This report describes the technical progress on a project to design and construct a multichannel geophone array that improves tomographic imaging capabilities in both surface and underground mines. No work was completed during this reporting period as project personnel are waiting for the mine to become available for final field testing of the array. Improved imaging capabilities will produce energy, environmental, and economic benefits by increasing exploration accuracy and reducing operating costs.

OAK-B135 Six 110 GHz gyrotrons in the 1 MW class are operational on DIII-D. Source power is > 4.0 MW for pulse lengths {le} 2.1 s and {approx} 2.8 MW for 5.0 s. The rf beams can be steered poloidally across the tokamak upper half plane at off-perpendicular injection angles in the toroidal direction up to {+-} 20{sup o}. measured transmission line loss is about -1 dB for the longest line, which is 92 m long with 11 miter bends. Coupling efficiency into the waveguide is {approx} 93% for the Gaussian rf beams. The transmission lines are evacuated and windowless except for the gyrotron output window and include flexible control of the elliptical polarization of the injected rf beam with remote controlled grooved mirrors in two of the miter bends on each line. The injected power can be modulated according to a predetermined program or controlled by the DIII-D plasma control system using real time feedback based on diagnostic signals obtained during the plasma pulse. Three gyrotrons have operated at 1.0 MW output power for 5.0 s. Peak central temperatures of the artificially grown diamond gyrotron output windows are < 180 C at equilibrium.

This book recognizes Federal Energy Saver Showcase winners from both 2001 and 2002. These Federal facilities have been awarded for implementing a variety of significant energy and water efficiency improvement projects. These projects, which employ a wide variety of technologies and products, represent savings in both dollars and environmental impact.

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the use of an Integrated Combustion Optimization System to achieve NO{sub x} emissions levels in the range of 0.15 to 0.22 lb/MMBtu while simultaneously enabling increased power output. The project consists of the integration of low-NO{sub x} burners and advanced overfire air technology with various process measurement and control devices on the Holcomb Station Unit 1 boiler. The project includes the use of sophisticated neural networks or other artificial intelligence technologies and complex software that can optimize several operating parameters, including NO{sub x} emissions, boiler efficiency, and CO emissions. The program is being performed in three phases. In Phase I, the boiler is being equipped with sensors that can be used to monitor furnace conditions and coal flow to permit improvements in boiler operation. In Phase II, the boiler will be equipped with burner modifications designed to reduce NO{sub x} emissions and automated coal flow dampers to permit on-line fuel balancing. In Phase III, the boiler will be equipped with an overfire air system to permit deep reductions in NO{sub x} emissions to be achieved. Integration of the overfire air system with the improvements made in Phases I and II will permit …

Research is being conducted under United States Department of Energy (DOE) Contract DE-FC26-02NT41621 to develop a conceptual design and determine the performance characteristics of a new IGCC plant configuration that facilitates CO{sub 2} removal for sequestration. This new configuration will be designed to achieve CO{sub 2} sequestration without the need for water gas shifting and CO{sub 2} separation, and may eliminate the need for a separate sequestration compressor. This research introduces a novel concept of using CO{sub 2} as a working fluid for an advanced coal gasification based power generation system, where it generates power with high system efficiency while concentrating CO{sub 2} for sequestration. This project supports the DOE research objective of development of concepts for the capture and storage of CO{sub 2}.

This document reviews the work performed during the quarter April-June 2003. The main focus of this quarter has been the site preparation (task 1) for the test campaign scheduled in September/October 2003. Task 3 (Techno-economical assessment) has also been initiated while selecting the methodology to be used in the economics analysis and specifying the plants to be compared: In Task 1 (Site Preparation), the process definition and design activities have been completed, the equipment and instruments required have been identified, and the fabrication and installation activities have been initiated, to implement the required modifications on the pilot boiler. As of today, the schedule calls for completion of construction by late-July. System check-down is scheduled for the first two weeks of August. In Task 2 (Combustion and Emissions Performance Optimization), four weeks of testing are planned, two weeks starting second half of August and two weeks starting at the end of September. In Task 3 (Techno-Economic Study), the plants to be evaluated have been specified, including baseline cases (air fired PC boilers with or without CO{sub 2} capture), O{sub 2}-fired cases (with or without flue gas recirculation) and IGCC cases. Power plants ranging from 50 to 500MW have been selected and …

