Matrix shrinkage and swelling can cause profound changes in porosity and permeability of coalbed methane reservoirs during depletion or when under CO{sub 2} injection processes, with significant implication for primary or enhanced methane recovery. Two models that are used to describe these effects are discussed. The first was developed by Advanced Resources International (ARI) and published in 1990 by Sawyer, et al. The second model was published by Palmer and Mansoori in 1996. This paper shows that the two provide equivalent results for most applications. However, their differences in formulation cause each to have relative advantages and disadvantages under certain circumstances. Specifically, the former appears superior for undersaturated coalbed methane reservoirs while the latter would be better if a case is found where matrix swelling is strongly disproportional to gas concentration. Since its presentation in 1996, the Palmer and Mansoori model has justifiably received much critical praise. However, the model developed by ARI for the COMET reservoir simulation program has been in use since 1990, and has significant advantages in certain settings. A review of data published by Levine in 1996 reveals that carbon dioxide causes a greater degree of coal matrix swelling compared to methane, even when measured on …

This report summarizes the procedures used and results obtained in determining radial gas holdup profiles, via gamma ray scanning, and in assessing liquid and gas mixing parameters, via radioactive liquid and gas tracers, during Fischer Tropsch synthesis. The objectives of the study were (i) to develop a procedure for detection of gas holdup radial profiles in operating reactors and (ii) to test the ability of the developed, previously described, engineering models to predict the observed liquid and gas mixing patterns. It was shown that the current scanning procedures were not precise enough to obtain an accurate estimate of the gas radial holdup profile and an improved protocol for future use was developed. The previously developed physically based model for liquid mixing was adapted to account for liquid withdrawal from the mid section of the column. The ability of our engineering mixing models for liquid and gas phase to predict both liquid and gas phase tracer response was established and illustrated.

Power quality [PQ] and power reliability [PR] gained importance in the industrialized world as the pace of installation of sensitive appliances and other electrical loads by utility customers accelerated, beginning in the mid 1980s. Utility-grid-connected customers rapidly discovered that this equipment was increasingly sensitive to various abnormalities in the electricity supply.

We report on recent improvements made to our 1 MV accelerator mass spectrometry system that is dedicated to {sup 14}C quantification of biochemical samples. Increased vacuum pumping capacity near the high voltage terminal has resulted in a 2-fold reduction of system backgrounds to 0.04 amol {sup 14}C/mg carbon. Carbon ion transmission through the accelerator has also improved a few percent. We have also developed tritium measurement capability on this spectrometer. The {sup 3}H/{sup 1}H isotopic ratio of a milligram-sized processed tap water sample has been measured at 4 {+-} 1 x 10{sup -16} (430 {+-} 110 {micro}Bq/mg H). Measurement throughput for a typical biochemical {sup 3}H sample is estimated to be {approx}10 minutes/sample.

Based on known and estimated molecular constants, the thermodynamic functions, C{sub p}, S{sup o}, H{sup o}-H{sup o}(298), and -(G{sup o} - H{sup o}(298))/T, have been calculated and tabulated for actinide vapors species of the formulas AnO{sub 3}(g), AnO{sub 2}(OH){sub 2}(g), AnO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}(g), and AnO{sub 2}F{sub 2}(g) where An = U, Np, Pu, and Am. A method to calculate the thermodynamic functions for the mixed species, AnO{sub 2}ClOH(g), AnO{sub 2}FOH(g), and AnO{sub 2}FCl(g), is also given.

Observations of global temperature records seem to show less warming than predictions of global warming brought on by increasing concentrations of CO{sub 2} and other greenhouse gases. One of the reasonable explanations for this apparent inconsistency is that the increasing concentrations of anthropogenic aerosols may be partially counteracting the effects of greenhouse gases. Aerosols can scatter or absorb the solar radiation, directly change the planetary albedo. Aerosols, unlike CO{sub 2}, may also have a significant indirect effect by serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Increases in CCN can result in clouds with more but smaller droplets, enhancing the reflection of solar radiation. Aerosol direct and indirect effects are a strong function of the distributions of all aerosol types and the size distribution of the aerosol in question. However, the large spatial and temporal variabilities in the concentration, chemical characteristics, and size distribution of aerosols have made it difficult to assess the magnitude of aerosol effects on atmospheric radiation. These variabilities in aerosol characteristics as well as their effects on clouds are the leading sources of uncertainty in predicting future climate variation. Inventory studies have shown that the present-day anthropogenic emissions contribute more than half of fine particle mass primarily due …

