Monthly publication documenting statistics related to economic information in the Mexico-Texas border areas including types of border crossings, employment, customs revenues, and other related data.

Monthly newsletter documenting statistics related to employment in Texas including nonagricultural job trends, labor force numbers, and other relevant indicators as well as information on related topics.

Yearly newsletter of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's Public Hunting Program discussing hunting permits, drawings to win special permits, and hunting locations.

Newsletter published by the Texas State Office of Risk Management discussing news, events, and activities of the agency as well as other topics related to risk management for state employees. This issue includes information about weather risks, subrogation, driving safety, fire safety, and medical management.

Magazine discussing natural resources, parks, hunting and fishing, and other information related to the outdoors in Texas.

Newsletter dedicated to traveling in Texas, including information about news, locations, and events of interest to visitors as well as statistics and summaries of travel in the state.

Monthly travel magazine discussing locations and events in Texas to encourage travel within the state.

Newsletter from the University of Texas System Cancer Center, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute discussing cancer care and research to inform physicians of recent developments in the field.

Low-energy gas at oil production sites presents an environmental challenge to the sites owners. Typically, the gas is managed in flares. Microturbines are an effective alternative to flaring and provide on-site electricity. Microturbines release 10 times fewer NOx emissions than flaring, on a methane fuel basis. The limited acceptable fuel range of microturbines has prevented their application to low-Btu gases. The challenge of this project was to modify a microturbine to operate on gases lower than 350 Btu/scf (the manufacturer's lower limit). The Energy & Environmental Research Center successfully operated a Capstone C30 microturbine firing gases between 100-300 Btu/scf. The microturbine operated at full power firing gases as low as 200 Btu/scf. A power derating was experienced firing gases below 200 Btu/scf. As fuel energy content decreased, NO{sub x} emissions decreased, CO emissions increased, and unburned hydrocarbons remained less than 0.2 ppm. The turbine was self-started on gases as low as 200 Btu/scf. These results are promising for oil production facilities managing low-Btu gases. The modified microturbine provides an emission solution while returning valuable electricity to the oilfield.

The objectives of this project are to develop and test new techniques for creating extensive, conductive hydraulic fractures in unconventional tight gas reservoirs by statistically assessing the productivity achieved in hundreds of field treatments with a variety of current fracturing practices ranging from 'water fracs' to conventional gel fracture treatments; by laboratory measurements of the conductivity created with high rate proppant fracturing using an entirely new conductivity test - the 'dynamic fracture conductivity test'; and by developing design models to implement the optimal fracture treatments determined from the field assessment and the laboratory measurements. One of the tasks of this project is to create an 'advisor' or expert system for completion, production and stimulation of tight gas reservoirs. A central part of this study is an extensive survey of the productivity of hundreds of tight gas wells that have been hydraulically fractured. We have been doing an extensive literature search of the SPE eLibrary, DOE, Gas Technology Institute (GTI), Bureau of Economic Geology and IHS Energy, for publicly available technical reports about procedures of drilling, completion and production of the tight gas wells. We have downloaded numerous papers and read and summarized the information to build a database that will …

This project compiled and summarized the findings and conclusions of research, development, and demonstration projects on controlling mercury from lignite coals. A significant amount of work has been conducted since 1994 on mercury in lignite, mercury measurement in flue gases, sorbent, sorbent enhancement additives, oxidation agent development, and full-scale demonstration of mercury control technologies. This report is focused on providing the lignite industry with an understanding of mercury issues associated with the combustion of lignite, as well as providing vital information on the methods to control mercury emissions in coal-fired power plants.

In March of 2005, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR). Mercury from coal-fired power plants was to be reduced from the current 48 to 38 tons/yr by 2010 and then 15 tons/yr by 2018. It is expected that the first phase reduction of {approx}21% will be achieved by cobenefits that will occur as a result of installing additional selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems to meet the new Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). Detroit Edison (DTE) is installing SCR at all four units at its Monroe Station and will eventually install wet-FGD systems. As such, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and DTE have contracted with the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) to determine the extent of mercury oxidation that occurs at Monroe Station. The EERC originally did mercury speciation sampling at Monroe Station in 2004 and then went back in 2005 to determine if any changes occurred as a result of catalyst aging. During the second test, in addition to measuring the mercury speciation at the inlet and outlet of the SCR, the EERC also completed sampling at a location between the …

Three methods to determine the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were modified and developed for application to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Water/XAD desorption and selective supercritical fluid extraction methods were developed to determine the rapidly-released fraction of PCBs from contaminated soils and sediments. A method to determine PCBs in sediment pore water based on solid-phase microextraction was also developed that is capable of determining low pg/mL concentrations with water samples as small as 1.5 mL.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, B&W and Air Liquide are developing and optimizing the oxy-combustion process for retrofitting existing boilers as well as new plants. The main objectives of the project is to: (1) demonstrate the feasibility of the oxy-combustion technology with flue gas recycle in a 5-million Btu/hr coal-fired pilot boiler, (2) measure its performances in terms of emissions and boiler efficiency while selecting the right oxygen injection and flue gas recycle strategies, and (3) perform technical and economic feasibility studies for application of the technology in demonstration and commercial scale boilers. This document summarizes the work performed during the period of performance of the project (Oct 2002 to June 2007). Detailed technical results are reported in corresponding topical reports that are attached as an appendix to this report. Task 1 (Site Preparation) has been completed in 2003. The experimental pilot-scale O{sub 2}/CO{sub 2} combustion tests of Task 2 (experimental test performance) has been completed in Q2 2004. Process simulation and cost assessment of Task 3 (Techno-Economic Study) has been completed in Q1 2005. The topical report on Task 3 has been finalized and submitted to DOE in Q3 2005. The calculations …

The contamination of optical surfaces by irradiation shortens optics lifetime and is one of the main concerns for optics used in conjunction with intense light sources, such as high power lasers, 3rd and 4th generation synchrotron sources or plasma sources used in extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) tools. This paper focuses on properties and surface chemistry of different materials, which as thin layers, could be used as capping layers to protect and extend EUVL optics lifetime. The most promising candidates include single element materials such as ruthenium and rhodium, and oxides such as TiO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2}.

