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This report covers our recent work on the kinetics of the LPMEOH{trademark} process. The major part of the report concerns the development of more robust kinetic models for the LPMEOH{trademark} reaction system. The development was needed to meet the requirements for more accurate process simulations over a wide range of conditions. To this end, kinetic experiments were designed based on commercial needs and a D-Optimal design package. A database covering 53 different conditions was built. Two new reactions were identified and added to the LPMEOH{trademark} reaction network. New rate models were developed for all 15 reactions in the system. The new rate models are more robust than the original ones, showing better fit to the experimental results over a wide range of conditions. Related to this model development are some new understandings about the sensitivity of rate models and their effects on catalyst life study. The last section of this report covers a separate topic: water injection to the LPMEOH{trademark} reactor and its effects on the LPMEOH{trademark} process. An investigation was made of whether water injection can enhance the reactor productivity and how this enhancement depends on the composition of the major syngas feed. A water injection condition that resulted …

The purpose of this Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) is to add and test new metabolic activities to existing microbial catalysts for the production of succinic acid from renewables. In particular, they seek to add to the existing organism the ability to utilize xylose efficiently and simultaneously with glucose in mixtures of sugars or to add succinic acid production to another strain and to test the value of this new capability for production of succinic acid from industrial lignocellulosic hydrolyasates. The Contractors and Participant are hereinafter jointly referred to as the 'Parties'. Research to date in succinic acid fermentation, separation and genetic engineering has resulted in a potentially economical process based on the use of an Escherichia coli strain AFP111 with suitable characteristics for the production of succinic acid from glucose. Economic analysis has shown that higher value commodity chemicals can be economically produced from succinic acid based on repliminary laboratory findings and predicted catalytic parameters. The initial target markets include succinic acid itself, succinate salts, esters and other derivatives for use as deicers, solvents and acidulants. The other commodity products from the succinic acid platform include 1,4-butanediol, {gamma}-butyrolactone, 2-pyrrolidinone and N-methyl pyrrolidinone. Current economic analyses indicate that this …

This dissertation develops diverse research on small (diameter {approx} few mm), high current density (J {approx} several tens of mA/cm{sup 2}) heavy ion sources. The research has been developed in the context of a programmatic interest within the Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) Program to explore alternative architectures in the beam injection systems that use the merging of small, bright beams. An ion gun was designed and built for these experiments. Results of average current density yield (<J>) at different operating conditions are presented for K{sup +} and Cs{sup +} contact ionization sources and potassium aluminum silicate sources. Maximum <J> values for a K{sup +} beam of {approx}90 mA/cm{sup 2} were observed in 2.3 {micro}s pulses. Measurements of beam intensity profiles and emittances are included. Measurements of neutral particle desorption are presented at different operating conditions which lead to a better understanding of the underlying atomic diffusion processes that determine the lifetime of the emitter. Estimates of diffusion times consistent with measurements are presented, as well as estimates of maximum repetition rates achievable. Diverse studies performed on the composition and preparation of alkali aluminosilicate ion sources are also presented. In addition, this work includes preliminary work carried out exploring the viability …

The sourcebook is a reference for industrial steam system users, outlining opportunities to improve steam system performance. This Sourcebook is designed to provide steam system users with a reference that describes the basic steam system components, outlines opportunities for energy and performance improvements, and discusses the benefits of a systems approach in identifying and implementing these improvement opportunities. The Sourcebook is divided into the following three main sections: Section 1: Steam System Basics--For users unfamiliar with the basics of steam systems, or for users seeking a refresher, a brief discussion of the terms, relationships, and important system design considerations is provided. Users already familiar with industrial steam system operation may want to skip this section. This section describes steam systems using four basic parts: generation, distribution, end use, and recovery. Section 2: Performance Improvement Opportunities--This section discusses important factors that should be considered when industrial facilities seek to improve steam system performance and to lower operating costs. This section also provides an overview of the finance considerations related to steam system improvements. Additionally, this section discusses several resources and tools developed by the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) BestPractices Steam Program to identify and assess steam system improvement opportunities. …

School districts around the country are finding that the smart energy choices can help them save money and provide healthier, more effective learning environments. By incorporating energy improvements into their construction or renovation plans, schools can significantly reduce energy consumption and costs. These savings can be redirected to educational needs such as additional teachers, instructional materials, or new computers. These design guidelines outline high performance principles for the new or retrofit design of your K-12 school. By incorporating these principles, you can create and exemplary building that is both energy and resource efficient.