The device for the halyard stretching consists of a frame with coupler and clamping rollers mounted in pairs on it, the drive of the rotation of the coupler rollers and the clamping device with a clamping spring. The clamping device is remarkable that the clamping rollers are mounted in a separate movable bracket, which is connected with the frame with the help of a hinge. Between the frame and the movable bracket a releasing spring is inserted. The clamping device is equipped with a movable holder to clamp rollers kinematically connected with the coupler ones with the aid of cardan joints. It assures rotations of the movable bracket over the frame and synchronous rotation of the coupler and clamping rollers ill different directions. All rollers are connected with the drive of rotation via an electro magnet sleeve. A linear drive of spring pressing is mounted between the movable bracket and the clamping spring. A nip of the releasing spring is connected with the electromagnet rotor.

This report presents the findings of groundwater monitoring and characterization at WMA TX-TY in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site.

The hydroxide anion plays an essential role in many chemical and biochemical reactions. But questions of its hydration state and transport in water are currently controversial. Here we address this situation using the quasi-chemical theory of solutions. The simplest such approach suggests that HO [H20]3- is the most probable species at infinite dilution in aqueous solution under standard conditions, followed by the HO . [H20]2- and HO . [HzO]- forms which are close together in stablity. HO . [H20]4- is less stable, in contrast to recent proposals that the latter structure is the most stable hydration species in solution. Ab initio molecular dynamics results presented here support the dominance of the tri-hydrated form, but that the population distribution is broad and sensitive to solution conditions. On the basis of these results, the mobility of hydroxide can be simply that of a proton hole. This contrasts with recent proposals invoking the interconversion of a stable 'trap' structure HO . [H20]4- to HO . [H20]3- as the rate determining step in the transport process.

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The primary accomplishments of the JOI Cooperative Agreement with DOE/NETL in this quarter were (1) the preliminary postcruise evaluation of the tools and measurement systems that were used during ODP Leg 204 to study hydrate deposits on Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon from July through September 2002; and (2) the preliminary study of the hydrate-bearing core samples preserved in pressure vessels and in liquid nitrogen cryofreezers, which are now stored at the ODP Gulf Coast Repository in College Station, TX. During ODP Leg 204, several newly modified downhole tools were deployed to better characterize the subsurface lithologies and environments hosting microbial populations and gas hydrates. A preliminary review of the use of these tools is provided herein. The DVTP, DVTP-P, APC-methane, and APC-Temperature tools (ODP memory tools) were used extensively and successfully during ODP Leg 204 aboard the D/V JOIDES Resolution. These systems provided a strong operational capability for characterizing the in situ properties of methane hydrates in subsurface environments on Hydrate Ridge during ODP Leg 204. Pressure was also measured during a trial run of the Fugro piezoprobe, which operates on similar principles as the DVTP-P. The final report describing the deployments of the Fugro Piezoprobe is provided in Appendix …

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We describe calculations of b overline b production tonext-to-next-to-leadi ng order (NNLO) and next-to-next-to-leadinglogarithm (NNLL) near threshold in pp interactions. Our calculations arein good agreement with the b overline b total cross section measured byHERA-B.

During this program we have synthesized and characterized several novel cathode and anode materials for application in Li-ion batteries. Novel synthesis routes like chemical doping, electroless deposition and sol-gel method have been used and techniques like impedance, cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge cycling have been used to characterize these materials. Mathematical models have also been developed to fit the experimental result, thus helping in understanding the mechanisms of these materials.

