We discuss recent developments in III-V multijunction solar cells, focusing on adding a fourth junction to the Ga0.5In0.5P/GaAs/Ga0.75In0.25As inverted three-junction cell. This cell, grown inverted on GaAs so that the lattice-mismatched Ga0.75In0.25As third junction is the last one grown, has demonstrated 38% efficiency, and 40% is likely in the near future. To achieve still further gains, a lower-bandgap GaxIn1-xAs fourth junction could be added to the three-junction structure for a four-junction cell whose efficiency could exceed 45% under concentration. Here, we present the initial development of the GaxIn1-xAs fourth junction. Junctions of various bandgaps ranging from 0.88 to 0.73 eV were grown, in order to study the effect of the different amounts of lattice mismatch. At a bandgap of 0.88 eV, junctions were obtained with very encouraging {approx}80% quantum efficiency, 57% fill factor, and 0.36 eV open-circuit voltage. The device performance degrades with decreasing bandgap (i.e., increasing lattice mismatch). We model the four-junction device efficiency vs. fourth junction bandgap to show that an 0.7-eV fourth-junction bandgap, while optimal if it could be achieved in practice, is not necessary; an 0.9-eV bandgap would still permit significant gains in multijunction cell efficiency while being easier to achieve than the lower-bandgap junction.

The purpose of this report is to provide a brief description of the sampling approaches, a description of the samples collected, and the results for the Fall 2005 sampling event. This report presents the methods and results of the work to support the 100 Area and 300 Area Component of the River Corridor Baseline Risk Assessment.

Upgrades and calibrations were performed on the single cylinder engine. Production of a baseline engine performance dataset has started using GE Evolution engine hardware, including the production unit pump fuel system. Long-term tests of battery cells energized at room temperature were performed. Hybrid energy storage capabilities were added to the fuel optimizer.

Program booklet for the 30th Actinide Separations Conference. Contains agenda and abstracts for 27 poster and 38 oral presentations to be made during the 3-day meeting, May 23-25, 2006.

One of the greatest societal challenges over the next decade is the production of cheap, renewable energy for the 10 billion people that inhabit the earth. This will require the development of various different energy sources potentially including fuels derived from methane, coal, and biomass and alternatives sources such as solar, wind and nuclear energy. One approach will be to synthesize gasoline and other fuels from simpler hydrocarbons such as CO derived from methane or other U.S. based sources such as coal. Syngas (CO and H{sub 2}) can be readily converted into higher molecular weight hydrocarbons through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis involves the initiation or activation of CO and H{sub 2} bonds, the subsequent propagation steps including hydrogenation and carbon-carbon coupling, followed by chain termination reactions. Commercially viable catalysts include supported Co and Co-alloys. Over the first two years of this project we have used ab initio methods to determine the adsorption energies for all reactants, intermediates, and products along with the overall reaction energies and their corresponding activation barriers over the Co(0001) surface. Over the third year of the project we developed and advanced an ab initio-based kinetic Monte Carlo simulation code to simulate Fischer Tropsch synthesis. This report …

Clouds of stray electrons are ubiquitous in particle accelerators and frequently limit the performance of storage rings. Earlier measurements of electron energy distribution and flux to the walls provided only a relative electron cloud density. We have measured electron accumulation using ions expelled by the beam. The ion energy distribution maps the depressed beam potential and gives the dynamic cloud density. Clearing electrode current reveals the static background cloud density, allowing the first absolute measurement of the time-dependent electron cloud density during the beam pulse.

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Fact sheet describes the study being conducted on fuel cell buses at AC Transit.

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Metagenome studies have retrieved vast amounts of sequenceout of a variety of environments, leading to novel discoveries and greatinsights into the uncultured microbial world. Except for very simplecommunities, diversity makes sequence assembly and analysis a verychallenging problem. To understand the structure a 5 nd function ofmicrobial communities, a taxonomic characterization of the obtainedsequence fragments is highly desirable, yet currently limited mostly tothose sequences that contain phylogenetic marker genes. We show that forclades at the rank of domain down to genus, sequence composition allowsthe very accurate phylogenetic 10 characterization of genomic sequence.We developed a composition-based classifier, PhyloPythia, for de novophylogenetic sequence characterization and have trained it on adata setof 340 genomes. By extensive evaluation experiments we show that themethodis accurate across all taxonomic ranks considered, even forsequences that originate fromnovel organisms and are as short as 1kb.Application to two metagenome datasets 15 obtained from samples ofphosphorus-removing sludge showed that the method allows the accurateclassification at genus level of most sequence fragments from thedominant populations, while at the same time correctly characterizingeven larger parts of the samples at higher taxonomic levels.

