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At least 1,441 records · Page 80

Linear shaped charge

Linear shaped charges are described herein. In a general embodiment, the linear shaped charge has an explosive with an elongated arrowhead-shaped profile. The linear shaped charge also has and an elongated v-shaped liner that is inset into a recess of the explosive. Another linear shaped charge includes an explosive that is shaped as a star-shaped prism. Liners are inset into crevices of the explosive, where the explosive acts as a tamper.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Exploring lower-cost pathways to economical fusion power

This project, the Plasma Liner Experiment–ALPHA (PLX-α)5,is one of nine projects supported by the ALPHA Program6 of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). We use innovative, low-cost coaxial plasma guns (Fig. 1), developed and built by partner HyperV Technologies Corp.7, to launch a spherically converging array of supersonic plasma jets toward the middle of a large, spherical vacuum chamber (Fig. 2). A key near-term goal of PLX-α is to merge up to 60 plasma jets to form a spherically imploding plasma liner, as a low-cost, high-shot-rate driver for compressing magnetised target plasmas to fusion conditions. Our approach is known as plasma-jet-driven MIF (or PJMIF)8. A new startup company HyperJet Fusion Corporation (which recently received seed funding from Strong Atomics, LLC, a new fusion venture fund) aims to develop PJMIF under continued public and private sponsorship.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Apparatus for processing materials at high temperatures and pressures

An apparatus for processing materials at high temperatures comprises a high strength enclosure; a plurality of high strength radial segments disposed adjacent to and radially inward from the high strength enclosure; a liner disposed adjacent to and radially inward from the radical segments; a chamber defined interior to the liner; a heating device disposed within the chamber; and a capsule disposed within the chamber, the capsule configured to hold a supercritical fluid. The apparatus may be used for growing crystals, e.g., GaN, under high temperature and pressure conditions.

Afimiwala, Kirsh↗

Enterprise: a reduced-scale, flexible fuel, single-cylinder crosshead marine diesel research engine

A custom-built 1/10 scale, flexible-fuel, single-cylinder crosshead marine diesel research engine, dubbed the Enterprise, was designed and built as a platform for conducting marine lubricant research. The engine design was focused on maintaining lubricant boundary conditions similar those of full-scale engines. The Enterprise has a rated speed of 625 rpm to match the linear mean piston speed of full-scale marine engines with the reduced stroke and is capable of 18 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). A high-swirl, uniflow-scavenged, two-stroke combustion system was designed to operate on either distillate diesel or heavy fuel oil (HFO). A hydraulic electronic unit injector (HEUI) fuel injection system with two injectors having customized three-hole nozzles provides fueling and is driven by the MAHLE Flexible ECU (MFE). Intake air boost is provided using a variable speed industrial air compressor along with closed-loop electronically controlled pressure regulation. Exhaust backpressure is also controlled electronically using an electro-pneumatic butterfly valve. A customized, miniaturized Hans Jensen Lubetronic cylinder lubrication system, which is capable of delivering 0.88 mg of cylinder oil per lubricator per injection to the ring pack at up to the maximum engine overspeed rating of 656 rpm, was commissioned for the Enterprise. Four independently temperature-controlled cooling zones are used to provide control of the liner temperature profile. The four coolant zones as well as the system oil and cylinder oil supplies are all controlled within 1°C for consistent thermal boundary conditions. The engine is instrumented with an in-cylinder pressure transducer as well as an inline torque transducer and numerous process temperature and pressure measurements to allow for detailed thermodynamic efficiency analysis, and experimental facilities allow for precise measurement of liner wear and characterization of deposits on the piston and rings. A radio telemetry system from IR Telemetrics is used to measure piston crown temperatures during engine operation. Engine design considerations and experimental facilities are described in detail, along with the results of a study investigating the impact of both system oil and cylinder oil viscosity on friction and efficiency. A test matrix was designed to compare base stock chemistries and viscosities for both system and cylinder oils. Experiments were completed using a fuel economy test protocol that was defined, consisting of repeating six speed/load operating conditions. An automated dynamometer control system was implemented to ensure repeatability of the test procedure. Preliminary testing indicated that the coolant, oil, and exhaust temperatures reach a steady state within 5 minutes of changing operating conditions. The system oil viscosity was found to have a significant impact on friction, with a reduction in viscosity from SAE 30 to SAE 20 resulting in over 6% reduction in friction mean effective pressure (FMEP) and over a 2% reduction in brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC). Chemistry effects were also evident in the system and cylinder oils. Repeatability comparisons between the individual repetitions of each operating condition were used to ensure that results are statistically valid. For the initial cylinder oil viscosity experiments, observed changes were within the established/normal repeatability; ongoing experiments will determine whether improvements in boundary condition control will enable cylinder friction changes of this magnitude to be measured on this engine platform.