This annual technical progress report summarizes the work accomplished during the first year of the program, January-December 2002, in the following task areas: Task 1--Conceptual Design, Task 2--Laboratory Scale Evaluations, Task 3--OTM Development, Task 4--Economic Evaluation and Commercialization Planning and Task 5--Program Management. The program has experienced significant delays due to several factors. The budget has also been significantly under spent. Based on recent technical successes significant future progress is expected. A number of concepts for integrating Oxygen Transport Membranes (OTMs) into boilers and process heaters to facilitate oxy-fuel combustion have been proposed. A detailed modeling plan has been proposed and early modeling work has focused on developing spreadsheet based models for quick engineering calculations. Combustion reactor laboratory scale evaluations efforts have been delayed due to the closing of Praxair's Tarrytown facility in December 2001. Experimental facilities and personnel have been relocated to Praxair's facility in Tonawanda. The facilities have recently been re-commissioned. Work with the OTM development task has also been delayed as early material selections were discarded. More recently, more promising OTM material compositions have been identified. Economic evaluation commenced. Information was acquired that quantified the attractiveness of the advanced oxygen-fired boiler. CO{sub 2} capture and compression are …

The plant-wide energy-efficiency assessment performed in 2001 at the Alcoa World Alumina Arkansas Operations in Bauxite, Arkansas, identified seven opportunities to save energy and reduce costs. By implementing five of these improvements, the facility can save 15,100 million British thermal units per year in natural gas and 8.76 million kilowatt-hours per year in electricity. This translates into approximate annual savings of$925,300 in direct energy costs and non-fuel operating and maintenance costs. The required capital investment is estimated at$271,200. The average payback period for all five projects would be approximately 8 months.

The goal of this research was to develop and demonstrate cooperative 3-D plume tracing algorithms for miniature autonomous underwater vehicles. Applications for this technology include Lost Asset and Survivor Location Systems (L-SALS) and Ship-in-Port Patrol and Protection (SP3). This research was a joint effort that included Nekton Research, LLC, Sandia National Laboratories, and Texas A&M University. Nekton Research developed the miniature autonomous underwater vehicles while Sandia and Texas A&M developed the 3-D plume tracing algorithms. This report describes the plume tracing algorithm and presents test results from successful underwater testing with pseudo-plume sources.

Demonstrated the principle of optical control of laser accelerators, namely, that one laser pulse could modify the properties (e.g., emittance and electron number) of an electron beam accelerated by a separate but synchronized laser pulse. Another recent highlight was that, using our new 30-fs 10-TW laser system, we accelerated with a laser accelerator an electron beam with a record low divergence (0.2 degrees). This is more than 100 times lower than the 30-degree divergence that was reported recently by a French group using a laser with similar parameters.

The air leakage of a building envelope can be determined from fan pressurization measurements with a blower door. More than 70,000 air leakage measurements have been compiled into a database. In addition to air leakage, the database includes other important characteristics of the dwellings tested, such as floor area, year built, and location. There are also data for some houses on the presence of heating ducts, and floor/basement construction type. The purpose of this work is to identify house characteristics that can be used to predict air leakage. We found that the distribution of leakage normalized with floor area of the house is roughly lognormal. Year built and floor area are the two most significant factors to consider when predicting air leakage: older and smaller houses tend to have higher normalized leakage areas compared to newer and larger ones. Results from multiple linear regression of normalized leakage with respect to these two factors are presented for three types of houses: low-income, energy-efficient, and conventional. We demonstrate a method of using the regression model in conjunction with housing characteristics published by the US Census Bureau to derive a distribution that describes the air leakage of the single-family detached housing stock. Comparison …

We have previously demonstrated and reported on the use of sub-field speckle processing for the enhancement of both near and far-range surveillance imagery of people and vehicles that have been degraded by atmospheric turbulence. We have obtained near diffraction-limited imagery in many cases and have shown dramatic image quality improvement in other cases. As it is possible to perform only a limited number of experiments in a limited number of conditions, we have developed a computer simulation capability to aid in the prediction of imaging performance in a wider variation of conditions. Our simulation capability includes the ability to model extended scenes in distributed turbulence. Of great interest is the effect of the isoplanatic angle on speckle imaging performance as well as on single deformable mirror and multiconjugate adaptive optics system performance. These angles are typically quite small over horizontal and slant paths. This paper will begin to explore these issues which are important for predicting the performance of both passive and active horizontal and slant-path imaging systems.

