroscopy, becomes high as the amount of H 2 in the atmosphere increases. The conductivity in dark and photoconductivity increase as the partial pressure of H 2 increases (form 0 to 1 mole%) and also as the pressure during sputtering increases. This increase in conductivity and photoconductivity is supposed to be related to the development of microcrystals. The highest photoconductivity is observed at the H 2 mole fraction of about 1 mole%. This film contains a small amount of microcrystals and show the photoconductivity higher by 2 orders of magnitude than that in a film sputter-deposited in Ar and H 2 atmosphere in the same apparatus. (author)

Heat transfer properties of organic coolants containing high boiling residues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debbage, A.G.; Driver, M.; Waller, P.R.

1964-01-01

Heat transfer measurements were made in forced convection with Santowax R, mixtures of Santowax R and pyrolytic high boiling residue, mixtures of Santowax R and CMRE Radiolytic high boiling residue, and OMRE coolant, in the range of Reynolds number 10 4 to 10 5 . The data was correlated with the equation Nu = 0.015 Re b 0.85 Pr b 0.4 with an r.m.s. error of ± 8.5%. The total maximum error arising from the experimental method and inherent errors in the physical property data has been estimated to be less than ± 8.5%. From the correlation and physical property data, the decrease in heat transfer coefficient with increasing high boiling residue concentration has been determined. It has been shown that subcooled boiling in organic coolants containing high boiling residues is a complex phenomenon and the advantages to be gained by operating a reactor in this region may be marginal. Gas bearing pumps used initially in these experiments were found to be unsuitable; a re-designed ball bearing system lubricated with a terphenyl mixture was found to operate successfully. (author)

High-throughput sample adaptive offset hardware architecture for high-efficiency video coding

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wei; Yan, Chang; Zhang, Jingzhi; Zhou, Xin

2018-03-01

A high-throughput hardware architecture for a sample adaptive offset (SAO) filter in the high-efficiency video coding video coding standard is presented. First, an implementation-friendly and simplified bitrate estimation method of rate-distortion cost calculation is proposed to reduce the computational complexity in the mode decision of SAO. Then, a high-throughput VLSI architecture for SAO is presented based on the proposed bitrate estimation method. Furthermore, multiparallel VLSI architecture for in-loop filters, which integrates both deblocking filter and SAO filter, is proposed. Six parallel strategies are applied in the proposed in-loop filters architecture to improve the system throughput and filtering speed. Experimental results show that the proposed in-loop filters architecture can achieve up to 48% higher throughput in comparison with prior work. The proposed architecture can reach a high-operating clock frequency of 297 MHz with TSMC 65-nm library and meet the real-time requirement of the in-loop filters for 8 K × 4 K video format at 132 fps.

Electrophoretic extraction of low molecular weight cationic analytes from sodium dodecyl sulfate containing sample matrices for their direct electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinde, Tristan F; Lopez, Thomas D; Dutta, Debashis

2015-03-03

While the use of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in separation buffers allows efficient analysis of complex mixtures, its presence in the sample matrix is known to severely interfere with the mass-spectrometric characterization of analyte molecules. In this article, we report a microfluidic device that addresses this analytical challenge by enabling inline electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of low molecular weight cationic samples prepared in SDS containing matrices. The functionality of this device relies on the continuous extraction of analyte molecules into an SDS-free solvent stream based on the free-flow zone electrophoresis (FFZE) technique prior to their ESI-MS analysis. The reported extraction was accomplished in our current work in a glass channel with microelectrodes fabricated along its sidewalls to realize the desired electric field. Our experiments show that a key challenge to successfully operating such a device is to suppress the electroosmotically driven fluid circulations generated in its extraction channel that otherwise tend to vigorously mix the liquid streams flowing through this duct. A new coating medium, N-(2-triethoxysilylpropyl) formamide, recently demonstrated by our laboratory to nearly eliminate electroosmotic flow in glass microchannels was employed to address this issue. Applying this surface modifier, we were able to efficiently extract two different peptides, human angiotensin I and MRFA, individually from an SDS containing matrix using the FFZE method and detect them at concentrations down to 3.7 and 6.3 μg/mL, respectively, in samples containing as much as 10 mM SDS. Notice that in addition to greatly reducing the amount of SDS entering the MS instrument, the reported approach allows rapid solvent exchange for facilitating efficient analyte ionization desired in ESI-MS analysis.

Automated high-resolution NMR with a sample changer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wade, C.G.; Johnson, R.D.; Philson, S.B.; Strouse, J.; McEnroe, F.J.

1989-01-01

Within the past two years, it has become possible to obtain high-resolution NMR spectra using automated commercial instrumentation. Software control of all spectrometer functions has reduced most of the tedious manual operations to typing a few computer commands or even making selections from a menu. Addition of an automatic sample changer is the next natural step in improving efficiency and sample throughput; it has a significant (and even unexpected) impact on how NMR laboratories are run and how it is taught. Such an instrument makes even sophisticated experiments routine, so that people with no previous exposure to NMR can run these experiments after a training session of an hour or less. This A/C Interface examines the impact of such instrumentation on both the academic and the industrial laboratory

Mass extraction container closure integrity physical testing method development for parenteral container closure systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Seung-Yil; Sagi, Hemi; Goldhammer, Craig; Li, Lei

2012-01-01

Container closure integrity (CCI) is a critical factor to ensure that product sterility is maintained over its entire shelf life. Assuring the CCI during container closure (C/C) system qualification, routine manufacturing and stability is important. FDA guidance also encourages industry to develop a CCI physical testing method in lieu of sterility testing in a stability program. A mass extraction system has been developed to check CCI for a variety of container closure systems such as vials, syringes, and cartridges. Various types of defects (e.g., glass micropipette, laser drill, wire) were created and used to demonstrate a detection limit. Leakage, detected as mass flow in this study, changes as a function of defect length and diameter. Therefore, the morphology of defects has been examined in detail with fluid theories. This study demonstrated that a mass extraction system was able to distinguish between intact samples and samples with 2 μm defects reliably when the defect was exposed to air, water, placebo, or drug product (3 mg/mL concentration) solution. Also, it has been verified that the method was robust, and capable of determining the acceptance limit using 3σ for syringes and 6σ for vials. Sterile products must maintain their sterility over their entire shelf life. Container closure systems such as those found in syringes and vials provide a seal between rubber and glass containers. This seal must be ensured to maintain product sterility. A mass extraction system has been developed to check container closure integrity for a variety of container closure systems such as vials, syringes, and cartridges. In order to demonstrate the method's capability, various types of defects (e.g., glass micropipette, laser drill, wire) were created in syringes and vials and were tested. This study demonstrated that a mass extraction system was able to distinguish between intact samples and samples with 2 μm defects reliably when the defect was exposed to air, water

Development of a testing method for asbestos fibers in treated materials of asbestos containing wastes by transmission electron microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, Takashi, E-mail: tyama@nies.go.jp [Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506 (Japan); Kida, Akiko [Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8566 (Japan); Noma, Yukio [Department of Environmental Science, Fukuoka Womens University, 1-1-1 Kasumigaoka, Higashiku, Fukuoka 813-8529 (Japan); Terazono, Atsushi [Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506 (Japan); Sakai, Shin-ichi [Environmental Preservation Research Center, Kyoto University, Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)

2014-02-15

Highlights: • A high sensitive and selective testing method for asbestos in treated materials of asbestos containing wastes was developed. • Asbestos can be determined at a limits are a few million fibers per gram and a few μg g{sup −1}. • High temperature melting treatment samples were determined by this method. Asbestos fiber concentration were below the quantitation limit in all samples, and total fiber concentrations were determined as 47–170 × 10{sup 6} g{sup −1}. - Abstract: Appropriate treatment of asbestos-containing wastes is a significant problem. In Japan, the inertization of asbestos-containing wastes based on new treatment processes approved by the Minister of the Environment is promoted. A highly sensitive method for testing asbestos fibers in inertized materials is required so that these processes can be approved. We developed a method in which fibers from milled treated materials are extracted in water by shaking, and are counted and identified by transmission electron microscopy. Evaluation of this method by using asbestos standards and simulated slag samples confirmed that the quantitation limits are a few million fibers per gram and a few μg/g in a sample of 50 mg per filter. We used this method to assay asbestos fibers in slag samples produced by high-temperature melting of asbestos-containing wastes. Fiber concentrations were below the quantitation limit in all samples, and total fiber concentrations were determined as 47–170 × 10{sup −6} f/g. Because the evaluation of treated materials by TEM is difficult owing to the limited amount of sample observable, this testing method should be used in conjunction with bulk analytical methods for sure evaluation of treated materials.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE MGR DEFENSE HIGH-LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL CONTAINER SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J.A. Ziegler

1999-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to document the Quality Assurance (QA) classification of the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) defense high-level waste disposal container system structures, systems and components (SSCs) performed by the MGR Safety Assurance Department. This analysis also provides the basis for revision of YMP/90-55Q, Q-List (YMP 1998). The Q-List identifies those MGR SSCs subject to the requirements of DOE/RW-0333PY ''Quality Assurance Requirements and Description'' (QARD) (DOE 1998)

Development of sampling systems and special analyses for pressurized gasification processes; Paineistettujen kaasutusprosessien naeytteenottomenetelmien ja erityisanalytiikan kehittaeminen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Staahlberg, P.; Oesch, P.; Leppaemaeki, E.; Moilanen, A.; Nieminen, M.; Korhonen, J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1996-12-01

The reliability of sampling methods used for measuring impurities contained in gasification gas were studied, and new methods were developed for sampling and sample analyses. The aim of the method development was to improve the representativeness of the samples and to speed up the analysis of gas composition. The study focused on tar, nitrogen and sulphur compounds contained in the gasification gas. In the study of the sampling reliability, the effects of probe and sampling line materials suitable for high temperatures and of the solids deposited in the sampling devices on gas samples drawn from the process were studied. Measurements were carried out in the temperature range of 250 - 850 deg C both in real conditions and in conditions simulating gasification gas. The durability of samples during storage was also studied. The other main aim of the study was to increase the amount of quick-measurable gas components by developing on-line analytical methods based on GC, FTIR and FI (flow injection) techniques for the measurements of nitrogen and sulphur compounds in gasification gas. As these methods are suitable only for the gases that do not contain condensing gas components disturbing the operation of analysers (heavy tar compounds, water), a sampling system operating in dilution principle was developed. The system operates at high pressures and temperatures and is suitable for gasification gases containing heavy tar compounds. The capabilities of analysing heavy tar compounds (mole weight >200 g mol) was improved by adding the amount of compounds identified and calibrated by model substances and by developing analytical methods based on the high-temperature-GC analysis and the thermogravimetric method. (author)

Steam condensation behavior of high pressure water's blow down directly into water in containment under LOCA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusunoki, Tsuyoshi; Ishida, Toshihisa; Yoritsune, Tsutomu; Kasahara, Y.

1995-01-01

JAERI has been conducting a design study of an advanced type Marine Reactor X (MRX) for merchant ships. By employing 'Integral type PWR', In-vessel type control rod drive systems', 'Water filled containment system' and 'Decay heat removal system by natural convection', MRX achieved a compact, light weight and highly safe plant. Experiments on steam condensation behavior of high pressure water's blow down into water have been conducted in order to investigate a major safety issue related to the design decision of 'Water filled containment system'. (author)

Dissociation behavior of pellet shaped mixed gas hydrate samples that contain propane as a guest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawamura, Taro; Sakamoto, Yasuhide; Ohtake, Michika; Yamamoto, Yoshitaka; Komai, Takeshi; Haneda, Hironori; Yoon, Ji-Ho; Ohga, Kotaro

2006-01-01

The dissociation kinetics of mixed gas hydrates that contain propane as a guest molecule have been investigated. The mixed gas hydrates used in this work were artificially prepared using the binary gas mixture of methane-propane and the ternary gas mixture of methane-ethane-propane. The crystal structures and the guest compositions of the mixed hydrates were clearly identified by using Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography. The dissociation rates of the gas hydrates observed under several isothermal and isobaric conditions were discussed with an analytical model. The isobaric conditions were achieved by pressurizing with mixed gases using buffer cylinders, which had similar compositions to those of the initial gases used for synthesizing each hydrate sample. Interestingly, the calculated result agreed well with the experimentally observed results only when the composition of the vapor phase was assumed to be identical with that of the hydrate phase instead of the bulk (equilibrium) gas composition

Characterization of Hanford tank wastes containing ferrocyanides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tingey, J.M.; Matheson, J.D.; McKinley, S.G.; Jones, T.E.; Pool, K.H.

