This report presents the results of a study of various wind turbine blade design parameters as a function of blade length in the range from 30 meters to 70 meters. The results have been summarized in dimensional and non-dimensional formats to aid in interpretation. The parametric review estimated peak power and annual energy capture for megawatt scale wind turbines with rotors of 62, 83, 104, 125, and 146 meters in diameter. The baseline ''thin'' distribution represents conventional airfoils used in large wind turbine blades. The ''thicker'' and ''thickest'' distributions utilize airfoils that have significantly increased thickness to improve structural performance and reduce weight. An aerodynamic scaling effort was undertaken in parallel with the structural analysis work to evaluate the effect of extreme thickness on aerodynamic characteristics. Increased airfoil section thickness appears to be a key tool in limiting blade weight and cost growth with scale. Thickened and truncated trailing edges in the inboard region provide strong, positive effects on blade structural performance. Larger blades may require higher tip speeds combined with reduced blade solidity to limit growth of design loads. A slender blade can be used to reduce extreme design loads when the rotor is parked, but requires a higher …

Conventional calculations of heating (and cooling) loads for buildings assume that conduction heat loss (or gain) through walls is independent of air infiltration heat loss (or gain). During passage through the building envelope, infiltrating air substantially exchanges heat wall insulation leading to partial recovery of heat conducted through the wall. The Infiltration Heat Recovery (IHR) factor was introduced to quantify the heat recovery and correct the conventional calculations. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics was used to calculate infiltration heat recovery under a range of idealized conditions, specifically to understand factors that influence it, and assess its significance in building heat load calculations. This study shows for the first time the important effect of the external boundary layers on conduction and infiltration heat loads. Results show (under the idealized conditions studied here) that (1) the interior details of the wall encountered in the leakage pa th (i.e., insulated or empty walls) do not greatly influence the IHR, the overall relative location of the cracks (i.e., inlet and outlet locations on the wall) has the largest influence on the IHR magnitude, (2) external boundary layers on the walls substantially contribute to IHR and (3) the relative error in heat load calculations …

The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA) and the Federal Power Act (FPA) were enacted to eliminate unfair practices and other abuses by electricity and gas holding companies by requiring federal control and regulation of interstate public utility holding companies. Comprehensive energy legislation has passed the House and Senate. The House passed H.R. 6 on April 11, 2003. On July 31, 2003, the Senate suspended debate on S. 14, inserted the text of H.R. 4 (107th Congress) as a substitute, and passed H.R. 6. A conference agreement was reached November 17, 2003, and passed by the House the next day. H.R. 6 includes an electricity title that would, in part, repeal PUHCA, would prospectively repeal the mandatory purchase requirement under PURPA, and would create an electric reliability organization. On June 15, 2004, H.R. 4503, a comprehensive energy policy bill, passed the House.

New crystalline materials were investigated for applications in frequency conversion of near-infrared wavelengths and as gain media for tunable mid-infrared solid-state lasers. GaCa{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} (GdCOB), YCa{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} (YCOB), LaCa{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} (LaCOB), and Gd{sub 0.275}Y{sub 0.725}Ca{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} were characterized for frequency conversion of 1 {micro}m lasers. For type I doubling at 1064 nm, LaCOB, GdCOB, and YCOB were found to have effective coupling coefficients (d{sub eff}) of 0.52 {+-} 0.05, 0.78 {+-} 0.06, and 1.12 {+-} 0.07 pm/V, respectively. LaCOB was measured to have angular and thermal sensitivities of 1224 {+-} 184 (cm-rad){sup -1} and < 0.10 (cm-{sup o}C){sup -1}, respectively. The effective coupling coefficient for type II noncritically phasematched (NCPM) doubling at 1064 nm in Gd{sub 0.275}Y{sub 0.725}Ca{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} was measured to be 0.37 {+-} 0.04 pm/V. We predict LaCOB to have a type I NCPM fundamental wavelength of 1042 {+-} 1.5 nm. Due to its low angular and thermal sensitivities for doubling near 1047 nm, LaCOB has potential for frequency doubling of high-average power Nd:LiYF{sub 4} and Yb:Sr{sub 5}(P0{sub 4}){sub 3}F lasers. LaCOB, GdCOB, and YCOB were also investigated for optical parametric oscillator applications and we determined that they …

On March 18-21, 2002, the Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology (NE) and the Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) sponsored a workshop to identify needs and opportunities for materials research aimed at performance improvements of structural materials in higher temperature reactors. The workshop focused discussion around the reactor concepts proposed as part of the Generation IV Nuclear Energy System Roadmap. The goal of the Generation IV initiative is to make revolutionary improvements in nuclear energy system design in the areas of sustainability, economics, safety and reliability. The Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Roadmap working groups have identified operation at higher temperature as an important step in improving economic performance and providing a means for nuclear energy to support thermochemical production of hydrogen. However, the move to higher operating temperatures will require the development and qualification of advanced materials to perform in the more challenging environment. As part of the process of developing advanced materials for these reactor concepts, a fundamental understanding of materials behavior must be established and the data-base defining critical performance limitations of these materials under irradiation must be developed. This workshop reviewed potential reactor designs and operating regimes, potential materials for application …

