The Sandia MEMS passive shock sensor : FY07 maturation activities. (open access)

The Sandia MEMS passive shock sensor : FY07 maturation activities.

This report describes activities conducted in FY07 to mature the MEMS passive shock sensor. The first chapter of the report provides motivation and background on activities that are described in detail in later chapters. The second chapter discusses concepts that are important for integrating the MEMS passive shock sensor into a system. Following these two introductory chapters, the report details modeling and design efforts, packaging, failure analysis and testing and validation. At the end of FY07, the MEMS passive shock sensor was at TRL 4.
Date: August 1, 2008
Creator: Houston, Jack E.; Blecke, Jill; Mitchell, John Anthony; Wittwer, Jonathan W.; Crowson, Douglas A.; Clemens, Rebecca C. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
INERI-2006-003-F FY07 Annual Report (open access)

INERI-2006-003-F FY07 Annual Report

Project Title: Comparison of Characterization Methods for Anisotropy and Microstructure of TRISO Particle Layers This INERI was created to support a comparative study between the newly developed two modulator generalized ellipsometry microscope (2-MGEM) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the more traditional optical polarimeter (RAPAX) at the Commissariat l' nergie Atomique (CEA). These two systems are used to measure the anisotropy of the pyrocarbon layers in tri-isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel, which is an important parameter related to fuel performance. Although this project was only just started in June 2007, good progress has already been made. A kickoff meeting was held at ORNL on July 30-31, 2007 to present early progress and discuss details of the proposed work plan. This meeting was of great benefit to the participants, offering an opportunity to overcome the language barrier and more thoroughly communicate project relevant information. Each technical lead gave a presentation explaining the analysis techniques used in his task and presented data on early measurements of the German reference fuels. Plans were finalized regarding what work needed to be done and how to proceed with the comparative study. Possibilities for the inclusion of other coated particle samples, in addition to …
Date: October 1, 2007
Creator: Hunn, John D
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY07 Final Report for Calibration Systems (open access)

FY07 Final Report for Calibration Systems

Remote infrared (IR) sensing provides a valuable method for detection and identification of materials associated with nuclear proliferation. Current challenges for remote sensors include minimizing the size, mass, and power requirements for cheaper, smaller, and more deployable instruments without affecting the measurement performance. One area that is often overlooked is sensor calibration design that is optimized to minimize the cost, size, weight, and power of the payload. Yet, an on-board calibration system is essential to account for changes in the detector response once the instrument has been removed from the laboratory. The Calibration Systems project at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is aimed towards developing and demonstrating compact quantum cascade (QC) laser-based calibration systems for infrared sensor systems in order to provide both a spectral and radiometric calibration while minimizing the impact on the instrument payload. In FY05, PNNL demonstrated a multi-level radiance scheme that provides six radiance levels for an enhanced linearity check compared to the currently accepted two-point scheme. PNNL began testing the repeatability of this scheme using a cryogenically cooled, single-mode quantum cascade laser (QCL). A cyclic variation in the power was observed that was attributed to the thermal cycling of the laser's dewar. In FY06, PNNL …
Date: December 1, 2007
Creator: Myers, Tanya L.; Broocks, Bryan T.; Cannon, Bret D. & Ho, Nicolas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Documentation of Short Stack and Button Cell Experiments Performed at INL and Ceramatec during FY07 (open access)

Documentation of Short Stack and Button Cell Experiments Performed at INL and Ceramatec during FY07

This report provides documentation of experimental research activities performed at the Idaho National Laboratory and at Ceramatec, Inc. during FY07 under the DOE Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative, High Temperature Electrolysis Program. The activities discussed in this report include tests on single (button) cells, short planar stacks and tubular cells. The objectives of these small-scale tests are to evaluate advanced electrode, electrolyte, and interconnect materials, alternate modes of operation (e.g., coelectrolysis), and alternate cell geometries over a broad range of operating conditions, with the aim of identifying the most promising material et, cell and stack geometry, and operating conditions for the high-temperature electrolysis application. Cell performance is characterized in erms of initial area-specific resistance and long-term stability in the electrolysis mode. Some of the tests were run in the coelectrolysis mode. Research into coelectrolysis was funded by Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD). Coelectrolysis simultaneously converts steam to hydrogen and carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. This process is complicated by the reverse shift reaction. An equilibrium model was developed to predict outlet compositions of steam, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide resulting from coelectrolysis. Predicted ompositions were compared to measurements obtained with a precision micro-channel gas chromatograph.
Date: September 1, 2007
Creator: O'Brien, J. E.; Stoots, C. M.; Hartvigsen, J. J. & Herring, J. S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
HyPEP FY-07 Report: System Integration Model Development (open access)

