An in vivo study of vascular welding with a fiber-delivered argon laser was conducted using a canine model. Longitudinal arteriotomies and venotomies were treated on femoral vein and artery. Laser energy was delivered to the vessel wall via a 400 {micro}m optical fiber. The surface temperature at the center of the laser spot was monitored in real time using a hollow glass optical fiber-based two-color infrared thermometer. The surface temperature was limited by either a room-temperature saline drip or direct feedback control of the laser using a mechanical shutter to alternately pass and block the laser. Acute patency was evaluated either visually (leak/no leak) or by in vivo burst pressure measurements. Biochemical assays were performed to investigate the possible laser-induced formation or destruction of enzymatically mediated covalent crosslinks between collagen molecules. Viable welds were created both with and without the use of feedback control. Tissues maintained at 50 C using feedback control had an elevated crosslink count compared to controls, while those irradiated without feedback control experienced a decrease. Differences between the volumetric heating associated with open and closed loop protocols may account for the different effects on collagen crosslinks. Covalent mechanisms may play a role in argon laser vascular …

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been involved in nuclear reactor research and development for over 40 years. One of the earliest major projects involved the development of a nuclear powered aircraft engine, a long-term venture which used mercury as a shielding medium. Over the course of several years, a significant amount of mercury was spilled along the railroad tracks where the test engines were transported and stored. In addition, experiments with volume reduction of waste through a calcine process employing mercury as a catalyst resulted in mercury contaminated calcine waste. Both the calcine and Test Area North wastes have been identified in Department of Energy Action Memorandums to be retorted, thereby separating the mercury from the various contaminated media. Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company awarded the Mercury Retort contract to ETAS Corporation and assigned Parsons Engineering Science, Inc. to manage the treatment field activities. The mercury retort process entails a mobile unit which consists of four trailer-mounted subsystems requiring electricity, propane, and a water supply. This mobile system demonstrates an effective strategy for retorting waste and generating minimal secondary waste.

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), formerly the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS), encompasses 890 square miles and is located in southeast Idaho. In 1949, the United States Atomic Energy Commission, now the Department of Energy (DOE), established the NRTS as a site for the building and testing of nuclear facilities. Wastes generated during the building and testing of these nuclear facilities were disposed within the boundaries of the site. These mixed wastes, containing radionuclides and hazardous materials, were often stored in underground tanks for future disposal. The INEL has 11 buried mixed waste storage tanks regulated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) ranging in size from 400 to 50,000 gallons. These tanks are constructed of either stainless or carbon steel and are located at 3 distinct geographic locations across the INEL. These tanks have been grouped based on their similarities in an effort to save money and decrease the time required to complete the necessary remediation. Environmental Restoration and Technology Development personnel are teaming in an effort to address the remediation problem systematically.

Image-converter (IC) camera photography has provided spectacular images and quantitative records of liner collapse and early jet formation in shaped charges. We have extended the application of the IC camera to observations of shaped charge jet surfaces undergoing particulation. Sequential, high-resolution photographs were taken following the same 10-cm portion of jet at 2.5-{mu}s intervals. Simultaneous color rotating-mirror framing camera photographs and 450-keV flash x-ray radiographs were also taken of the same region. This combination provides a detailed record of the evolution of surface structure during jet necking and particulation. In the high-resolution photographs, individual features on the jet surfaces as small as {approximately}100 {mu}m can easily be detected and followed as they evolve over time. The jet surface structure is rough with overlapping slip dislocation lines running along the surface at 45{degree} to either side of the jet axis. This is similar to the texture that develops in long rods undergoing static tension. We discuss the implications of these images for increasing jet particulation times.

Oxide inclusions form in welds because of deoxidation reactions in the weld pool. These inclusions control the weld microstructure development. Thermodynamic and kinetic calculation of oxidation reaction can describe inclusion characteristics such as number density, size, and composition. Experimental work has shown that fluid-flow velocity gradients in the weld pool can accelerate inclusion growth by collision and coalescence. Moreover, fluid flow in welds can transport inclusions to different temperature regions that may lead to repeated dissolution and growth of inclusions. These phenomena are being studied with the help of computational coupled heat transfer, fluid-flow, thermodynamic, and kinetic models. The results show that the inclusion formation in steel welds can be described as a function of the welding processes, process parameters, and steel composition.

