Intelligent monitoring and diagnosis systems for the Space Station Freedom ECLSS

Specific activities in NASA's environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) advanced automation project that is designed to minimize the crew and ground manpower needed for operations are discussed. Various analyses and the development of intelligent software for the initial and evolutionary Space Station Freedom (SSF) ECLSS are described. The following are also discussed: (1) intelligent monitoring and diagnostics applications under development for the ECLSS domain; (2) integration into the MSFC ECLSS hardware testbed; and (3) an evolutionary path from the baseline ECLSS automation to the more advanced ECLSS automation processes

235U and TRU Holdup Measurements on the 321-M Sawbenches

The Analytical Development Section of Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) was requested by the Facilities Disposition Projects (FDP) to determine the holdup of enriched uranium in the 321-M facility as part of an overall deactivation project of the facility. The 321-M facility was used to fabricate enriched uranium fuel assemblies, lithium-aluminum target tubes, neptunium assemblies, and miscellaneous components for the production reactors. The results of the holdup assays are essential for determining compliance with the Waste Acceptance Criteria, Material Control & Accountability, and to meet criticality safety controls. This report covers holdup measurements on two sawbench components that were used for cutting U-Al fuel rods. The benches contained U-Al residue scattered on the bench tops and bagged up in plastic containers. It was very important to obtain an estimate of the HEU content of this residue in order to remove criticality concerns before vacuuming it into a much smaller volume. A portable high purity germanium (HPGe) detection system and a portable sodium iodide (NaI) detection system were used to determine highly enriched uranium (HEU) holdup and to determine holdup Np-237 and Am-241 that were observed in these components. The measured Np-237 and Am-241 contents were especially important in these components because their presence is unusual and unexpected in 321-M. It was important to obtain a measured value of these two components to disposition the saw benches and to determine whether a separate waste stream was necessary for release of these contaminated components to the E-Area Solid Waste Vault. The reported values for Np-237 are < 0.8 mg on each of the two bench tops and < 3 {micro}g in the bag of chips. The reported values for Am-241 are < 500 ng on the two bench tops and < 15 ng in the bag of chips. Our results demonstrate an upper limit of {sup 235}U content of 0.4 g on the two benchtops and of 0.1 mg in the bag of chips. These reported values completely eliminated the criticality concerns. This report discusses the methodology, non-destructive assay (NDA) measurements, and results of the holdup measured for each of the three actinide species in these saw benches

Saturn's Seismic Rotation Revisited

Normal mode seismology is a promising means of measuring rotation in gas giant interiors, and ring seismology presents a singular opportunity to do so at Saturn. We calculate Saturn's normal modes of oscillation and zonal gravity field, using nonperturbative methods for normal modes in the rigidly rotating approximation, and perturbative methods for the shifts that Saturn's deep winds induce in the mode frequencies and zonal gravity harmonics. The latter are calculated by solving the thermo-gravitational wind equation in an oblate geometry. Comparing many such models to gravity data and the frequencies of ring patterns excited by Saturn normal modes, we use statistical methods to estimate that Saturn's cloud-level winds extend inward along cylinders before decaying at a depth 0.125-0.138 times Saturn's equatorial radius, or 7,530-8,320 km, consistent with analyses of Cassini gravity and magnetic field data. The seismology is especially useful for pinning down Saturn's poorly constrained deep rotation period, which we estimate at 634.7 min (median) with a 5/95% quantile range 633.8-635.5 min. Outstanding residuals in mode frequencies at low angular degree suggest a more complicated deep interior than has been considered to date. Smaller but still significant residuals at high angular degree also show that our picture for the thermal, composition, and/or rotation profile in Saturn's envelope is not yet complete.Comment: Accepted to PS

Measured Ni-63 Contents in Savannah River Site High Level Waste and Defense Waste Processing Facility Glass Product by Ni-Selective Ion Exchange Purification and b-Decay Counting

In this paper is described tests of EiChrom Industries' Ni-selective ion exchange resin for use in analysis of Ni-63 in Savannah River Site high level waste

Development of total uranium analytical method by L x-ray fluorescence

This paper describes development of an L x-ray fluorescence technique to perform total uranium analysis using an internal excitation source which is added directly to the sample. The method has been demonstrated with synthetic U samples in the limited concentration range of 1g/l to 15g/l, and provides the advantages of simplicity, involving no mechanical parts which would normally be found in an external excitation source. Total uranium is determined by counting L x-rays fluoresced by a microCurie level spike of Cd-109 added directly to the sample and without shielding the excitation source from the detector. A method for correction of sample self-absorption is included in the analysis

