This document presents the findings of a technology market assessment for thermal energy storage (TES) in space cooling applications. The potential impact of TES in Federal facilities is modeled using the Federal building inventory with the appropriate climatic and energy cost data. In addition, this assessment identified acceptance issues and major obstacles through interviews with energy services companies (ESCOs), TES manufacturers, and Federal facility staff.

The sodium bearing tank waste (SBW) at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) contains high concentrations of sulfur (roughly 5 mass% of SO3 on a nonvolatile oxide basis). The amount of sulfur that can be feed to the melter will ultimately determine the loading of SBW in glass produced by the baseline (low-temperature, joule-heated, liquid-fed, ceramic-lined) melter. The amount of sulfur which can be fed to the melter is determined by several major factors including: the tolerance of the melter for an immiscible salt layer accumulation, the solubility of sulfur in the glass melt, the fraction of sulfur removed to the off-gas, and the incorporation of sulfur into the glass up to it?s solubility limit. This report summarizes the current status of testing aimed at determining the impacts of key chemical and physical parameters on the partitioning of sulfur between the glass, a molten salt, and the off-gas.

As part of the Leak Detection, Monitoring and Mitigation (LDMM) program conducted by CH2M HILL 105-A during FY 2001. These tests are being conducted to assess the applicability of these methods (Electrical Resistance Tomography [ERT], High Resolution Resistivity [HRR], Cross-Borehole Seismography [XBS], Cross-Borehole Radar [XBR], and Cross-Borehole Electromagnetic Induction [CEMI]) to the detection and measurement of Single Shell Tank (SST) leaks into the vadose zone during planned sluicing operations. The testing in FY 2001 will result in the selection of up to two methods for further testing in FY 2002. In parallel with the geophysical tests, a Partitioning Interwell Tracer Test (PITT) study will be conducted simultaneously at the Mock Tank to assess the effectiveness of this technology in detecting and quantifying tank leaks in the vadose zone. Preparatory and background work using Cone Penetrometer methods (CPT) will be conducted at the Mock Tank site and an adjacent test area to derive soil properties for groundtruthing purposes for all methods.

It is possible to retrieve a large fraction of soluble waste from the Hanford single-shell waste tanks (SST) by dissolving it with water. This retrieval method will be demonstrated in U-107 and S-112 in the next few years. If saltcake dissolution proves practical and effective, many of the saltcake SSTs may be retrieved by this method. Many of the SSTs retain a large volume of flammable gas that will be released into the tank headspace as the waste dissolves. This report describes the physical processes that control dissolution and gas release. Calculation results are shown describing the headspace hydrogen concentration transient during dissolution. The observed spontaneous and induced gas releases from SSTs is summarized and the dissolution of the crust layer in SY-101 is discussed as a recent example of full-scale dissolution of saltcake containing a very large volume of retained gas. The report concludes that the dissolution rate is self limiting and gas release rates are relatively low.

This document is the final report on the EMERGE Science Grid testbed research project from the perspective of the International Center for Advanced Internet Research (iCAIR) at Northwestern University, which was a subcontractor to this UIC project. This report is a compilation of information gathered from a variety of materials related to this project produced by multiple EMERGE participants, especially those at Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Argonne National Lab and iCAIR. The EMERGE Science Grid project was managed by Tom DeFanti, PI from EVL at UIC.

The general goal of the Magnetofluids Laboratory at Swarthmore College is to understand how magnetofluid kinetic energy can be converted to magnetic energy as it is in the core of the earth and sun (the dynamo problem) and to understand how magnetic energy can be rapidly converted back to kinetic energy and heat as it is in solar flares (the magnetic reconnection problem). Magnetic reconnection has been studied using the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX) which was designed and built under this Junior Faculty Grant. In SSX we generate and merge two rings of magnetized plasma called spheromaks and study their interaction. The spheromaks have many properties similar to solar flares so this work is directly relevant to basic solar physics. In addition, since the spheromak is a magnetic confinement fusion configuration, issues of formation and stability have direct impact on the fusion program.

