Patent for Settling Basin-Separating Devices. This device improves the issue of unwanted discharge shown in prior devices

This report describes recent progress in a fundamental, three-year investigation of carbon formation and its effects on the activity and selectivity of promoted iron catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis, the objectives of which are: determine rates and mechanisms of carbon deactivation of unsupported Fe and Fe/K catalysts during CO hydrogenation over a range of CO concentrations, CO:H{sub 2} ratios, and temperatures; model the rates of deactivation of the same catalysts in fixed-bed reactors. During the thirteenth quarter design of software for a computer-automated reactor system to be used in the kinetic and deactivation studies was continued. Further progress was made toward the completion of the control language, control routines, and software for operating this system. Progress was also made on the testing of the system hardware and software. H{sub 2} chemisorption capacities and activity selectivity data were also measured for three iron catalysts promoted with 1% alumina. 47 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.

MoSi{sub 2} matrix composites have been recognized lately as potential materials for structural applications at elevated temperatures. Specifically, MoSi{sub 2} composites may exhibit useful properties at temperatures to 1400{degrees}C. Previous work improved the yield strength of MoSi{sub 2} at 1400{degrees}C by a factor of five through SiC whisker reinforcement. Current research is directed towards increasing the fracture toughness of MoSi{sub 2} through the addition of ductile phase reinforcements such as niobium and tantalum. The reaction between Nb and MoSi{sub 2} to form (Mo,Nb){sub 5}Si{sub 3} proceeds with faster kinetics at hot isostatic press temperatures as low as 1100{degrees}C when compared to the reaction between Ta and MoSi{sub 2} to form (Mo,Ta){sub 5}Si{sub 3}. This reaction product exhibits very poor properties, as evidenced by crack propagation through this layer during fracture. The feasibility of hot working these composites to produce tailored microstructures is examined. 11 refs., 10 figs.

In this Project Status Report for 7/9/89--10/8/89, results of a comparative study of coal sample deterioration in several container types were presented. In April 1990, one year after the initial analyses, the set of analyses was repeated on the most important container types. The new results are included in Table 2. During the current reporting period a total of 42 data printouts were distributed. In addition, 7 special data requests were fulfilled by either search/sort and printout or creation of a data disk, resulting in distribution of limited information on 2083 samples. Several preliminary requests for Sample Bank and Data Base information and price quotations have also been handled.

In this Project Status Report for 7/9/89--10/8/89, results of a comparative study of coal sample deterioration in several container types were presented. In April 1990, one year after the initial analyses, the set of analyses was repeated on the most important container types. The new results are included in Table 2. During the current reporting period a total of 42 data printouts were distributed. In addition, 7 special data requests were fulfilled by either search/sort and printout or creation of a data disk, resulting in distribution of limited information on 2083 samples. Several preliminary requests for Sample Bank and Data Base information and price quotations have also been handled.

A mathematical model is presented to describe the part voltage and weld current that occur in a single-phase resistance welder. Developing an accurate model of part voltage and current is the first step toward understanding instrumentation, testing, calibration, and measurement requirements. Measurement requirements for dynamic part resistance, calculated from these basic process variables, can ultimately be determined using this analysis. This model utilizes electrical characteristics of the welder, power system, and parts, as well as geometric parameters of voltage-sensing wires to describe the resultant time functions. The complete equivalent circuit involves many resistive and inductive components in the welder primary and secondary circuits. These components are reduced to a simple equivalent circuit to obtain a closed-form solution for part voltage and weld current time functions. Actual measurements were acquired from a welder using a constant resistance load to verify accuracy of the model. Accuracy of the model is estimated to be within the measurement uncertainty and is, in general, approximately {plus minus}3% for current and {plus minus}5% for part voltage. Pertinent limitations of the model's accuracy and range of applications are also discussed briefly. 28 refs., 10 figs.

The gauge hierarchy problem is reviewed and a class of effective field theories obtained from superstrings is described. These are characterized by a classical symmetry, related to the space-time duality of string theory, that is responsible for the suppression of observable supersymmetry breaking effects. At the quantum level, the symmetry is broken by anomalies that provide the seed of observable supersymmetry breaking, and an acceptably large gauge hierarchy may be generated. 39 refs.