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This past decade has seen rapid growth in the size,resolution, and complexity of Grand Challenge simulation codes. Thistrend is accompanied by a trend towards multinational, multidisciplinaryteams who carry out this research in distributed teams, and thecorresponding growth of Grid infrastructure to support these widelydistributed Virtual Organizations. As the number and diversity ofdistributed teams grow, the need for visualization tools to analyze anddisplay multi-terabyte, remote data becomes more pronounced and moreurgent. One such tool that has been successfully used to address thisproblem is Visapult. Visapult is a parallel visualization tool thatemploys Grid-distributed components, latency tolerant visualization andgraphics algorithms, along with high performance network I/O in order toachieve effective remote analysis of massive datasets. In this paper wediscuss improvements to network bandwidth utilization and responsivenessof the Visapult application that result from using connectionlessprotocols to move data payload between the distributed Visapultcomponents and a Grid-enabled, high performance physics simulation usedto study gravitational waveforms of colliding black holes: The Cactuscode. These improvements have boosted Visapult's network efficiency to88-96 percent of the maximum theoretical available bandwidth onmulti-gigabit Wide Area Networks, and greatly enhanced interactivity.Such improvements are critically important for future development ofeffective interactive Grid applications.

This report summarizes the work performed by Hybrid Power Generation Systems, LLC during the October 2002 to December 2002 reporting period under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-01NT40779 for the U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) entitled ''Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid System for Distributed Power Generation''. The main objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a highly efficient hybrid system integrating a planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and a turbogenerator. The following activities have been carried out during this reporting period: {lg_bullet} Conceptual system design trade studies were performed {lg_bullet} Part-load performance analysis was conducted {lg_bullet} Primary system concept was down-selected {lg_bullet} Dynamic control model has been developed {lg_bullet} Preliminary heat exchanger designs were prepared {lg_bullet} Pressurized SOFC endurance testing was performed

This topical report summarizes work accomplished for the Program from November 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002 in the following task areas: Task 1: Materials Development; Task 2: Composite Development; Task 4: Reactor Design and Process Optimization; Task 8: Fuels and Engine Testing; 8.1 International Diesel Engine Program; 8.2 Nuvera Fuel Cell Program; and Task 10: Program Management. Major progress has been made towards developing high temperature, high performance, robust, oxygen transport elements. In addition, a novel reactor design has been proposed that co-produces hydrogen, lowers cost and improves system operability. Fuel and engine testing is progressing well, but was delayed somewhat due to the hiatus in program funding in 2002. The Nuvera fuel cell portion of the program was completed on schedule and delivered promising results regarding low emission fuels for transportation fuel cells. The evaluation of ultra-clean diesel fuels continues in single cylinder (SCTE) and multiple cylinder (MCTE) test rigs at International Truck and Engine. FT diesel and a BP oxygenate showed significant emissions reductions in comparison to baseline petroleum diesel fuels. Overall through the end of 2002 the program remains under budget, but behind schedule in some areas.

This report summarizes the work performed by Honeywell during the January 2002 to March 2002 reporting period under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-01NT40779 for the U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) entitled ''Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid System for Distributed Power Generation''. The main objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a highly efficient hybrid system integrating a planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) and a turbogenerator. For this reporting period the following activities have been carried out: {lg_bullet} Conceptual system design trade studies were performed {lg_bullet} System-level performance model was created {lg_bullet} Dynamic control models are being developed {lg_bullet} Mechanical properties of candidate heat exchanger materials were investigated {lg_bullet} SOFC performance mapping as a function of flow rate and pressure was completed

The goal of this research is to improve the performance of moving bed granular filters for gas cleaning at high temperatures and pressures. A second objective is to better understand dust capture interfacial phenomena and cake formation in moving bed filters. The experimental bed tested in the present study has several unique design features configured as cold flow, axially symmetric, counter-current flow to simulate a filter operating at high temperatures (1088 K) and elevated pressures (10 atmospheres). The granular filter is evaluated in two separate performance studies: (1) optimization of particle collection efficiency and bed pressure drop in a factorial study at near-atmospheric operating pressures through appropriate use of granular bed materials, particle sizes, and feed rates; and (2) high temperature and high pressure model simulation conducted at above-atmospheric pressures and room temperature utilizing dust and granular flow rates, granular size, system pressure, and superficial velocity. The factorial study involves a composite design of 16 near-atmospheric tests, while the model simulation study is comprised of 7 above-atmospheric tests. Similarity rules were validated in tests at four different mass dust ratios and showed nearly constant collection efficiencies ({approx} 99.5 {+-} 0.3%) for operating pressures of 160 kPa gage (23.2 psig) at …

