An account of alternative fuel vehicle usage and success highlighting three major airports.

Urban fabric data are needed in order to estimate the impact of light-colored surfaces (roofs and pavements) and urban vegetation (trees, grass, shrubs) on the meteorology and air quality of a city, and to design effective implementation programs. In this report, we discuss the result of a semi-automatic Monte-Carlo statistical approach used to develop data on surface-type distribution and city-fabric makeup (percentage of various surface-types) using aerial color orthophotography. The digital aerial photographs for Salt Lake City covered a total of about 34 km2 (13 mi2). At 0.50-m resolution, there were approximately 1.4 x 108 pixels of data. Four major land-use types were examined: (1) commercial, (2) industrial, (3) educational, and (4) residential. On average, for the areas studied, vegetation covers about 46 percent of the area (ranging 44-51 percent), roofs cover about 21 percent (ranging 15-24 percent), and paved surfaces about 26 percent (ranging 21-28 percent). For the most part, trees shade streets, parking lots, grass, and sidewalks. In most non-residential areas, paved surfaces cover 46-66 percent of the area. In residential areas, on average, paved surfaces cover about 32 percent of the area. Land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) data from the United States Geological Survey were used to extrapolate these results …

This Data Qualification Report uses corroborating data methods according to Attachment 2 of AP-SIII.2Q, Rev. 00, ICN 3, ''Qualification of Unqualified Data and the Documentation of Rationale for Accepted Data'', to qualify flowing interval data from a borehole spinner log. This report was prepared in accordance with Data Qualification Plan DQP-NBS-GS-000005, Rev. 00. These data were collected under the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) Quality Assurance Requirements and Description (QARD) document but are unqualified because unqualified software was used in data reduction. The unqualified flow log was run in Borehole UE-25c No.3 in 1995. Corroborative evidence is available from independent flow logs run in the same borehole in 1984 by an earlier investigator. This corroborative support is unusually strong because it represents a second measurement of the same data. The corroborating data agree well with the data being qualified and support the adequacy of the data. The unqualified software, the TERRASTATION code by Terrasciences Inc., is widely used and accepted by the technical community for non-project applications. The widespread acceptance of the software further supports the adequacy of the data. In view of the evidence provided by the corroborating data and general acceptance of the software, the Data Qualification …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Pentagon considers defenses to counter attacks from ballistic missiles, both long-range strategic and shorter-range theater missiles, to be critical to U.S. national security. The Air Force is developing a new satellite system, called Space-Based Infrared System-low (SBIRS-low) to expand the military's infrared satellite capabilities for supporting ballistic missile defenses. GAO reviewed the Defense Department's (DOD) efforts to acquire SBIRS-low. Specifically, GAO (1) evaluated the cost, schedule, and performance risks of the current acquisition schedule; (2) evaluated the program's technical risks; and (3) determined whether DOD has assessed alternative approaches to SBIRS-low. GAO found that the Air Force's current SBIRS-low acquisition schedule is of high risk of not delivering the system on time or at cost or with expected performance. SBIRS-low has high technical risks because some critical satellite technologies have been judged immature for the current stage of the program. DOD acquisition policy and procedures require that the cost and mission effectiveness of space systems be assessed relative to alternative terrestrial systems. However, the Air Force has not analyzed or identified terrestrial alternatives to the SBIRS-low system because, according to Air Force Space Command officials, …

Correspondence issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of State adhered to applicable contracting laws and regulations in issuing three interim sole-source contract extensions to DynCorp Aerospace Technology. Although State had developed extensive plans to make a competitive award before DynCorp's existing contract expired, State determined that because of an ever-changing scope of work, it needed to prepare a completely new solicitation incorporating a different statement of work and various program changes. As a result, State could not award a new competitive contract before DynCorp's contract expired. The documentation shows that because of the contractor's magnitude, DynCorp's past experience on the job made it the only qualified contractor able to provide the services without interruption. As required, State publicized each of its decisions to use noncompetitive procedures for the interim contract extensions to allow potential offerors to challenge the decisions, but no firms expressed interest in competing for the awards. In awarding the current contract to DynCorp, State complied with the requirements for making a competitive award and also took discretionary steps to promote increased competition, such as holding a pre-proposal conference with potential offerors. Of the two proposals it received, State determined that …

