Office of Environmental Management; Energy Research Financial Assistance Program Notice 98-04; Environmental Management Science Program: Research Related to Decontamination and Decommissioning of Facilities

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Research

Office of Environmental Management; Energy Research Financial

Assistance Program Notice 98-04; Environmental Management Science

Program: Research Related to Decontamination and Decommissioning of

Facilities

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant applications.

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SUMMARY: The Offices of Energy Research (ER) and Environmental

Management (EM), U.S. Department of Energy, hereby announce their

interest in receiving grant applications for performance of innovative,

fundamental research to support specifically activities for facility

decontamination and decommissioning (D&D); which include, but are not

limited to, the characterization, monitoring, and certification of

contaminated equipment and facilities; contaminant removal, contaminant

control of various treatment processes; the treatment, removal, and

stabilization of DOE D&D-derived radioactive, hazardous chemical, and

mixed wastes.

DATES: Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a brief

preapplication. All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 98-04,

should be received by DOE by 4:30 P.M. E.S.T., December 16, 1997. A

response encouraging or discouraging a formal application generally

will be communicated to the applicant within three weeks of receipt.

The deadline for receipt of formal applications is 4:30 P.M., E.S.T.,

March 17, 1998, in order to be accepted for merit review and to permit

timely consideration for award in Fiscal Year 1998.

ADDRESSES: All preapplications, referencing Program Notice 98-04,

should be sent to Dr. Roland F. Hirsch, ER-73, Mail Stop F-240, Office

of Biological and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy,

19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290. Preapplications will

be accepted if submitted by U. S. Postal Service, including Express

Mail, commercial mail delivery service, or hand delivery, but will not

be accepted by fax, electronic mail, or other means.

After receiving notification from DOE concerning successful

preapplications, applicants may prepare and submit formal applications.

Applications must be sent to: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of

Energy Research, Grants and Contracts Division, ER-64, 19901 Germantown

Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290, Attn: Program Notice 98-04. The above

address for formal applications must also be used when submitting

formal applications by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail, any commercial

mail delivery service, or when hand carried by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Roland F. Hirsch, ER-73, Mail Stop

F-240, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Office of

Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road,

Germantown, MD 20874-1290, telephone: (301) 903-5349, fax: (301) 903-

0567, E-mail: [email protected], or Mr. Mark Gilbertson, Office

of Science and Risk Policy, Office of Science and Technology, Office of

Environmental Management, 1000 Independence

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Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20585, telephone: (202) 586-7150, E-mail:

[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Environmental Management, in

partnership with the Office of Energy Research, sponsors the

Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) to fulfill DOE's

continuing commitment to the cleanup of DOE's environmental legacy. The

program was initiated in Fiscal Year 1996.

The DOE Environmental Management program currently has ongoing

applied research and engineering efforts under its Technology

Development Program. These efforts must be supplemented with basic

research to address long-term technical issues crucial to the EM

mission. Basic research can also provide EM with near-term fundamental

data that may be critical to the advancement of technologies that are

under development but not yet at full scale nor implemented. Proposed

basic research under this notice should contribute to environmental

management activities that would decrease risk for the public and

workers, provide opportunities for major cost reductions, reduce time

required to achieve EM's mission goals, and, in general, should address

problems that are considered intractable without new knowledge. This

program is designed to inspire ``breakthroughs'' in areas critical to

the EM mission through basic research and will be managed in

partnership with ER. ER's well-established procedures, as set forth in

the Energy Research Merit Review System, as published in the Federal

Register, March 11, 1991, Vol. 56, No. 47, pages 10244-10246, will be

used for merit review of applications submitted in response to this

notice. This information is also available on the World Wide Web at

http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/merit.html.

Subsequent to the formal scientific merit review, applications that

are judged to be scientifically meritorious will be evaluated by DOE

for relevance to the objectives of the Environmental Management Science

Program. Additional information can be obtained at http://

www.em.doe.gov/science.

