Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Advanced Accelerator Applications University Participation Program: Quarterly Report, Third Quarter (September To November 2001), Anthony Hechanova

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

This Quarterly Report is a primary deliverable from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) University Participation Program (UPP) Director to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as described in the UNLV AAA proposal and Statement of Work for the Third Quarter.

The UNLV AAA UPP Director implements the program’s administration using staff from the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) to ensure that work conducted under the UNLV AAA UPP meets program objectives. The UNLV AAA UPP consists of three components: Program Support, Research Infrastructure Augmentation, and Student Research.

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle: Quaterly Report, William Culbreth, Pang Tao

Separations Campaign (TRP)

During the first quarter of the work, the tasks included training students in the use of Monte Carlo codes used in radiation transport studies and the assessment of neutron multiplication factors for specific problems outlined by ANL-East through Drs. Laidler and Vandegrift.

The proposal also included objectives for the first year of work on this project, as listed below. The work conducted in the first quarter of the project was in partial completion of these objectives.

• Train UNLV students in the use of SCALE and/or MCNP for the assessment of nuclear criticality.

• Assess neutron multiplication factor, k_{eff …}

Radiation Transport Modeling Of Beam-Target Experiments For The Aaa Project: Quaterly Report, William Culbreth

Reactor Campaign (TRP)

The national development of technology to transmute nuclear waste depends upon the generation of high energy neutrons produced by proton spallation. Proton accelerators, such as LANSCE at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, are capable of producing 800 MeV protons. By bombarding a lead/bismuth target, each proton may generate 500 or more neutrons that can activate fission products or induce the fission of transuranic isotopes.

The Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX developed at LANL is an important tool in the design of transmuter technology. It must be validated, however, for the neutron energy that will be employed. Experiments are being …

Challenges For The New West: Economic Impacts Of Wilderness In Nevada's Rural Counties, Lesley Regina Argo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Public lands designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System are removed from multiple-use management for protection of their natural condition. Opponents argue that "locking up" the natural resources on these lands through designation will undermine the rural economies in the west that are dependent upon extractive industries such as mining and logging. Proponents argue that the "Old West" reliance on extractive industries is declining and, in the "New West", wilderness promotes economic development in rural communities by preserving the amenity values that draw population and employment to the region. Characteristics of Nevada's economy, population and land challenge the …

Large Nondipole Effects In The Angular Distributions Of K-Shell Photoelectrons From Molecular Nitrogen, Oliver Hemmers, H. Wang, P. Focke, I. A. Sellin, Dennis W. Lindle, J. C. Arce, J. A. Sheehy, P. W. Langhoff

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Measurements of angular distributions of K-shell electrons photoejected from molecular nitrogen are reported which reveal large deviations at relatively low photon energies ( ħω≤500eV) from emission patterns anticipated from the dipole approximation to interactions between radiation and matter. A concomitant theoretical analysis incorporating the effects of electromagnetic retardation attributes the observed large nondipole behaviors in N₂ to bond-length-dependent terms in the E1⊗(E2,M1) photoelectron emission amplitudes which are indicative of a potentially universal nondipole behavior in molecular photoionization.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Jennifer Vaughan, Richard Jensen, Mae Worthey-Flennoy

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

The Suitability Of Reclaimed Agricultural Lands Along The Lower Colorado River For Native Riparian Habitat Restoration, Patti Aaron

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to determine the suitability of agricultural lands for use in native riparian restoration efforts under development for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. Assuming these fields are productive for crops, would they be productive for cottonwood-willow restoration? There are two aspects to consider: (1) the edaphic conditions required for three major LCR agricultural crops; alfalfa, cotton, and wheat, and (2) whether those conditions are consistent with the conditions required for the restoration of native LCR riparian habitat, primarily Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and Goodding willow (Salix gooddingii). Using the case study research approach …

Design And Evaluation Of Processes For Fuel Fabrication: Quarterly Progress Report #1, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The first three months of the project covered the following:

• Literature review: A comprehensive study of the pertinent publications pertaining to transmuter fuels composition and manufacturing processes was conducted.

