The 2002 Wastewater Land Application site Performance Reports for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory describe site conditions for the facilities with State of Idaho Wastewater Land Application Permits. Permit-required monitoring data are summarized, and permit exceedences or environmental impacts relating to the operation of the facilities during the 2002 permit year are discussed.

We present results of Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulations of the pellet injection process, a proven method of refueling tokamaks. AMR is a computationally efficient way to provide the resolution required to simulate realistic pellet sizes relative to device dimensions. The mathematical model comprises of single-fluid MHD equations with source terms in the continuity equation along with a pellet ablation rate model. The numerical method developed is an explicit unsplit upwinding treatment of the 8-wave formulation, coupled with a MAC projection method to enforce the solenoidal property of the magnetic field. The Chombo framework is used for AMR. The role of the E x B drift in mass redistribution during inside and outside pellet injections is emphasized.

The 4th International Plant Biomechanics Conference facilitated an interdisciplinary exchange between scientists, engineers, and educators addressing the major questions encountered in the field of Plant Biomechanics. Subjects covered by the conference include: Evolution; Ecology; Mechanoreception; Cell Walls; Genetic Modification; Applied Biomechanics of Whole Plants, Plant Products, Fibers & Composites; Fluid Dynamics; Wood & Trees; Fracture Mechanics; Xylem Pressure & Water Transport; Modeling; and Introducing Plant Biomechanics in Secondary School Education.

A parallel adaptive low Mach number model is used to study an experimental lean premixed turbulent methane V-flame that is stabilized on a rod spanning the exit plane of a circular nozzle. The fuel is turbulent due to an upstream perforated-plate, and the resulting flame extends downstream of the rod. We present three-dimensional time-dependent simulations of this configuration. The computations incorporate detailed reaction chemistry and transport using a dynamically adaptive block-structured grid algorithm and a time-split integration procedure. Flow field and flame surface statistics are gathered from the experiment and are compared to the computed results.

We introduce a numerical model for the simulation of nuclear flames in Type Ia supernovae. This model is based on a low Mach number formulation that analytically removes acoustic wave propagation while retaining the compressibility effects resulting from nuclear burning. The formulation presented here generalizes low Mach number models used in combustion that are based on an ideal gas approximation to the arbitrary equations of state such as those describing the degenerate matter found in stellar material. The low Mach number formulation permits time steps that are controlled by the advective time scales resulting in a substantial improvement in computational efficiency compared to a compressible formulation. We briefly discuss the basic discretization methodology for the low Mach number equations and their implementation in an adaptive projection framework. We present validation computations in which the computational results from the low Mach number model are compared to a compressible code and present an application of the methodology to the Landau-Darrieus instability of a carbon flame.

This report describes results obtained in evaluation of three different production processes for recovery of scrap by induction melting in air.

An oxygen-enriched furnace system for reduced CO2 and NOx emission has been developed. The furnace geometry, with a sidewall-mounted burner, was similar to configurations commonly encountered in a steel reheat furnace. The effect of stack oxygen concentration, oxygen enrichment level and air infiltration on fuel savings/CO2 reduction, NOx emissions and scale formation were investigated. The firing rate required to maintain the furnace temperature at 1100 C decreased linearly with increasing oxygen enrichment. At full oxygen enrichment a reduction of 40-45% in the firing rate was required to maintain furnace temperature. NOx emissions were relatively constant at oxygen enrichment levels below 60% and decreased concentration at all oxygen enrichment levels. Air infiltration also had an effect on NOx levels leading to emissions similar to those observed with no air infiltration but with similar stack oxygen concentrations. At high oxygen enrichment levels, there was a larger variation in the refractory surface-temperature on the roof and blind sidewall of the furnace. Scale habit, intactness, adhesion and oxidation rates were examined for five grades of steel over a range of stack oxygen concentrations and oxygen enrichment levels at 1100 degree C. The steel grade had the largest effect on scaling properties examined in this …

A portable flux measurement system has been used within the AmeriFlux network of CO{sub 2} flux measurement stations to enhance the comparability of data collected across the network. No systematic biases were observed in a comparison between portable system and site H, LE, or CO{sub 2} flux values although there were biases observed between the portable system and site measurement of air temperature and PPFD. Analysis suggests that if values from two stations differ by greater than 26% for H, 35% for LE, and 32% for CO{sub 2} flux they are likely to be significant. Methods for improving the intercomparability of the network are also discussed.

