A critical experiment program is carried out in a configuration similar to the BONUS reactor. The results give information concerning: the effects of different boilersuperheater geometries; the reactivity changes associated with superheater voiding or flooding; power regulation between the boiler and superheater regions; epithermal transmission probabilities for B-stainless steel and Cd control rods; the power flattening characteristics; and void simulation properties. The calculational methods used in the study predict the measured reactivity and power distribution to within the limits of experimental accuracy. (T.F.H.)

This paper reports on a laboratory study of erosion-corrosion on aluminum surfaces in high temperature water. It is essentially a continuation of a similar previous study with refinement in testing procedure and the addition of electrochemical measurements to study the phenomenon. The electrochemical procedures are of intrinsic worth, because such measurements have never before been conducted with such an unusual cell geometry as imposed by the erosion-corrosion testing apparatus.

The overall goal of this project is to find biological methods to remove carboxylic functionalities from low-rank coals under ambient conditions and to assess the properties of these modified coals towards coal liquefaction. The main objectives of this quarter were: (1) continuation of microbial consortia development, (2) evaluation of the isolated organisms for decarboxylation, (3) selection of best performing culture (known cultures vs. new isolates), and (4) coal decarboxylation using activated carbon as blanks. The project began on September 12, 1990.

The overall objective of the research carried out under this program is to determine the principles of collisional energy transfer and use them in predictive models and theories. In order to accomplish this goal, energy transfer properties must be determined and then analyzed to discern the underlying principles involved. In this laboratory, the experimental determination of energy transfer parameters is based on techniques that use physical properties to monitor the amount of energy in excited molecules. These techniques differ from chemical methods, based on unimolecular reaction studies, which are susceptible to interferences from complex chemical mechanisms and other complications. The physical methods have their own weaknesses and limitations, however, and much of our effort has been directed toward gaining a better understanding of these deficiencies. Two physical techniques have been proved to be particularly useful: time-resolved infrared fluorescence and time-dependent thermal lensing. As described later, we will shortly begin work using resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization techniques to investigate energy transfer in bulbs and half collisions'' in free jets. We also have been completing some calculational efforts to model formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in stellar atmospheres.

This report summarizes the criteria and designs that were used for the two TMX Thomson-scattering systems. It describes the optical, mechanical, electronic, and computer analysis features of these installations. A brief discussion of general Thomson-scattering principles and sensitivity limits is given. Also included are some plasma electron temperature and density measurements from TMX that were obtained through the use of these systems.

The objective of this program is to evolve and define an accessory drive system that will minimize system power consumption of driven accessories on an internal combustion engine in a passenger automobile. The initial program phases established concept feasibility, determined potential fuel savings, and selected a drive system design for concept mechanization. The present Phase IV carries the program through prototype fabrication and bench, engine, and vehicle tests. The final program objective is a detail drive system design and a demonstrated overall vehicle fuel savings potential. The major technical accomplishments during this reporting period were: hydromechanical and mechanical variable-ratio belt drive fabrications completed; compact vehicle fuel economy analysis completed; initial engine check runs for both drive systems were completed; mechanical drive system development and performance mapping was initiated; hydromechanical drive system development tests and modifications were initiated; the hydromechanical drive system installation into the test vehicle was completed; the engine/dynamometer test rig, including accessory load simulators, was completed; and the basic test vehicle instrumentation was completed. (LCL)

The overall objective of this program is to integrate EER's expertise in boiler reburning performance evaluation into a package of analytical computer tools. Specific objectives of the program are to develop a computational capability with the following features: (1) can be used to predict the impact of gas reburning application on thermal conditions in the boiler radiant furnace, and on overall boiler performance; (2) can estimate gas reburning NO{sub x} reduction effectiveness based on specific reburning configurations and furnace/boiler configurations; (3) can be used as an analytical tool to evaluate the impact of boiler process parameters (e.g., fuel switching and changes in boiler operating conditions) on boiler thermal performance; (4) is adaptable to most boiler designs (tangential and wall fire boilers) and a variety of fuels (solid, liquid, gaseous and slurried fuels); (5) is sufficiently user friendly to be exercisable by engineers with a reasonable knowledge of boilers, and with reasonable computer skills. Here, user friendly'' means that the user will be guided by computer codes during the course of setting up individual input files for the boiler performance model.