• Visit at ANL West in Idaho Falls, ID: Dr. Mauer visited the ANL West facility and met with his National Laboratory Collaborator, Dr. Mitchell K. Meyer, Group Leader, Fabrication Development on October 14 and 15, 2001.

• Student Paper Presentation at the ANS Annual Meeting by Ph.D. student Mr. Jae-Kyu Lee. Title: Transmuter Fuel Fabrication Processes.

Environment-Induced Degradation And Crack-Growth Studies Of Candidate Target Materials: Aaa Task-4 Quarterly (September 1 – November 30, 2001) Report, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The primary objective of this task is to evaluate the effect of hydrogen on environment-assisted cracking of candidate materials for applications in spallation-neutron-target (SNT) systems such as accelerator production of tritium (APT) and accelerator transmutation of waste (ATW). The materials selected for evaluation and characterization are martensitic stainless steels including HT- 9, EP 823 and 422. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of these alloys will be evaluated in environments of interest using tensile specimens under constant load and slow-strain-rate (SSR) conditions. The extent and morphology of cracking of these alloys will further be evaluated …

Development Of A Mechanistic Understanding Of High-Temperature Deformation Of Alloy Ep-823: Task 10, First Quarter Report, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The objective of this task is to evaluate the elevated temperature tensile properties of Alloy EP-823, a leading target material for accelerator-driven waste transmutation applications. The test material will be thermally treated prior to evaluation of its tensile properties at temperatures relevant to the transmutation applications. The deformation characteristics of tensile specimens, upon completion of testing, will be evaluated by surface analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The overall results are expected to provide a mechanistic understanding of high-temperature deformation behavior of Alloy EP-823 as a function of heat treatment.

Highlights of Accomplishment

• …

Development Of A Systems Engineering Model Of The Chemical Separations Process: Quarterly Progress Report 8/16/01- 11/15/01, Yitung Chen, Randy Clarksean, Darrell Pepper

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The AAA program is developing technology for the transmutation of nuclear waste to address many of the long-term disposal issues. An integral part of this program is the proposed chemical separations scheme.

Two activities are proposed in this Phase I task: the development of a systems engineering model and the refinement of the Argonne code AMUSE (Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction). The detailed systems engineering model is the start of an integrated approach to the analysis of the materials separations associated with the AAA Program. A second portion of the project is to streamline and improve an integral part …

Analysis Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lead Bismuth Eutectic, John Farley, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

We examined stainless samples that were exposed to LBE in experiments conducted by the Russians, under contract to Los Alamos. We examined both corroded and uncorroded samples using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDAX) Spectroscopy, and the X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS). We found that the surface of the corroded sample is covered by oxygen-containing compounds, presumably mostly iron oxide. In samples exposed for shorter times or lower temperatures, we found that some areas were covered by an oxide layer, and some areas was uncovered. We found that the level of Cr in the uncovered area is …

Modeling Corrosion In Oxygen Controlled Lbe Systems With Coupling Of Chemical Kinetics And Hydrodynamics: Quarterly Progress Report August 16,2001- November 15, 2001, Samir Moujaes, Yitung Chen

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The Lead-Bismuth eutectic (LBE) has been determined from previous experimental studies by the Russians and the European scientific community to be a potential material that can be used as a spallation target and coolant for the AAA proposed application.

Properly controlling the oxygen content in LBE can drastically reduce the LBE corrosion to structural steels. However, existing knowledge of material corrosion performance was obtained from point-wise testing with very limited density. The transport of oxygen and corrosion products, their interaction and variation of corrosion/precipitation along the flow are not well understood.

The first subtask of this project involves using a …

Design And Analysis For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides: Quarterly Progress Report 8/16/01- 11/15/01, Yitung Chen, Randy Clarksean, Darrell Pepper

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

An important aspect of the Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) program is the development of a casting process by which volatile actinide element (i.e., americium) can be incorporated into metallic alloy fuel pins. The traditional metal fuel casting process uses an inductively heated crucible. The process involves evacuation of the furnace. The evacuation of the furnace also evacuates quartz rods used as fuel pin molds. Once evacuated the open ends of the molds are lowered into the melt; the casting furnace is then rapidly pressurized, forcing the molten metal up into the evacuated molds where solidification occurs.

