Fly ash generated from low NO x burners at American Electric Power's Glen Lyn facility was beneficiated to remove residual carbon, magnetic particles, and cenospheres. The clean fly ash had a mean particle size of about 30 microns, which is coarser than typical commercial fillers used in plastics. To obtain a finer sized fly ash, air classification was used to separate the clean fly ash into its coarse and fine fractions. The resulting fine fraction had a mean particle size of 4.13 microns and accounted for 16.7 wt% of the total clean ash. The brightness of the clean ash was also less than that of typical commercial fillers and efforts to improve the brightness proved unsuccessful. The resulting fine ash was then coated with a silane coupling agent and then added to polypropylene, low density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene at various levels. These mixtures were in turn used to make tensile test specimens by injection molding. For comparison, a commercial CaCO 3 filler was also tested under the same conditions. The mechanical properties of these specimens were determined and the results show that the polymers containing fly ash as a filler have equivalent properties to those same polymers when commercial fillers are used in most cases.

Standard plume models can underestimate the gamma-ray dose when most of the radioactive material is above the heads of the receptors. Typically, a model is used to calculate the air concentration at the height of the receptor, and the dose is calculated by multiplying the air concentration by a concentration-to-dose conversion factor. Models indicate that if the plume is emitted from a stack during stable atmospheric conditions, the lower edges of the plume may not reach the ground, in which case both the ground-level concentration and the dose are usually reported as zero. However, in such cases, the dose from overhead gamma-emitting radionuclides may be substantial. Such underestimates could impact decision making in emergency situations. The Monte Carlo N-Particle code, MCNP, was used to calculate the overhead shine dose and to compare with standard plume models. At long distances and during unstable atmospheric conditions, the MCNP results agree with the standard models. At short distances, where many models calculate zero, the true dose (as modeled by MCNP) can be estimated with simple equations.

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A-16-D Los Alamos Canyon DP Canyon Additional AOCs and PRSs include:  C-00-006 (Los Alamos Canyon)  C-00-021 (DP Canyon) DP Canyon enters TA-21 and continues until it joins Los Alamos Canyon along the boundary between TA-21 and TA-73 at an elevation of approximately 6620 feet. Previous environmental investigations at AOC C-00-021 include regular environmental monitoring that has been conducted in DP Canyon since the 1970s as part of the LANL Environmental Surveillance Program. Sediment samples containing elevated levels of Cesium-137, Plutonium-238/-239, Strontium-90, Thorium-230/-232, and Uranium-238 have been detected. Some concentrations exceeded screening levels. In addition, the Environmental Restoration Project has conducted numerous investigations in and around TA-21 in association with SWMUs/AOCs at TA-21. One of the most significant historical contamination sources at TA-21 is SWMU 21-011(k), which is an outfall that discharged effluent from the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities into DP Canyon from 1956 to 1985. SWMU 21-011(k) is upgradient of Tract A-16-D. Other potential contaminant sources at TA-21 include MDA A (SWMU 21-014), MDA T [consolidated unit 21-016(a)-99], MDA U [consolidated unit 21-017(a)-99], septic tanks and outfalls, and a petroleum product tank farm (SWMU 21-029).  21-013(a) (see Figure 4) Disposal area for sand from the drying beds of the sanitary waste treatment plant.  21-013(c) (see Figure 4) Former location of a surface disposal area located at the eastern end of DP Mesa. The site consisted only of construction debris, including piles of fill, asphalt, and concrete, an excavated trench, an earthen berm that contained scattered concrete, asphalt, and metal debris, and four large concrete pylons. Other surface debris included glass, scrap metal, wood, cans, paper, and plastic. It is not known when the materials were disposed of at this site. During a 1995 cleanup, all debris was removed.  21-026(a) (see Figure 4) The sewage treatment plant 21-026 (a) treated sanitary waste and non-contact cooling water from TA-21 facilities.  21-026(b) (see Figure 4) Treated effluent was discharged to sand filter/sludge drying beds.  21-026(c) (see Figure 4) Chlorine contact chamber located next to the sewage plant.  21-026(d) (see Figure 4) Outfall from Building 21-227. Recreational SAL [pCi/g] 15 mrem/yr (150 µSv/yr) Construction SAL [pCi/g] 15 mrem/yr (150 µSv/yr

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