A thick sequence of layered rocks occurs beneath the Phanerozoic platform strata which blanket the US midcontinent. Observed on COCORP deep reflection data in southern Illinois and Indiana and in SW Oklahoma and adjacent Texas, this sequence is locally 1--3 times as thick as the overlying Paleozoic cover, but the origin of this sequence, its ultimate lateral extent, and resource potential are unknown. The objective of this project is to seek and reprocess seismic reflection data provided by industry from the US midcontinent and together with the COCORP deep reflection data and information from the scattered basement-penetrating drill holes, to begin to constrain the distribution, origin and evolution of this enigmatic layered sequence, particularly to evaluate if sedimentary material may be an important constituent (i.e., deep gas potential).

We are making progress on our investigation of the mechanism of olefin exchange with Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8}. We are probing this system by kinetic study of the reaction of Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8} with butyl acrylate (BA) under various pressures of ethylene.

The overall objective of the Direct Conversion Technology task is to develop an experimentally verified technology base for promising direct conversion systems that have potential application for energy conservation in the end-use sectors. Initially, two systems were selected for exploratory research and advanced development. These are Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Converter (AMTEC) and Two-Phase Liquid Metal MD Generator (LMMHD). This report describes progress that has been made during the first six months of 1992 on research activities associated with these two systems. (GHH)

The overall objective of the Direct Conversion Technology task is to develop an experimentally verified technology base for promising direct conversion systems that have potential application for energy conservation in the end-use sectors. This report contains progress of research on the Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Converter (AMTEC) and on the Two-Phase Liquid-Metal MHD Electrical Generator (LMMHD) for the period January 1, 1991 through December 31, 1991. Research on AMTEC and on LMMHD was initiated during October 1987. Reports prepared on previous occasions (Refs. 1--5) contain descriptive and performance discussions of the following direct conversion concepts: thermoelectric, pyroelectric, thermionic, thermophotovoltaic, thermoacoustic, thermomagnetic, thermoelastic (Nitionol heat engine); and also, more complete descriptive discussions of AMTEC and LMMHD systems.

This progress report from the University of Hawaii at Manoa's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology describes state of the art research in tapping the energy in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Researchers are seeking new ways of generating electricity and producing methanol from sugarcane waste and other biomass. They are finding ways to encourage the expanded use of methanol as a transportation fuel. They are creating innovative and cost-efficient methods of producing and storing hydrogen gas, considered the fuel of the future''. Researchers are also developing the techniques and technologies that will enable us to tap the unlimited mineral resources of the surrounding ocean. they are testing methods of using the oceans to reduce the carbon dioxide being discharged to the atmosphere. And they are mapping the strategies by which the seas can become a major source of food, precious metals, and space for living and for industry. The achievements described in this annual report can be attributed to the experience, creativity, painstaking study, perseverance, and sacrifices of our the dedicated corps of researchers.

The Estes Gulch disposal site is approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the town of Rifle, off State Highway 13 on Federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The Department of Energy (DOE) will transport the residual radioactive materials (RRM) by truck to the Estes Gulch disposal site via State Highway 13 and place it in a partially below-grade disposal cell. The RRM will be covered by an earthen radon barrier, frost protection layers, and a rock erosion protection layer. A toe ditch and other features will also be constructed to control erosion at the disposal site. After removal of the RRM and disposal at the Estes Gulch site, the disturbed areas at all three sites will be backfilled with clean soils, contoured to facilitate surface drainage, and revegetated. Wetlands areas destroyed at the former Rifle processing sites will be compensated for by the incorporation of now wetlands into the revegetation plan at the New Rifle site. The UMTRA Project Office, supported by the Remedial Action Contractor (RAC) and the Technical Assistance Contractor (TAC), oversees the implementation of the MAP. The RAC executes mitigation measures in the field. The TAC provides monitoring of the mitigation actions in …