An Indonesian, Colombian, and Russian coal were tested in the Energy & Environmental Research Center's combustion test facility for their performance and an evaluation of mercury release and capture with selected additives in both electrostatic precipitator and baghouse configurations. Sorbents included the carbon-based materials NORIT DARCO Hg, Sorbent Technologies B-PAC and B-PAC LC, STI Rejects provided by Constellation Energy, and Envergex e-Sorb, along with ChemMod's high-temperature additive. Each coal was evaluated over several days and compared. Ash-fouling tests were conducted, and mercury levels were monitored using continuous mercury monitors (CMMs). The Ontario Hydro mercury sampling method was also utilized. The Indonesian coal had the lowest ash content, lowest sulfur content, and lowest energy content of the three coals tested. The Colombian coal had the highest mercury content and did contain a significant level of selenium which can interfere with the ability of a CMM to monitor mercury in the gas stream. All sorbents displayed very favorable results. In most cases, mercury removal greater than 86% could be obtained. The Indonesian coal displayed the best mercury removal with sorbent addition. A maximum removal of 97% was measured with this coal using Envergex's carbon-based sorbent at a rate of 4 lb/Macf across …

A review of the understanding of the deepwater physical oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico.

The tuft coral Lophelia pertusa is a deep-water coral that is very slow to develop and fragile, which makes recovery from any type of damage a very slow process. Current fishing practices and oil drilling are destructive processes that effect these coral systems. The goal of this paper is to learn more about the Lophelia pertusa and determine how best to protect these deep-water systems.

Summary describing the work completed at the University of Alabama for documenting and characterizing branching deep water corals at two upper-slope sites in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico studying seafloor characteristics and distribution patterns of "lophelia pertusa" and Other sessile megafauna. It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

Summary describing the work completed at Louisiana State University Center for Energy Studies for 'Profitability of Offshore Petroleum Ventures and Operations: Empirical Evidence from Oil and Gas Lease Sales and Development on the Gulf of Mexico OCS, 1983-1999.' It includes background information on the project funding and sponsorship, goals, methodology, and findings.

This edition of Alert by the EPA looks at excessive flow valves.

The coupling of Alfvén Cascade (AC) modes or reversed-shear Alfvén eigenmodes (rsAE) to Geodesic Acoustic Modes (GAM) implies that the range of the AC frequency sweep is reduced as the electron β is increased. This model provides an explanation for the otherwise surprising absence of AC modes in reverse shear NSTX plasmas, given the rich spectrum of beam-driven instabilities typically seen in NSTX. In experiments done at very low β to investigate this prediction, AC modes were seen, and as the βe was increased from shot to shot, the range of the AC frequency sweep was reduced, in agreement with this theoretical prediction.

This project aimed at synthesis of a new inorganic dual-phase carbonate membrane for high temperature CO{sub 2} separation. Metal-carbonate dual-phase membranes were prepared by the direct infiltration method and the synthesis conditions were optimized. Permeation tests for CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2} from 450-750 C showed very low permeances of those two gases through the dual-phase membrane, which was expected due to the lack of ionization of those two particular gases. Permeance of the CO{sub 2} and O{sub 2} mixture was much higher, indicating that the gases do form an ionic species, CO{sub 3}{sup 2-}, enhancing transport through the membrane. However, at temperatures in excess of 650 C, the permeance of CO{sub 3}{sup 2-} decreased rapidly, while predictions showed that permeance should have continued to increase with temperature. XRD data obtained from used membrane indicated that lithium iron oxides formed on the support surface. This lithium iron oxide layer has a very low conductivity, which drastically reduces the flow of electrons to the CO{sub 2}/O{sub 2} gas mixture; thus limiting the formation of the ionic species required for transport through the membrane. These results indicated that the use of stainless steel supports in a high temperature oxidative environment can lead …

Trace amounts of mercury are found in all coals. During combustion, or during thermal treatment in advanced coal processes, this mercury is vaporized and can be released to the atmosphere with the ultimate combustion products. This has been a cause for concern for a number of years, and has resulted in a determination by the EPA to regulate and control these emissions. Present technology does not, however, provide inexpensive ways to capture or remove mercury. Mercury that exits the furnace in the oxidized form (HgCl{sub 2}) is known to much more easily captured in existing pollution control equipment (e.g., wet scrubbers for SO{sub 2}), principally due to its high solubility in water. Work funded by DOE has helped understand the chemical kinetic processes that lead to mercury oxidation in furnaces. The scenario is as follows. In the flame the mercury is quantitatively vaporized as elemental mercury. Also, the chlorine in the fuel is released as HCl. The direct reaction Hg+HCl is, however, far too slow to be of practical consequence in oxidation. The high temperature region does supports a small concentration of atomic chlorine. As the gases cool (either in the furnace convective passes, in the quench prior to cold …