This process works well …

Inside Unlv, Betty Blodgett, Tom Flagg, Diane Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Lithophysal Porosity On Stress-Strain Properties Of Topopah Spring Tuff - Numerical Analysis, Nick Hudyma, Moses Karakouzian, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose of the numerical analysis effort of Task 27 of cooperative agreement DE-FC08-98NV12081 was to investigate the effect of lithophysal porosity on the elastic stress-strain properties of the tuff rock mass. Rock mass properties without lithophysal cavities are designated matrix properties. Rock mass properties with lithophysal cavities are designated effective properties. The analysis will be performed for a 6" by 6" square cross-section with a uniform distribution of lithophysal cavities for a variety of porosities. The analyses will be performed using FLAG 2D version 3.5, a Department of Energy qualified software. The analyses will compare the matrix properties to …

Seismicity In The Vicinity Of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, For The Period October 1, 1999 To September 30, 2000, David H. Von Seggern, Ken Smith, James N. Brune, Richard Quittmeyer, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

Starting on October 1, 1995, the monitoring of seismicity within the southern Great Basin near Yucca Mountain was performed with a new digital network. This network features three-component recording with 24-bit A/D conversion in the field. Continuous data are collected at 20 sps, and event triggered windows are collected at 100 sps. A seismic bulletin of events is made by automatically associating triggers among stations, classifying the local earthquake events, and locating the earthquakes and computing their magnitudes with conventional methods. This report covers the operational and seismic results of the fifth full year (FYOO) of the improved, digitally based, …

Assessment Of Criticality Safety For Cylindrical Containers To Be Used In The Processing Of Spent Fuel, William Culbreth, Daniel R. Lowe, Jason Viggato

Separations Campaign (TRP)

The UREX process separates uranium from transuranic wastes (TRU) and fission products (FP). Nuclear reactors require fissile isotopes that will absorb neutrons and break apart into smaller nuclei while releasing a large amount of energy as well as multiple neutrons. Fissile isotopes in spent fuel include not only ²³⁵U, but also ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, and several isotopes of americium (Am) and curium (Cm).

TRU contains the actinides with atomic numbers greater than that of uranium. This includes Pu, Np, Am, and Cm. When TRU is separated from uranium, the TRU still poses a significant risk of sustaining a …

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Advanced Accelerator Applications University Participation Program: Quarterly Report, Second Quarter (June To August 2001), Anthony Hechanova

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

This Quarterly Report is a primary deliverable from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) University Participation Program (UPP) Director to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as described in the UNLV AAA proposal.

The UNLV AAA UPP Director implements the program’s administration using staff from the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies (HRC) to ensure that work conducted under the UNLV AAA UPP meets program objectives. The UNLV AAA UPP consists of three components: Program Administration, Research Infrastructure Augmentation, and Student Research.

Inside Unlv, Andy Grossman, Mark Wallington, Dave Phillips

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Unlv Magazine, Barbara Cloud, Laurie Fruth, Mae Worthey-Flennoy

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Environment-Induced Degradation And Crack-Growth Studies Of Candidate Target Materials: Aaa Task-4 Quarterly (June 1 – August 31, 2001) Report, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The subject task entitled “Hydrogen-Induced Embrittlement of Candidate Target Materials for Applications in Spallation-Neutron-Target Systems” had commenced during the quarter ending on August 31, 2001. A research account has been established, contracts for both faculty and students have been prepared, and efforts are well underway to embark on the related research activities, as proposed.