1993-02-01

Currently, 17 storage tanks on the Hanford site that are believed to contain > 1,000 gram moles (465 lbs) of ferrocyanide compounds have been identified. Seven other tanks are classified as ferrocyanide containing waste tanks, but contain less than 1,000 gram moles of ferrocyanide compounds. These seven tanks are still included as Hanford Watch List Tanks. These tanks have been declared an unreviewed safety question (USQ) because of potential thermal reactivity hazards associated with the ferrocyanide compounds and nitrate and nitrite. Hanford tanks with waste containing > 1,000 gram moles of ferrocyanide have been sampled. Extensive chemical, radiothermical, and physical characterization have been performed on these waste samples. The reactivity of these wastes were also studied using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis. Actual tank waste samples were retrieved from tank 241-C-112 using a specially designed and equipped core-sampling truck. Only a small portion of the data obtained from this characterization effort will be reported in this paper. This report will deal primarily with the cyanide and carbon analyses, thermal analyses, and limited physical property measurements

Testing of a Microfluidic Sampling System for High Temperature Electrochemical MC&A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, Candido [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Nichols, Kevin [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2013-11-27

This report describes the preliminary validation of a high-temperature microfluidic chip system for sampling of electrochemical process salt. Electroanalytical and spectroscopic techniques are attractive candidates for improvement through high-throughput sample analysis via miniaturization. Further, microfluidic chip systems are amenable to micro-scale chemical processing such as rapid, automated sample purification to improve sensor performance. The microfluidic chip was tested to determine the feasibility of the system for high temperature applications and conditions under which microfluidic systems can be used to generate salt droplets at process temperature to support development of material balance and control systems in a used fuel treatment facility. In FY13, the project focused on testing a quartz microchip device with molten salts at near process temperatures. The equipment was installed in glove box and tested up to 400°C using commercial thermal transfer fluids as the carrier phase. Preliminary tests were carried out with a low-melting halide salt to initially characterize the properties of this novel liquid-liquid system and to investigate the operating regimes for inducing droplet flow within candidate carrier fluids. Initial results show that the concept is viable for high temperature sampling but further development is required to optimize the system to operate with process relevant molten salts.

Determination of phospholipids in soybean lecithin samples via the phosphorus monoxide molecule by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Pires, Laís N; Brandão, Geovani C; Teixeira, Leonardo S G

2017-06-15

This paper presents a method for determining phospholipids in soybean lecithin samples by phosphorus determination using high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF MAS) via molecular absorption of phosphorus monoxide. Samples were diluted in methyl isobutyl ketone. The best conditions were found to be 213.561nm with a pyrolysis temperature of 1300°C, a volatilization temperature of 2300°C and Mg as a chemical modifier. To increase the analytical sensitivity, measurement of the absorbance signal was obtained by summing molecular transition lines for PO surrounding 213nm: 213.561, 213.526, 213.617 and 213.637nm. The limit of detection was 2.35mgg -1 and the precision, evaluated as relative standard deviation (RSD), was 2.47% (n=10) for a sample containing 2.2% (w/v) phosphorus. The developed method was applied for the analysis of commercial samples of soybean lecithin. The determined concentrations of phospholipids in the samples varied between 38.1 and 45% (w/v). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Type-specific detection of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) in self-sampled cervicovaginal cells applied to FTA elute cartridge.

Science.gov (United States)

Gustavsson, Inger; Sanner, Karin; Lindell, Monica; Strand, Anders; Olovsson, Matts; Wikström, Ingrid; Wilander, Erik; Gyllensten, Ulf

2011-08-01

Most procedures for self-sampling of cervical cells are based on liquid-based media for transportation and storage. An alternative is to use a solid support, such as dry filter paper media. To evaluate if self-sampling of cervicovaginal fluid using a cytobrush (Viba-brush; Rovers Medical Devices B.V., Oss, The Netherlands) and a solid support such as the Whatman Indicating FTA Elute cartridge (GE Healthcare, United Kingdom) can be used for reliable typing of human papillomavirus (HPV), as compared to cervical samples obtained by a physician using a cytobrush and the indicating FTA Elute Micro card and biopsy analysis. A total of 50 women with a previous high-risk (HR) HPV positive test were invited to perform self-sampling using the Viba-brush and the FTA cartridge and thereafter a physician obtained a cervical sample using the cytobrush and a FTA card, together with a cervical biopsy for histology and HPV typing. Detection of HR-HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58 and 59 was performed using three multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. All samples contained sufficient amounts of genomic DNA and the self-samples yielded on average 3.5 times more DNA than those obtained by the physician. All women that were positive for HR-HPV in the biopsy sample also typed positive both by self-sampling and physician-obtained sampling. For women with a histological diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2-3 (CIN 2-3) all three HPV samples showed 100% concordance. A higher number of women were HPV positive by self-sampling than by physician-obtained sampling or by biopsy analysis. The Viba-brush and the FTA cartridge are suitable for self-sampling of vaginal cells and subsequent HR-HPV typing. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reinforced concrete containment structures in high seismic zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, T.S.

1977-01-01

A new structural concept for reinforced concrete containment structures at sites where earthquake ground motions in terms of the Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) exceeds 0.3 g is presented. The structural concept is based on: (1) an inner steel-lined concrete shell which houses the reactor and provides shielding and containment in the event of loss of coolant accident; (2) an outer annular concrete shell structure which houses auxiliary reactor equipment and safeguards systems. These shell structures are supported on a common foundation mat which is embedded in the subgrade. Under stipulated earthquake conditions the two shell structures interact to resist lateral inertia forces. Thus the annular structure which is not a pressure boundary acts as a lateral support for the inner containment shell. The concept is practical, economically feasible and new to practice. (Auth.)

TL response of citrine samples for high-dose dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teixeira, Maria Ines; Caldas, Linda V.E.

2011-01-01

The possibility of using samples of Brazilian stones as quartz, amethyst, topaz, etc. for high-dose dosimetry has been studied in recent years at IPEN, using the thermoluminescence technique (TL). In this work, the TL properties of citrine samples were studied. They were exposed to different doses of gamma radiation ( 60 Co). The natural citrine stone was extracted from a mine in Minas Gerais state, Brazil; it is a tectosilicate ranked as one of three-dimensional structure, showing clear yellow to golden brown color. The natural citrine stone is classified as quartz (SiO 2 ), and it has a lower symmetry and more compact reticulum. The citrine stone samples were powdered, and the selected grains were mixed with Teflon in the proportion 2 (Teflon):1 (Citrine). The mixture was pressed and sintered for production of Citrine -Teflon pellets of 50 mg. The TL emission curve showed two peaks at 160 deg C and 220 deg C. To remove the TL peak (160 deg C) of the sintered citrine pellet glow curves, different thermal treatments were tested during several time intervals. The TL dose-response curve between 50 Gy and 100 kGy, the reproducibility of TL response and the lower detection dose were obtained. The preliminary results show that citrine may be useful for high-dose dosimetry. (author)

High photoconductive hydrogenated silicon by reactive sputtering in helium containing atmosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ohbiki, Tohru; Imura, Takeshi; Hiraki, Akio

1982-08-01

Mixed phase of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon-hydrogen alloys has been fabricated by reactive sputtering in He containing H/sub 2/ of which mole fraction is less than about 5 mole%. The degree of the crystallization, evaluated by electron microscopy and optical absorption spectroscopy, becomes high as the amount of H/sub 2/ in the atmosphere increases. The conductivity in dark and photoconductivity increase as the partial pressure of H/sub 2/ increases (form 0 to 1 mole%) and also as the pressure during sputtering increases. This increase in conductivity and photoconductivity is supposed to be related to the development of microcrystals. The highest photoconductivity is observed at the H/sub 2/ mole fraction of about 1 mole%. This film contains a small amount of microcrystals and show the photoconductivity higher by 2 orders of magnitude than that in a film sputter-deposited in Ar and H/sub 2/ atmosphere in the same apparatus.

Demonstrating Reliable High Level Waste Slurry Sampling Techniques to Support Hanford Waste Processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, Steven E.

2013-11-11

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capability using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HL W) formulations. This work represents one of the remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. The TOC must demonstrate the ability to adequately mix and sample high-level waste feed to meet the WTP Waste Acceptance Criteria and Data Quality Objectives. The sampling method employed must support both TOC and WTP requirements. To facilitate information transfer between the two facilities the mixing and sampling demonstrations are led by the One System Integrated Project Team. The One System team, Waste Feed Delivery Mixing and Sampling Program, has developed a full scale sampling loop to demonstrate sampler capability. This paper discusses the full scale sampling loops ability to meet precision and accuracy requirements, including lessons learned during testing. Results of the testing showed that the Isolok(R) sampler chosen for implementation provides precise, repeatable results. The Isolok(R) sampler accuracy as tested did not meet test success criteria. Review of test data and the test platform following testing by a sampling expert identified several issues regarding the sampler used to provide reference material used to judge the Isolok's accuracy. Recommendations were made to obtain new data to evaluate the sampler's accuracy utilizing a reference sampler that follows good sampling protocol.

Demonstrating Reliable High Level Waste Slurry Sampling Techniques to Support Hanford Waste Processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Steven E.

2013-01-01

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capability using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HL W) formulations. This work represents one of the remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. The TOC must demonstrate the ability to adequately mix and sample high-level waste feed to meet the WTP Waste Acceptance Criteria and Data Quality Objectives. The sampling method employed must support both TOC and WTP requirements. To facilitate information transfer between the two facilities the mixing and sampling demonstrations are led by the One System Integrated Project Team. The One System team, Waste Feed Delivery Mixing and Sampling Program, has developed a full scale sampling loop to demonstrate sampler capability. This paper discusses the full scale sampling loops ability to meet precision and accuracy requirements, including lessons learned during testing. Results of the testing showed that the Isolok(R) sampler chosen for implementation provides precise, repeatable results. The Isolok(R) sampler accuracy as tested did not meet test success criteria. Review of test data and the test platform following testing by a sampling expert identified several issues regarding the sampler used to provide reference material used to judge the Isolok's accuracy. Recommendations were made to obtain new data to evaluate the sampler's accuracy utilizing a reference sampler that follows good sampling protocol

Alternative containers for low-level wastes containing large amounts of tritium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gause, E.P.; Lee, B.S.; MacKenzie, D.R.; Wiswall, R. Jr.

1984-11-01

High-activity tritiated waste generated in the United States is mainly composed of tritium gas and tritium-contaminated organic solvents sorbed onto Speedi-Dri which are packaged in small glass bulbs. Low-activity waste consists of solidified and adsorbed liquids. In this report, current packages for high-activity gaseous and low-activity adsorbed liquid wastes are emphasized with regard to containment potential. Containers for low-level radioactive waste containing large amounts of tritium need to be developed. An integrity may be threatened by: physical degradation due to soil corrosion, gas pressure build-up (due to radiolysis and/or biodegradation), rapid permeation of tritium through the container, and corrosion from container contents. Literature available on these points is summarized in this report. 136 references, 20 figures, 40 tables

High-level core sample x-ray imaging at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, J.R.; Keve, J.K.

1995-10-01

Waste tank sampling of radioactive high-level waste is required for continued operations, waste characterization, and site safety. Hanford Site tank farms consist of 28 double-shell and 149 single-shell underground storage tanks. The single shell tanks are out-of-service an no longer receive liquid waste. Core samples of salt cake and sludge waste are remotely obtained using truck-mounted, core drill platforms. Samples are recovered from tanks through a 2.25 inch (in.) drill pipe in 26-in. steel tubes, 1.5 in. diameter. Drilling parameters vary with different waste types. Because sample recovery has been marginal an inadequate at times, a system was needed to provide drill truck operators with ''real-time feedback'' about the physical condition of the sample and the percent recovery, prior to making nuclear assay measurements and characterizations at the analytical laboratory. The Westinghouse Hanford Company conducted proof-of-principal radiographic testing to verify the feasibility of a proposed imaging system. Tests were conducted using an iridium 192 radiography source to determine the effects of high radiation on image quality. The tests concluded that samplers with a dose rate in excess of 5000 R/hr could be imaged with only a slight loss of image quality and samples less than 1000 R/hr have virtually no effect on image quality. The Mobile Core Sample X-Ray Examination System, a portable vendor-engineered assembly, has components uniquely configured to produce a real-time radiographic system suitable for safely examining radioactive tank core segments collected at the Hanford Site. The radiographic region of interest extends from the bottom (valve) of the sampler upward 19 to 20 in. The purpose of the Mobile Core Sample X-Ray Examination System is to examine the physical contents of core samples after removal from the tank and prior to placement in an onsite transfer cask

Grain Growth in Samples of Aluminum Containing Alumina Particles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tweed, C. J.; Hansen, Niels; Ralph, B.

1983-01-01

A study of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional grain size distributions before and after grain growth treatments has been made in samples having a range of oxide contents. In order to collect statistically useful amounts of data, an automatic image analyzer was used and the resulting data w...

Uranium favorability of tertiary sedimentary rocks of the Pend Oreille River valley, Washington. [Measurement and sampling of surface sections, collection of samples from isolated outcrops, chemical and mineralogical analyses of samples, and examination of available water logs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marjaniemi, D.K.; Robins, J.W.

