ML20149M414

Forwards 1996 Radiation Science & Engineering Ctr 41st Annual Progress Rept, Which Will Be Available Upon Arrival on 961210

ML20149M414
Person / Time
Site:	Pennsylvania State University
Issue date:	12/03/1996
From:	Witzig W PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV., UNIVERSITY PARK, PA
To:	Mendonca M NRC
References
NUDOCS 9612160369
Download: ML20149M414 (1)

Text

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go-ocar PENNSTATE Cis?fixw i College of Engineenng Brea/cale Nuclear Reactor Building i Radiation Science and Engneering Center The Pennsylvania State Unhersity )

Unhersity Park.1% 16802-230) {

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December 3,1996 l Marvin Mendonca United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop 011-B20 j Washington, DC 20555 j l

Dear Mr. Mendonca:

It was a pleasum speaking with you today. I have enclosed a copy of the 1996 Radiation Science and Engmeering Center's 41st Annual Progress Report. The NRC Report is being reviewed by Health Physics and should be available for you when you arrive on December 10.

Have a safe trip and I look forward to meeting with you.

1 Sincerely, 1 l wT, Warren F. Witzig Interim Director, PSBR WFW/lljd4083.96 Enclosure I

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9612 160369 961203 i PDR ADOCK 05000005 R PDR An Equal Opportunity Univeruty

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FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT PENN STATE RADIATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER 4

July 1,1995 to June 30,1996 2

4 Submitted to:

I United States Department of Energy and 4

The Pennsylvania State University By:

, Marcus H. Voth (Director)

Terry L. Flinchbaugh (Editor)

Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center Department of Nuclear Engineering The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 August 1996

.i Contract DE-AC07-941D-13223 Subcontract C88-101857 U.Ed.ENG 97-45 Penn State is an affirmative action equal opportunity university. '

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1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Eage PREFA CE - M . H. Voth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v 1 ,

I . INTRODUCTION - M. H. Voth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

II. PERS ONNEL - T. L. Fiinchbaugh ............ ............... ... ............ ................ 3 III. REACTOR OPERATIONS - T. L. Flinchbaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 IV. G AMMA IRRADIATION FACILITY - C. C. Davison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 V. EDUCATION AND TRAINING - T. L. Flinchbaugh, C. C. Davison ... ............. 13 q VI. NEUTRON BEAM LABORATORY - R. Gould . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 VII. RADIONUCLEAR APPLICATIONS LABORATORY - T. H. Daubenspeck ........ 21 VIII. LOW LEVEL RADIATION MONITORING LABORATORY - J. I.cbiedzik ......... 23 IX. ANGULAR CORRELATIONS LABORATORY - G. L. Catchen ..................... 25 X. RADIATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER RESEARCH UTILIZATION - T. L. Flinchbau gh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 A. Penn State University Research Utilizing the Facilities of the Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center ........................ 29 B. Other Universities, Organizations and Companies Utilizing the Facilities of the Penn State Radiation Science and En gineerin g Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57-1 APPENDIX A. Faculty, Staff, Students, and Industries Utilizing the Facilities of the l Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center - T. L. l i

Flin ch ba u gh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 63 APPENDIX B. Formal Group Tours - L. D. Brazee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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TABLES '

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1 Personnel..................................................................................... 4 j 2 R e ac to r Ope ra t i o n D a t a . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3 Reactor Utilization Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4 Cobalt-60 Utilization Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5 College and High School Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 l

I FIGURES Eigum Eagn i 1 Organization Chan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 i

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t PREFACE -

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, s Administrative msponsibility for the Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC) resides 4

in the Department of Nuclear Engineering in the College of Engineering. Overall responsibility for i the reactor license resides with the Senior Vice Pmsident for Research and Graduate Education.

'Ihe reactor and associated laboratories are available to all Penn State colleges for education and i research programs. In addition, the facility is made available to assist other educational

! institutions, government agencies and industries having common and compatible needs and j objectives, providing services that am essential in meeting reseamh, development, education and

training needs. ,

.l The Forty-First Annual Progress Report (July 1995 through June 1996) of the operation of l The Pennsylvania State University Radiation Science and Engineering Center is submitted in accordance with the requirements of Contract DE-AC07-94ID-13223 between the United States  !

Department of Energy and IAckheed Idaho Technologies Company (LITCO), and their

- Subcontract C88-101857 with The Pennsylvania State University. This repon also provides the University admmistration with a summary of the utilization of the facility for the past year.

I Numerous individuals are to be recognized and thanked for their dedication and commitment in this report, especially Terry Flinchbaugh who edited the repon and Lisa Brazee who typed it.

Special thanks are extended to those responsible for the individual sections as listed in the Table of Contents and to the individual facility users whose research summaries are compiled in Section X.

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) I. INTRODUCTION i i

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i This report details the accomplishments of the Radiation Science and Engineering Center i (RSEC) over the past year. One of those accomplishments was to adopt a formal mission

' statement and vision statement. They are as follows: i

MISSION ,

i i It is the mission of The Pennsylvania State University Radiation Science and Engineering Center in partnership with faculty, staff, students, alumni, govemment, and corporate leaders

to safely use nuclear technology to benefit society through education, research, and service. i l

J l VISION I

. Our unique facility has a diverse & dedicated staff with a commitment to safety, excellence, '

} quality, customer satisfaction, and education by example. It is the vision of the faculty and l staff of the Radiation Science and Engineering Center to become a leading national resoume  !

l and make significant contributions in the following areas:  !

l Safra -

To actively promote safety in everything we do.

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Education - Further develop innovative programs to advance societal knowledge ,

! through resident instruction and continuing education for students of all i

] ages and their educators throughout the nation. j

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Expand leading edge research that increases fundamental knowledge and '

technology transfer through our diverse capabilities. ,

i Service - Expand and build a diverse array of services and customers by maintaining excellence, quality, customer satisfaction, and efficient ,

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service to supplement income and enhance education and research.

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! In conducting this mission in pursuit of the stated vision, the following activities are [

! highlighted among the numerous accomplishments reported in the pages that follow: l The reporting period began in July as numerous high school groups participated in educational programs at the RSEC under the direction of Ms. Candace Davison. This j continued into the spring when high school science classes on educational field trips visited ,

and performed experiments. The studen: chapter of the American Nuclear Society, with J

1 Ms. Davison's support, also used the RfiEC for educational events such as Boy Scout and

. Girl Scout merit badge programs. A complete list of groups hosted is presented in i Appendix B.

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- Reactor fuel performance studies showed that power is excessively concentrated in the  !

central region of the core where fuel elements with a heavier uranium loading are placed. l l Until a technical specification change can be processed, power was reduced to 75% to reduce local peaking. More details are reported on page 50.

l 1 - A new cobalt-60 irradiator was installed, providing an eight-fold increase in the dose rate '

available to experimenters. This makes numerous experiments practical which previously

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3 would have taken excessive time.

i j - Hot cell use reached an all time high and is continuing into the future as Dr. Motta and his

! graduate students investigate the properties of irradiated reactor pressure vessel metals.

1 Included in the research are analyses using positron annihilation techniques.

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• A Reactor Review Committee was assembled to evaluate the safety culture of the RSEC.

Eight primary action plans are in progress as a result of the committee report; return to full power, training, restructure Director's priorities, organizational development, issues beyond RSEC control, strategic planning, guidance to experimenters, and computational capabilities. One result was an organizational change made effective June 1,1996.

- A thermal hydraulic loop is being constructed in the cobalt bay as a student design project.

When completed, it will serve as both a teaching and research tool, simulating features of ,

advanced reactorconcepts.

- A redesign and optimization study of the heavy water thermal column used for neutron radiography was completed. Computer analyses predict a significant increase in the thermal neutron yield once the new tank is in place. l

• Dr. Shirley Jackson, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, toured the RSEC ,

and observed a demonstration of Dr. Edwards' advanced control theory research. Dr. l Jackson was the featured speaker at the ANS International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies hosted by Penn State; this highly successful technical meeting drew over 300 attendees from 25 countries.

Dr. Edwards conducted workshops where 23 of the participants observed advanced controls techniques on the TRIGA reactor. During the past year this project resulted in nine papers, three masters degrees, and one doctorate degree. Research summaries can be found on pages 40 to 44.

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J II. PERSONNEL ,

, Alex Mclellan resigned his reactor operator intern position effective November 10,1995. T. Michael j Engle, an ex-Navy nuclear reactor operator, was hired as an operator intern effective December 18,1995, i Michael J. Morlang, a graduate student in the Nuclear Engineering Department, was hired as an operator j intern effective January 2,1996.  ;

Carol Houtz worked wage payroll from August 20,1995 to December 12,1995 while Pam Stauffer, Staff Assistant VII, participated in the College of Engineering Staff Fellowship Program. Imis Lunetta, Chris Davis and Tara Beam worked wage payroll in assisting in facility educational programs for high I school students. Melissa Hunter provided secretarial wage payroll help and also helped on educanonal programs and tours.

! On January 1,1996, Gordon Robinson, Chairman (Professor, Nuclear Engineering, Penn i State) and Paul Sokol (Associate Professor, Physics) left the Penn State Reactor Safeguards

! Committee after each served the maximum two terms allowed by the committee chsrier. Their

replacements effective January 1,1996 were Dhushy Sathianathan (Assistant Professor,

. Engineering Graphics) and Forrest Remick (Professor, Nuclear Engineering, Penn State - retired).

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TABLE I l Personnel Faculty and Staff Iille

• • P. G. Boyle Reactor Supervisor / Nuclear Education Specialist L. D. Brazee Staff Assistant V

• • M. E. Bryan Reactor Supervisor / Engineer G. L. Catchen Professor

• • T. Daubenspeck Reactor Supervisor / Reactor Utilization Specialist

• • C. C. Davison Reactor Supervisor / Nuclear Education Specialist

• • T. M. Engle Reactor OperatorIntern

• • T. L. Flinchbaugh Operations and Training Manager M. P. Grieb Engineering Aide R. Gould Research Assistant

• • D. E. Hughes Senior Research Assistant / Manager of Engineering Services W. A. Jester Professor J. Lebiedzik Research Support Technician III

• • A. J. McLellan (resigned) Reactor OperatorIntern

• • D. R. Miller Reactor OperatorIntern M. J. Morlang Reactor OperatorIntern

• K. E. Rudy Operational Suppon Services Supervisor P. J. Stauffer Staff Assistant VII

• • M. H. Voth Associate Professor / Director Licensed Operator

• • Licensed Senior Operator Technical Service Staff J. E. Armstrong Mechanic-Expenmental and Maintenance R. L. Eaken Machininst A Wage Payroll T. Beam C. Houtz M. Hunter L. Lunetta C. Davis 4

I Penn State Reactor Safeguards Committee P. J. Donnachie, Jr. Health Physicist, General Public Utilities E. W. Figard Supervisor of Maintenance, Pennsylvania Power and Light Susquehanna Steam Electric Station R. W. Granlund Health Physicist, Intercollege Research Programs and Facilities, Penn State l D. E. Hughes Senior Research Assistant, Penn State Radiation Science and ,

Engineering Center P. Loftus Manager, Product Licensing, Westinghouse

*** J. H. Mahaffy Chairman, Assistant Professor, Nuclear Engineering, Penn .

State .

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• • F. J. Remick Professor, Nuclear Engineering, Penn State (retired)

• G. E. Robinson Chainnan, Professor, Nuclear Engineering, ,

i Penn State

- ** D. Sathianathan Assistant Professor, Engineering Graphics, Penn State  ;

• P. E. Sokol Associate Professor, Physics, Penn State '

i M. H. Voth Ex officio, Director, Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center W. F. Witzig Professor, Nuclear Engineering, Penn State (retired) i i

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• Served through January 1,1996

• • Appointed January 1,1996 l

e *** Became Chairman effective January 1,1996.

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! MANAGER OF MANAGER OF STAFF

' ENGINEERING - OPERATIONS ASSISTANT VII SERVICES AND TRAINING I I I I .

i RESEARCH REACTOR REACTOR REACTOR RESEARCH SUPERVISOR STAFF ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR, SUPERVISOR. SUPERVISOR / SUPPORT OF FACILITY ASSISTANT V 4

NUCLEAR REACTOR ENGINEER TECHNICIAN-III SERVICES

, EDUCATION UTILIZATION LLRML i

SPECIALIST (2) SPECIALIST m ,

r I I REACTOR EXPERIMENTAL ENGINEERING MACHINISTA OPERATOR AIDE. AND MAINTENANCE  ;

MECHANIC INTERN (2) i WAGE PAYROLU WAGE PAYROLU WAGE PAYROLU WAGE PAYROLU [

WORK STUDY WORK STUDY WORK STUDY WORK STUDY  !

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RSEC Organization Chart aS of 6/1/96  ;

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III. REACTOR OPERATIONS Research reactor operation began at Penn State in 1955. In December of 1965 the original core, which operated at a maximum power level of 200 KW, was replaced by a more advanced TRIGA core, capable of operation at 1000 KW. The present core may also be operated in a pulse fashion in which the power level is suddenly increased from less than 1 KW to up to 2000 KW for short (milliseconds) periods of time. TRIGA stands for Training, Research, Isotope Production, built by General Atomic Company.

Utilization of the PSBR falls into three major categories:

Educational utilization is primarily in the form of laboratory classes conducted for graduate and undergraduate degree candidates and numerous high school science groups. These classes will vary from the irradiation and analysis of a sample to the calibratiot of a reactor control rod.

Research accounts for a large portion of reactor time which involves Radionuclear Applications, Neutmn Radiography, a myriad of research programs by faculty and graduate students throughout the University and various applications by the industrial sector.  ;

Trainine programs for Reactor Operators and Reactor Supervisors are offered and can be tailored to meet the needs of the participants. Individuals taking part in these programs fall into  ;

such categories as PSBR reactor staff and power plant operating personnel.

The PSBR core, containing about 7.5 pounds of Uranium-235, in a non-weapons fomi, is  :

operated at a depth of approximately 18 feet in a pool of demineralized water. The water provides I the needed shielding and cooling for the operation of the reactor. It is relatively simple to expose a sample by positioning it in the vicinity of the reactor at a point where it will receive the desired radiation dose. A variety of fixtures and jigs are available for such positioning. Various containen and irradiation tubes can be used to keep samples dry. Three pneumatic transfer systems with different neutron levels offer additional possibilities. Core rotational, east-west, and north-south movements pmvide flexibility in positioning the core against experimental apparatus.

In normal steady state operation at 1000 kilowatts, the thermal neutron flux available varies 2

from approximately 1 x 1013 n/cm 2/sec at the edge of the core to approximately 3 x 1013 n/cm /sec in the central region of the core.

When using the pulse mode of opemtion, the peak flux for a maximum pulse is approximately 6 x 1016 n/cm2/sec with a pulse width of 15 msec at 1/2 maximum.