Kaul, Brian↗

Combustion system with panel fuel injector

The present disclosure is directed to an annular combustion system. The annular combustion system includes an inner liner and an outer liner that define therebetween an annulus that circumscribes a centerline of the combustion system. The annulus includes a plurality of primary combustion zones defined at an upstream end thereof and further defines a plurality of secondary combustion zones downstream of the primary combustion zones. The annular combustion system further includes a plurality of fuel nozzles where at least one fuel nozzle discharges a combustible mixture into a respective primary combustion zone of the plurality of primary combustion zones. A plurality of panel fuel injectors is disposed between adjacent fuel nozzles. The plurality of panel fuel injectors extends in an axially downstream direction so as to separate adjacent primary combustion zones. Each panel fuel injector discharges a combustible mixture into at least one secondary combustion zone.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Validation and Parametric Investigations Using a Lumped Thermal Parameter Model of an Internal Permanent Magnet Motor: Preprint

One of the key challenges for the electric vehicle industry is to develop high-power-density electric motors. Achieving higher power density requires efficient heat removal from inside the motor. In order to improve thermal management, a multi-physics modeling framework that is able to accurately predict the behavior of the motor, while being computationally efficient, is essential. This paper first presents a detailed validation of a Lumped Parameter Thermal Network (LPTN) model of an Internal Permanent Magnet (IPM) synchronous motor within the commercially available Motor-CAD® modeling environment. The IPM motor’s stator is studied at steady state, and winding losses are generated by a constant DC current. The validation is based on temperature comparison with experimental data and with more detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA). All critical input parameters of the LPTN are considered in detail for each layer of the stator, especially the contact resistances between the impregnation, liner, laminations and housing. Finally, a sensitivity analysis for each of the critical input parameters is provided. A maximum difference of 4% - for the highest temperature in the slot windings and the end windings - was found between the LPTN and the experimental data. Comparing the results from the LPTN and the FEA model, the maximum difference was 2% for the highest temperature in the slot windings and end windings. As for the LTPN sensitivity analysis, the thermal parameter with the highest sensitivity was found to be the liner-to-lamination contact resistance. The latter is often ignored in the literature, whereas its impact on temperature rise was found to be more significant than any other contact resistance within the stator.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Modular gradient-free shaped charge

A shaped charge produces a constant velocity jet. The shaped charge is comprised of individual modules which can be assembled to produce a constant velocity jet of arbitrary length. The resulting jet speed is approximately twice the detonation velocity and independent of the liner material. The modular design also allows different liner materials to be used sequentially in the same jet.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Ceramic airfoil trailing end configuration

An airfoil includes an airfoil body that has a trailing edge region. The trailing edge region includes first and second monolithic ceramic exterior walls, a flow discharge passage between the first and second monolithic ceramic exterior walls, a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) liner at least a portion of which is disposed in the flow discharge passage between the first and second monolithic ceramic exterior walls, and an array of pedestals disposed in the flow discharge passage. Each of the flow guides bridges the CMC liner and at least one of the first and second monolithic ceramic exterior walls.