1975-08-01

Tertiary sedimentary rocks in the Pend Oreille River valley were investigated in a regional study to determine the favorability for potential uranium resources of northeastern Washington. This project involved measurement and sampling of surface sections, collection of samples from isolated outcrops, chemical and mineralogical analyses of samples, and examination of available water well logs. The Box Canyon Dam area north of Ione is judged to have very high favorability. Thick-bedded conglomerates interbedded with sandstones and silty sandstones compose the Tiger Formation in this area, and high radioactivity levels are found near the base of the formation. Uranophane is found along fracture surfaces or in veins. Carbonaceous material is present throughout the Tiger Formation in the area. Part of the broad Pend Oreille valley surrounding Cusick, Washington, is an area of high favorability. Potential host rocks in the Tiger Formation, consisting of arkosic sandstones interbedded with radioactive shales, probably extend throughout the subsurface part of this area. Carbonaceous material is present and some samples contain high concentrations of uranium. In addition, several other possible chemical indicators were found. The Tiger-Lost Creek area is rated as having medium favorability. The Tiger Formation contains very hard, poorly sorted granite conglomerate with some beds of arkosic sandstone and silty sandstone. The granite conglomerate was apparently derived from source rocks having relatively high uranium content. The lower part of the formation is more favorable than the upper part because of the presence of carbonaceous material, anomalously high concentrations of uranium, and other possible chemical indicators. The area west of Ione is judged to have low favorability, because of the very low permeability of the rocks and the very low uranium content. (auth)

Investigation of performance degradation of SOFC using chromium-containing alloy interconnects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beeaff, D.R.; Dinesen, A.; Hendriksen, Peter Vang

2007-01-01

The long-term aging of a stack element (fuel cell, current collectors, and interconnect materials) was studied. A pair of tests were made in which one sample contained an interconnect, a high-temperature stainless steel (Crofer 22 APU), treated with an LSMC coating applied to the cathode-side int...

Lead-iron phosphate glass as a containment medium for the disposal of high-level nuclear wastes

Science.gov (United States)

Boatner, L.A.; Sales, B.C.

1984-04-11

Disclosed are lead-iron phosphate glasses containing a high level of Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ for use as a storage medium for high-level radioactive nuclear waste. By combining lead-iron phosphate glass with various types of simulated high-level nuclear waste

Experiences in development, qualification, and use of concrete high-integrity containers in commercial disposal of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitt, R.C.; Reno, H.W.

1985-01-01

Disposal of EPICOR prefilters as commercial radioactive wastes is being accomplished by using a first-of-a-kind, reinforced concrete, high-integrity container in lieu of prior in situ solidification of resins before disposal of prefilters. Experiences in developing, testing, certifying, and using high-integrity containers are an untold story worthy of review for the benefit of the nuclear industry at large. The lessons learned in gaining regulatory acceptance of the concrete HIC are discussed

Demonstration of the Attributes of Multi-increment Sampling and Proper Sample Processing Protocols for the Characterization of Metals on DoD Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-01

unconsolidated and interbedded sands and clays with minor amounts of gravel and shell fragments. Locally, the site geology consists of impermeable clays , silts...sand, which are well sorted and can contain up to 30% clay . These swale and slough deposits are locally perennially frozen with moderate to high ice...activities include travel, related lodging and meals , labor, and the shipment of samples off site. Unique to the costs associated with sampling activities

Strategies for achieving high sequencing accuracy for low diversity samples and avoiding sample bleeding using illumina platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Abhishek; Skrzypczak, Magdalena; Ginalski, Krzysztof; Rowicka, Maga

2015-01-01

Sequencing microRNA, reduced representation sequencing, Hi-C technology and any method requiring the use of in-house barcodes result in sequencing libraries with low initial sequence diversity. Sequencing such data on the Illumina platform typically produces low quality data due to the limitations of the Illumina cluster calling algorithm. Moreover, even in the case of diverse samples, these limitations are causing substantial inaccuracies in multiplexed sample assignment (sample bleeding). Such inaccuracies are unacceptable in clinical applications, and in some other fields (e.g. detection of rare variants). Here, we discuss how both problems with quality of low-diversity samples and sample bleeding are caused by incorrect detection of clusters on the flowcell during initial sequencing cycles. We propose simple software modifications (Long Template Protocol) that overcome this problem. We present experimental results showing that our Long Template Protocol remarkably increases data quality for low diversity samples, as compared with the standard analysis protocol; it also substantially reduces sample bleeding for all samples. For comprehensiveness, we also discuss and compare experimental results from alternative approaches to sequencing low diversity samples. First, we discuss how the low diversity problem, if caused by barcodes, can be avoided altogether at the barcode design stage. Second and third, we present modified guidelines, which are more stringent than the manufacturer's, for mixing low diversity samples with diverse samples and lowering cluster density, which in our experience consistently produces high quality data from low diversity samples. Fourth and fifth, we present rescue strategies that can be applied when sequencing results in low quality data and when there is no more biological material available. In such cases, we propose that the flowcell be re-hybridized and sequenced again using our Long Template Protocol. Alternatively, we discuss how

Strategies for achieving high sequencing accuracy for low diversity samples and avoiding sample bleeding using illumina platform.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Mitra

Full Text Available Sequencing microRNA, reduced representation sequencing, Hi-C technology and any method requiring the use of in-house barcodes result in sequencing libraries with low initial sequence diversity. Sequencing such data on the Illumina platform typically produces low quality data due to the limitations of the Illumina cluster calling algorithm. Moreover, even in the case of diverse samples, these limitations are causing substantial inaccuracies in multiplexed sample assignment (sample bleeding. Such inaccuracies are unacceptable in clinical applications, and in some other fields (e.g. detection of rare variants. Here, we discuss how both problems with quality of low-diversity samples and sample bleeding are caused by incorrect detection of clusters on the flowcell during initial sequencing cycles. We propose simple software modifications (Long Template Protocol that overcome this problem. We present experimental results showing that our Long Template Protocol remarkably increases data quality for low diversity samples, as compared with the standard analysis protocol; it also substantially reduces sample bleeding for all samples. For comprehensiveness, we also discuss and compare experimental results from alternative approaches to sequencing low diversity samples. First, we discuss how the low diversity problem, if caused by barcodes, can be avoided altogether at the barcode design stage. Second and third, we present modified guidelines, which are more stringent than the manufacturer's, for mixing low diversity samples with diverse samples and lowering cluster density, which in our experience consistently produces high quality data from low diversity samples. Fourth and fifth, we present rescue strategies that can be applied when sequencing results in low quality data and when there is no more biological material available. In such cases, we propose that the flowcell be re-hybridized and sequenced again using our Long Template Protocol. Alternatively

Automated Sample Preparation for Radiogenic and Non-Traditional Metal Isotopes: Removing an Analytical Barrier for High Sample Throughput

Science.gov (United States)

Field, M. Paul; Romaniello, Stephen; Gordon, Gwyneth W.; Anbar, Ariel D.; Herrmann, Achim; Martinez-Boti, Miguel A.; Anagnostou, Eleni; Foster, Gavin L.

2014-05-01

MC-ICP-MS has dramatically improved the analytical throughput for high-precision radiogenic and non-traditional isotope ratio measurements, compared to TIMS. The generation of large data sets, however, remains hampered by tedious manual drip chromatography required for sample purification. A new, automated chromatography system reduces the laboratory bottle neck and expands the utility of high-precision isotope analyses in applications where large data sets are required: geochemistry, forensic anthropology, nuclear forensics, medical research and food authentication. We have developed protocols to automate ion exchange purification for several isotopic systems (B, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Pb and U) using the new prepFAST-MC™ (ESI, Nebraska, Omaha). The system is not only inert (all-flouropolymer flow paths), but is also very flexible and can easily facilitate different resins, samples, and reagent types. When programmed, precise and accurate user defined volumes and flow rates are implemented to automatically load samples, wash the column, condition the column and elute fractions. Unattended, the automated, low-pressure ion exchange chromatography system can process up to 60 samples overnight. Excellent reproducibility, reliability, recovery, with low blank and carry over for samples in a variety of different matrices, have been demonstrated to give accurate and precise isotopic ratios within analytical error for several isotopic systems (B, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Pb and U). This illustrates the potential of the new prepFAST-MC™ (ESI, Nebraska, Omaha) as a powerful tool in radiogenic and non-traditional isotope research.

The Statistics and Mathematics of High Dimension Low Sample Size Asymptotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Dan; Shen, Haipeng; Zhu, Hongtu; Marron, J S

2016-10-01

The aim of this paper is to establish several deep theoretical properties of principal component analysis for multiple-component spike covariance models. Our new results reveal an asymptotic conical structure in critical sample eigendirections under the spike models with distinguishable (or indistinguishable) eigenvalues, when the sample size and/or the number of variables (or dimension) tend to infinity. The consistency of the sample eigenvectors relative to their population counterparts is determined by the ratio between the dimension and the product of the sample size with the spike size. When this ratio converges to a nonzero constant, the sample eigenvector converges to a cone, with a certain angle to its corresponding population eigenvector. In the High Dimension, Low Sample Size case, the angle between the sample eigenvector and its population counterpart converges to a limiting distribution. Several generalizations of the multi-spike covariance models are also explored, and additional theoretical results are presented.

High polymer composites for containers for the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonin, H.W.; Vui, V.T.; Legault, J.-F.

1997-01-01

sufficiently shielded from the radiations emitted by the spent nuclear fuel or other high level radioactive waste, this material may well be an interesting candidate for this application. More recent work at RMC on the effects of radiations on PEEK has demonstrated that this polymer thermoplastic material was even superior to epoxies under radiation environments. Part of this research concentrated on the estimation of the doses accumulated in the container wall over the years using three basic models for the container: one without filling material, one with glass beads as proposed by AECL, and one using thorium dioxide (ThO 2 ) as filling material. This choice is based on the excellent physical and chemical properties of this compound (resistance to corrosion in particular) and to the expected low cost since thorium is usually discarded in the tailings of uranium mine concentrating plants. The dose calculations were carried out using the Microshield software and showed that both the epoxy and the PEEK could maintain structural integrity provided that they are shielded sufficiently against the radiations emitted by the high level radioactive waste. This research investigated also the resistance to the mechanical forces to which the container walls would be submitted in the underground vaults and it was concluded that these materials displayed sufficient mechanical strength for such application. It is permitted the identification of several aspects of the design of the storage containers that needed closer investigation. (author)

Lightweight flywheel containment

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, James R.

2004-06-29

A lightweight flywheel containment composed of a combination of layers of various material which absorb the energy of a flywheel structural failure. The various layers of material act as a vacuum barrier, momentum spreader, energy absorber, and reaction plate. The flywheel containment structure has been experimentally demonstrated to contain carbon fiber fragments with a velocity of 1,000 m/s and has an aerial density of less than 6.5 g/square centimeters. The flywheel containment, may for example, be composed of an inner high toughness structural layer, and energy absorbing layer, and an outer support layer. Optionally, a layer of impedance matching material may be utilized intermediate the flywheel rotor and the inner high toughness layer.

Analysis to evaluate predictors of fiberboard aging to guide surveillance sampling for the 9975 life extension program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, Elizabeth J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Daugherty, William L. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Hackney, Elizabeth R. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-05-09

During surveillance of the 9975 shipping package at the Savannah River Site K-Area Complex, several package dimensions are recorded. The analysis described in this report shows that, based on the current data analysis, two of these measurements, Upper Assembly Outer Diameter (UAOD) and Upper Assembly Inside Height (UAIH), do not have statistically significant aging trends regardless of wattage levels. In contrast, this analysis indicates that the measurement of Air Shield Gap (ASGap) does show a significant increase with age. It appears that the increase is greater for high wattage containers, but this result is dominated by two measurements from high-wattage containers. For all three indicators, additional high-wattage, older containers need to be examined before any definitive conclusions can be reached. In addition, the current analysis indicates that ASGap measurements for low and medium wattage containers are increasing slowly over time. To reduce uncertainties and better capture the aging trend for these containers, additional low and medium wattage older containers should also be examined. Based on this analysis, surveillance guidance is to augment surveillance containers resulting from 3013 surveillance with 9975-focused sampling that targets older, high wattage containers and also includes some older, low and medium wattage containers. This focused sampling began in 2015 and will continue in 2016. The UAOD, UAIH and ASGap data are highly variable. It is possible that additional factors such as seasonal variation and packaging site location might reduce variability and be useful for focusing surveillance and predicting aging.

Case study of water-soluble metal containing organic constituents of biomass burning aerosol.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang-Graham, Alexandra L; Profeta, Luisa T M; Johnson, Timothy J; Yokelson, Robert J; Laskin, Alexander; Laskin, Julia

2011-02-15

Natural and prescribed biomass fires are a major source of aerosols that may persist in the atmosphere for several weeks. Biomass burning aerosols (BBA) can be associated with long-range transport of water-soluble N-, S-, P-, and metal-containing species. In this study, BBA samples were collected using a particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS) from laboratory burns of vegetation collected on military bases in the southeastern and southwestern United States. The samples were then analyzed using high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI/HR-MS) that enabled accurate mass measurements for hundreds of species with m/z values between 70 and 1000 and assignment of elemental formulas. Mg, Al, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ba-containing organometallic species were identified. The results suggest that the biomass may have accumulated metal-containing species that were re-emitted during biomass burning. Further research into the sources, dispersion, and persistence of metal-containing aerosols, as well as their environmental effects, is needed.

Interfering removal in samples with high amounts of dissolved solids for the determination of arsenic and selenium by TXRF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menegario, Amauri A.; Gomes, Ana Carla F.; Pellegrinotti, Daniel C.; Gine, Maria F.; Krug, Francisco J.; Nascimento Filho, Virgilio F.