Support facilities include a machine shop, electronic shop, laboratory space and fume hoods. l 1

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Tables 2 and 3 list Reactor Operation Data and Reactor Utilization Data-Shift Averages, respectively, for the past three years. In Table 2, the Critical time is a summation of the hours the j reactor was operating at some power level. The Suberitical time is the total hours that the reactor i i

key and console instmmentation were on and under observation,less the Critical time. Suberitical time reflects experiment set-up time and time spent approaching reactor criticality. Fuel movement hours reflect the fact that the biennial fuel inspection took place this year.

l The Number of Pulses reflects demands of undergraduate labs, researchers and reactor operator training programs. Square waves are used primarily for demonstration purposes for l

public groups touring the facility, researchers and reactor operator training programs. l The number of Scrams Planned as Part of Experiments reflects experimenter needs. The l Unplanned Scrams Resulting from Personnel Action occurred when (1) the console sensed both 7

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bay exhaust fans were off because an Office of Physical Plant worker inadvertently turned off I building power to the exhaust fans, (2) an Office of Physical Plant worker assembling scaffolding l bumped the reactor scram button on the south wall of the neutron beam lab, and (3) a senior reactor  ;

operator caused a west air monitor alarm, evacuation hom and reactor scram while incorrectly ,

checking the instmment's alarm set-point. The Unplanned Scram Resulting fmm Abnormal System Operation was because of an interlock validation failum when the software and hardware systems did not both verify within a specified time the control rod up push-button interlock that prevents simultaneous manual withdrawal of more than one control rod at a time.

Table 3, Part A, Reactor Usuage, indicates Hours Critical and Hours Suberitical, and also  :

Hours Shutdown such as for instruction or experimental setup. Occasionally a component failure ,

prohibits reactor operation. The necessary repair time is included in Reactor Usage as Reactor Not Available to reflect total reactor utilization on a shift basis. -

Part B gives a breakdown of the Type of Usage in Hours. The Nuclear Engineering Department and/or the Reactor Facility nceives compensation for Industrial Research and Service. ,

University Research and Service includes both funded and non-funded research, for Penn State and other universities. The Instruction and Training category includes all formal university classes involving the reactor, experiments for other university and high school gmups, demonstrations for tour groups and in-house reactor operator training.

Part C statistics, Users / Experimenters, reflect the number of users, samples and expenmenters per shift. Part D shows the number of eight hour shifts for each year. J INSPECTIONS AND AUDITS During October of 1995, C. Frederick Sears, a former Northeast Utilities executive now a private nuclear engineering consultant, conducted an audit of the PSBR. This fulfilled a ,

requirement of the Penn State Reactor Safeguards Committee charter as described in the PSBR i Technical Specifications. The reactor staff has implemented changes suggested by that report, all of which exceed NRC requirements.

During December of 1995, a NRC routine inspection was conducted of activities authorized by the Cobalt-60 poolirradiation facility license (37-185-05). No items of non-compliance were identified.

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TABLE 2 Reactor Operation Data July 1,1993 - June 30,1996 i 23.:9.4 9_4:.9.5 95.9fi

- A. Hours of Reactor Operation

1. Critical 601 561 591

2. Suberitical 362 401 423

3. FuelMovement 31 27 84

! B. Number of Pulses 48 131 96

C. Number of Square Waves 68 89 93 D. Energy Release (MWH) 391 259 245 l

I E. Grams U-235 Consumed 20 13 13 i

i F. Scrams

l 1. Planned as Pan of Experiments 27 15 36 e 2. Unplanned - Resulting From

a) Personnel Action 2 1 3 b) Abnormal System Operation 1 5 1 l

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TABLE 3 ReactorUtilization Data Shift Averages July 1,1993 - June 30,1996 23d4 24:25 25.2fi A. Reactor Usage

, 1. Hours Critical 2.4 2.2 2.3

2. Hours Suberitical 1.4 1.6 1.6

3. Hours Shutdown 1.5 1.9 1.5

4. ReactorNot Available M Q_ M TOTAL HOURS PER SHIFT 5.9 5.6 6.0 a

j B. Type of Usage - Hours

1. Industrial Research and Service 0.6 0.7 0.6 ,

2. University Research and Service 2.1 1.5 1.9 i

3. Instruction and Training 1.4 1.3 1.3 i 4. Calibration and Maintenance 1.8 2 1.9

5. FuelHandling 0.1 0.1 0.3 C. Users / Experiments

1. Number of Users 2.3 2.4 2.3

2. PneumaticTransferSamples 0.6 0.5 0.7

3. Total Number of Samples 2.3 2.4 2.3

4. Sample Hours 2.9 2.4 2.2 D. Number of 8 Hour Shifts 254 255 262

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1 IV. GAMMA IRRADIATION FACILITY The University, in March of 1956, purchased 23,600 curies of Cobalt-60 in the form of stainless steel clad source rods to provide a pure source of gamma rays in the pool irradiation facility. In November of 1971, the University obtained from the Natick Laboratories,63,537 curies of Cobalt-60 in the form of aluminum clad source rods for the poolirradiator. These source roos have decayed through several half-lives, leaving a July 1,1996 approximate total of 3,300 curies. In July of 1995, a GammaCell 220 dry irradiator was donated to Penn State by the David Samoff Research Center in Princeton, New Jersey. Total source content is 5,100 curies as of July 1,1996.

In the pool irradiator, the sources are stored and used in a pool 16 feet by 10 feet, filled with 16 feet of demineralized water. The water provides a shield which is readily worked through and allows great flexibility in using the sources. Due to the number of sources and size of the pool, it is possible to set up several irradiators at a time to vary the size of the sample that can be irradiated, or vary the dose rate. Experiments in a dry environment are possible by use of either a venical tube or by a diving bell type apparatus. Four different irradiation configurations have been used depending on the size of the sample and dose rate required. The advantage of the poolirradiator is that the dose rate can be varied which is optimal for agricultural and life science research.

Maximum exposure rates of 106 KR/Hr in a 3" ID tube and 62 KR/Hr in a 6" ID tube are available as of July 1,1996.

The GammaCell 220 dry irradiator has a dose rate of 0.4 MegaRad/Hr in the center ofits irradiation chamber, considerably higher than that indicated above for the RSEC pool irradiator.

This is also a higher dose rate than available with other irradiators on campus. It will take approximately fifteen years for the dose rate of the GammaCell 220 to decay to the current Co-60 pool dose rates available, thus providing a fifteen year extension of usable irradiation capability.

Other advantages of the GammaCell 220 include a large irradiation chamber (a? proximately 6 inches diameter and 7.5 inches high), an automatic timer to move the sample c.1 amber away from the source and the ability to conduct in-situ testing of components during irradiation. The GammaCell has already received considerable use the first year. The sample hours for the GammaCell would be equivalent to 4,235 sample hours in the large pool irradiation tube.

The Gamma Irradiation facility is designed with a large amount of working space around the pool irradiator and the GammaCell 220 along with work benches and the usual utilities.

Table 4 compares the past three years' utilization of the Cobalt-60 facility in terms of time, numbers and daily averages.

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TABLE 4 Cobalt-60 Utilir.ation Data July 1,1993 - June 30,1996 23 & 1 E.25 95-96 25-26 Pool Pool Pool Irradiator Irradiator Irradiator GammaCell A. Time Involved (Hours)

1. Set-Up Time 130 90 60 15

2. Total Sample Hours 6,547 2,694 2,042 605 B. Numbers Involved

1. Samples Containers Runt 510 677 478 254

2. DiffemntExperimenters2 36 39 25 20

3. ConfigurationsUsed 3 4 3 NA C. Per Day Averages

1. Experimenters 0.54 0.59 0.53 0.5

2. Samples 2.05 2.72 1.92 1.22 The sample hours for the GammaCell would be equivalent to 4,235 sample hours in the large poolirradiation tube.

Maximum Exposure Rate for the In-pool irradiation tubes as of July 1,1996:

6"In-pool tube 62 KR/Hr 3"In-pool tube 106 KR/Hr Maximum Dose rate at the center of the GammaCell 220 chamber as of July 1,1996:

0.4 MegaRad/Hr 1 Note that each sample container may contain multiple samples 2

The number for Different Experimenters does not include the qualification exam for operators of the GammsCell 12

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V. EDUCATION AND TRAINING s During the past year, the Penn State RSEC was used for a variety of educational services; in-house training, formal laboratory courses and many continuing education programs and tours.

The RSEC operating staff has maintained reactor operator competence and safe facility opration through training and requalification. In-house reactor operator requalification during

. November of 1995 consisted of an oral examination on abnormal and emergency procedures given by K. E. Rudy and an operating test given by C. C. Davison.

Operator intems Michael Engle and Michael Morlang participated in the reacter operator training pmgram during 1995-96. Michael Engle was granted his senior reactor operator license by the NRC in June 1996.

'Ite tenth session of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for Agricultural Sciences (PGSAS) was held at Penn State's University Park campus during the summer of 1995. Sixty-four high school scholars participated in the five week program at Penn State. The Govemor's School for Agricultural Sciences includes introduction and experience in many different agricultural disciplines. There are xveral parts of the program including core courses, elective courses and i Independent Study Projects (ISP's). The core courses are fundamental instruction given to all i l

participants. " Radiation Concepts for Research Applications" is one of the core courses in the I

program. The six-hour course consisted of four sections with sixteen students in each section.

The course was conducted at Penn State's RSEC by Candace Davison along with nuclear engineering student Christopher Norman. The students performed a series of experiments focusing on the fundamentals of radiation interaction and principles of radioisotope applications.

These experiments included a demonstration of a cloud chamber; penetrating ability of alpha, beta and gamma radiation; half-life simulation and calcuhtion. The importance of statistics in taking data and other applications of radioactive materials in r search were discussed. The students were also given a tour of the reactor facility.

In addition to the core course, a 14-hour elective course on " Nuclear Applications, Leaming about the Past and Present" was conducted for twelve scholars. Jana Lebiedzik of the Low-Level ,

l Radiation Monitoring Laboratory pmvided a session on detection of radiation in the environment including radon gas. The students also leamed about imaging using many types of radiation such as neutron radiography, x-ray and gamma-ray imaging including radiographs from the St. Mary's ,

City Lead Coffin Project, a field trip to Radiology Associates and two sessions with the Scanning l Electron Microscope. l Seven students conducted independent study projects related to radiation and nuclear science.

Three students studied the effect of radiation on mushrooms and utilized the gamma hTadiation l facility along with the Scanning Elecmm Microscope. Two students focused on the disposal of low-Level Radioactive Waste for thei'. projects. One student chose the experiential route and gathered information about the Pennsylvania Siting Process. The other student conducted experiments to determine how well cesium and strontium are bound in a cement mixture by clay and other additives. Stable cesium ard strontium we e used in the cement mixture and then Neutron Activation Analysis was performed on the leachate to determine if there was a correlation between the binding of the cesium ard strontium with the components of the cement mixture. The other projects focused on radiation and effects. The project on the effect of irradiation on ,

Drosophila (fruit flies) was conducted by a student mentored by Dr. Diana Cox-Foster. The other project looked at Thermoluminescent dosimeters and shielding and/or backscattering materials to determine if these materials made a significant difference in measured dose. People from the Materials Research Laboratory, some Nuclear Engineering faculty and particularly the Health Physics personnel were very helpfulin assisting with aspects of the PGS AS Independent Study Projects.

1 13 l l

. He University Recctor Sharing Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. i The purpose of this program is to increase the availability of the university nuclear reactor facilitie'  !

. to non-reactor owning colleges and universities. De main objectives of the University Reactor  ;

Sharing program are to strengthen nuclear science and engineering instruction and to provide research opportunities for other educational institutions including universities, colleges, junior  :

colleges, technical schools and high schools. i A total of 671 students and teachers from 26 high school groups and 4 colleges came to the RSEC for experiments and instruction. (see Table 5). Candace Davison and Iois L.unetta were the main instructors for the prcgram. Other instruction and technical assistance for experiments were .

provided by Thierry Daubenspeck, Jana Lebiedzik, Robert Gould and Alex McClellan. l De RSEC staff and facilities provided educational opponunities along with a tour for student I and teacher workshops, many of which were conducted as part of a larger program on campus through Penn State Continuing Education Programs. The student programs included: the Kodak BEST (Business, Science, Engincedng and Technology) program for minority students, the High School Summer Internship, the Civil Engineering VEC-tour program, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) and other programs associated with campus activities. Forty-one teachers ,

from the Enter-2000 program received instruction and 12 toured the facility to learn more about j nuclear energy and related careers. Two students from the SCIED498 contse conducted at GPU -  !

Nuclear in Harrisburg came to the reactor to make-up the activities conducted during the June  !

course. i

)

In addition to the full or half-day programs with experiments, educational tours were conducted for students, teachers, and the general public. All groups, including the reactor sharing groups, l who toured the facility are listed in Appendix B. The RSEC operating staff and Nuclear Engineering Department conducted 122 formal or group tours for 2,708 persons. In addition i approximately 30 informal tours were provided to 45 people. i The RSEC TRIGA reactor and Cobalt-60 irradiation facilities were used by several Nuclear j Engineering and other courses during the year. 1 i

Semester Course Instructor Students Hours Summer 1995 NucE 444-Nuclear Reactor Operations D. E. Hughes 3 15 Fall 1995 NucE 451-Reactor Physics R. M. Edwards 19 51 W. A. Jester Fall 1995 Food Science 413-Process Plant Production R. B. Beelman 20 2 Fall 1995 Engincering Science 410 - Sr. Design Proj P.Lenahan 1 5 Spring 1996 Engineering Science 411 - Sr. Design Proj P.Lenahan 1 5 Sprmg 1996 Entomology 497C- Special Topics A. Hower 1 4 Spring 1996 NucE 444-Nuclear Reactor Operations D. E. Hughes 11 42 Spring 1996 NucE 450-Radiation Detection and M. H. Voth 17 20 Measurement W. A. Jester i

In December of 1995 and January of 1996, a total of 32 University Police Services personnel were given training and retraining sessions by C. C. Davison at the RSEC to ensure familiarity 1 with the facilities and to meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements. University Health  ;

Physicist, Rodger Granlund, lectured to the groups on radiation safety at the reactor and other campus labentories.

14

During the 1995-96 academic year, a visiting professor was hosted by the RSEC and Nuclear Engineering Depanment. Dr. Andrea Paesano ic currently Ar.sistant Professor of Physics at the State University of Maringd, Brazil. He received both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He was here for much of 1995-% in the context of a collaboration between Penn State and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul to study defects in intermetallic compounds of the Zr-Fe system using nuclear spectroscopy, namely, penurbed-angular-correlation, M6ssbauer-effect, and positron-lifetime specuocopies. He is a speciaust in multilayer thin films and M5ssbauer-effect Spectroscopy, and worked with Dr. Anhur T. Motta and Dr. Gary L Catchen.

1 15

TABLE 5 University Reactor Sharing Program College and High School Groups 1995-1996 Academic Year Those who came to the RSEC for experiments received instruction on the basics of radiation and nuclear energy and received a tour of the facility. All groups either conducted the approach to critical experiment or saw a demonstration with the reactor. Most groups also did one of the other experiments 1isted below.

