The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a fusion energy research laboratory located on the Forrestal Campus of Princeton University in Plainsboro, New Jersey. Princeton University operates the laboratory under contact with the US Department of Energy (DOE). PPPL researches nuclear fusion and plasma physics and investigates the potential of a commercial fusion reactor. The objective of the audit was to determine whether PPPL was monitoring telephone use and costs in order to prevent personal toll costs from being charged to the DOE contract. Our audit disclosed that 5 out of the 10 PPPL cost centers we reviewed were not following established policies and procedures for monitoring telephone toll charges. This condition resulted because PPPL's management did not adequately review telephone use and costs. As a result, PPPL charged personal toll calls to DOE. Therefore, we recommend that the Manager, DOE Field Office, Chicago, (CH) direct PPPL to enforce its telephone policies and procedures to ensure that personal toll calls are not charged to DOE. The Acting Manager, CH, concurred with our recommendations and agreed to implement corrective actions.

Group projects included radioecological studies of aquatic and terrestrial systems, land management activities, foodstuff monitoring, dust transport studies including fugitive dust measurements and modeling, and several support programs involving evaluation of the plant's ambient air samplers and airborne tritium monitoring techniques. Some salient results from the several project reports include determination of an appropriate model for mechanically generated fugitive dust dispersion, a radionuclide inventory of Smart Ditch Pond (Pond D-1), a coefficient of community determination for two terrestrial sample plots on the plant site buffer zone, a natality and mortality rate determination for fawns in the plant deer herd (including one positive coyote-kill determination), inlet loss and filter paper collection efficiencies for the plant ambient air samplers, and differential tritium sampling measurements of the vapor in Building 771 stack effluent.

The Department of Energy has sponsored a number of field projects to determine the feasibility of converting the nation's vast coal reserves into a clean efficient energy source via underground coal gasification (UCG). Due to these tests, a significant data base of process information has developed covering a range of coal seams (flat subbituminous, deep flat bituminous and steeply dipping subbituminous) and processing techniques. A summary of all DOE-sponsored tests to data is shown. The development of UCG on a commercial scale requires involvement from both the public and private sectors. However, without detailed process information, accurate assessments of the commercial viability of UCG cannot be determined. To help overcome this problem the DOE has directed the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to develop a UCG data base containing raw and reduced process data from all DOE-sponsored field tests. It is our intent to make the data base available upon request to interested parties, to help them assess the true potential of UCG.

This report contains pressure safety analyses for the relief valving of the {sup 3}He pump system, as distinct from the dilution refrigerator (DR). However, in a few instances it has been convenient to include here some aspects of the interaction between the DR and the gas loop proper. The more localized safety aspects of certain elements of the DR, such as the vacuum jacket and window, the Still, and the Phase Separator, will be addressed in a separate analysis.

A technique for pyrolyzing biomass materials is disclosed wherein a hot surface is provided having a predetermined temperature which is sufficient to pyrolyze only the surface strata of the biomass material without substantially heating the interior of the biomass material thereby providing a large temperature gradient from the surface strata inwardly of the relatively cool biomass materials. Relative motion and physical contact is produced between the surface strata and the hot surface for a sufficient period of time for ablative pyrolyzation by heat conduction to occur with minimum generation of char.

The project was aimed at developing an understanding of the economic and behavioral processes that take place within a utility firm, and without it. This executive summary, one of five documents, gives the project goals and objectives, outlines the subject areas of investigation, discusses the findings and results, and finally considers applications within the electric power industry and future research directions. (DLC)

A microcomputer-based x-ray image analysis system to select and measure laser fusion targets is described. This system positions a photographic plate in x and y, focuses a microscope image, digitizes and extracts measurements within seconds.

Ultrasonic (UT) inspection of Tank 15 was conducted between April and July 2007 in accordance with the Tank 15 UT inspection plan. This was a planned re-inspection of this tank, the previous one was performed in 2002. Ten cracks were characterized in the previous examination. The re-inspection was performed to verify the present models and understanding for stress corrosion cracking. During this re-examination, one indication that was initially reported as a 'possible perpendicular crack <25% through wall' in 2002, was clearly shown not to be a crack. Additionally, examination of a new area immediately adjacent to other cracks along a vertical weld revealed three new cracks. It is not known when these new cracks formed as they could very well have been present in 2002 as well. Therefore, a total of twelve cracks were evaluated during the re-examination. A critical review of the information describing stress corrosion crack behavior for the SRS waste tanks, as well as a summary review of the service history of Tank 15, was performed. Each crack was then evaluated for service exposure history, consistency of the crack behavior with the current understanding of stress corrosion cracking, and present and future impact to the structural integrity …