Abstract. In 2001, a multi-agency study was conducted to characterize potential environmental effects from radiological and chemical contaminants on the near-shore environment of the Columbia River at the 300 Area of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. Historically, the 300 Area was the location of nuclear fuel fabrication and was the main location for research and development activities from the 1940s until the late 1980s. During past waste handling practices uranium, copper, and other heavy metals were routed to liquid waste streams and ponds near the Columbia River shoreline. The Washington State Department of Health and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Surface Environmental Surveillance Project sampled various environmental components including river water, riverbank spring water, sediment, fishes, crustaceans, bivalve mollusks, aquatic insects, riparian vegetation, small mammals, and terrestrial invertebrates for analyses of radiological and chemical constituents. The radiological analysis results for water and sediment were used as initial input into the RAD-BCG Calculator. The RAD-BCG Calculator, a computer program that uses an Excel® spreadsheet and Visual Basic® software, showed that maximum radionuclide concentrations measured in water and sediment were lower than the initial screening criteria for concentrations to produce dose rates at existing or proposed limits. Radionuclide concentrations measured …

Enhanced software methodology and improved computing hardware have advanced the state of simulation technology to a point where large physics-based codes can be a major contributor in many systems analyses. This shift toward the use of computational methods has brought with it new research challenges in a number of areas including characterization of uncertainty, model validation, and the analysis of computer output. It is these challenges that have motivated the work described in this report. Approaches to and methods for model validation and (model-based) prediction have been developed recently in the engineering, mathematics and statistical literatures. In this report we have provided a fairly detailed account of one approach to model validation and prediction applied to an analysis investigating thermal decomposition of polyurethane foam. A model simulates the evolution of the foam in a high temperature environment as it transforms from a solid to a gas phase. The available modeling and experimental results serve as data for a case study focusing our model validation and prediction developmental efforts on this specific thermal application. We discuss several elements of the ''philosophy'' behind the validation and prediction approach: (1) We view the validation process as an activity applying to the use of …

This is a Technical Report under a program funded by the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to obtain the necessary information to assess the viability of lower cost alternatives to commercially available activated carbon for mercury control in coal-fired utilities. During this reporting period, ongoing tests and analysis on samples from Powerton and Valley to yield waste characterization results for the COHPAC long-term tests were conducted. A draft final report for the sorbent evaluations at Powerton was submitted. Sorbent evaluations at Valley Power Plant were completed on April 24, 2003. Data analysis and reporting for the Valley evaluations are continuing. A statement of work for sorbent evaluations at We Energies' Pleasant Prairie Power Plant was submitted and approved. Work will begin late August 2003. A no cost time extension was granted by DOE/NETL.

Augusta Newsprint undertook a plant-wide energy efficiency assessment of its Augusta, Georgia, plant in 2001. The assessment helped the company decide to implement five energy efficiency projects. Four of the five projects will save the company 11,000 MWh of electrical energy (about$369,000) each year. The remaining project will produce more than$300,000 annually, from sale of the byproduct turpentine. The largest annual savings,$881,000, will come from eliminating Kraft pulp by using better process control. All of the projects could be applied to other paper mills and most of the projects could be applied in other industries.

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Presented within this report are the results of a brief examination of optical tagging technologies funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Sandia National Laboratories. The work was performed during the summer months of 2002 with total funding of $65k. The intent of the project was to briefly examine a broad range of approaches to optical tagging concentrating on the wavelength range between ultraviolet (UV) and the short wavelength infrared (SWIR, {lambda} < 2{micro}m). Tagging approaches considered include such things as simple combinations of reflective and absorptive materials closely spaced in wavelength to give a high contrast over a short range of wavelengths, rare-earth oxides in transparent binders to produce a narrow absorption line hyperspectral tag, and fluorescing materials such as phosphors, dies and chemically precipitated particles. One technical approach examined in slightly greater detail was the use of fluorescing nano particles of metals and semiconductor materials. The idea was to embed such nano particles in an oily film or transparent paint binder. When pumped with a SWIR laser such as that produced by laser diodes at {lambda}=1.54{micro}m, the particles would fluoresce at slightly longer wavelengths, thereby giving a unique signal. While it is believed that …

During this reporting period efforts were concentrated on finding a suitable candidate to replace the vacated internship position at the National Transportation Program in Albuquerque, New Mexico after the departure of Jacqueline Agnew. After completing an extensive search and interviews, Byron Yepa, a member of Jemez Pueblo, was selected to fill the internship vacancy. Intern Byron Yepa began his internship on June 12, 2003. Initially, Mr. Yepa was familiarized with the National Transportation Program facility, introduced to staff and was set up on the computer system. He began educating himself by reading a book which focused on the Nevada Test site and its impact on Indian Tribes. He is helping in the development of a geographic information system (GIS) project and will assist other departments with their projects. At the time of this report he was waiting for new software to aid in the development of that project.