Gamma Ray Spectroscopy Neutron Activation and Complex Decay of Silver Barium-137m Decay or Silver Decay Neutron Activation Analysis Relative Stopping Powers for ot, and yin Air, Aluminum and Lead Number of Month School and Teacher Students & Teachers October 5 Altoona Homeschoolers 42 Jennifer Calano 20 Harmony HS 23 l Chad Weiwiora 30 Bermudian Springs HS 8 Jeanne Sucht November 7 Eastern Lebanon HS 8 Richard Schwalm 10 Home-Schoolers Centre County 18 Emily Welty December 11 Carlisle HS 46 Robert Barrick 13 Carlisle HS 47 Robert Barrick January 10 State College HS 41 Tod McPherson 19 State College HS Delta Program 10 Sara Bresler February 21 Bald Eagle AreaIIS 13 Andrew Snyder 23 Penns Valley Area HS 23 John Thompsen March 11 Redland HS 14 Robert Lighty 15 Daniel Boone HS 17 Larry Tobias 18 Berwick HS 21 Jeff Snyder 20 Penns Valley Area HS 21 John Thompsen 22 Williamson HS 14 Bob Burket, Jane Hultz 25 Bald Eagle Area HS 13 Andrew Snyder 16

)

TABLE 5

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University Reactor Sharing Program College and High School Groups  !

i 1995-1996 Academic Year -

(Continued)

- Number of Month School and Teacher Students & Teachers

?

April 3 Mount Union HS 30 Janet Whitaker '

8 BaldEagle AreaHS 11 Andrew Snyder f 12. State College HS 18 J Calvin Sleppy 15 Juniata College 8 Norm Siems i 16 Grove City College 12 l i

James Downey 17 Harborcreek HS 9  ;

Dave Sidelinger 19 Susquehanna Twp. HS 13 Alan Ruch 19 Jersey Shore HS 8 l Gary Heyd 26 Ridgway HS 10 Emest Koos  ;

26 St. Mary's HS 30 ,

William Scilingo 30 Indiana University of PA 7  ;

i Frank Fazio 10 1

May 3 Camp HillHS >

Philipp Schmelzle 25  !

7 Allegany Community College '

Steve Heninger 9 Somerset JHS 21 Jon Critchfield i Muncy HS 22  !

13 '

Harold Shrimp, Debra Hepburn 13 Perkiomen Valley HS 8 Sandra Sweeney ~

17 East Stroudsburg HS 16 Heather Skeldon 17 Danville HS 12  ;

Deb Slattery i

10 State College HS Delta Program 7 Sara Bresler June 18 Camegie Science Academy 15 Denise Turso i

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VI. NEUTRON BEAM LABORATORY The Neutron Beam Laboratory (NBL) is one of the experimental facilities that is a pan of the RSEC. A well collimated beam of neutrons, thermalized by a D 20 thermal column, is passed into I the NBL for use in nondestructive testing and evaluation. Work now being done utilizes a Real i Time Neutron Image Intensifier, by Precise Optics, Inc., for real time radiography. The beam is 1 I

also being used for static neutron radiography and neutron attenuation studies, and flash radiography utilizing pulsing. Equipment is available to digitize the real time radiography images i for image processing. A photographic laboratory facilitates the development and analysis of static neutron radiographs.

1 The NBL was established panially with funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with matching funds from the University to:

1. Educate students and the public on an important use of neutrons from a research reactor,

2. Establish a demonstration center, " Neutrons in Action," to show that their use is beneficial to mankind, and

3. Expand the use of neutron radiography in research, both as a tool for improving the development of U.S. industrial products and to develop new information in other fields of science and engineering.

Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory purchased time to utilize the neutmn beam laboratory to evaluate two phase flow during the past year and the project continues. Bettis is to begin a second project which will require modifications to the Neutron Beam Laboratory. These modifications melude removal of the ceiling in the Beam Area and the addition of a pit in the floor to allow radiography of an 8 foot long test section, the addition of new CCTV equipment for monitoring experiments, an improved Real Time Neutron Image Intensifier suppon assembly and the installation of a jib crane to suppon the long test section. The alterations are to be made as early as July,1996, with the new project to begin immediately following.

A new D 20 thermal column to enhance the neutron beam in the NBL is to be installed in the Summer of 1996. This thermal column will take advantage of the extra degrees of freedom provided by the bridge upgrade completed in the Summer of 1994. The reactor core will be coupled to the thennal column in a position tangential to the beam line thereby improving the neutron to gamma ratio. It is expected that at least a factor of four increase in beam flux will result with a decrease in gamma ray intensity by a factor of six. Bettis has provided funding for computational support for the redesigned D 20 thermal column for graduate student John Wagner and Dr. Ali Haghighat both of the Nuclear Engineering Department.

Dr. Prescott and graduate student Byoung-Su Kim of the Penn State Mechanical Engineering Department are using th,is facility to examine a gallium - indium alloy with static neutron radiographs.

19

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VIL RADIONUCLEAR APPLICATIONS LABORATORY l

Personnel of the Radionuclear Applications Laboratory pmvide consulting and technical

assistance to those University research personnel who wish to use a radionuclear technique in their ,

l research. The majority of these research projects involve neutron activation, but the staffis able to 4

provide services in radioactive tracer techniques, radiation gauging, radiation processing, and isotope production for laboratory, radionuclear medicine and industrial use. Laboratory personnel

! continue to supply support for the operation of the RSEC doing analysis of water, air monitor  ;

4 filters, and other samples.

l One hundred eighty-six semiconductor irradiations were performed last year at the RSEC.

Laboratory personnel prepared each set of devices for irradiation, calculated the 1-MeV Silicon l Equivalent fluence received, and determined the radioisotopes produced in the devices.

Semiconductor chip pieces were analyzed to determine whether any trace contaminants were  :

introduced during the production process. l The facility performed six isotope production runs of Na-24, Br-82 and Ar-41 for industrial j use during the past fiscal year. In addition to production runs, several chemicals were analyzed j using calculations and NAA to determine the feasibility of their use for production. As a result, t

[ our list of " approved" chemicals has expanded slightly, i Penn State students and faculty members continue to use the services offered by the

! radionuclear applications laboratory. Analysis work was performed for graduate and i undergraduate students in the Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Anthropology and

Horticulture depanments. Preliminary work performed last year has resulted in this facility being used by various departments within the university.

I The Penn State Radionuclear Applications Laboratory has continued to be involved with the

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute in activation analysis work of bomb blast ,

i dispersions. Preliminary studies conducted last year to determine the feasibility of using Dysrosium as a tracer material for bomb blasts was successful, and the RSEC is currently being i

usec for verification of results.

4 l A draft report regarding the bench marking of the reactor neutron energy spectrum following i ASTM procedures was completed and reviewed by Penn State personnel. A final report was i l written and submitted to Raytheon. i

' l j The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) performed two irradiations at our t facility during September 1995. The items irradiated included flux monitors, Buffalo river i sediment, methyl mercury, and sodium citrate.

The Nuclear Research Corporation used our pneumatic transfer system to calibrate a 2" x 2" 1 BGO detector with respect to a known NaI detector. The calibration process involved the i

production of N-16 sources using deionized water and S-37 sources using sulfur pellets. An attenuation study was also performed using the above mentioned sources and 3" x 3" sheets of lead.

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VIIL LOW LEVEL RADIATION MONITORING LABORATORY (LLRML)

The laboratory continues to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)

Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory Intercomparison Studies Program for gross alpha, gross beta, radium-226, radium-228, strontium-89, strontium-90, and other gamma emitters as pan of the laboratory quality assurance program and to maintain staff proficiency. These analyses are carried out for clients not requiring the PA DER certification. These include the bottled water analyses and analyses for municipal water suppliers and the general public. Tritium analysis of ground water for laboratories involved in water testing is also provided. Radon in water analysis is also offered; certification for this analysis has been proposed but is not yet required by the EPA.

i The laboratory provides analyses for gross alpha and gross beta activity in reactor pool water, cobalt-60 pool water, and the reactor's secondary heat exchanger water and tritium content analysis of reactor pool water. A gamma spectroscopy analysis is performed on these samples when the gross alpha or gmss beta action limit is exceeded. Tritium concentration in the deuterium oxide tank is sampled each month. Gamma spectroscopy analyses are performed on a quanerly basis on the mactor pool water. The 6,000 gallon holding tank for the pool make-up water is analyzed according to Health Physic's requirements once a year.

The LLRML is maintaining its DER cenification via the EPA National Radon Measurement Proficiency Program to test for radon in air using activated charcoal canisters and both short and long-term electret ionization chamber detectors. Dr. William Jester, the laboratory's technical supervisor is certified via the ongoing RPM program for radon test operators and the laboratory is  ;

listed in the EPA posting of certified radon testing firms / individuals. The calibration of new I diffusion barrier charcoal radon monitoring canisters purchased to replace the existing open-face canisters presently used is under way to achieve the cenification.

l

< A major focus of the laboratory is on the gross alpha, gross beta and gamma spectroscopy

analyses of zirconia materials used in producing femoral heads in hip-joint replacement pieces. l 1

This service work is required by Howmedica Inc. of New Jersey with its zirconia supplier, Morgan Matroc Limited, Warwickshire, England. l Cesium-134 and cesium-137 concentrations in soil samples determined by gamma spectroscopy for the Forest Resource Laboratory at PSU is an ongoing project to be continued within the next fiscal year.

i Analyses to cenify the % Lithium enrichment for enriched LiOH samples continue for Isotec Incorporated of Ohio. The higher lithium enrichments are important in the nuclear industry to mininuze tritium production in pressurized water reactors.

Dr. William Jester's involvement with Dr. Art Rose, Professor of Geochemistry, in utilizing 1 alpha spectroscopy analyses of uranium, thorium, and radium alpha emitters via ions plated on nickel disks should result in expanding the laboratory's capability to analyze soil, silt and clay 4

samples for these elements.

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h IX. THE ANGULAR CORRELATIONS LABORATORY The Angular Correlations Laboratory has been in operation for approximately 10 years. The laboratory, which is located in Room 116 and Room 4 of the RSEC, is under the direction of Professor Gary L. Catchen. The laboratory contains three spectrometers for making Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) measurements. One apparatus, which has been in operation for nine years, measures four coincidences concurrently using cesium fluoride detectors. A second spectrometer was acquired five years ago, and it measures four coincidences concurrently using barium fluoride detectors. A third spectrometer was set up two years ago to accommodate the increased demand for measurement capability. The detectors and electronics provide a nominal time resolution of 1 nsec FWHM, which places the measurements at the state-of-the-art in the field of Perturbed Angular Correlation Spectroscopy.

Currently, Penn State has a unique research program that uses PAC Spectroscopy to characterize technologically imponant electrical and optical materials. This pmgram represents the synthesis of ideas from two traditionally very different branches of chemistry, materials chemistry and nuclear chemistry. Although the scientific questions are germane to the field of materials chemistry, the PAC technique and its associated theoretical basis have been pan of the fields of  ;

nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry for several decades. The National Science Fc,undation is  !

sponsoring the program, and the Office of Naval Research sponsored this program in the past.

l The PAC technique is based on substituting a radioactive probe atom such as either 111In or j 181Hfinto a specific site in a chemical system. Because these atoms have special nuclear propenies, the nuclear (electric quadmpole and magnetic dipole) moments of these atoms can I mteract with the electric field gradients (efgs) and hyperfine magnetic fields produced by the extranuclear environment.

Etatis nuclear electric quadmpole interactions can provide a measure of t'1e strength and symmetry of the crystal field in the vicinity of the probe nucleus. In the case of static interactions, the vibrational motion of the atoms in the lattice is very rapid relative to the PAC timescale,i.e.,

0.1-500 nsec. As a result, the measured efg appears to arise from the time-averaged positions of the atoms, and the sharpness of the spectrallines reflects this " motional narrowing" effect. In contrast to static interactions, time-varyinc interactions arise when the efg fluctuates during the intermediate-state lifetime. These interactions can provide information about defect and ionic transpon. The effect of the efg fluctuating in either strength or direction, which can be caused, for example, by ions " hopping" in and out of lattice sites,is to destroy the orientation of the intermediate state. Experimentally, this loss of orientation appears as the attenuation or " smearing-out" of the angular correlation. And, often a correspondence can be made between the rate of attenuation and frequency of the motion that produced the attenuation.

Magnetic hyperfine interactions, which can be measured in ferromagnetic and paramagnetic bulk and thin-film materials, are used to study the effects of defects and lattice distonions in metal and semiconducting stmetures that have nominal cubic symmetry. The general approach is to measure the magnetic hyperfine interaction in a material with few defects. The cubic symmetry requires that the electric quadrupole interaction vanishes. When either defects or distonions are produced, a quadrupole interaction arises that attenuates the usually-well-defined magnetic mteractions. Thus, the analysis of this attenuation can provide information, for example, about the type of defect that produced the quadrupole interaction.

25

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X. RADIATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER RESEARCH UTILIZATION Research continues to be the major focus of the RSEC. A wide variety of research projects are currently in progress as indicated on the following pages. The University oriented research projects are arranged alphabetically by department in Section A. Theses, publications, papers and technical presentations follow the research descri ption to which they pertain. In addition, Section B lists other university and industrial research utilizing the facility.

The reporting of research information to the editor of this report is at the option of the researcher, and therefore the research projects in sections A and B are only representative of the research at the facility. The projects described involved 1 technical presentation,14 papers, 14 publications,1 patent,9 masters' theses, and 13 doctoral theses. The examples cited am not to be construed as publications er announcements of research. The publication of research utilizing the RSEC is the prerogative of the researcher.

Appendix A lists all university, industrial and other users of RSEC facilities, including those listed in sections A and B. Names of personnel are arranged alphabetically under their department and college or under their company or other affiliation. During the past year,49 faculty and staff members,49 graduate students and 14 undergraduate students have used the facility for research.

This represents a usage by 16 departments or sections in 5 colleges of the University. In addition, 38 individuals from 31 industries, research organizations or other universities used the RSEC '

facilities.

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A. PENN STATE RESEARCH UTILIZING THE FACILITIES OF THE RADIATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CENTER Aeronomy MICROBIAL DEGRADATION OF CHLORDANE USING COMPOST AS A CULTURE MEDIUM

Participants:

J. Bollag C. Brunner ServiceProvided: GammaIrradiation The purpose of the project is to determine the actual and potential biotransformation of a selected group of commonly used pesticides under aerobic and anaerobic conditions when using compost as a treatment process or for amending pesticide-contaminated soils as a means of bioremediation.

Specifically, the study concentrates on the pesticide chlordane, a complex mixture of persistent chlorinated organic compounds. Compostmg involves a complex set ofinteractions between organic matter and a consortium of microorganisms including bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi.

Tu wide variety of microorganisms and organic constituents in composung environments suggests the possibility of using compost as the basis of a process to treat waste pesticide  ;

formulations and solutions, and to enhance the rate of biodegradation of pesticides in contaminated 4 soils. To distinguish between biological and abiotical processes involved in the pesticide transformation during composting, it was necessary to prepare suitable control assays. Gamma irradiation was chosen among other sterilization methods, because ofits known efficiency when .

sterilizing soils and other materials. j 1

Sponsor: EPAProject CR 823892-01 Anthronolocy OBSIDIAN SOURCE ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS FROM XOCHICALCO, MEXICO

Participants:

K. Hirth i G. Bondar l Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Radiation Counters and Laboratory Space The study is attempting to reconstruct prehistoric trade routes by matching the chemical

. composition of obsidian to natural geological outcrops of the same material. This will allow us to reconstruct the movement of material in the past along ancient trade routes.