Lithium coatings on the graphite plasma facing components (PFCs) in NSTX are being investigated as a tool for density profile control and reducing the recycling of hydrogen isotopes. Repeated lithium pellet injection into Center Stack Limited and Lower Single Null Ohmic Helium Discharges were used to coat graphite surfaces that had been pre-conditioned with Ohmic Helium Discharges of the same shape to reduce their contribution to hydrogen isotope recycling. The following deuterium NBI reference discharges exhibited a reduction in density by a factor of about 3 for limited and 2 for diverted plasmas respectively, and peaked density profiles. Recently, a lithium evaporator has been used to apply thin coatings on conditioned and unconditioned PFCs. Effects on the plasma density and the impurities were obtained by pre-conditioning the PFCs with ohmic helium discharges, and performing the first deuterium NBI discharge as soon as possible after applying the lithium coating.

We study gravitational instabilities in disks, with special attention to the most massive clumps that form because they are expected to be the progenitors of globular-type clusters. The maximum unstable mass is set by rotation and depends only on the surface density and orbital frequency of the disk. We propose that the formation of massive clusters is related to this largest scale in galaxies not stabilized by rotation. Using data from the literature, we predict that globular-like clusters can form in nuclear starburst disks and protogalactic disks but not in typical spiral galaxies, in agreement with observations.

A computational approach is presented for prediction and interpretation of core-level spectra of complex molecules. Applications are presented for several isolated organic molecules, sampling a range of chemical bonding and structural motifs. Comparison with gas phase measurements indicate that spectral lineshapes are accurately reproduced both above and below the ionization potential, without resort to ad hoc broadening. Agreement with experiment is significantly improved upon inclusion of vibrations via molecular dynamics sampling. We isolate and characterize spectral features due to particular electronic transitions enabled by vibrations, noting that even zero-point motion is sufficient in some cases.

Previous studies suggest that interactions between dust particles and clouds are significant; yet the conditions where dust particles can serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are uncertain. Since major dust components are insoluble, the CCN activity of dust strongly depends on the presence of minor components. However, many minor components measured in dust particles are overlooked in cloud modeling studies. Some of these compounds are believed to be products of heterogeneous reactions involving carbonates. In this study, we calculate Kohler curves (modified for slightly soluble substances) for dust particles containing small amounts of K{sup +}, Mg{sup 2+}, or Ca{sup 2+} compounds to estimate the conditions where reacted and unreacted dust can activate. We also use an adiabatic parcel model to evaluate the influence of dust particles on cloud properties via water competition. Based on their bulk solubilities, K{sup +} compounds, MgSO{sub 4} x 7H{sub 2}O, Mg(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} x 6H{sub 2}O, and Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} x 4H{sub 2}O are classified as highly soluble substances, which enable activation of fine dust. Slightly soluble gypsum and MgSO{sub 3} x 6H{sub 2}O, which may form via heterogeneous reactions involving carbonates, enable activation of particles with diameters between about 0.6 and 2 mm under …

We present a measurement of the CKM matrix element |V{sub cb}| and the form-factor slope {rho}{sup 2} for {bar B} {yields} D{ell}{sup -} {bar {nu}}{sub {ell}} decays based on 417 fb{sup -1} of data collected at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector. The semileptonic decays are selected in B{bar B} events in which the hadronic decay of the second B meson is fully reconstructed. From the measured differential decay rate of the signal decay we determine G(1)|V{sub cb}| = (43.0 {+-} 1.9 {+-} 1.4) x 10{sup -3}, {rho}{sup 2} = 1.20 {+-} 0.09 {+-} 0.04, where G(1) is the hadronic form factor at the point of zero recoil. Using a lattice calculation for G(1) we extract |V{sub cb}| = (39.8 {+-} 1.8 {+-} 1.3 {+-} 0.9) x 10{sup -3}, where the stated errors refer to the statistical, systematic, and form factor uncertainties. We also present a measurement of the exclusive branching fractions, {Beta}(B{sup -} {yields} D{sup 0} {ell}{sup -} {bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (2.31 {+-} 0.08 {+-} 0.07)% and {Beta}({bar B}{sup 0} {yields} D{sup +} {ell}{sup -} {bar {nu}}{sub {ell}}) = (2.23 {+-} 0.11 {+-} 0.08)%.

Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) is the one of themost powerful methods for investigation of the electronic structure ofmaterials, specifically of excitations in correlated electron systems.However the potential of the RIXS technique has not been fully exploitedbecause conventional grating spectrometers have not been capable ofachieving the extreme resolving powers that RIXS can utilize. State ofthe art spectrometers in the soft x-ray energy range achieve ~;0.25 eVresolution, compared to the energy scales of soft excitations andsuperconducting gap openings down to a few meV. Development ofdiffraction gratings with super high resolving power is necessary tosolve this problem. In this paper we study the possibilities offabrication of gratings of resolving power of up to 106 for the 0.5 1.5KeV energy range. This energy range corresponds to all or most of theuseful dipole transitions for elements of interest in most correlatedelectronic systems, i.e., oxygen K-edge of relevance to all oxides, thetransition metal L2,3 edges, and the M4,5 edges of the rare earths.Various approaches based on different kinds of diffraction gratings suchas deep-etched multilayer gratings, and multilayer coated echelettes arediscussed. We also present simulations of diffraction efficiency for suchgratings, and investigate the necessary fabricationtolerances.

Since the 2001 anthrax attacks involving the US postal service, there have been increased efforts to study more advanced methods of decontamination and detection of viable Bacillus anthracis before and after decontamination efforts. Current methods for sample processing and viability analysis are low throughput ({approx}30-40 per day) requiring several manual steps, with confirmed results obtained days later. The group I am working with has developed more rapid, high throughput methods using automation to process surface samples combined with a time-course real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) approach to determine the presence of viable B. anthracis spores. This process is referred to as Rapid Viability (RV)-PCR. These methods based on an observable change in PCR response during culturing showed detection of low numbers of bacterial pathogens in hours compared to days required for conventional culture analysis. In this project, we are studying detection limits, growth inhibition and PCR inhibition of a modified real-time PCR-based automated method of detecting B. anthracis Sterne (non-infectious variant) in various environmental samples containing levels of background debris expected during sampling. In order to decrease the detection limit, additional clean-up steps are employed. Since B. anthracis spores are very resilient to solvents, ethanol treatment can also be used …

Presentation explains the connections between Clean Cities and the Federal Fleet programs.

In September 2007, California Fish and Game (CAFG) plans to eradicate the northern pike from Lake Davis. As a result of the eradication treatment, local residents have concerns that the treatment might impact the local groundwater quality. To address the concerns of the residents, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recommended measuring the naturally occurring stable oxygen isotopes in local groundwater wells, Lake Davis, and the Lake Davis tributaries. The purpose of these measurements is to determine if the source of the local groundwater is either rain/snowmelt, Lake Davis/Big Grizzly Creek water or a mixture of Lake Davis/Big Grizzly Creek and rain/snowmelt. As a result of natural evaporation, Lake Davis and the water flowing into Big Grizzly Creek are naturally enriched in {sup 18}oxygen ({sup 18}O), and if a source of a well's water is Lake Davis or Big Grizzly Creek, the well water will contain a much higher concentration of {sup 18}O. This survey will allow for the identification of groundwater wells whose water source is Lake Davis or Big Grizzly Creek. The results of this survey will be useful in the development of a water-quality monitoring program for the upcoming Lake Davis treatment. LLNL analyzed 167 groundwater wells (Table …

The Neutron Imaging System (NIS) is one of seven ignition target diagnostics under development for the National Ignition Facility. The NIS is required to record hot-spot (13-15 MeV) and downscattered (6-10 MeV) images with a resolution of 10 microns and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 10 at the 20% contour. The NIS is a valuable diagnostic since the downscattered neutrons reveal the spatial distribution of the cold fuel during an ignition attempt, providing important information in the case of a failed implosion. The present study explores the parameter space of several line-of-sight (LOS) configurations that could serve as the basis for the final design. Six commercially available organic scintillators were experimentally characterized for their light emission decay profile and neutron sensitivity. The samples showed a long lived decay component that makes direct recording of a downscattered image impossible. The two best candidates for the NIS detector material are: EJ232 (BC422) plastic fibers or capillaries filled with EJ399B. A Monte Carlo-based end-to-end model of the NIS was developed to study the imaging capabilities of several LOS configurations and verify that the recovered sources meet the design requirements. The model includes accurate neutron source distributions, aperture geometries (square pinhole, triangular wedge, mini-penumbral, …