2002-01-01

A matrix separation flow system coupled with total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) is proposed to remove Ca ++ , Mg ++ , Na + and K + major cations from samples containing high amounts of totally dissolved solids, using solid-liquid phases in flow system. This system is assembled with a 1.25 mL column of AG50W-X8 resin (in protonated form) and manual commutator, allowed the separation, addition of internal standard and subsequently a 40 μL aliquot of the eluate was deposited in the reflector support, dried in a furnace for 12 hours at 60 ± 5 deg C and analysed by TXRF. All the procedure is carried out in about 90 s and 0.5 mL of sample are required. The proposed approach was applied for determination of As and Se in plant material and sea water samples. When comparing with direct analysis (without separation), a reduction of 2 to 6 times on the limits of detection for these elements was attained. The accuracy of this methodology was satisfactory for As and Se in sea water and Se in rice certified samples. This procedure could be also used for Pb interference removal in the determination of As by X-ray fluorescence. (author)

The probability of containment failure by direct containment heating in surry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilch, M.M.; Allen, M.D.; Bergeron, K.D.; Tadios, E.L.; Stamps, D.W.; Spencer, B.W.; Quick, K.S.; Knudson, D.L.

1995-05-01

In a light-water reactor core melt accident, if the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) fails while the reactor coolant system (RCS) at high pressure, the expulsion of molten core debris may pressurize the reactor containment building (RCB) beyond its failure pressure. A failure in the bottom head of the RPV, followed by melt expulsion and blowdown of the RCS, will entrain molten core debris in the high-velocity steam blowdown gas. This chain of events is called a high-pressure melt ejection (HPME). Four mechanisms may cause a rapid increase in pressure and temperature in the reactor containment: (1) blowdown of the RCS, (2) efficient debris-to-gas heat transfer, (3) exothermic metal-steam and metal-oxygen reactions, and (4) hydrogen combustion. These processes, which lead to increased loads on the containment building, are collectively referred to as direct containment heating (DCH). It is necessary to understand factors that enhance or mitigate DCH because the pressure load imposed on the RCB may lead to early failure of the containment

Determination of uranium and its isotopic ratios in environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flues Szeles, M.S.M.

1990-01-01

A method for the determination of uranium and its isotopic ratios ( sup(235)U/ sup(238)U and sup(234U/ sup(238)U) is established in the present work. The method can be applied in environmental monitoring programs of uranium enrichment facilities. The proposed method is based on the alpha spectrometry technique which is applied after a purification of the sample by using an ionic exchange resin. The total yield achieved was (91 + 5)% with a precision of 5%, an accuracy of 8% and a lower limit of detection of 7,9 x 10 sup(-4)Bq. The uranium determination in samples containing high concentration of iron, which is an interfering element present in environmental samples, particularly in soil and sediment, was also studied. The results obtained by using artificial samples containing iron and uranium in the ratio 1000:1, were considered satisfactory. (author)

Water sorption and glass transition of amorphous sugars containing BSA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imamura, K.; Suzuki, T.; Tatsumichi, T.; Kirii, S.; Okazaki, M. [Kyoto Univ., Kyoto (Japan). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

2000-08-01

Water sorption and glass transition of four amorphous sugars (lactose, maltose, sucrose, and trehalose) containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) are investigated. Freeze-dried sugar-BSA samples equilibrated at several water activities ranging from 0 to 0.43 were prepared. Moisture content and glass transition temperature (T{sub g}) were measured. For the all sugars, it is found that BSA lowers T{sub g} at low water activity, and raises it at high water activity. It is also found that the difference between T{sub g} of the sugar-BSA samples and that of the corresponding amorphous sugar samples (T{sub g0}) depends mainly on T{sub g0}. (author)

Collection and preparation of water samples for hydrogeochemical reconnaissance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baucom, E.I.; Ferguson, R.B.; Wallace, R.M.

1977-01-01

A method based on ion exchange and neutron activation analysis (NAA) was developed and field-tested to determine uranium over the range 0.02 to 10,000 ppb in natural water using a single procedure. Water samples are filtered in the field using a specially-designed one-liter filter apparatus pressurized to 40 psig with an inert gas. The filtered water is treated with a high purity, mixed cation-anion resin in the hydronium-hydroxide form. All ions are removed from solution under the strong driving force of the neutralization reaction. Anionic, cationic, and natural complexes of uranium can be concentrated with this method. Field tests showed greater than 95 percent recovery of 13 elements analyzed (including greater than 99 percent recovery of uranium) and greater than or equal to 90 percent recovery of 4 other elements. Uranium collected on the resin was quantitatively determined by NAA. Coefficient of variation for sampling plus analysis was less than 20 percent for samples containing more than 0.1 ppb uranium. Advantages of this method include: (1) wide dynamic range, (2) low detection limit for uranium (0.02 ppb), (3) high precision and accuracy, (4) relatively low cost, (5) high-yield recovery from low-level aqueous samples without risk of loss to containers, (6) decreased risk of significant sample contamination compared with other low-level methods, (7) production of stable samples suitable for retrievable storage, and(8) concentration of other ions that can be determined by NAA. This paper presents (1) background regarding development of procedures for sample collection and preparation, (2) results of development programs, (3) description of equipment and field procedures, and (4) preliminary conclusions regarding use of this technology for hydrogeochemical reconnaissance for uranium

High temperature aqueous stress corrosion testing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bornstein, A.N.; Indig, M.E.

1975-01-01

A description is given of a device for stressing tensile samples contained within a high temperature, high pressure aqueous environment, thereby permitting determination of stress corrosion susceptibility of materials in a simple way. The stressing device couples an external piston to an internal tensile sample via a pull rod, with stresses being applied to the sample by pressurizing the piston. The device contains a fitting/seal arrangement including Teflon and weld seals which allow sealing of the internal system pressure and the external piston pressure. The fitting/seal arrangement allows free movement of the pull rod and the piston

Experiences in development, qualification, and use of concrete high-integrity containers in commercial disposal of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitt, R.C.; Reno, H.W.

1985-01-01

Disposal of EPICOR prefilters as commercial radioactive wastes is being accomplished by using a first-of-a-kind, reinforced concrete, high-integrity container (HIC) in lieu of prior in situ solidification of resins before disposal of prefilters. Experiences in developing, testing, certifying, and using high-integrity containers are an untold story worthy of review for the benefit of the nuclear industry at large. The lessons learned in gaining regulatory acceptance of the concrete HIC are discussed. 6 refs., 1 tab

Fluid sampling tool

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Anthony R.; Johnston, Roger G.; Martinez, Ronald K.

1999-05-25

A fluid sampling tool for sampling fluid from a container. The tool has a fluid collecting portion which is drilled into the container wall, thereby affixing it to the wall. The tool may have a fluid extracting section which withdraws fluid collected by the fluid collecting section. The fluid collecting section has a fluted shank with an end configured to drill a hole into a container wall. The shank has a threaded portion for tapping the borehole. The shank is threadably engaged to a cylindrical housing having an inner axial passageway sealed at one end by a septum. A flexible member having a cylindrical portion and a bulbous portion is provided. The housing can be slid into an inner axial passageway in the cylindrical portion and sealed to the flexible member. The bulbous portion has an outer lip defining an opening. The housing is clamped into the chuck of a drill, the lip of the bulbous section is pressed against a container wall until the shank touches the wall, and the user operates the drill. Wall shavings (kerf) are confined in a chamber formed in the bulbous section as it folds when the shank advances inside the container. After sufficient advancement of the shank, an o-ring makes a seal with the container wall.

Studies on radioactivities of dust samples in the air at high altitudes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohara, Eri; Muronoi, Naohiro

2015-01-01

The radioactivity concentrations of airborne dust samples were studied. The samples had been collected at high altitude by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force from April 2013 to March 2014. The obtained data were used for gross beta radioactivity analysis and gamma nuclide analysis. It is shown that cesium 137 was mainly detected at the 10 km and 3 km altitude of central area of Japan in several samples. Gaseous radioiodine was not detected in all the samples. Radioactive xenon was detected but the concentration did not show significant difference to the background level. (author)

Galvanic corrosion evaluation of high activity nuclear waste container metals components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semino, C.J.

1990-04-01

The final disposal container for vitrified high-level waste is assumed to have three metallic layers: a stainless steel inner layer, and external one of a metal to be selected and a thick lead layer (10 cm) in the middle. As design limit, the container shall act as an engineering barrier, granting the isolation of the radionuclides for approximately 1000 years. Preliminary titanium-lead galvanic couple tests showed that titanium behaved always as a cathode in the galvanic couple, promoting the galvanic corrosion of lead. This corrosion study focused on the behaviour of lead-AISI 304 stainless steel and lead-carbon steel (SAE 1010 and 1020) galvanic couples with different area relationships, temperature and media composition. High purity lead (99,999%) and commercial lead (99,9%) were used for galvanic couples tests. Tests were performed at 75, 50, 45 and 40 deg. C. Test solution was either synthetic groundwater, a suspension of 10% bentonite in groundwater, or synthetic sea water. The synthetic sea water was used at 100, 50 and 25% concentration by dilution with distilled water. Tests with lead-304 stainless steel galvanic couples showed that lead always behaves as an anode, corroding preferentially. Very low lead corrosion rates were found in lead-carbon steel galvanic couple in 10% bentonite suspension in synthetic groundwater test at 75 deg. C. An increase of carbon content in steel has very little influence on steel corrosion rate. Commercial lead has a higher corrosion rate and presented a more pronounced attack than high purity lead. Its corrosion rate is at least twice when lead-carbon steel area relationship increases from 1:10 to 1:40. There are higher steel corrosion rates in sea water than in groundwater. Lead behaves as a cathode to the end of the test. 8 refs, 85 figs, 10 tabs

Analytical characterization of high-level mixed wastes using multiple sample preparation treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, A.G.; Baldwin, D.L.; Urie, M.W.; McKinley, S.G.

1994-01-01

The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Richland, Washington, is actively involved in performing analytical characterization of high-level mixed waste from Hanford's single shell and double shell tank characterization programs. A full suite of analyses is typically performed on homogenized tank core samples. These analytical techniques include inductively-coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, total organic carbon methods and radiochemistry methods, as well as many others, all requiring some type of remote sample-preparation treatment to solubilize the tank sludge material for analysis. Most of these analytical methods typically use a single sample-preparation treatment, inherently providing elemental information only. To better understand and interpret tank chemistry and assist in identifying chemical compounds, selected analytical methods are performed using multiple sample-preparation treatments. The sample preparation treatments used at Pacific Northwest Laboratory for this work with high-level mixed waste include caustic fusion, acid digestion, and water leach. The type of information available by comparing results from different sample-prep treatments includes evidence for the presence of refractory compounds, acid-soluble compounds, or water-soluble compounds. Problems unique to the analysis of Hanford tank wastes are discussed. Selected results from the Hanford single shell ferrocyanide tank, 241-C-109, are presented, and the resulting conclusions are discussed

Survey of degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, J.C.; Van Konynenburg, R.A.; McCright, R.D.; Gdowski, G.E.

1988-06-01

Three copper-based alloys, CDA 102 (oxygen-free, high-purity copper), CDA 613 (aluminum bronze), and CDA 715 (Cu-30Ni), are candidates for the fabrication of high-level radioactive-waste disposal containers. Waste will include spent fuel assemblies from reactors as well as borosilicate glass, and will be sent to the prospective repository site at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nevada. The decay of radionuclides will result in the generation of substantial heat and in fluxes of gamma radiation outside the containers. In this environment, container materials might degrade by atmospheric oxidation, general aqueous phase corrosion, localized corrosion (LC), and stress corrosion cracking (SCC). This volume is a critical survey of available data on pitting and crevice corrosion of the copper-based candidates. Pitting and crevice corrosion are two of the most common forms of LC of these materials. Data on the SCC of these alloys is surveyed in Volume 4. Pitting usually occurs in water that contains low concentrations of bicarbonate and chloride anions, such as water from Well J-13 at the Nevada Test Site. Consequently, this mode of degradation might occur in the repository environment. Though few quantitative data on LC were found, a tentative ranking based on pitting corrosion, local dealloying, crevice corrosion, and biofouling is presented. CDA 102 performs well in the categories of pitting corrosion, local dealloying, and biofouling, but susceptibility to crevice corrosion diminishes its attractiveness as a candidate. The cupronickel alloy, CDA 715, probably has the best overall resistance to such localized forms of attack. 123 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs

Preparative separation of sulfur-containing diketopiperazines from marine fungus Cladosporium sp. using high-speed counter-current chromatography in stepwise elution mode.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Binbin; Zhang, Yanying; Ding, Lijian; He, Shan; Wu, Bin; Dong, Junde; Zhu, Peng; Chen, Juanjuan; Zhang, Jinrong; Yan, Xiaojun

2015-01-09

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was successively applied to the separation of three sulfur-containing diketopiperazines (DKPs) (including two new compounds cladosporin A (1) and cladosporin B (3), and a known compound haematocin (2)) from a marine fungus Cladosporium sp. The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water at (1:1:1:1, v/v) and (2:1:2:1, v/v), in stepwise elution mode, was used for HSCCC. The preparative HSCCC separation was performed on 300 mg of crude sample yielding 26.7 mg of compound 3 at a purity of over 95%, 53.6 mg of a mixture of compounds 1 and 2, which was further separated by preparative-HPLC yielding 14.3 mg of compound 1 and 25.4 mg of compound 2 each at a purity of over 95%. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods. The sulfur-containing DKPs suppressed the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. The present work represents the first application of HSCCC in the efficient preparation of marine fungal natural products.