Biomass fuels are considered to be a promising renewable source of energy. However, impurities present in the fuel may cause corrosion problems with the materials used in the hot sections of gas turbines and only limited data are available so far. As part of the Advanced Turbine Systems Program initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy, the present study provides initial data on the hot corrosion resistance of different nickel-base alloys against sodium sulfate-induced corrosion as a baseline, and against salt compositions simulating biomass-derived fuel deposits. Single crystal nickel-superalloy Rene N5, a cast NiCrAlY alloy, a NiCoCrAlY alloy representing industrially used overlay compositions, and a model {beta}NiAl+Hf alloy were tested in 1h thermal cycles at 950 C with different salt coatings deposited onto the surfaces. Whereas the NiCoCrAlY alloy exhibited reasonable resistance against pure sodium sulfate deposits, the NiCrAiY alloy and Rene N5 were attacked severely. Although considered to be an ideal alumina former in air and oxygen at higher temperatures, {beta}NiAl+Hf also suffered from rapid corrosion attack at 950 C when coated with sodium sulfate. The higher level of potassium present in biomass fuels compared with conventional fuels was addressed by testing a NiCoCrAlY alloy coated with salts of …

In spite of recent advances in the mathematical modeling of fluid dynamics for materials processing applications, no significant advances have been made in the numerical discretization of these equations. In this work, the application of two-step projection methods for the numerical simulation of interdendritic flows is, discussed. Unlike previous methods, the methods presented here are constructed for the exact equations which are characterized by variable density and volumetric fraction of the liquid. The drag terms, which describe the momentum loss due to the flow around and through the dendrite structures, are treated implicitly. Numerical examples for shrinkage-induced flow during solidification of an AI-4.5% Cu alloy bar is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

This paper describes a life cycle analysis system (LCAS) developed to support US Department of Energy (DOE) decision-making regarding deactivation and decommissioning (D and D), pollution prevention (P2), and asset recovery, and its deployment to analyze the disposition of facilities and capital assets. Originally developed for use at the Oak Ridge East Tennessee Technology Park, this approach has been refined through application at Ohio Operations Office sites and is now being deployed at a number of DOE sites. Programs such as National Metals Recycle, the D and D Focus Area, P2, and Asset Utilization are successfully using the system to make better decisions resulting in lower cost to the taxpayer and improved environmental quality. The LCAS consists of a user-friendly, cost-effective, and analytically-sound decision-aiding process and a complementary suite of automated tools to handle data administration and multiple criteria life cycle analysis (LCA). LCA is a systematic and comprehensive process for identifying, assessing, and comparing alternatives for D and D, P2, and asset recovery at government sites, and for selecting and documenting a preferred alternative. An LCA includes all of the impacts (benefits and costs) that result from a course of action over the entire period of time affected by …

The adhesion of alumina scales to aluminide bond coats is a life-limiting factor for some advanced thermal barrier coating systems. This study investigated the effects of aluminide bond coat sulfur and platinum contents on alumina scale adhesion and coating microstructural evolution during isothermal and cyclic oxidation testing at 1150 C. Low-sulfur NiAl and NiPtAl bond coats were fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Lowering the sulfur contents of CVD NiAl bond coatings significantly improved scale adhesion, but localized scale spallation eventually initiated along coating grain boundaries. Further improvements in scale adhesion were obtained with Pt additions. The observed influences of Pt additions included: (1) mitigation of the detrimental effects of high sulfur levels, (2) drastic reductions in void growth along the scale-metal interface, (3) alteration of the oxide-metal interface morphology, and (4) elimination of Ta-rich oxides in the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scales during thermal cycling. The results of this study also suggested that the microstructure (especially the grain size) of CVD aluminide bond coatings plays a significant role in scale adhesion.

Interracial segregation and partitioning in a polysynthetically twinned Ti-48.4 at.% Al-0.6% Zr alloy were investigated by atom probe field ion microscopy and atom probe tomography. The compositions of the {gamma} and {alpha}{sub 2} phases were determined to be Ti-47.5% Al-O.71% Zr-0.06% O and Ti-31.6% Al-0.68% Zr-2.4% O, respectively. These results indicate a high concentration of zirconium in both matrix phases, confirming a strength increase through solid-solution strengthening, but no significant zirconium partitioning to either phase. Although zirconium additions produced a refined lamellar microstructure in this material, compositional analysis of {gamma}/{gamma} and {gamma}/{alpha}{sub 2} interfaces showed no evidence of significant zirconium segregation. This suggests that zirconium additions may produce a refined lamellar microstructure, but may not be effective at providing resistance to growth and coarsening.

Mercury was effectively removed from the oil via sorption using SAMMS.The method was demonstrated on a large scale using ORNL waste oil contaminated with mercury. This technology is ready for further demonstration and implementation when the SAMMS material is available in large quantities.

