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The report offers preliminary recommendations for near-term actions to strengthen the U.S. effort to develop and deploy advanced energy technologies. The report comes as the Obama Administration and the 111th U.S. Congress face enormous challenges and opportunities in tackling the pressing security, economic, and environmental problems posed by the energy sector. Improving the technologies of energy supply and end-use is a prerequisite for surmounting these challenges in a timely and cost-effective way, and this report elaborates on how policy can support develop of these important energy technologies.

The primary goal since inception of this DOE grant award in 1991 to Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, has been to support competitive research fellowships aimed at solving important medical problems, contributing significant new knowledge and/or technology. This approach was taken according to the original intent of the DOE program, to foster excellent centers for research and development of lasers and optics in medicine. Laser photomedicine broadly encompasses optical therapy and optical diagnostics, within any organ system. The research supported clearly reflects this breadth and depth.

Advancement of our polymerized crystalline colloidal array chemical sensing technology. They have dramatically advanced their polymerized crystalline colloidal array chemical sensing technology. They fabricated nonselective sensors for determining pH and ionic strength. They also developed selective sensors for glucose and organophosphorus mimics of nerve gas agents. They developed a trace sensor for cations in water which utilized a novel crosslinking sensing motif. In all of these cases they have been able to theoretically model their sensor response by extending hydrogel volume phase transition theory. They also developed transient sampling methods to allow their ion sensing methods to operate at high ionic strengths. They also developed a novel optrode to provide for simple sampling.

The Large Component Test Loop is a facility for ASCR providing experimental capacity for subjecting large components, such as moderator assemblies and control rods, to thermal gradients and transients at varying rates of sodium flow to simulate reactor operating conditions. Two separate loops are used for heating and cooling the sodium as the testing is performed. The 3-inch pump loop, modified to operate at 1200 deg F, was operated at a flow of 130 gpm and a head of 25 feet. The 6-inch pump loop, limited to 1000 deg F operation by materials of construction, was operated at a flow of 2000 gpm and head of 65 feet. The rest of the facility has operated satisfactorily at 1200 deg F. (auth)

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) provides direction for sampling of fuel canister and floor Sludge from the K East Basin to complete the inventory of samples needed for Sludge treatment process testing. Sample volumes and sources consider recent reviews made by the Sludge treatment subproject. The representative samples will be characterized to the extent needed for the material to be used effectively for testing. Sampling equipment used allows drawing of large volume sludge samples and consolidation of sample material from a number of basin locations into one container. Once filled, the containers will be placed in a cask and transported to Hanford laboratories for recovery and evaluation. Included in the present SAP are the logic for sample location selection, laboratory analysis procedures required, and reporting needed to meet the Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) for this initiative.

Educational objectives of capstone courses such as critical-thinking and problem-solving skills are among the most cited needs in curriculum revitalization efforts. Sponsored competitions present an important vehicle for achieving these educational objectives. Opportunities such as the Greenhouse of the Future Competition provide students a diverse range of critical experiences not easily simulated in traditional classroom settings. The objective of the competition was to provide an opportunity for US university students to conceptualize, design, integrate, fabricate, and demonstrate innovative greenhouse or controlled environment ideas. The students achieved a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction by converting their ideas into proposals, developing proposals into experiments, tracking the data generated by the experiments and translating that data into a meaningful communication locally and to the scientific community at large. Most of these important learning experiences would have remained as components of the project even if the team had not advanced as the winning entry.

Dynamic fracture is a material failure process at high strain-rates. Here, we limit our discussion to spallation fracture during shock wave loading. When a compressive shock wave reflects from a free surface, internal states of tension are created. If this tension exceeds the rupture strength of the material, it fails by nucleating and growing microscopic voids in ductile metals and cracks in brittle solids. This effect, known as spallation, was reported by Hopkinson in 1872 [1]. Rinehart and Pierson [2] give an historical introduction to spallation and other aspects of high strain-rate deformation. This phenomenology of the nucleation and growth of microscopic voids is common to all fracture in ductile metals, including dynamic fracture. The importance of pulse duration was not fully appreciated until the 1960's through the work of Butcher and colleagues [3, 4], leading to the concept of cumulative damage. This concept of damage accumulation was put on a strong experimental foundation by Barbee et al. [5], who performed gas gun recovery experiments and tediously measured the size and distribution of microscopic flaws using 2D microscopy. The resulting continuum material model of dynamic fracture is known as the SRI-NAG model [6, 7], for Nucleation And Growth. In a …

We provide in this report a methodology to estimate bounds on the changes in fracture permeability due to thermal-mechanical processes associated with excavation of drifts and emplacement of waste. This report is the first milestone associated with Task A of the LLNL initiative to evaluate available methods for estimating chamges in fracture permeability surrounding drifts in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) and the potential repository at Yucca Mountain in response to (1) construction-induced stress changes and (2) subsequent thermal pulse effects due to waste emplacement. These results are needed for modeling changes in repository-level moisture movement and seepage.

The Nuclear Physics group at UTK is involved in heavy-ion physics including both nuclear structure and reaction mechanisms. During the last year experimental work has been in 3 broad areas: structure of nuclei at high angular momentum, structure of nuclei far from stability, and ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics. Results in these areas are described in this document under: properties of high-spin states, study of low-energy levels of nuclei far from stability, and high-energy heavy-ion physics (PHENIX, etc.). Another important component of the work is theoretical interpretation of experimental results (Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research).