Researchers at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) in Golden, Colorado, began performing the Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment in 1993 to better understand the unsteady aerodynamics and structural responses of horizontal-axis wind turbines. The experiment consists of an extensively instrumented, downwind, three-bladed, 20-kilowatt wind turbine. In May 1995, I received a request from the NWTC to design a two-bladed hub for the experiment. For my thesis, I present the results of the mechanical design, analysis, and testing of the hub. The hub I designed is unique because it runs in rigid, teetering, or independent blade-flapping modes. In addition, the design is unusual because it uses two servomotors to pitch the blades independently. These features are used to investigate new load reduction, noise reduction, blade pitch optimization, and yaw control techniques for two-bladed turbines. I used a methodology by G. Phal and W. Bietz to design the hub. The hub meets all the performance specifications except that it achieves only 90% of the specified teeter range. In my thesis, I focus on the analysis and testing of the hub body. I performed solid-mechanics calculations, ran a finite-element analysis simulation, and experimentally investigated the structural integrity of the hub body.

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) Risk Management Plan (LLNL, 1997a) was originally prepared in 1997 in accordance with the Department of Energy (DOE) Life Cycle Asset Management Good Practice Guide (DOE, 1996a) and supported NIF Critical Decision 3, approval to initiate construction (DOE, 1997a). The plan was updated in 1998 to reflect realized risks such as the finding and successful clean up of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-filled electrical capacitors at the NIF excavation during initial construction and the litigation of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Stockpile Stewardship (DOE, 1996b) by a group of non-governmental organizations led by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The current update of the Risk Management Plan brings it into compliance with the applicable DOE Orders and Standards and addresses new risks, such as assuring safety during the period when construction, special equipment installation, and commissioning are occurring simultaneously at the NIF site, and the extensive use of models to manage technical performance risk. The objectives of the updated plan are to: (1) Identify the risks to the completion of the Project in terms of meeting performance and regulatory requirements, ES&H, cost, and schedule; (2) Assess or the risks in terms of likelihood of occurrence and their …

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Throughout the last century, the cumulative effects of anthropogenic disturbances have caused drastic watershed level landscape changes throughout the Reservation and surrounding areas (Coeur d'Alene Tribe 1998). Changes include stream channelization, wetland draining, forest and palouse prairie conversion for agricultural use, high road density, elimination of old growth timber stands, and denuding riparian communities. The significance of these changes is manifested in the degradation of habitats supporting native flora and fauna. Consequently, populations of native fish, wildlife, and plants, which the Tribe relies on as subsistence resources, have declined or in some instances been extirpated (Apperson et al. 1988; Coeur d'Alene Tribe 1998; Lillengreen et al. 1996; Lillengreen et al. 1993; Gerry Green Coeur d'Alene Tribe wildlife Biologist, personal communication 2002). For example, bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) are not present at detectable levels in Reservation tributaries, westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) are not present in numbers commensurate with maintaining harvestable fisheries (Lillengreen et al. 1993, 1996), and the Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) are not present at detectable levels on the Reservation (Gerry Green, Coeur d'Alene Tribe wildlife biologist, personal communication). The Coeur d'Alene Tribe added Fisheries and Wildlife Programs to their Natural Resources Department to address these losses and …

Semi-volatile chemicals associated with nuclear processes (e.g., the reprocessing of uranium to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, or the separation of actinides from processing waste streams), can provide sticky residues or signatures that will attach to piping, ducting, soil, water, or other surface media. Volatile compounds, that are more suitable for electro-optical sensing, have been well studied. However, the semi-volatile compounds have not been well documented or studied. A majority of these semi-volatile chemicals are more robust than typical gaseous or liquid chemicals and can have lifetimes of several weeks, months, or years in the environment. However, large data gaps exist concerning these potential signature compounds and more research is needed to fill these data gaps so that important signature information is not overlooked or discarded. This report investigates key semi-volatile compounds associated with nuclear separations, identifies available chemical and physical properties, and discusses the degradation products that would result from hydrolysis, radiolysis and oxidation reactions on these compounds.

This document represents work conducted as part of the Wind River Watershed Restoration Project during its second year of funding through the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The project is a comprehensive effort involving public and private entities seeking to restore water quality and fishery resources in the basin through cooperative actions. Project elements include coordination, watershed assessment, restoration, monitoring, and education. Entities involved with implementing project components are the Underwood Conservation District (UCD), USDA Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Geological Survey - Columbia River Research Lab (USGS-CRRL), and WA Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW).

