DISTRIBUTION COEFICIENTS (KD) GENERATED FROM A CORE SAMPLE COLLECTED FROM THE SALTSTONE DISPOSAL FACILITY

Core samples originating from Vault 4, Cell E of the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) were collected in September of 2008 (Hansen and Crawford 2009, Smith 2008) and sent to SRNL to measure chemical and physical properties of the material including visual uniformity, mineralogy, microstructure, density, porosity, distribution coefficients (K{sub d}), and chemical composition. Some data from these experiments have been reported (Cozzi and Duncan 2010). In this study, leaching experiments were conducted with a single core sample under conditions that are representative of saltstone performance. In separate experiments, reducing and oxidizing environments were targeted to obtain solubility and Kd values from the measurable species identified in the solid and aqueous leachate. This study was designed to provide insight into how readily species immobilized in saltstone will leach from the saltstone under oxidizing conditions simulating the edge of a saltstone monolith and under reducing conditions, targeting conditions within the saltstone monolith. Core samples were taken from saltstone poured in December of 2007 giving a cure time of nine months in the cell and a total of thirty months before leaching experiments began in June 2010. The saltstone from Vault 4, Cell E is comprised of blast furnace slag, class F fly ash, portland cement, and Deliquification, Dissolution, and Adjustment (DDA) Batch 2 salt solution. The salt solution was previously analyzed from a sample of Tank 50 salt solution and characterized in the 4QCY07 Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) report (Zeigler and Bibler 2009). Subsequent to Tank 50 analysis, additional solution was added to the tank solution from the Effluent Treatment Project as well as from inleakage from Tank 50 pump bearings (Cozzi and Duncan 2010). Core samples were taken from three locations and at three depths at each location using a two-inch diameter concrete coring bit (1-1, 1-2, 1-3; 2-1, 2-2, 2-3; 3-1, 3-2, 3-3) (Hansen and Crawford 2009). Leaching experiments were conducted with a section of core sample 3-2. All cores from location 3 were drilled without using water. Core sample 3-2 was drilled from approximately six inches to a depth of approximately 13 inches. Approximately six inches of the core was removed but it broke into two pieces during removal from the bit. At the time of drilling, core material appeared olive green in color (Smith 2008). The fact that the samples were cored as olive green and were received after storage with a gray outer layer is indicative that some oxidation had occurred prior to leaching studies

Multi-scale analysis and validation of the Envisat MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) in woodland

Satellite remote sensing can be used to estimate and monitor the chlorophyll content of vegetation canopies which are a key and dynamic component of global terrestrial ecosystems. The red-edge algorithm can be used to estimate chlorophyll content from remotely sensed data but is unsuitable for use with most satellite sensor imagery. To overcome this problem, the new Envisat MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll index (MTCI) has been developed. It is the only operational satellite chlorophyll index and MTCI data are available as a Level 2 product from the European Space Agency. However, there is a need to ‘validate’ the MTCI over a wide range of environmental conditions. This paper reports on research that attempts to validate the MTCI using Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) imagery and ground data of chlorophyll content. The study site was predominantly woodland in the south of England (New Forest National Park) and had a wide range of chlorophyll contents. A transfer function derived from CASI data was used to produce a reference map of chlorophyll content, when aggregated it was compared to MERIS MTCI data and used to derive the MTCI – chlorophyll content relationship (R squared = 0.56)

Defect detection capability of pulsed transient thermography

Abstract In this work, investigations have been conducted on a novel technique for enhancing thermographic data, which is known as thermographic signal reconstruction, to assess its defect detection limitation on CFRP composite. For defect greater than 4mm diameter, results have indicated a 60% improvement in detectability

Forensic investigation of social networking applications

Social networking applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin may be involved in instances of misuse such as copyright infringement, data protection violations, defamation, identity theft, harassment, and dissemination of confidential information and malware that can affect both organizations and individuals. In this paper we examine the computer forensic process of obtaining digital evidence from social networking applications and the legal aspects of such. Currently there do not appear to be commonly available guidelines for organizations aimed specifically at the computer forensic process of investigation of social networking applications

Phenological trends of vegetation in Southern England From Envisat MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) data

