This is a multiyear experimental research program that focuses on improving relevant material properties of high-critical-temperature (Tc) superconductors and developing fabrication methods that can be transferred to industry for production of commercial conductors. The development of teaming relationships through agreements with industrial partners is a key element of the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) program.

Heightened natural gas prices have emerged as a key energy-policy challenge for at least the early part of the 21st century. With the recent run-up in gas prices and the expected continuation of volatile and high prices in the near future, a growing number of voices are calling for increased diversification of energy supplies. Proponents of renewable energy and energy efficiency identify these clean energy sources as an important part of the solution. Increased deployment of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) can hedge natural gas price risk in more than one way, but this paper touches on just one potential benefit: displacement of gas-fired electricity generation, which reduces natural gas demand and thus puts downward pressure on gas prices. Many recent modeling studies of increased RE and EE deployment have demonstrated that this ''secondary'' effect of lowering natural gas prices could be significant; as a result, this effect is increasingly cited as justification for policies promoting RE and EE. This paper summarizes recent studies that have evaluated the gas-price-reduction effect of RE and EE deployment, analyzes the results of these studies in light of economic theory and other research, reviews the reasonableness of the effect as portrayed in …

A high-resolution aeromagnetic survey was recently flown to collect data for geologic investigations in the Southwest Nevada Volcanic Field. This survey represents a marked improvement over previous (1999) surveys. The survey includes over 860 km{sup 2} covered by nearly 16,000 km of flightline with 60-m spacing and an instrument altitude of 30 m above the ground surface. Features of interest visible in the dataset include magnetic banding in the volcanic tuffs that form the faulted terrain and sharp delineation of Quaternary basalt cinder cones and lava flows. This 1:100,000-scale map includes a shaded-relief map base and a semi-transparent overlay of the aeromagnetic data, with inset maps illustrating (1) comparisons of detail between the 1999 and 2004 datasets, (2) polarity reversal banding in the volcanic tuff ridges, (3) details of the morphology of Quaternary basalt centers enhanced by aeromagnetic data, and (4) use of GIS in planning the survey.

Fusion power systems, if developed and deployed, would have many attractive features including power production not dependant on weather or solar conditions, flexible siting, and minimal carbon dioxide production. In this paper, we quantify the benefit of these features. In addition, fusion deployment scenarios are developed for the last half of this century and these scenarios are analyzed for resource requirements and waste production.

The porous stainless steel substrate commercially available from Pall offers great potential for large-scale membrane based high temperature gas separations. Our proposed project involves the deposition of the M&P carbon molecular sieve-based hydrogen membrane on AccuSep substrate as a membrane to reactor water-gas-shift reaction. However, the AccuSep substrate was originally designed for liquid phase applications . During the 1st half, this commercial substrate has been modified and improved with regard to its surface topography and end seals. The substrate is now suitable for the deposition of the CMS membrane for hydrogen separation according to the characterization we preformed. In addition, 40{angstrom} Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} membrane layers have been deposited on the improved AccuSep substrate successfully. The SEM, EDX and pore size distribution analysis indicate that the 40{angstrom} membrane is extremely thin, and defect free with a narrow pore size distribution around 40{angstrom} primarily. As the above results suggest, we have made significant progress in preparing a high quality nominal 40{angstrom} (actually 50{angstrom}) layer on the Pall substrate. During the 2nd half of Year 1, we will (1) continue this development work with a focus on eliminating the high pore size peak and (2) begin the CMS layer deposition on the …

Theoretical investigations of plasma-based accelerators and other advanced accelerator concepts. The focus of the work was on the development of plasma based and structure based accelerating concepts, including laser-plasma, plasma channel, and microwave driven plasma accelerators.

The dipole mode synchrotron frequency is a basic beam parameter; it and a few similarly basic quantities measured at small time intervals serve to characterize the longitudinal beam dynamics throughout the acceleration cycle. The effective accelerating voltage, in conjunction with the amount of rf voltage required for the acceleration, is important for the estimate of the beam energy loss per turn. The dipole mode frequency can be used to obtain the effective accelerating rf voltage, providing that it can be measured precisely. The synchrotron frequency measured from the synchrotron phase detector signal (SPD) generally agrees well with calculation, and it can be applied for such purposes as inferring the effective rf voltage.

