Resource Type

Language

B physics: measurement of the lifetime difference between b_s mass eigenstates (open access)

B physics: measurement of the lifetime difference between b_s mass eigenstates

We present measurements of the lifetimes and polarization amplitudes for B{sub s}{sup 0} {yields} J/{psi}{phi} and B{sub d}{sup 0} {yields} J/{psi} K*{sup 0} decays. Lifetimes of the heavy (H) and light (L) mass eigenstates in the B{sub s}{sup 0} system are separately measured for the first time by determining the relative contributions of amplitudes with definite CP as a function of the decay time.
Date: April 28, 2005
Creator: Acosta, D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Post Hoc Evaluation of Long-Term Goals for Energy Savings in the Buildings Sector: Lessons from Hindsight (open access)

Post Hoc Evaluation of Long-Term Goals for Energy Savings in the Buildings Sector: Lessons from Hindsight

This report is one of two that re-examines the forecasted impact of individual programs currently within the Buildings Technology Program (BT) and the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP) that appeared in the FY2000 Presidential Budget request. This report outlines the effects of re-estimating the FY 2000 budget request based on overlaying project data from subsequent years essentially revised out-year forecasts of project benefits. It shows that year-to-year long-term projections of primary energy savings can vary widely as models improve and programs change. Note that the FY2000 budget request was originally analyzed under the former Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs (BTS), where BT and WIP were previously combined. Throughout the document, reference will be made to the predecessor of the BT and WIP programs, BTS, as FY2000 reflected that organization. A companion report develops potential methods for allowing inherent risk to be captured in the project benefits analysis. The point estimates in this paper are not influenced by uncertainty or risk. That report develops potential methods for allowing inherent risk to affect the benefits analysis via Monte Carlo simulation.
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Anderson, Dave M. & Hostick, Donna J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Innovative Reactor Analysis Methodology Based on a Quasidiffusion Nodal Core Model. Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) Program. Quarterly Technical Progress Report (open access)

An Innovative Reactor Analysis Methodology Based on a Quasidiffusion Nodal Core Model. Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) Program. Quarterly Technical Progress Report

Status Summary of NERI Tasks - Phase 1 - Task 1. The development of the following methods in ID slab geometry: (1) Homogenization and definition of discontinuity factors, (2) Group constants functionalization using assembly transport solution of multigroup eigenvalue problem with albedo boundary conditions, and (3) Solving coarse-mesh effective few-group 1D QD moment equations using tables of data parameterized with respect to the ratio {rvec n} {center_dot} {bar J}{sup G}/{bar {phi}}{sup G} on boundaries. Status Summary of NERI Tasks - Phase 1 - Task 2. Development of a numerical method for solving the 2D few-group moment QD equations: (1) Development of a nodal discretization method for 2D moment QD equations, and (2) Development of an efficient iteration method for solving the system of equations of the nodal discretization method for 2D moment QD equations.
Date: April 28, 2000
Creator: Anistratov, Dmitriy Y.; Adams, Marvin L.; Palmer, Todd S. & Smith, Kord S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Stafford Act Disaster Assistance: Presidential Declarations, Eligible Activities, and Funding (open access)

Federal Stafford Act Disaster Assistance: Presidential Declarations, Eligible Activities, and Funding

This report discusses the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act), which authorizes the President to issue major disaster or emergency declarations in response to catastrophes that overwhelm state and local governments.
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: Bea, Keith
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues (open access)

Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues

None
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Gap: Administration Proposal to Require Information Reporting on Merchant Payment Card Reimbursements (open access)

Tax Gap: Administration Proposal to Require Information Reporting on Merchant Payment Card Reimbursements