This report will focus on means of pyrite removal from coal using surface-based coal cleaning technologies. The major subjects being addressed in this study are the natural and modulated surface properties of coal and pyrite and how they may best be utilized to facilitate their separation using advanced surface-based coal cleaning technology. Emphasis is based on modified flotation and oil agglomerative processes and the basic principles involved. The four areas being addressed are: (1) Collectorless flotation of pyrite; (2) Modulation of pyrite and coal hydrophobicity; (3) Emulsion processes and principles; (4) Evaluation of coal hydrophobicity.

The Conceptual Decontamination and Decommissioning Plan (D&D) was developed as a concept for progressing from the final actions of the Disposal Phase, through the Decontamination and Decommissioning Phase, and into the initiation of the Long-Term Monitoring Phase. This plan was written in a manner that coincides with many of the requirements specified in DOE Order 5820.2A. Radioactive Waste Management; ASTM El 167 87, Standard Guide for Radiation Protection Program for Decommissioning Operations; and other documents listed in Attachment 3 of the D&D Plan. However, this conceptual plan does not meet all of the requirements necessary for a Decontamination and Decommissioning plan necessary for submission to the U.S. Congress in accordance with the Land Withdrawal Act (P.L. 102-579). A complete D&D plan that will meet the requirements of all of these documents and of the Land Withdrawal Act will be prepared and submitted to Congress by October 1997.

Initial scoping calculations of the unconfined aquifer at the Hanford Site were carried out for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to investigate the potential impacts on the Hanford unconfined aquifer that would result from leakage from the proposed Black Rock Reservoir to the west. Although impacts on groundwater flow and contaminant transport were quantified based on numerical simulation results, the investigation represented a qualitative assessment of the potential lateral recharge that could result in adverse effects on the aquifer. Because the magnitude of the potential leakage is unknown, hypothetical bounding calculations were performed. When a quantitative analysis of the magnitude of the potential recharge from Black Rock Reservoir is obtained, the hydrologic impacts analysis will be revisited. The analysis presented in this report represents initial bounding calculations. A maximum lateral recharge (i.e., upland flux) was determined in the first part of this study by executing steady-state flow simulations that raised the water table no higher than the elevation attained in the Central Plateau during the Hanford operational period. This metric was selected because it assumed a maximum remobilization of contaminants that existed under previous fully saturated conditions. Three steady-state flow fields were then used to analyze impacts to transient …

The production of energy feedstocks and fuels requires substantial water input. Not only do biofuel feedstocks like corn, switchgrass, and agricultural residues need water for growth and conversion to ethanol, but petroleum feedstocks like crude oil and oil sands also require large volumes of water for drilling, extraction, and conversion into petroleum products. Moreover, in many cases, crude oil production is increasingly water dependent. Competing uses strain available water resources and raise the specter of resource depletion and environmental degradation. Water management has become a key feature of existing projects and a potential issue in new ones. This report examines the growing issue of water use in energy production by characterizing current consumptive water use in liquid fuel production. As used throughout this report, 'consumptive water use' is the sum total of water input less water output that is recycled and reused for the process. The estimate applies to surface and groundwater sources for irrigation but does not include precipitation. Water requirements are evaluated for five fuel pathways: bioethanol from corn, ethanol from cellulosic feedstocks, gasoline from Canadian oil sands, Saudi Arabian crude, and U.S. conventional crude from onshore wells. Regional variations and historic trends are noted, as are opportunities …

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following four sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (3) proposed future instrumentation, and (4) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

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A sample of Sludge Batch 4 (SB4) was pulled from Tank 40 in order to obtain radionuclide inventory analyses necessary for compliance with the Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS). This sample was also analyzed for elemental and chemical composition including noble metals. These analyses along with the WAPS analyses will help define the composition of the sludge currently in Tank 40 which is currently being fed to DWPF and will become part of Sludge Batch 5 (SB5). At SRNL the 3-L Tank 40 SB4 sample was transferred from the shipping container into a 4-L vessel and solids allowed to settle overnight. Supernate was then siphoned off and circulated through the shipping container to complete the transfer of the sample. Following thorough mixing of the 3-L sample, a 280 g sub-sample was removed. This sub-sample was then utilized for all subsequent analytical samples. Eight separate aliquots of the slurry were digested, four with HNO{sub 3}/HCl in sealed Teflon{reg_sign} vessels and four in Na{sub 2}O{sub 2} using Zr crucibles. Due to the use of Zr crucibles and Na in the peroxide fusions, Na and Zr cannot be determined from this preparation. Three glass standards were digested along with a blank for each …