The objective of this collaboration between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) is to evaluate the effects of long-term, low-dose neutron exposure on the mechanical properties, dimensional stability, and associated microstructural changes of reactor structural materials. ANL believes that material data obtained from components irradiated in EBR-II provide valuable information that is useful for LWR plant life extension. CRIEPI is currently conducting research on many aspects of materials aging of LWR components including irradiation damage. Therefore, ANL and CRIEPI have decided to perform the following joint work, which is of interest to both laboratories and continues the collaborative relationship between the two labs. The program was initiated in February of 1999. Samples were taken from two separate subassemblies, designated S1951 and S1952. These subassemblies were constructed of 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel. The samples from these subassemblies were irradiated at temperatures from 371-390 C to doses up to 56 dpa. The examinations in this program included: immersion density, microhardness, microstructure, and tensile properties. The material history, test plan, results of measurements, and discussion of results are included in this report.

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EESI's ''Ethanol, Climate Protection, Oil Reduction'' (ECO) electr[on]ic newsletter reaches out to the environmental and agricultural communities, state/local government officials and other interested parties, and provides a forum for dialogue about ''the potential benefits of ethanol--and particularly the expanded opportunities provided by cellulosic ethanol--with a special focus on climate protection.'' Each issue features expert commentary, excerpts from recent studies about ethanol, a summary of current government activity on ethanol, and ''notable quotables.'' The newsletter is distributed primarily via email and is also posted on EESI's web site. EESI also conducts outreach on the benefits of ethanol and other biofuels by attending and speaking at conferences, meetings and workshops around the country. The 16 issues of the newsletter published through December 2001 are included as attachments.

The DataFoundry bioinformatics application was designed to enable scientists to directly interact with large datasets, gathered from multiple remote data sources, through a graphical, interactive interface. Gathering information from multiple data sources, integrating that data, and providing an interface to the accumulated data is non-trivial. Advanced techniques are required to develop a solution that adequately completes this task. One possible solution to this problem involves the use of specialized information access programs that are able to access information and transmute that information to a form usable by a single application. These information access programs, called wrappers, were decided to be the most appropriate way to extend the DataFoundry bioinformatics application to support data integration from multiple sources. By adding wrapper support into the DataFoundry application, it is hoped that this system will be able to provide a single access point to bioinformatics data for scientists. We describe some of the computer science concepts, design, and the implementation of adding wrapper support into the DataFoundry bioinformatics application, and then discuss issues of performance.

Any reactor that utilizes fuel consisting of a fissile material in a gaseous state may be referred to as a gaseous core reactor (GCR). Studies on GCRs have primarily been limited to the conceptual phase, mostly due to budget cuts and program cancellations in the early 1970's. A few scientific experiments have been conducted on candidate concepts, primarily of static pressure fissile gas filling a cylindrical or spherical cavity surrounded by a moderating shell, such as beryllium, heavy water, or graphite. The main interest in this area of nuclear power generation is for space applications. The interest in space applications has developed due to the promise of significant enhancement in fuel utilization, safety, plant efficiency, special high-performance features, load-following capabilities, power conversion optimization, and other key aspects of nuclear power generation. The design of a successful GCR adapted for use in space is complicated. The fissile material studied in the pa st has been in a fluorine compound, either a tetrafluoride or a hexafluoride. Both of these molecules have an impact on the structural material used in the making of a GCR. Uranium hexafluoride as a fuel allows for a lower operating temperature, but at temperatures greater than 900K becomes …

In this work, solvent recovery from aqueous CSSX process raffinate effluent was tested using the process diluent (Isopar{reg_sign}L). A model was developed to obtain stage efficiency for the diluent contact stages. The model was used to fit experimental data from a 19.8-hr solvent recovery test. Diluent-in-aqueous entrainment was measured during the test. Vacuum distillation was used to concentrate the solvent components, BOBCalixC6 and modifier, in the diluent used in solvent recovery. Using the results, a feasibility study was performed to compare the annual cost of lost solvent under each of four solvent recovery options. These options were decanter tank, centrifuge, two-stage diluent contact using centrifugal contactor, and no solvent recovery action.

This work discusses the operational envelope developed for tests involving in-situ formed magnetite to remove strontium (Sr) and actinide from Savannah River Site (SRS) waste solution. These tests will be performed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in support of the SRS effort for HLW treatment. The operational envelope was developed in consultations with key personnel at SRS. Four elements of the operational envelope were identified: (1) waste simulant composition, (2) radionuclide concentrations and oxidation states, (3) minimum DF requirements, and (4) the maximum amount of magnetite that can be used per liter of waste.

