The quest for metallic hydrogen has been going on for over one hundred years. Before hydrogen was first condensed into a liquid in 1898, it was commonly thought that condensed hydrogen would be a metal, like the monatomic alkali metals below hydrogen in the first column of the Periodic Table. Instead, condensed hydrogen turned out to be transparent, like the diatomic insulating halogens in the seventh column of the Periodic Table. Wigner and Huntington predicted in 1935 that solid hydrogen at 0 K would undergo a first-order phase transition from a diatomic to a monatomic crystallographically ordered solid at {approx}25 GPa. This first-order transition would be accompanied by an insulator-metal transition. Though searched for extensively, a first-order transition from an ordered diatomic insulator to a monatomic metal is yet to be observed at pressures up to 120 and 340 GPa using x-ray diffraction and visual inspection, respectively. On the other hand, hydrogen reaches the minimum electrical conductivity of a metal at 140 GPa, 0.6 g/cm{sup 3}, and 3000 K. These conditions were achieved using a shock wave reverberating between two stiff sapphire anvils. The shock wave was generated with a two-stage light-gas gun. This temperature exceeds the calculated melting temperature …

The immobilization of plutonium-containing wastes into stable solid compositions is one of the problems to be solved in the disposal of radioactive wastes. Research efforts on the selection, preparation with the use of the cold crucible induction melter (CCIM) technology, and investigation of materials that are most suitable for immobilizing plutonium-containing wastes of different origin have been carried out at the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM) and the Institute of the Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry (IGEM), Russian Academy of Sciences within the framework of agreements with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL, USA) regarding material and technical support. This paper presents the data on the synthesis of cerium-, uranium-, and plutonium-containing materials based on borobasalt, pyroxene, and andradite compositions in the muffle furnace and by the CCIM method. Compositions containing up to 15-18 wt% cerium oxide, 8-11 wt% uranium oxide, and 4.6-5.7 wt% plutonium oxide were obtained in laboratory facilities installed in glove boxes. Comparison studies of the materials synthesized in the muffle furnace and CCIM demonstrate the advantages of using the CCIM method. The distribution of components in the materials.

Recent work in classification indicates that significant improvements in accuracy can be obtained by growing an ensemble of classifiers and having them vote for the most popular class. This paper focuses on ensembles of decision trees that are created with a randomized procedure based on sampling. Randomization can be introduced by using random samples of the training data (as in bagging or arcing) and running a conventional tree-building algorithm, or by randomizing the induction algorithm itself. The objective of this paper is to describe our first experiences with a novel randomized tree induction method that uses a subset of samples at a node to determine the split. Our empirical results show that ensembles generated using this approach yield results that are competitive in accuracy and superior in computational cost.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has fully embraced a flexible, computer-based tool to help increase waste management efficiency and integrate multiple operational functions from waste generation through waste disposition while reducing cost. The Integrated Waste Tracking System (IWTS)provides comprehensive information management for containerized waste during generation,storage, treatment, transport, and disposal. The IWTS provides all information necessary for facilities to properly manage and demonstrate regulatory compliance. As a platformindependent, client-server and Web-based inventory and compliance system, the IWTS has proven to be a successful tracking, characterization, compliance, and reporting tool that meets the needs of both operations and management while providing a high level of management flexibility.

A number of reinforced concrete bridges on the Oregon coast are protected against chloride-induced corrosion damage by means of impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP). Thermal-sprayed Zn serves as the anode in these systems. Rebar in the concrete can remain passive and protected for some period of time after the CP system is turned off. The active-passive corrosion behavior of rebar in simulated pore solution (SPS) was investigated as a function of pH and Cl- concentration as part of a study of intermittent ICCP operation. Rebar corrosion rates in SPS were determined from polarization curves by fitting the Butler-Volmer equation and the linear polarization equation. Analysis of the passive film in SPS by x-ray diffraction and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy showed it to be largely Fe3O4. However, the Fe(OH)2 content increased with cathodic polarization time.