Preparative Separation of Sulfur-Containing Diketopiperazines from Marine Fungus Cladosporium sp. Using High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography in Stepwise Elution Mode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Binbin Gu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC was successively applied to the separation of three sulfur-containing diketopiperazines (DKPs (including two new compounds cladosporin A (1 and cladosporin B (3, and a known compound haematocin (2 from a marine fungus Cladosporium sp. The two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water at (1:1:1:1, v/v and (2:1:2:1, v/v, in stepwise elution mode, was used for HSCCC. The preparative HSCCC separation was performed on 300 mg of crude sample yielding 26.7 mg of compound 3 at a purity of over 95%, 53.6 mg of a mixture of compounds 1 and 2, which was further separated by preparative-HPLC yielding 14.3 mg of compound 1 and 25.4 mg of compound 2 each at a purity of over 95%. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods. The sulfur-containing DKPs suppressed the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2. The present work represents the first application of HSCCC in the efficient preparation of marine fungal natural products.

Automated high-volume aerosol sampling station for environmental radiation monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toivonen, H.; Honkamaa, T.; Ilander, T.; Leppaenen, A.; Nikkinen, M.; Poellaenen, R.; Ylaetalo, S.

1998-07-01

An automated high-volume aerosol sampling station, known as CINDERELLA.STUK, for environmental radiation monitoring has been developed by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Finland. The sample is collected on a glass fibre filter (attached into a cassette), the airflow through the filter is 800 m 3 /h at maximum. During the sampling, the filter is continuously monitored with Na(I) scintillation detectors. After the sampling, the large filter is automatically cut into 15 pieces that form a small sample and after ageing, the pile of filter pieces is moved onto an HPGe detector. These actions are performed automatically by a robot. The system is operated at a duty cycle of 1 d sampling, 1 d decay and 1 d counting. Minimum detectable concentrations of radionuclides in air are typically 1Ae10 x 10 -6 Bq/m 3 . The station is equipped with various sensors to reveal unauthorized admittance. These sensors can be monitored remotely in real time via Internet or telephone lines. The processes and operation of the station are monitored and partly controlled by computer. The present approach fulfils the requirements of CTBTO for aerosol monitoring. The concept suits well for nuclear material safeguards, too

Sample preparation for avian and porcine influenza virus cDNA amplification simplified: Boilign vs. conventional RNA extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fereidouni, S.R.; Starick, E.; Ziller, M.; Harder, T.C.; Unger, H.; Hamilton, K.; Globig, A.

2016-01-01

Full text: RNA extraction and purification is a fundamental step that allows for highly sensitive amplification of specific RNA targets in PCR applications. However, commercial extraction kits that are broadly used because of their robustness and high yield of purified RNA are expensive and labor-intensive. In this study, boiling in distilled water or a commerical lysis buffer of different sample matrices containing avian or porcine influenza viruses was tested as an alternative. Real-time PCR (RTaPCR) for nucleoprotein gene fragment was used as read out. Results were compared with freshly extracted RNA by use of a commercial extraction kit. Different batches of virus containing material materials, including diluted virus positive allontoic fluid or cell culture supernatnat, and avian faecal, cloacal or oropharyngeal swab samples were used in this study. Simple boiling of samples without any additional purification steps can be used as an alternative RNA preparation method to detect influenza A virus nucleoprotein RNA in oropharyngeal swab samples, allantoic fluid or cell-culture supernatant. The boiling method is not applicable for sample matrices containing faecal material. (author)

Multilinear analysis of Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectra of U(VI) containing natural water samples

Science.gov (United States)

Višňák, Jakub; Steudtner, Robin; Kassahun, Andrea; Hoth, Nils

2017-09-01

Natural waters' uranium level monitoring is of great importance for health and environmental protection. One possible detection method is the Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TRLFS), which offers the possibility to distinguish different uranium species. The analytical identification of aqueous uranium species in natural water samples is of distinct importance since individual species differ significantly in sorption properties and mobility in the environment. Samples originate from former uranium mine sites and have been provided by Wismut GmbH, Germany. They have been characterized by total elemental concentrations and TRLFS spectra. Uranium in the samples is supposed to be in form of uranyl(VI) complexes mostly with carbonate (CO32- ) and bicarbonate (HCO3- ) and to lesser extend with sulphate (SO42- ), arsenate (AsO43- ), hydroxo (OH- ), nitrate (NO3- ) and other ligands. Presence of alkaline earth metal dications (M = Ca2+ , Mg2+ , Sr2+ ) will cause most of uranyl to prefer ternary complex species, e.g. Mn(UO2)(CO3)32n-4 (n ɛ {1; 2}). From species quenching the luminescence, Cl- and Fe2+ should be mentioned. Measurement has been done under cryogenic conditions to increase the luminescence signal. Data analysis has been based on Singular Value Decomposition and monoexponential fit of corresponding loadings (for separate TRLFS spectra, the "Factor analysis of Time Series" (FATS) method) and Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC, all data analysed simultaneously). From individual component spectra, excitation energies T00, uranyl symmetric mode vibrational frequencies ωgs and excitation driven U-Oyl bond elongation ΔR have been determined and compared with quasirelativistic (TD)DFT/B3LYP theoretical predictions to cross -check experimental data interpretation. Note to the reader: Several errors have been produced in the initial version of this article. This new version published on 23 October 2017 contains all the corrections.

Compact Process for the Preparation of Microfine Spherical High-Niobium-Containing TiAl Alloy Powders

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, J. B.; Lu, X.; Liu, C. C.; Wang, L. N.; Qu, X. H.

2015-03-01

High-Nb-containing TiAl alloys are a new generation of materials for high-temperature structural applications because of their superior high-temperature mechanical properties. The alloy powders can be widely used for additive manufacturing, thermal spraying, and powder metallurgy. Because of the difficulty of making microfine spherical alloy powders in quantity by conventional techniques, a compact method was proposed, which consisted of two-step ball milling of elemental powders and subsequent radio frequency (RF) argon plasma spheroidization. In comparison with conventional mechanical alloying techniques, the two-step milling process can be used to prepare alloy powders with uniform scale in a short milling time with no addition of process control agent. This makes the process effective and less contaminating. After RF argon plasma spheroidization, the powders produced exhibit good sphericity, and the number-average diameter is about 8.2 μm with a symmetric unimodal particle size distribution. The powders perform high composition homogeneity and contain predominately supersaturated α 2-Ti3Al phase. The oxygen and carbon contents of the spheroidized powder are 0.47% and 0.050%, respectively.

Laboratory Sampling Guide

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-11

environment, and by ingestion of foodstuffs that have incorporated C-14 by photosynthesis . Like tritium, C-14 is a very low energy beta emitter and is... bacterial growth and to minimize development of solids in the sample. • Properly identify each sample container with name, SSN, and collection start and...sampling in the same cardboard carton. The sample may be kept cool or frozen during collection to control odor and bacterial growth. • Once

Nuclear reactor containment device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichiki, Tadaharu.

1980-01-01

Purpose: To reduce the volume of a containment shell and decrease the size of a containment equipment for BWR type reactors by connecting the containment shell and a suppression pool with slanted vent tubes to thereby shorten the vent tubes. Constitution: A pressure vessel containing a reactor core is installed at the center of a building and a containment vessel for the nuclear reactor that contains the pressure vessel forms a cabin. To a building situated below the containment shell, is provided a suppression chamber in which cooling water is charged to form a suppression pool. The suppression pool is communicated with vent tubes that pass through the partition wall of the containment vessel. The vent tubes are slanted and their lower openings are immersed in coolants. Therefore, if accident is resulted and fluid at high temperature and high pressure is jetted from the pressure vessel, the jetting fluid is injected and condensated in the cooling water. (Moriyama, K.)

Impact of collection container material and holding times on sample integrity for mercury and methylmercury in water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riscassi, Ami L [ORNL; Miller, Carrie L [ORNL; Brooks, Scott C [ORNL

2014-01-01

Mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in streamwater can vary on short timescales (hourly or less) during storm flow and on a diel cycle; the frequency and timing of sampling required to accurately characterize these dynamics may be difficult to accomplish manually. Automated sampling can assist in sample collection; however use has been limited for Hg and MeHg analysis due to stability concerns of trace concentrations during extended storage times. We examined the viability of using automated samplers with disposable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) sample bags to collect industrially contaminated streamwater for unfiltered and filtered Hg and MeHg analysis. Specifically we investigated the effect of holding times ranging from hours to days on streamwater collected during baseflow and storm flow. Unfiltered and filtered Hg and MeHg concentrations decreased with increases in time prior to sample processing; holding times of 24 hours or less resulted in concentration changes (mean 11 7% different) similar to variability in duplicates collected manually during analogous field conditions (mean 7 10% different). Comparisons of samples collected with manual and automated techniques throughout a year for a wide range of stream conditions were also found to be similar to differences observed between duplicate grab samples. These results demonstrate automated sampling into LDPE bags with holding times of 24 hours or less can be effectively used to collect streamwater for Hg and MeHg analysis, and encourage the testing of these materials and methods for implementation in other aqueous systems where high-frequency sampling is warranted.

Integrated Automation of High-Throughput Screening and Reverse Phase Protein Array Sample Preparation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Marlene Lemvig; Block, Ines; List, Markus

into automated robotic high-throughput screens, which allows subsequent protein quantification. In this integrated solution, samples are directly forwarded to automated cell lysate preparation and preparation of dilution series, including reformatting to a protein spotter-compatible format after the high......-throughput screening. Tracking of huge sample numbers and data analysis from a high-content screen to RPPAs is accomplished via MIRACLE, a custom made software suite developed by us. To this end, we demonstrate that the RPPAs generated in this manner deliver reliable protein readouts and that GAPDH and TFR levels can...

Sampling calorimeters in high energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, H.A.; Smith, S.D.

1980-01-01

Attention is given to sampling calorimeters - those instruments in which part of the shower is sampled in an active medium sandwiched between absorbing layers. A very cursory overview is presented of some fundamental aspects of sampling calorimeters. First the properties of shower development are described for both the electromagnetic and hadronic cases. Then examples of various readout schemes are discussed. Finally, some currently promising new ideas in calorimetry are described

A diet containing grape powder ameliorates the cognitive decline in aged rats with a long-term high-fructose-high-fat dietary pattern.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Liang-Mao; Lin, Ching-I; Chen, Yue-Hwa; Liao, Hsiang; Lin, Shyh-Hsiang

2016-08-01

Research has suggested that the consumption of foods rich in polyphenols is beneficial to the cognitive functions of the elderly. We investigated the effects of grape consumption on spatial learning, memory performance and neurodegeneration-related protein expression in aged rats fed a high-fructose-high-fat (HFHF) diet. Six-week-old Wistar rats were fed an HFHF diet to 66 weeks of age to establish a model of an HFHF dietary pattern, before receiving intervention diets containing different amounts of grape powder for another 12 weeks in the second part of the experiment. Spatial learning, memory performance and cortical and hippocampal protein expression levels were assessed. After consuming the HFHF diet for a year, results showed that the rats fed a high grape powder-containing diet had significantly better spatial learning and memory performance, lower expression of β-amyloid and β-secretase and higher expression of α-secretase than the rats fed a low grape powder-containing diet. Therefore, long-term consumption of an HFHF diet caused a decline in cognitive functions and increased the risk factors for neurodegeneration, which could subsequently be ameliorated by the consumption of a polyphenol-rich diet. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detection of helium-containing paramagnetic complex at decay of tritium incorporated in HTO and DTO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legasov, V.A.; Usatyj, A.F.; Ibragimov, R.A.; Myasoedov, N.F.

1979-01-01

EPR technique was used to study the paramagnetic centers appearing during long-term storage of frozen (77 K) non-deoxygenated light (H 2 O) and heavy (D 2 O) water containing 3.5% vol. highly active HTO (29 ci/cm 3 ), so that the resulting activity of the sample (0.1 ml) was about 100 mci. For comparison, the same samples containing no HTO but irradiated by Co-60 rays were studied under identical conditions. A schematic of the processes involved in tritium decay in DTO (or HTO) in the aqueous matrix frozen at low temperatures was suggested

Testing a groundwater sampling tool: Are the samples representative?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaback, D.S.; Bergren, C.L.; Carlson, C.A.; Carlson, C.L.

