The sustained propagation of combustion fronts in porous media is a necessary condition for the success of an in situ combustion project for oil recovery. Compared to other recovery methods, in situ combustion involves the added complexity of exothermic reactions and temperature-dependent chemical kinetics. In the presence of heat losses, the possibility of ignition and extinction (quenching) exists. In this report, we address the properties of combustion fronts propagating at a constant velocity in the presence of heat losses.

Using 385 fb{sup -1} of e{sup +}e{sup -} collision data collected at center-of-mass energies around 10.6 GeV, we search for time-integrated CP violation in the Cabibbo-suppressed decays D{sup 0}/{bar D}{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup 0} and D{sup 0}/{bar D}{sup 0} {yields} K{sup -}K{sup +}{pi}{sup 0} with both model-independent and model-dependent methods. Measurements of the asymmetries in amplitudes of flavor states and CP eigenstates provide constraints on theories beyond the Standard Model, some of which predict CP violation in amplitudes at the 1% level or higher. We find no evidence of CP violation and hence no conflict with the Standard Model.

With a sample of approximately 89 million B{bar B} pairs collected with the BABAR detector, they measure branching fractions, determine the degree of longitudinal polarization, and search for direct CP violation in the decays B{sup 0} {yields} {phi}K*{sup 0} and B{sup +} {yields} {phi}K*{sup +}. They perform a search for other charmless vector-vector B decays involving {rho} and K*(892) resonances and observe the decays B{sup +} {yields} {rho}{sup 0} K*{sup +} and B{sup +} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}{rho}{sup +}. The branching fractions are measured to be {Beta}({phi}K*{sup 0}) = (11.1{sub -1.2}{sup +1.3} {+-} 1.1) x 10{sup -6}, {Beta}({phi}K*{sup +}) = (12.1{sub -1.9}{sup +2.1} {+-} 1.5) x 10{sup -6}, {Beta}({rho}{sup 0} K*{sup +}) = (7.7{sub -2.0}{sup +2.1} {+-} 1.4) x 10{sup -6}, and {Beta}({rho}{sup 0}{rho}{sup +}) = (9.9{sub -2.5}{sup +2.6} {+-} 2.5) x 10{sup -6}. The longitudinal polarization fractions are measured to be {Lambda}{sub L}/{Lambda}({phi}K*{sup 0}) = 0.65 {+-} 0.07 {+-} 0.04 and {Lambda}{sub L}/{Lambda}({phi}K*{sup +}) = 0.46 {+-} 0.12 {+-} 0.05. They measure the charge asymmetries: {Alpha}{sub CP}({phi}K*{sup 0}) = +0.04 {+-} 0.12 {+-} 0.02 and {Alpha}{sub CP}({phi}K*{sup +}) = +0.16 {+-} 0.17 {+-} 0.04.

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The objectives of the VITALINKS tabletop exercise are to: Raise awareness of infrastructure interdependency issues; Identify and focus on the most important vulnerabilities and restoration priorities resulting from infrastructure disruptions; Examine the resources (people and equipment) required to sustain systems under emergency conditions; Identify and highlight roles, responsibilities, and authorities (including trans-border issues); and Continue to foster a more effective interface among public and private sector service providers and public officials in developing and implementing critical infrastructure protection, mitigation, response, and recovery options.

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The report presents results of a workshop held August 6-8, 2007, by DOE SC Basic Energy Sciences to determine the basic research needs for catalysis research.

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Renewable power technologies are inherently capital-intensive, often (but not always) with relatively high construction costs and low operating costs. For this reason, renewable power technologies are typically more sensitive to the availability and cost of financing than are natural gas power plants, for example. In the United States, the bulk of renewable project finance in recent years has been provided by 'tax equity investors' (typically large investment banks and insurance companies) who partner with project developers through highly specialized financing structures (Bolinger, 2009; Cory et al., 2008; Harper et al., 2007). These structures have been designed primarily to capitalize on federal support for renewable power technologies, which has historically come in the form of tax credits and accelerated depreciation deductions. The number of tax equity investors active in the renewable power market has declined precipitously, however, as a result of the financial crisis that began unfolding across the globe in the summer of 2008. The resulting shortage and increased cost of project financing has, in turn, slowed the development of new renewable power projects, leading to layoffs throughout the entire industry supply chain. In recognition of the fact that tax-based policy incentives are not particularly effective when tax burdens are …

Surface waves were generated by the North Korean nuclear explosion of 9 October 2006 and recorded at epicentral distances up to 34 degrees, from which we estimated a surface wave magnitude (M{sub s}) of 2.94 with an interstation standard deviation of 0.17 magnitude units. The International Data Centre estimated a body wave magnitude (m{sub b}) of 4.1. This is the only explosion we have analyzed that was not easily screened as an explosion based on the differences between the M{sub s} and m{sub b} estimates. Additionally, this M{sub s} predicts a yield, based on empirical M{sub s}/Yield relationships, that is almost an order of magnitude larger then the 0.5 to 1 kiloton reported for this explosion. We investigate how emplacement medium effects on surface wave moment and magnitude may have contributed to the yield discrepancy.