The goal of this project was to provide constraints on the subsurface geometry of the vent, feeder conduit(s), and possible intrusive bodies in the Novarupta Basin, Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (VTTS), Katmai National Park, Alaska. This research was designed to support the Katmai Drilling Project, a consortium involving the DOE, NSF, other government agencies, and several universities. Our work aimed at providing information to help guide site selection and identify targets for the drilling program. However, our research also has contributed to the understanding of silicic volcanic systems in general. Understanding the subsurface geometry of the vent is essential for accurately modeling the present thermal regime in the vent region and the eruption dynamics. Determining the origin of surficial fractures indicated the effect of compaction and consolidation of tephra and orientation of the depositional surface on fracture formation. Our research plan included (1) completion of a detailed topographic-structural map of surface fractures including spatial distribution and relative displacements; (2) numerical modeling studies that related surface fractures to major subsurface structures; and (3) interpretation of the origin of surface fractures in light of these model studies.

Objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a catalytic membrane reactor (ceramic membrane combined with catalyst) to selectively produce methanol by partial oxidation of methane. None of the membranes tested in a high pressure system could selectively remove methanol, until a cooling tube was inserted inside the membrane reactor to quench the product stream; this effectively increased methanol selectivity 2[times] during methane oxidation. For both conditions, combined selectivity for methanol and CO is constant, 85%. The remaining product is CO[sub 2]. The membranes were broken when removed from the system; this was remedied when a cooling tube with a smaller diameter was used.

The mechanisms by which hyperthermophilic archaebacteria grow and carry out metabolic functions at elevated temperatures have yet to be determined. The objective of this work is to develop an understanding of the metabolic characteristics of, and the electron transport enzymes involved in, hydrogen/sulfur transformation by hyperthermophilic archaebacteria. Efforts focus on the autotrophic H{sub 2}-oxidizing bacterium, Pyrodictium brockii which has an optimum growth temperature of 105{degrees}C. Biochemical and genetic characterization of enzymes involved in hydrogen oxidizing electron transport pathway. These including investigating the role of the membrane lipids in protecting the hydrogenase enzyme from thermal inactivation, characterization of a quinone and a c-type cytochrome, and analysis of the topology in the membrane in the net energy generating components are reported. The long-term goal is to understand some of the factors contributing to the biochemical basis of extreme thermophily.

A phase II study has been initiated to investigate surfactant-assisted coal liquefaction, with the objective of quantifying the enhancement in liquid yields and product quality. This publication covers the first quarter of work. The major accomplishments were: (1) the refurbishment of the high-pressure, high-temperature reactor autoclave, (2) the completion of four coal liquefaction runs with Pittsburgh [number sign]8 coal, two each with and without sodium lignosulfonate surfactant, and (3) the development of an analysis scheme for the product liquid filtrate and filter cake. Initial results at low reactor temperatures show that the addition of the surfactant produces an improvement in conversion yields and an increase in lighter boiling point fractions for the filtrate.

The entry rate of {sup 22}Rn into a basement structure was measured continuously. These measurements demonstrated that radon entry did not vanish even when the structure was slightly pressurized. This persistent entry has been determined to be dominated by diffusion through the floor and walls and a combination of diffusion and convection through the floor-wall joint. The highest indoor radon concentrations occurred during calm periods when the pressure differentials between the inside and outside of the structure were small. The objectives of this work were to identify the origins of the radon and investigate the entry pathways. The radon could originate either in the concrete or in the soil surrounding the structure. Entry pathways into the basement were through the concrete floor and walls as well as through the floor-wall joint. The contributions of the origins and entry pathways were determined by continuously measuring the radon entry rate into the basement, using a trace gas system, and the flux density through portions of the floor and walls. Radon entry through the floor-wall joint could be controlled using a baseboard barrier system. Results indicated that, during calm conditions with wind speeds less than 1 m s{sup {minus}1}, 25 % of the …

This 1991 report contains monitoring data from routine radiological and nonradiological environmental surveillance activities. Summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress such as National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, environmental permits, environmental restoration (ER), and various waste management programs for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque (SNL, Albuquerque) are included. The maximum offsite dose impact was calculated to be 1.3 {times} 10{sup {minus}3} mrem. The total population within a 50-mile radius of SNL, Albuquerque, received a collective dose of 0.53 person-rem during 1991 from SNL, Albuquerque, operations. As in the previous year, the 1991 operations at SNL, Albuquerque, had no discernible impact on the general public or on the environment.