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Among the infrequently measured but essential properties for thin-film (T-F) module reliability are the interlayer adhesion and cohesion within a layer. These can be cell contact layers to glass, contact layers to the semiconductor, encapsulant to cell, glass, or backsheet, etc. We use an Instron mechanical testing unit to measure peel strengths at 90{sup o} or 180{sup o} and, in some cases, a scratch and tape pull test to evaluate inter-cell layer adhesion strengths. We present peel strength data for test specimens laminated from the three T-F technologies, before and after damp heat, and in one instance at elevated temperatures. On laminated T-F cell samples, failure can occur uniformly at any one of the many interfaces, or non-uniformly across the peel area at more than one interface. Some peel strengths are << 1 N/mm. This is far below the normal Instron mechanical testing unit Instron mechanical testing unit; glass interface values of >10 N/mm. We measure a wide range of adhesion strengths and suggest that adhesion measured under higher temperature and relative humidity conditions is more relevant for module reliability.

Ford Motor Company, with ExxonMobil and FEV, participated in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Ultra-Clean Transportation Fuels Program with the goal to develop an innovative emission control system for light-duty diesel vehicles. The focus on diesel engine emissions was a direct result of the improved volumetric fuel economy (up to 50%) and lower CO2 emissions (up to 25%) over comparable gasoline engines shown in Europe. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) with aqueous urea as the NOx reductant and a Catalyzed Diesel Particulate Filter (CDPF) were chosen as the primary emission control system components. The program expected to demonstrate more than 90% durable reduction in particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions on a light-duty truck application, based on the FTP-75 drive cycle. Very low sulfur diesel fuel (<15 ppm-wt) enabled lower PM emissions, reduced fuel economy penalty due to the emission control system and improved long-term system durability. Significant progress was made toward a durable system to meet Tier 2 Bin 5 emission standards on a 6000 lbs light-duty truck. A 40% reduction in engine-out NOx emissions was achieved with a mid-size prototype diesel engine through engine recalibration and increased exhaust gas recirculation. Use of a rapid warm-up strategy and urea SCR …

Develop the methodology for the fabrication of 3D cross-linked, hydrocarbon-based membranes using immobilized heteropolyacids (HPAs) as the proton conducting moiety.

This document reports the technical results of the Next Generation Turbine Development Project conducted by GE Wind Energy LLC. This project is jointly funded by GE and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.The goal of this project is for DOE to assist the U.S. wind industry in exploring new concepts and applications of cutting-edge technology in pursuit of the specific objective of developing a wind turbine that can generate electricity at a levelized cost of energy of $0.025/kWh at sites with an average wind speed of 15 mph (at 10 m height).

The Advanced Graphite Capsule (AGC) irradiation test program supports the acquisition of irradiated graphite performance data to assist in the selection of the technology to be used for the VHTR. Six irradiations are planned to investigate compressive creep in graphite subjected to a neutron field and obtain irradiated mechanical properties of vibrationally molded, extruded, and iso-molded graphites for comparison. The experiments will be conducted at three temperatures: 600, 900, and 1200°C. At each temperature, two different capsules will be irradiated to different fluence levels, the first from 0.5 to 4 dpa and the second from 4 to 7 dpa. AGC-1 is the first of the six capsules designed for ATR and will focus on the prismatic fluence range.

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Air tightness is an important property of building envelopes. It is a key factor in determining infiltration and related wall-performance properties such as indoor air quality, maintainability and moisture balance. Air leakage in U.S. houses consumes roughly 1/3 of the HVAC energy but provides most of the ventilation used to control IAQ. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has been gathering residential air leakage data from many sources and now has a database of more than 100,000 raw measurements. This paper uses that database to develop a model for estimating air leakage as a function of climate, building age, floor area, building height, floor type, energy-efficiency and low-income designations. The model developed can be used to estimate the leakage distribution of populations of houses.