One limitation of past studies was the small sample size used to reconstruct trade routes. This project will use a sample of about 300 specimens to identify prehistoric economic activity. Instead ,

of using all obsidian as the sample, artifacts will be stratified by tool class and examined to l determine if there were economic differences (and sources)in the obsidian used to manufacture different tools. j Research is just beginning. The 1995-96 school year has been used to establish the methodology used to carry out the analysis. Work will continue through the 1996-97 school year.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation $1,500 29

-- d i

Anthronolorv PREHISTORIC METARHYOLITE USE AND MIGRATION IN THE MID- I ATLANTIC I 4

Participants:

K. Hirth G. Bondar Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Radiation Counters and Laboratory Space j 4000 years ago, significant changes occurred in the Native American cultures of the Mid-Atlantic l and Nonheastern regions of what is now the United States. These have been attributed to either a )

migration of southern people into the region or, alternatively, a transfer of traits from southern cultures. This study will attempt to clarify this issue. ,

1 One of the major cultural changes that occurred was the dramatically increased use of a lithic l material called metarhyolite. Metarhyolite in the regions of study is limited to several widely- l separated formations, one of which runs, roughly, along a nonh/ south line through the Blue Ridge mountains. I hypothesize that I should be able to differentiate between group migration and cultural diffusion in this setting.

Using the NAA capabilities of the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor facility, I intend to chemically characterize anifacts and geologic sources so as to match archaeological anifacts from dated sites to their sources of raw material. I expect to see a progression of source exploitation from south to .

nonh through time if a migration had occurred.

Currently, no quantitative examination of data has related to this issue. However, the significance  !

of this research extends beyond the borders of this study area. One reason why I selected this i topic was because it has the potential to discem an actual population migration based ?urely on the  ;

material culture of a prehistoric society. If successful, this method of analysis shoulc. prove useful to examine prehistoric migrations throughout the world.

At present, this research is at the stage of determining methodology and collecting data. Work on this project will continue throughout the next several years.

DoctoralThesis:

Bondar, G. H., and K. G. Hinh, advisor. Prehistoric Metarhyolite Use and Migration in the Mid-Atlantic Region. In progress.

Publication:

1 Intend to present progress repon at the 1997 Workshops in Archaeometry conference at SUNY/ Buffalo, February 1997.

Bioloey MECHANISMS OF THE YAN PROTEIN-MEDIATED INHIBITION OF CELL FATE DETERMINATION Panicipants: Z.-C. Lai E. Donaher i S. Schmidt A. Uuni 30

i i

d y Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation 1  :

How different cell types are generated from a group of equipotent cells is a central question in developmental biology. Inductive signal transducnon that utilizes receptor tyrosine kinouse and

, small GtPase Ras protein is important in this process. However, increasing evidence shows that

negative control is equally critical. Using the Drosophila eye system, a negative regulator at l photoreceptor cell specification, the product of the yan gene has been previously characterized.

Yan normally acts to maintain photoreceptor precursor cells in an undifferentiated state and such j inhibition can be overcome by proneural signaling.  :

! Our goal is to understand how Yan acts to maintain precursor cells undetermined, and to reveal the i functional significance of negative controlin nuclear signal transduction, by using a combination of

genetic, molecular, and cellular approaches.

t 4 Publication:

1 l

) Lai, Z.-C., S. D. Harrison, F. Karim, Y. Li and G. M. Rubin. The Traintrack Gene Represses a Sina-Independent Program of R7 Cell Determination in the Drosophila Eye. Proc. Natl. Acad.

l Sci. USA, in press,1996.  ;

t l

Sponsor: National Science Foundation $285,000 /3 years l ,

Biochemistrv and Moleenbr Biology

! GENETIC AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF MUSCLE l DEVELOPMENT -

l

Participants:

S. M. Abmayr

! D. Heyser

! B. A. Bour  ;

7 I Service Provided: GammaIrradiation Gamma irradiation of Drosophila is routinely used to generate deletions in particular regions of the fly's genome that are of interest. Our research involves the identification and examination of genes that are involved in muscle development in the fruitfly. One of these genes, nautilus,is a

Drosophila homolog of a gene known to be involved in vertebrate muscle development, MyoD.

We have cloned this gene, and are in the process of elucidating its role in muscle development in I the fly embryo. To this end, we are generating mutations that disrupt nautilus. As an initial step,

{ deletions that remove this and nearby genes have been generated. In brief, the progeny of j irradiated flies are examined for the loss of genetic markers in this region to identify the desired i deletions. These deletions occur with a frequency of approximately 1 in 10,000 progeny.

1

! DoctoralThesis:

} Bour, B. A., and S. M. Abmayr, advisor. Genetic and Molecular Characterization of Muscle i Development. In progress.

Sponsor: American Cancer Society $90,500 /3 years

{

i I,

J 31

Biochemistry and Molecular Biolorv l l

I 4 GENETIC AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF A DROSOPHILA HOMOLOG OF MYOD

Participants:

S. M. Abmayr D. G. Heyser C. Keller Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation Gamma irradiation of Drosophila is routinely used to generate deletions in particular mgions of the fly's genome that are ofintemst. Our research involves the identification and examination of genes that are involved in muscle development in the fruitfly. One of these genes, sns, was originally found on the basis ofits mutant phenotype,in genetic screens designed to identify new genes involved in myogenesis. This genetic lesion has been genetically mapped on the chromosome, and our efforts now focus on cloning the gene responsible for the sns defect. As an initial step deletions that remove this gene, as well as nearby genes, have been generated. In brief, the progeny ofirradiated flies are examined for the loss of genetic markers in this region to identify the desired deletions. These deletions occur with a frequency of approximately 1 in 10,000 progeny.

These will provide us with DNA breakpoints that refm' e the location of the desired gene, and are detectable by standard molecular methods.

a DoctoralThesis:

Keller, C. A., and S. M. Abmayr, advisor. Genetic and Molecular Analysis of a Drosophila l Homolog of Myod. In progress. l Sponsor: National Science Foundation $300,000 /3 years e

Chemistry Deoartment SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PH-SENSITIVE

POLY (ORGANOPHOSPHAZENE) HYDROGELS

Participants:

H. R. Allcock A. A. Ambrosio

. Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation A new class of pH-sensitive hydrogels has been designed and synthesized. These are novel polyphosphazenes that bear various ratios of sodium oxybenzoate and methoxyethoxyethoxy side groups. These water-soluble macromolecules were crosslinked by MCo gammairradiation and the products were allowed to absorb water to form hydrogels. The hydrogels had higher equilibrium degrees of swelling in basic than in acidic buffer solutions, and polymers with a higher loading of

, the ionic side group showed higher swellability than those with a lower loading of this side group.

The effects of ionic strength, cation charge, and radiation dose on the degree of swelling were also

studied. A study of the diffusion of the dye, Biebrich Scarlet, from the hydrogels showed complete release of the dye in 4-12 hours in pH 7.4 buffer solution but significantly lower release at pH 2 even after 48 hours5.555556e-4 days <br />0.0133 hours <br />7.936508e-5 weeks <br />1.8264e-5 months <br />. The release rate also varied as the side group ratios were changed.

The prehydrogel polymers were synthesized via the macromolecular substitution reactions of poly (dichlorophosphazene) with sodium methoxyethoxyethoxide and the sodium salt of propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate, followed by ester hydrolysis to yield the sodium carboxylate. The hydrogels are ofinterest for possible use as pH-sensitive membranes and for a number of potential biomedical applications.

32

DoctoralThesis:

i Ambrosio, A. A., and H. R. Allcock, advisor. Synthesis and Study of Polyphosphazenes for PotentialBiomedical Applications,1996.

Publicanon. l Allcock, H. R., and A. A. Ambrosio. Synthesis and Characterization of pH-Sensitive i Poly (organophosphazene) Hydrogels. Accepted for publication in Biomaterials.

i i

Chemistry Department

BLOCK CO POLYMER SYNTHESIS WITHIN THE ADDUCTS OF TRIS (OPH ENYLENEDIOXY)CYCLOTRIPHOSPH AZENE

Participants:

H. R. Allcock P. Primrose j Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation The goal of this project is to synthesis block co-polymers which normally do not form using standard solution techniques. This may be achieved first by inclusion of an initial monomer within the adducts of tris (o-phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene. Second, this solid is evacuated to remove excess monomer and then exposed to gamma irradiation for a specific period of time.

Once irradiated, this solid will be exposed to a second monomer and will be left to sit for approximately one week. Through this simple procedure,it is hoped that block co-polymer formation will be achieved.

1 Engineerine science and Mechanics STRUCTURE OF TRAPPING CENTERS IN AMORPHOUS INSULATING FILMS

Participants:

P. M. Lenahan J. F. Conley J. T. Yount C. J. Frye C. Billmen Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation We are engaged in a long-term project to identify the structure of trapping centers in SiO2 , Si3N4, silicon oxynitrides and variously " doped" SiO2 thin films. These films play very important roles in metal oxide silicon field effect transistor (MOSFET) technology. Under cenain circumstances, the trapping centers may be generated or activated by exposing the oxides to gamma irradiation.

Doctom! Theses:

Yount, J. T., and P. M. lenahan, advisor. The Structure and Behavior of Point Defects in Silicon Oxynitride Gate Dielectrics,1995.

Conley, J. F. and P. M. Lenahan, advisor. An Electron Spin Resonance Investigation of the Many Roles of E' Variants in Amorphous Silicon Dioxide Thin Films on Silicon,1996.

33

Master's Thesis:

Frye, C. J., and P. M. Lenahan, advisor. Trapping Centers in Borophosposilicate and Phosphosilicate Glass Films.

Publication:

1 Conley, J. F., and P. M. Lenahan, advisor. A Review of Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy of Defects in Thin Film SiO on 2 Silicon, The Physics and Chemistry of SiO2 and the Si/SiO2 Interface III, H. Z. Massoud, E. H. Poindexter, and C. R. Helms editors, Electrochemical Society, Inc.,1996.

Sponsors: NASA / Prairie View $30,000 /yr for 3 years ONR $60,000 Harris Semiconductor $28,000 Dynamics Research Corporation $24,000 Entomology RADIATION OF HOUSE FLY PUPAE Panicipants: A. Hower G. Godwin Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation Use of radiation as mortality factor and as a sterilant for house fly.

Food Science j IRRADIATION OF MUSHROOMS - EFFECTS ON QUALITY AND SHELF LIFE l Panicipant: R. Beelman Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation Food Science EVALUATION OF KINETICS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI 0157:H7 IN ACTIVATION IN COLICIN-TREATED BEEF PATTIES / HAMBURGERS

Participants:

R. Roberts S. Murinda R. Wilson Service Provided: Gamma Irradiation Gamma irradiation was used to kill all background microflora on freshly manufactured beef hamburger patties. The hamburgers were inoculated with pathogenic Escherichia coli of serotype 0157:H7 and then tmated with colicins. Colicins are inhibitory proteins that kill susceptible i

34

- - - - - - - _ - - - -- . . - . - - - ~ - . - - - - . - - . - - . - .

j! Escherichia cali . We intended to study this specific killing effect on hamburgers that were infected  ;

with Escherichia coli only after killing other contaminants using gamma rays (400 Kilorads). j Project was suspended approximately August 1995 and will probably be continued in Summer of 1996. ,

, Sponsor: Department of Food Science -. $150 Mechanical EnF ineering

)

2 NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF MACROSEGREGATION IN i BINARY METAL ALLOYS ,

i i l

Participants:

P. J. Prescott  !

3 B. Kim  ;

i L Service Provided: Neutron Radiography {'

r

! Convective transport phenomena are important during solidification of metal alloys. Fluid flows in the two-phase (mushy) and the fully melted regions are caused by thermally and solutally induced ,

buoyancy forces during solidification of alloys. Fluid flows in the mushy and the melt regions  !

i have a profound influence on the metallurgical structure and chemical homogeneity of the final casting. Mercover, convection in the solidifying alloy is responsible for macrosegregation, a .  :

i maldistribution of solute in castings.  !

l A combined numerical and experimental study of convective transport phenomena during ,

solidification of Ga-In (gallium-indium) alloy has been performed, and the effects of varying l i themial boundary condition have been considered. Experiments have been performed in a vertical '

square cavity, which is cooled from a side wall while keeping the other wall insulated.

i Experiments are underway to analyze the solidified ingot for any macrosegregation using neutron j radiography and comparisons will be made with numerical predictions.

! Neutron radiography uses a collimated beam of neutrons to penetrate a specimen. The intensity of l 5 the neutron beam exiting the specimen depends on thickness and neutron absorption characteristics

of the specimen. There is a large difference in neutron absorption coefficients for gallium (Ga) and  !

indium (In). In other words, gallium is relatively transparent to the neutron beam while Indium is  ;

i stmngly absorbing. The neutron radiograph of the solidified ingot will show the distribution of Ga l

! and In constituents, which is related to convection patterns during solidification. j i

To relate the neutron beam intensity with Ga-In concentrations, a calibration device has been j fabricated. Using the calibration device, a few experiments at the Nuclear Reactor have been i performed. 'Ihe films obtained using Neutron Radiography are being analyzed to develop a l correlation between the film density and Ga-In concentrations. In the future, films of the solidified

- ingot will be taken and the distribution of Ga-In constituents will te determined analyzing the film. l 4

i DoctoralThesis:

Kim, B., and P. J. Prescott, advisor. An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Convection Heat and Mass Transfer During Solidificat'on of Binary Metal Alloys. In i progress. ,

Publication:

Kim, B., and P. ,. Prescott. Neutron Radiographic Measurement of Macrosegregation in an Experimentally Solidified Binary Metal Alloy,1996 National Heat Transfer Conference, ASME, August 3-6,1996, Houston, Texas, in press.

1 35 .

- . .- . .- . . .- . . - ~ - -

I Nuclear Engineering STRUCTURAL PHASE TRANSITION AND Tc DISTRIBUTION IN HF-DOPED LaMnO3 INVESTIGATED USING PERTURBED-ANGULAR CORRELATION SPECTROSCOPY

Participants:

G. L. Catchen W. E. Evenson D. Allred Service Provided: Neutmn Irradiation and Angular Correlations Lab Using perturbed-angular-correlation (PAC) spectroscopy, via the 181Hf-+MITa probe, l we have measured Mn-site electric-field gradients (EFGs) at Ta nuclei in ceramic samples of l LaMnO 3. Two crystallographic phases coexist over a temperature interval of = 16 K near the orthorhombic-to-rhombohedral transition at = 724 K, which shows a thermal hysteresis of i

= 1.7 i 0.2 K. Concurrently, in the two phases, we determined the temperature dependence of the  !

EFG parameters, %,71, and 6, and the ratio of the probe concentrations At/A2 . To explain the apparent coexistence of two phases in this weakly first-order transition, we present a mode! that assumes a spatial distribution of Tc - values. This distribution could arise from a spatially non-uniform distribution of Mn +4 ions. We show the PAC technique to be a uniquely powerful probe oflocal symmetries that reflect the effects of a local distribution of valences, which drive the phase transition.