Additional Notices for the Environmental Management Science Program

may be issued during Fiscal Year 1998 covering other areas within the

scope of the EM program.

Purpose

The need to build a stronger scientific basis for the Environmental

Management effort has been established in a number of recent studies

and reports. The Galvin Commission report (``Alternative Futures for

the Department of Energy National Laboratories,'' February 1995) also

provided the following observations and recommendations:

There is a particular need for long term, basic research in

disciplines related to environmental cleanup'' * * * ``Adopting a

science-based approach that includes supporting development of

technologies and expertise'' * * * ``could lead to both reduced

cleanup costs and smaller environmental impacts at existing sites

and to the development of a scientific foundation for advances in

environmental technologies.''

The Environmental Management Advisory Board Science Committee

(Resolution on the Environmental Management Science Program, May 2,

1997) made the following observations:

``EMSP results are likely to be of significant value to EM'' * *

* ``Early program benefits, include: improved understanding of EM

science needs, linkage with technology needs, and expansion of the

cadre of scientific personnel working on EM problems' * * *

``Science program has the potential to lead to significant

improvement in future risk reduction and cost and time savings.''

The objectives of the Environmental Management Science Program are

to:

Provide scientific knowledge that will revolutionize

technologies and clean-up approaches to significantly reduce future

costs, schedules, and risks;

``Bridge the gap'' between broad fundamental research that

has wide-ranging applicability such as that performed in DOE's Office

of Energy Research and needs-driven applied technology development that

is conducted in EM's Office of Science and Technology; and

Focus the Nation's science infrastructure on critical DOE

environmental management problems.

Representative Research Areas

Basic research is solicited in all areas of science with the

potential for addressing problems in decontamination and

decommissioning of nuclear facilities, an important subject of concern

to the Department's Environmental Management Program. The relevant

scientific disciplines include, but are not limited to, bioremediation,

chemistry (including analytical chemistry and instrumentation, surface

chemistry, and separations chemistry), computational sciences

(including research and development of digital control algorithms for

robotics, communication procedures and software technology for remote

control of processing equipment), engineering sciences (including

control systems and optimization, diagnostics, transport processes,

fracture mechanics, and bioengineering), materials science (including

alternate materials processing routes for waste minimization, welding

and joining, degradation mechanisms, including corrosion and

irradiation damage in radioactive waste forms, and remote sensing and

monitoring), and physics (including optical, surface, and fluid

physics).

Program Funding

Up to a total of $4,000,000 of Fiscal Year 1998 Federal funds is

expected to be available for new Environmental Management Science

Program awards resulting from this Notice. Multiple-year funding of

grant awards is anticipated, contingent upon the availability of funds.

Award sizes are expected to be on the order of $100,000--$300,000 per

year for total project costs for a typical three-year grant.

Collaborative projects involving several research groups or more than

one institution may receive larger awards if merited. The program will

be competitive and offered to investigators in universities or other

institutions of higher education, other non-profit or for-profit

organizations, non-Federal agencies or entities, or unaffiliated

individuals. DOE reserves the right to fund in whole or part any or

none of the applications received in response to this notice. A

parallel announcement with a similar potential total amount of funds

will be issued to DOE Federally Funded Research and Development

Centers. All projects will be evaluated using the same criteria,

regardless of the submitting institution.

Collaboration and Training

Applicants to the EMSP are strongly encouraged to collaborate with

researchers in other institutions, such as universities, industry, non-

profit organizations, federal laboratories and Federally Funded

Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), including the DOE National

Laboratories, where appropriate, and to incorporate cost sharing and/or

consortia wherever feasible.

Applicants are also encouraged to provide training opportunities,

including student involvement, in applications submitted to the

program.

