In an effort to encourage the maximum cost-effective level of energy efficiency in new building design, energy-efficiency standards have become more location-specific and performance-based. As a result, standards often provide more than one path for ensuring and demonstrating that a design complies, but at the cost of increased complexity. In addition, the burden of remedying a noncompliant design rests on the designers' knowledge and experience, with only general guidance provided by the standards. As part of efforts in the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Advanced Energy Design and Operation Technologies (AEDOT) project, a team at DOE's Pacific Northwest Laboratory is developing a computer program known as the Energy Standards Intelligent Design Tool (ES-IDT). The ES-IDT is one component of a prototype computer-based building design environment. It performs automatic compliance checking for parts of ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-1989 and provides designers assistance in bringing noncomplying designs into compliance. This paper describes the ES-IDT, the functions it provides, and how it is integrated into the design process via the AEDOT prototype building design environment. 9 refs.

In an effort to encourage the maximum cost-effective level of energy efficiency in new building design, energy-efficiency standards have become more location-specific and performance-based. As a result, standards often provide more than one path for ensuring and demonstrating that a design complies, but at the cost of increased complexity. In addition, the burden of remedying a noncompliant design rests on the designers` knowledge and experience, with only general guidance provided by the standards. As part of efforts in the US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Advanced Energy Design and Operation Technologies (AEDOT) project, a team at DOE`s Pacific Northwest Laboratory is developing a computer program known as the Energy Standards Intelligent Design Tool (ES-IDT). The ES-IDT is one component of a prototype computer-based building design environment. It performs automatic compliance checking for parts of ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-1989 and provides designers assistance in bringing noncomplying designs into compliance. This paper describes the ES-IDT, the functions it provides, and how it is integrated into the design process via the AEDOT prototype building design environment. 9 refs.

Paper discussing the evolution of south Texas ranching culture through the influence of Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo culture over different time periods.

Superplastic forming has emerged as an important manufacturing process for producing near-net-shape parts. The design of a superplastic forming process is more difficult than conventional manufacturing operations, and is less amenable to trial and error approaches. This paper describes a superplastic forming process design capability incorporating nonlinear finite element analysis. The material constraints to allow superplastic behavior are integrated into an external constraint equation which is solved concurrently with the nonlinear finite element equations. The implementation of this approach using the ISLAND solution control language with the nonlinear finite element code NIKE2D is discussed in detail. Superplastic forming process design problems with one and two control parameters are presented as examples.

The development of effective solution strategies to solve the global nonlinear equations which arise in implicit finite element analysis has been the subject of much research in recent years. Robust algorithms are needed to handle the complex nonlinearities that arise in many implicit finite element applications such as metalforming process simulation. The authors experience indicates that robustness can best be achieved through adaptive solution strategies. In the course of their research, this adaptivity and flexibility has been refined into a production tool through the development of a solution control language called ISLAND. This paper discusses aspects of adaptive solution strategies including iterative procedures to solve the global equations and remeshing techniques to extend the domain of Lagrangian methods. Examples using the newly developed ISLAND language are presented to illustrate the advantages of embedding temporal, algorithmic, and spatial adaptivity in a modem implicit nonlinear finite element analysis code.

Preliminary minimum detectable levels (MDLS) of selected actinide isotopes have been determined in full-scale, 55-gallon drums filled with a range of mock-waste materials from combustibles (0.14 g/CM{sup 3}) to sand (1.7 g/CM{sup 3}). Measurements were recorded from 100 to 10,000 seconds with selected actinide sources located in these drums at an edge position, on the center axis of a drum and midway between these two positions. Measurements were also made with a {sup 166}Ho source to evaluate the attenuation of these mock-matrix materials as a function of energy. By knowing where the source activity is located within a drum, our preliminary results show that a simply collimated 90% HPGE detector can differentiate between TRU (>100 nCi/g) and LLW amounts of {sup 239}Pu in only 100s of measurement time and with sufficient accuracy in both low and medium density, low Z materials. Other actinides measured so far include {sup 235}U, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 244}Cm. These measurements begin to establish the probable MDLs achievable in the nondestructive assays of real waste drums when using active and passive CT. How future measurements may differ from these preliminary measurements is also discussed.

One of the problems that arises in programming a multicomputer is the effective partitioning of the work into tasks and the assigning of those tasks to the processors. We will present a programming paradigm as a method of structuring the algorithms, allowing us to identify and separate programming phases. This paradigm allows us to develop a general software tool for dynamically allocating work to the processors while hiding many details of load balancing. Our paradigm consists of four phases: partitioning the work, mapping the tasks into the processors connected by some virtual topology, running the application program, and embedding the virtual architecture into the actual machine. The paradigm applies to diverse problems and to a variety of multiprocessors without significant reprograming. We will use the multisection method for computing eigenvalues to show how this tool works.