While oil shale has the potential to provide a substantial fraction of our nation's liquid fuels for many decades, cost and environmental acceptability are significant issues to be addressed. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) examined a variety of oil shale processes between the mid 1960s and the mid 1990s, starting with retorting of rubble chimneys created from nuclear explosions [1] and ending with in-situ retorting of deep, large volumes of oil shale [2]. In between, it examined modified-in-situ combustion retorting of rubble blocks created by conventional mining and blasting [3,4], in-situ retorting by radio-frequency energy [5], aboveground combustion retorting [6], and aboveground processing by hot-solids recycle (HRS) [7,8]. This paper reviews various types of processes in both generic and specific forms and outlines some of the tradeoffs for large-scale development activities. Particular attention is given to hot-recycled-solids processes that maximize yield and minimize oil shale residence time during processing and true in-situ processes that generate oil over several years that is more similar to natural petroleum.

Described is a manual,portable non-destructive technique to determine the through wall height of cracks present in dissimilar metal welds used in the primary coolling systems of pressure water and boiler light water reactors. Current manual methods found in industry have proven not to exhibit the sizing accuracy required by ASME inspection requirement. The technique described demonstrated an accuracy approximately three times that required to ASME Section XI, Appendix 8 qualification.

Effects of two types of chemical modifications on photoconducting polymers consisting of polyphenylenevinylene (PPV) derivatives are studied by static and ultrafast transient optical spectroscopy as well as semi-empirical ZINDO calculations. The first type of modification inserts 2,2{prime}-bipyridyl-5-vinylene units (bpy V) in the PPV backbone, and the second type involves metal-chelation with the bpy sites. Photoluminescence and exciton dynamics of polymers 1 and 2 with PV:bpyV ratios of 1 and 3 were examined in solution, and compared to those of the homopolymer, poly(2,5-bis(2{prime}-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (BEH-PPV). Similar studies were carried out for several metal-chelated polymers. These results can be explained by changes in {pi}-conjugation throughout the polymer backbone. The attenuation in {pi}-conjugation by the chemical modifications transforms a conducting polymer from one-dimensional semiconductor to molecular aggregates.

Staff of Brookhaven National Laboratory, Columbia University, IBM and the RIKEN BNL Research Center organized a one-day workshop held on February 28, 2003 at Brookhaven to promote the following goals: (1) To explore areas other than QCD applications where the QCDOC and BlueGene/L machines can be applied to good advantage, (2) To identify areas where collaboration among the sponsoring institutions can be fruitful, and (3) To expose scientists to the emerging software architecture. This workshop grew out of an informal visit last fall by BNL staff to the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center that resulted in a continuing dialog among participants on issues common to these two related supercomputers. The workshop was divided into three sessions, addressing the hardware and software status of each system, prospective applications, and future directions.

Dissolution experiments were conducted on radioactive sludge from Tank 7, before transfer of the contents of Tank 7 to Tank 51, and the subsequent sludge in Tank 51 to evaluate the effectiveness of the DWPF Cold Chem Method. The DWPF Cold Chem Method is a room temperature dissolution method (DWPF Cold Chem Method) used in the DWPF on the Slurry Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) samples in preparation for instrumental analysis. Four types of dissolutions experiments were carried out, the DWPF Cold Chem Method, hot aqua regia, sodium peroxide fusion and hot HF-HNO3. The hot HF-HNO3 digestion is modified version of the DWPF method that incorporates a heating step. The hot aqua regia and sodium peroxide fusion digestions were included as reference digestions. The resulting solutions from all the sludge digestions were analyzed by ICP-ES (Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy). Visual observations and ICP-ES results were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the DWPF Cold Chem by comparison to the hot aqua regia, sodium peroxide fusion and the hot HF-HNO3 digestions. The data and experimental observations support the following conclusions: The DWPF Cold Chem Method seemed to be effective at dissolving initial species of radioactive sludge, but concurrent precipitation of …

This paper contains a summary of the holdup and material control and accountability (MC&A) assays conducted for the determination of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in the deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) of Building 321-M at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The 321-M facility was the Reactor Fuel Fabrication Facility at SRS and was used to fabricate HEU fuel assemblies, lithium-aluminum target tubes, neptunium assemblies, and miscellaneous components for the SRS production reactors. The facility operated for more than 35 years. During this time thousands of uranium-aluminum-alloy (U-Al) production reactor fuel tubes were produced. After the facility ceased operations in 1995, all of the easily accessible U-Al was removed from the building, and only residual amounts remained. The bulk of this residue was located in the equipment that generated and handled small U-Al particles and in the exhaust systems for this equipment (e.g., Chip compactor, casting furnaces, log saw, lathes A & B, cyclone separator, Freon{trademark} cart, riser crusher, ...etc). The D&D project is likely to represent an important example for D&D activities across SRS and across the Department of Energy weapons complex. The Savannah River National Laboratory was tasked to conduct holdup assays to quantify the amount of HEU on all …

Noninvasive evaluation of tissue viability of donor kidneys used for transplantation is an issue that current technology is not able to address. In this work, we explore optical spectroscopy for its potential to assess the degree of ischemic damage in kidney tissue. We hypothesized that ischemic damage to kidney tissue will give rise to changes in its optical properties which in turn may be used to asses the degree of tissue injury. The experimental results demonstrate that the autofluorescence intensity of the injured kidney is decreasing as a function of time exposed to ischemic injury. Changes were also observed in the NIR light scattering intensities most probably arising from changes due to injury and death of the tissue.