Kennedy, Matthew B.↗

Direct Numerical Simulation of Flame-Wall Interaction for Low-Carbon Gas Turbine Combustion

Green hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) are emerging as carbon free alternatives to hydrocarbon fuels. In gas turbines, flames interact with the combustor liner (wall), which affects the pollutant emissions, the burning efficiency, and the thermal load on the liner. We lack understanding of this important flame-wall interaction (FWI) for alternative fuels. FWI occurs at the scale of the flame thickness, and such scales are only resolved by direct numerical simulation. Here, we resolve the FWI for NH3 and H2 flames. Preliminary results of two distinct projects are presented: 2D laminar anchored V-flame, and 3D turbulent swirling flame. For the laminar flame, we show flame quenching at the wall and resulting leakage of NH3 and increased N2O, but decreased NO emissions. For the swirling flame, we show CO emissions, and comparison of flame shapes and location to experimental measurements. Ultimately we show that quenching and pollutant emissions strongly affected by fuel/air ratio, and that an inclined wall can stabilize very lean turbulent CH4/H2 flames, but prone to large CO emissions.

adaptive mesh refinement↗

Design of the Long-term Waste Management Facility for Historic LLRW Port Hope Project - 13322

The Municipality of Port Hope is located on the northern shores of Lake Ontario approximately 100 km east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Starting in the 1930's, radium and later uranium processing by Eldorado Gold Mines Limited (subsequently Eldorado Nuclear Limited) (Eldorado) at their refinery in Port Hope resulted in the generation of process residues and wastes that were disposed of indiscriminately throughout the Municipality until about the mid-1950's. These process residues contained radium (Ra- 226), uranium, arsenic and other contaminants. Between 1944 and 1988, Eldorado was a Federal Crown Corporation, and as such, the Canadian Federal Government has assumed responsibility for the clean-up and long-term management of the historic waste produced by Eldorado during this period. The Port Hope Project involves the construction and development of a new long-term waste management facility (LTWMF), and the remediation and transfer of the historic wastes located within the Municipality of Port Hope to the new LTWMF. The new LTWMF will consist of an engineered above-ground containment mound designed to contain and isolate the wastes from the surrounding environment for the next several hundred years. The design of the engineered containment mound consists of a primary and secondary composite base liner system and composite final cover system, made up of both natural materials (e.g., compacted clay, granular materials) and synthetic materials (e.g., geo-synthetic clay liner, geo-membrane, geo-textiles). The engineered containment mound will cover an area of approximately 13 hectares and will contain the estimated 1.2 million cubic metres of waste that will be generated from the remedial activities within Port Hope. The LTWMF will also include infrastructure and support facilities such as access roads, administrative offices, laboratory, equipment and personnel decontamination facilities, waste water treatment plant and other ancillary facilities. Preliminary construction activities for the Port Hope LTWMF commenced in 2012 and are scheduled to continue over the next few years. The first cell of the engineered containment mound is scheduled to be constructed in 2015 with waste placement into the Port Hope LTWMF anticipated over the following seven year period. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Fall Protection Procedures for Sealing Bulk Waste Shipments by Rail Cars at Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Sites - 13509

Rail-cars loaded with radioactive materials must be closed and fastened to comply with United States Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements before they shipped. Securing waste shipments in a manner that meets these regulations typically results in the use of a sealable rail-car liner. Workers accessing the tops of the 2.74 m high rail-cars to seal and inspect liners for compliance prior to shipment may be exposed to a fall hazard. Relatively recent revisions to the Fall Protection requirements in the Safety and Health Requirements Manual (EM385-1-1, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) have necessitated modifications to the fall protection systems previously employed for rail-car loading at Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites. In response these projects have developed site-specific procedures to protect workers and maintain compliance with the improved fall protection regulations. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Overview of the U.S. DOE advanced fuels campaign

Advanced Fuel Campaign (AFC) has responsibility to develop advanced nuclear fuel technologies for the Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCRD) program. AFC focus areas include 4 topics: advanced LWR fuels, actinide transmutation, research infrastructure development for the study of new nuclear fuels and advanced modeling and simulation. This paper reviews the latest technical advances in the 4 topics. Fuel and cladding materials under investigation include the following general classes of technologies: iron-based cladding, ceramic cladding, coated Zirconium alloy cladding, molybdenum-based cladding, high-density fuel, fully ceramic matrix fuel, and metallic alloy-based nuclear fuel. Concerning actinide transmutation fuel alloy additions to immobilize the lanthanide fission products, sodium-free annular fuel concepts, and cladding coatings and liners for mitigation of fuel-cladding chemical interaction have been investigated. Direct casting of metallic fuel into a zirconium liner was demonstrated. A Talos Transmission Electron Microscope was acquired for the study of advanced nuclear fuels and materials. The conceptual and preliminary designs for a static capsule, a flowing water loop, and a flowing sodium loop to support future transient testing needs have been completed. AFC interfaces with the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program to develop multi-scale, multi-physics fuel performance codes.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Achieving Leak Tightness in New Savannah River Site Saltstone Disposal Units - 17454

Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 6 is a new disposal unit at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site Saltstone Disposal Facility. The Saltstone Facility is part of the site's overarching waste management and disposal system. It receives the low-level waste stream and will immobilize in grout more than 90 percent of the liquid volume generated during treatment of the site's liquid high level waste. SDU-6 is the first in a series of large disposal units to be constructed on site. Its internal diameter and height are 114 m (375 ft) and 13.1 m (43 ft), respectively. It uses a cylindrical wire-wrapped concrete water tank design (AWWA D110, Type I), and at 121 ML (32 Mgal), it is one of the largest structures of its kind in the country. Because of its size, SDU-6's base slab was placed in ten sections. Earlier placed sections restrained newer adjacent sections, resulting in shrinkage cracking. Visible cracks were repaired with epoxy. However, the SDU basemat leaked at less than an estimated 4 L/min rate during its first full-height hydrostatic test (2015). The project baseline was to install a coating system to chemically protect the concrete from the high-pH, high-sulfate Saltstone solutions. The coating was not installed during the first hydrostatic test, and subsequently, an adhered elastomeric liner system was chosen to provide higher assurance of bridging floor cracks and preventing leakage. A robust process was used to select and install a liner that will not only provide chemical protection but also achieve leak tightness, which was successfully demonstrated in a second hydrostatic test late in 2016. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Effect of low-level radioactive waste leachate on antioxidant depletion in HDPE geo-membranes - 15135

Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and mixed waste (MW) disposal facilities in the US are required to have a service life in excess of 1000 yr. Understanding the rate of degradation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geo-membranes (GMs) used in barriers of LLW and MW facilities is necessary to assess their service life. HDPE GMs undergo degradation in three stages: antioxidant depletion (Stage I), induction time (stage II), and polymer degradation (Stage III). For LLW and MW facilities, these degradation mechanisms must be assessed with the GM in contact with leachates representative of LLW or MW. This paper focuses on antioxidant depletion in LLW leachate. HDPE GM coupons (2-mm thick) were immersed in radioactive synthetic leachate (RSL) with chemistry representative of leachate in LLW disposal facilities operated by the US Department of Energy's environmental restoration programs. Depletion was assessed at four temperatures (25, 50, 70, and 90 deg.C). Comparative tests were conducted with non-radioactive synthetic leachate (NSL), which has the same chemistry as RSL except radionuclides are excluded. Control tests were conducted with deionized (DI) water. Specimens were removed periodically and tested to determine their mechanical and chemical properties. Antioxidant depletion was measured by both standard and high-pressure oxidative induction time (OIT) tests. The rate of antioxidant depletion in RSL is statistically no different than depletion in NSL. Extrapolating the laboratory data at elevated temperatures to a typical LLW liner at 15 deg.C via Arrhenius modeling showed that the time for antioxidant depletion for a GM in a composite liner is approximately 650 yr when exposed to LLW leachate. Actual service life of the GM will be longer. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Lessons Learned Concerning the Onsite Disposal Facility at the Fernald Preserve, Harrison, Ohio - 16176