A plasma assistance system was investigated with the goal to operate high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) at lower pressure than usual, thereby to enhance the utilization of the ballistic atoms and ions with high kinetic energy in the film growth process. Gas plasma flow from a constricted plasma source was aimed at the magnetron target. Contrary to initial expectations, such plasma assistance turned out to be contra-productive because it led to the extinction of the magnetron discharge. The effect can be explained by gas rarefaction. A better method of reducing the necessary gas pressure is operation at relatively high pulse repetition rates where the afterglow plasma of one pulse assists in the development of the next pulse. Here we show that this method, known from medium-frequency (MF) pulsed sputtering, is also very important at the much lower pulse repetition rates of HiPIMS. A minimum in the possible operational pressure is found in the frequency region between HiPIMS and MF pulsed sputtering.

The Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at Atqasuk (METTWR2H) uses mainly conventional in situ sensors to measure wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, dew point and humidity mounted on a 10-m tower. It also obtains barometric pressure, visibility, and precipitation data from sensors at or near the base of the tower. In addition, a Chilled Mirror Hygrometer is located at 1 m for comparison purposes. Temperature and relative humidity probes are mounted at 2 m and 5 m on the tower. For more information, see the Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at Atqasuk Handbook.

Technologies for introducing molecules into living cells are vital for probing the physical properties and biochemical interactions that govern the cell's behavior. Here we report the development of a nanoscale cell injection system-termed the nanoinjector-that uses carbon nanotubes to deliver cargo into cells. A single multi-walled carbon nanotube attached to an atomic force microscope tip was functionalized with cargo via a disulfide-based linker. Penetration of cell membranes with this 'nanoneedle', followed by reductive cleavage of the disulfide bonds within the cell's interior, resulted in the release of cargo inside the cells. The capability of the nanoinjector was demonstrated by injection of protein-coated quantum dots into live human cells. Single-particle tracking was employed to characterize the diffusion dynamics of injected quantum dots in the cytosol. This new technique causes no discernible membrane or cell damage, and can deliver a discrete number of molecules to the cell's interior without the requirement of a carrier solvent.

This letter serves as the post-closure monitoring letter report for the above Corrective Action Unit (CAU) for the period October 2006-September 2007. Quarterly inspections were conducted on December 20,2006; March 29,2007; June 13,2007; and September 27, 2007, to observe the condition of the gate, use restriction warning signs, monuments, fencing, trenches, soil covers, and monitoring well covers. The first inspection was conducted on December 20,2006. Signs, fencing, riprap, monuments, and monitoring well covers were in excellent condition. No cracking, erosion, or subsidence was observed on the covers. No issues or concerns were identified, and no corrective actions were recommended. The second inspection was conducted on March 29,2007. Signs, fencing, riprap, monuments, and monitoring well covers were in excellent condition. No cracking, erosion, or subsidence was observed on the covers. Vegetation that was observed to be growing in several locations on the cover was the only identified concern, for which removal was recommended. Vegetation was removed on May 24,2007. The third inspection was conducted on June 13,2007. Signs, fencing, riprap, monuments, and monitoring well covers were in excellent condition. No cracking, erosion, or subsidence was observed on the covers. No issues or concerns were identified, and no corrective actions were recommended. …