HyPEP FY-07 Report: System Integration Model Development

The integrated system of a Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (VHTR) and a High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) process is one of systems being investigated by the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory. This system will produce hydrogen by utilizing a highly efficient VHTR with an outlet temperature of 900 °C and supplying necessary energy and electricity to the HTSE process for electrolysis of high temperature steam. This report includes a description of five configurations including an indirect parallel cycle, an indirect serial cycle, a direct serial cycle, a steam combined cycle, and a reheat cycle. HYSYS simulations were performed for each of these configurations coupled to a HTSE process. Final results are presented along with parametric studies and process optimization.
Date: April 1, 2007
Creator: Oh, C. H.; Kim, E. S.; Sherman, S. R. & Vilim, R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
HyPEP-FY 07 Annual Report: A Hydrogen Production Plant Efficiency Calculation Program (open access)

HyPEP-FY 07 Annual Report: A Hydrogen Production Plant Efficiency Calculation Program

The Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (VHTR) coupled to the High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) process is one of two reference integrated systems being investigated by the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory for the production of hydrogen. In this concept the VHTR outlet temperature of 900 °C provides thermal energy and high efficiency electricity for the electrolysis of steam in the HTSE process. In the second reference system the Sulfur Iodine (SI) process is coupled to the VHTR to produce hydrogen thermochemically. In the HyPEP project we are investigating and characterizing these two reference systems with respect to production, operability, and safety performance criteria. Under production, plant configuration and working fluids are being studied for their effect on efficiency. Under operability, control strategies are being developed with the goal of maintaining equipment within operating limits while meeting changes in demand. Safety studies are to investigate plant response for equipment failures. Specific objectives in FY07 were (1) to develop HyPEP Beta and verification and validation (V&V) plan, (2) to perform steady state system integration, (3) to perform parametric studies with various working fluids and power conversion unit (PCU) configurations, (4) the study of design options such as pressure, …
Date: September 1, 2007
Creator: Oh, Chang
System: The UNT Digital Library
HyPEP FY-07 Report: Initial Calculations of Component Sizes, Quasi-Static, and Dynamics Analyses (open access)

HyPEP FY-07 Report: Initial Calculations of Component Sizes, Quasi-Static, and Dynamics Analyses

The Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (VHTR) coupled to the High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) process is one of two reference integrated systems being investigated by the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory for the production of hydrogen. In this concept a VHTR outlet temperature of 900 °C provides thermal energy and high efficiency electricity for the electrolysis of steam in the HTSE process. In the second reference system the Sulfur Iodine (SI) process is coupled to the VHTR to produce hydrogen thermochemically. This report describes component sizing studies and control system strategies for achieving plant production and operability goals for these two reference systems. The optimal size and design condition for the intermediate heat exchanger, one of the most important components for integration of the VHTR and HTSE plants, was estimated using an analytic model. A partial load schedule and control system was designed for the integrated plant using a quasi-static simulation. Reactor stability for temperature perturbations in the hydrogen plant was investigated using both a simple analytic method and a dynamic simulation. Potential efficiency improvements over the VHTR/HTSE plant were investigated for an alternative design that directly couples a High Temperature Steam Rankin Cycle (HTRC) to …
Date: July 1, 2007
Creator: Oh, Chang
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2007 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Progress Report for the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Program (open access)

FY2007 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Progress Report for the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Program

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (composed of automakers Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) announced in January 2002 a new cooperative research effort. Known as 'FreedomCAR' (derived from 'Freedom' and 'Cooperative Automotive Research'), it represents DOE's commitment to developing public/private partnerships to fund high-risk, high-payoff research into advanced automotive technologies. Efficient fuel cell technology, which uses hydrogen to power automobiles without air pollution, is a very promising pathway to achieving the ultimate vision. The new partnership replaces and builds upon the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles initiative that ran from 1993 through 2001. The Advanced Power Electronics and Electric Machines (APEEM) subprogram within the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program provides support and guidance for many cutting-edge automotive technologies now under development. Research is focused on understanding and improving the way the various new components of tomorrow's automobiles will function as a unified system to improve fuel efficiency. In supporting the development of hybrid propulsion systems, the APEEM effort has enabled the development of technologies that will significantly improve advanced vehicle efficiency, costs, and fuel economy. The APEEM subprogram supports the efforts of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership through a three-phase approach …
Date: October 1, 2007
Creator: Olszewski, Mitchell
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2007 NREL Energy Storage R&D Progress Report (open access)