Measurements of liquid permeability in the mushy zones of AI-15.42% Cu and Al-8.68% Cu alloy samples have been performed isothermally just above the eutectic temperature, using eutectic liquid as the fluid. A modified method has been developed to determine the specific permeability, K{sub s}, as a function of time during the test from the data collected on these alloys. Factors affecting permeability measurements are discussed. Permeabilities are observed to vary throughout the experiment. This is attributed to microstructural coarsening and channeling that occurs in the sample during the experiment. The permeability is related to the microstructure of the sample using the Kozeny-Carman equation. The correlation between the measured K{sub s}, liquid fraction, g{sub L} and the specific solid surface area, S{sub v}, improves markedly when compared to previous studies in which microstructural coarsening was ignored.

Seep C was a free-flowing stream of groundwater that emerged in a narrow valley below the old low-level waste (LLW) disposal trenches in Solid Waste Storage Area 5 (SWSA 5) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The flow rate of the seep water was strongly influenced by rainfall, and typically ranged from 0.5 to 8 L/min. The seep water entered Melton Branch, a small stream that joins White Oak Creek before exiting the ORNL boundary. The seep water contained high concentrations of {sup 90}Sr (10,000 to 20,000 Bq/L) and, before the full-scale treatment system was installed, contributed about 25% of all the {sup 90}Sr leaving ORNL. Seep C was identified as a primary source of off-site contaminant transport and was designated for an early removal action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response and Liability Act (CERCLA). A passive flow treatment system was chosen as the most cost-effective method for treating the water.

The life cycle analysis toolbox is a valuable integration of decision-making tools and supporting materials developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to help Department of Energy managers improve environmental quality, reduce costs, and minimize risk. The toolbox provides decision-makers access to a wide variety of proven tools for pollution prevention (P2) and waste minimization (WMin), as well as ORNL expertise to select from this toolbox exactly the right tool to solve any given P2/WMin problem. The central element of the toolbox is a multiple criteria approach to life cycle analysis developed specifically to aid P2/WMin decision-making. ORNL has developed numerous tools that support this life cycle analysis approach. Tools are available to help model P2/WMin processes, estimate human health risks, estimate costs, and represent and manipulate uncertainties. Tools are available to help document P2/WMin decision-making and implement programs. Tools are also available to help track potential future environmental regulations that could impact P2/WMin programs and current regulations that must be followed. An Internet-site will provide broad access to the tools.

Experiments are described in which a focused pulsed-excimer laser beam is used either to ablate a graphite target and deposit hydrogen-free amorphous carbon films, or to directly texture a silicon surface and produce arrays of high-aspect-ratio silicon microcolumns. In the first case, diamond-like carbon (or tetrahedral amorphous carbon, ta-C) films were deposited with the experimental conditions selected so that the masses and kinetic energies of incident carbon species were reasonably well controlled. Striking systematic changes in ta-C film properties were found. The sp{sup 3}-bonded carbon fraction, the valence electron density, and the optical (Tauc) energy gap ail reach their maximum values in films deposited at a carbon ion kinetic energy of {approximately}90 eV. Tapping-mode atomic force microscope measurements also reveal that films deposited at 90 eV are extremely smooth (rms roughness {approximately}1 {angstrom} over several hundred nm) and relatively free of particulate, while the surface roughness increases in films deposited at significantly lower energies. In the second set of experiments, dense arrays of high-aspect-ratio silicon microcolumns {approximately}20-40 {micro}m tall and {approximately}2 {micro}m in diameter were formed by cumulative nanosecond pulsed excimer laser irradiation of silicon wafers in air and other oxygen-containing atmospheres. It is proposed that microcolumn growth occurs through …

In the thermometer, radiation from a target is collected via a single 700 {mu}m-bore hollow glass optical fiber coated with a metallic/dielectric layer on the inner surface, simultaneously split into two paths and modulated by a Au-coated reflective chopper, and focused onto two thermoelectrically cooled mid-infrared HgCdZnTe photoconductors by 128.8 mm-radius Au-coated spherical mirrors. The photoconductors have spectral bandpasses of 2-6 {mu}m and 2.12 {mu}m, respectively. The modulated detector signals are recovered using lock- in amplification. The two signals are calibrated using a blackbody (emissivity=1) of known temperature, and exponential fits are applied to the two resulting voltage vs temperature curves. Using the two calibration equations, a computer algorithm calculates the temperature and emissivity of a target in real time, taking into account reflection of the background radiation field from the target surface.