The CTR Vehicle Systems and Fuels team a diesel hybrid powertrain. The goal of this experiment was to investigate and demonstrate the potential of diesel engines for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in a fuel economy and emissions. The test set-up consisted of a diesel engine coupled to an electric motor driving a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This hybrid drive is connected to a dynamometer and a DC electrical power source creating a vehicle context by combining advanced computer models and emulation techniques. The experiment focuses on the impact of the hybrid control strategy on fuel economy and emissions-in particular, nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}) and particulate matter (PM). The same hardware and test procedure were used throughout the entire experiment to assess the impact of different control approaches.

A new spectroscopic diagnostic on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) measures the velocity distribution of ions in the plasma edge with both poloidal and toroidal views. An anisotropic ion temperature is measured during the presence of high-power high-harmonic fast-wave (HHFW) radio-frequency (RF) heating in helium plasmas, with the poloidal ion temperature roughly twice the toroidal ion temperature. Moreover, the measured spectral distribution suggests that two populations are present and have temperatures of 500 eV and 50 eV with rotation velocities of -50 km/s and -10 km/s, respectively. This bi-modal distribution is observed in both the toroidal and poloidal views (in both He{sup +} and C{sup 2+} ions), and is well correlated with the period of RF power application to the plasma. The temperature of the hot edge ions is observed to increase with the applied RF power, which was scanned between 0 and 4.3 MW. The ion heating mechanism is likely to be ion-Bernstein waves (IBW) from nonlinear decay of the launched HHFW.

The overall vision for FIRE [Fusion Ignition Research Experiment] is to develop and test the fusion plasma physics and plasma technologies needed to realize capabilities of the ARIES-RS/AT power plant designs. The mission of FIRE is to attain, explore, understand and optimize a fusion dominated plasma which would be satisfied by producing D-T [deuterium-tritium] fusion plasmas with nominal fusion gains {approx}10, self-driven currents of {approx}80%, fusion power {approx}150-300 MW, and pulse lengths up to 40 s. Achieving these goals will require the deployment of several key fusion technologies under conditions approaching those of ARIES-RS/AT. The FIRE plasma configuration with strong plasma shaping, a double null pumped divertor and all metal plasma-facing components is a 40% scale model of the ARIES-RS/AT plasma configuration. ''Steady-state'' advanced tokamak modes in FIRE with high beta, high bootstrap fraction, and 100% noninductive current drive are suitable for testing the physics of the ARIES-RS/A T operating modes. The development of techniques to handle power plant relevant exhaust power while maintaining low tritium inventory is a major objective for a burning plasma experiment. The FIRE high-confinement modes and AT-modes result in fusion power densities from 3-10 MWm{sup -3} and neutron wall loading from 2-4 MWm{sup -2} which …

Natural gas combustion turbines are rapidly becoming the primary technology of choice for generating electricity. At least half of the new generating capacity added in the US over the next twenty years will be combustion turbine systems. The Department of Energy has cosponsored with Siemens Westinghouse, a program to maintain the technology lead in gas turbine systems. The very ambitious eight year program was designed to demonstrate a highly efficient and commercially acceptable power plant, with the ability to fire a wide range of fuels. The main goal of the Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program was to develop ultra-high efficiency, environmentally superior and cost effective competitive gas turbine systems for base load application in utility, independent power producer and industrial markets. Performance targets were focused on natural gas as a fuel and included: System efficiency that exceeds 60% (lower heating value basis); Less than 10 ppmv NO{sub x} emissions without the use of post combustion controls; Busbar electricity that are less than 10% of state of the art systems; Reliability-Availability-Maintainability (RAM) equivalent to current systems; Water consumption minimized to levels consistent with cost and efficiency goals; and Commercial systems by the year 2000. In a parallel effort, the program was …