FY2007 NREL Energy Storage R&D Progress Report

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is engaged in research and development activities to support achieving targets and objectives set by the Energy Storage Program at the Office of FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technology in the U.S. Department of Energy. These activities include: 1. supporting the Battery Technology Development Program with battery thermal characterization and modeling and with energy storage system simulations and analysis; 2. supporting the Applied Research Program by developing thermal models to address abuse of Li-Ion batteries; and 3. supporting the Focused Long-Term Research Program by investigating improved Li-Ion battery electrode materials. This report summarizes the results of NREL energy storage activities in FY07.
Date: November 1, 2007
Creator: Pesaran, A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fiscal Year 2007 Phased Construction Completion Report for the Zone 2 Soils, Slabs, and Subsurface Structures at East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (open access)

Fiscal Year 2007 Phased Construction Completion Report for the Zone 2 Soils, Slabs, and Subsurface Structures at East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

The purpose of this Phased Construction Completion Report (PCCR) is to present the fiscal year (FY) 2007 results of characterization activities and recommended remedial actions (RAs) for 11 exposure units (EUs) in Zone 2 (Z2-01, Z2-03, Z2-08, Z2-23, Z2-24, Z2-28, Z2-34, Z2-37, Z2-41, Z2-43, and Z2-44) at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), which is located in the northwest corner of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (Fig. 1). ETTP encompasses a total land area of approximately 5000 acres that has been subdivided into three zones--Zone 1 ({approx}1400 acres), Zone 2 ({approx}800 acres), and the Boundary Area ({approx}2800 acres). Zone 2, which encompasses the highly industrialized portion of ETTP shown in Fig. 1, consists of all formerly secured areas of the facility, including the large processing buildings and direct support facilities; experimental laboratories and chemical and materials handling facilities; materials storage and waste disposal facilities; secure document records libraries; and shipping and receiving warehouses. The Zone 2 Record of Decision for Soil, Buried Waste, and Subsurface Structure Actions in Zone 2, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (DOE 2005) (Zone 2 ROD) specifies the future end use for Zone 2 acreage as …
Date: March 1, 2008
Creator: RSI
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY07 Summary of System Interface and Support Systems R&D and Technical Issues Map (open access)

FY07 Summary of System Interface and Support Systems R&D and Technical Issues Map

This document provides a summary of research and development activities in the System Interface and Support Systems area of the DOE Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative in FY 2007. Project cost and performance data obtained from the PICS system, at least up through July 2007, are presented and analyzed. Brief summaries of accomplishments and references are provided. A mapping of System Interface and Support Systems technical issues versus the work performed is updated and presented. Lastly, near-term research plans are described, and recommendatioins are provided for additional research.
Date: September 1, 2007
Creator: Sherman, Steven R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Technical Issues Map for the NHI System Interface and Support Systems Area: 1st Quarter FY 07 (open access)

Technical Issues Map for the NHI System Interface and Support Systems Area: 1st Quarter FY 07

This document provides a mapping of technical issues associated with development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) intermediate heat transport loop and nuclear hydrogen plant support systems to the work that has been accomplished or is currently underway. The technical issues are ranked according to priority and by assumed resolution dates. Due to funding limitations, not all high-priority technical issues are under study at the present time, and more resources will need to be dedicated to tackling such issues in the future. This technical issues map is useful for understanding the relative importance of various technical challenges and will be used as a planning tool for future work package planning.
Date: December 1, 2006
Creator: Sherman, Steven R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Technical Issues Map for the NHI System Interface and Support Systems Area: 2nd Quarter FY07 (open access)

Technical Issues Map for the NHI System Interface and Support Systems Area: 2nd Quarter FY07

This document provides a mapping of technical issues associated with development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) intermediate heat transport loop and nuclear hydrogen plant support systems to the work that has been accomplished or is currently underway in the 2nd quarter of FY07.
Date: March 1, 2007
Creator: Sherman, Steven R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Technical Issues Map for the NHI System Interface and Support Systems Area: 3rd Quarter FY 07 (open access)

Technical Issues Map for the NHI System Interface and Support Systems Area: 3rd Quarter FY 07

This document provides a mapping of technical issues associated with development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) intermediate heat transport loop and nuclear hydrogen plant support systems to the work that has been accomplished or is currently underway. The technical issues are ranked according to priority and by assumed resolution dates. Due to funding limitations, not all high-priority technical issues are under study at the present time, and more resources will need to be dedicated to tackling such issues in the future. This technical issues map is useful for understanding the relative importance of various technical challenges and will be used as a planning tool by the NHI technical leadership for future work package planning. The technical map in its present form will be discontinued in FY08 and will be folded into a larger NHI System Interface and Support Systems project management plan and scope baseline statement in FY08.
Date: June 1, 2007
Creator: Sherman, Steven R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Transportation Program Expenditures: 2007 (open access)