We present the elliptic flow v{sub 2} of pions produced from resonance decays. The transverse momentum p{sub T} spectra of the parent particles are taken from thermal model fits and their v{sub 2} are fit under the assumption that they follow a number-of-constituent-quark (NCQ) scaling law expected from quark-coalescence models. The v{sub 2} of pions from resonance particle decays is found to be similar to the measured pion v{sub 2}. We also propose the measurement of electron v{sub 2} as a means to extract open-charm v{sub 2} and investigate whether a thermalized system of quasi-free quarks and gluons (a quark-gluon plasma) is created in collisions of Au nuclei at RHIC.

Boron containing stainless steels are used in the nuclear industry for applications such as spent fuel storage, control rods and shielding. It was of interest to compare the corrosion resistance of three borated stainless steels with standard austenitic alloy materials such as type 304 and 316 stainless steels. Tests were conducted in three simulated concentrated ground waters at 90 C. Results show that the borated stainless were less resistant to corrosion than the witness austenitic materials. An acidic concentrated ground water was more aggressive than an alkaline concentrated ground water.

Alloy 22 (N06022) is a nickel-based alloy highly resistant to corrosion. In some aggressive conditions of high chloride concentration, temperature and applied potential, Alloy 22 may suffer crevice corrosion, a form of localized corrosion. There are several electrochemical methods that can be used to determine localized corrosion in metallic alloys. One of the most popular for rapid screening is the cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP). This work compares the results obtained by measuring the localized corrosion resistance of Alloy 22 using both CPP and the more cumbersome Tsujikawa-Hisamatsu Electrochemical (THE) method. The electrolytes used were 1 M NaCl and 5 M CaCl{sub 2}, both at 90 C. Results show that similar repassivation potentials were obtained for Alloy 22 using both methods. That is, in cases where localized corrosion is observed using the fast CPP method, there is no need to use THE method since it takes ten times longer to obtain comparable results in spite that the mode of corrosion attack that results in the tested specimens are different.

Measuring the violence of a thermal explosion of a cased explosive is important for evaluating safety issues of explosive devices in fires. A sympathetic initiation scenario was studied here where a 9.0 cm diameter by 2.5 cm thick disc of PBX 9501 donor charge encased in a 304 stainless steel assembly was heated on top and bottom flat surfaces until it thermally exploded. The initial heating rate at the metal/explosive interface was 5 C per minute until it reaches 170 C; then this temperature is held for 35 minutes to allow temperature equilibration to within a few degrees throughout the explosive. The heating resumed at a rate of 1 C per minute until the PBX 9501 donor thermally exploded. A PBX 9501 acceptor charge with carbon resistor and manganin foil pressure gauges inserted at various depths was placed at a 10 cm standoff distance from the donor charge's top steel cover plate. Piezoelectric arrival time pins were placed in front of the acceptor surface to measure the velocity and shape of the impacting plate. The stainless steel cover plate of the donor charge had a nominal velocity of 0.55 {+-} 0.04 mm/{micro}s upon impact and was non-symmetrically warped. The impact …

Composition projections for Sludge Batch 5 (SB5) were developed to evaluate possible impacts of the Al-dissolution process on the availability of viable frit compositions for vitrification at the DWPF. The study included two projected SB5 compositions that bound potential outcomes (or degrees of effectiveness) of the Al-dissolution process, as well as a nominal SB5 composition projection based on the results of the recent Al-dissolution demonstration at SRNL. A Nominal Stage assessment was used to evaluate the two SB5 projections combined with an array of 19,305 frit compositions over a range of waste loading (WL) values against the DWPF process control models. The Nominal Stage results allowed for the down-selection of a small number of frits that provided reasonable projected operating windows (typically 25 to 40 wt %) and permitted some compositional flexibility (i.e., the ability to further tailor the frit to improve melt rate). Variation Stage assessments were then performed using the down-selected frits and the two SB5 composition projections with variation applied to each sludge component. The Variation Stage results showed that the operating windows were somewhat reduced in width, as expected when sludge variation is applied. Three of the down-selected frits continued to perform well for both SB5 …

The main objective of this research was to propose a simple procedure to predict heavy oil viscosity at reservoir conditions as a function of easily determined physical properties. This procedure will avoid costly experimental testing and reduce uncertainty in designing thermal recovery processes.