Given the close association between climate change and vegetation response there is a pressing requirement to monitor the phenology of vegetation and understand how its metrics vary over space and time. This paper explores the viability of the Envisat MTCI dataset for monitoring vegetation phenology via its estimates of chlorophyll content. The MTCI was used to construct the phenological profile of and to extract key phenological dates from mixed woodland in Southern England. Woodland phenological cycles for the time period 2003 to 2007, a period with known temperature anomalies forcing variability in the phenology of the vegetation, were derived from MERIS MTCI data. Comparisons were made with ground indicators of phenology, and furthermore, crosscomparisons with other vegetation indices, namely the NDVI and EVI derived from MODIS data were conducted. Close correspondence between MTCI and canopy phenology as indicated by ground observations was evident. Also observed was a difference between MTCI-derived phenological transition curves and key transition dates and those derived from the NDVI and EVI. Overall the research presented in this paper supports the use of the Envisat MTCI for monitoring vegetation phenology, principally due to its sensitivity to canopy chlorophyll content, a vegetation property that is a useful proxy for the canopy physical and chemical alterations associated with phenological change

VARIABILITY OF KD VALUES IN CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS AND SEDIMENTS

Measured distribution coefficients (K{sub d} values) for environmental contaminants provide input data for performance assessments (PA) that evaluate physical and chemical phenomena for release of radionuclides from wasteforms, degradation of engineered components and subsequent transport of radionuclides through environmental media. Research efforts at SRNL to study the effects of formulation and curing variability on the physiochemical properties of the saltstone wasteform produced at the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) are ongoing and provide information for the PA and Saltstone Operations. Furthermore, the range and distribution of plutonium K{sub d} values in soils is not known. Knowledge of these parameters is needed to provide guidance for stochastic modeling in the PA. Under the current SRS liquid waste processing system, supernate from F & H Tank Farm tanks is processed to remove actinides and fission products, resulting in a low-curie Decontaminated Salt Solution (DSS). At the Saltstone Production Facility (SPF), DSS is mixed with premix, comprised of blast furnace slag (BFS), Class F fly ash (FA), and portland cement (OPC) to form a grout mixture. The fresh grout is subsequently placed in SDF vaults where it cures through hydration reactions to produce saltstone, a hardened monolithic waste form. Variation in saltstone composition and cure conditions of grout can affect the saltstone's physiochemical properties. Variations in properties may originate from variables in DSS, premix, and water to premix ratio, grout mixing, placing, and curing conditions including time and temperature (Harbour et al. 2007; Harbour et al. 2009). There are no previous studies reported in the literature regarding the range and distribution of K{sub d} values in cementitious materials. Presently, the Savannah River Site (SRS) estimate ranges and distributions of K{sub d} values based on measurements of K{sub d} values made in sandy SRS sediments (Kaplan 2010). The actual cementitious material K{sub d} values and solubility values differ from the sandy sediments. The K{sub d} value range and distribution currently used in the PA are estimated to range between 0.25*K{sub d} and 1.75*K{sub d}, where the minimum and maximum values of the ranges reflect the 95% confidence level for the mean K{sub d} value (Kaplan 2010). The objective of the research with cementitious materials was to measure the range and distribution of a monovalent (Cs) and I{sup -} (anion), divalent (Sr), and trivalent (Eu) ions for a variety of laboratory-prepared saltstone surrogate samples to establish a K{sub d} range other than that which is presently used in the PA. It has been observed in laboratory samples that cure temperature profiles can affect properties such as heat of hydration, permeability, porosity, compressive strength, and set time (Harbour et al. 2009). The intent was to identify a range and distribution that could be used by stochastic modelers for the PA. Furthermore, the intent was to replace the arbitrarily selected distributions based on geological sandy sediments and to base it on actual cementitious materials. The scope of this study did not include understanding saltstone sorption mechanisms responsible for increasing or decreasing sorption. Similar to the work with cementitious materials, the purpose of the Pu sediment K{sub d} dataset was not to attempt to understand through statistics how to better understand Pu sorption to sediments or to lower Pu K{sub d} variance. The sediment Pu K{sub d} data is included in this study because it is a key risk driver for the PAs on the SRS, and there is presently no direct studies of Pu variability in SRS soils. Instead the distribution of Pu sediment K{sub d} values was assumed to be similar to other cations, as presented by Kaplan (2010)