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The Compact Torus (Spheromak-type) is a near ideal plasma confinement configuration for acceleration. The fields are mostly generated by internal plasma currents, plasma confinement is toroidal, and the compact torus exhibits resiliency and stability in virtue of the ``rugged`` helicity invariant. Based on these considerations we are developing a coaxial rail-gun type Compact Torus Accelerator (CTA). In the CTA, the CT ring is formed between coaxial electrodes using a magnetized Marshall gun, it is quasistatically ``precompressed`` in a conical electrode section for inductive energy storage, it is accelerated in a straight-coaxial electrode section as in a conventional rail-gun, and it is focused to small size and high energy and power density in a final ``focus`` cone section. The dynamics of slow precompression and acceleration have been demonstrated experimentally in the RACE device with results in good agreement with 2-D MHD code calculations. CT plasma rings with 100 {micro}gms mass have been accelerated to 40 Kj kinetic energy at 20% efficiency with final velocity = 1 X 10{sup 8} cm/s (= 5 KeV/H{sup +}). Preliminary focus tests exhibi dynamics of radius compression, deceleration, and bouncing. Compression ratios of 2-3 have been achieved. A scaled-up 10-100 MJ CTA is predicted to achieve …

Sediment microbial community biomass and activity in Santa Monica Basin, a nearshore basin in the California Continental Borderland, were examined in October 1985, 1986 and 1987, May 1986, April 1987 and January 1990. Millimeter-scale ATP profiles and incubation of intact cores with {sup 3}H-adenine indicated a high-biomass interface microbial population in the low-oxygen central basin, which was absent in samples from the basin slope sediments. A majority of microbial activity and organic matter mineralization occurred in the top cm of sediment. Comparison of measured ATP and total organic carbon profiles suggest that the C:ATP ratio (wt:wt) ranges between 47:1 and 77:1 in central basin interfacial populations, substantially lower than reported for other aquatic environments. Carbon production estimated from DNA synthesis measurements via {sup 3}H-adenine incorporation was compared with TCO{sub 2} fluxes measured by in situ benthic chamber experiments. Within the uncertainty of the C:ATP ratio, an overall microbial carbon assimilation efficiency of 75--90% was indicated. The low C:ATP ratios and high carbon assimilation efficiencies significantly affect estimates of microbial growth and respiration and are substantially different than those often assumed in the literature. These results suggest that without independent knowledge of these ratios, the uncertainty in tracer-derived microbial growth and …

A design is proposed for mounting a large number of straw tubes to form an SSC central tracking chamber. The assembly is precise and of very low mass. The fabrication is modular and can be carried out with a minimum of tooling and instrumentation. Testing of modules is possible prior to the final assembly. 4 figs.

Three lines of work have been completed since our previously submitted proposal. These are: spectroscopy of Ce{sup 3+} {minus} Na{sup +} pairs in CaF{sub 2} and SrF{sub 2}, photoionization studies of Sm{sup 2+}, Eu{sup 2+} and Yb{sup 2+} in CaF{sub 2} and SrF{sub 2}; and infrared-detected two-photon spectroscopy of MgO:Ni{sup 2+}, and other two-photon spectroscopy studies. These are discussed in this report.

This paper describes electron emission following the autoionization of doubly excited states in Be-like ions. The Be-like Auger states are produced by two electron capture in slow C{sup 4+}, O{sup 6+} and Ne{sup 8+} ions. These measurements were performed by means of high resolution Auger electron spectroscopy on different target gases and at different projectile energies. Line assignments and relative cross sections are given for the investigated doubly excited states and the excitation mechanism is discussed. 15 refs., 16 figs., 4 tabs.