Fast cookoff is of interest in the areas of fire hazard reduction and the development of directed energy systems for defense. During a fast cookoff (thermal explosion), high heat fluxes cause rapid temperature increases and ignition in thin boundary layers. We are developing ALE3D models to describe the thermal, chemical, and mechanical behavior during the heating, ignition, and explosive phases. The candidate models and numerical strategies are being evaluated using benchmark cookoff experiments. Fast cookoff measurements were made in a Scaled-Thermal-Explosion-eXperiment (STEX) for LX-10 (94.7% HMX, 5.3% Viton A) confined in a 4130 steel tube with reinforced end caps. Gaps were present at the side and top of the explosive charge to allow for thermal expansion. The explosive was heated until explosion using radiant heaters. Temperatures were measured using thermocouples positioned on the tube wall and in the explosive. During the explosion, the tube expansion and fragment velocities were measured with strain gauges, Photonic-Doppler-Velocimeters (PDVs), and micropower radar units. A fragment size distribution was constructed from fragments captured in Lexan panels. ALE3D models for chemical, thermal, and mechanical behavior were developed for the heating and explosive processes. A multi-step chemical kinetics model is employed for the HMX while a one-step …

A number of experimental techniques are currently being deployed in an effort to make the first detection of ultra-high energy cosmic neutrinos. To accomplish this goal, techniques using radio and acoustic detectors are being developed, which are optimally designed for studying neutrinos with energies in the PeV-EeV range and above. Data from the AMANDA experiment, in contrast, has been used to place limits on the cosmic neutrino flux at less extreme energies (up to {approx}10 PeV). In this letter, we show that by adopting a different analysis strategy, optimized for much higher energy neutrinos, the same AMANDA data can be used to place a limit competitive with radio techniques at EeV energies. We also discuss the sensitivity of the IceCube experiment, in various stages of deployment, to ultra-high energy neutrinos.

Consistent with the original proposal (dated April 14, 2005), the grant supported the participation in the above conference of a number of West African meteorologists, the majority of whom will be supporting the ARM Mobile Facility deployment in Niamey in various ways during 2006. The following seven individuals were fully funded (complete airfare, accommodation, registration, meals) to participate in the Conference –Yerima Ladan (Head, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Dr. Ousmane Manga Adamou (University of Niamey); Abdou Adam Abdoul-Aziz Abebe (Forecasater, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Hassane Abdou (Forecaster, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Saley Diori (Forecaster, ASECNA Forecast Office, Niamey Airport); Alhassane Diallo (Meteorological Engineer, Burkina Faso Weather Service). The following three individuals were partly funded (for some of their airfare, accommodation, registration, meals) to participate in the Conference – Katiellou Lawan (International Relations, Niger Weather Service); Mamoutou Kouressy (Institute of Rural Economics, Niger Department of Agriculture); and Francis Dide (Benin Weather Service). I am confident that the participation of the above individuals in the Conference will facilitate both the smooth operation of the ARM Mobile Facility in Niamey during 2006 and the involvement of University of Niamey scientists in analysis of the data collected. We appreciate greatly this …

The summary of this report is that amorphous InZnO (a-IZO) is a very versatile TCO with: (1) low process temperatures ({approx} 100 C); (2) easy to make by sputtering; (3) excellent optical and electronic properties; (4) very smooth etchable films; and (5) remarkable thermal processing stability.

An analog signal pre-processing scheme was developed, in the framework of the Fermilab Main Injector Beam Position Monitor (BPM) Upgrade, to interface BPM pickup signals to the new digital receiver based read-out system. A key component is the 8-channel electronics module, which uses separate frequency selective gain stages to acquire 53 MHz bunched proton, and 2.5 MHz anti-proton signals. Related hardware includes a filter and combiner box to sum pickup electrode signals in the tunnel. A controller module allows local/remote control of gain settings and activation of gain stages, and supplies test signals. Theory of operation, system overview, and some design details are presented, as well as first beam measurements of the prototype hardware.

Article for the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering which analyzes system and wind energy data recorded by WFEC and evaluates the effects of wind energy on system operations.