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The project objective is to design, construct, install provide operator training and start-up a circulating fluidized bed combustion system at the Lebanon Pennsylvania Veteran`s Affairs Medical Center. This unit will co-fire coal and hospital waste providing lower cost steam for heating and possibly cooling (absorption chiller) and operation of a steam turbine-generator for limited power generation while providing efficient destruction of both general and infectious hospital waste. Operating permits will be obtained after construction has been completed. The stack sampler has been selected. This vendor is currently developing the testing protocol. Severe weather in December and January caused work delays to the project, especially to outside work The fabrication and installation of the stack are complete. Only the insulation of the stack remains to be done. Budget problems began to occur in late January. Correction of this situation should occur shortly in February or March. A current schedule for the project is included with this report.

We have developed a new coal-permeability model for uniaxial strain and constant confining-stress conditions. The model is unique in that it explicitly considers fracture–matrix interaction during coal-deformation processes and is based on a newly proposed internal swelling stress concept. This concept is used to account for the impact of matrix swelling (or shrinkage) on fracture-aperture changes resulting from partial separation of matrix blocks by fractures that do not completely cut through the whole matrix. The proposed permeability model is evaluated using data from three Valencia Canyon coalbed wells in the San Juan Basin, where increased permeability has been observed during CH4 gas production, as well as using published data from laboratory tests. Model results are generally in good agreement with observed permeability changes. The importance of fracture–matrix interaction in determining coal permeability, demonstrated in this study using relatively simple stress conditions, underscores the need for a dual-continuum (fracture and matrix) mechanical approach to rigorously capture coal-deformation processes under complex stress conditions, as well as the coupled flow and transport processes in coal seams.

The report is in four sections, corresponding to the program elements: technology impacts, environmental control engineering, operational and environmental compliance and human health studies. Each section was abstracted and indexed separately. (JGB)

Progress is described in three areas corresponding to carcinogenesis and DNA strand breaks in rat skin following exposure by the neon ions or electrons; oncogene activation in radiation-induced rat skin cancers; and DNA strand breaks in the epidermis as a function of radiation penetration. Approximately 200 rats were exposed to the neon ion beam at the Bevalac in Berkeley, CA. The carcinogenicity of energetic electrons (2.0 Mev) was determined for comparison with the neon ion results. For double skin thickness irradiations electrons there was an unusually large excess of connective tissue tumors, fibromas and sarcomas. Presumably the latter tumors are occurring, because more connective tissue is exposed by deeply penetrating, i.e., energetic, beams. 13 refs.

We have observed significant differences in the response to ionizing radiation of two closely related human cells lines, and now compare the effects on these lines of both low and intermediate LET radiation. Compared to TK6, WTK1 has an enhanced X-ray survival, and is also more resistant to cell killing by alpha-particles. The hprt locus is more mutable in WTK1 than in TK6 by both X-rays and alpha-particles. WTK1 is also more mutable by alpha-particles than by X-rays at the hprt locus. X-ray-induced mutation at the heterozygous tk locus in WTK1 is about 25 fold higher than in TK6, while alpha-particle-induced mutation is nearly 50 fold higher at this locus. Also, the slowly growing tk- mutants, which comprise the majority of spontaneous and X-ray-induced tk- mutants of TK6, were not induced significantly by alpha-particles. Previously, we showed that TK6 has a reduced capacity for recombination compared with WTK1, and therefore, these results indicate that recombinational repair may contribute to both cell survival and mutation-induction following exposure to ionizing radiation. Such a mechanism may aid cell survival, but could also result in increased deleterious effects such as the unmasking of recessive mutations in cancer suppresser genes.

The objective of this project is to investigate the mechanism of degradation of sulfur-containing heterocyclic molecules by mutant strains of Escherichia coli K-12. We have previously isolated multiple mutants of E. coli which had gained the capacity to oxidize thiophene compounds and their furan analogs. We have focused on the thdA mutation in our subsequent research, as this appears to be in a regulatory gene central to the thiophene/furan oxidation system. The thdF gene appears to be more directly involved in the oxidation reactions, whereas thdC and thdD are apparently required for increased protection against the toxic effects of thiophene and furan compounds. 4 tabs.

An electrolytic renewable nitrogen fertilizer process that utilizes wind-generated electricity, N{sub 2} extracted from air, and syngas produced via the gasification of biomass to produce nitrogen fertilizer ammonia was developed at the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center. This novel process provides an important way to directly utilize biosyngas generated mainly via the biomass gasification in place of the high-purity hydrogen which is required for Haber Bosch-based production of the fertilizer for the production of the widely used nitrogen fertilizers. Our preliminary economic projection shows that the economic competitiveness of the electrochemical nitrogen fertilizer process strongly depends upon the cost of hydrogen gas and the cost of electricity. It is therefore expected the cost of nitrogen fertilizer production could be considerably decreased owing to the direct use of cost-effective 'hydrogen-equivalent' biosyngas compared to the high-purity hydrogen. The technical feasibility of the electrolytic process has been proven via studying ammonia production using humidified carbon monoxide as the hydrogen-equivalent vs. the high-purity hydrogen. Process optimization efforts have been focused on the development of catalysts for ammonia formation, electrolytic membrane systems, and membrane-electrode assemblies. The status of the electrochemical ammonia process is characterized by a current efficiency of 43% using more » humidified carbon monoxide as a feedstock to the anode chamber and a current efficiency of 56% using high-purity hydrogen as the anode gas feedstock. Further optimization of the electrolytic process for higher current efficiency and decreased energy consumption is ongoing at the EERC. « less

A head-end processing step, termed DEOX for its emphasis on decladding via oxidation, is being developed for the treatment of spent oxide fuel by pyroprocessing techniques. The head-end step employs high temperatures to oxidize UO2 to U3O8 resulting in the separation of fuel from cladding and the removal of volatile fission products. Development of the head-end step is being performed in collaboration with the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) through an International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative. Following the initial experimentation for the removal of volatile fission products, an off-gas treatment system was designed in conjunction with KAERI to collect specific fission gases. The primary volatile species targeted for trapping were iodine, technetium, and cesium. Each species is intended to be collected in distinct zones of the off-gas system and within those zones, on individual filters. Separation of the volatile off-gases is achieved thermally as well as chemically given the composition of the filter media. A description of the filter media and a basis for its selection will be given along with the collection mechanisms and design considerations. In addition, results from testing with the off-gas treatment system will be presented.