The high current and forecast budget deficits as well as pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) procedures have resulted in congressional and executive branch interest in raising additional revenue through proposals for improved tax compliance. The Bush Administration’s FY2009 budget includes a proposal (the proposal) to require each payment card processor to inform the IRS on the net dollar amount paid to reimburse each merchant (i.e., seller) for his payment card receipts in a calendar year. Payment cards consist of both credit cards and debit cards. This report examines the proposal by describing current law, presenting the proposal contained in the FY2009 budget, describing the structure of the payment card industry, analyzing the justifications for the proposal, explaining the criticisms of the proposal, and offering concluding observations.
Date: April 28, 2008
Creator: Bickley, James M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A COMPUTATIONAL WORKBENCH ENVIRONMENT FOR VIRTUAL POWER PLANT SIMULATION (open access)

A COMPUTATIONAL WORKBENCH ENVIRONMENT FOR VIRTUAL POWER PLANT SIMULATION

This is the fourteenth Quarterly Technical Report for DOE Cooperative Agreement No: DE-FC26-00NT41047. The goal of the project is to develop and demonstrate a Virtual Engineering-based framework for simulating the performance of Advanced Power Systems. Within the last quarter, good progress has been made on all aspects of the project. Software development efforts have focused primarily on completing a prototype detachable user interface for the framework and on integrating Carnegie Mellon Universities IECM model core with the computational engine. In addition to this work, progress has been made on several other development and modeling tasks for the program. These include: (1) improvements to the infrastructure code of the computational engine, (2) enhancements to the model interfacing specifications, (3) additional development to increase the robustness of all framework components, (4) enhanced coupling of the computational and visualization engine components, (5) a series of detailed simulations studying the effects of gasifier inlet conditions on the heat flux to the gasifier injector, and (6) detailed plans for implementing models for mercury capture for both warm and cold gas cleanup have been created.
Date: April 28, 2004
Creator: Bockelie, Mike; Swensen, Dave; Denison, Martin; Chen, Zumao; Linjewile, Temi; Maguire, Mike et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Middle East Free Trade Area: Progress Report (open access)

Middle East Free Trade Area: Progress Report

The purpose of this report is to describe Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) in terms of: (1) its impetus, (2) its major elements; (3) background trade data, (4) details; and (5) arguments for each.
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
System: The UNT Digital Library
Enhanced Functionality for Materials Analysis in the DTEM (open access)

Enhanced Functionality for Materials Analysis in the DTEM

The recent explosion in the use of pump–probe studies on the picosecond timescale to investigate structural and electronic phase transitions and the dynamics of chemical reactions has been based largely on laser–induced reactions coupled with laser interrogation techniques, or on laser induced reactions coupled with synchrotron radiation interrogation techniques. Much less attention has been given to approaches based on laser–induced (or electron–beam–induced) reactions coupled with electron interrogation methods, despite the fact that electron sources are brighter, and their interactions with matter stronger (thereby giving higher signal levels). The use of electrons as probes has great potential to study complex transient events not only because of the possible high temporal resolution using ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) but also the potential for high spatial resolution using dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM). Taking this potential of electron interrogation methods and turning it into a routine nanoscale characterization technique requires several key aspects of the instrumentation used for electron microscopy/diffraction to be optimized. In this proposal, several approaches to instrument optimization for DTEM and UED (to be performed in the same instrument) will be addressed. The new instrumentation developments will be used to study the dynamics of strongly driven materials, aging and corrosion in …
Date: April 28, 2008
Creator: Browning, Nigel D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Damage Detection and Identification of Finite Element Models Using State-Space Based Signal Processing a Summation of Work Completed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory February 1999 to April 2000 (open access)

Damage Detection and Identification of Finite Element Models Using State-Space Based Signal Processing a Summation of Work Completed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory February 1999 to April 2000

Until recently, attempts to update Finite Element Models (FEM) of large structures based upon recording structural motions were mostly ad hoc, requiring a large amount of engineering experience and skill. Studies have been undertaken at LLNL to use state-space based signal processing techniques to locate the existence and type of model mismatches common in FEM. Two different methods (Gauss-Newton gradient search and extended Kalman filter) have been explored, and the progress made in each type of algorithm as well as the results from several simulated and one actual building model will be discussed. The algorithms will be examined in detail, and the computer programs written to implement the algorithms will be documented.
Date: April 28, 2000
Creator: Burnett, G. C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Field Test Program for Long-Term Operation of a COHPAC System for Removing Mercury from Coal-Fired Flue Gas (open access)