Collaborative research applications may be submitted in several

ways:

(1) When multiple private sector or academic organizations intend

to propose collaborative or joint research projects, the lead

organization may submit a single application which includes another

organization as a lower-tier participant (subcontract) who

[[Page 61309]]

will be responsible for a smaller portion of the overall project. If

approved for funding, DOE may provide the total project funds to the

lead organization who will provide funding to the other participant via

a subcontract arrangement. The application should clearly describe the

role to be played by each organization, specify the managerial

arrangements and explain the advantages of the multi-organizational

effort.

(2) Alternatively, multiple private sector or academic

organizations who intend to propose collaborative or joint research

projects may each prepare a portion of the application, then combine

each portion into a single, integrated scientific application. A

separate Face Page and Budget Pages must be included for each

organization participating in the collaborative project. The joint

application must be submitted to DOE as one package. If approved for

funding, DOE will award a separate grant to each collaborating

organization.

(3) Private sector or academic applicants who wish to form a

collaborative project with a DOE FFRDC may not include the DOE FFRDC in

their application as a lower-tier participant (subcontract). Rather

each collaborator may prepare a portion of the proposal, then combine

each portion into a single, integrated scientific proposal. The private

sector or academic organization must include a Face Page and Budget

Pages for their portion of the project. The FFRDC must include separate

Budget Pages for their portion of the project. The joint proposal must

be submitted to DOE as one package. If approved for funding, DOE will

award a grant to the private sector or academic organization. The FFRDC

will be funded, through existing DOE contracts, from funds specifically

designated for new FFRDC projects. DOE FFRDCs will not compete for

funding already designated for private sector or academic

organizations. Other Federal laboratories who wish to form

collaborative projects may also follow guidelines outlined in this

section.

Preapplications

A brief preapplication may be submitted. The original and five

copies must be received by December 16, 1997, to be considered. The

preapplication should identify on the cover sheet the institution, PI

name, address, telephone, fax and E-mail address for the principal

investigator, title of the project, and the field of scientific

research (using the list in the Application Categories section). The

preapplication should consist of up to three pages of narrative

describing the research objectives and the plan for accomplishing them,

and should also include a paragraph describing the research background

of the principal investigator and key collaborators if any.

Preapplications will be evaluated relative to the scope and

research needs of the DOE's Environmental Management Science Program by

qualified DOE program managers from both ER and EM. Preapplications are

strongly encouraged but not required prior to submission of a full

application. Please note that notification of a successful

preapplication is not an indication that an award will be made in

response to the formal application.

Application Format

Applicants are expected to use the following format in addition to

following instructions in the Office of Energy Research Application

Guide. Applications must be written in English, with all budgets in

U.S. dollars.

ER Face Page (DOE F 4650.2 (10-91))

Application classification sheet (a plain sheet of paper

with one selection from the list of scientific fields listed in the

Application Categories Section)

Table of Contents

Project Abstract (no more than one page)

Budgets for each year and a summary budget page for the

entire project period (using DOE F 4620.1)

Budget Explanation

Budgets and Budget explanation for each collaborative

subproject, if any

Project Narrative (recommended length is no more than 20

pages; multi-investigator collaborative projects may use more pages if

necessary up to a total of 40 pages)

Goals

Significance of Project to the EMSP

Background

Research Plan

Preliminary Studies (if applicable)

Research Design and Methodologies

Literature Cited

Collaborative Arrangements (if applicable)

Biographical Sketches (limit 2 pages per senior

investigator)

Description of Facilities and Resources

Current and Pending Support for each senior investigator

Application Categories

In order to properly classify each preapplication and application

for evaluation and review, the documents must indicate the applicant's

preferred scientific research field, selected from the following list.

Field of Scientific Research:

1. Bioremediation

2. Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation

3. Separations Chemistry

4. Surface Chemistry

5. Computer and Mathematical Sciences

6. Engineering Sciences

7. Materials Science

8. Physics

9. Other

Application Evaluation and Selection

Scientific Merit

The program will support the most scientifically meritorious and

relevant work, regardless of the institution. Formal applications will

be subjected to scientific merit review (peer review) and will be

evaluated against the following evaluation criteria listed in

descending order of importance as codified at 10 CFR 605.10(d).