In the first two years of this project, we focused on the membrane synthesis, characterization and optimization. In the past year, we have concentrated on the product development for improving the efficiency of hydrogen recovery from coal gasifier off-gas via water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction. A mathematical simulation study has been performed to compare the performance of the membrane reactor (MR) vs conventional packed bed rector for WGS reaction. Our result demonstrates that >99.999% conversion can be accomplished via WGS-MR using the hydrogen selective membrane developed by us. Further, water/CO ratio can be reduced, and >97% hydrogen recovery and <200 ppm CO can be accomplished according to the mathematical simulation. Thus, we believe that the operating economics of WGS can be improved significantly based upon the proposed MR concept. In parallel, gas separations and hydrothermal and long-term-storage stability of the hydrogen selected membrane have been experimentally demonstrated using a pilot-scale tubular membrane under a simulated WGS environment. For the remaining period of this project, we will conduct experimental study using the hydrogen selective membrane to verify the performance projected by the mathematical simulation.

The project seeks to develop and validate a new pulverized coal combustion system to reduce utility PC boiler NOx emissions to 0.15 lb per million Btu or less without post-combustion flue gas cleaning. Work during previous reporting periods completed the design, installation, shakedown and initial PRB coal testing of a 3-million Btu/h pilot system at BBP's Pilot-Scale Combustion Facility (PSCF) in Worcester, MA. Based on these results, modifications to the gas-fired preheat combustor and PC burner were defined, along with a modified testing plan and schedule. A revised subcontract was executed with BBP to reflect changes in the pilot testing program. Modeling activities were continued to develop and verify revised design approaches for both the Preheat gas combustor and PC burner. Reactivation of the pilot test system was then begun with BBP personnel. During the previous reporting period, reactivation of the pilot test system was completed with the modified Preheat gas combustor. Following shakedown of the modified gas combustor alone, a series of successful tests of the new combustor with PRB coal using the original PC burner were completed. NOx at the furnace exit was reduced significantly with the modified gas combustor, to as low as 150 ppm with only …

Advocates of renewable energy have long argued that wind power and other renewable technologies can mitigate fuel price risk within a resource portfolio. Such arguments--made with renewed vigor in the wake of unprecedented natural gas price volatility during the winter of 2000/2001--have mostly been qualitative in nature, however, with few attempts to actually quantify the price stability benefit that wind and other renewables provide. This paper attempts to quantify this benefit by equating it with the cost of achieving price stability through other means, particularly gas-based financial derivatives (futures and swaps). We find that over the past two years, natural gas consumers have had to pay a premium of roughly 0.50 cents/kWh over expected spot prices to lock in natural gas prices for the next 10 years. This incremental cost is potentially large enough to tip the scales away from new investments in natural gasfired generation and in favor of investments in wind power and other renewable technologies.

Fine particle concentrations were measured simultaneously at three locations: a regional monitoring site in Fresno, California, a backyard of an unoccupied residence in Clovis, California located 6 km northeast of the regional site; and indoors at the same residence. Measurements included 10-min determination of PM{sub 2.5} nitrate, sulfate and carbon using an automated collection and vaporization system, and black carbon measured by light attenuation through a filter deposit. Specific outdoor PM{sub 2.5} constituents were compared to assess the appropriateness of using regional data to model indoor concentrations from outdoor sources. The outdoor data show that, in general, the regional results provide a good representation of the concentrations seen at the building exterior. The indoor concentrations showed considerable attenuation as well as a broadening and time-lag for the concentration peaks. The concentration reduction was the largest for PM{sub 2.5} nitrate, which appears to undergo phase changes in addition to indoor deposition and penetration losses.