The authors have measured the far infrared absorption of single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) ropes at 1.5K and SWNT ropes in polyethylene (PE) over the range 1.5 < T < 300 K. A weak peak is observed at 28 cm{sup -1} at 1.5K for free standing SWNT samples. The frequency and temperature dependence of the peak is consistent with absorption by an E{sub 2g} symmetric, ''squash mode'', SWNT phonon, which is infrared active due to an adsorbate or disorder. The peak frequency for SWNT ropes in PE is at 40 cm{sup -1} and temperature dependent. They attribute the increase in the frequency of the peak for SWNT in PE to the effect of {approx} 0.2GPa of hydrostatic pressure exerted on the SWNT ropes due to the thermal contraction of PE when cooled to low temperatures. Using two independent methods, they estimate that the SWNT may radially buckle at this pressure. The buckling distortion may cause the pressure dependence of the peak frequency. They cannot rule out the possibility that the peak is an absorption onset from adsorbate modes extrinsic to the SWNT or from interband transitions at a small electronic band gap. An effective medium calculation of Drude metal grains …

There are more than 250 forms of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Due to the variety of the spent nuclear fuel, the National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program has designated nine representative fuel groups for disposal criticality analyses based on fuel matrix, primary fissile isotope, and enrichment (DOE 2000b, Section 6.6.8). The Melt and Dilute (MD) SNF has been designated as the representative fuel for the high-enriched U-Al fuel group. The MD SNF consists of homogeneous cylindrical ingots with 16.5 in. (419.1 mm) maximum diameter. Two general ingot compositions are considered in the criticality and geochemistry analyses. The first composition consists of 8.2 to 18.2 wt% uranium, enriched at less than 20 wt% U-235 and 0.5 wt% gadolinium, with the balance of the ingot being aluminum. The second composition is identical to the first for uranium and gadolinium, but in this case 2.5 wt% of the ingot is hafnium, with the balance of the ingot being aluminum. The results of the analyses performed will be used to develop waste acceptance criteria. The items that are important to criticality control are identified based on the analysis needs and result sensitivities. Prior to acceptance of fuel from the high-enriched …

A principal goal of the Budget Period I was to demonstrate that surface geochemistry could be used to locate bypassed hydrocarbons in old fields. This part of the program was successful. A surface geochemical survey, employing 5 different techniques, was carried out in the Spring and Summer of 2000 and a demonstration well, the State Vernon & Smock 13-23 HD1 (permit number: PN 53945) was drilled in Vernon Township, Isabella County, Michigan in the late fall of 2000. A demonstration well was selected and drilled based on geologic considerations and surface geochemistry. Over 460 soil samples were collected and analyzed over the drill site. A good anomaly was detected near the proposed well site and the demonstration well, the Smock 13-23, was drilled to a depth of 3157 feet by November 17, 2000. Two laterals were drilled, and hydrocarbons were located in a zone approximately 175 feet in length. However, it was determined that the pay zone was too small and difficult reservoir conditions (water production) prevented putting the well in production. The Smock 13-23 was shut in and abandoned January 15, 2001. A post-mortem determined that the main reason the well was not economic was because the zone was …

The report summarizes the development of soft x-ray microscopes at the National Synchrotron Light Source X-1A beamline. We have developed a soft x-ray microscopy beamline (X-1A) at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This beamline has been upgraded recently to provide two endstations dedicated to microscopy experiments. One endstation hosts a brand new copy of the redesigned room temperature scanning x-ray microscope (STXM), and the other end station hosts a cryo STXM and the original redesigned room temperature microscope, which has been commissioned and has started operation. Cryo STXM and the new microscope use the same new software package, running under the LINUX operating system. The new microscope is showing improved image resolution and extends spectromicroscopy to the nitrogen, oxygen and iron edges. These microscopes are used by us, and by users of the facility, to image hydrated specimens at 50 nm or better spatial resolution and with 0.1-0.5 eV energy resolution. This allows us to carry out chemical state mapping in biological, materials science, and environmental and colloidal science specimens. In the cryo microscope, we are able to do chemical state mapping and tomography of frozen hydrated specimens, and this is of special importance for radiation-sensitive …

ARM Automation, Inc. is developing a framework of modular actuators that can address the DOE's wide range of robotics needs. The objective of this effort is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology by constructing a manipulator from these actuators within a glovebox for Automated Plutonium Processing (APP). At the end of the project, the system of actuators was used to construct several different manipulator configurations, which accommodate common glovebox tasks such as repackaging. The modular nature and quickconnects of this system simplify installation into ''hot'' boxes and any potential modifications or repair therein. This work focused on the development of self-contained robotic actuator modules including the embedded electronic controls for the purpose of building a manipulator system. Both of the actuators developed under this project contain the control electronics, sensors, motor, gear train, wiring, system communications and mechanical interfaces of a complete robotics servo device. Test actuators and accompanying DISC{trademark}s underwent validation testing at The University of Texas at Austin and ARM Automation, Inc. following final design and fabrication. The system also included custom links, an umbilical cord, an open architecture PC-based system controller, and operational software that permitted integration into a completely functional robotic manipulator system. The open …

Project Objectives are to demonstrate the feasibility of real-time stress measurement, bit loading, and horizon sensing on a longwall shearer, boring machine, continuous miner, and loading bucket.