Recent glass formulation activities have focused on developing alternative frit compositions for use with specific sludge batches to maximize melt rate and/or waste throughput. The general trend has been to increase the total alkali content in the glass through the use of a high alkali based frit, a less washed sludge, or a combination of the two. As a result, predictions of durability have become a limiting factor in defining the projected operating windows for the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) for certain systems. An additional issue for these high alkali glasses has been the effect of REDuction/OXidation (REDOX) on the durability of the glass. Recent analyses have indicated that the application of the durability model's value without consideration of the overall glass composition may lead to a more significant shift (larger magnitude) than needed. Therefore, activation of the REDOX term in the Product Composition Control System (PCCS) may have a significant impact on the predicted operational windows based on model predictions, but may not represent the realistic impact on the measured durability. In this report, two specific issues are addressed. First, a review of the data used to develop PCCS (in particular the durability model) showed the potential for …

Heavy metals such as chromium and arsenic are widespread in the environment due to their usage in many industrial processes. These metals may pose significant health risks to humans, especially children, due to their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Typically, the health risks associated with the ingestion of soil-bound metals are estimated by assuming that the metals are completely absorbed through the human intestinal tract (100% bioavailable). This assumption potentially overestimates the risk since soils are known to strongly sequester metals thereby potentially lowering their bioavailability. Beginning in 2000, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with funding from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), studied the effect of soil properties on the bioaccessibility of soil-bound arsenic and chromium. Representative A and upper-B horizons from seven major U.S. soil orders were obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation. The soils were spiked with known concentrations of arsenic (As(III) and As(V)) and chromium (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)), and the bioaccessibility was measured using a physiologically based extraction test that mimics the gastric activity of children. Linear regression models were then developed to relate the bioaccessibility measurements to the soil …

In the original Generalized Geometry Holdup (GGH) model, all holdup deposits were modeled as points, lines, and areas[1, 5]. Two improvements[4] were recently made to the GGH model and are currently in use at the Y-12 National Security Complex. These two improvements are the finite-source correction CF{sub g} and the self-attenuation correction. The finite-source correction corrects the average detector response for the width of point and line geometries which in effect, converts points and lines into areas. The result of a holdup measurement of an area deposit is a density-thickness which is converted to mass by multiplying it by the area of the deposit. From the measured density-thickness, the true density-thickness can be calculated by correcting for the material self-attenuation. Therefore the self-attenuation correction is applied to finite point and line deposits as well as areas. This report demonstrates that the finite-source and self-attenuation corrections also provide a means to better separate the gamma rays emitted by the material from the gamma rays emitted by background sources for an improved background correction. Currently, the measured background radiation is attenuated for equipment walls in the case of area deposits but not for line and point sources. The measured background radiation is …

This Phase II research project was focused on constructing and testing a facility for the measurement of the structure of hot solid and liquid materials under extreme conditions using neutron diffraction. The work resulted in measurements at temperatures of 3300 K, the highest ever performed in a neutron beam. Work was performed jointly by Containerless Research, Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory with significant interactions with engineers and scientists at the under construction-SNS facility in Oak Ridge, TN. The work comprised four main activities: Design and construct an advanced instrument for structural studies of liquids and hot solids using neutron scattering. Develop and test a software package for instrument control, data acquisition and analysis. Test and demonstrate the instrument in experiments at the GLAD beamline at IPNS. Evaluate requirements for performing experiments at the SNS. Develop interest from the potential user base and identify potential support for Phase III. The objectives of the research were met. A second-generation instrument was developed and constructed. The instrument design drew on the results of a formal design review which was held at Argonne National Laboratory during the Phase I research [1]. The review included discussion with potential instrument users, SNS scientists and engineers and …