The vadose zone comprises the region lying between the earth’s surface and the top of the regional seasonal aquifer. Until recently contamination in the vadose zone was believed to remain relatively immobile. Thus, little attention was paid to understanding the nature of the vadose zone or the potential pathways for contaminants to migrate through it to the water table or other accessible environments. However, recent discoveries of contaminants migrating considerable distances through the vadose zone at several Department of Energy (DOE) sites have changed many assumptions both about the nature and function of the vadose zone and the importance we place on understanding this region. As a result of several vadose zone surprises, DOE Environmental Management (EM) tasked the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) to lead the development of a vadose zone science and technology roadmap. The roadmap is focused on identifying research spanning the next 25 years necessary to be able to better predict the fate and transport of contaminants in the vadose zone. This in turn will provide the basis for reducing scientific uncertainty in environmental remediation and, especially, vadose zone related long-term stewardship decisions across the DOE complex. Vadose zone issues are now recognized as …

The U.S.Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program (NSNFP), located at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), has been chartered with the responsibility for developing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) standardized canisters and a transportation cask system for shipping DOE SNF to the national repository. The mandate for this development is outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement for Acceptance of Department of Energy Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste that states, “EM shall design and fabricate … DOE SNF canisters for shipment to RW.” (1) It also states, “EM shall be responsible for the design, NRC certification, and fabrication of the transportation cask system for DOE SNF canisters or bare DOE SNF in accordance with 10 CFR Part 71.” (2) In fulfillment of these requirements, the NSNFP has developed four SNF standardized canister configurations and has conceptually designed a versatile transportation cask system for shipping the canisters to the national repository.1 The standardized canister sizes were derived from the national repository waste package design for co-disposal of SNF with high-level waste (HLW). One SNF canister can be placed in the center of the waste package or one can be placed in one of five radial positions, …

Discrete network models are one of the approaches used to simulate a dissolved contaminant, which is usually represented as a tracer in modeling studies, in fractured rocks. The discrete models include large numbers of individual fractures within the network structure, with flow and transport described on the scale of an individual fracture. Numerical simulations for the mixing characteristics and transfer probabilities of a tracer through a fracture intersection are performed for this study. A random-walk, particle-tracking model is applied to simulate tracer transport in fracture intersections by moving particles through space using individual advective and diffusive steps. The simulation results are compared with existing numerical and analytical solutions for a continuous intersection over a wide range of Peclet numbers. This study attempts to characterize the relative concentration at the outflow branches for a continuous intersection with different flow fields. The simulation results demonstrate that the mixing characteristics at the fracture intersections are a function not only of the Peclet number but also of the flow field pattern.

This paper provides a review and synthesis of current knowledge about the associations of ventilation system types in office buildings with sick building syndrome symptoms and discusses potential explanations for the associations. Relative to natural ventilation, air conditioning, with or without humidification, was consistently associated with a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of one or more SBS symptoms. Prevalences were typically higher by approximately 30% to 200% in the air conditioned buildings. In two of three assessments from a single study, symptom prevalences were also significantly higher in air conditioned buildings than in buildings with simple mechanical ventilation and no humidification. In approximately half of assessments, SBS symptom prevalences were significantly higher in buildings with simple mechanical ventilation than in buildings with natural ventilation. Insufficient information was available for conclusions about the potential increased risk of SBS symptoms with humidification. The statistically significant associations of mechanical ventilation and air conditioning with SBS symptoms are much more frequent than expected from chance and also not likely to be a consequence of confounding by several potential personal, job, or building related confounders. The reasons for the increases in symptom prevalences with mechanical ventilation and particularly with air conditioning remain unclear. Multiple …