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is currently involved in a long term study using time-lapse multiple frequency electromagnetic (EM) characterization at a waterflood enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in California operated by Chevron Heavy Oil Division in Lost Hills, California. The petroleum industry's interest and the successful imaging results from this project suggest that this technique be extended to monitor CO{sub 2} sequestration at an EOR site also operated by Chevron. The impetus for this study is to develop the ability to image subsurface injected CO{sub 2} during EOR processes while simultaneously discriminating between pre-existing petroleum and water deposits. The goals of this study are to combine laboratory and field methods to image a pilot CO{sub 2} sequestration EOR site using the cross-borehole EM technique, improve the inversion process in CO{sub 2} studies by coupling results with petrophysical laboratory measurements, and focus on new gas interpretation techniques. In this study we primarily focus on how joint field and laboratory results can provide information on subsurface CO{sub 2} detection, CO{sub 2} migration tracking, and displacement of petroleum and water over time. This study directly addresses national energy issues in two ways: (1) the development of field and laboratory techniques to improve …

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is currently involved in a long term study using time-lapse multiple frequency electromagnetic (EM) characterization at a waterflood enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in California operated by Chevron Heavy Oil Division in Lost Hills, California (Figure 1). The petroleum industry's interest and the successful imaging results from this project suggest that this technique be extended to monitor CO{sub 2} sequestration at an EOR site also operated by Chevron. The impetus for this study is to develop the ability to image subsurface injected CO{sub 2} during EOR processes while simultaneously discriminating between pre-existing petroleum and water deposits. The goals of this study are to combine laboratory and field methods to image a pilot CO{sub 2} sequestration EOR site using the cross-borehole EM technique, improve the inversion process in CO{sub 2} studies by coupling results with petrophysical laboratory measurements, and focus on new gas interpretation techniques. In this study we primarily focus on how joint field and laboratory results can provide information on subsurface CO{sub 2} detection, CO{sub 2} migration tracking, and displacement of petroleum and water over time. This study directly addresses national energy issues in two ways: (1) the development of field and laboratory techniques …

A review has been performed of existing information that describes geology, hydrogeology, and geochemistry at the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is operated by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, in Dade County, Florida. Treated sanitary wastewater is injected into a saline aquifer beneath the plant. Detection of contaminants commonly associated with treated sanitary wastewater in the freshwater aquifer that overlies the saline aquifer has indicated a need for a reevaluation of the ability of the confining layer above the saline aquifer to prevent fluid migration into the overlying freshwater aquifer. Review of the available data shows that the geologic data set is not sufficient to demonstrate that a competent confining layer is present between the saline and freshwater aquifers. The hydrogeologic data also do not indicate that a competent confining layer is present. The geochemical data show that the freshwater aquifer is contaminated with treated wastewater, and the spatial patterns of contamination are consistent with upward migration through localized conduits through the Middle Confining Unit, such as leaking wells or natural features. Recommendations for collection and interpretation of additional site characterization data are provided.