An important technique used to characterize field emission is the measurement of the emitted current against electric field (IxE). In this work we discuss a procedure for obtaining IxE data based on multiple approach curves. We show that the simulated features obtained for an idealized uniform surface matches available experimental data for small anode-cathode distances, while for large distances the simulation predicts a departure from the linear regime. We also discuss the shape of the approach curves for large anode-cathode distances for a cathode made of carbon nanotubes.

This report is a summary of the actions taken by Argonne National Laboratory in 2001 to keep the public and environment safe. Over the last year, Argonne has monitored, evaluated, and taken steps to control problems or potential problems on its DuPage County site. The problems that have or might occur are things like spilled or leaked radiological waste, non-radiological wastes or hazardous materials. Argonne is keeping its promise to be a good neighbor, and this report confirms its commitment to its neighbors, both human and environmental. Argonne's commitment to have minimal effect on the environment was tested vigorously over 2001. Argonne's first priority is keeping the people around it safe. This was verified through tests done on the air. The air can be the most damaging way to pollute an area. This is why Argonne was so extensive in its testing. They followed guidelines of the Clean Air Act, which covers radioactive emissions, asbestos, and conventional air pollutants. Air was tested, and after all calculations were finished, the effect on the public was found to be so minimal that it almost didn't register. The sources of pollutants from Argonne are exhausts from laboratories and other facilities, the steam plant …

The purpose of this study was to assess the career paths of alumni from the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) program. IAC was originally named the Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center (EADC) program when it began in association with four schools in 1976. The current IAC program provides funding to 26 engineering colleges, located in centers across the United States, to conduct energy, waste, and productivity assessments for small- to medium-sized manufacturing establishments within their respective regions. Through part-time employment with the university, students receive training and in turn conduct assessments for local manufacturers, under the direct supervision of engineering faculty. Annually, IAC participants conduct over 700 assessments, and each assessment generates recommendations for energy savings, energy cost savings, and waste and productivity cost savings customized for individual clients. An earlier study determined that energy savings could be attributed to alumni of the IAC program who take their IAC experiences with them to the professional workplace. During their careers, the alumni conduct additional energy assessments as well as influence energy efficiency through design, teaching and training, and other activities. Indeed, a significant level of program benefits can be attributed to the alumni. This project addressed such specific …

A nuclear reactor is a complex system that requires highly sophisticated controllers to ensure that desired performance and safety can be achieved and maintained during its operations. Higher-demanding operational requirements such as reliability, lower environmental impacts, and improved performance under adverse conditions in nuclear power plants, coupled with the complexity and uncertainty of the models, necessitate the use of an increased level of autonomy in the control methods. In the opinion of many researchers, the tasks involved during nuclear reactor design and operation (e.g., design optimization, transient diagnosis, and core reload optimization) involve important human cognition and decisions that may be more easily achieved with intelligent methods such as expert systems, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms. Many experts in the field of control systems share the idea that a higher degree of autonomy in control of complex systems such as nuclear plants is more easily achievable through the integration of conventional control systems and the intelligent components. Researchers have investigated the feasibility of the integration of fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and expert systems with the conventional control methods to achieve higher degrees of autonomy in different aspects of reactor operations such as reactor startup, shutdown in …

The principal objective of this project is to develop materials technology for use in ultrasupercritical (USC) plant boilers capable of operating with 760 C (1400 F), 35 MPa (5000 psi) steam. This project has established a government/industry consortium to undertake a five-year effort to evaluate and develop of advanced materials that allow the use of advanced steam cycles in coal-based power plants. These advanced cycles, with steam temperatures up to 760 C, will increase the efficiency of coal-fired boilers from an average of 35% efficiency (current domestic fleet) to 47% (HHV). This efficiency increase will enable coal-fired power plants to generate electricity at competitive rates (irrespective of fuel costs) while reducing CO{sub 2} and other fuel-related emissions by as much as 29%. Success in achieving these objectives will support a number of broader goals. First, from a national prospective, the program will identify advanced materials that will make it possible to maintain a cost-competitive, environmentally acceptable coal-based electric generation option. High sulfur coals will specifically benefit in this respect by having these advanced materials evaluated in high-sulfur coal firing conditions and from the significant reductions in waste generation inherent in the increased operational efficiency. Second, from a national prospective, the …