1. Scientific and/or Technical Merit of the Project

2. Appropriateness of the Proposed Method or Approach

3. Competency of Applicant's Personnel and Adequacy of Proposed

Resources

4. Reasonableness and Appropriateness of the Proposed Budget

External peer reviewers are selected with regard to both their

scientific expertise and the absence of conflict-of-interest issues.

Non-federal reviewers may be used, and submission of an application

constitutes agreement that this is acceptable to the investigator(s)

and the submitting institution.

Relevance to Mission

Subsequent to the formal scientific merit review, applications

which are judged to be scientifically meritorious will be evaluated by

DOE for relevance to the objectives of the Environmental Management

Science Program. These objectives were established in the Conference

Report for the Fiscal Year 1996 Energy and Water Development

Appropriations Act, and are published in the Congressional Record--

House, October 26, 1995, page H10956.

DOE shall also consider, as part of the evaluation, program policy

factors such as an appropriate balance among the program areas,

including research already in progress. Research funded in the

Environmental Management Science Program in Fiscal Year 1996 and Fiscal

Year 1997 can be viewed at http://www.doe.gov/em52/science-grants.html.

Application Guide and Forms

Information about the development, submission of applications,

eligibility,

[[Page 61310]]

limitations, evaluation, the selection process, and other policies and

procedures may be found in 10 CFR part 605, and in the Application

Guide for the Office of Energy Research Financial Assistance Program.

Electronic access to the Guide and required forms is made available via

the World Wide Web at http://www.er.doe.gov/production/grants/

grants.html.

Major Environmental Management Challenges

This research announcement has been developed for Fiscal Year 1998,

along with a development process for a long-term program within

Environmental Management, with the objective of providing continuity in

scientific knowledge that will revolutionize technologies and clean-up

approaches for solving DOE's most complex environmental problems. The

following is an overview of the technical challenge facing the

Environmental Management Program in the area of Decontamination and

Decommissioning which is the focus of this announcement. More detailed

descriptions of the specific technical needs and areas of emphasis

associated with this problem area can be found in the background

section of this Notice.

Deactivation refers to ceasing facility operations and placing the

facility in a safe and stable condition to prevent unacceptable

exposure of people or the environment to radioactive or other hazardous

materials until the facility can be decommissioned. Typically,

deactivation involves removal of stored radioactive and other hazardous

materials and the draining of systems. Decommissioning is the process

of decontaminating or removing contaminated equipment and structures to

achieve the desired end state for the facility. Desired end states

include complete removal and remediation of the facility, release of

the facility for unrestricted use, or release of facility for

restricted use. Decontamination is the removal of unwanted radioactive

or hazardous contamination by a chemical or mechanical process.

DOE must decontaminate and decommission a large number of aging,

surplus facilities. The nature and magnitude of the facility

decontamination, decommissioning, and material disposition problems

require Environmental Management to address these problems quickly and

cost-effectively. In Facility Decontamination and Decommissioning,

Environmental Management is attempting to solve the problems of 7,000

contaminated buildings that require deactivation, and 900 contaminated

buildings including their contents that require decommissioning. DOE is

also responsible for decontaminating the metal and concrete within

those buildings and disposing of 180,000 metric tons of scrap metal.

Several themes in the area of Facility Decontamination and

Decommissioning were identified from research needs statements. These

are summarized below:

Characterization: Improved characterization and monitoring

and certification of contaminated equipment and facilities with

emphasis on real time characterization in the field.

Contaminant removal: Advances in the removal of

contamination from equipment and facilities, particularly metallic

structures and equipment, and concrete structures. Other gaps in the

knowledge base exist in containment technologies to prevent radioactive

emissions and spread of contamination during deactivation and

decommissioning; improved knowledge for safe removal of hazardous

materials, including asbestos and lead; and remote handling and

operations and ideas that could increase worker safety and

productivity.