We present new results from studies in progress on physics at a two-photon collider. We report on the sensitivity to top squark parameters of MSSM Higgs boson production in two-photon collisions; Higgs boson decay to two photons; radion production in models of warped extra dimensions; chargino pair production; sensitivity to the trilinear Higgs boson coupling; charged Higgs boson pair production; and we discuss the backgrounds produced by resolved photon-photon interactions.

New methods are developed to construct exact difference equations from which numerical solutions of both initial value problems and two-point boundary value problems involving first and second order ordinary differential equations can be computed. These methods are based upon the transformation theory of differential equations and require the identification of symmetry properties of the differential equations. The concept of the divergence-invariance of a variational principle is also applied to the construction of difference equations. It is shown how first and second order ordinary differential equations that admit groups of point transformations can be integrated numerically by constructing any number of exact difference equations.

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This final technical report describes the research carried out during the final two months of the no-cost extension ending 11/14/01. The primary goals of the project were (1) to determine the potential for transformation of Cr(VI) (oxidized, mobile) to Cr(III) (reduced, immobile) under unsaturated conditions as a function of different levels and combinations of (a) chromium, (b) nitrate (co-disposed with Cr), and (c) molasses (inexpensive bioremediation substrate), and (2) to determine population structure and activity in experimental treatments by characterization of the microbial community by signature biomarker analysis and by RT-PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and 16S ribosomal RNA genes. It was determined early in the one-year no-cost extension period that the T-RFLP approach was problematic in regard to providing information on the identities of microorganisms in the samples examined. As a result, it could not provide the detailed information on microbial community structure that was needed to assess the effects of treatments with chromium, nitrate, and/or molasses. Therefore, we decided to obtain the desired information by amplifying (using TR-PCR, with the same primers used for T-RFLP) and cloning 16S rRNA gene sequences from the same RNA extracts that were used for T-RFLP analysis. We also decided …

The Bush Administration issued its plan for a national energy policy on May 16, 2001. The plan was controversial, characterized by some as leaner on conservation and renewables than Democratic proposals, and predisposed to trade off environmental considerations to increase supply. Comprehensive energy legislation was introduced in the Senate by both parties by late March (S. 388, S. 389, S. 596, S. 597). Bills reported by several House committees (H.R. 2436, H.R. 2460, H.R. 2511, and H.R. 2587) were combined in a single bill, H.R. 4, passed by the House, August 1, 2001. The House version of H.R. 4 would require a 5 billion gallon reduction in light-duty truck and SUV fuel consumption and would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to leasing.

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This document is the fourth sub-report of the EUV AIM design study being conducted at LLNL on behalf of International SEMATECH (ISMT) and addresses the issue of preliminary system costing. The purpose of the LLNL study, as identified in section 1.2 of the statement of work, is to research the basic user requirements of an actinic defect characterization tool, potential design configurations and top-level specifications. The objectives of this design study specifically identified in section 1.3 of the statement of work were to: (1) Determine the user requirements of an actinic defect characterization tool; (2) Determine if an EUV AIM tool is an appropriate platform for actinic defect characterization; (3) Determine possible design configurations and top-level performance specifications; (4) Identify potential technical issues and risks of different technical approaches; (5) Provide estimates of cost relating to different technical approaches; and (6) Provide simulated performance for key subsystems and the entire system. The sub-sections of the study to be addressed were accordingly defined in the statement of work as being: (1) Formulation of top-level specifications; (2) Identification of system configurations suitable for meeting the top-level specifications; (3) Preliminary design of imaging systems; (4) Preliminary design of illumination systems; (5) Prediction and …

The Department of Defense (DOD) administers five environmental programs in response to various requirements under federal environmental laws. These programs include environmental cleanup, environmental compliance, pollution prevention, environmental technology, and conservation. Additionally, the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing defense nuclear waste and cleaning up contaminated nuclear weapons sites. The Administration requested a total of $11.17 billion for these programs in FY2003, about $390 million more than the FY2002 funding level of $10.78 billion. Some of the ongoing issues associated with these programs are the adequacy, cost, and pace of cleanup, whether DOD and DOE adequately comply with environmental laws and regulations, and the extent to which environmental requirements encroach upon military readiness.

At the state and local level, many observers have expressed long-standing concerns over delays, duplication of effort, and additional costs frequently associated with the environmental review process for highway projects that must be completed under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA, P.L. 91-190). To address these concerns, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21, P.L. 105-178), enacted in 1998, requires the Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) to streamline the environmental review process for highway projects.

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This report considers the issue of new "fast track" or trade promotion authority (APA) legislation in the 107th Congress. Moreover, the report summarizes the agricultural debates on the issue.