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A test campaign was undertaken during April 16-19 in LaHonda, California to match the operational performance of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL)Varitron accelerator to that of an ARACOR Eagle accelerator. This Eagle-matched condition, with the INEEL Varitron, will be used during a concept demonstration test at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This operational characterization involved the use of similar electron beam energies, similar production of photoneutrons from selected non-nuclear materials, and similar production of photofissionbased, delayed neutrons from an INEEL-provided, depleted uranium sample. Then using the matched operation, the Varitron was used to define detector performances for several INEEL and LANL detectors using the depleted uranium target and Eagle-like, bremsstrahlung collimation. This summary report provides neutron measurements using the INEEL detectors. All delayed neutron data are acquired in the time interval ranging from 4.95 to 19.9 ms after each accelerator pulse. All prompt neutron data are acquired during 0.156 to 4.91 ms after each accelerator pulse. Prompt and delayed neutron counting acquisition intervals can still be optimized.

Soil sampling and storage practices for volatile organic analysis must be designed to minimize loss of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from samples. The En Core{reg_sign} sampler is designed to collect and store soil samples in a manner that minimizes loss of contaminants due to volatilization and/or biodegradation. An American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard practice, D 6418, Standard Practice for Using the Disposable En Core Sampler for Sampling and Storing Soil for Volatile Organic Analysis, describes use of the En Core sampler to collect and store a soil sample of approximately 5 grams or 25 grams for volatile organic analysis. To support the ASTM practice, four studies have been performed to evaluate the performance of the En Core sampler for storage of soil samples spiked with VOCs. The first study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the device to store soil samples spiked with VOCs at high-level concentrations of approximately 2,500 {micro}g/Kg under various conditions. This analyte concentration in the soil was selected to limit the influence of the analytical method on the data. A second study was conducted to answer questions on the performance of the En Core sampler for storage of soil samples containing low-level …

This annual report describes progress of the project entitled ''Midcontinent Interactive Digital Carbon Atlas and Relational Database (MIDCARB)''. This project, funded by the Department of Energy, is a cooperative project that assembles a consortium of five states (Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio) to construct an online distributed Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) covering aspects of carbon dioxide geologic sequestration (http://www.midcarb.org). The system links the five states in the consortium into a coordinated regional database system consisting of datasets useful to industry, regulators and the public. The project is working to provide advanced distributed computing solutions to link database servers across the five states into a single system where data is maintained at the local level but is accessed through a single Web portal and can be queried, assembled, analyzed and displayed. Each individual state has strengths in data gathering, data manipulation and data display, including GIS mapping, custom application development, web development, and database design. Sharing of expertise provides the critical mass of technical expertise to improve CO{sub 2} databases and data access in all states. This project improves the flow of data across servers in the five states and increases the amount and …

The Advanced Technology Development Program is testing a second generation of lithium-ion cells, consisting of a baseline and three variant chemistries. The cathode composition of the Variant C chemistry was altered with an increase to the aluminum dopant and a decrease to the cobalt dopant to explore the impact on performance. However, it resulted in a 20% drop in rated capacity. Also, the Variant C average power fade is higher, but capacity fade is higher for the Baseline cell chemistry. Initial results indicate that the Variant C chemistry will reach end of life sooner than the Baseline chemistry.

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), a DOE Category A reactor, was designed to provide an irradiation test environment for conducting a variety of experiments. The ATR Safety Analysis Report, determined by DOE to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 830, Subpart B, provides versatility in types of experiments that may be conducted. This paper addresses two general types of experiments in the ATR facility and how safety analyses for experiments are related to the ATR safety basis. One type of experiment is more routine and generally represents greater risks; therefore this type of experiment is addressed with more detail in the safety basis. This allows individual safety analyses for these experiments to be more routine and repetitive. The second type of experiment is less defined and is permitted under more general controls. Therefore, individual safety analyses for the second type of experiment tend to be more unique from experiment to experiment. Experiments are also discussed relative to "major modifications" and DOE-STD-1027-92. Application of the USQ process to ATR experiments is also discussed.

With today's tightening budgets computer applications must provide "true" long-term benefit to the company. Businesses are spending large portions of their budgets "Re- Engineering" old systems to take advantage of "new" technology. But what they are really getting is simply a new interface implementing the same incomplete or poor defined requirements as before. "True" benefit can only be gained if sound analysis and design practices are used. WHAT data and processes are required of a system is not the same as HOW the system will be implemented within a company. It is the System Analyst's responsibility to understand the difference between these two concepts. The paper discusses some simple techniques to be used during the Analysis and Design phases of projects, as well as the information gathered and recorded in each phase and how it is transformed between these phases. The paper also covers production application generated using Oracle Designer. Applying these techniques to "real world" problems, the applications will meet the needs for today's business and adapt easily to ever-changing business environments.