Reduction of waste: Methods for reduction of waste volume

produced by decontamination and decommissioning.

The aforementioned areas of emphasis does not preclude, and DOE

strongly encourages, any innovative or creative ideas contributing to

solving EM D&D challenges mentioned throughout this Notice.

Background

The United States involvement in nuclear weapons development for

the last 50 years has resulted in the development of a vast research,

production, and testing network known as the nuclear weapons complex.

The Department has the challenge of deactivating 7,000 contaminated

buildings and decommissioning 900 contaminated buildings that are

currently on DOE's list of surplus facilities. It is also responsible

for decontaminating the metal and concrete within those buildings and

disposing of 180,000 metric tons of scrap metal. As stated earlier,

deactivation refers to ceasing facility operations and placing the

facility in a safe and stable condition to prevent unacceptable

exposure of people or the environment to radioactive or other hazardous

materials until the facility can be decommissioned. Typically,

deactivation involves removal of fuel and stored radioactive and other

hazardous materials and draining of systems. Decommissioning is the

process of decontaminating or removing contaminated equipment and

structures to achieve the desired end state for the facility. Desired

end states include complete removal and remediation of the facility,

release of facility for unrestricted use, or release of facility for

restricted use. Decontamination is the removal of unwanted radioactive

or hazardous contamination by a chemical or mechanical process.

Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) is centered around four

main areas of surplus facilities. These are Reactor Facilities,

Processing Facilities, Laboratory Facilities, and Infrastructure and

Supporting Activities that pertain to all types of surplus facilities.

Reactor facilities include production, test, and research reactors

and their associated buildings. These facilities represent a

significant portion of DOE's D&D mortgage. The decontamination and

decommissioning of these reactors could expose workers to high levels

of radiation and hazardous material using currently-available, labor-

intensive technologies.

Processing facilities includes plutonium, uranium, tritium, lithium

processing facilities, and gaseous diffusion plants. Decommissioning of

these facilities could benefit from innovative science in the areas of

in-situ characterization and analysis, less costly waste disposal

options, automated systems for containment and dismantlement, and

material recycling.

Laboratory facilities include hot cells, gloveboxes, and analytical

laboratories. Hot cells and gloveboxes have a high-radiation

environment with highly-contaminated equipment. Decommissioning of

these facilities could benefit from innovative science in the areas of

debris removal, wet and dry decontamination methods, waste segregation

and volume reduction, and remote and robotic dismantlement techniques.

Infrastructure and Supporting Activities includes innovative

science in the areas of worker safety and protection; concrete and

metal recycle; pollution prevention; and final waste forms.

This research agenda has been developed for Fiscal Year 1998, along

with a development process for a long term program within EM, with the

objective of providing continuity in scientific knowledge that will

revolutionize technologies and clean-up approaches for solving DOE's

most complex environmental problems. The following are descriptions of

the Facility Decontamination and Decommissioning challenges which are

intended to help

[[Page 61311]]

align research and researchers in these efforts. Also included in

bullet form are the specific science research challenges.

Characterization

Improvement of Characterization, Monitoring, and Certification of

Contaminated Equipment and Facilities

Improvements are needed in the area of remote characterization and

remote surveying, including improved means to obtain samples remotely

from difficult-to-access places such as underground tanks and piping

systems and in areas having high radiation fields or other hazardous

situations. Rapid automated characterization and certification of

levels of surface radioactive contamination on scrap metal is needed;

that is, systems which can differentiate between contaminated and non-

contaminated equipment and methods to aid in material segregation.