Publication:

Catchen, G. L., W. E. Evenson and D. Allred. Structural Phase Transition and Te Distribution in I

Hf-Doped LaMnO3 nvestigated Using Perturbed-Angular-Correlation Spectroscopy, Physical Review B, S: R3679-R3682, August 1996.

Nuclear Engineering CHARACTERIZING PHASE TRANSITIONS IN THE PEROVSKITES PbTiO3 ,

AND BaTiO3 USING PERTURBED-ANGULAR-CORRELATION l SPECTROSCOPY l

Participants:

G. L. Catchen E. F. Hollinger T. M. Rearick Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation and Angular Correlations Lab Perturbed-angular-correlation (PAC) spectroscopy was used to measure in ceramic samples of PbTiO3and BaTiO the 3 temperature dependence of the Ti-site electric-field gradients (EFGs) at temperatures very close to the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric transition temperatures Tc. The samples were doped with small amounts of Hf that canied the 181Hf-+181Ta probe radioactivity. A high-frequency nuclear quadrupole interaction that decreases very little as the temperature approaches Te characterizes the PbTiO3 transition. The tetragonal and cubic phases for PbTiO3appear to coexist over a temperature interval of 8 i 1 K, and the transition shows a thermal hysteresis of about 4 K.

In contrast, a lower-frequency interaction that decreases rapidly as temperature approaches Te, characterizes the BaTiO3 transition. Both phases of BaTiO3appear to coexist over an interval of about 2 K, and the thermal hysteresis is about 1 K. At temperatures above Te, both PbTiO3 and BaTiO3 show weak, non-vanishing Ti-site EFGs. Although, for BaTiO3, this effect limits that accuracy with which critical effects can be measured, we estimate a power-law exponent = 0.21 i 0.05, which most likely is somewhat lower in magnitude than the actual critical exponent. For 36

the explanation of our observations we assume the existence of a distribution of Tc-values. The distribution would arise because the crystals could have spatially non-uniform distributions of nucleation sites, which for PbTiO3 and BaTiO 3could be point defects.

Mast:r's Thesis:

Hollir.ger, E. F., and G. L. Catchen, advisor. Characterization of the Ferroelectric-to-Paraelectric Ph.tse Transition in Barium Titanate by Penurbed Angular Correlation Spectroscopy,1995.

Publication:

Catchen, G. L., E. F. Hollinger and T. M. Rearick. Characterizing Phase Transitions in the Perovskites PbTiO3and BaTiO3 Using Perturbed-Angular-Correlation Spectroscopy.

Zeischrift der Naturforschung,11.a,411-421, July 1996.

Nuclear Eneineerine ELECTRIC-FIELD GRADIENTS AND SUPERTRANSFERRED MAGNETIC HYPERFINE FIELDS AT 181Ta PROBE IONS IN THE PEROVSKITES LaMnO3 AND NdMnO3

Participants:

G. L. Catchen R. L. Rasera T. M. Rearick Services Provided: Angular Conelations Lab, Laboratory Space and Isotope Production Perturbed tray angular correlation measurements have been carried out on the antiferromagnetic perovskites NdMnO 3and LaMnO with 3 the dilute tracer 181Hf substituted into the manganese site.

Above the N6el temperature TN, both compounds show a very large (coq [LaMnO3] = 158(1) Mrad /s; (coq [NdMnO3] = 191(1) Mrad /s and highly anisotropic electr:c-quadrupole interaction (EQl) at the 181Ta probe (il - 0.8 in both cases). Below TN a supenransferred magnetic hyperfine field appears, of a strength comparable to that of;he EQI.

Analysis of the resulting combined interacti . , suggests that the angle between the principal axis of the EQI tensor and the direction of the m petic field is near 65*,

Publication:

Rasera, R. L., G. L. Catchen and T. M. Rearick. Electric-Field Gradients and Supertransfermd Magnetic Hyperfine Fields at 181Ta Probe Ions in the Perovskites LaMnO 3 and NdMnO3.

10th Intemational Conference on Hyperfine Interactions, Leuven Belgium, August 28 -

September 1,1995, Baltzer Science Publishers, Basel, Switzerland,1996.

Nuclear Encineering VARIOUS ANALYSES OF SAMPLES USING THE SERVICES OF THE RADIONUCLEAR APPLICATIONS LABORATORY Panicipant: T. Daubenspeck Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Radiation Counters and Flux Monitoring Penn State was used to verify Armed Forces Radiobiological Research Institute (AFRRI) calculations on a project to detemiine the dispersion pattern of bomb blasts. Soil, concrete, and 37

other residual samples were irradiated and the ppm of Dysprosium-165 (used as a monitor) was detennined. This was a continuation of a study perfonned during the previous year. (Mark Moore

- AFRRI)

NAA of two EolyEtherEtherKeystone (PEEK) samples to determine trace element concentrations.

(Westinghouse)

Six isotope production runs were performed for Tru-Tec during the past year. These runs included one Sodium-24 run, four Bromine-82 runs, and one Argon-41 run. A total of approximately 200 mci of Sodium-24,1300 mci of Bmmine-82 and 100 mci of Argon-41 were produced during the year. With the assistance of the Penn State Health Physics office, we were able to give Tru-Tec mformation to " correct" deficiencies in their license and update their license to more accurately reflect quantides of radioactive isotopes produced during radioisotope production. (M. Flenniken -

Tm-Tec)

Two different catalysts were investigated through the use of spreadsheet calculations and NAA to determine the practicality of using those chemicals for radioisotope production. (M. Flenniken -

Tru-Tec)

Irradiation of Yttrium Nttair (Y(NO )3)3 solutions were performed for thesis work. (U. Senaratne, and W. A. Jester - Nuclear Engineering) ,

Aluminum samples (types 4043,1100,6061,6063) were irradiated and analyzed to determine activation products created to help select materials for a new D 2 0 tank. (D. E. Hughes - Nuclear Engineering)

Activated and analyzed steel foils. (S. Cumblidge - Nuclear Engineering)

Irradiation of magnesium oxide powder. (W. A. Jester - Nuclear Engineering)

Irradiation of thyroxine powder in CT for thesis work (measure ratio of Iodine-129 and Iodine-127. (J. Kwon - Nuclear Engineering)

Flux measurements using gold-aluminum, nickel, iron and zirconium activation foils.

(H. Basha - Nuclear Engineering)

NAA demos for high school / college / miscellaneous tours. (C. C. Davison - Nuclear Engineering)

Activation and analysis of concrete leach sample for Govemor's School student's project.

(C. C. Davison - Nuclear Engineering)

Irradiation of plant membrane on nitrocellulose filters to detemnne the amount of Silicon taken up by the plant. (D. Halperin - Horticulture)

Production of 0.5 mci of Na-24 for additional plant studies. (D. Halperin - Horticulture)

Continuation of feasibility study to determine if NAA using the rabbit system would be usefulin determining sources of various obsidian artifacts. Preliminary investigation of rhyolite (another form of obsidian) was performed. (K. Hirth and G. Bondar - Anthropology)

Irradiated samples and flux monitors in the central thimble. (E. Mackey - NIST)

Semiconductor irradiations,186 total. (Harris-179, Raytheon-2, E-Systems-3, Honeywell-2) 38

i  !

l f i

i i

{ NuclearEngineering l

NE 451, UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY OF REACTOR EXPERIMENTS l

[

4 Panicipants: R. M.' Edwards i 4

W. A. Jester J. A. Turso i l;. M. E. Bryan  ;

l Services Provided: Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server -

Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Suppon Staff ,

The Nuclear Engineering 451 course is the second of two required 3 credit laboratory courses.  !

! Each weekly laboratory exercise usually consists of 2 lectures and one laboratory session. The i first course (NucE 450) covers radiation instrumentation and measurement and is conducted in the ,

2nd semester of the junior year. By the beginning of the senior year, the students have already .

covered the LaMarsh Introduction to Nuclear Engineering text including reactor point kinetics. The

451 course then emphasizes experiments using the instrumentation that was covered in the first

' course and is divided into two (mom or less) equal " tracks". These tracks can be coarsely i

described as TRIGA and non-TRIGA experiments and each is the major responsibility of a  !

j different professor. The non-TRIGA track includes 3 graphite pile,2 analog simulation, and 1 j power plant measurement experiment. In 1995, the TRIGA track included:

i

! ~ 1. Digital Simulation of TRIGA Reactor Dynamics

2. Control Rod Calibration

, 3. Iarge Reactivity Insertion (INlsing)

F 4. - Reactor Frequency Response I

5. Neutron Noise

6. ReactorControl l

) This sequence was first introduced in 1991 when the reactor control experiment replaced a reactor gamma field measurement experiment and the digital simulation exercise was modified to point l

kinetics from its previous focus on Xenon dynamics. The laboratory utilizes Macintosh computers with GW Electronics MacAdios Jr data acquisition hardware and Superscope Il software. De . j Superscope II software was a major software upgrade for 1993 and with its new point-by-point  ;

L i seamless mode enabled effective reactivity calculations and contml experiments. De Mathworks

l. SIMULINK simulation software was used fer the digital simulation exercise for the first time in '

1992. Reactor control is offered as a graduate course in our department but until 1991 our

undergraduates did not receive a complete intmduction to feedback control. In the Fall of 1994, a

!- new UNIX network compatible control system was utilized for the reactor control experiment. De new system was also acquired to enhance the NSF/EPRI sponsored research and is described in i- more detail in subsequent sections. The UNIX Network compatible controller pvgr.mming is

!- performed using the Mathworks SIMULINK block pmgramming language in a SUN SPARC L workstation. An automatic C code generation process produces and downloads the necessaryital-

[ time pmgram for execution in a micropmcessor-based controller with an ETHERNET network interface to the host workstation.

4 The 1994 version of the control experiment thus unified all of the MATLAB/SIMULINK instruction earlier in the course into a demonstration of state ,f-the-art CASE-based control system design andimplementation. ,

l i

l 1

l l i'  ;

39 1

Nuclear Engineering NSF/EPRI: EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT OF POWER REACTOR LNTELLIGENT CONTROL

Participants:

R. M. Edwards K. Y. Lee D. E. Hughes Services Provided: Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Support Staff This is a major three year project supported by the National Science Foundation and Electric Power Research Institute. Initiated in January 1993, the project is composed of five major tasks: 1)

Advanced Direct Control Experiments, 2) Intelligent Control Research, 3) Multivariable Control L Capability,4) Hybrid Reactor / Simulation, and 5) Dissemination of results. Specific activities during the 1994-95 academic year are summarized in the follovring descriptions.

For the summer of 1995, an NSF supplemental grant for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) was obtained and two undergraduate students participated.

Paper:

Edwards, R. M., K. Y. Lee and D. E. Hughes. Testbed For Nuclear Plant Instrumentation And Control Validation. Pmceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT96, pp. 287-294, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Sponsors: FERMI $12,000 (1992) NSF/EPRI (1993-1996) $300,000 for the FERMI $18,000 (1994) following NSF/EPRI projects:

Nuclear Eneineering NSF/EPRI ADVANCED REACTOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL ALGORITHMS

Participants:

R. M. Edwards l H. D. Gougar K. Y. Lee P. Ramaswamy R. M. Johns S.Shyu D. E. Hughes M. E. Bryan Services Provided: Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Support Staff Advanced reactor temperature contml algorithms were developed in the first component of the NSF/EPRI project. Based on a prototype TRIGA Reactor Optimal Control experiment conducted during the summer of 1991 and subsequent work by Mike Power in the previous 93-94 academic l year, this area was expanded into design of optimized feedforward control during the 94-95 academic year and continued into the 95-96 academic year. An additional component in 95-96 was the estimation of TRIGA reactor thermal-hydraulic parameters via extended Kalman Filter. j 40

1 l

Master's Theses:

4 Johns, Richard M., and R. M. Edwards, adviser. Optimal Setpoint Generation for Improved Fuel Temperature Response,1995.

Cecenas-Falc6n, M., and R. M. Edwards, adviser. Parameter Estimation for the Pennsylvania State University TRIGA Reactor,1996.

Papers:

Johns, R. M., S. Shyu, and R. M. Edwards. Experimental Validation of Optimized Feedforward Control for Improving Reactor Temperature Response. Proceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT'96, pp. 295-302, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Cecenas-Falc6n, M., and R. M. Edwards. On-Line Parameter Estimation for a Nuclear Reactor Using an Extended Kalman Filter. Proceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instmmentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT'96, pp.1099-1106 University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Johns, R. M., and R. M. Edwards. Optimal Set-Point Generation for Improved Fuel Temperature Performance. Trans. Amer. Nucl. Soc. 23:300-301, November 1995.

Nuclear Encineering NSF RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES PROJECT

Participants:

R. M. Edwards G. L. Meyers R. F. Sanchez D. E. Hughes M. E. Bryan Services Provided: Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Support Staff Gary L Meyers and Roberto F. Sanchez conducted research under an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates project during the Summer of 1995. Mr. Meyers worked on PID control for enhanced reactor temperature response. This analysis and experiments provided benchmark data for comparison with optimal and robust control experiments describe in NSF/EPRI Advanced Reactor Temperature Control Algodthms. Mr. Sanchez developed a reactivity computer on the experimental reactor control hardware / software platform and used it to help improve the Macintosh reactivity computer used in the NucE 451 laboratory.

Papers:

Sanchez, R. F., and R. M Edwards. Development of a UNIX Network Compatible Reactivity Computer. To appear in Trans. Amer. Nucl. Soc. 74_:, Reno Nevada, June 16-20,1996.

Meyers, G. L., R. M. Johns and R.M. Edwards. Reactor Temperature Control Experiments Using Modern Control Design Tools with Automated Program Generation. Proceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society Intemational Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant 41 y .. s . . _ ..

.r, .

i Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT96, pp.  !

859-866, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Sanchez, R.F., and R. M. Edwards. Development of a UNIX Network Compatible Reactivity Computer. Proceedings of The 1996 Ame-ican Nuclear Society Intemational Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT96, pp. 851-858, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Meyers, G. L., R. M. Johns and R.M. Edwards. PID Control for Enhanced Fuel Temperature Response. Trans. Amer. Nucl. Soc. 21:298-300, November 1995.

Publications:

Meyers, G. L. Reactor Temperature Control Experiments Using Modem Control Design Tools with Automated Program Generation. Report to the National Science Foundation on A Research Experiences for Undergraduates Supplemental Grant to ECS-9216504, November 21,1995.

Sanchez, R. F. Development of a UNIX Network Compatible Reactivity Computer. Report to the National Science Foundation on A Research Experiences for Undergraduates Supplemental Grant to ECS-9216504, November 9,1995. .

Sponsor: NSF/REU (1995) $9,000 Nuclear Encineerine NSF/EPRI INTELLIGENT CONTROL OF TRIGA REACTOR TEMPERATURE

Participants:

R. M. Edwards S. J. Kenney D. E. Hughes Services Provided: Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Support Staff An intelligent reconfigurable reactor power controller was developed and implemented in the second component of the NSF/EPRI project. The intelligent controller automates a monitoring and decision-making process that chooses the best controller to achieve improved reactor temperature performance over a wide range of operating conditions. The available controllers are those developed in the previously described ads anced reactor temperature control algorithm research. On-line performance of an enforced controller is determined by measures of integrated quadratic temperature error, power demand, rod reactivity rate demand, and rod reactivity demand.