1989-01-01

A ground water sampling tool, the HydroPunch trademark, was tested at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina to determine if representative ground water samples could be obtained without installing monitoring wells. Chemical analyses of ground water samples collected with the HydroPunch trademark from various depths within a borehole were compared with chemical analyses of ground water from nearby monitoring wells. The site selected for the test was in the vicinity of a large coal storage pile and a coal pile runoff basin that was constructed to collect the runoff from the coal storage pile. Existing monitoring wells in the area indicate the presence of a ground water contaminant plume that: (1) contains elevated concentrations of trace metals; (2) has an extremely low pH; and (3) contains elevated concentrations of major cations and anions. Ground water samples collected with the HydroPunch trademark provide in excellent estimate of ground water quality at discrete depths. Groundwater chemical data collected from various depths using the HydroPunch trademark can be averaged to simulate what a screen zone in a monitoring well would sample. The averaged depth-discrete data compared favorably with the data obtained from the nearby monitoring wells

High temperature oxidation behavior of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 in steam of nanofluids contain nanoparticle ZrO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prajitno, Djoko Hadi; Syarif, Dani Gustaman

2014-01-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate high temperature oxidation behavior of austenitic stainless steel SS 304 in steam of nanofluids contain nanoparticle ZrO 2 . The oxidation was performed at high temperatures ranging from 600 to 800°C. The oxidation time was 60 minutes. After oxidation the surface of the samples was analyzed by different methods including, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray diffraction examination show that the oxide scale formed during oxidation of stainless steel AISI 304 alloys is dominated by iron oxide, Fe 2 O 3 . Minor element such as Cr 2 O 3 is also appeared in the diffraction pattern. Characterization by optical microscope showed that cross section microstructure of stainless steel changed after oxidized with the oxide scale on the surface stainless steels. SEM and x-ray diffraction examination show that the oxide of ZrO 2 appeared on the surface of stainless steel. Kinetic rate of oxidation of austenite stainless steel AISI 304 showed that increasing oxidation temperature and time will increase oxidation rate

Mobile/Modular BSL-4 Facilities for Meeting Restricted Earth Return Containment Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Calaway, M. J.; McCubbin, F. M.; Allton, J. H.; Zeigler, R. A.; Pace, L. F.

2017-01-01

NASA robotic sample return missions designated Category V Restricted Earth Return by the NASA Planetary Protection Office require sample containment and biohazard testing in a receiving laboratory as directed by NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR) 8020.12D - ensuring the preservation and protection of Earth and the sample. Currently, NPR 8020.12D classifies Restricted Earth Return for robotic sample return missions from Mars, Europa, and Enceladus with the caveat that future proposed mission locations could be added or restrictions lifted on a case by case basis as scientific knowledge and understanding of biohazards progresses. Since the 1960s, sample containment from an unknown extraterrestrial biohazard have been related to the highest containment standards and protocols known to modern science. Today, Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 standards and protocols are used to study the most dangerous high-risk diseases and unknown biological agents on Earth. Over 30 BSL-4 facilities have been constructed worldwide with 12 residing in the United States; of theses, 8 are operational. In the last two decades, these brick and mortar facilities have cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars dependent on the facility requirements and size. Previous mission concept studies for constructing a NASA sample receiving facility with an integrated BSL-4 quarantine and biohazard testing facility have also been estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. As an alternative option, we have recently conducted an initial trade study for constructing a mobile and/or modular sample containment laboratory that would meet all BSL-4 and planetary protection standards and protocols at a faction of the cost. Mobile and modular BSL-2 and 3 facilities have been successfully constructed and deployed world-wide for government testing of pathogens and pharmaceutical production. Our study showed that a modular BSL-4 construction could result in approximately 90% cost reduction when compared to

Empty Container Logistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakov Karmelić

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Within the whole world container traffic, the largest share of containers is in the status of repositioning. Container repositioning results from the need for harmonization between the point of empty container accumulation and the point of demand, and waiting time for the availability of the first next transport of cargo. This status of containers on the container market is the consequence of imbalances in the worldwide trade distribution on most important shipping routes. The need for fast and effective reallocation of empty containers causes high costs and often represents an obstacle affecting the efficiency of port container terminals and inland carriers.In accordance with the above issue, this paper is mainly focused on the analysis of the data concerning global container capacities and the roots of container equipment imbalances, with the aim of determining the importance of empty container management and the need for empty container micro-logistic planning at the spread port area.

Use of slurry sampling for the direct determination of zinc in yogurt by high resolution-continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandao, Geovani C; de Jesus, Raildo M; da Silva, Erik G P; Ferreira, Sergio L C

2010-06-15

This paper presents an analytical procedure for the direct determination of zinc in yogurt employing sampling slurry and high resolution-continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS). The step optimization established the experimental conditions of: 2.0molL(-1) hydrochloric acid, a sonication time of 20min and a sample mass of 1.0g for a slurry volume of 25mL. This method allows the determination of zinc with a limit of quantification of 0.32microgg(-1). The precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD) were 0.82 and 2.08% for yogurt samples containing zinc concentrations of 4.85 and 2.49microgg(-1), respectively. The accuracy was confirmed by the analysis of a certified reference material of non-fat milk powder furnished by the National Institute of Standard and Technology. The proposed method was applied for the determination of zinc in seven yogurt samples. The zinc content was varied from 2.19 to 4.85microgg(-1). These results agreed with those reported in the literature. The samples were also analyzed after acid digestion and zinc determination by FAAS. No statistical difference was observed between the results obtained by both of the procedures performed.

Evaluation of solid sampling high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for direct determination of chromium in medicinal plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virgilio, Alex; Nóbrega, Joaquim A.; Rêgo, Jardes F.; Neto, José A. Gomes

2012-01-01

A method for Cr determination in medicinal plants using direct solid sampling graphite furnace high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. Modifiers were dispensable. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 1500 °C and 2400 °C, respectively. Slopes of calibration curves (50–750 pg Cr, R 2 > 0.999) using aqueous and solid standards coincides in 96%, indicated feasibility of aqueous calibration for solid sampling of medicinal plants. Accuracy was checked by analysis of four plant certified reference materials. Results were in agreement at 95% confidence level with certified and non-certified values. Ten samples of medicinal plants were analyzed and Cr contents were in the 1.3–17.7 μg g −1 Cr range. The highest RSD (n = 5) was 15.4% for the sample Melissa officinalis containing 13.9 ± 2.1 μg g −1 Cr. The limit of detection was 3.3 ng g −1 Cr. - Highlights: ► Direct solid sampling is first time employed for Cr in plant materials. ► Calibration curves with liquids and solids are coincident. ► Microanalysis of plants for Cr is validated by reference materials. ► The proposed HR-CS GF AAS method is environmental friendly.

Evaluation of solid sampling high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for direct determination of chromium in medicinal plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Virgilio, Alex; Nobrega, Joaquim A. [Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Post Office Box 676, 13560-970, Sao Carlos-SP (Brazil); Rego, Jardes F. [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Sao Paulo State University-UNESP, Post Office Box 355, 14801-970, Araraquara-SP (Brazil); Neto, Jose A. Gomes, E-mail: anchieta@iq.unesp.br [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Sao Paulo State University-UNESP, Post Office Box 355, 14801-970, Araraquara-SP (Brazil)

2012-12-01

A method for Cr determination in medicinal plants using direct solid sampling graphite furnace high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. Modifiers were dispensable. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 1500 Degree-Sign C and 2400 Degree-Sign C, respectively. Slopes of calibration curves (50-750 pg Cr, R{sup 2} > 0.999) using aqueous and solid standards coincides in 96%, indicated feasibility of aqueous calibration for solid sampling of medicinal plants. Accuracy was checked by analysis of four plant certified reference materials. Results were in agreement at 95% confidence level with certified and non-certified values. Ten samples of medicinal plants were analyzed and Cr contents were in the 1.3-17.7 {mu}g g{sup -1} Cr range. The highest RSD (n = 5) was 15.4% for the sample Melissa officinalis containing 13.9 {+-} 2.1 {mu}g g{sup -1} Cr. The limit of detection was 3.3 ng g{sup -1} Cr. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Direct solid sampling is first time employed for Cr in plant materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Calibration curves with liquids and solids are coincident. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Microanalysis of plants for Cr is validated by reference materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The proposed HR-CS GF AAS method is environmental friendly.

Effects of Coatings on the High-Cycle Fatigue Life of Threaded Steel Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Eder, M. A.; Haselbach, P. U.; Mishin, O. V.

2018-05-01

In this work, high-cycle fatigue is studied for threaded cylindrical high-strength steel samples coated using three different industrial processes: black oxidation, normal-temperature galvanization and high-temperature galvanization. The fatigue performance in air is compared with that of uncoated samples. Microstructural characterization revealed the abundant presence of small cracks in the zinc coating partially penetrating into the steel. This is consistent with the observation of multiple crack initiation sites along the thread in the galvanized samples, which led to crescent type fracture surfaces governed by circumferential growth. In contrast, the black oxidized and uncoated samples exhibited a semicircular segment type fracture surface governed by single-sided growth with a significantly longer fatigue life. Numerical fatigue life prediction based on an extended Paris-law formulation has been conducted on two different fracture cases: 2D axisymmetric multisided crack growth and 3D single-sided crack growth. The results of this upper-bound and lower-bound approach are in good agreement with experimental data and can potentially be used to predict the lifetime of bolted components.

The indicating FTA elute cartridge a solid sample carrier to detect high-risk HPV and high-grade cervical lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

de Bie, Roosmarie P; Schmeink, Channa E; Bakkers, Judith M J E; Snijders, Peter J F; Quint, Wim G V; Massuger, Leon F A G; Bekkers, Ruud L M; Melchers, Willem J G

2011-07-01

The clinically validated high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) and GP5+/6+-PCR assays were analyzed on an Indicating FTA Elute cartridge (FTA cartridge). The FTA cartridge is a solid dry carrier that allows safe transport of cervical samples. FTA cartridge samples were compared with liquid-based samples for hrHPV and high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) detection. One cervical sample was collected in a liquid-based medium, and one was applied to the FTA cartridge. DNA was eluted directly from the FTA cartridge by a simple elution step. HC2 and GP5+/6+-PCR assays were performed on both the liquid-based and the FTA-eluted DNA of 88 women. Overall agreement between FTA and liquid-based samples for the presence of hrHPV was 90.9% with GP5+/6+-PCR and 77.3% with HC2. The sensitivity for high-grade CIN of hrHPV testing on the FTA cartridges was 84.6% with GP5+/6+-PCR and only 53.8% with HC2. By comparison, these sensitivities on liquid-based samples were 92.3% and 100% for GP5+/6+-PCR and HC2, respectively. Therefore, the FTA cartridge shows reasonably good overall agreement for hrHPV detection with liquid-based media when using GP5+/6+-PCR but not HC2 testing. Even with GP5+/6+-PCR, the FTA cartridge is not yet capable of detecting all high-grade CIN lesions. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Association for Molecular Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Loads on EPR containment after RPV failure at high pressure; Belastungen des EPR-Containments in Falle eines RDB-Versagens bei hohem Druck

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobs, G.

1995-08-01

As regards the desgin of the EPR, the general strategy is to eliminate, the vessel failure at high pressure by preventive and mitigative measures. The design proposals involved trust in the reliability of dedicated devices (relief valves) for rapid depressurization. The aim is to attain a lower pressure level at the moment of vessel failure, so that the containment is capable to cope with the blowdown impact on the pit walls and the vessel supporting structures. Nevertheless, the potential of a high-pressure failure of the vessel must be kept in mind, whatever well thought-out and reliable preventive depressurization measures might be. Therefore, the reactor pressure blowdown has been studied in order to quantify the ultimate containment load, which might support future design requirements. The calculations were performed with the LWR transient analysis thermal-hydraulics computer code REALAP5/MOD3. In previous analyses, the nodalization of the problem was based on the geometrical conditions of a typical German 1300 MW(e) NPP. In the present analysis a new input model has been used, which was based on the EPR conditions. (orig./HP)

A high precision mass spectrometer for hydrogen isotopic analysis of water samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murthy, M.S.; Prahallada Rao, B.S.; Handu, V.K.; Satam, J.V.

1979-01-01

A high precision mass spectrometer with two ion collector assemblies and direct on line reduction facility (with uranium at 700 0 C) for water samples for hydrogen isotopic analysis has been designed and developed. The ion source particularly gives high sensitivity and at the same tike limits the H 3 + ions to a minimum. A digital ratiometer with a H 2 + compensator has also been developed. The overall precision obtained on the spectrometer is 0.07% 2sub(sigmasub(10)) value. Typical results on the performance of the spectrometer, which is working since a year and a half are given. Possible methods of extending the ranges of concentration the spectrometer can handle, both on lower and higher sides are discussed. Problems of memory between samples are briefly listed. A multiple inlet system to overcome these problems is suggested. This will also enable faster analysis when samples of highly varying concentrations are to be analyzed. A few probable areas in which the spectrometer will be shortly put to use are given. (auth.)

Effects of sample size on estimation of rainfall extremes at high temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Boessenkool, Berry; Bürger, Gerd; Heistermann, Maik

2017-09-01

High precipitation quantiles tend to rise with temperature, following the so-called Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) scaling. It is often reported that the CC-scaling relation breaks down and even reverts for very high temperatures. In our study, we investigate this reversal using observational climate data from 142 stations across Germany. One of the suggested meteorological explanations for the breakdown is limited moisture supply. Here we argue that, instead, it could simply originate from undersampling. As rainfall frequency generally decreases with higher temperatures, rainfall intensities as dictated by CC scaling are less likely to be recorded than for moderate temperatures. Empirical quantiles are conventionally estimated from order statistics via various forms of plotting position formulas. They have in common that their largest representable return period is given by the sample size. In small samples, high quantiles are underestimated accordingly. The small-sample effect is weaker, or disappears completely, when using parametric quantile estimates from a generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) fitted with L moments. For those, we obtain quantiles of rainfall intensities that continue to rise with temperature.