The objective of this study was to determine how a 100 Area distillation system could be used to reduce to a satisfactory low value the tritium content of the dilute moderator produced in the 100 Area stills, and whether such a tritium attenuator would have sufficient capacity to process all this material before it is sent to the 400 Area for reprocessing.

This research investigates a control system for HCCI engines, where equivalence ratio, fraction of EGR and intake pressure are adjusted as needed to obtain satisfactory combustion. HCCI engine operation is analyzed with a detailed chemical kinetics code, HCT (Hydrodynamics, Chemistry and Transport), that has been extensively modified for application to engines. HCT is linked to an optimizer that determines the operating conditions that result in maximum brake thermal efficiency, while meeting the peak cylinder pressure restriction. The results show the values of the operating conditions that yield optimum efficiency as a function of torque and rpm. The engine has high NO{sub x} emissions for high power operation, so the possibility of switching to stoichiometric operation for high torque conditions is considered. Stoichiometric operation would allow the use of a three-way catalyst to reduce NO{sub x} emissions to acceptable levels. Finally, the paper discusses the possibility of transitioning from HCCI operation to SI operation to achieve high power output.

The National Ignition Facility's (NIF) floor is damaged by transporter operations. Two basic operations, rotating the wheels in place and traversing the floor numerous times can cause failure in the grout layer. The floor is composed of top wear surface (Stonhard) and an osmotic grout layer on top of concrete, Fig. 1. An ultrasonic technique was implemented to assess the condition of the floor as part of a study to determine the damage mechanisms. The study considered damage scenarios and ways to avoid the damage. A possible solution is to install thin steel plates where the transporter traverses on the floor. These tests were conducted with a fully loaded transporter that applies up to 1300 psi loads to the floor. A contact ultrasonic technique evaluated the condition of the grout layer in NIF's floor. Figure 1 displays the configuration of the ultrasonic transducer on the floor. We inspected the floor after wheel rotation damage and after wheel traversal damage. Figure 2a and 2b are photographs of the portable ultrasonic system and data acquisition. We acquired ultrasonic signals in a known pristine area and a damaged area to calibrate the inspection. Figure 3 is a plot of the typical ultrasonic response …

In 1999, we presented our plan to upgrade the adaptive optics (AO) system on the Lick Observatory Shane telescope (3m) from a prototype instrument pressed into field service to a facility instrument. This paper updates the progress of that plan and details several important improvements in the alignment and calibration of the AO bench. The paper also includes a discussion of the problems seen in the original design of the tip/tilt (t/t) sensor used in laser guide star mode, and how these problems were corrected with excellent results.

Over the past year, KeySpan Energy sponsored a research program at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) aimed at recycling boiler ash (BA) and waste water treatment sludge (WWTS) byproducts generated from Keyspan's power stations into potentially useful materials, and at reducing concurrent costs for their disposal. Also, KeySpan has an interest in developing strategies to explicitly integrate industrial ecology and green chemistry. From our collaborative efforts with Keyspan (Diane Blankenhom Project Manager, and Kenneth Yager), we succeeded in recycling them into two viable products; Pb-exchange adsorbents (PEAs), and high-performance cements (HpCs). These products were made from chemically bonded cement and ceramic (CBC) materials that were synthesized through two-step chemical reaction pathways, acid-base and hydration. Using this synthesis technology, both the WWTS and BA served in acting as solid base reactants, and sodium polyphosphate, [-(-NaPO{sub 3}-)-{sub n}], known as an intermediator of fertilizer, was employed as the acid solution reactant. In addition, two commercial cement additives, Secar No. 51 calcium aluminate cement (CAC) and Type I calcium silicate cement (CSC), were used to improve mechanical behavior and to promote the rate of acid-base reaction of the CBC materials.

As demand for electricity grows, the United States needs practical technologies for generating electricity without causing environmental harm--such as the Zero Emission Steam Technology (ZEST) developed by Clean Energy Systems, Inc. However, further research is required to reduce the scientific and economic risks before the U.S. electric power industry will embrace ZEST. Therefore, Clean Energy Systems, Inc., along with energy-generation stakeholders and in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, proposes to build a ZEST research facility for performing research.