An onsite disposal facility (OSDF) was constructed at the Fernald Preserve, Ohio, for the disposal of contaminated soil and debris generated during a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act site cleanup. Completed in October of 2006, the 30 ha facility contains 2.26 million m{sup 3} of waste materials, has a maximum height of approximately 19.8 m, and consists of eight individual cells. The dimensions of cells 1-7 are approximately 213 m x 122 m each, or 26,000 m{sup 2} (2.60 ha). The dimensions of cell 8 (the last cell constructed) are larger than those of the other cells (approximately 3.8 ha). Each cell was constructed with a leachate collection system (LCS) that collected rainwater and storm-water runoff during waste placement and prevented it from entering the underlying environment. Other engineered features include a multilayer composite liner system, a leak detection system (LDS) positioned beneath the primary liner, and a multilayer composite cover that was placed over each cell following the completion of waste-placement activities. The LCS and LDS layers are designed to convey (by gravity) any leachate/fluid that enters the system through pipes to the west side of the facility and into tanks located in valve houses. From there, leachate can be sampled and conveyed to treatment. Groundwater is monitored beneath each cell via monitoring wells. In November 2006, the US DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM) assumed responsibility for the long-term care and maintenance of the OSDF. LM has nine years of monitoring and maintenance experience with the Fernald OSDF. Monitoring data is reported each year in the Fernald Annual Site Environmental Report. The data collected and inspections conducted indicate that the facility is operating as designed. The past nine years has provided LM with the opportunity to evaluate how well many of the design and as-built features of the facility have functioned over time as they pertain to environmental monitoring, valve-house operation and maintenance, and leachate transmission. Lessons learned concerning the long-term care and maintenance of the OSDF at the Fernald Preserve are presented. The main lessons learned include the following: How bivariate plots can be used to address environmental monitoring challenges created by installing an engineered disposal facility in a location where contamination is above the background level but below cleanup standards. How valve-house design decisions can help to alleviate long-term monitoring challenges. How scale buildup can lead to leachate transmission issues. Some additional minor lessons learned are also presented. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Remote Retrieval, Disruption and Processing of Legacy Nuclear Waste - 16179

The UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is currently undertaking, in conjunction with Sellafield Ltd, a series of high profile trials of robotic equipment on a full scale test facility at their Workington Laboratory in England. These trials are designed to underpin and substantiate the processes proposed for the remote retrieval, disruption and processing of legacy Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste (MBGW) from a number of different donor plants on the Sellafield site, including some of the older fuel storage ponds and storage silos. These processes will be conducted inside the new Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) which is due to be commissioned at Sellafield by 2020. These processes will subsequently enable Sellafield Ltd to safely recover legacy Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) from the older storage facilities on site and process it into a safer form which is more suitable for long term storage and then ultimately final disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility. As part of this legacy waste processing within the BEP plant, MBGW waste items will have to be remotely removed from a variety of different types of import skips. This waste will then be transferred, using robots, into the export container, which is a 3 m{sup 3} box liner, where the processed waste will be flood grouted to produce an encapsulated waste package. As part of this processing, any MBGW items consisting of sealed containers will have to be remotely disrupted before being grout encapsulated. This disruption is in order to (a) release any trapped liquors or gases from the containers and (b) ensure full grout infiltration of the container contents, thus minimising the amount of free liquors and voids within the final waste product. The NNL are conducting this technical work to confirm the viability of the proposed concept, processes and equipment. The developed solution consists of a linear layout of processing equipment with a pair of heavy duty, standard industrial, 'commercially off the shelf' (COTS) robots positioned around a Waste Handling Table. These robots have a 500 kg payload capacity and are operated remotely to handle all of the various types of MBGW waste, including the heavy and bulky items. The robots can be operated in manual tele-operation mode as well as pre-programmed automatic mode and have a range of primary and secondary tooling in order to perform the waste processing and disruption tasks as well as undertake general house-keeping and cleaning duties within the cell. The main tools include two types of hydraulic grab for the main waste recovery and handling tasks and a hydraulic shear for the waste disruption activities, but a number of other tools have also been designed and built for ancillary activities, such as a set of general purpose gripper jaws, drilling tool, bolt removal tool, pump tool, spray tool and a number of different housekeeping tools etc. The robot trials were started in November 2014, and have attracted a significant degree of high level stakeholder interest, including the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Environment Agency (EA) and Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWML) witnessing a number of the critical demonstration trials. Robots of the type selected are readily available, robust, reliable and easy to use. The trials have been very successful in proving the retrieval, processing and disruption operations, reducing the burden in the legacy waste facilities. Utilising robots to perform these tasks will lower the probability of producing non-compliant waste packages. In addition the robots can increase the consolidation of incoming waste skips into outgoing 3 m{sup 3} box liners, significantly increasing packing efficiencies and reducing the overall number of export containers produced thus lowering the decommissioning and waste storage/disposal costs. The trials have also enabled an assessment of the optimum way to operate the robots, as well as their reliability and maintainability issues. Engineering work associated with recovering failed robots and removing them from a typical Sellafield plant environment and then subsequently replacing them with functioning robots has also been undertaken and further work is now planned. The success of the trials, completed safely to a very challenging timescale, has enabled the use of robots in BEP to be endorsed as a viable option by the key stakeholders. Following a robust decision making process, this was a clear cut decision. The technical development and testing of the robot technology is currently continuing in order to investigate areas such as robot reliability, failure recoveries, human factors, ease of waste identification, optimisation of throughput rates, nuclearisation modifications etc. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Mechanical Failure Modes and Longevity of Geo-membranes - 16365