Also, advances in engineering sciences associated with development of

miniaturized and micro-equipment, robotics, and control theories are

needed to support remote inspection needs. A method is needed to trace

and plot the exact spatial location of underground piping and unknown

buried or embedded objects. Improved remote and non-intrusive methods

are needed to verify the existence or absence of contamination in

drains, pipes, and associated equipment. Non-destructive

characterization mapping methods are needed. Improved radiological

characterization and certification of contaminated equipment and

facilities are also needed. Improved methods and techniques are needed

to detect the presence of asbestos-containing materials in the field in

real-time or near real-time. Improved methods and ideas are needed to

detect and quantify contaminants that have penetrated below the surface

of porous materials such as concrete and transite.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Research to advance the state-of-the-art for radiation-

hardened microelectronics, sensors, sample-collection systems, and

controls in robotics for remote characterizations in difficult-to-

access places and in areas having high radiation fields or other

hazardous situations.

Applications of new principles and innovations to support

the development of sensors, detectors, or monitors for rapid automated

characterization and certification of levels of radionuclides,

asbestos, lead, dioxin, or other toxic substances that may exist on the

surface of scrap metal, equipment, and facilities, or be introduced

into the atmosphere during cleanup operations.

Research to expand knowledge of the principles of energy

beam-material interactions, including energy coupling, mass removal by

vaporization and ablation, particle generation, gas dynamics, solid

vapor entrainment, and transport processes, for characterizing and

removing contamination from surfaces.

Deactivation.

Improved methods and ideas to reduce the cost to survey and

maintain facilities awaiting deactivation or decommissioning, including

automated, non-intrusive monitoring of facilities for structural

integrity and contaminant migration. Improved methods and ideas should

minimize labor and cost to survey and maintain facilities.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Exploration of computational and artificial intelligence

approaches for robotics technology to enhance material packing,

disposition, or recycling and thereby help reduce the health risks to

workers, as well as the costs and time associated with decontamination

and decommissioning.

Contaminant Removal

Improved Methods for Removing Contamination from Surfaces, including

Metals, Concrete, and Non-Porous Surfaces

In contaminated facilities, much of the concrete, paint, or similar

materials are contaminated only on the surface or to a relatively

shallow depth (for concrete, typically less than one inch). Fundamental

studies associated with diffusion of species into and out of porous

materials are needed to design innovative approaches to cleaning of

porous materials. Historically, such materials have been handled by

mechanically removing the paint by sanding/blasting on the surface

layers of concrete through a scrabbling operation. These processes are

slow and costly and directly expose the workers to radiation fields.

Dust control is also a problem. In addition to surface contamination,

concrete often contains expansion joints or cracks where contamination

may have penetrated deeper. Jackhammers are typically used to remove

concrete from these cracks or seams in an attempt to remove the

contamination. This is a labor intensive operation. It is desired that

new or significantly improved ideas be developed to decontaminate these

concrete structures and painted areas, and reduce the amount of

secondary waste. In addition, improved methods and ideas are needed to

remove greater than one-inch depth of concrete surface.

Improved understanding of radionuclide and heavy metal adhesion and

adsorption to material surfaces is needed. Fundamental studies

associated with structure bonding of materials is advantageous to

develop new or improved removal methods. Steel or other metals are

often encountered in a variety of shapes and sizes in contaminated

nuclear facilities. Since the decontamination of metal often results in

the generation of large volumes of secondary waste, the metal is

disposed of as radioactive waste rather than expend funds on

decontaminating and surveying the metal. New or significantly improved

decontamination techniques are needed for stainless steel, copper,

nickel, iron, carbon steel structural members, and galvanized siding

that could lead to recycling the metal into products for use within

DOE, or free releasing the metal to the commercial scrap metal market.

The decontamination process should be cost effective and safe and

should not generate large volumes of a secondary waste, which would be

difficult or expensive to dispose of. Improved methods and ideas are

needed for in-situ decontamination of contaminated pipes.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Research to develop understanding of the formation and

dissolution of surface films, including structure, speciation,

composition and energetics.

