[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 221 (Monday, November 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61307-61313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30121]
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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: roland.hirsch@oer.doe.gov, or Mr. Mark Gilbertson, Office
of Science and Risk Policy, Office of Science and Technology, Office of
Environmental Management, 1000 Independence
[[Page 61308]]
Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20585, telephone: (202) 586-7150, E-mail:
mark.gilbertson@em.doe.gov.
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
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DOE. 1996. Decontamination and Decommissioning Focus Area Rainbow Book
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DOE. 1996. Decontamination and Decommissioning Focus Area Annual Report
DOE. 1996. Estimating the Cold War Mortgage: The 1996 Baseline
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DOE. 1996. Office of Environmental Restoration EM-40.
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DOE. 1996. Office of Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization EM-60.
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DOE. 1996. Office of Science and Risk Policy EM-52 and Environmental
Management Science Program.
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DOE. 1996. Office of Science and Technology EM-50.
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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.
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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]]
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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.
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National Science and Technology Council. 1996. Assessing Fundamental
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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