The results from the GR-LNB technology demonstrated by EER at Cherokee Station approached, but did not meet, the CCT project's performance objectives. Acceptable unit operability was achieved with both the GR and the LNB components. The gas reburning component of the process appears to be broadly applicable for retrofit NO{sub x} control to most utility boilers and, in particular, to wet-bottom cyclone boilers, which are high NO{sub x} emitters and are difficult to control (LNB technology is not applicable to cyclone boilers). GR-LNB can reduce NO{sub x} to mandated emissions levels under Title IV of the CAAA without significant, adverse boiler impacts. The GR-LNB process may be applicable to boilers significantly larger than the demonstration unit, provided there is adequate dispersion and mixing of injected natural gas. Major results of the demonstration project are summarized as follows: NO{sub x}-emissions reductions averaging 64% were achieved with 12.5% gas heat input in long-term tests on a 158-MWe (net) wall-fired unit. The target reduction level of 70% was achieved only on a short-term basis with higher gas consumption. The thermal performance of coal-fired boilers is not significantly affected by GR-LNB. Convective section steam temperatures can be controlled within acceptable limits. Thermal efficiency is …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "This report discusses the Treasury Department's debt management strategies in a period of budget surplus. As the level of debt held by the public has decreased, the Treasury has had to rethink its strategies for best achieving its three goals--having enough cash on hand, minimizing cost over time, and promoting efficient markets. The Treasury has used existing and new debt managing tools in response to the challenges posed by declining debt. In calendar year 2000, the Treasury began two new programs designed to improve market liquidity: regularly reopening existing debt issues rather than creating new issues, and conducting buybacks of about $30 billion in longer-term bonds before they matured, thereby enabling the Treasury to issue more new securities. In addition, higher issuance levels of short-term bills were made possible by eliminating longer-term notes. Capital markets have been adjusting to the reduced supply of Treasury securities. For example, capital market participants have begun using financial instruments other than Treasury securities as pricing tools for transactions. If projected budget surpluses materialize, the current combination of debt auction schedules, issue sizes, and maturities will be unsustainable over the next …

Flow tones in a pipeline-cavity system are characterized in terms of unsteady pressure within the cavity and along the pipe. The reference case corresponds to equal lengths of pipe connected to the inlet and outlet ends of the cavity. Varying degrees of asymmetry of this pipe arrangement are investigated. The asymmetry is achieved by an extension of variable length, which is added to the pipe at the cavity outlet. An extension length as small as a few percent of the acoustic wavelength of the resonant mode can yield a substantial reduction in the pressure amplitude of the flow tone. This amplitude decrease occurs in a similar fashion within both the cavity and the pipe resonator, which indicates that it is a global phenomenon. Furthermore, the decrease of pressure amplitude is closely correlated with a decrease of the Q (quality)-factor of the predominant spectral component of pressure. At a sufficiently large value of extension length, however, the overall form of the pressure spectrum recovers to the form that exists at zero length of the extension. Further insight is provided by variation of the inflow velocity at selected values of extension length. Irrespective of its value, both the magnitude and frequency of …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO examined the performance measures that the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) uses to assess the nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, and health referral services provided to participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. GAO found that FNS has an outcome-based measure for one of the three nutrition services--breastfeeding promotion and support. However, the measure, breastfeeding initiation rate, examines only one of several important aspects of the service's possible impact on WIC participants. In addition, several obstacles have hindered FNS' efforts to develop and implement outcome-based measures for nutrition education and health referral services for the WIC program. These include difficulties in identifying measures that would allow the agency to appropriately link a particular service's activity to a desired outcome and resource constraints affecting FNS' ability to collect data needed to implement a proposed measure."

This report presents a detailed description of a vision system whose purpose is to detect and to localize the nonuniformities that appear on the paper slurry (wood fiber and water mixture) at the wet end of a paper machine. Specifically, the system is capable of monitoring the paper slurry upon its exit from the headbox and alerting the operators of any event (e.g., streaks) that disrupts the otherwise homogeneous background. Such events are thought to affect crucial product properties such as formation, which if poor, results in thick and thin spots on the sheet and impacts its strength and printability. This report describes the vision system in terms of its hardware modules, as well as the image processing algorithms that it utilizes to perform its function. Basically, the system acquires both intensity and topographic information from the scene and uses texture-based features for the detection, and facet-based descriptors for the localization of the nonuniformities. In addition to being tested in a laboratory environment, a prototype of this system was constructed and deployed to a paper mill, where its performance was evaluated under realistic conditions. Installed on a fourdrinier paper machine, running at 480 m/min and producing linerboard material, the vision …

We present self-consistent general relativistic simulations of stellar core collapse, bounce, and postbounce evolution for 13, 15, and 20 solar mass progenitors in spherical symmetry. Our simulations implement three-flavor Boltzmann neutrino transport and standard nuclear physics. The results are compared to our corresponding simulations with Newtonian hydrodynamics and O(v/c) Boltzmann transport.