Elucidation of the mechanisms of radionuclide and metal

adhesion, adsorption, and structural bonding to material surfaces,

including work specific to Pu and other actinides.

Exploration of principles of ultrasonic irradiation and

cavitation to evaluate potential for destroying organic contaminants,

accelerating reaction rates, enhancing catalysis, and cleaning

surfaces.

Research on the nature and design of ligands that can

photo-release radionuclides, metals, and contaminants from surfaces.

Elucidation of the principles of biological approaches to

surface cleaning and diagnostics.

Containment Methods/Techniques to Prevent spread of Contamination.

Cleanup, decommissioning, dismantling, and construction activities

will require containment methods to prevent the spread of contamination

offsite or to uncontaminated areas on-site. Containment of the airborne

contamination during disassembly and

[[Page 61312]]

demolition activities is also a problem. Fundamental chemical research

is desired for development of fixatives and auto-forming barriers to

support development of cost effective containment technology.

Fundamental chemical research is needed in the development of cost

effective reactant or binding agents. Improved and easily portable

containment systems are also needed. Research is needed to improve

personal protective equipment to improve the level of worker

protection, productivity, and comfort with emphasis on reducing heat

stress to workers and ability to safely and comfortably work at heights

and in confined or restricted spaces.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Research to support the development of fixatives, binding

agents, and auto-forming barriers for effective containment on

surfaces.

Scientific and engineering research to support development

of easily portable systems for containing environmental contaminants.

Remote Decontamination and Decommissioning Handling and Operations,

including Demolition

Improved methods of remote demolition are needed: fast, cost-

effective ways of dismantling metal structures, piping, machinery, and

concrete structures. The goal is to reduce the requirement of hands-on

dismantlement by D&D workers while reducing the cost of such

operations. Basic science is needed to improve the ability of robotic

devices to function in harsh environments such as high radiation, high

temperature, and/or abrasive environments.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Work to improve the ability of robotic devices to function

in harsh environments such as high radiation, high temperature, and/or

abrasive environments.

Improvement of Decontamination Techniques for Process Equipment and

Facilities Dismantlement

Research into ways to decontaminate complex process equipment and

techniques to recycle materials or reduce waste are needed. Improved

methods and ideas are needed to dismantle or cut metallic and other

materials in the form of metallic equipment and piping, concrete

structures, asbestos-containing materials, and other construction

materials.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Research to remove limitations on achievable power levels

in, and ease of control of, remotely operable focused heat sources,

such as electron and laser beams.

Research to establish criteria and methods for the

identification and isolation of components which require further

treatment.

Reduction of Waste

Reduction of Wastes Produced by Decontamination and Decommissioning

Many wastes are generated in the process of decommissioning a

contaminated nuclear facility. Typically, large amounts of concrete,

metal, and construction materials (e.g., roofing, asphalt, asbestos,

lumber, tile, siding, and sometimes electronic equipment) are

encountered as waste. Improved methods are needed for volume reduction

of decommissioning waste such as metallic equipment, piping, conduit,

concrete structures, metallic support structures, and asbestos-

containing materials. Recycling or reuse of these materials would

result in significant reductions in the volume of waste. Improved

techniques or ideas are needed that could dismantle or decontaminate

equipment and structures while minimizing the generation of secondary

waste.

Some examples of specific science research challenges include but

are not limited to:

Research on fracture mechanisms in various types of

materials.

Elucidation of the principles of the diffusive and

advective transport of chemical species in porous or fractured

material.

Engineering research to couple existing surface

decontamination methods with diagnostic and control technologies to

discriminate between contaminated and non-contaminated areas on

heterogeneous surfaces.

Research to support development of computational and

artificial intelligence approaches for robotics technology to enhance

material packing, disposition, or recycling and reduce the risks, costs

and time associated with decontamination and decommissioning.

Details of the programs of the Office of Environmental Management

and the technologies currently under development or in use by

Environmental Management Program can be found on the World Wide Web at

http://www.em.doe.gov and at the extensive links contained therein.