Building energy benchmarking is the comparison of whole-building energy use relative to a set of similar buildings. It provides a useful starting point for individual energy audits and for targeting buildings for energy-saving measures in multiple-site audits. Benchmarking is of interest and practical use to a number of groups. Energy service companies and performance contractors communicate energy savings potential with ''typical'' and ''best-practice'' benchmarks while control companies and utilities can provide direct tracking of energy use and combine data from multiple buildings. Benchmarking is also useful in the design stage of a new building or retrofit to determine if a design is relatively efficient. Energy managers and building owners have an ongoing interest in comparing energy performance to others. Large corporations, schools, and government agencies with numerous facilities also use benchmarking methods to compare their buildings to each other. The primary goal of Task 2.1.1 Web-based Benchmarking was the development of a web-based benchmarking tool, dubbed Cal-Arch, for benchmarking energy use in California commercial buildings. While there were several other benchmarking tools available to California consumers prior to the development of Cal-Arch, there were none that were based solely on California data. Most available benchmarking information, including the Energy Star …

The Calla Energy Biomass Project, to be located in Estill County, Kentucky is to be conducted in two phases. The objective of Phase I is to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of cofiring biomass-based gasification fuel-gas in a power generation boiler. Waste coal fines are to be evaluated as the cofired fuel. The project is based on the use of commercially available technology for feeding and gas cleanup that would be suitable for deployment in municipal, large industrial and utility applications. Define a combustion system for the biomass gasification-based fuel-gas capable of stable, low-NOx combustion over the full range of gaseous fuel mixtures, with low carbon monoxide emissions and turndown capabilities suitable for large-scale power generation applications. The objective for Phase II is to design, install and demonstrate the combined gasification and combustion system in a large-scale, long-term cofiring operation to promote acceptance and utilization of indirect biomass cofiring technology for large-scale power generation applications. GTI received supplemental authorization A002 from DOE for additional work to be performed under Phase I that will further extend the performance period until the end of February 2003. The additional scope of work is for GTI to develop the gasification characteristics of selected …

This quarterly technical progress report will summarize work accomplished for Phase 2 Program during the quarter April to June 2003. In task 1 OTM development has led to improved flux and strength performance. In task 2, robust PSO1d elements have been fabricated for testing in the pilot reactor. In task 3, the lab-scale pilot reactor has been operated for 1000 hours with improved success. In task 7, economic models substantial benefit of OTM IGCC over CRYO based oxygen production.

OAK-B135 The authors report on a recent experiment examining how changes in the divertor magnetic balance affect the rate that particles can be pumped at the divertor targets. They find that both the edge density of the core plasma and divertor recycling play important roles in properly interpreting this pumping result. Previous studies on DIII-D have identified several important differences between double-null (DN) and single-null (SN) divertor operation. Small variations in the magnetic balance near-DN have large effects on both the power- and particle loadings at the divertor targets. These most likely result from an interplay between the plasma geometry and ion particle drifts, e.g., ''B x {del}B'' and ''E x B'' drifts. Other studies have shown that changes in magnetic balance affect the core plasma and where ELMs strike the vessel. In this paper, they examine how variations in the magnetic balance impact the rate at which particles are removed from the core plasma via pumping.

There is some concern that mercury (Hg) in coal combustion by-products can be emitted into the environment during processing to other products, by volatilization or by dissolution into groundwater. This perception may limit the opportunities to use coal combustion by-products after disposal in recycle/reuse applications. In this program, CONSOL Energy Inc., Research & Development (CONSOL) is conducting a comprehensive sampling and analytical program to address this concern. The objective is to evaluate the potential for Hg emissions by leaching or volatilization, and to provide data that will allow a scientific assessment of the issue. The main activities for this quarter were: the re-volatilization study was continued; the literature review was updated; and the ground water study was continued.