The decision making process uses a leaming systems based automaton at the present time.

Master's Thesis:

Kenney, S. J., and R. M. Edwards, adviser. An Intelligent Reconfigurable Reactor Power Controller,1995.

Papers:

Kenney S. J., and R. M. Edwards. Enhancing An Intelligent Reconfigurable Reactor Power Controller. Proceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT96, pp. 835-842, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

42

Kenney, S. J., and R. M. Edwards. Enhanced Situation Awareness and Decision Making for An Intelligent Reconfigurable Reactor Power Controller. ICONE-IV, Intemational Conference on Nuclear Engineering Systems, pp. 255-264, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 10-14,1996.

Nuclear Engineering NSF/EPRI MULTIVARIABLE CONTROL DEVELOPMENT Panicipants: R. M. Edwards D. E. Hughes H. D. Gougar Services Provided. Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Suppon Staff Experimental multivariable control capability is being developed as the third component of the NSF/EPRI funded project. The benefits of advanced algorithms and intelligent control can be more clearly demonstrated in a multiple input-multiple output system where failure in the ability to manipulate one of the inputs can be accommodated by appmpriate action in remaining operational control loops. In 1995-% a core shroud was designed that allows the adjustment of coolant flow entering from the sides of the reactor. The shroud design and supporting analyses were considered by the Penn State Reactor Safeguards committee, approved, and construction initiated. Supponing analyses include evaluation of past and recent coolant temperature profile measurements and detailed thermal hydraulic analyses using the COBRA and VIPRE codes.

Masters Thesis:

Gougar, H. D., and R. M. Edwards, adviser. Multivariable Control for the Penn State TRIGA Reactor. In progress.

Paper:

Gougar H. D., D. E. Hughes and R. M. Edwards. Design Considerations in Experimental Multivariable Control of the Penn State TRIGA Reactor Using Passive Manipulation of Coolant Flow. Proceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society Intemational Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT96, pp. 303-310, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Nuclear Engineerine NSF/EPRI HYBRID SIMULATION OF BWR USING THE TRIGA REACTOR

Participants:

R. M. Edwards J. A. Turso G.L. Meyers D. E. Hughes Services Provided: Laboratory Space, Machine Shop, Electronics Shop, SUN SPARC Server

~

Computer System, Rcactor nstmmentation and Suppon Staff Hybrid reactor simulation is the founh component of the NSF/EPRI project and is achieved by interfacing a computer simulation of an alternate reactor's reactivity feedback mechanism, such as a EWR, to appropriately position a control rod in the reactor. The result is that the observed TRIGA 43

1 reactor power begins to mimic the characteristics of the alternate reactor. Results obtained from the HRS were utilized to validate a new method of BWR stability monitoring in the dissertation of James A. Turso.

DoctoralThesis:

Turso, J. A., and R. M. Edwards, adviser. Reduced-Order Modeling, Analysis and Monitoring of Boiling Water Reactor Dynamic Behavior,1995.

Paper:

Turso, J. A., R. M. Edwards and T. Highlands. Boiling Water Reactor Stability Analysis Via Kalman Filter-Based State Estimation And Maximum A Posteriori Detection. Proceedings of The 1996 American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT'%,

pp.1107-1116, University Park, Pennsylvania, May 6-9,1996.

Nuclear Engineering NSF/EPRI ADVANCED MONITORING AND CONTROL FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS WORKSHOPS

Participants:

R. M. Edwards K. Y. Lee D. E. Hughes M. Ceceaas-Falc6n H. D. Gougar S.J.Kenney G. Meyers S.Shyu P. Walter Services Provided: Classroom and Laboratory Space, SUN SPARC Server Computer System, Reactor Instrumentation and Support Staff In addition to publications and conference presentations, the fifth component of the NSF/EPRI project also disseminates research results through periodic workshops. One day workshops were acid on May 5,1996 and May 10,1996 in conjunction with "The 1996 American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC&HMIT96". Twenty-three people from 8 countries participated in the workshops. NPIC&HMIT96 was held at the Penn State Nittany Lion Inn from May 6-9, 1996 and attracted over 300 attendees from 25 countries.

Publication:

Workshop Overheads and Reference Papers.

l l

44

Nuclear Encineering THREE DIMENSIONAL COUPLED KINETICS THERMAL-HYDRAULIC BENCHMARK EXPERIMENTS USING THE BREAZEALE TRIGA REACTOR

Participants:

M. Feltus F. A. Alpan Service Provided: TRIGA Reactor The major goal of this experimental research project is to provide separate effects tests in order to benchmark neutron kinetics models coupled with thermal-hydraulics models used in the NRC's best-estimate codes, RELAP and TRAC. Using simple reactor core configurations, it is possible to determine the level of neutronics modeling required to describe kinetics and thermal-hydraulic feedback interactions. With fuel element thermocouple instrumentation, it is also possible to benchmark the fuel temperature, flux distribution, and thermal-hydraulics models in these codes.

This research effort seeks to provide experimental results to quantify the 1- and 3-dimensional kinetics models in the NRC's RELAP and TRAC codes and the RETRAN code series. The first series of experunents will have steady-state power levels to provide flux and fuel temperature distributions on a core wide basis. Then tests using transient power levels, square waves, neutron pulses, and rapid and slow control rod movements will be performed that simulate time-dependent transients with kinetic and thermal-hydraulic feedback. Various symmetric and asymmetric core configurations will be used to develop spatially dependent kinetics and thermal-hydraulic conditions for quasi-static benchmarks. Finally, time-dependent core configurations (e.g.,

asymmetric control rod and fuel rod movements) will be simulated first with the computer codes.

Then experimental data will be used to demonstrate code fidelity and what corrections are needed.

The NRC's TRAC and RELAP, and EPRI's RETRAN thermal-hydraulics codes have neutron kinetics models, either in point or 1-dimensional cases in their official released versions.

Generally, it is assumed that thermal-hydraulically induced transients do not provide sufficient perturbation in the kinetics to warrant three-dimensional kinetics treatment within the systems codes. However, Feltus has shown that even thermal-hydraulically induced PWR transients, such as Loss of Reactor Coolant Flow, Main Steam Line Break, and Antidpated Transients without Scram (Station Blackout and Imss of Main Feedwater), require three-dimensional kinetics analysis coupled with thermal-hydraulic feedback,in terms of core and system-wide best-estimate response. Although there have been some numerical test cases of 1- and 3-dimensional kinetics, and benchmarks of kinetics models with actual plant tests, i.e., Peach Bottom Turbine Trip Tests, t where core-wide parameters, such as pressure, have been matched, benchmarks of these codes against simpler test results have not been done extensively.

One reason is that there is a limited amount of actual in-core kinetics experiments, with thermal-hydraulic feedback coupling available. Recent stanup experiments for the Ljubljana TRIGA reactor have been well-documented and have been proposed as suitable for benchmark calculations for physics codes. Such research reactor tests could provide better understanding of the reactor kinetics with thermal-hydraulic feedback.

Another reason is that there is a general perception that small research reactors are essentially point or zero-dimensional in their reactor physics. However, TRIGA reactors can be configured to simulate complex physics conditions. Recently, Mele et. al. performed experimental steady-state, pulse, and control rod wonh measurements at the Ljubljana TRIGA Mark II reactor, which was reconstructed in 1991. All the benchmark experiments were performed with fresh, compact, and uniform fuel at 12 wt%, at well-known operating conditions. The Ljubljana TRIGA benchmark results would be used in this project to qualify the neutronics models in the thermal-hydraulic (i.e.,

l TRAC, RELAP, and RETRAN) codes.

l 45

This p oject also seeks to provide relatively simple benchmark experiments on the Penn State Breazeale TRIGA reactor, where the flux and temperatum distribunons are obtained. Using steady-state power distributions for static neutronics feedback, it is possible to evaluate the

- neutronic/ thermal-hydraulic coupling for transient power conditions, including TRIGA pulsing, ,

square waves, power ramps, control rod movements, and rapid scram conditions. One special expodnient being evaluated is simulation of the University of Michigan plate-fueled reactor incident where a fuel element was moved while critical. Such a test would be considered only after pretest ,

calculations are performed, and then, only after the other code-to-experiment benchmarks are completed.

Master's Thesis:

Alpan, F. A., and M. A. Feltus, advisor. Three Dimensional Coupled Kinetics Thermal-Hydraulic  :

Benchmark Experiments Using the Penn State TRIGA Reactor. In pmgress.

Paper: .

Alpan, F. A., M. DeChaine and M. A. Feltus, advisor. STAR 3D Nodal Kinetics and T/H Model for the Penn State TRIGA Reactor. To be presented at the Canadian Nuclear Society Fifth International Conference on Simulation Methods in Nuclear Engineering, Montreal, Canada, September 1996.  ;

Sponsor: US Nuclear Regulatory Commission $109,839 (ISS - 12/31/96)

Nuclear Eneineering NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY EXPERIMENTS FOR VERIFICATION OF SOLUBLE BORON MIXING AND TRANSPORT MODELING UNDER NATURAL CIRCULATION CONDITIONS Panicipants: M. A. Feltus G. M. Morlang Service Provided: Neutron Radiogrtphy The major goal of this experimental research project is to provide separate etTects tests in order to benchmark boron transpon models used in best-estimate thermal-hydraulic codes, such as RELAP ,

and TRAC. Using simple and complicated fluid flow geometries, boron mixing effects can be i l

determined under natural circulation and low flow conditions using non-intrusive, non-destructive neutron radiography techniques.

'Ihis research effon seeks to provide experimental results to quantify boron transpon and mixing effects, and assess the boron mixing models used in the NRC RELAP and TRAC thermal-hydraulics code series. The first series of experiments will model simple flow configurations to create boron transport separate effects tests to benchmark code results. Later, tests will simulate natural circulation and low flow conditions in the reactor vessel during boron injection during Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS) events and severe accident scenarios. The neutron

' ndiography visualization films and test results and analyses will provide sufficient information to qualify thermal-hydraulic boron tracking models, turbulent mixing assumptions, etc., to upgrade NRC code models to really yield best-estimate results.

Neutron radiography techniques provide a non 0 Tusive, non-destructive method to "see" turbulent effects in fluid flow streams. The neutron imaging is able to distinguish an image based on hydmgen content and other elements, rather than simple mass attenuation, as in the case of x-ray or gamma-ray imaging techniques. This means that the turbulent effects and small scale phenomena 46

can be differentiated, without penurbing the fluid flow stream with instrumentation or flow blockages. More conventional fluid flow measurements yield bulk mixing effects; however, the small concentration of boron and solute phenomena can not be readily visualized. Resolution can be achieved by real-time or steady-state video camera visualization. This implies that geometric effects, turbulent and laminar flow, and boron mixing effects can be determined under natural circulation and low flow conditions using neutron radiography.

The pmposed neutron radiography technique provides significant advantages over more conventional fluid flow methods:

1. There is no penurbation in the flow stream by instrumentation.

2. Various densities, solution concentrations, flow rates, etc., can be used to demonstrate turbulent mixing effects.

3. The fine fluid flow structure can be resolved in apparatus that is not transparent, and resolved in three dimensions.

This research effon will provide experimental benchmark information for boron transpon and mixing, for real-time transient effects, and static imaging. The results from the tests can be used to qualify the boron tracking models in NRC and industry thermal-hydraulics codes, such as RELAP,

'IRAC, and RETRAN. By using a neutron-transparent fluid at different flow rates, densities, and temperatures, it is possible to simulate boron injection effects in ATWS conditions for BWR and PWR cores. Effects of turbulence and mixing can be simulated and measured to assess thermal-hydraulic code predictions.

DoctoralThesis:

Morlang, G. M., and M. A. Feltus, advisor. Neutron Radiography Experiments for Verification of Soluble Boron Mixing and Transport Modeling Under Natural Circulation Conditions. In progress.

Paper:

Morlang, G. M., and M. A. Felms, advisor. Neutron Radiography Experiments for Verification of Soluble Bomn Mixing and Transpon Modeling Under Natural Circulation Conditions.

Proceedings of the ASME 4th Intemational Conference on Nuclear Engineering 1996 (ICONE-4), Vol.1 Pan A, pp. 9-23, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1996.

Sponsor: Nuclear Regulatory Commission $56,406 Phase I(1163-1IS4)

$69,878 Phase II(1IS4 - 7S6)

Nuclear Engineerine PIPE WALL TIIICKNESS MEASUREMENT USING SCATTERED GAMMA RAYS Panicipants: R. Gould E. S. Kenney E. H. Klevans S. Kahn D. Wulsch Services Provided: Hot Cell Lab, Laboratory Space, Machine Shop and Electronics Shop l

47

Pipe wall thinning continues to be a serious problem in the nuclear industry. The problem fust appeared in PWRs, but is now recognized throughout the industry. This project has demonstrated that pipe wall thinning can be detected using scattered gamma rays. A combination of Monte Carlo studies and pilot experiments have confirmed the potential of such a technique. A field usable  :

device has been developed to use up to 0.5 curie of Hg-203. Field tests are planned for late summer 1996. Pending the outcome of these field tests, commercialization of the system is expected to be completed by early 1997.

Doctomt hesis-1 l

Xu, X., and E. H. Klevans, advisor. A High Speed Compton Scatter Imaging System,1996.

Master's Theses:

Khan, S., and E. H. Klevans, advisor. A Monte Carlo Analysis for a Compton Back-Scatter Pipe Wallnickness Gauge. In progress.

J Wulsch, D., and E. H. Klevans, advisor. Field Testing And Practical Application Of A Compton l Backscatter Pipe-Wall Thickness Gauging System. In progress. l i

Presentations.  ;

I Gould, R. , E. S. Kenney, E. H. Klevans, S. Khan and D. L. Wulsch. A Compton Backscatter l Pipewall nickness Gauge. Presented at The Utility / Manufacturers Robot Users Group Conference, Groton, CT, May,1996.

Patents:

1 Gould, R., E. S. Kenney, S. Khan and X. Xu. A Compton Back-Scatter Pipe Wall nickness )

Gauge Employing Focusing Collimator and Annular Detector, Provisional Patent filed March,  ;

1996.

Sponsor: FERMI $30,000 Nuclear Encineerine EVALUATING TWO PHASE FLOW USING NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY

Participants:

R. Gould D. E. Hughes S. S. Glickstein Services Provided: Neutron Radiography, Machine Shop and Electronics Shop i

This project is using neutron radiography to perform 2-phase fluid flow expenments. An upgrade of the flow loop fmm atmospheric pressure to 2000 psi is being performed, with measurements to l follow.  ;

1 Sponsor: Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory $70,436 48

Nuclear Engineerine IDENTIFICATION OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN POLYETHERETHERKETONE (PEEK) SPECIMENS BY NEUTRON ACTIVATION Panicipants: R. Gould T. Daubenspeck Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Neutron Activation Analysis and Flux Monitoring The level of trace elements was deterinined for 2 specimens of this material using neutron activation analysis.