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is currently involved in a long term study using time-lapse multiple frequency electromagnetic (EM) characterization at a waterflood enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in California operated by Chevron Heavy Oil Division in Lost Hills, California (Figure 1). The petroleum industry's interest and the successful imaging results from this project suggest that this technique be extended to monitor CO{sub 2} sequestration at an EOR site also operated by Chevron. The impetus for this study is to develop the ability to image subsurface injected CO{sub 2} during EOR processes while simultaneously discriminating between pre-existing petroleum and water deposits. The goals of this study are to combine laboratory and field methods to image a pilot CO{sub 2} sequestration EOR site using the cross-borehole EM technique, improve the inversion process in CO{sub 2} studies by coupling results with petrophysical laboratory measurements, and focus on new gas interpretation techniques. In this study we primarily focus on how joint field and laboratory results can provide information on subsurface CO{sub 2} detection, CO{sub 2} migration tracking, and displacement of petroleum and water over time. This study directly addresses national energy issues in two ways: (1) the development of field and laboratory techniques …

A storage ring is a specialized synchrotron in which a stored beam of relativistic electrons produces radiation in the vuv and x-ray regions of the spectrum. High-brightness radiation is used at the ALS to study doubly excited autoionizing states of the helium atom in the search for quantum chaos.

When Fluor Fernald took over the management of the Fernald Environmental Management Project in 1992, the estimated closure date of the site was more than 25 years into the future. Fluor Fernald, in conjunction with DOE-Fernald, introduced the Accelerated Cleanup Plan, which was designed to substantially shorten that schedule and save taxpayers more than $3 billion. The management of Fluor Fernald believes there are three fundamental concerns that must be addressed by any contractor hoping to achieve closure of a site within the DOE complex. They are relationship management, resource management and contract management. Relationship management refers to the interaction between the site and local residents, regulators, union leadership, the workforce at large, the media, and any other interested stakeholder groups. Resource management is of course related to the effective administration of the site knowledge base and the skills of the workforce, the attraction and retention of qualified a nd competent technical personnel, and the best recognition and use of appropriate new technologies. Perhaps most importantly, resource management must also include a plan for survival in a flat-funding environment. Lastly, creative and disciplined contract management will be essential to effecting the closure of any DOE site. Fluor Fernald, together with …

Energy savings from the use of daylighting in commercial buildings are realized through implementation of photoelectric lighting controls that dim electric lights when sufficient daylight is available to provide adequate workplane illumination. The dimming level of electric lighting is based on the signal of a photosensor. Current simulation approaches for such systems are based on the questionable assumption that the signal of the photosensor is proportional to the task illuminance. This paper presents a method that simulates the performance of photosensor controls considering the acceptance angle, angular sensitivity, placement of the photosensor within a space, and color correction filter. The method is based on the multiplication of two fisheye images: one generated from the angular sensitivity of the photosensor and the other from a 180- or 360-degree fisheye image of the space as ''seen'' by the photosensor. The paper includes a detailed description of the method and its implementation, example applications, and validation results based on comparison with measurements in an actual office space.

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A high-temperature (300 C), high-pressure (18 MPa), and high-leak rate (1500 L/min) facility, and a room temperature, high-pressure (52 MPa) test facility were used to test flawed steam generator tubes. Single and multiple rectangular flaws were fabricated by electro-discharge machining on the outside surface of the tubes. This paper briefly reviews analytical methods for predicting ligament rupture and unstable burst of tubes with single and multiple rectangular flaws. Test data are presented to validate the failure models. The ligament rupture pressure of specimens with multiple flaws predicted by an equivalent rectangular crack method agree fairly well with measured data.

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The E x B shear stabilization paradigm explains much of the phenomenology of ion thermal transport in tokamaks. Behavior in the electron channel, however, has continued to challenge our understanding. Recent experiments in DIII-D and elsewhere produce regions where electron thermal transport is almost completely eliminated with intense, localized, direct electron heating. Simulations of DIII-D discharges identify {alpha}-stabilization, local magnetic shear stabilization due to the Shafranov shift, as the dominant turbulence reduction mechanism in these experiments and may point the way toward regimes with simultaneous electron and ion internal transport barriers.

The design of the final focus system has been modified since the previous LC workshop in Sitges. The system has a reduced length and the front face of the final focusing quadrupole has been moved back to 4.3 meters from the interaction point. We report the effect of these changes on detector backgrounds.