Understanding of gadolinium behavior, as it relates to potential neutron poisoning applications at the DWPF, has increased over the past several years as process specific data have been generated. Of primary importance are phenomena related to gadolinium solubility and volatility, which introduce the potential for gadolinium to be separated from fissile materials during Chemical Process Cell (CPC) and Melter operations. Existing data indicate that gadolinium solubilities under moderately low pH conditions can vary over several orders of magnitude, depending on the quantities of other constituents that are present. With respect to sludge batching processes, the gadolinium solubility appears to be highly affected by iron. In cases where the mass ratio of Fe:Gd is 300 or more, the gadolinium solubility has been observed to be low, one milligram per liter or less. In contrast, when the ratio of Fe:Gd is 20 or less, the gadolinium solubility has been found to be relatively high, several thousands of milligrams per liter. For gadolinium to serve as an effective neutron poison in CPC operations, the solubility needs to be limited to approximately 100 mg/L. Unfortunately, the Fe:Gd ratio that corresponds to this solubility limit has not been identified. Existing data suggest gadolinium and plutonium …

Realistic engineering simulation data often have features that are not optimally resolved due to practical limitations on mesh resolution. To be useful to application engineers, vortex characterization techniques must be sufficiently robust to handle realistic data with complex vortex topologies. In this paper, we present enhancements to the vortex topology identification component of an existing vortex characterization algorithm. The modified techniques are demonstrated by application to three realistic data sets that illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of our approach.

Recent claims of a low energy enhancement in the photon strength function of {sup 96}Mo are investigated. Using the DANCE detector the gamma-ray spectra following resonance neutron capture was measured. The spectrum fitting method was used to indirectly extract a photon strength function from the gamma-ray spectra. No strong low energy enhancement in the photon strength function was found.

In 2007, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) formed the Customer Response Task Force (CRTF) to identify barriers to deploying demand response (DR) resources in wholesale markets and develop policies to overcome these barriers. One of the initiatives of this Task Force was to develop more detailed information on existing retail DR programs and dynamic pricing tariffs, program rules, and utility operating practices. This report describes the results of a comprehensive survey conducted by LBNL in support of the Customer Response Task Force and discusses policy implications for integrating legacy retail DR programs and dynamic pricing tariffs into wholesale markets in the SPP region. LBNL conducted a detailed survey of existing DR programs and dynamic pricing tariffs administered by SPP's member utilities. Survey respondents were asked to provide information on advance notice requirements to customers, operational triggers used to call events (e.g. system emergencies, market conditions, local emergencies), use of these DR resources to meet planning reserves requirements, DR resource availability (e.g. seasonal, annual), participant incentive structures, and monitoring and verification (M&V) protocols. Nearly all of the 30 load-serving entities in SPP responded to the survey. Of this group, fourteen SPP member utilities administer 36 DR programs, five dynamic pricing tariffs, …

Grafting of CoII(NCCH3)2Cl2 onto mesoporous Ti-MCM-41 silicain acetonitrile solution affords binuclear Ti-O-CoII sites on the poresurface under complete replacement of the precursor ligands byinteractions with anchored Ti centers and the silica surface. The CoIIligand field spectrum signals that the Co centers are anchored on thepore surface in tetrahedral coordination. FT-infrared action spectroscopyusing ammonia gas adsorption reveals Co-O-Si bond modes at 831 and 762cm-1. No Co oxide clusters are observed in the as-synthesized material.The bimetallic moieties feature an absorption extending from the UV intothe visible to about 600 nm which is attributed to the TiIV-O-CoII?3TiIII-O-CoIII metal-to-metal charge-transfer (MMCT) transition. Thechromophore is absent in MCM-41 containing Ti and Co centers isolatedfrom each other; this material was synthesized by grafting CoII onto aTi-MCM-41 sample with the Ti centers protected by a cyclopentadienylligand. The result indicates that the appearance of the charge-transferabsorption requires that the metal centers are linked by an oxo bridge,which is additionally supported by XANES spectroscopy. The MMCTchromophore of Ti-O-CoII units has sufficient oxidation power to serve asvisible light electron pump for driving multi-electron transfer catalystsof demanding uphill reactions such as water oxidation.

The synthesis and characterization of a Rh(I)-NHC complex generated by C-H activation of 1,4-benzodiazepine heterocycle are reported. This complex constitutes a rare example of a carbene tautomer of a 1,4-benzodiazepine aldimine stabilized by transition metal coordination and demonstrates the ability of the catalytically relevant RhCl(PCy{sub 3}){sub 2} fragment to induce NHC-forming tautomerization of heterocycles possessing a single carbene-stabilizing heteroatom. Implications for the synthesis of benzodiazepines and related pharmacophores via C-H functionalization are discussed.