This experiment safety assurance package (ESAP) is a revision of the last MOX ESAP issued in February 2001(Khericha 2001). The purpose of this revision is to identify the changes in the loading pattern and to provide a basis to continue irradiation up to ~42 GWd/MT burnup (+ 2.5% as predicted by MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) transport code before the preliminary postirradiation examination (PIE) results for 40 GWd/MT burnup are available. Note that the safety analysis performed for the last ESAP is still applicable and no additional analysis is required (Khericha 2001). In July 2001, it was decided to reconfigure the test assembly using the loading pattern for Phase IV, Part 3, at the end of Phase IV, Part 1, as the loading pattern for Phase IV, Parts 2 and 3. Three capsule assemblies will be irradiated until the highest burnup capsule assembly accumulates: ~50 GWd/MT burnup, based on the MCNP code predictions. The last ESAP suggests that at the end of Phase IV, Part 1, we remove the two highest burnup capsule assemblies (@ ~40 GWd/MT burnup) and send them to ORNL for PIE. Then, irradiate the test assembly using the loading pattern for Phase IV, Part 2, until the …

Dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (DIRB) play an important role in regulating the aqueous geochemistry of iron and other metals in anaerobic, non-sulfidogenic groundwater environments; however, little work has directly assessed the cell surface electrochemistry of DIRB, or the nature of the interfacial environment around individual cells. The electrochemical properties of particulate solids are often inferred from titrations in which net surface charge is determined, assuming electroneutrality, as the difference between known added amounts of acid and base and measured proton concentration. The resultant titration curve can then be fit to a speciation model for the system to determine pKa values and site densities of reactive surface sites. Moreover, with the development of non-contact electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), it is now possible to directly inspect and quantify charge development on surfaces. A combination of acid-base titrations and EFM are being used to assess the electrochemical surface properties of the groundwater DIRB, Shewanella putrefaciens. The pKa spectra and EFM data show together that a high degree of electrochemical heterogeneity exists within the cell wall and at the cell surface of S. putrefaciens. Recognition of variations in the nature and spatial distribution of reactive sites that contribute to charge development on these bacteria implies …

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Wind and Geothermal Technologies (DOE) is funding advanced geothermal research through University Geothermal Research solicitations. These solicitations are intended to generate research proposals in the areas of fracture permeability location and characterization, reservoir management and geochemistry. The work funded through these solicitations should stimulate the development of new geothermal electrical generating capacity through increasing scientific knowledge of high-temperature geothermal systems. In order to meet this objective researchers are encouraged to collaborate with the geothermal industry. These objectives and strategies are consistent with DOE Geothermal Energy Program strategic objectives.

Novel testing procedures and analytical methodologies to assess the performance of hybrid electric vehicle batteries have been developed. Tests include both characterization and cycle life and/or calendar life, and have been designed for both Power Assist and Dual Mode applications. Analytical procedures include a battery scaling methodology, the calculation of pulse resistance, pulse power, available energy, and differential capacity, and the modeling of calendar and cycle life data. Representative performance data and examples of the application of the analytical methodologies including resistance growth, power fade, and cycle and calendar life modeling for hybrid electric vehicle batteries are presented.

Particle deposition to surfaces plays an important role in determining exposures to indoor particles. However, the effects of furnishings and air speed on these rates have not been well characterized. In this study, experiments were performed in an isolated room (volume = 14.2 m{sup 3}) using three different indoor furnishing levels (bare, carpeted and fully furnished) and four different airflow conditions. Deposition loss rates were determined by generating a short burst of polydispersed particles, then measuring the size-resolved (0.5-10 {micro}m) concentration decay rate using an aerodynamic particle sizer. Increasing the surface area from bare (35 m{sup 2} nominal surface area) to fully furnished (12 m{sup 2} additional surface area) increased the deposition loss rate by as much as a factor of 2.6, with the largest increase seen for the smallest particles. Increasing the mean airspeed from < 5 cms/s to 19 cm/s, by means of increasing fan speed, increased the deposition rate for all particle sizes studied by factors ranging from 1.3 to 2.4, with larger particles exhibiting greater effects than smaller particles. The significant effect of particle size and room conditions on deposition loss rates argues against using a single first-order loss-rate coefficient to represent deposition for integrated mass …