As the title of this project implies, the primary objective of this task is to evaluate the effect of hydrogen on environment-assisted cracking of candidate materials for applications in spallationneutron- target (SNT) systems such as accelerator production of tritium (APT) and accelerator transmutation of waste (ATW). …

Dynamical Relativistic Effects In Photoionization: Spin-Orbit-Resolved Angular Distributions Of Xenon 4d Photoelectrons Near The Cooper Minimum, H. Wang, G. Snell, Oliver Hemmers, M. M. Sant'anna, I. A. Sellin, N. Berrah, Dennis W. Lindle, P. C. Deshmukh, N. Haque, S. T. Manson

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Two decades ago, it was predicted [Y. S. Kim et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 1326 (1981)] that relativistic effects should alter the dynamics of the photoionization process in the vicinity of Cooper minima. The present experimental and theoretical study of the angular distributions of Xe 4d_3/2 and 4d_5/2 photoelectrons demonstrates this effect for the first time. The results clearly imply that relativistic effects are likely to be important for intermediate- Z atoms at most energies.

Design And Analysis For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides: Quarterly Report 5/15/01-8/15/01, Yitung Chen, Darrell Pepper, Randy Clarksean

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Corrosion Of Steel By Lead Bismuth Eutectic, John Farley, Dale L. Perry

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The goal is to achieve a basic understanding of the corrosion of stainless steel by Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE), which has been proposed for use in the transmuter as both a coolant and as a sputtering target.

Nuclear Criticality Analyses Of Separations Processes For The Transmutation Fuel Cycle, William Culbreth, Pang Tao

Separations Campaign (TRP)

To mitigate the waste created by conventional fission reactors, spent nuclear fuel must be mechanically separated from its cladding. For the development of fuel processing technology to support the Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) Program, aqueous and pyrochemical processes will be used to further separate technetium and iodine, uranium and the higher actinides (see Figure 1 for an example of the process layout)1. The higher actinides, including plutonium, americium, curium, and neptunium will be separated from the waste to facilitate their fabrication into new fuel for placement in a transmuter. High-energy neutrons generated by spallation in the transmuter break down these …

Radiation Transport Modeling Of Beam-Target Experiments For The Aaa Project, William Culbreth

Reactor Campaign (TRP)

The AAA program will rely on the use of an accelerator-based transmuter to expose spent nuclear fuel to high-energy neutrons. The neutron flux will be sufficient to activate or fission the long-lived isotopes of Tc, I, Pu, Am, Cm, and Np that present a significant safety hazard in commercial spent fuel. Transmuter fuel will be subcritical and a high-energy proton accelerator is needed to maintain the necessary neutron flux through the use of a neutron spallation target. The maximum neutron energy produced by spallation (~ 600 MeV) is significantly higher than that produced by a commercial light water reactor (~ …

Design And Evaluation Of Processes For Fuel Fabrication, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The objective of this project is the design and evaluation of manufacturing processes for transmuter fuel fabrication. A detailed design description for the manufacturing of each candidate fuel type would support the informed selection of fuel for a transmutation system. We will collect pertinent manufacturing and process-related information and create an information database that will document the design, operations, and cost implications of various fuel choices. Fabrication processes for different fuel types will likely differ in terms of equipment types, throughput, and cost.

Year 1 of the project will be devoted to the analysis and assessment of the multiple steps …

Development Of A Systems Engineering Model Of The Chemical Separations Process, Yitung Chen, Darrell Pepper, Randy Clarksean

Separations Campaign (TRP)

Two activities are proposed: the development of a Systems Engineering model and the refinement of the Argonne code AMUSE (Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction). The detailed systems engineering model will be the start of an integrated approach to the analysis of the materials separations associated with the national AAA program. A second portion of the project will streamline and improve an integral part of the overall systems model, which is the software package AMUSE. AMUSE analyzes the UREX process and other related solvent extraction processes and defines many of the process streams that are integral to the systems engineering …

Development Of A Mechanistic Understanding Of High-Temperature Deformation Of Alloy Ep-823 For Transmutation Applications, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the elevated temperature tensile properties of Alloy EP- 823, a leading target material for accelerator-driven waste transmutation applications. This alloy has been proven to be an excellent structural material to contain the lead-bismuth-eutectic (LBE) nuclear coolant needed for fast spectrum operations. However, very little data exist in the open literature on the tensile properties of this alloy. The selection of Alloy EP-823 as the test material in the proposed task is based on the recommendation of our collaborator at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The test material will be thermally treated …