Sponsor: Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory $2,000 NuclearEneineering STRESS CORROSION CRACKING IN NICKEL-BASED STAINLESS STEELS

Participants:

R. Gould A. Motta R. Daum Service Provided: Hot Cell Laboratory This pmject will use Hot Cell #2 to house 3 autoclaves in which irradiated stainless steel fracture specimens will be loaded to observe stress conosion cracking in a PWR environment over a'two year period. 71 fracture specimens with a total activity of 36 Curies are presently stored in a cave m Hot Cell #1. The autoclaves are to be installed along with a Scanning Electron Microscope and a Fein-Focus X-ray inspection system in July 1996, after which the specimens will be transferred out of Cell #1.

Sponsor: Materials Engineering Associates $60,000 Nuclear Engineering DETERMINATION OF NEUTRON ATTENUATION FACTOR OF IRRADIATED BORAFLEX COUPONS

Participants:

R. Gould T. Daubenspeck Services Provided: Neutron Beam Laboratory, Neutron Activation Analysis and Machine Shop The neutron attenuation factor was determined via gold foil activation for inadiated Boraflex coupons.

Sponsor: Westinghouse Electric Corporation $4,100 49

Nuclear Engineering FUEL MANAGEMENT STUDY OF PSU TRIGA REACTOR CORE Panicipants: D. E. Hughes S. H. Levine P. G. Boyle Services Provided: Reactor Operations, Access to PSU Main Frame Computer During the recent operating history of Penn State's TRIGA reactor, the fuel temperature, at full power of cne Megawatt as indicated by the in-core thermocouple, had risen close to the scram point of 600 C. Review of the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) also revealed that the maximum temperature analyzed for a source term release was 466 C. To reduce the indicated fuel element temperature the maximum power was de-rated to 75 % (750kw). Additional constraints on operating hours per week as well as wait times before permitting fuel movement were applied to stay below the consequence of the current SAR maximum hypothetical accident.

A study of the core loading was perfonned, utilizing standard fuel management tools (LEOPARD,  !

EXTERMINATOR-2 and MCRAC), to detennine the ratio of the maximim elemental power density as compared to the average core power density or nonnalized power (NP). Experiments j were run to determine the ability to predict the NP, and consequently indicated fuel element temperature, of a specific core location (loading). Finally, a core was designed to reduce the maximum fuel temperature below 550 C (possibly even below 500 C) while operating at one Megawatt (fullpower).

To use the new core design, the technical specifications must be altered to allow placing the 12wt% .

instrumented element in a core position other than the B-ring. Additionally, the SAR and technical ,

specifications will be revised to increase the number of permitted operating hours in a week. 'Ihe results of this study will be published in a technicaljoumal and presented at the .\NS confere gi: in l November 1996. ,

Publications:

Hughes, D. E., P. G. Boyle, and S. H. Ievine. A New Fuel Management Plan for the Penn State TRIGA Reactor with Supporting Experiments and Calculations. Publication date and journal to be determined. ,

Hughes, D. E., P. G. Boyle, and S. H. Levine. Analysis of Higher Than Normal Fuel i Temperatures in the Hexagonal Geometry TRIGA Reactor. ANS/ ENS 1996 Intemational Conference and Embedded Topicals, Washington, D.C., November 10-15,1996.

Hughes, D. E., P. G. Boyle, and S. H. Levine. A New Fuel Management Plan for the Penn State TRIGA Reactor with Supporting Experiments and Calculations. ANS/ ENS 1996 International Conference and Embedded Topicals, Washington, D.C., November 10-15,1996.

Nuclear Engineering INEL BURIED WASTE INTEGRATION PROGRAM Participant: W. A. Jester Service Provided: Office Space 50

.l

f g

F In 1994, Dr. Jester was chosen to be a member of the Technical Academic Review Gmup (TARG) that reviews the technologies being developed by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory under  !

the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) program. Dr. Jester was chosen for this prestigious committee because of his expertise in radia3on monitors. His pmgram continued '

through August 1995.

.!  ?

! Nuclear EnF ineerinF I

[ FLUX AND FLUENCE DETERMINATION USING SCRAPINGS FROM VESSEL l i

COMPONENTS  !

t

Participants:

W. A. Jester 4 H. S. Basha ,

Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Radiation Counters and Laboratory Space

, Expenmental analyses were performed to develop a new method to obtain neutron dosimetry data

) from scrapings chips taken fmm various vessel components in light water reactors. The concept '

i behind this new methodology is to take steel scrapings from an in-service vessel component such l as the reactor pressure vessel wall, core internals, or support structures and use the measured '

specific activity of radionuclides in the material to predict its neutron exposure. To develop the i scrapings technology, several well characterized cadmium covered and bare ferritic and stainless i steel samples were irradiated at the PSBR facility to a fluence level of 1016 1017 n/cm2,

' Instrumental and radiochemical analyses were performed on the irradiated steel samples using a ,

HPGe detector system. The final set of reactions for flux measurements included 54Fe(n,p)54Mn, i

! ssFe(n,y)59pe,5sNi,(n,p)5sCo,59Co(n,y)5sNi(n,p)ssCo, steel and 54Fe(n,p)54Mn,5sFe(n,y)s9pe, and 59Co(n,y)60Co fo

} The maximum difference between the flux calculated using the scrapings methodology and that l

L calculated using the conventional flux wire approach was about 12% for energies greater than 10 key. The good agreement obtained between the two techniques demonstrated the potential accuracy and reliability of the scrapings technique for RPV wall flux measurements. .

I DoctoralThesis: l Basha, H. S., and W. A. Jester, advisor. Flux and Fluence Determination Using Scrapings fmm Reactor Pressure Vessel Components, August 1995.

Sponsor: Project FERMI $15,000 Nuclear Encineerine RADIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIALS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF FEMORAL HEADS

Participants:

W. A. Jester R. W. Granlund J. lebiedzik Services Provided: Radiation Counters, Laboratory Space and Low Level Radiation Monitoring Laboratory he objective of this work is to determine the relative patient dose from Vitallium' Alloy and zimonia femoral heads used in hip joint replacement. The Vitallium

• Alloy samples are composed of a cobalt / chromium alloy. The alpha, beta, and gamma activities emitted by these samples were i

51 j

measured using long counting times and where possible low background radiation detection equipment. Of special interest was the cobalt-60 activity detected in one of the heads.

1 A quality assurance procedure has been developed in conjunction with Howmedica to insure that the zirconia used to produce the femoral heads does not contain harmful amounts of alpha and beta emitters. Suppliers of this material send to the LLRML two thin disks pmduced from each of their batches, for low level alpha and beta activity measurements. Only if the activity of these two samples pass the various quality assurance criteria can the raw material be sent to Howmedica for the production of femoral heads.

Sponsor: Howmedica, Inc. $30,000 Nuclear Engineerine SEPARATION OF STRONTIUM AND CESIUM FROM REACTOR ION EXCHANGER RESINS, AND THEIR QUANTIFICATION, USING HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY AND BETA AND GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY

Participants:

W. A. Jester U. P. M. Senaratne Services Provided: Radiation Counters, Laboratory Space, Low Level Radiation Monitoring Laboratory and HPLC Unit Nuclear reactor ion exchanger resins, once spent, contain a variety of cations and anions adhered to them. Among the host of cations are strontium (notably 89Sr and 90Sr) and cesium (notably 137CS), ,

The object of current research is to perfect a technique by which this strontium and cesium may be extracted from the resins, separated from the other cations present in the resulting extract, and quantified. The proposed methodology is briefly described in the following paragraphs.

Initially, all the cations adhering to the resin are extracted using a solvent such as potassium nitrate or hydrochloric acid, of suitable concentration. This results in an extract comprismg all the cations in a solvent matrix. A sample of this extract is then injected into a High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) unit, and with the use of an appropriate cluent, the strontium and cesium fractions are separated and collected. Since the concentrations of these cations in the extract are  ;

invariably low, the addition of a non radioactive carrier may be necessary to separate each cation by detecting them conductivity-wise using the HPLC unit. Finally, the fractions are counted using a suitable radiation detector, so that quantification may be accomplished.

Currently, the extraction of cations from the resins has been successfully accomplished. The cluent and the regenerant required for the separation of strontium from the other cations in the presence of the solvent matrix have been identified, together with the optimum concentration of the cluent and the regenerant. At present, the possibility of using a scintillation counter to quantify the 89Sr and 90Sr present is being investigated. This is to be followed by perfecting similar techniques for separating and quantifying cesium.

Master's Thesis:

Senaratne, U. P. M., and W. A. Jester, advisor. Individual Quantification of Strontium-89 and Strontium-90 in Nuclear Reactor Effluent,1995.

Sponsor: CB Tech, Valley Forge, PA $1,018 52

Nuclear Engineerine 4

A STUDY OF THE RADIATION LEVELS IN AND NEAR THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY BREAZEALE NUCLEAR REACTOR FACILITY

Participants:

W. A. Jester N. K. Umisedo R. W. Granlund Service Provided: Laboratory Space Ms. Nancy Umisedo was a visiting scientist from the Institute de Fisca da Universidade Sao

- Paulo, Brazil. She worked at the Low Level Radiation Monitoring Laboratory on a project designed to detennine the sources of radiation fields at certain locations near the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor Facility. Health Physics TLD Measurements indicate that certain locations have higher

• l than expected activity and that this activity does not seem to be related to the operation of the Nuclear Reactor. This pmject was designed to determine the sources of these low intensity radiation fields.

Nuclear Engineerine s NUCE 450, RADIATION DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT

Participants:

W. A. Jester M. H. Voth H. Gougar U. Shoop Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Radiation Counters and Laboratory Space L

NucE 450 introduces the student to many of the types of radiation measurement systems and ,

associated electronics used in the nuclear industry as well as many of the mathematical techniques used to process and interpret the meaning of measured data. The major accomplishments of this year is the continued revising of five experiments in NucE 450 (and four experiments in NucE 451) to use five new model 486 personal computers and interfaces. The radiation instruments '

studies in this course include, GM detectors, gas flow proportional counters, NaI(TI) detectors, BF3 counters, ion chambers, wide range GM detectors, and surface barrier detectors. The data collection and analysis techniques studied include radiation counting statistics, gamma ray and charged particle spectroscopy, and the interfacing of computeres with nuclear instrumentation.

Nuclear Engineerine POST IRRADIATION INSPECTION AND TESTING OF NEUTRON ABSORBER MATERIALS

Participants:

D. Kline D. Vonada K. Lindquist Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation and Laboratory Space

'Ihe purpose of this work is to quantitatively characterize the in-service physical properties of neutron absorber materials used in spent fuel storage racks and shipping casks. Utilities use surveillance coupons of neutron absorber materials such as BORAFLEX, BORAL, borated 53

gra?hite and NEUTRASORB borated stainless steel to track the performance of these materials in cas cs and racks. The coupons are tested with respect to dimensional changes, weight changes, hardness changes, density changes, changes in dynamic shear modules and neutron attenuation characteristics. The latter measurements are performed in the Neutron Beam Laboratory.

Sponsor: Various Electric Utilities NuclearEncineerine DISSOLUTION RATE OF THE NEUTRON ABSORBER MATERIAL BORAFLEX

Participants:

D. Kline D. Vonada K. Lindquist Services Provided: Labor:: tory Space and Technical Suppon l l

This project's objective is to quantify tl : dissolution rate of Boraflex, a polymer-based neutron I absorber material, in simulated spent fuel pool environments. The test conditions include different temperature, irradiation exposure and the presence of solubility inhibitors. The data are used as the basis for a computer model of Boraflex in the spent fuel pool environment.

Sponsor: Electric Power Research Institute l

Nuclear Eneineerine

~

l l

DEVELOPMENT / TESTING OF A DEVICE TO MEASURE THE BORON-10 AREAL DENSITY IN SPENT FUEL RACK NEUTRON ABSORBER MATERIALS

Participants:

D. Kline D. Vonada K. Lindquist M. Harris Services Provided: Neutmn Irradiation and Cobalt-60 Facility This project started with proof-of-principle testing in the Neutron Beam Laboratory. Based on the results of these tests, a proto-type measurement device was designed and fabricated. The proto-type equipment was tested in the Cobalt-60 pool. After this initial testing, the device was shipped to the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Unit 2 for demonstration in a spent fuel pool. The equipment is now being scheduled for use at BWR plants around the country. A device suitable for measurements in PWR racks is now being designed and fabricated. Initial testing of this  !

equipment will be carried out in the Cobalt-60 pool. l Sponsor: Electric Power Research Institute 1

54

j. I

, i Nucient Eneineerinn

{ -]

1 EXAMINATION OF NEUTRON IRRADIATED PRESSURE VESSEL STE'EL

~

USING POSITRON ANNIHILATION LIFETIME SPECTROSCOPY i l

Participants:

A. T. Motta  !

4 G. L. Catchen S. E. Cumblidge Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Angular Correlations Lab, Laboratory Space and Flux i Monitoring l

This project is aimed at developing a method to evaluate the embrittlement suffered by reactor  !

pressure vessels upon exposure to neutron irradiation. Positmn annihilation lifetime spectroscopy .j is used to detect damage to pressure vessel steel at the nanometer scale. Currently, samples  :

irradiated to fluences of 1018 - 1019 n/cm2are being examined. The goalis to be able to develop a i technique that will allow us to non-destructively assess neutron and environmental damage to PV - j steels, and help utilities verify that their reactors can be granted a life extension.  ;

Master's Thesis:

~

Cumblidge, S. E., G. L. Catchen and A. T. Motta, advisors. Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy of Neutron Irradiated Pressure Vessel Steel. In progress.

Sponsor: FERMI $23,000 /yr Nuclear Engineering MEASURING PRESSURE VESSEL EMBRITTLEMENT USING POSITRON .

ANNIHILATION SPECTROSCOPY  !

A. T. Motta

Participants:

G. L. Catchen S. Cumblidge  !

i Services Provided: Laboratory Space  ;

i One of the leadmg mechanisms of reactor degradation is pressure vessel embrittlement that could j cause vessel failure in the case of a pressurized thermal shock during rewetting after a loss-of-coolant accident. The ductility of the pressure vessel, as measured by the Charpy V-notch test, i decreases with increasing neutron fluence. To develop a non-destructive means to detect  ;

submicroscopic defect structures that evolve in pressure vessels during irradiation is thus highly desirable. The goal of this project is to evaluate positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) i as an independent means to characterize neutron radiation damage to pressure vessels. Neutron irradiated pressure vessel materials fumished by Westinghouse were irradiated at room temperature '

to a neutron fluence of 1017 n.cnr2. The positron lifetime distributions could be represented by a three lifetime constrained fit that correspond well to two different types of defects, one with a_  ;

lifetime around 165 ps and one with a hfetime around 300 ps. The average positron lifetime (t) L increases with neutron fluence. By annealing at 450 C for different times, we determined that 30 i minutes provides enough time to anneal all of the damage. At higher temperatures, we have ,

examined end-of-life pressure vessel materials exposed to fast neutron fluences of l 8 x 1018 n.cm 2 and 1.5 x 1019 n.cm 2. In these samples, t was much smaller that in samples irradiated at room temperature, indicating that the damage is dynamically annealed at 300 C. i 55 [

Master's Thesis:

Cumblidge, S. E., A. T. Motta and G. L. Catchen, advisors. Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy: Measurement of Embrittlement of Pressure-Vessel Steel,1996.