Field Test Program for Long-Term Operation of a COHPAC System for Removing Mercury from Coal-Fired Flue Gas

With the Nation's coal-burning utilities facing the possibility of tighter controls on mercury pollutants, the U.S. Department of Energy is funding projects that could offer power plant operators better ways to reduce these emissions at much lower costs. Sorbent injection technology represents one of the simplest and most mature approaches to controlling mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers. It involves injecting a solid material such as powdered activated carbon into the flue gas. The gas-phase mercury in the flue gas contacts the sorbent and attaches to its surface. The sorbent with the mercury attached is then collected by the existing particle control device along with the other solid material, primarily fly ash. During 2001, ADA Environmental Solutions (ADA-ES) conducted a full-scale demonstration of sorbent-based mercury control technology at the Alabama Power E.C. Gaston Station (Wilsonville, Alabama). This unit burns a low-sulfur bituminous coal and uses a hot-side electrostatic precipitator (ESP) in combination with a Compact Hybrid Particulate Collector (COHPAC{reg_sign}) baghouse to collect fly ash. The majority of the fly ash is collected in the ESP with the residual being collected in the COHPAC{reg_sign} baghouse. Activated carbon was injected between the ESP and COHPAC{reg_sign} units to collect the mercury. Short-term mercury removal …
Date: April 28, 2005
Creator: Bustard, Jean; Lindsey, Charles; Starns, Paul Brignac: Travis; Sjostrom, Sharon; Taylor, Trent & Larson, Cindy
System: The UNT Digital Library
PHASE II CALDERON PROCESS TO PRODUCE DIRECT REDUCED IRON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (open access)

PHASE II CALDERON PROCESS TO PRODUCE DIRECT REDUCED IRON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

This project was initially targeted to the making of coke for blast furnaces by using proprietary technology of Calderon in a phased approach, and Phase I was successfully completed. The project was then re-directed to the making of iron units. U.S. Steel teamed up with Calderon for a joint effort which will last 30 months to produce directly reduced iron with the potential of converting it into molten iron or steel consistent with the Roadmap recommendations of 1998 prepared by the Steel Industry in cooperation with the Department of Energy.
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Calderon, Albert
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pilot Study of the Effects of Simulated Turbine Passage Pressure on Juvenile Chinook Salmon Acclimated with Access to Air at Absolute Pressures Greater than Atmospheric (open access)

Pilot Study of the Effects of Simulated Turbine Passage Pressure on Juvenile Chinook Salmon Acclimated with Access to Air at Absolute Pressures Greater than Atmospheric

The impacts of pressure on juvenile salmon who pass through the turbines of hydroelectric dams while migrating downstream on the Columbia and Snake rivers has not been well understood, especially as these impacts relate to injury to the fish's swim bladder. The laboratory studies described here were conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the US Army Corps of Engineers Portland District at PNNL's fisheries research laboratories in 2004 to investigate the impacts of simulated turbine passage pressure on fish permitted to achieve neutral buoyancy at pressures corresponding to depths at which they are typically observed during downstream migration. Two sizes of juvenile Chinook salmon were tested, 80-100mm and 125-145mm total length. Test fish were acclimated for 22 to 24 hours in hyperbaric chambers at pressures simulating depths of 15, 30, or 60 ft, with access to a large air bubble. High rates of deflated swim bladders and mortality were observed. Our results while in conclusive show that juvenile salmon are capable of drawing additional air into their swimbladder to compensate for the excess mass of implanted telemetry devices. However they may pay a price in terms of increased susceptibility to injury, predation, and death for this additional air.
Date: April 28, 2005
Creator: Carlson, Thomas J. & Abernethy, Cary S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee Hearings: Arranging Witnesses (open access)

