[en] The process and mechanisms for refueling the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) are currently undergoing preconceptual design. The instrumentation and controls (I and C) required for the fuel transfer are simultaneously under design as part of this process. Overall, the AHTR's refueling system will consist of a fully automated, optically guided mechanical transfer system with operator intervention only required for exception handling. The refueling system design remains too immature to enable selection of particular instrumentation components. This paper provides an overview of the refueling process for the AHTR, the I and C requirements for the refueling, the current I and C design and technology status, and the envisioned process for developing and validating the required technology.

[en] This report highlights the research performed in 2002 in the Physics Division of Argonne National Laboratory. The Division's programs include operation of ATLAS as a national user facility, nuclear structure and reaction research, nuclear theory, medium energy nuclear research and accelerator research and development

[en] The U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) is sponsoring a project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the objective of conducting the research and development necessary to evaluate the use of sphere-pac transmutation fuel. Sphere-pac fuels were studied extensively in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, this fuel form is being studied internationally as a potential plutonium-burning fuel. For transmutation fuel, sphere-pac fuels have potential advantages over traditional pellet-type fuels. This report provides a review of development efforts related to the preparation of sphere-pac fuels and their irradiation tests. Based on the results of these tests, comparisons with pellet-type fuels are summarized, the advantages and disadvantages of using sphere-pac fuels are highlighted, and sphere-pac options for the AFCI are recommended. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory development activities are also outlined

[en] We characterized a BNL 1.3GHz half-cell SRF gun is tested for GaAs photocathode. The gun already was simulated several years ago via two-dimensional (2D) numerical codes (i.e., Superfish and Parmela) with and without the beam. In this paper, we discuss our investigation of its characteristics using a three dimensional (3D) full-wave code (CST STUDIO SUITE(trademark)).The input/pickup couplers are sited symmetrically on the same side of the gun at an angle of 180^o. In particular, the inner conductor of the pickup coupler is considerably shorter than that of the input coupler. We evaluated the cross-talk between the beam (trajectory) and the signal on the input coupler compared our findings with published results based on analytical models. The CST STUDIO SUITE(trademark) also was used to predict the field within the cavity; particularly, a combination of transient/eigenmode solvers was employed to accurately construct the RF field for the particles, which also includes the effects of the couplers. Finally, we explored the beam's dynamics with a particle in cell (PIC) simulation, validated the results and compare them with 2D code result.

[en] Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories' user facilities are described. Specific facilities include: the National Center for Electron Microscopy; the Bevalac; the SuperHILAC; the Neutral Beam Engineering Test Facility; the National Tritium Labeling Facility; the 88 inch Cyclotron; the Heavy Charged-Particle Treatment Facility; the 2.5 MeV Van de Graaff; the Sky Simulator; the Center for Computational Seismology; and the Low Background Counting Facility

[en] The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) operates an automated access control system consisting of more than 100 portals. We have gained considerable practical experience in the issues involved in operating this large system, and have identified the central issues to include system reliability, the large user population, the need for central control, constant change, high visibility and the budget. This paper outlines these issues and draws from our experience to discuss some fruitful ways of addressing them

[en] The Seismic Safety Guide provides facilities managers with practical guidelines for administering a comprehensive earthquake safety program. Most facilities managers, unfamiliar with earthquake engineering, tend to look for answers in techniques more sophisticated than required to solve the actual problems in earthquake safety. Often the approach to solutions to these problems is so academic, legalistic, and financially overwhelming that mitigation of actual seismic hazards simply does not get done in a timely, cost-effective way. The objective of the Guide is to provide practical advice about earthquake safety so that managers and engineers can get the job done without falling into common pitfalls, prolonged diagnosis, and unnecessary costs. It is comprehensive with respect to earthquakes in that it covers the most important aspects of natural hazards, site planning, rehabilitation of existing buildings, design of new facilities, operational safety, emergency planning, non-structural elements, life lines, and risk management. 5 references

[en] This is the final report of the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It describes the make-up, purpose, working assumptions, and activities of the Committee and discusses the work done by the Committee on defense matters, energy, a number of additional topics, and future long-range planning activities

[en] A consistently formulated differencing approach is applied to the diffusion-synthetic acceleration of discrete ordinates calculations based on various spatial differencing schemes. The diffusion ''coupling'' equations derived for each scheme are contrasted to conventional coupling relations and are shown to permit derivation of either point- or box-centered diffusion difference equations. The resulting difference equations are shown to be mathematically equivalent, in slab geometry, to equations derived by applying Larsen's four-step procedure to the S/sub 2/ equations. Fourier stability analysis of the acceleration method applied to slab model problems is used to demonstrate that, for any S/sub n/ differencing scheme (a) the upper bound on the spectral radius of the method occurs in the fine-mesh limit and equals that of the spatially continuous case (0.22466), and (b) the spectral radius decreases with increasing mesh size to an asymptotic value <0.13135. This model problem performance is somewhat superior to that of Larsen's approach, for which the spectral radius is bounded by 0.25 in the wide-mesh limit. Numerical results of multidimensional, heterogeneous, scattering-dominated problems are also presented to demonstrate the rapid convergence of accelerated discrete ordinates calculations using various spatial differencing schemes

[en] This report summarizes historical A/M-Area DNAPL activities and data, and presents the overall A/M-Area strategy flowchart, the status work for each DNAPL source zone (or potential source zone), and future A/M-Area DNAPL plans