Paper:  ;

Cumblidge, S. E., A. T. Motta and G. L. Catchen, advisors. Examination of Irradiated Pressure  !

Vessel Steel Using Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy. Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts, December 2-6,1996. ,

Sponsor: FERMI $25,000 j Nuclear Enaineerine  !

POINT DEFECTS IN INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS OF THE Zr-M SYSTEM

Participants:

A. T. Motta G. L. Catchen A. Paesano, Jr. i Services Provided: Neutron Irradiation, Angular Correlations Lab, Laboratory Space and Machine Shop An intemational collaboration has been established between The Pennsylvania State University,

'Ihe Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and Argonne National Laboratory, to study the defect energetics and configurations of point defects in the intermetallic compounds ,

ZrFe2, Zr3Fe and other intermetallics of the Zr-Fe-M system (M = Cr, Ni, Al, Co).  ;

The nuclear probe techniques of Perturbed Angular Correlation, M6ssbauer Spectroscopy, and l Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy will be used to study defects on neutron irradiated i intermetallic samples. These studies will be complemented by the study of the amorphization response of the compounds under charged particle irradiation. Computer simulations of these lattice structures will also be performed using the embedded atom method. The results from both experiments and from the computations can then inform each other, confirming experiments,  :

suggesting new ones and. verifying theoretical models. l i

Curtently, samples of ZrFe2 and Zr3 containing radioactive Hf produced in the reactor are being examined by PAC. These samples were prepared by are melting and heat treating in reactor Room 6 and the hot celllaboratory area.

Sponsor: NSF $80,000 /3 yrs i

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B. OTHER UNIVERSITIES, ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES  !

UTILIZING THE FACILITIES OF THE RADIATION SCIENCE l AND ENGINEERING CENTER l l

University or Industry Tyne of Use AmericanInspection Agency Environmental Analyses ,

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute Neutron Activation Analyses l Reactivity Computer  ;

Bettis Labs, Westinghouse Neutron Radiography i BH Labs Environmental Analyses C & B Property Evaluation,Inc. Environmental Analyses CB-Tech Neutron Activation Analyses Centre Analytical Environmental Analyses Converse Consultants East Radiological Analyses E-Systems SemiconductorIrradiation Gannett Flemming Environmep+al Analyses GeochemicalTesting Environmental Analyses Harris Semiconductor SemiconductorIrradiation Honeywell SemiconductorInadiation Howmedica Radiological Analyses Microbac Emdford Environmental Analyses Morgan Matmc Limited Radiological Analyses National Institute of Standards and Technology Neutron Irradiation Northeast Technology Corporation Neutron Radiography NRC (Corporation) Neutron Activation Analyses Oglevee Ltd. GammaIrradiation Pottsville Environmental Testing Lab Environmental Analyses PRC EnvironmentalLab Environmental Analyses Raytheon SemiconductorIrradiation TA &D Gamma Irradiation TOSOH SMD,Inc. Neutron Activation Analyses Tru-Tec Isotopes for Tracer Studies Ty-Flot GammaIrradiation United Water of Pennsylvania Envimnmental Analyses Westinghouse Neutmn Activation Analyses 57

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APPENDIX A Personnel Utilizing the Facilities of the Penn State RSEC.

Faculty (F) Post-Doctoral (PD), Staff (S), Graduate S tudent (G), Undergraduate (U),

Visiting Faculty (VF), Visiting Staff (VS), IAEA Fellow (IAEA)

![dDi$UEd$%FjkdRIDUlTDR$h [Cdl$$EbbiDh5NGINiENlNhb i

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y yg gg g j gg Acronomy Electrical Encineerine Bollag, Jean-Marc (F) Garcia, Humbeno (G) l Brunner, Christian (G) Lee, K. Y. (F) ,

Halpenn, Dave (G) Miller, David (F) l Ramaswamy, P. (G)

Entomolocv Engineering Science and Mechanics Godwin, Gregory (G)

Hower, An (F) Billman, Cun (U)

Conley, John (G)

Food Science Frye, Christopher (G)

Lenahan, Patrick (F)

Beelman, Roben (F) Yount, J. T. (G)

Knabel, Stephen (F)

Murinda, Shelton (G) Mechanical Eneineering Robens, Robert (F)

Wilson, Richard (F) Kim, Byoung-Su (G)

Woody, Jon (G) Prescott, Patrick (F)

Plant Patholoev Nuclear Encineerinc_

Juba, Jean (S) Alpan, Arzu (G)

Nelson, Paul (F) Anin-Sampong (IAEA)

Basha, Hassan (G)

Blair, Steve (G)

Boyle, Patrick (S)

~

(CDLUNG5* FM RTHMNDi Bryan, Mac (S)

~ 911N.ERAIESCIENCESx Capper, Edward (U)

Catchen, Gary (F)

Cecenas-Falcon, Miguel (G)

Polymer Science Costa, Joseph (U)

Cumblidge, Steven (G)

Gupta, Anunay (G) Daubenspeck,Thieny (S)

Harrison, Ian (F) Daum, Robert (G)

Karoglanian, Serop (G) Davis, Chris (G)

Thavamngkul, Nandh (G) Davison, Candace (S)

DeChaine, Michael (G)

Edwards, Robert (F)

Fuel Science Feltus, Madeline (F)

Flinchbaugh, Terry (S)

Li, John (G) Gougar, Hans (G)

Gould, Robert (F)

Grieb, Mark (S)

Haws, Ken (G)

Hazenburg, Mark (U)

Hollinger, Ed (G)

Hughes, Dan (F) 59

APPENDIX A (Continued)

Personnel Utilizing the Facilities of the Penn State RSEC.

Faculty (F) Post-Doctoral (PD), Staff (S), Graduate Student (G), Undergraduate (U),

Visiting Faculty (VFL Visiting Staff (VS) a b .- A 2. n . w w:. .>.1 -.. .

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w '~ y Nuclear Encineering Anthronology Jester, William (F) Bondar, Gregory (G)

Johns, Richard (G) Hirth, Kenneth (F)

Kahn, Saif (G)

Kenney, Edward (F)

Kenney, Stephen (G)

Kim, Byoung-Su (G) _ . _ _  ; ~_ .s _ ._ _

Klevans, Edward (F) iCOLLEGE OliSCIENCEh ' ~ ,

Kwon, Junhyun (G) - e Labowski, Kris (G) 1.cbiedzik, Jana (S) Biolocv levine, Samuel (F)

Lunetta, Lois (S) Donaher, Erin (U)

Maakuu, Mulmo (IAEA) Hayaran, Archana (G)

McLellan, Alexander (S) Lai, Zhi-Chun (F)

Meyers, Gary (U) Schmidt, Stacy (U)

Miller, David (S) Unni, Arun (U)

Moriar.r,, Mike (G)  ;

Motta, Arthur (F) Chemistrv l Paesano, Andrea (VF)

Pagano, Luciano (G) Allcock, Harry (F)

Pantano, Davis (U) Ambrosio, Archel (G)

Ray, Thomas (U) Lai, Zhi-Chun (F)

Rearick, Todd (G) Primrose, Aaron (G)

Robinaccio,Guiseppe (U)

Rudy, Kenneth (S) Biochemistry and Molecular Biolocv Sanchez, Roberto (G)

Schrass, Benjamin (U) Abmayr, Susan (F)

Senaratne, Harsha (VS) Bour, Barbara (G)

Senaratne, Uditha (G) Heyser, Deidre (S)

Shabalin,Evgeni (VF) Keller, Cheryl (G)

Shoop, Undine (G)

Shyu, Shian-Shing (G)

Strohecker, Mark (U)

Tompot, Randy (U) . _. , , - . . .. .. - .. ~ . . . ;. 1 Turso, James (G) sINTERCOLLEGIATE: PROGRAMSI Umisedo, Nancy (VS) < -

Voth, Marcus (F)

Walter,Phil (G) Health Phvsics Wulsch, Dan (G)

Xu, Xiangjun (G) Augustine, Edward (S)

Boeldt, Eric (S)

School of Encineering Technolocv and Granlund, Rodger (S)

Commonwealth Camous Encineering Hollenbach, Donald (S)

Wiggins, Jim (S)

Sathianathan, Dhushy (F) 60

1 APPENDIX A (Continued)

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AmericanInspection Agency ........................ Harris, George Armed Forces Radiobiology ........................ Cohill, Brian Research Institute Moore, Mark Bettis Labs, Westinghouse ........................ Glickstein, Stan Murphy, Jack BH Labs ........................ Brunk, Scott Brigham Young University ........................ Allred, D.

Evenson, W. E.

CB-Tech ........................ Bleistein, Charles Centn: Analytical ........................ Robb, Shawn Converse Consultants East ........................ Brusse, Bill E-Systems ........................ Uber, Craig Gannett Flemming ........................ Abbe, Dough Lane, David Geochemical Testing ........................ Gearhard, Susan Hanis Semiconductor ........................ Borza, Peter Kalkbrenner, F.

Zarosky, Elaine Honeywell ........................ Nawrocki, Peter Howmedica ........................ Wang, Kathy Microbac Bradford ........................ Anderson, J. L.

Morgan Matroc Limited ...... ... ......... ... Murray, Michael NationalInstitute of Science & ........................ Becker, Don Technology Mackey, Elizabeth Northeast Technology Corporation ........................ Harris, Matt Kline, Don Lindquist, Kenneth O.

Vonada, Doug NRC (Corporation) ........................ Xu, Xiangju;n Oglevee Ltd. ........................ Wiles, Linda S.

Pottsville EnvimnmentalTesting ........................ Sobian, Michael Raytheon ........................ Stransky, D. F.

TA & D ........................ Snipes, Wallace Tru-Tec ........................ Bothe, Mike Kolek, Jerome Flenniken, Mike Ty-Flot ........................ Mamau, Darrell University of Maryland ........................ Rasera, Robert L.

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r APPENDIX A  !

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! (Continued) '

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LLRML - Radon in air and water analyses for various individuals Various Cobalt - 60 irradiations for high school classes' research projects.

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APPENDIX B FORMAL TOUR GROUPS JULY 1995 NUMBER OF JUNE 1996 D.AX NAME OF TOUR GROUP PARTICIPANTS July 5 Govemor's School 68 6 Govemor's School 68 7 Govemor's School 70 12 Trac Tour 9 13 Vectour Group 17 14 Various High SchoolIntems 10 ,

18 Individual Study Program-Govemor's School 3 19 BEST Pmgram 24 20 VectourGroup 23 20 WaterTreatment 26 26 Penn State Student Tour 10 27 VectourGroup 13 28 Enter 2000 12 August 3 Vectour Group 13 4 4-H Group 37 8 GPU NCTII Group 2 22 Prospective Nuclear Engineering Student 1 September 7 Food Science 413 37 19 Our Lady of Victory School 39 23 Parent's Weekend Open House 318 October 5 Altoona Home Schoolers 42 14 Fall AlumniWeekend 50 16 Trac Tour 20 16 Test-Loop Tour 2 19 American Nuclear Society Tour 4 19 IPAC Tour 2 20 Harmony High School 24 21 Boy Scout Instructors 16 21 ANS Workshop Tour 16 21 Boy Scout Tour 21 23 Combustion Lab Tour 7 24 Scanticon Business Executives 3 25 Science Writers 10 30 Bermudian Springs High School 8 31 Oak Ridge National Laboratory 1 ,

November 6 1AEA Fellow 1 7 Eastem Lebanon High School 8 10 Home Schoolers-Centre County 18 20 State College Elementary 25 29 ARNLTour 1 29 Nuclear Engineering Staff Assistants Tour 2 December 4 State College Elementary (Fairmont) 50 11 Carlisle High School 46 13 Carlisle High School 47 63

l APPENDIX B FORMAL TOUR GROUPS (Continued)

JULY 1995 NUMBER OF JUNE 1996 DAX NAME OF TOUR GROUP PARTICIPANTS December 14 Penn State DuBois Campus Tour 6 14 Police Services 17 January 5 Police Services 15 10 State College High School 41 19 State College Delta Program 10 19 PotentialStudent 3 February 7 Lewistown High School 2 9 Jr. Girl Scout Troop #1184 9 15 Graduate Student Tour 4 1

19 PSU Student Tour 1 21 Bald Eagle High School 13 23 Penns Valley High School 23 3 29 Graduate Tour 3 i March 11 Redlands High School 14 14 Communications 465 Class Tour 5 15 Daniel Boone High School 17 16 Boy Scout Troop #83 71 18 Prospective PSU Students 5 18 Berwick High School 22 l 18 PA Junior Science & Humanities Symposium 8 20 Penns Valley High School 21 21 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - Penn 4 State Student Chapter 22 Williamson High School 14 22 Prospective Student 1 i 23 Girl Scout Troop #90 and #1155 56 25 Bald Eagle High School 13 26 Prospective Students 3 29 1996 Open House 17 30 1996 Engineering Open House 330 April 3 Mt. Union High School 30 8 Bald Eagle High School 11 9 1996 Engineering and Student Open House 111 12 State College High School 18 13 Visiting Scientists from Czech Republic 8 15 Juniata College 8 i 16 Grove City College 12 16 Westinghouse Representative Tour 1 17 Harbor Creek High School 9 19 Visiting Scientist 1 19 Susquehanna High School 13 19 Jersey Shore Area Senior High School 8 22 Bettis and MEA Tour 5 64

APPENDIX B FORMAL TOUR GROUPS (Continued)

JULY 1995 NUMBER OF JUNE 1996 DAX NAME OF TOUR GROUP PARTICIPANTS j 23 College of Agriculture 3 25 "Take Our Daughters To Work" Tour 30 26 St. Mary's High School 31 ,

26 Ridgway High School 10 l 30 Indiana University of PA 7 i May 3 Camp Hill High School 10 5 ANS Intemational Topical Mtg (NPIC & HMIT) 17 I 7 Allegany Community College 25 7 ANS Intemational Topical Mrg (NPIC & HMIT) 2 i 8 ANS Intemational Topical Mtg (NPIC & HMIT) 11 l

9 Somerset Junior Hjigh School 21 10 ANS Intemational Topical Mrg (NPIC & HMIT) 8 j 10 IEEE Tour 3 l 11 1996 Graduate Open House 99 13 Muncy High School 22 13 Science Fair High School Teachers 3 13 Perkiomen High School 8 16 Food Science 1 16 State College Friends School 18 17 East Stroudsburg High School 16 17 Danville High School 12  ;

17 Career Day 1 :

17 President Graham Spanier Tour 2 24 Bald Eagle School /Wingate 19 28 State College High School Delta Program 7 31 Lakeland High School 3 June 5 Harris Semi-Conductor 5 5 OSHA Tour 1 14 Graduate Women in Science 7 18 Camegie Science Academy 15 19 Brimrose Corporation Tour 2 20 Vectour Group 17 26 Engineering Education Workshop 9 27 Vectour Group 18 28 WISE Group 31 28 Aerospace Tour 7 65

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