This report provides an overview of the gulf cooperation council defense agreement.

In the structure task, we completed a N-S transect east of Seneca Lake that indicated a N-striking fault near the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake, and also indicated NE and ENE-trending FIDs and faults north of Valois. The orientation and existence of the NE-striking FIDs and faults are thought to be controlled by basement faults, rather than thrust ramps above the Salina salt controlled only by a far-field Alleghanian stress field. Structure contour maps based on well log analyses have been constructed but not interpreted. Soil gas data displayed a number of ethane-charged soil gas ''spikes'' on a N-S transect from Ovid south to near Valois. The soil gas team found a larger number of spikes in the northern half of the survey, suggesting more open fractures (and faults) in the northern half of the survey. Seismic data has been purchased and reprocessed. Several grabens observed in the Trenton reflector are consistent with surface structure, soil gas, and aeromagnetic anomalies. The aeromagnetic survey is completed and the data is processed. Prominent magnetic anomalies suggest that faults in the Precambrian basement are located beneath regions where grabens in the Trenton are located.

Cooperative Agreement (DE-FC21-95EW55101) between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Florida State University's Institute for International Cooperative Environmental Research (IICER) was designed to facilitate a number of joint programmatic goals of both the DOE and the IICER related to international technology identification, development, demonstration and deployment using a variety of mechanisms to accomplish these goals. These mechanisms included: laboratory and field research; technology demonstrations; international training and technical exchanges; data collection, synthesis and evaluation; the conduct of conferences, symposia and high-level meetings; and other appropriate and effective approaches. The DOE utilized the expertise and facilities of the IICER at Florida State University to accomplish its goals related to this cooperative agreement. The IICER has unique and demonstrated capabilities that have been utilized to conduct the tasks for this cooperative agreement. The IICER conducted activities related to technology identification, development, evaluation, demonstration and deployment through its joint centers which link the capabilities at Florida State University with collaborating academic and leading research institutions in the major countries of Central and Eastern Europe (e.g., Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) and Russia. The activities and accomplishments for this five-year cooperative agreement are summarized in this Final Technical Report.

If geologic formations are used to sequester carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), monitoring the CO{sub 2} injection will be required to confirm the performance of the reservoir system, assess leaks and flow paths, and understand the geophysical and geochemical interactions between the CO{sub 2} and the geologic minerals and fluids. Electrical methods are well suited for monitoring processes involving fluids, as electrical properties are sensitive to the presence and nature of the formation fluids. High resolution tomographs of electrical properties are now possible using it 3D technique called electrical resistance tomography (ERT). Surveys are commonly conducted utilizing vertical arrays of point electrodes in a cross-well configuration. Recent field results obtained using steel well casings as electrodes are promising. When 3D ERT imaging can be performed using existing well casings as long electrodes, the need for additional drilling of observation wells is minimized. Using a model patterned after an oil field undergoing CO{sub 2} flood, forward and inverse simulations of ERT surveys have been run to test the sensitivity of the method to changes resulting from CO{sub 2} migration. Factors considered include resistivity contrast, anomaly proximity to electrodes, anomaly size and shape, measurement noise, and the electrode configuration used to perform the …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund has maintained an economic value of at least two percent of the Fund's insurance-in-force, as required by law. GAO's and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) analysis show that the Fund had an economic value of $15.8 billion (3.20 percent) and $16.6 billion (3.66 percent), respectively. Given the economic value of the Fund and the state of the economy at the end of fiscal year 1999, a two-percent capital ratio appears sufficient to withstand moderately severe economic downturns that could lead to worse-than-expected loan performance. However, under more severe economic conditions, the economic value of two percent of insurance-in-force would not be adequate. Because of the uncertainty and professional judgment associated with this type of economic analysis, GAO cautions against relying on one estimate or even a group of estimates to determine the adequacy of the Fund's reserves over the longer term. HUD could exercise several options under current legislative authority to reduce the capital ratio for the Fund. It is difficult, however, to reliably measure the impact of policy changes on the Fund's capital ratio and Federal Housing …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "GAO reviewed several aspects of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Rocky Flats Environmental Technology site cleanup and closure plan. Specifically, GAO reviewed (1) the status and cost of the Rocky Flats closure project, (2) the likelihood that the site will be closed by 2006, and (3) the management actions needed, if any, to improve the likelihood of the project's success. GAO found that in the more than five years that it has been the major contractor at the Rocky Flats site, Kaiser-Hill has made significant progress toward cleaning up the site, but the majority of the work--and the most complicated--remains to be done. Because of the project's difficulty, DOE entered into a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract with Kaiser-Hill. If completed on time, the project will cost about $7.5 billion from the signing of the first cleanup contract with Kaiser-Hill in July 1995 through the 2006 closure date, and about $1.4 billion more thereafter, for such activities as site monitoring and maintenance and for contractor employees' retirement benefits. These overall costs will increase if additional work is required or the 2006 target date is not achieved. Kaiser-Hill and DOE …