Effects of sample size on estimation of rainfall extremes at high temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Boessenkool

2017-09-01

Full Text Available High precipitation quantiles tend to rise with temperature, following the so-called Clausius–Clapeyron (CC scaling. It is often reported that the CC-scaling relation breaks down and even reverts for very high temperatures. In our study, we investigate this reversal using observational climate data from 142 stations across Germany. One of the suggested meteorological explanations for the breakdown is limited moisture supply. Here we argue that, instead, it could simply originate from undersampling. As rainfall frequency generally decreases with higher temperatures, rainfall intensities as dictated by CC scaling are less likely to be recorded than for moderate temperatures. Empirical quantiles are conventionally estimated from order statistics via various forms of plotting position formulas. They have in common that their largest representable return period is given by the sample size. In small samples, high quantiles are underestimated accordingly. The small-sample effect is weaker, or disappears completely, when using parametric quantile estimates from a generalized Pareto distribution (GPD fitted with L moments. For those, we obtain quantiles of rainfall intensities that continue to rise with temperature.

Matrix Transformation in Boron Containing High-Temperature Co-Re-Cr Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Strunz, Pavel; Mukherji, Debashis; Beran, Přemysl; Gilles, Ralph; Karge, Lukas; Hofmann, Michael; Hoelzel, Markus; Rösler, Joachim; Farkas, Gergely

2018-03-01

An addition of boron largely increases the ductility in polycrystalline high-temperature Co-Re alloys. Therefore, the effect of boron on the alloy structural characteristics is of high importance for the stability of the matrix at operational temperatures. Volume fractions of ɛ (hexagonal close-packed—hcp), γ (face-centered cubic—fcc) and σ (Cr2Re3 type) phases were measured at ambient and high temperatures (up to 1500 °C) for a boron-containing Co-17Re-23Cr alloy using neutron diffraction. The matrix phase undergoes an allotropic transformation from ɛ to γ structure at high temperatures, similar to pure cobalt and to the previously investigated, more complex Co-17Re-23Cr-1.2Ta-2.6C alloy. It was determined in this study that the transformation temperature depends on the boron content (0-1000 wt. ppm). Nevertheless, the transformation temperature did not change monotonically with the increase in the boron content but reached a minimum at approximately 200 ppm of boron. A probable reason is the interplay between the amount of boron in the matrix and the amount of σ phase, which binds hcp-stabilizing elements (Cr and Re). Moreover, borides were identified in alloys with high boron content.

Impact of Cesium decontamination on performances of high activity sample analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maillard, Christophe; Boyer-Deslys, Valerie; Dautheribes, Jean L.; Esbelin, Eric; Beres, Andre; Jan, Steve; Baghdadi, Sarah; Rivier, Cedric [CEA, Nuclear Energy Division, Bagnols sur Ceze (France). RadioChemistry and Processes Dept.

2017-09-01

Experiments in the ATALANTE facility can lead to high activity samples (for example the dissolution of hulls and spent fuels), essentially coming from the presence of {sup 137}Cs. Usually, these samples are handled in a shielded cell. The removal of this radionuclide from the sample would make it possible to handle it in glove boxes without having to perform an important dilution in the shielded cells beforehand. It would allow to analyze samples using techniques usually implemented in glove boxes (such as ICP, α spectrometry..) and to reach lower detection and quantification limits. To do so, a separation by extraction chromatography using a Triskem AMP-PAN column was developed. A cesium decontamination factor higher than 5 x 10{sup 4} and detection limits improvement up to a factor 100 were obtained.

Effect of heat-treatment on microstructure and high-temperature deformation behavior of a low rhenium-containing single crystal nickel-based superalloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Nairong; Zhang, Lanting; Li, Zhigang; Shan, Aidang

2014-01-01

A low rhenium-containing [001] oriented single crystal nickel-based superalloy with different γ′ morphologies induced by various aging treatments was compressed from room temperature to 1000 °C. All the single crystal samples with different γ′ morphologies exhibit anomalous yield behavior. The sample first aged at 1180 °C has the widest anomalous temperature domain and highest yield strengths. The sample first aged at 1000 °C has the highest anomalous peak stress temperature

Analysis of bioethanol samples through Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry with a total sample consumption system

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez, Carlos; Lienemann, Charles-Philippe; Todolí, Jose-Luis

2016-10-01

Bioethanol real samples have been directly analyzed through ICP-MS by means of the so called High Temperature Torch Integrated Sample Introduction System (hTISIS). Because bioethanol samples may contain water, experiments have been carried out in order to determine the effect of ethanol concentration on the ICP-MS response. The ethanol content studied went from 0 to 50%, because higher alcohol concentrations led to carbon deposits on the ICP-MS interface. The spectrometer default spray chamber (double pass) equipped with a glass concentric pneumatic micronebulizer has been taken as the reference system. Two flow regimes have been evaluated: continuous sample aspiration at 25 μL min- 1 and 5 μL air-segmented sample injection. hTISIS temperature has been shown to be critical, in fact ICP-MS sensitivity increased with this variable up to 100-200 °C depending on the solution tested. Higher chamber temperatures led to either a drop in signal or a plateau. Compared with the reference system, the hTISIS improved the sensitivities by a factor included within the 4 to 8 range while average detection limits were 6 times lower for the latter device. Regarding the influence of the ethanol concentration on sensitivity, it has been observed that an increase in the temperature was not enough to eliminate the interferences. It was also necessary to modify the torch position with respect to the ICP-MS interface to overcome them. This fact was likely due to the different extent of ion plasma radial diffusion encountered as a function of the matrix when working at high chamber temperatures. When the torch was moved 1 mm plasma down axis, ethanolic and aqueous solutions provided statistically equal sensitivities. A preconcentration procedure has been applied in order to validate the methodology. It has been found that, under optimum conditions from the point of view of matrix effects, recoveries for spiked samples were close to 100%. Furthermore, analytical concentrations for real

Reusable Xerogel Containing Quantum Dots with High Fluorescence Retention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiang-Yong Liang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Although various analytical methods have been established based on quantum dots (QDs, most were conducted in solution, which is inadequate for storage/transportation and rapid analysis. Moreover, the potential environmental problems caused by abandoned QDs cannot be ignored. In this paper, a reusable xerogel containing CdTe with strong emission is established by introducing host–guest interactions between QDs and polymer matrix. This xerogel shows high QDs loading capacity without decrease or redshift in fluorescence (the maximum of loading is 50 wt % of the final xerogel, which benefits from the steric hindrance of β-cyclodextrin (βCD molecules. Host–guest interactions immobilize QDs firmly, resulting in the excellent fluorescence retention of the xerogel. The good detecting performance and reusability mean this xerogel could be employed as a versatile analysis platform (for quantitative and qualitative analyses. In addition, the xerogel can be self-healed by the aid of water.

Radiochemical separation of actinides for their determination in environmental samples and waste products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gleisberg, B [Nuclear Engineering and Analytics Rossendorf, Inc. (VKTA), Dresden (Germany)

1997-03-01

The determination of low level activities of actinides in environmental samples and waste products makes high demands on radiochemical separation methods. Artificial and natural actinides were analyzed in samples form the surrounding areas of NPP and of uranium mines, incorporation samples, solutions containing radioactive fuel, solutions and solids resutling from the process, and in wastes. The activities are measured by {alpha}-spectrometry and {gamma}-spectrometry. (DG)

Dimensional stability under wet curing of mortars containing high amounts of nitrates and phosphates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benard, P.; Cau Dit Coumes, C.; Garrault, S.; Nonat, A.; Courtois, S.

2008-01-01

Investigations were carried out in order to solidify in cement some aqueous streams resulting from nuclear decommissioning processes and characterized by a high salinity (300 g/L), as well as important concentrations of nitrate (150-210 g/L) and phosphate ions (0-50 g/L). Special attention was paid to the influence of these compounds on the dimensional variations under wet curing of simulated solidified waste forms. The length changes of mortars containing nitrate salts only (KNO 3 , NaNO 3 ) were shown to be governed by a concentration effect which involved osmosis: the higher their concentration in the mixing solution, the higher the swelling. The expansion of mortars containing high amounts of phosphates (≥ 30 g/L in the mixing solution) was preceded by a shrinkage which increased with the phosphate concentration, and which could be suppressed by seeding the cement used with hydroxyapatite crystals. This transitory shrinkage was attributed to the conversion into hydroxyapatite of a precursor readily precipitated in the cement paste after mixing

Applications of Asymptotic Sampling on High Dimensional Structural Dynamic Problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sichani, Mahdi Teimouri; Nielsen, Søren R.K.; Bucher, Christian

2011-01-01

The paper represents application of the asymptotic sampling on various structural models subjected to random excitations. A detailed study on the effect of different distributions of the so-called support points is performed. This study shows that the distribution of the support points has consid...... dimensional reliability problems in structural dynamics.......The paper represents application of the asymptotic sampling on various structural models subjected to random excitations. A detailed study on the effect of different distributions of the so-called support points is performed. This study shows that the distribution of the support points has...... is minimized. Next, the method is applied on different cases of linear and nonlinear systems with a large number of random variables representing the dynamic excitation. The results show that asymptotic sampling is capable of providing good approximations of low failure probability events for very high...

Fluid sampling tool

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, A.R.; Johnston, R.G.; Martinez, R.K.

1999-05-25

A fluid sampling tool is described for sampling fluid from a container. The tool has a fluid collecting portion which is drilled into the container wall, thereby affixing it to the wall. The tool may have a fluid extracting section which withdraws fluid collected by the fluid collecting section. The fluid collecting section has a fluted shank with an end configured to drill a hole into a container wall. The shank has a threaded portion for tapping the borehole. The shank is threadably engaged to a cylindrical housing having an inner axial passageway sealed at one end by a septum. A flexible member having a cylindrical portion and a bulbous portion is provided. The housing can be slid into an inner axial passageway in the cylindrical portion and sealed to the flexible member. The bulbous portion has an outer lip defining an opening. The housing is clamped into the chuck of a drill, the lip of the bulbous section is pressed against a container wall until the shank touches the wall, and the user operates the drill. Wall shavings (kerf) are confined in a chamber formed in the bulbous section as it folds when the shank advances inside the container. After sufficient advancement of the shank, an o-ring makes a seal with the container wall. 6 figs.

High-level core sample x-ray imaging at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, J.R.; Keye, J.K.

1995-01-01

Waste tank sampling of radioactive high-level waste is required for continued operations, waste characterization, and site safety. Hanford Site Tank farms consist of 28 double-shell and 149 single-shell underground storage tanks. The single shell tanks are out-of-service and no longer receive liquid waste. Core samples of salt cake and sludge waste are remotely obtained using truck-mounted, core drill platforms. Samples are recovered from tanks through a 2.25 inch (in.) drill pipe in 26-in. steel tubes, 1.5 in. diameter. Drilling parameters vary with different waste types. Because sample recovery has been marginal and inadequate at times, a system was needed to provide drill truck operators with real-time feedback about the physical conditions of the sample and the percent recovery, prior to making nuclear assay measurements and characterizations at the analytical laboratory. Westinghouse hanford Company conducted proof-of -principal radiographic testing to verify the feasibility of a proposed imaging system

Survey of the degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive waste disposal containers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vinson, D.W.; Nutt, W.M.; Bullen, D.B. [Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (United States)

1995-06-01

Oxidation and atmospheric corrosion data suggest that addition of Cr provides the greatest improvement in oxidation resistance. Cr-bearing cast irons are resistant to chloride environments and solutions containing strongly oxidizing constituents. Weathering steels, including high content and at least 0.04% Cu, appear to provide adequate resistance to oxidation under temperate conditions. However, data from long-term, high-temperature oxidation studies on weathering steels were not available. From the literature, it appears that the low alloy steels, plain carbon steels, cast steels, and cast irons con-ode at similar rates in an aqueous environment. Alloys containing more than 12% Cr or 36% Ni corrode at a lower rate than plain carbon steels, but pitting may be worse. Short term tests indicate that an alloy of 9Cr-1Mo may result in increased corrosion resistance, however long term data are not available. Austenitic cast irons show the best corrosion resistance. A ranking of total corrosion performance of the materials from most corrosion resistant to least corrosion resistant is: Austenitic Cast Iron; 12% Cr = 36% Ni = 9Cr-1Mo; Carbon Steel = Low Alloy Steels; and Cast Iron. Since the materials to be employed in the Advanced Conceptual Design (ACD) waste package are considered to be corrosion allowance materials, the austenitic cast irons, high Cr steels, high Ni steels and the high Cr-Mo steels should not be considered as candidates for the outer containment barrier. Based upon the oxidation and corrosion data available for carbon steels, low alloy steels, and cast irons, a suitable list of candidate materials for a corrosion allowance outer barrier for an ACD waste package could include, A516, 2.25%Cr -- 1%Mo Steel, and A27.

