To serve as an interconnect / gas separator in an SOFC stack, an alloy should demonstrate the ability to provide (i) bulk and surface stability against oxidation and corrosion during prolonged exposure to the fuel cell environment, (ii) thermal expansion compatibility with the other stack components, (iii) chemical compatibility with adjacent stack components, (iv) high electrical conductivity of the surface reaction products, (v) mechanical reliability and durability at cell exposure conditions, (vii) good manufacturability, processability and fabricability, and (viii) cost effectiveness. As the first step of this approach, a composition and property database was compiled for high temperature alloys in order to assist in determining which alloys offer the most promise for SOFC interconnect applications in terms of oxidation and corrosion resistance. The high temperature alloys of interest included Ni-, Fe-, Co-base superal

The purpose of this project is to explore the feasibility of using surface X-ray diffraction (SXRD) to determine the structure of biomineral surfaces in electrolyte solutions and of the adsorbed layer of acidic amino acids that are believed to play a central role in the control of biomineral formation and function. The work is a critical component in the development of an integrated picture of the physical and chemical basis for deposition and dissolution at solid-liquid interfaces in biological systems, and brings a new and very powerful surface-sensitive capability to LLNL. We have chosen as our model systems calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate in aspartic and glutamic acid-bearing solutions. The calcium compounds are ubiquitous among biomineral structures, both those that are beneficial such as bones and teeth, and those that are pathological such as kidney stones, while the two acidic amino acids--both as simple and poly-amino acids--are the dominant constituents of protein mixtures implicated in the control of biomineralization. The goals of the work are: (1) to determine the surface structure of pure calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate surfaces in aqueous solution using SXRD; (2) to determine how those surfaces are modified by the presence of aspartic and glutamic acid, …

None

The report describes the analyses performed on core samples from the sludge region of the waste in Tank 241-AY-102 to determine the electrochemical corrosion potential.

Researchers at the Timken Company conceived a project to develop an on-line instrument for wall thickness measurement of steel seamless mechanical tubing based on laser ultrasonic technology. The instrument, which has been installed and tested at a piercing mill, provides data on tube eccentricity and concentricity. Such measurements permit fine-tuning of manufacturing processes to eliminate excess material in the tube wall and therefore provide a more precisely dimensioned product for their customers. The resulting process energy savings are substantial, as is lowered environmental burden. The expected savings are $85.8 million per year in seamless mechanical tube piercing alone. Applied across the industry, this measurement has a potential of reducing energy consumption by 6 x 10{sup 12} BTU per year, greenhouse gas emissions by 0.3 million metric tons carbon equivalent per year, and toxic waste by 0.255 million pounds per year. The principal technical contributors to the project were the Timken Company, Industrial Materials Institute (IMI, a contractor to Timken), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Timken provided mill access as well as process and metallurgical understanding. Timken researchers had previously developed fundamental ultrasonic analysis methods on which this project is based. IMI developed and fabricated the laser ultrasonic generation and …

A synchrotron radiation-based X-ray scattering facility for materials research on complex fluids has been completed on Sector 09 at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. It consists of a beamline on an undulator magnet source with doubly focusing X-ray optics and endstation spectrometers for both small angle X-ray scattering and liquid surface X-ray scattering.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Salt and Mud Slough tributaries as sources of oxygen demanding materials entering the San Joaquin River (SJR). Mud Slough and Salt Slough are the main drainage arteries of the Grasslands Watershed, a 370,000-acre area west of the SJR, covering portions of Merced and Fresno Counties. Although these tributaries of the SJR are typically classified as agricultural, they are also heavily influenced by Federal, State and private wetlands. The majority of the surface water used for both irrigation and wetland management in the Grassland Watershed is imported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta through the Delta-Mendota Canal. In this study, they measured algal biomass (as chlorophyll a), organic carbon, ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and other measures of water quality in drainage from both agricultural and wetland sources at key points in the Salt Slough and Mud Slough tributaries. This report includes the data collected between June 16th and October 4th, 2001. The objective of the study was to compare agricultural and wetland drainage in the Grasslands Watershed and to determine the relative importance of each return flow source to the concentration and mass loading of oxygen demanding materials entering the SJR. Additionally, …

This report discusses the reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. The new law maintains the FY2001 mandatory funding level, authorizes additional discretionary funding, and grants new program authority to provide mentoring services for children of prisoners. In addition, the enacted legislation allows states to use Promoting Safe and Stable Families funds for infant "safe haven" programs, provides for reallocation of unused program funds, clarifies language defining family support programs, and gives more explicit instructions to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding use of funds set aside for research, evaluation and technical assistance.

This report is intended to assist Congress as it considers options for consequence management legislation. It provides information on federal policies that would be implemented in the event that terrorist attacks in an attempt to answer the question: Based on experiences gained thus far, should Congress consider changes in federal consequence management policies to address the effects of possible future attacks? The report explores two types of issues--selected administrative issues pertinent to the delivery of assistance, and selected policy issues about the assistance provided.

None

This report is categorized into six categories: (I) Recent Political Developments, (II) U.N. Role in Angola, (III) Human Rights and Civil Liberties, (IV) Angolan Economy, (V) U.S. Policy and (VI) Appendix I.