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WARP-3d(1,2), a three-dimensional PIC/accelerator code, has been developed over several years and has played a major role in the design and analysis of space-charge dominated beam experiments being carried out by the heavy-ion fusion programs at LLNL and LBNL. Major features of the code will be reviewed, including: residence corrections which allow large timesteps to be taken, electrostatic field solution with subgrid scale resolution of internal conductor boundaries, and a beat beam algorithm. Emphasis will be placed on new features and capabilities of the code, which include: a port to parallel processing environments, space-charge limited injection, and the linking of runs covering different sections of an accelerator. Representative applications in which the new features and capabilities are used will be presented along with the important results.

In 1997 NASA will launch the Cassini scientific probe to the planet Saturn. Electric power for this probe will be provided by Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators thermally driven by General Purpose Heat Source modules.

A criticality safety analysis has been performed as part of the BN-350 spent fuel disposition project being conducted jointly by the DOE and Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan regulations are reasonably consistent with those of the DOE. The high enrichment and severe undermoderation of this fast reactor fuel has significant criticality safety consequences. A detailed modeling approach was used that showed some configurations to be safe that otherwise would be rejected. Reasonable requirements for design and operations were needed, and with them, all operations were found to be safe.

Most wind turbines are equipped with line-connected induction generators. Induction generators are very attractive as wind turbine generators due to their low cost, ruggedness and the need for little or no maintenance. At constant frequency, the induction generator operates in a small range of speeds and, therefore, it operated with a small range of slips with respect to synchronous speed. Compared to a synchronous generator, an induction generator provides lower stiffness, thus alleviating the mechanical stress. In a weak power system network, an unbalanced load at the distribution lines can cause unbalanced voltage conditions. If an induction generator is connected to an unbalanced voltage, the resulting stator current will be unbalanced. The unbalanced current creates unequal heating (hot spots) on the stator winding. The heat may increase the winding temperature, which degrades the insulation of the winding, i.e., the life expectancy of the winding. Unbalanced currents also create torque pulsation on the shaft resulting in audible noise and extra mechanical stress. This paper explores the unbalanced voltage problem in induction generators. The levels of unbalance and the loads are varied. Experimental and predicted results are presented in this paper.

The use of squirrel-cage induction machines in wind generation is widely accepted as a generator of choice. The squirrel-cage induction machine is simple, reliable, cheap, lightweight, and requires very little maintenance. Generally, the induction generator is connected to the utility at constant frequency. With a constant frequency operation, the induction generator operates at practically constant speed (small range of slip). The wind turbine operates in optimum efficiency only within a small range of wind speed variation. The variable-speed operation allows an increase in energy captured and reduces both the torque peaks in the drive train and the power fluctuations sent to the utility. In variable-speed operation, an induction generator needs an interface to convert the variable frequency output of the generator to the fixed frequency at the utility. This interface can be simplified by using a self-excited generator because a simple diode bridge is required to perform the ac/dc conversion. The subsequent dc/ac conversion can be performed using different techniques. The use of a thyristor bridge is readily available for large power conversion and has a lower cost and higher reliability. The firing angle of the inverter bridge can be controlled to track the optimum power curve of the wind …

A series of bench-scale experiments were conducted to determine the optimum reaction conditions for destruction of styrene-divinyl benzene based cation resin and methylene chloride by the mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) process. Reaction parameters examined include choice of electron transfer mediator, reaction temperature and solvent system. For the cation exchange resins, maximum destruction efficiencies were obtained using cerium (IV) as mediator in nitric acid at a temperature of 70 C. Reasonable efficiencies were also realized with silver(II) and cobalt (III) at ambient temperature in the same solvent. Use of sulfuric acid as the solvent yielded much lower efficiencies under equivalent conditions. Methylene chloride was found to react only with silver (II) at ambient temperature in nitric acid media, cobalt (III) and cerium (IV) were totally ineffective. These results demonstrate a need to perform bench-scale experiments to determine optimum operating conditions for each organic substrate targeted for treatment by the MEO process.

The U.S. Department of Energy will present an update and review of its programs in aluminum and magnesium for automotive and heavy-duty vehicle applications. While the main programs focused on vehicle materials are in the Office of Transportation Technologies, contributing efforts will be described in the DOE Office of Industrial Technologies and the DOE Office of Energy Research. The presentation will discuss materials for body/chassis and power train, and will highlight the considerable synergy among the efforts. The bulk of the effort is on castings, sheet, and alloys with a smaller focus on metal matrix composites. Cost reduction and energy savings are the overriding themes of the programs.