These programs and technologies should be used to obtain a better

understanding of the missions and challenges in environmental

management in DOE when considering areas of research to be proposed.

References for Background Information

Note: World Wide Web locations of these documents are provided

where possible. For those without access to the World Wide Web, hard

copies of these references may be obtained by writing Mark A.

Gilbertson at the address listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section.

DOE. 1997. Accelerating Cleanup: Focus on 2006, Discussion Draft

http://www.em.doe.gov/acc2006

DOE. 1997. Research Needs Collected for the EM Science Program--June

1997.

http://www.doe.gov/em52/needs.html

DOE. 1997. U. S. Department of Energy Strategic Plan

http://www.doe.gov/policy/doeplan.htm

DOE. 1996. Decontamination and Decommissioning Focus Area Rainbow Book

http://em-52.em.doe.gov/ifd/rbbooks/D&D/ddrb.htm

DOE. 1996. Decontamination and Decommissioning Focus Area Annual Report

DOE. 1996. Estimating the Cold War Mortgage: The 1996 Baseline

Environmental Management Report. March 1996. U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Environmental Management, Washington, D.C.

http://www.em.doe.gov/bemr96/index.html

DOE. 1996. Office of Environmental Restoration EM-40.

http://www.em.doe.gov/er/index.html

DOE. 1996. Office of Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization EM-60.

http://www.em.doe.gov/menu/?nucmat.html

DOE. 1996. Office of Science and Risk Policy EM-52 and Environmental

Management Science Program.

http://www.em.doe.gov/science/

DOE. 1996. Office of Science and Technology EM-50.

http://em-50.em.doe.gov/

DOE. 1996. Office of Waste Management EM-30.

http://www.em.doe.gov/menu/?wstmgmt.html

DOE. 1996. Spent Nuclear Fuel. DOE-Owned SNF Technology Integration

Plan U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC. DOE/SNF-PP-002, May

1996.

http://tikal.inel.gov/tip_int.htm

DOE. 1996. Taking Stock: A Look at the Opportunities and Challenges

Posed by Inventories from the Cold War Era. The U.S. Department of

[[Page 61313]]

Energy, Office of Environmental Management, Washington, DC.

http://www.em.doe.gov/takstock/index.html

DOE. 1995. Closing the Circle on the Splitting of the Atom: The

Environmental Legacy of Nuclear Weapons Production in the United States

and What the Department of Energy is Doing About It. The U.S.

Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, Office of

Strategic Planning and Analysis, Washington, D.C.

http://www.em.doe.gov/circle/index.html

National Research Council. 1997. Building an Environmental Management

Science Program: Final Assessment. National Academy Press, Washington,

DC.

http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/envmanage/

National Research Council. 1995. Improving the Environment: An

Evaluation of DOE's Environmental Management Program. National Academy

Press, Washington, D.C.

http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/doeemp/

Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. Alternative Futures for the

Department of Energy National Laboratories. February 1995. Task Force

on alternative Futures for the Department of Energy National

Laboratories, Washington, D.C.

http://www.doe.gov/html/doe/whatsnew/galvin/tf-rpt.html

U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Complex Cleanup: The

Environmental Legacy of Nuclear Weapons Production, February 1991. U.S.

Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. NTIS Order number:

PB91143743. To order, call the NTIS sales desk at (703) 487-4650.

http://www.wws.princeton.edu:80/ota/disk1/1991/9113--

n.html

National Science and Technology Council. 1996. Assessing Fundamental

Science, Council on Fundamental Science.

http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/ostp/assess/

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for this program

is 81.049, and the solicitation control number is ERFAP 10 CFR part

605.

Issued in Washington, DC November 12, 1997.

John Rodney Clark,

Associate Director for Resource Management, Office of Energy Research.

[FR Doc. 97-30121 Filed 11-14-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P