Survey of the degradation modes of candidate materials for high-level radioactive waste disposal containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinson, D.W.; Nutt, W.M.; Bullen, D.B.

1995-06-01

Oxidation and atmospheric corrosion data suggest that addition of Cr provides the greatest improvement in oxidation resistance. Cr-bearing cast irons are resistant to chloride environments and solutions containing strongly oxidizing constituents. Weathering steels, including high content and at least 0.04% Cu, appear to provide adequate resistance to oxidation under temperate conditions. However, data from long-term, high-temperature oxidation studies on weathering steels were not available. From the literature, it appears that the low alloy steels, plain carbon steels, cast steels, and cast irons con-ode at similar rates in an aqueous environment. Alloys containing more than 12% Cr or 36% Ni corrode at a lower rate than plain carbon steels, but pitting may be worse. Short term tests indicate that an alloy of 9Cr-1Mo may result in increased corrosion resistance, however long term data are not available. Austenitic cast irons show the best corrosion resistance. A ranking of total corrosion performance of the materials from most corrosion resistant to least corrosion resistant is: Austenitic Cast Iron; 12% Cr = 36% Ni = 9Cr-1Mo; Carbon Steel = Low Alloy Steels; and Cast Iron. Since the materials to be employed in the Advanced Conceptual Design (ACD) waste package are considered to be corrosion allowance materials, the austenitic cast irons, high Cr steels, high Ni steels and the high Cr-Mo steels should not be considered as candidates for the outer containment barrier. Based upon the oxidation and corrosion data available for carbon steels, low alloy steels, and cast irons, a suitable list of candidate materials for a corrosion allowance outer barrier for an ACD waste package could include, A516, 2.25%Cr -- 1%Mo Steel, and A27

A sample of high multiplicity pp reactions at 19 GeV/c

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allan, J.; Blomqvist, G.

1976-02-01

This report describes the experimental procedure used in obtaining samples of high muliplicity pp reactions at 19 GeV/c. Various methods to improve the quality of the samples are tested. The analysis is part of the general study of pp collisions at 19 GeV/c which is performed within the Scandinavian Bubble Chamber Collaboration. (Auth.)

Experimental study of glass sampling devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jouan, A.; Moncouyoux, J.P.; Meyere, A.

1992-01-01

Two high-level liquid waste containment glass sampling systems have been designed and built. The first device fits entirely inside a standard glass storage canister, and may thus be used in facilities not initially designed for this function. It has been tested successfully in the nonradioactive prototype unit at Marcoule. The work primarily covered the design and construction of an articulated arm supporting the sampling vessel, and the mechanisms necessary for filling the vessel and recovering the sample. System actuation and operation are fully automatic, and the resulting sample is representative of the glass melt. Implementation of the device is delicate however, and its reliability is estimated at about 75%. A second device was designed specifically for new vitrification facilities. It is installed directly on the glass melting furnace, and meets process operating and quality control requirements. Tests conducted at the Marcoule prototype vitrification facility demonstrated the feasibility of the system. Special attention was given to the sampling vessel transfer mechanisms, with two filling and controlled sample cooling options

Studies of Corrosion Resistant Materials Being Considered for High-Level Nuclear Waste Containment in Yucca Mountain Relevant Environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCright, R.D.; Ilevbare, G.; Estill, J.; Rebak, R.

2001-01-01

Containment of spent nuclear fuel and vitrified forms of high level nuclear waste require use of materials that are highly corrosion resistant to all of the anticipated environmental scenarios that can occur in a geological repository. Ni-Cr-Mo Alloy 22 (UNS N60622) is proposed for the corrosion resistant outer barrier of a two-layer waste package container at the potential repository site at Yucca Mountain. A range of water compositions that may contact the outer barrier is under consideration, and a testing program is underway to characterize the forms of corrosion and to quantify the corrosion rates. Results from the testing support models for long term prediction of the performance of the container. Results obtained to date indicate a very low general corrosion rate for Alloy 22 and very high resistance to all forms of localized and environmentally assisted cracking in environments tested to date

Basic approach to the disposal of low level radioactive waste generated from nuclear reactors containing comparatively high radioactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriyama, Yoshinori

1998-01-01

Low level radioactive wastes (LLW) generated from nuclear reactors are classified into three categories: LLW containing comparatively high radioactivity; low level radioactive waste; very low level radioactive waste. Spent control rods, part of ion exchange resin and parts of core internals are examples of LLW containing comparatively high radioactivity. The Advisory Committee of Atomic Energy Commission published the report 'Basic Approach to the Disposal of LLW from Nuclear Reactors Containing Comparatively High Radioactivity' in October 1998. The main points of the proposed concept of disposal are as follows: dispose of underground deep enough not be disturb common land use (e.g. 50 to 100 m deep); dispose of underground where radionuclides migrate very slowly; dispose of with artificial engineered barrier which has the same function as the concrete pit; control human activities such as land use of disposal site for a few hundreds years. (author)

Field sampling for monitoring migration and defining the areal extent of chemical contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, J.M.; Skalski, J.R.; Eberhardt, L.L.; Simmons, M.A.

1984-11-01

Initial research on compositing, field designs, and site mapping oriented toward detecting spills and migration at commercial low-level radioactive or chemical waste sites is summarized. Results indicate that the significance test developed to detect samples containing high levels of contamination when they are mixed with several other samples below detectable limits (composites), will be highly effective with large sample sizes when contaminant levels frequently or greatly exceed a maximum acceptable level. These conditions of frequent and high contaminant levels are most likely to occur in regions of a commercial waste site where the priors (previous knowledge) about a spill or migration are highest. Conversely, initial investigations of Bayes sampling strategies suggest that field sampling efforts should be inversely proportional to the priors (expressed as probabilities) for the occurrence of contamination

High plasma corticosterone levels persist during frequent automatic blood sampling in rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abelson, Klas S P; Adem, Bashir; Royo, Felix

2005-01-01

Corticosterone levels in blood may be used as a marker of stress in rodents, provided that the blood sampling procedure itself is non-stressful. Automated blood sampling equipment (Accusampler) allows blood sampling without any interference with the animal and might be useful as a tool for an on......-line measurement of stress markers in blood. However, the impact of the blood sampling itself on the corticosterone levels in blood is unknown. The present study was designed to evaluate whether the frequency of blood sampling influences the plasma corticosterone levels in male and female rats. During anaesthesia...... the importance of considering the frequency of blood withdrawal during automated blood sampling. This parameter may have an impact on the experimental results when using blood corticosterone levels as a stress marker, but also during any in vivo study where blood is collected, since high corticosterone levels...

Efficient sampling over rough energy landscapes with high barriers: A combination of metadynamics with integrated tempering sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Y. Isaac [Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Zhang, Jun; Che, Xing; Yang, Lijiang; Gao, Yi Qin, E-mail: gaoyq@pku.edu.cn [Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

2016-03-07

In order to efficiently overcome high free energy barriers embedded in a complex energy landscape and calculate overall thermodynamics properties using molecular dynamics simulations, we developed and implemented a sampling strategy by combining the metadynamics with (selective) integrated tempering sampling (ITS/SITS) method. The dominant local minima on the potential energy surface (PES) are partially exalted by accumulating history-dependent potentials as in metadynamics, and the sampling over the entire PES is further enhanced by ITS/SITS. With this hybrid method, the simulated system can be rapidly driven across the dominant barrier along selected collective coordinates. Then, ITS/SITS ensures a fast convergence of the sampling over the entire PES and an efficient calculation of the overall thermodynamic properties of the simulation system. To test the accuracy and efficiency of this method, we first benchmarked this method in the calculation of ϕ − ψ distribution of alanine dipeptide in explicit solvent. We further applied it to examine the design of template molecules for aromatic meta-C—H activation in solutions and investigate solution conformations of the nonapeptide Bradykinin involving slow cis-trans isomerizations of three proline residues.

Daily self-sampling for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanner, Karin; Wikström, Ingrid; Gustavsson, Inger; Wilander, Erik; Lindberg, Julia Hedlund; Gyllensten, Ulf; Olovsson, Matts

2015-12-01

Self-sampling for HPV as part of primary screening is a well-tolerated method for women not attending organized Pap smear screening and could increase coverage of cervical cancer screening. To investigate if the prevalence of HR-HPV varies from day to day in infected women and if one single sample is reliable for detecting an ongoing infection. This is a prospective cohort study on 12 premenopausal and 13 postmenopausal women performing daily self-sampling for HR-HPV testing. They were all HR-HPV-positive 1-3 months ago. Postmenopausal women were sampled for 28 days and premenopausal women sampled during bleeding-free days in one menstrual cycle. A possible difference in viral load between the estrogen-dominated proliferative phase and the progesterone-dominated secretory phase was analyzed. Consistent results throughout the sampling period were observed for 19 women, with either a daily presence of HPV (14 women) or no HPV at all during the sampling period (5 women). Of 607 samples from 25 women, 596 were consistently positive or negative for HPV during the sampling period and 11 were inconsistent (2%). There was no difference in HPV copy number between the estrogen dominated proliferative or progesterone dominated secretory menstrual cycle phases. The major finding was a high degree of consistency concerning HR-HPV positivity and negativity of HR-HPV in vaginal fluid during a sustained period of daily self-sampling. It does not appear to matter whether the sample is collected in the proliferative or secretory phase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Container material for the disposal of highly radioactive wastes: corrosion chemistry aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grauer, R.

1984-08-01

Prior to disposal in crystalline formations it is planned to enclose vitrified highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants in metallic containers ensuring their isolation from the groundwater for at least 1,000 years. Appropriate metals can be either thermodynamically stable in the repository environment (such as copper), passive materials with very low corrosion rates (titanium, nickel alloys), or metals such as cast iron or unalloyed cast steels which, although they corrode, can be used in sections thick enough to allow for this corrosion. The first part of the report presents the essentials of corrosion science in order to enable even a non-specialist to follow the considerations and arguments necessary to choose the material and design the container against corrosion. Following this, the principles of the long-term extrapolation of corrosion behaviour are discussed. The second part summarizes and comments upon the literature search carried out to identify published results relevant to corrosion in a repository environment. Results of archeaological studies are included wherever possible. Not only the general corrosion behaviour but also localized corrosion and stress corrosion cracking are considered, and the influence of hydrogen on the material behaviour is discussed. Taking the corrosion behaviour as criterion, the author suggests the use either of copper or of cast iron or steel as an appropriate container material. The report concludes with proposals for further studies. (Auth.)

Selection criteria for container materials at the proposed Yucca Mountain high level nuclear waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halsey, W.G.

1989-11-01

A geological repository has been proposed for the permanent disposal of the nation's high level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert. The containers for this waste must remain intact for the unprecedented service lifetime of 1000 years. A combination of engineering, regulatory, and licensing requirements complicate the container material selection. In parallel to gathering information regarding the Yucca Mountain service environment and material performance data, a set of selection criteria have been established which compare candidate materials to the performance requirements, and allow a quantitative comparison of candidates. These criteria assign relative weighting to varied topic areas such as mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, fabricability, and cost. Considering the long service life of the waste containers, it is not surprising that the corrosion behavior of the material is a dominant factor. 7 refs

Reliability-based inspection of prestressed concrete containment structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, M.D.

1996-03-01

A study was undertaken to develop a reliability-based approach to the planning of inspection programs for prestressed concrete containment structures. The main function of the prestressing system is to ensure the leak integrity of the containment by maintaining a compressive state of stress under the tensile forces which arise in a hypothesized loss of coolant accident. Prestressing force losses (due to creep and shrinkage, stress relaxation or tendon corrosion) can lead to tensile stresses under accident pressure, resulting in loss of containment leak integrity due to concrete cracking and tensile yielding of the non-prestressed reinforcement. Therefore, the evaluation of prestressing inspection programs was based on their effectiveness in maintaining an acceptable reliability level with respect to a limit state representing yeilding of non-prestressed reinforcement. An annual target reliability of 10 -4 was used for this limit state. As specified in CSA-N287.7, the evaluation of prestressing systems for containment structures is based on the results of lift-off tests to determine the prestressing force. For unbonded systems the tests are carried out on a randomly selected sample from each tendon group in the structure. For bonded systems, the test is carried out on an unbonded test beam that matches the section geometry and material properties of the containment structure. It was found that flexural testing is useful in updating the probability of concrete cracking under accident pressure. For unbonded systems, the analysis indicated that the sample size recommended by the CSA Standard (4% of the tendon population) is adequate. The CSA recommendation for a five year inspection interval is conservative unless severe degradation of the prestressing system, characterized by a high prestressing loss rate (>3%) and a large coefficient of variation of the measured prestressing force (>15%), is observed

Tin-containing zeolites are highly active catalysts for the isomerization of glucose in water

OpenAIRE

Moliner, Manuel; Román-Leshkov, Yuriy; Davis, Mark E.

2010-01-01

The isomerization of glucose into fructose is a large-scale reaction for the production of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS; reaction performed by enzyme catalysts) and recently is being considered as an intermediate step in the possible route of biomass to fuels and chemicals. Here, it is shown that a large-pore zeolite that contains tin (Sn-Beta) is able to isomerize glucose to fructose in aqueous media with high activity and selectivity. Specifically, a 10% (wt/wt) glucose solution containin...