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Energy (DOE) is improving security of 192 metric tons of weapons-usable nuclear material in Russia by installing modern security systems that detect, delay, and respond to attempts to steal nuclear material. These systems, while not as stringent as those installed in the United States, are designed to reduce the risk of nuclear material theft at Russian sites. While Russia and the United States have worked cooperatively to reduce the risk of theft in Russia, Russian officials' concerns about divulging national security information continue to impede DOE's efforts to install systems for several hundred metric tons of nuclear material at sensitive Russian sites. Continued progress in reducing the risk of nuclear material theft in Russia hinges on DOE's ability to gain access to Russia's sensitive sites and reach agreement with the Ministry of Atomic Energy to reduce the number of sites and buildings where nuclear material is located. DOE currently does not have a means to periodically monitor the systems to ensure that they are operating properly on a continued basis. Such as mechanism would provide DOE officials with increased confidence that the security …

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982 directed the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to research sites and design a deep geologic repository for the disposal of our nation's spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 1987, Congress amended the NWPA and directed the DOE to focus only on Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to determine whether it is a suitable site for a repository. For more than 15 years, the DOE has been studying Yucca Mountain and has accumulated an enormous amount of scientific and technical information about the mountain and the area surrounding it. The secretary of energy will decide whether to recommend Yucca Mountain to the president as a suitable site for a repository. This decision will be based on the scientific and technical information resulting from the Department of Energy's studies of Yucca Mountain and on the views and comments submitted by other governmental groups and the public. One required basis for the secretary's decision will be a scientific analysis called a total system performance assessment.

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "If the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) were to lose its legislative protections today, its high level of debt and corresponding high financing costs would be a competitive challenge. This competitive challenge would be even greater if it were at the same time attempting to recover costs of deferred assets through rates. Despite having reduced its debt and deferred assets over the past three years, TVA still compares unfavorably to its likely competitors in these areas. In addition, TVA is revising its goals for reducing debt and deferred assets downward significantly. Whether or not the deferred assets will contribute to stranded costs that are recoverable from customers depends on the specific requirements of any legislation that might remove TVA's legislative protections and TVA's ability to retain its current competitive advantages in a restructured environment. In addition, the longer that TVA has to prepare for competition, the longer it will have to reduce debt and recover the costs of its deferred assets and position itself more competitively. Ultimately, TVA's ability to be competitive will depend on the future market price of power, which cannot be predicted with any …

This report documents an investigation into the tritium inventory expected in the ARIES-AT fusion reactor. ARIES-AT features silicon carbide fibers in a silicon carbide matrix as its primary construction. It uses the same fusion power core as the previous ARIES-RS. Based on experimental results of several researchers, consideration was given to swelling, sputtering, film coatings, erosion, and implantation. Estimates were made of tritium inventory using the TMAP4 code. About 700 g of tritium may be expected in the machine, two thirds of which would reside in the first wall. Under assumed accident conditions that involve first wall temperatures up to 1000 C, evolution of retained tritium may be expected to vary from 0.8 to nearly 40 percent depending on the temperature of the first wall.