This report discusses the issues for Congress related to fruits & vegetables. The contents include federal activities, programs, farm bill issues, & trade issues.

The purpose of this report is to describe and discuss the provisions for providing abortion services to military personnel, their dependents, and other military health care beneficiaries at military medical facilities. The report describes the history of these provisions, with particular emphasis on legislative actions. Finally, this report discusses a number of proposals to modify the law, as well as other related legislative and administrative actions.

The purpose of this report is to describe and discuss the provisions for providing abortion services to military personnel, their dependents, and other military health care beneficiaries at military medical facilities. The report describes the history of these provisions, with particular emphasis on legislative actions. Finally, this report discusses a number of proposals to modify the law, as well as other related legislative and administrative actions.

None

None

This report provides names of organizations, like the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which sponsors fellowships on Capitol Hill. This report lists Internet sites on internships and fellowships, such as the Smithsonian Institution's Web site on internships.

This report presents a summary of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or Clean Water Act, describing the essence of the statute without discussing its implementation.

Beginning in the summer of 2000, California experienced serious energy supply problems, sharp increases in wholesale (and retail) electricity and natural gas prices, and isolated blackouts. In response to the rapidly worsening electricity situation in California in late 2000, the state set, as an initial goal, the reduction of the state's peak demand for the summer of 2001 by 5,000 megawatts. To meet this goal, the governor and legislature took a variety of steps to enhance supply, encourage rapid voluntary reductions in demand, and provide incentives for actions that would result in load reductions. Three bills-Assembly Bill 970, Senate Bill X1 5 and Assembly Bill X1 29-allocated roughly $950 million for consumption and demand reduction programs. The governor also enacted a variety of additional measures, including the ''Flex Your Power'' (media awareness and direct business involvement) campaign, requirements for retail sector outdoor lighting reductions, and toughening of energy efficiency building codes. There were, in fact, significant reductions in electricity demand in California during the summer of 2001 and the large number of expected supply disruptions was avoided. To understand the nature of these demand reductions and the motivations for consumer response, Washington State University (WSU) undertook a study for the …

The RELAP5/MOD3.2 computer program has been used to analyze a series of tests investigating void fraction distribution over height in RBMK fuel channels performed in Facility BM at the ENTEK. This is RBMK Standard Problem 7 in Joint Project 6, which is the investigation of Computer Code Validation for Transient Analysis of RBMK and VVER Reactors, between the United States and Russian Minatom International Nuclear Safety Centers. The experiment facility and data, RELAP5 nodalization, and results are shown for all tests. Agreement between RELAP5 and the experiment data is reasonable.

An experimental facility for conducting research on capillary pumped loop (CPL) systems was developed. In order to simulate shipboard cooling water encountered at various locations of the ocean, the heat sink temperature of the facility could be varied. A flat plate, CPL evaporator was designed and tested under various heat sink temperatures. The sink temperature ranged from 274.3 to 305.2 K and the heat input varied from 250 to 800 W which corresponds to heat fluxes up to 1.8 W/cm{sup 2}. The CPL flat plate evaporator performed very well under this range of heat input and sink temperatures. The main result obtained showed that a large degree of subcooling developed between the evaporator vapor outlet line and liquid return line. This condensate depression increased with increasing heat input.

Predicting structural radiated noise is a process that involves several steps, often including the development of a finite element (FE) model to provide structural response predictions. Limitations of these FE models often govern the success of overall noise predictions. The purpose of the present investigation is to identify the effects of real world attachments on edge-stiffened plates and identify advanced modeling methods to facilitate vibroacoustic analyses of such complex structures. A combination of experimental and numerical methods is used in the evaluation. The results show the effects of adding attachments to the edge-stiffened plate in terms of mode shape mass loading, creation of new mode shapes, modifications to original mode shapes, and variations in damping levels. A finite element model of the edge-stiffened plate with simplified attachments has been developed and is used in conjunction with experimental data to aid in the developments. The investigation presented here represents a necessary first step toward implementing an advanced modeling technique.

The Cascade Sand zone of the Mission-Visco Lease in the Cascade Oil field of Los Angeles County, California, has been under water flood since 1970. Increasing water injection to increase oil production rates was being considered as an opportunity to improve oil recovery. However, a secondary gas cap had formed in the up-dip portion of the reservoir with very low gas cap pressures, creating concern that oil could be displaced into the gas cap resulting in the loss of recoverable oil. Therefore, injecting gas into the gas cap to keep the gas cap pressurized and restrict the influx of oil during water injection was also being considered. Further, it was recognized that the reservoir geology in the gas cap area is very complex with numerous folding and faulting and thus there are potential pressure barriers in several locations throughout the reservoir. With these conditions in mind, there were concerns regarding well to well continuity in the gas cap, which could interfere with the intended repressurization impact. Concerns about the pattern of gas flow from well to well, the possibilities of cycling gas without the desired increased pressure, and the possible loss of oil displaced into the gas cap resulted in …

A report of an archaeological survey of two transmission line routes in Hidalgo County, Texas.