Estimates of the long-term performance of geo-synthetic liner and final cover components have traditionally relied on a small number of standard assumptions originally developed to address the needs of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D solid waste industry. These past estimates demonstrated that, even under a series of highly conservative factors, the longevity of these components far exceeds the requirements for typical municipal solid waste (MSW) facilities. However, interest in the performance of these components for the disposal of low-level (LLW) and intermediate-level (ILW) radioactive waste landfills has led to additional study of geo-synthetic degradation to address longer assessment periods. These studies allow for the possibility of more rigorous, reliability-based risk assessments of landfill system performance. A particularly strong research need for LLW/ILW facilities is a complete enumeration of the various chemical and mechanical failures modes for geo-membranes serving as final cover and base liner barrier systems. For final covers, failure is defined as allowing an unacceptable flow of water into a containment system. Studies of the various mechanical modes of deformation and rupture for polyethylene sheet allow for a rigorous exploration of the potential causes of geo-membrane barrier system failure. Of particular interest in the performance assessment and engineering of these systems is the ability to use the resulting models to quantify the longevity of these systems with a probabilistic model. An example of this approach is used to illustrate how the consideration of the mechanism for stress cracking in final cover geo-membranes can be adapted for use in simulations of long-term landfill system performance. The results indicate that the effects of cover system design geometry and geo-membrane formulation on performance can be varied significantly by the cover system engineering to meet target performance goals. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Hanford Single-Shell Tank and Double-Shell Tank Integrity Programs - 16390

Waste at Hanford is stored in 149 single-shell tanks and 28 double-shell tanks. Concerns related to aging radioactive waste storage facilities throughout the DOE complex led to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) developing guidelines for structural integrity programs for tank systems. The committee of experts who developed these guidelines is commonly known as the Tank Structural Integrity Panel (TSIP). The DOE has subsequently adopted these guidelines, and requires site operators to have a program consistent with them. The Double-Shell Tank (DST) integrity is maintained with a variety of activities such as ultrasonic and visual inspections, chemistry controls, corrosion monitoring and structural analyses methods. In October 2012, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) determined that the primary tank of 241-AY-102 was leaking. WRPS contracted a panel of experts from industry and academia to provide advice and recommendations for the DST Integrity Program. The panel focused on three concerns: - No Early warning - Determine why the existing DST Integrity Program did not predict a primary tank failure or provide early warning of the pending failure. - Program improvements - Recommend activities to either predict a primary tank failure or increase the probability of early warning. - Forensic recommendations - The panel provided additional recommendations regarding forensic assessment of Tank 241-AY-102 (AY-102) to facilitate a conclusion on why the leak occurred. WRPS has prepared a response to the concerns of the panel coupled with recommendations for project action to strengthen the DST Integrity Program [4]. The purpose of this DST Integrity Improvement Plan is to translate the recommendations to specific project activities that are technically and practically responsive. To improve the understanding of the Single-Shell Tank (SST) integrity, WRPS, the Department of Energy-Office of River Protection tank operations contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank Integrity Project (SSTIP) in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matter experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration. In late 2010, seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Change Package for the Hanford Federal Agreement and Compliance Order, also known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The change package identified two phases of work for SST integrity. The initial phase, which was completed in 2015, was focused on efforts to envelope the integrity of the tanks. It was divided into two primary areas of investigation: structural integrity and leak integrity. If necessary, based on the outcome from the initial work, a second phase would be focused on further definition of the integrity of the tanks and liners. The two combined phases are designed to support the formal integrity assessment of the Hanford SSTs in 2018 by an Independent Qualified Registered Professional Engineer. This paper will summarize the current status of the DST and SST Integrity Programs and discuss the ongoing efforts to improve these programs. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