House Committee Hearings: Arranging Witnesses

This report
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Carr, Thomas P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Senate Committee Reports: Required Contents (open access)

Senate Committee Reports: Required Contents

None
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Carr, Thomas P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Angular and Linear Velocity Estimation for a Re-Entry Vehicle Using Six Distributed Accelerometers: Theory, Simulation and Feasibility (open access)

Angular and Linear Velocity Estimation for a Re-Entry Vehicle Using Six Distributed Accelerometers: Theory, Simulation and Feasibility

This report describes a feasibility study. We are interested in calculating the angular and linear velocities of a re-entry vehicle using six acceleration signals from a distributed accelerometer inertial measurement unit (DAIMU). Earlier work showed that angular and linear velocity calculation using classic nonlinear ordinary differential equation (ODE) solvers is not practically feasible, due to mathematical and numerical difficulties. This report demonstrates the theoretical feasibility of using model-based nonlinear state estimation techniques to obtain the angular and linear velocities in this problem. Practical numerical and calibration issues require additional work to resolve. We show that the six accelerometers in the DAIMU are not sufficient to provide observability, so additional measurements of the system states are required (e.g. from a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit). Given the constraint that our system cannot use GPS, we propose using the existing on-board 3-axis magnetometer to measure angular velocity. We further show that the six nonlinear ODE's for the vehicle kinematics can be decoupled into three ODE's in the angular velocity and three ODE's in the linear velocity. This allows us to formulate a three-state Gauss-Markov system model for the angular velocities, using the magnetometer signals in the measurement model. This re-formulated model is …
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Clark, Grace
System: The UNT Digital Library
Insurance Regulation: International Developments (open access)

Insurance Regulation: International Developments

This report provides an overview of the international developments of the insurance regulation.
Date: April 28, 2004
Creator: Cobb, Carolyn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nigeria in Political Transition (open access)

Nigeria in Political Transition

None
Date: April 28, 2005
Creator: Dagne, Ted
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sudan:  Humanitarian Crisis, Peace Talks, Terrorism, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis, Peace Talks, Terrorism, and U.S. Policy

None
Date: April 28, 2005
Creator: Dagne, Ted
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nigeria in Political Transition (open access)

Nigeria in Political Transition

None
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Dagne, Theodore S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
TOXECON RETROFIT FOR MERCURY AND MULTI-POLLUTANT CONTROL ON THREE 90-MW COAL-FIRED BOILERS (open access)

TOXECON RETROFIT FOR MERCURY AND MULTI-POLLUTANT CONTROL ON THREE 90-MW COAL-FIRED BOILERS

With the Nation's coal-burning utilities facing tighter controls on mercury pollutants, the U.S. Department of Energy is supporting projects that could offer power plant operators better ways to reduce these emissions at much lower costs. Sorbent injection technology represents one of the simplest and most mature approaches to controlling mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers. It involves injecting a solid material such as powdered activated carbon into the flue gas. The gas-phase mercury in the flue gas contacts the sorbent and attaches to its surface. The sorbent with the mercury attached is then collected by a particulate control device along with the other solid material, primarily fly ash. We Energies has over 3,200 MW of coal-fired generating capacity and supports an integrated multi-emission control strategy for SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, and mercury emissions while maintaining a varied fuel mix for electric supply. The primary goal of this project is to reduce mercury emissions from three 90-MW units that burn Powder River Basin coal at the We Energies Presque Isle Power Plant. Additional goals are to reduce nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}), sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}), and particulate matter (PM) emissions, allow for reuse and sale of fly ash, demonstrate a reliable mercury …
Date: April 28, 2006
Creator: Derenne, Steven T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Complete Numerical Simulation of Subcooled Flow Boiling in the Presence of Thermal and Chemical Interactions (open access)

Complete Numerical Simulation of Subcooled Flow Boiling in the Presence of Thermal and Chemical Interactions