Cluster computing has emerged as a defacto standard in parallel computing over the last decade. Now, researchers have begun to use clustered, shared-memory multiprocessors (SMPs) to attack some of the largest and most complex scientific calculations in the world today [2, 1], running them on the world's largest machines including the US DOE ASCI platforms: Red, Blue Mountain, Blue Pacific, and White. MPI has been the predominant programming model for clusters [3]; however, as users move to ''wider'' SMPs, the combination of MPI and threads has a ''natural fit'' to the underlying system design: use MPI for managing parallelism between SMPs and threads for parallelism within one SMP. OpenMP is emerging as a leading contender for managing parallelism within an SMP. OpenMP and MPI offer their users very different characteristics. Developed for different memory models, they fill diametrically opposed needs for parallel programming. OpenMP was made for shared memory systems, while MPI was made for distributed memory systems. OpenMP was designed for explicit parallelism and implicit data movement, while MPI was designed for explicit data movement and implicit parallelism. This difference in focus gives the two parallel programming frameworks very different usage characteristics. But these complementary usage characteristics make the …

We introduce a new Condensed History algorithm for the Monte Carlo simulation of electron transport. To obtain more accurate simulations, the new algorithm preserves the mean position and the variance in the mean position exactly for electrons that have traveled a given path length and are traveling in a given direction. This is accomplished by deriving the zeroth-, first-, and second-order spatial moments of the Spencer-Lewis equation and employing this information directly in the Condensed History process. Numerical calculations demonstrate the advantages of our method over standard Condensed History methods.

Implementation of a full Kalman filtering scheme in a large OGCM is unrealistic without simplification and one generally reduces the degrees of freedom of the system by prescribing the structure of the prediction error. However, reductions are often made without any objective measure of their appropriateness. In this report, we present results from an ongoing effort to best construct the prediction error capturing the essential ingredients of the system error that includes both a correlated (global) error and a relatively uncorrelated (local) error. The former will be captured by an EOF modes of the model variance whereas the latter can be detected by wavelet analysis.

An adaptive path planning algorithm is presented for cooperating Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) that are used to deploy and operate land-based sensor networks. The algorithm employs a global cost function to generate paths for the UAVs, and adapts the paths to exceptions that might occur. Examples are provided of the paths and adaptation.

DOE Partnerships with States, Tribes and Other Federal Programs Help Responders Prepare for Challenges Involving Transport of Radioactive Materials Implementing adequate institutional programs and validating preparedness for emergency response to radiological transportation incidents along or near U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shipping corridors poses unique challenges to transportation operations management. Delayed or insufficient attention to State and Tribal preparedness needs may significantly impact the transportation operations schedule and budget. The DOE Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP) has successfully used a cooperative planning process to develop strong partnerships with States, Tribes, Federal agencies and other national programs to support responder preparedness across the United States. DOE TEPP has found that building solid partnerships with key emergency response agencies ensures responders have access to the planning, training, technical expertise and assistance necessary to safely, efficiently and effectively respond to a radiological transportation accident. Through the efforts of TEPP over the past fifteen years, partnerships have resulted in States and Tribal Nations either using significant portions of the TEPP planning resources in their programs and/or adopting the Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training (MERRTT) program into their hazardous material training curriculums to prepare their fire departments, law enforcement, hazardous materials response teams, emergency …

What is data management (DM) and why is it important? As described in the ''Handbook of Data Management'' (Thuraisingham, 1998), data management is the process of understanding the data needs of an organization and making the data available to support the operations of the organization. The ultimate goal of data management is to provide the seamless access and fusion of massive amounts of data, information, and knowledge in a heterogeneous and real-time environment, and to support the functions and decision making processes of an organization. The important questions that need to be asked for proper data management are: who is going to be using the data, what types of data need to be stored, and how will this data be accessed? With these questions answered, the data management system (DMS) can then be created, or an existing system can be modified to meet the needs of the organization. The real importance of a data management system is to provide the end user with a consistent data set of known quality. The elements of a good data management system should include a system that: is modeled to how the data is collected and processed, is very well documented, has specifically defined …