Texas Transportation Program Expenditures: 2007

Annual report detailing expenditures by the Texas Department of Transportation during 2007, including the unified transportation program (UTP), turnpike and toll road projects, and some rail facilities, as well as the amount of bonds, public securities, and other funds used for transportation projects.
Date: December 1, 2007
Creator: Texas. Department of Transportation.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Health Professions Council Annual Report: 2007 (open access)

Texas Health Professions Council Annual Report: 2007

Report on the activities of the Health Professions Council for fiscal year 2007, highlighting the organization's accomplishments and budget.
Date: February 1, 2008
Creator: Texas. Health Professions Council.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative AFC-1D, AFC-1G, and AFC-1H End of FY-07 Irradiation Report (open access)

Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative AFC-1D, AFC-1G, and AFC-1H End of FY-07 Irradiation Report

The purpose of the U.S. Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), now within the broader context of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), is to develop and demonstrate the technologies needed to transmute the long-lived transuranic isotopes contained in spent nuclear fuel into shorter-lived fission products. Success in this undertaking could potentially dramatically decrease the volume of material requiring disposal with attendant reductions in long-term radio-toxicity and heat load of high-level waste sent to a geologic repository. One important component of the technology development is investigation of irradiation/transmutation effects on actinide-bearing metallic fuel forms containing plutonium, neptunium, americium (and possibly curium) isotopes. Goals of this initiative include addressing the limited irradiation performance data available on metallic fuels with high concentrations of Pu, Np and Am, as are envisioned for use as actinide transmutation fuels. The AFC-1 irradiation experiments of transmutation fuels are expected to provide irradiation performance data on non-fertile and low-fertile fuel forms specifically, irradiation growth and swelling, helium production, fission gas release, fission product and fuel constituent migration, fuel phase equilibria, and fuel-cladding chemical interaction. Contained in this report are the to-date physics evaluations performed on three of the AFC-1 experiments; AFC-1D, AFC-1G and AFC-1H. The AFC-1D irradiation experiment …
Date: September 1, 2007
Creator: Utterbeck, Debra J.; Chang, Gray S. & Lillo, Misit A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: FY2007 Appropriations (open access)

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: FY2007 Appropriations

This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It summarizes the status of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity.
Date: December 1, 2006
Creator: Vincent, Carol H.; Bearden, David M.; Corn, M. L.; Gorte, Ross W.; Humphries, Marc; Sheikh, Pervaze A. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
200-BP-1 Prototype Hanford Barrier Annual Monitoring Report for Fiscal Years 2005 Through 2007 (open access)

200-BP-1 Prototype Hanford Barrier Annual Monitoring Report for Fiscal Years 2005 Through 2007

A prototype Hanford barrier was deployed over the 216-B-57 Crib at the Hanford Site in 1994 to prevent percolation through the underlying waste and to minimize spreading of buried contaminants. This barrier is being monitored to evaluate physical and hydrologic performance at the field scale. This report summarizes data collected during the period FY 2005 through FY 2007. In FY 2007, monitoring of the prototype Hanford barrier focused on barrier stability, vegetative cover, evidence of plant and animal intrusion, and the main components of the water balance, including precipitation, runoff, storage, drainage, and deep percolation. Owing to a hiatus in funding in FY 2005 through 2006, data collected were limited to automated measurements of the water-balance components. For the reporting period (October 2004 through September 2007) precipitation amount and distribution were close to normal. The cumulative amount of water received from October 1994 through September 2007 was 3043.45 mm on the northern half of the barrier, which is the formerly irrigated treatment, and 2370.58 mm on the southern, non-irrigated treatments. Water storage continued to show a cyclic pattern, increasing in the winter and declining in the spring and summer to a lower limit of around 100 mm in response to …
Date: February 1, 2008
Creator: Ward, Andy L.; Link, Steven O.; Strickland, Christopher E.; Draper, Kathryn E. & Clayton, Ray E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wind Powering America FY07 Activities Summary (open access)

Wind Powering America FY07 Activities Summary

The Wind Powering America FY07 Activities Summary reflects the accomplishments of our state wind working groups, our programs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and our partner organizations. The national WPA team remains a leading force for moving wind energy forward in the United States. WPA continues to work with its national, regional, and state partners to communicate the opportunities and benefits of wind energy to a diverse set of stakeholders. WPA now has 30 state wind working groups (welcoming Georgia and Wisconsin in 2007) that form strategic alliances to communicate wind's benefits to the state stakeholders. More than 140 members of national and state public and private sector organizations from 39 U.S. states and Canada attended the 6th Annual WPA All-States Summit in Los Angeles in June. WPA's emphasis remains on the rural agricultural sector, which stands to reap the significant economic development benefits of wind energy development. Additionally, WPA continues its program of outreach, education, and technical assistance to Native American communities, public power entities, and regulatory and legislative bodies.
Date: February 1, 2008
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library