The principal objective of this project is to develop materials technology for use in ultrasupercritical (USC) plant boilers capable of operating with 760 C (1400 F), 35 MPa (5000 psi) steam. In the 21st century, the world faces the critical challenge of providing abundant, cheap electricity to meet the needs of a growing global population while at the same time preserving environmental values. Most studies of this issue conclude that a robust portfolio of generation technologies and fuels should be developed to assure that the United States will have adequate electricity supplies in a variety of possible future scenarios. The use of coal for electricity generation poses a unique set of challenges. On the one hand, coal is plentiful and available at low cost in much of the world, notably in the U.S., China, and India. Countries with large coal reserves will want to develop them to foster economic growth and energy security. On the other hand, traditional methods of coal combustion emit pollutants and CO{sub 2} at high levels relative to other generation options. Maintaining coal as a generation option in the 21st century will require methods for addressing these environmental issues. This project has established a government/industry consortium …

The fundamental conclusion that we draw from this analysis is that one should not to base itself blindly on forecasts prices of natural gas when one compare contracts at price fixes with producers of renewable energy with contracts at variable prices with promoters power stations with gas. Indeed, forecasts of the prices of gas do not succeed not to enter the associated costs with the covering of the risk, that they are connected to the negative pressure against the cover, with the CAPM, with costs of transaction or with unspecified combination of three. Thus, insofar as price stability to length term is developed, better way of comparing the two choices would be to have recourse to the data on the prices in the long term natural gas, and not with forecasts of the prices. During three last years at least, the use of these prices in the long term would have besides license to correct a methodological error who, obviously, seem to have supported unduly, and of relatively important way, power stations with natural gas compared to their competitors of renewable energies.

Spatially Resolved X-Ray Diffraction (SRXRD) has been used to identify a previously unobserved low temperature ferrite ({delta})/austenite({gamma}) phase transformation in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel (DSS) welds. In this ''ferrite dip'' transformation, the ferrite transforms to austenite during heating to peak temperatures on the order of 750 C, and re-transforms to ferrite during cooling, resulting in a ferrite volume fraction equivalent to that in the base metal. Time Resolved X-Ray Diffraction (TRXRD) and laser dilatometry measurements during Gleeble{reg_sign} thermal simulations are performed in order to verify the existence of this low temperature phase transformation. Thermodynamic and kinetic models for phase transformations, including both local-equilibrium and para-equilibrium diffusion controlled growth, show that diffusion of substitutional alloying elements does not provide a reasonable explanation for the experimental observations. On the other hand, the diffusion of interstitial alloying elements may be rapid enough to explain this behavior. Based on both the experimental and modeling results, two mechanisms for the ''ferrite dip'' transformation, including the formation and decomposition of secondary austenite and an athermal martensitic-type transformation of ferrite to austenite, are considered.

On September 28, 2001 a symposium was held at Argonne National Laboratory as part of the festivities to mark the 100th birthday of Enrico Fermi. The symposium celebrated Fermi's ''contribution to the development of nuclear power'' and focused on one particular ''line of development'' resulting from Fermi's interest in power reactors: Argonne's fast reactor program. Symposium participants made many references to the ways in which the program was linked to Fermi, who led the team which created the world's first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. For example, one presentation featured an April, 1944 memo that described a meeting attended by Fermi and others. The memo came from the time when research on plutonium and the nuclear chain reaction at Chicago's WWII Metallurgical Laboratory was nearing its end. Even as other parts of the Manhattan Engineering Project were building on this effort to create the bombs that would end the war, Fermi and his colleagues were taking the first steps to plan the use of nuclear energy in the postwar era. After noting that Fermi ''viewed the use of [nuclear] power for the heating of cities with sympathy,'' the group outlined several power reactor designs. In the course of discussion, Fermi and …

Hydrotalcite material properties, specifically its CO{sub 2} reversibility, are critical to the performance of the proposed hydrotalcite-based membrane. In this report, we summarize the fundamental study we have performed using TGA, TGA/MS, and DRIFTS to quantify the degree of CO{sub 2} reversibility for the temperature range from 200 to 300 C. Results from these three separate studies consistently exhibit the CO{sub 2} reversibility. In addition, water effect appears negligible. Finally a high-pressure experimental study was performed to determine the reversibility under the actual operating condition. The results from this high-pressure (CO{sub 2}) study also demonstrate the CO{sub 2} reversibility. In the next quarter, we will continue the high-pressure experiment in the presence of high-pressure steam to quantify its effect under the actual WGS environment. The quantitative information obtained from this study will then be incorporated in a mathematical model describing the CO{sub 2} permeance as a function of the membrane layer thickness.