The limiting role of polycrystallinity in thin-film solar calls has been reduced somewhat during the past year, and efficiencies of both CdTe and CuInSe{sub 2} cells are approaching 15%. Quantitative separation of loss mechanisms shows that individual losses, with the exception of forward recombination current, can be made comparable to their single crystal counterparts. One general manifestation of the extraneous trapping states in that the voltage of all polycrystalline thin-film cells drifts upward by 10--50 mV following the onset of illumination.

We are making progress on our investigation of the mechanism of olefin exchange with Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8}. We are probing this system by kinetic study of the reaction of Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8} with butyl acrylate (BA) under various pressures of ethylene.

We proposed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a catalytic membrane reactor (a ceramic membrane combined with a catalyst) to selectively produce methanol by partial oxidation of methane. Methanol is used as a chemical feedstock, gasoline additive, and turbine fuel. Methane partial oxidation using a catalytic membrane reactor has been determined as one of the promising approaches for methanol synthesis from methane. In the original proposal, the membrane was used to be used to selectively remove methanol from the reaction zone before carbon oxides form, thus increasing the methanol yield. Methanol synthesis and separation in one step would also make methane more valuable for producing chemicals and fuels. The cooling tube inserted inside the membrane reactor has created a low temperature zone that rapidly quenches the product stream. This system has proved effective for increasing methanol selectivity during CH{sub 4} oxidation, and we are using and modifying this non-isothermal, non-permselective membrane reactor.

The overall objective of the Direct Conversion Technology task is to develop an experimentally verified technology base for promising direct conversion systems that have potential application for energy conservation in the end-use sectors. Initially, two systems were selected for exploratory research and advanced development. These are Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Converter (AMTEC) and Two-Phase Liquid Metal MD Generator (LMMHD). This report describes progress that has been made during the first six months of 1992 on research activities associated with these two systems. (GHH)

The project objective is to explore the generation of soft X-ray laser radiation in a plasma column created by a fast capillary discharge. The proposed capillary lasing scheme offers the potential for compact, simple and efficient soft X-ray laser sources. For this purpose a compact, fast pulse generator which produces 100 kA current pulses with a risetime of 11 ns was constructed. Initial experiments were conducted in evacuated capillaries, in which the plasma is produced by ablation of the capillary walls. The soft X-ray emission from discharges in polyethylene capillary channels was studied to investigate the possibility of amplification in the 3-2 transition of C VI, at {lambda} = 18.2 nm. Time-resolved spectra in which this transition appears anomalously intense with respect to the 4--2 transition of the same ion were obtained. To date, however, this phenomenoa could not be confirmed as gain, as the intensity of the 18.2 nm line has not been observed to increase exponentially as a function of the capillary length. Encouraging results were obtained by fast pulse discharge excitation of capillaries filled with preionized gas. High temperature (Te > 150 eV), small diameter ({approximately}200 {mu}m) plasma columns were efficiently generated. Fast current pulse excitation of …

The thermodynamic cycle appropriate to an AMTEC (alkali metal thermal-to-electric converter) cell is discussed for both liquid- and vapor-fed modes of operation, under the assumption that all processes can be performed reversibly. In the liquid-fed mode, the reversible efficiency is greater than 89.6% of Carnot efficiency for heat input and rejection temperatures (900--1300 K and 400--800 K, respectively) typical of practical devices. Vapor-fed cells can approach the efficiency of liquid-fed cells. Quantitative estimates confirm that the efficiency is insensitive to either the work required to pressurize the sodium liquid or the details of the state changes associated with cooling the low pressure sodium gas to the heat rejection temperature. 10 refs.

