The objectives set for this cooperative project between Washington University (WU), Ohio State University (OSU), and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APCI) to advance the understanding of the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) slurry bubble column reactor hydrodynamics for proper design and scale-up via advanced diagnostic techniques have been accomplished successfully despite the unexpected challenging technical difficulties in implementing the advanced techniques in high pressure stainless steel slurry bubble column. In this work, a detailed review of the aspects of high pressure phenomena of bubbles in liquids and liquid-solids suspension was performed. All the challenging technical problems mentioned above were resolved and the advanced measurement techniques were successfully used in this project. The effects of reactor pressure, superficial gas velocity, solids loading, and liquid physical properties on the overall gas holdup, holdups distribution, recirculation velocity, turbulent parameters, bubble dynamics (size and rise velocity) were investigated via advanced measurement techniques that includes optical probe, Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA), Computed Tomography (CT), Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking (CARPT). The findings are discussed and analyzed in this report. In attempt to advance the design and scale-up of bubble columns, new correlations have been developed based on a large bank of data collected at a wide range …

With the support of this grant, we successfully demonstrated that semiconductor nanorods can be used to fabricate readily processed and efficient hybrid solar cells together with polymers. By controlling nanorod length, we changed the distance over which electrons are transported directly through the thin-film device. Tuning the bandgap by altering the nanorod radius enabled us to optimize the overlap between the absorption spectrum of the cell and the solar emission spectrum. A photovoltaic device consisting of 7-nm by 60-nm CdSe nanorods and the conjugated polymer poly-3(hexylthiophene) was assembled from solution with an external quantum efficiency of over 54% and a monochromatic power conversion efficiency of 6.9% under 0.1 mW/cm2 illumination at 515 nm. Under AM 1.5 Global solar conditions, we obtained a power conversion efficiency of 1.7%.

Final report on subcontract for holding two briefings for policymakers and the environmental community on environmental issues related to biofuels; one on one on the energy and environmental issues associated with biofuels production and use, and the other on implications of pending renewable fuels standard legislation.

The Consortium for Premium Carbon Products from Coal, with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory and matching funds from industry and academic institutions continued to excel in developing innovative technologies to use coal and coal-derived feedstocks to produce premium carbon product. During Budget Period 5, eleven projects were supported and sub-contracted were awarded to seven organizations. The CPCPC held two meetings and one tutorial at various locations during the year. Budget Period 5 was a time of growth for CPCPC in terms of number of proposals and funding requested from members, projects funded and participation during meetings. Although the membership was stable during the first part of Budget Period 5 an increase in new members was registered during the last months of the performance period.

A laser safety and hazard analysis was performed for the temperature stabilized Big Sky Laser Technology (BSLT) laser central to the ARES system based on the 2000 version of the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) Standard Z136.1, for Safe Use of Lasers and the 2000 version of the ANSI Standard Z136.6, for Safe Use of Lasers Outdoors. As a result of temperature stabilization of the BSLT laser the operating parameters of the laser had changed requiring a hazard analysis based on the new operating conditions. The ARES laser system is a Van/Truck based mobile platform, which is used to perform laser interaction experiments and tests at various national test sites.

The present study is a numerical investigation of the propagation of electromagnetic transients in dispersive media. It considers propagation in water using Debye and composite Rocard-Powles-Lorentz models for the complex permittivity. The study addresses this question: For practical transmitted spectra, does precursor propagation provide any features that can be used to advantage over conventional signal propagation in models of dispersive media of interest? A companion experimental study is currently in progress that will attempt to measure the effects studied here.

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A mine dog evaluation project initiated by the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining is evaluating the capability and reliability of mine detection dogs. The performance of field-operational mine detection dogs will be measured in test minefields in Afghanistan and Bosnia containing actual, but unfused landmines. Repeated performance testing over two years through various seasonal weather conditions will provide data simulating near real world conditions. Soil samples will be obtained adjacent to the buried targets repeatedly over the course of the test. Chemical analysis results from these soil samples will be used to evaluate correlations between mine dog detection performance and seasonal weather conditions. This report documents the analytical chemical methods and results from the fourth batch of soils received. This batch contained samples from Kharga, Afghanistan collected in April 2003 and Sarajevo, Bosnia collected in May 2003.

Many important “fluid” flows involve a combination of two or more materials having different properties. The multiple phases or components often exhibit relative motion among the phases or material classes. The microscopic motions of the individual constituents are complex and the solution to the micro-level evolutionary equations is difficult. Characteristic of such flows of multi-component materials is an uncertainty in the exact locations of the particular constituents at any particular time. For most practical purposes, it is not possible to exactly predict or measure the evolution of the details of such systems, nor is it even necessary or desirable. Instead, we are usually interested in more gross features of the motion, or the “average” behavior of the system. Here we present descriptive equations that will predict the evolution of this averaged behavior. Due to the complexities of interfaces and resultant discontinuities in fluid properties, as well as from physical scaling issues, it is essential to work with averaged quantities and parameters. We begin by tightening up, or more rigorously defining, our concept of an average. There are several types of averaging. The published literature predominantly contains two types of averaging: volume averaging [Whitaker 1999, Dobran 1991] and time averaging [Ishii …