The overall goal of this project was to evaluate either boronated EGF or anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) as delivery agents for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has decided to amend its July 25, 2003, Record of Decision (ROD) regarding the proposed Summit/Westward Project (Project) to offer contract terms for an optional interconnection of this Project into the Federal Columbia River Transmission System (FCRTS). Under this optional interconnection plan, BPA would integrate electric power from the Project into the FCRTS at a point adjacent to Clatskanie People's Utility District (CPUD) existing Wauna Substation. In order to deliver power to this location, CPUD would develop a new substation (Bradbury Substation) at a site near the Project and a new 230-kV transmission line from there to CPUD's Wauna Substation, which is already connected to the FCRTS. As part of this revised decision, BPA will facilitate CPUD development of the Bradbury-Wauna transmission line by allowing joint use of BPA right-of-way. This will involve reconstructing a section of BPA's 115-kV Allston-Astoria No. 1 transmission line from single-circuit H-frame wood-pole design to double-circuit single metal pole design. Terms of BPA participation in CPUD's development of the Bradbury-Wauna transmission line will be documented in a Construction Agreement. This optional interconnection plan is in addition to BPA's previous offer for interconnection of the Project at BPA's Allston Substation, as …

The spectral image of an astronomical scene is reconstructed from noisy tomographic projections using maximum a posteriori (MAP) and filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithms. Both maximum entropy (ME) and Gibbs prior are used in the MAP reconstructions. The scene, which is a uniform background with a localized emissive source superimposed on it, is reconstructed for a broad range of source counts. The algorithms are compared regarding their ability to detect the source in the background. Detectability is defined in terms of a contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) which is a Monte Carlo ensemble average of spatially averaged CNRs for the individual reconstructions. Overall, MAP was found to yield improved CNR relative to FBP. Moreover, as a function of the total source counts, the CNR varies distinctly different for source and background regions. This may be important in separating a weak source from the background.

Laboratory experiments using technology developed for fusion research created replicas of solar prominences. These solar coronal loops exhibited dynamic behavior similar to what is observed on the sun. Diagnostics included high-speed photography, and x-ray detectors. In addition to the experiments, two related theoretical investigations were undertaken: (1) a three-dimensional numerical model of coronal mass ejections, and (2) a model of the plasma jet flow and collimation resulting from an electric current flowing along a magnetic flux tube.

The Conference on Super Intense Laser Atom Physics (SILAP) was held in November 2003 in Dallas, Texas. The venue for the meeting was South Fork Ranch in the outskirts of Dallas. The topics of the meeting included high harmonic generation and attosecond pulse generation, strong field interactions with molecules and clusters, particle acceleration, and relativistic laser atom interactions.

The search for models of an algebra is an important and demanding aspect of automated reasoning. Typically, a model is represented in the form of a matrix or a set of matrices. When a model is found that satisfies all the given theorems of an algebra, it is called a solution model. This paper considers algebras that can be represented by using a single operation, by way of the Sheffer stroke. The characteristic of needing only one operation to represent an algebra reduces the problem by requiring a search through all instances of a single matrix. This search is simple when the domain size is small, say 2, but for a larger domain size, say 10, the search space increases dramatically. Clearly, a method other than a brute-force, global search is desirable. Most modern model-finding programs use a global search; instead of checking every possible matrix, however a set of heuristics is used that allows the search space to be dramatically smaller and thus increases the likelihood of reaching a solution. An alternative approach is local search. This paper discusses several local search strategies that were applied to the problem of equational satisfiability.

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy had maintained a web site that was meant to provide useful business- and energy-related information about countries and regions of the world for exporters, project developers, and researchers. The site consisted of more than 130 country pages (organized into seven different world regions), with each country page having its own set of links to information sources about that country. There were also more than 30 Country Energy Overviews at the web site -- each of these was a comprehensive review of a specific country's entire energy situation, including sections on Energy Policy, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Hydroelectric/Renewables, Nuclear Power, Energy Transmission Infrastructure, Electricity, Electric Industry Overview, Environmental Activities, Privatization, Trade, and Economic Situation. The specific country highlighted in this Country Energy Overview is Azerbaijan.

This report discusses the sponsorship and co-sponsorship of Senate bills. A Senator who introduces a bill or other measure in the Senate is called its sponsor. Senators may together submit a bill, but the first-named Senator is considered the chief sponsor; the others are considered cosponsors.

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