Palladium deposited on kieselguhr (Pd/K) will be used for several applications in the Replacement Tritium Facility (RTF). The Pd/K procured for the RTF consists of three batches. All three batches meet the specified particle size distribution that 80 weight percent be between 30 and 50 mesh. One batch contains 53.6% palladium which is less than the specified minimum of 55%. Another batch has a chlorine content of 311 ppm which is slightly in excess of the specified maximum of 250 ppm. These nonconformances are not considered significant since batches will be blended to yield Pd/K for the RTF that meets the chlorine specification and has acceptable palladium content. Some of the Pd/K procured for the RTF will be heat treated to strengthen the particles against breakdown during use. Heat treating parameters must be determined that will preserve the desired absorption/desorption behavior of the Pd/K. 8 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Palladium deposited on kieselguhr (Pd/K) will be used for several applications in the Replacement Tritium Facility (RTF). The Pd/K procured for the RTF consists of three batches. All three batches meet the specified particle size distribution that 80 weight percent be between 30 and 50 mesh. One batch contains 53.6% palladium which is less than the specified minimum of 55%. Another batch has a chlorine content of 311 ppm which is slightly in excess of the specified maximum of 250 ppm. These nonconformances are not considered significant since batches will be blended to yield Pd/K for the RTF that meets the chlorine specification and has acceptable palladium content. Some of the Pd/K procured for the RTF will be heat treated to strengthen the particles against breakdown during use. Heat treating parameters must be determined that will preserve the desired absorption/desorption behavior of the Pd/K. 8 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Accurate branch-prediction is necessary to utilize deeply pipelined and Very Long Instruction-Word (VLIW) architectures. For a set of program traces we show the upper limits on branch predictability, and hence machine utilization, for important classes of branch-predictors using static (compiletime) and dynamic (runtime) program information. A set of optimal superpredictors'' is derived from these program traces. These optimal predictors compare favorably with other proposed methods of branch-prediction. 3 refs., 5 figs., 12 tabs.

The Fifth International Symposium in Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy and Its Applications was attended. The Joint Research Centre of the European Communities at Ispra, Italy was also visited. The traveler presented an invited talk, chaired a meeting session and gave an impromptu presentation on how current laser technology limits the development of commercial instrumentation based upon Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy. The conference was truely international with scientists from 19 countries and less than 1/4 from the US. The meeting also provided a health mixture of experimentalists and theoreticians. Technical developments reported included the use of electric field ionization from laser prepared Rydberg states as a way to reduce background signals and commercial development of an optical parametric oscillator for replacing pulsed dye laser. A speaker from the Soviet Union suggested their willingness to market hardware they have developed based upon the resonance ionization technique.

Residual stresses in delta plutonium can be measured by the x-ray diffractometer method. This was accomplished with the aid of an experimental tantalum x-ray target. Preliminary experiments are encouraging and indicate that stresses may be determined precisely and rapidly. Future work will involve determination of x-ray elastic constants, instrument calibration with stress-free standards, higher x-ray power and more sophisticated monochromatization methods. 4 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

The fixture used to hold the IH module while the EC Calorimeter is pul led over it consists of two tripod frames with a double wide flange between them. The two tripods have legs made of 6-inch Schedule 40 pipe, these legs are tied together with 2-inch Schedule 40 pipe. One of the legs sits on and is attached to a box made of 3/4-inch plates. The fixture was analyzed using ANSYS. The element used was a 3-D beam (STIF4). Equivalent properties were figured for the double wide flange. The legs of the tripods were constrained in the Y direction (vertical). The box at the bottom of the tripod leg was not used in this analysis, the leg was constrained at the point of attachment to the box. The cross beam was loaded at two points representing the IH load. The reaction force at the point where the tripod leg attaches to the box was then used in an analysis of the box itself. The box was modeled using plate elements (STIF63). The bottom of the box was constrained in the Y (vertical) direction. The top of the box was loaded in roughly a circular area to represent the pipe …

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Construction of the Human Immunodeficiency virus service act ,article 4419b-4 ,V.T.C.S(RQ-1886).

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Authority of the Parks and Wildlife Department to accept an affidavit in lieu of a certificate of title for a boat (RQ-2043)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Use of municipal revenue bonds to acquire a school building for lease to an independent school district (RQ-1876)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Jim Mattox, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Imposition of fees on motor fuels under House Bill 504, Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1033, at 4156 (RQ-1904)