The restructuring of the U.S. electricity industry created a crisis for ratepayer-funded energy-efficiency programs. This paper briefly describes the reasons for the crisis and some of its consequences. Then the paper focuses on issues related to program administration and discusses the relative merits of entities-utilities, state agencies, and non-profit corporations-that might be administrators. Four criteria are developed for choosing among program administration options: Compatibility with public policy goals, effectiveness of the incentive structure, ability to realize economies of scale and scope, and contribution to the development of an energy-efficiency infrastructure. We examine one region, the Pacific Northwest, and three states, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut, which have made successful transitions to new governance and/or administration structures. Attention is also given to California where large-scale energy-efficiency programs have continued to operate, despite the fact that many of the key governance/administration issues remain unresolved.We observe that no single administrative structure for energy-efficiency programs has yet emerged in the US that is clearly superior to all of the other alternatives. We conclude that this is not likely to happen soon for three reasons. First, policy environments differ significantly among the states. Second, the structure and regulation of the electric utility industry differs among …

The price volatility exhibited by wholesale electricity markets has stymied the movement to restructure the industry, and may derail it altogether. Market designers argue that prices are superior to regulation for directing long-term investments to the proper location and function, and that price volatility is a natural manifestation of a robustly competitive market. However, episodes of prices that soar to previously unimaginable heights try customers' patience and cause policy makers to reconsider if the prize is worth the consequences.

Daily newspaper from Sapulpa, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Daily newspaper from Perry, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

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Positronium (Ps) is simulated using Path Integral Monte Carlo (PIMC). This method can reproduce the results of previous simple theories in which a single quantum particle is used to represent Ps within an idealized pore. In addition, the calculations treat the e{sup -} and e{sup +} of Ps exactly and realistically model interactions with solid atoms, thereby correcting and extending the simpler theory. They study the pick-off lifetime of o-Ps and the internal contact density, {kappa}, which controls the self-annihilation behavior, for Ps in model voids (spherical pores), defects in a solid (argon), and microporous solids (zeolites).

The goal of the project has been to develop new types of drill-in fluids (DIFs) and completion fluids (CFs) for use in natural gas reservoirs. Phase 1 of the project was a 24-month study to develop the concept of advanced type of fluids usable in well completions. Phase 1 tested this concept and created a kinetic mathematical model to accurately track the fluid's behavior under downhole conditions. Phase 2 includes tests of the new materials and practices. Work includes the preparation of new materials and the deployment of the new fluids and new practices to the field. The project addresses the special problem of formation damage issues related to the use of CFs and DIFs in open hole horizontal well completions. The concept of a ''removable filtercake'' has, as its basis, a mechanism to initiate or trigger the removal process. Our approach to developing such a mechanism is to identify the components of the filtercake and measure the change in the characteristics of these components when certain cleanup (filtercake removal) techniques are employed.

Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

A271 PERFORMANCE OF THE DIII-D SYSTEM. Three 110 GHz gyrotrons with nominal output power of 1 MW each have been installed and are operational on the DIII-D tokamak. All three gyrotrons were built by Communications and Power Industries (CPI). The CPI gyrotrons utilize a single disc CVD (chemical-vapor-deposition) diamond window that employs water cooling around the edge of the disc. Calculations predict that the CVD diamond window should be capable of full 1 MW cw operation, which is supported by IR camera measurements that show the window reaching equilibrium after 2.5 s. All gyrotrons are connected to the tokamak by low-loss-windowless evacuated transmission line using circular corrugated waveguide for propagation in the HE{sub 11} mode. Each waveguide system incorporates a two-mirror launcher, which can steer the rf beam poloidally from the center to the outer edge of the plasma. Results obtained using the DIII-D ECH systems will be reported.

This Closure Report documents the closure activities conducted for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 346: Areas 8, 10 Housekeeping Sites. CAU 346 is listed in Appendix III of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO, 1996) and consists of the following 14 Corrective Action Sites (CASs) located in Areas 8 and 10 of the Nevada Test Site (NTS): (1) CAS 08-22-04: Drums (2); (2) CAS 08-22-11: Drums; Bucket; (3) CAS 08-24-02: Battery; (4) CAS 10-14-01: Transformer; (5) CAS 10-22-06: Drum (Gas Block); (6) CAS 10-22-10: Drum (Gas Block); (7) CAS 10-22-12: Drum (Gas Block); (8) CAS 10-22-13: Drum (Gas Block); (9) CAS 10-22-16: Drum (Gas Block); (10) CAS 10-22-22: Drum; (11) CAS 10-22-25: Drum; (12) CAS 10-22-36: Paint Can; (13) CAS 10-22-37: Gas Block; and (14) CAS 10-24-11: Battery. Closure activities consisted of closing each CAS by removing debris and/or material, disposing of the generated waste, and verifying that each site was clean-closed by visual inspection and/or laboratory analysis of soil verification samples.

Copies of the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence are available from many sources, including the Internet. This report provides information on selected sources, both governmental and private, and is not intended to be all inclusive.

This is a directory of telephone numbers and addresses that congressional offices may use to obtain publications from the Executive Office of the President, the executive departments, and the independent agencies and commissions of the federal government. Electronic sources are included for locating copies of government publications on the Internet. The information for each agency was provided by the agency itself.

This report contains a guide to obtaining copies of the constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.

Semiweekly newspaper from Boerne, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.