At present, guidelines for fuel cycle designs to prevent axial offset anomalies (AOA) in pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores are based on empirical data from several operating reactors. Although the guidelines provide an ad-hoc solution to the problem, a unified approach based on simultaneous modeling of thermal-hydraulics, chemical, and nuclear interactions with vapor generation at the fuel cladding surface does not exist. As a result, the fuel designs are overly constrained with a resulting economic penalty. The objective of present project is to develop a numerical simulation model supported by laboratory experiments that can be used for fuel cycle design with respect to thermal duty of the fuel to avoid economic penalty, as well as, AOA. At first, two-dimensional numerical simulation of the growth and departure of a bubble in pool boiling with chemical interaction is considered. A finite difference scheme is used to solve the equations governing conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and species concentration. The Level Set method is used to capture the evolving liquid-vapor interface. A dilute aqueous boron solution is considered in the simulation. From numerical simulations, the dynamic change in concentration distribution of boron during the bubble growth shows that the precipitation of boron can …
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Dhir, V.K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dimensional Stability and Microstructure Evolution in Irradiated Systems with Complex Kinetics (open access)

Dimensional Stability and Microstructure Evolution in Irradiated Systems with Complex Kinetics

We use a combination of molecular dynamics and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to explore the role of temperature and dose rate on damage accumulation in a model system with complex kinetics. We describe the accumulation of He-vacancy (HeV) complexes as well as vacancy and interstitial clusters as a function of irradiation temperature, dose, and dose rate. We show that nucleation of stable HeV complexes (voids and bubbles) at low temperature and flux takes place at extremely low doses. We also describe the effect of temperature on the HeV complex size distribution and show that growth beyond a critical nucleation size is not possible in this system at temperatures above 300 K for dose rates smaller than 10{sup -8} dpa/s. We further demonstrate that a temperature shift of 25 K per decade of flux scales the dose rate dependence of He-vacancy complex (voids and bubbles) accumulation when irradiation is carried out to low doses (0.03-0.06 dpa) at temperatures between 150 K and 300 K and dose rates of 10{sup -6}, 10{sup -7}, 10{sup -8}, and 10{sup -9} dpa/s. The results provide an atomistic description of microstructure evolution including void nucleation and the early stages of growth, and should be useful in …
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Diaz de la Rubia, T; Caturla, M J & Fluss, M J
System: The UNT Digital Library
A NOVEL MEMBRANE REACTOR FOR DIRECT HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FROM COAL (open access)

A NOVEL MEMBRANE REACTOR FOR DIRECT HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FROM COAL

Gas Technology Institute is developing a novel concept of membrane reactor coupled with a gasifier for high efficiency, clean and low cost production of hydrogen from coal. The concept incorporates a hydrogen-selective membrane within a gasification reactor for direct extraction of hydrogen from coal-derived synthesis gases. The objective of this project is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of this concept by screening, testing and identifying potential candidate membranes under high temperature, high pressure, and harsh environments of the coal gasification conditions. The best performing membranes will be selected for preliminary reactor design and cost estimates. To evaluate the performances of the candidate membranes under the gasification conditions, a high temperature/high pressure hydrogen permeation unit has been constructed in this project. The unit is designed to operate at temperatures up to 1100 C and pressures to 60 atm for evaluation of ceramic membranes such as mixed protonic-electronic conducting membrane. Several perovskite membranes based on the formulations of BCN (BaCe{sub 0.8}Nd{sub 0.2}O{sub 3-x}), BCY (BaCe{sub 0.8}Y{sub 0.2}O{sub 3-x}), Eu-doped SrCeO{sub 3} (SCE) and SrCe{sub 0.95}Tm{sub 0.05}O{sub 3} (SCTm) were successfully tested in the new permeation unit. During this reporting period, a thin BCN membrane supported on a porous BCN layer …
Date: April 28, 2005
Creator: Doong, Shain; Ong, Estela; Atroshenko, Mike; Lau, Francis & Roberts, Mike
System: The UNT Digital Library