DIVERSE ACTIVE WELL NEUTRON COINCIDENCE COUNTER UTILITY AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY

In this paper we describe use of the Aquila active well neutron coincidence counter for nuclear material assays of {sup 235}U in multiple analytical techniques at Savannah River Site (SRS), at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), and at Argonne West National Laboratory (AWNL). The uses include as a portable passive neutron counter for field measurements searching for evidence of {sup 252}Cf deposits and storage; as a portable active neutron counter using an external activation source for field measurements searching for trace {sup 235}U deposits and holdup; for verification measurements of U-Al reactor fuel elements; for verification measurements of uranium metal; and for verification measurements of process waste of impure uranium in a challenging cement matrix. The wide variety of uses described demonstrate utility of the technique for neutron coincidence verification measurements over the dynamic ranges of 100 g-5000 g for U metal, 200 g-1300 g for U-Al, and 8 g-35 g for process waste. In addition to demonstrating use of the instrument in both the passive and active modes, we also demonstrate its use in both the fast and thermal neutron modes

ANALYSIS OF SPECIAL WASTE CONFIGURATIONS AT THE SRS WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES

Job Control Waste (JCW) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) Solid Waste Management Facilities (SWMF) may be disposed of in special containers, and the analysis of these containers requires developing specific analysis methodologies. A method has been developed for the routine assay of prohibited items (liquids, etc.) contained in a 30-gallon drum that is then placed into a 55-gallon drum. Method development consisted of system calibration with a NIST standard at various drum-to-detector distances, method verification with a liquid sample containing a known amount of Pu-238, and modeling the inner container using Ortec Isotopic software. Using this method for measurement of the known standard in the drum-in-drum configuration produced excellent agreement (within 15%) with the known value. Savannah River Site Solid Waste Management also requested analysis of waste contained in large black boxes (commonly 18-feet x 12-feet x 7-feet) stored at the SWMF. These boxes are frequently stored in high background areas and background radiation must be considered for each analysis. A detection limit of less than 150 fissile-gram-equivalents (FGE) of TRU waste is required for the black-box analyses. There is usually excellent agreement for the measurements at different distances and measurement uncertainties of about 50% are obtained at distances of at least twenty feet from the box. This paper discusses the experimental setup, analysis and data evaluation for drum-in-drum and black box waste configurations at SRS

GAMMA-PULSE-HEIGHT EVALUATION OF A USA SAVANNAH RIVER SITE BURIAL GROUND SPECIAL CONFIGURATION WASTE ITEM

The Savannah River Site (SRS) Burial Ground had a container labeled as Box 33 for which they had no reliable solid waste stream designation. The container consisted of an outer box of dimensions 48-inch x 46-inch x 66-inch and an inner box that contained high density and high radiation dose material. From the outer box Radiation Control measured an extremity dose rate of 22 mrem/h. With the lid removed from the outer box, the maximum dose rate measured from the inner box was 100 mrem/h extremity and 80 mrem/h whole body. From the outer box the material was sufficiently high in density that the Solid Waste Management operators were unable to obtain a Co-60 radiograph of the contents. Solid Waste Management requested that the Analytical Development Section of Savannah River National Laboratory perform a {gamma}-ray assay of the item to evaluate the radioactive content and possibly to designate a solid waste stream. This paper contains the results of three models used to analyze the measured {gamma}-ray data acquired in an unusual configuration

HOLDUP MEASUREMENTS FOR THREE VISUAL EXAMINATION AND TRU REMEDIATION GLOVEBOX FACILITIES AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE

Visual Examination (VE) gloveboxes are used to remediate transuranic waste (TRU) drums at three separate facilities at the Savannah River Site. Noncompliant items are removed before the drums undergo further characterization in preparation for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Maintaining the flow of drums through the remediation process is critical to the program's seven-days-per-week operation. Conservative assumptions are used to ensure that glovebox contamination from this continual operation is below acceptable limits. Holdup measurements using cooled HPGe spectrometers are performed in order to confirm that these assumptions are conservative. {sup 239}Pu is the main nuclide of interest; however, {sup 241}Pu, equilibrium {sup 237}Np/{sup 233}Pa and {sup 238}Pu (if detected) are typically assayed. At the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) facility {sup 243,244,245}Cm are also generally observed and are always reported at either finite levels or at limits of detection. A complete assay at each of the three facilities includes a measure of TRU content in the gloveboxes and HEPA filters in the glovebox exhaust. This paper includes a description of the {gamma}-PHA acquisitions, of the modeling, and of the calculations of nuclide content. Because each of the remediation facilities is unique and ergonomically unfavorable to {gamma}-ray acquisitions, we have constructed custom detector support devices specific to each set of acquisitions. This paper includes a description and photographs of these custom devices. The description of modeling and calculations include determination and application of container and matrix photon energy dependent absorption factors and also determination and application of geometry factors relative to our detector calibration geometry. The paper also includes a discussion of our measurements accuracy using off-line assays of two SRNL HEPA filters. The comparison includes assay of the filters inside of 55-gallon drums using the SRNL Q{sup 2} assay system and separately using off-line assay with an acquisition configuration unique from the original in-situ acquisitions