Remediation of contaminated ground water by pump-and-treat approaches is often problematic because the heterogeneous distributions of lithologies, and hence hydraulic conductivities, characterizing many aquifers result in complex flow paths. Consequently, contaminants are removed readily from the most permeable regions of the subsurface but the less permeable sediments, rich in clay and silt, remain largely undisturbed. These continue to act as diffusion-limited sources for further contamination of the permeable sediments. Under certain circumstances, specialized technologies, such as electrokinetic approaches, may be useful for enhancing the removal of ground water from low-permeability sediments. These circumstances generally include high contaminant concentrations--hence posing a chronic source threat--and a relatively small area requiring treatment. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California, electro-osmosis (EO) is being evaluated as a means for extracting ground water containing trichloroethylene (TCE) and other chlorinated hydrocarbons from fine-grained sediments in a plume source area.

As domestic oil and gas fields approach maturity or even abandonment, new methods are being tested to add life to the fields. One area being addressed is the reduction of water production to extend the economic life of a field. In many fields a very common problem is permeability heterogeneity from matrix variations, fractures, or both. Conventional procedures to remediate high water rates in fractured networks, including cement squeezing, openhole packers, and liners are generally unsuccessful. The objective of this project was to test the viability of using sequential treatment of a production well with a cross-linked polymer to restrict water production from highly permeable and fractured zones. The field used for testing was the Ashley Valley field in northeastern Utah. The process proposed for testing in this field was the sequential application of small batches of a cross-linked polymer, chromium (III) polyacrylamide polymer (Marcit{trademark}). First, the highest permeability fractures were to be blocked, followed progressively by smaller fractures, and finally the higher permeability matrix channels. The initial application of this polymer in September 1997 in the Ashley Valley (AV) well No.2 did increase oil production while decreasing both water production and the relative permeability to water. The successive application …

The Ground Control System contributes to the safe construction and operation of the subsurface facility, including accesses and waste emplacement drifts, by maintaining the configuration and stability of the openings during construction, development, emplacement, and caretaker modes for the duration of preclosure repository life. The Ground Control System consists of ground support structures installed within the subsurface excavated openings, any reinforcement made to the rock surrounding the opening, and inverts if designed as an integral part of the system. The Ground Control System maintains stability for the range of geologic conditions expected at the repository and for all expected loading conditions, including in situ rock, construction, operation, thermal, and seismic loads. The system maintains the size and geometry of operating envelopes for all openings, including alcoves, accesses, and emplacement drifts. The system provides for the installation and operation of sensors and equipment for any required inspection and monitoring. In addition, the Ground Control System provides protection against rockfall for all subsurface personnel, equipment, and the engineered barrier system, including the waste package during the preclosure period. The Ground Control System uses materials that are sufficiently maintainable and that retain the necessary engineering properties for the anticipated conditions of the preclosure …

This final report summarizes the accomplishments of the 6-year Environmental Management Cooperative Agreement (EMCA) between the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), a nonprofit, contract-supported unit of the University of North Dakota, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The first portion of the report summarizes EMCA's structure, activities, and accomplishments. The appendix contains profiles of the individual EMCA tasks. Detailed descriptions and results of the tasks can be found separately in published Final Topical Reports. EMCA (DOE Contract No. DE-FC21-94MC31388) was in place from the fall of 1994 to the summer of 2001. Under EMCA, approximately $5.4 million was applied in three program areas to expedite the commercialization of 15 innovative technologies for application in DOE's EM Program ($3.8 million, or 69% of funds), provide technical support to the Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA; $1.04 million, or 19% of funds), and provide for the coordination of the EMCA activities ($0.62 million, or 11% of funds). The following sections profile the overall accomplishments of the EMCA program followed by a summary of the accomplishments under each of the EMCA areas: commercialization, DDFA technical support, and management. Table 1 provides an overview of EMCA, including …

The long trace profiler (LTP) is the instrument of choice for the surface figure measurement of grazing incidence mirrors. The modification of conventional LTP, the vertical-scan LTP, capable of measuring the surface figure of replicated shell mirrors is now in operation at Marshall Space Flight Center. A few sources of systematic error for vertical-scan LTP are discussed. Status of systematic error reduction is reported.

A method for measuring the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity in a heterogeneous nuclear reactor is presented. The method, which is used during normal operation, requires that calibrated control rods be oscillated in a special way at a high reactor power level. The value of the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity is found from the measured flux responses to these oscillations. Application of the method in a Savannah River reactor charged with natural uranium is discussed.