Multilayer mirrors for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) are keyelements for numerous applications of coherent EUV sources such as newtabletop lasers and free-electron lasers. However the field ofapplications is limited by the radiation and thermal stability of themultilayers. Taking into account the growing power of EUV sources thestability of the optics becomes crucial. To overcome this problem it isnecessary to study the degradation of multilayers and try to increasetheir temporal and thermal stability. In this paper we report the resultsof detailed study of structural changes in Sc/Simultilayers when exposedto intense EUV laser pulses. Various types of surface damage such asmelting, boiling, shockwave creation and ablation were observed asirradiation fluencies increase. Cross-sectional TEM study revealed thatthe layer structure was completely destroyed in the upper part ofmultilayer, but still survived below. The layers adjacent tothe substrateremained intact even through the multilayer surface melted down, thoughthe structure of the layers beneath the molten zone was noticeablychanged. The layer structure in this thermally affected zone is similarto that of isothermally annealed samples. All stages of scandium silicideformation such as interdiffusion, solid-state amorphization, silicidecrystallization, etc., are present in the thermally affected zone. Itindicates a thermal nature of the damage mechanism. The tungstendiffusion barriers were applied to …

A method has been developed for bonding low-density nanoporous metal foam components to a substrate using solder that is sputtered onto the surfaces. Metal foams have unusual properties that make them excellent choices for many applications, and as technologies for processing these materials are evolving, their use in industry is increasing dramatically. Metal foams are lightweight and have advantageous dynamic properties, which make them excellent choices for many structural applications. They also provide good acoustic damping, low thermal conductivity, and excellent energy absorption characteristics. Therefore, these materials are commonly used in the automotive, aerospace, construction, and biomedical industries. The synthesis of nanoporous metal foams with a cell size of less then 1 {micro}m is an emerging technology that is expected to lead to widespread application of metal foams in microdevices, such as sensors and actuators. One of the challenges to manufacturing components from metal foams is that they can be difficult to attach to other structures without degrading their properties. For example, traditional liquid adhesives cannot be used because they are absorbed into foams. The problem of bonding or joining can be particularly difficult for small-scale devices made from nanoporous foam, due to the requirement for a thin bond layer. …

The past quarter century has brought about a revolution in front-end electronics for large-scale detector systems. Custom integrated circuits specifically tailored to the requirements of large detector systems have provided unprecedented performance and enabled systems that once were deemed impossible. The evolution of integrated circuit readouts in strip detectors is summarized, the present status described, and challenges posed by the sLHC and ILC are discussed. Performance requirements increase, but key considerations remain as in the past: power dissipation, material, and services. Smaller CMOS feature sizes will not provide the required electronic noise at lower power, but will improve digital power efficiency. Significant improvements appear to be practical in more efficient power distribution. Enhanced digital electronics have provided powerful trigger processors that greatly improve the trigger efficiency. In data readout systems they also improve data throughput, while reducing power requirements. Concurrently with new developments in high energy physics, detector systems for cosmology and astrophysics have made great strides. As an example, a large-scale readout for superconducting bolometer arrays is described.

The hazard potential of cooling water leakage into the crucible of molten uranium in the MARS laser isotope separation experiment was investigated. A vapor-phase explosion is highly unlikely in any of the scenarios defined for MARS. For the operating basis accident, the gas pressure transient experienced by the vessel wall is 544 psia peak with a duration of 200 ..mu..s, and the peak hoop stress is about 20,000 psi in a 0.5-in. wall. Design and procedural recommendations are given for reducing the hazard. (DLC)

Environmental problems consist of the release of noncondensable gases and vapors, disposal of saline fluids, possible land subsidence and enhanced seismicity, noise, accidents such as well blowouts, and socioeconomic impacts. The most important issue related to human health is believed to be the emission of noncondensable gases, including hydrogen sulfide, mercury, and radon. Based upon data at The Geysers, California, Power Plant, emissions of mercury and radon are not large enough to result in concerns for human health. Hydrogen sulfide emissions, however, have resulted in complaints of odor annoyance and health impairment. These complaints have been caused by exposure to levels of up to approximately 0.1 ppmv in ambient air. This is above the California standard of 0.03 ppmv. Achievement of this standard may not eliminate annoyance complaints, as the odor detection threshold is lognormally distributed and about 20% of the population can detect hydrogen sulfide at levels of 0.002 ppmv. Abatement systems for hydrogen sulfide have been utilized at The Geysers since 1975. This has resulted in an increase of occupational illness caused by exposure to the abatement chemicals and wastes. More effective, and hopefully safer, abatement systems are now being tested. Occupational hazards are evaluated; the more significant …

The aim of this project was to develop an understanding of the dynamical processes that evolve within an electric utility firm, and without it. This volume covers organizational dynamics and control, and planning under uncertainty. (DLC)