The problem of visibility reduction in the Grand Canyon due to fine organic aerosol particles in the atmosphere has become an area of increased environmental concern. Aerosol particles can be derived from many emission sources. In this report, we focus on identifying organic aerosols derived from common vegetation in the Grand Canyon. These aerosols are expected to be significant contributors to the total atmospheric organic aerosol content. Aerosol samples from living vegetation were collected by resuspension of surface wax and resin components liberated from the leaves of vegetation common to areas of the Grand Canyon. The samples were analyzed using high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Probable identification of compounds was made by comparison of sample spectra with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) mass spectral references and positive identification of compounds was made when possible by comparison with authentic standards as well as NIST references. Using these references, we have been able to positively identify the presence of n-alkane and n-alkanoic acid homolog series in the surface waxes of the vegetation sampled. Several monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes were identified also as possible biogenic aerosols which may contribute to the total organic aerosol abundance leading to visibility reduction in the …

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of aftermarket fuel delivery systems for vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Most of the CNG and LPG vehicles studied were converted to the alternative fuel after purchase. There are wide variations in the quality of the conversion hardware and the installation. This leads to questions about the overall quality of the converted vehicles, in terms of emissions, safety, and performance. There is a considerable body of emissions data for converted light-duty vehicles, and a smaller amount for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. However, very few of these data involve real world conditions, and there is growing concern about in-use emissions. This report also attempts to assess factors that could allow in-use emissions to vary from the ``best-case`` results normally reported. The study also addresses issues of fuel supply, fuel composition, performance, safety, and warranty waivers. The report is based on an extensive literature and product survey and on the author`s experience with fuel delivery systems for light-duty vehicles.

The alkali metal thermal to electric converter (AMTEC) is an electrochemical device for the direct conversion of heat to electrical energy with efficiencies potentially near Carnot. The future usefulness of AMTEC for space power conversion depends on the efficiency of the devices. Systems studies have projected from 15% to 35% thermal to electric conversion efficiencies, and one experiment has demonstrated 19% efficiency for a short period of time. Recent experiments in a recirculating test cell (RTC) have demonstrated sustained conversion efficiencies as high as 10.2% early in cell life and 9.7% after maturity. Extensive thermal and electrochemical analysis of the cell during several experiments demonstrated that the efficiency could be improved in two ways. First, the electrode performance could be improved. The electrode for these tests operated at about one third the power density of state of the art electrodes. The low power density was caused by a combination of high series resistance and high mass flow resistance. Reducing these resistances could improve the efficiency to greater than 10%. Second, the cell thermal performance could be improved. Efficiencies greater than 14% could be realized through reducing the radiative thermal loss. Further improvements to the efficiency range predicted by systems studies …

This progress report describes gains made in three projects entitled (1) 3-Dimensional nuclear topography of genes and chromosomes in interphase nuclei, (2) Sequence specific identification and perturbation of the genomic DNA in living cells by nonionic oligonucleotide analogs (Matagen), and Resolution and isolation of specific DNA restriction fragments.(DT)

This report describes work to develop a state-of-the-art electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. The objective was to understand the deposition processes of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and related alloys, with a best-effort improvement of optoelectronic material properties and best-effort stabilization of solar cell performance. ECR growth parameters were systematically and extensively investigated; materials characterization included constant photocurrent measurement (CPM), junction capacitance, drive-level capacitance profiling (DLCP), optical transmission, light and dark photoconductivity, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Conventional ECR-deposited a-Si:H was compared to a new form, a-Si:(Xe, H), in which xenon gas was added to the ECR plasma. a-Si:(Xe,H) possessed low, stable dark conductivities and high photosensitivites. Light-soaking revealed photodegradation rates about 35% lower than those of comparable radio frequency (rf)-deposited material. ECR-deposited p-type a SiC:H and intrinsic a-Si:H films underwent evaluation as components of p-i-n solar cells with standard rf films for the remaining layers.

This report describes managerial aspects and briefly some technical accomplishments a Human Genome Database in Baltimore.