The successful operation of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) machine will require producing plasma configurations with good flux surfaces, with a minimum volume of the plasma lost to magnetic islands or stochastic regions. The project goal is to achieve good flux surfaces over 90% of the plasma volume. NCSX is a three period device designed to be operated with iota ranging from {approx}0.4 on axis to {approx}0.7 at the edge. The field errors of most concern are those that are resonant with 3/5 and 3/6 modes (for symmetry preserving field errors) and the 1/2 and 2/3 modes (for symmetry breaking field errors). In addition to losses inherent in the physics configuration itself, there will be losses from field errors arising from coil construction and assembly errors. Some of these losses can be recovered through the use of trim coils or correction coils. The impact of coil tolerances on plasma surface quality is evaluated herein for the NCSX design. The methods used in this evaluation are discussed. The ability of the NCSX trim coils to correct for field errors is also examined. The results are used to set coils tolerances for the various coil systems.

We report the progress made in assessing the potential of compact, quasi-axisymmetric stellarators as power-producing reactors. Using an aspect ratio A=4.5 configuration derived from NCSX and optimized with respect to the quasi-axisymmetry and MHD stability in the linear regime as an example, we show that a reactor of 1 GW(e) maybe realizable with a major radius *8 m. This is significantly smaller than the designs of stellarator reactors attempted before. We further show the design of modular coils and discuss the optimization of coil aspect ratios in order to accommodate the blanket for tritium breeding and radiation shielding for coil protection. In addition, we discuss the effects of coil aspect ratio on the peak magnetic field in the coils.

Expertise, methodologies and equipment from separate programs at the large Department of Energy sites can be combined to produce a powerful risk-based planning tool for stewardship. Modeling expertise has been developed while conducting required Performance Assessments and Composite Analyses. Data management and display capabilities of modern Geographical Information Systems can make the modeling results useful tools for planning and stewardship.

OAK B263 Glomalin is an operationally defined soil protein, produced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), with importance in soil carbon sequestration through its relationship with soil aggregation. The goal of the project was to further explore the natural history of glomalin and to address several questions regarding basic behavior of this compound in soil (production, incorporation, decomposition). We have obtained a significant amount of novel information on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal soil protein, concerning factors controlling its production to mechanisms of incorporation and decomposition. These findings have resulted in 10 publications in peer-reviewed journals, with several more submitted or in preparation, and 16 contributed presentations at meetings. I have sought collaborative opportunities whenever they fit within the research proposed to enhance our productivity. Additionally, although not part of the original proposed work, we have made a significant effort to elucidate the molecular biology of glomalin (in response to Program Officer suggestions). In addition to peer-reviewed publications there have also been a number of invited presentations, including a keynote address delivered by the PI at the International Conference on Mycorrhizae (ICOM4) in Montreal, summer 2003. Two Master's students have been trained (and graduated), and a postdoctoral associate has been mentored, as …

We report the deflagration behavior of several HMX-based explosives at pressure from 10-600 MPa and temperatures from 20-180 C. We have made laminar burn rate measurements with the LLNL High Pressure Strand Burner, in which burn wires are used to record the time-of-arrival of the burn front in the cylindrical sample as a function of pressure. The explosive samples are 6.4 mm in diameter and 63 mm long, with ten burn wires embedded at different positions in the sample. Burning on the cylindrical surface is inhibited with an epoxy layer. With this direct measurement we do not have to account for product gas equation of state or heat losses in the system, and the burn wires allow detection of irregular burning. We find that formulation details are very important to overall deflagration behavior - the presence of 10% or less by weight of binder leads to physical deconsolidation and rapid deflagration at high pressures, and a larger particle size distribution leads to slower deflagration. High temperatures have a relatively minor effect on the deflagration rate until the beta-to-delta phase transition temperature is reached, beyond which the deflagration rate increases approximately 40-fold.

This Technical Progress Report provides an account of the status of the project for the demonstration of Black Liquor Gasification at Georgia-Pacific Corporation's Big Island, VA facility. The report also includes budget information and a milestone schedule. The project to be conducted by G-P is a comprehensive, complete commercial-scale demonstration that is divided into two phases. Phase I is the validation of the project scope and cost estimate. Phase II is project execution, data acquisition and reporting, and consists of procurement of major equipment, construction and start-up of the new system. Phase II also includes operation of the system for a period of time to demonstrate the safe operation and full integration of the energy and chemical recovery systems in a commercial environment. The objective of Phase I is to validate the process design and to engineer viable solutions to any technology gaps. This phase includes engineering and planning for the integration of the full-scale MTCI/StoneChem PulseEnhanced{trademark} black liquor steam-reformer chemical recovery system into G-P's operating pulp and paper mill at Big Island, Virginia. During this phase, the scope and cost estimate will be finalized to confirm the cost of the project and its integration into the existing system at …