The Nuclear Physics group at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is involved in several aspects of heavy-ion physics including both nuclear structure and reaction mechanisms. While the main emphasis is on experimental problems, the authors have maintained a strong collaboration with several theorists in order to best pursue the physics of their measurements. During the last year they have had several experiments at the ATLAS at Argonne National Laboratory, the GAMMASPHERE at the LBL 88 Cyclotron, and with the NORDBALL at the Niels Bohr Institute Tandem. Also, they continue to be very active in the WA93/98 collaboration studying ultra-relativistic heavy ion physics utilizing the SPS accelerator at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland and in the PHENIX Collaboration at the RHIC accelerator under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory. During the last year their experimental work has been in three broad areas: (1) the structure of nuclei at high angular momentum, (2) the structure of nuclei far from stability, and (3) ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics. The results of studies in these particular areas are described in this document. These studies concentrate on the structure of nuclear matter in extreme conditions of rotational motion, imbalance of neutrons and protons, or very high temperature and …

Environmental surveillance of the Hanford Site and surrounding areas is conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Sampling is conducted to evaluate levels of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants in the Hanford environs. This document contains the calendar year 2004 schedules for the routine and non-routine collection of samples for the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) and Drinking Water Monitoring Project.

The objective of this project was to develop a method, at the pilot scale, for the economical production of hydrogen from peanut shells. During the project period a pilot scale process, based on the bench scale process developed at NREL (National Renewable Energy Lab), was developed and successfully operated to produce hydrogen from peanut shells. The technoeconomic analysis of the process suggests that the production of hydrogen via this method is cost-competitive with conventional means of hydrogen production.

We report on an LDRD seed program of novel technology development (started by an FY98 Engineering Tech-base project) that will enable extremely high-fidelity analog-to-digital converters for a variety of national security missions. High speed (l0+ GS/s ), high precision (l0+ bits) ADC technology requires extremely short aperture times ({approx}1ps ) with very low jitter requirements (sub 10fs ). These fundamental requirements, along with other technological barriers, are difficult to realize with electronics: However, we outline here, a way to achieve these timing apertures using a novel multi-wavelength optoelectronic short-pulse optical source. Our approach uses an optoelectronic feedback scheme with high optical Q to produce an optical pulse train with ultra-low jitter ( sub 5fs) and high amplitude stability (<10{sup 10}). This approach requires low power and can be integrated into an optoelectronic integrated circuit to minimize the size. Under this seed program we have demonstrated that the optical feedback mechanism can be used to generate a high Q resonator. This has reduced the technical risk for further development, making it an attractive candidate for outside funding.

Radiometric methods of analysis for magnesium and calcium have been developed as part of a program for the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission. Office of Isotopes Development, which are applicable to the determination of these elements in portland cement Both methods employ, as a precipitant, a standard solution of (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/HPO/sub 4/ labeled with phosphorus-32. In the presence of NH/ sub 4/OH, this reagent precipitate; MgNH/sub 4/PO/sub 4/ or Ca/sub 3/(PO/sub 4/)/ sub 2/ from a solution of magnesium or calcium ions. The reduction in the radioactivity level of the labeled phosphate solution after precipitation serves as a measure of the phosphate reacted and thus a measure of the quantity of magnesium or calcium present. Studies have been made of the effects of reagent concentration, NH/sub 4/OH concentration, and other experimental variables. The interference of other elements present normally in portland cement and its raw materials has been determined. The concentration ranges for highest accuracy have been found to be 5 to 15 mg of MgO per 100 ml and 15 to 30 mg of CaO per 50 ml. (auth)

Following-the K-pile start-ups in early 1955, a program of planned power raises was begun. The operating level had reached 1700--2000 MW by late 1955, and a severe operational control problem became apparent; the power distribution in the reactor was difficult to control and appeared inherently unstable. A study of available data led to the initiation of a production test so that a more detailed study of the phenomena could be made. This report describes the measures taken which led to an improvement in the operating characteristics of the K-piles; the current status and future outlook are also discussed in a general way.

This project monitored the daily passage of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, steelhead trout O. mykiss, and sockeye salmon smolts O. nerka during the 2002 spring out-migration at migrant traps on the Snake River and Salmon River. In 2002 fish management agencies released significant numbers of hatchery Chinook salmon and steelhead trout above Lower Granite Dam that were not marked with a fin clip or coded-wire tag. Generally, these fish were distinguishable from wild fish by the occurrence of fin erosion. Total annual hatchery Chinook salmon catch at the Snake River trap was 11.4 times greater in 2002 than in 2001. The wild Chinook catch was 15.5 times greater than the previous year. Hatchery steelhead trout catch was 2.9 times greater than in 2001. Wild steelhead trout catch was 2.8 times greater than the previous year. The Snake River trap collected 3,996 age-0 Chinook salmon of unknown rearing. During 2002, the Snake River trap captured 69 hatchery and 235 wild/natural sockeye salmon and 114 hatchery coho salmon O. kisutch. Differences in trap catch between years are due to fluctuations not only in smolt production, but also differences in trap efficiency and duration of trap operation associated with flow. The significant increase …

This project monitored the daily passage of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, steelhead trout O. mykiss, and sockeye salmon O. nerka smolts during the 2003 spring out-migration at migrant traps on the Snake River and Salmon River. In 2003 fish management agencies released significant numbers of hatchery Chinook salmon and steelhead trout above Lower Granite Dam that were not marked with a fin clip or coded-wire tag. Generally, these fish were distinguishable from wild fish by the occurrence of fin erosion. Total annual hatchery Chinook salmon catch at the Snake River trap was 2.1 times less in 2003 than in 2002. The wild Chinook catch was 1.1 times less than the previous year. Hatchery steelhead trout catch was 1.7 times less than in 2002. Wild steelhead trout catch was 2.1 times less than the previous year. The Snake River trap collected 579 age-0 Chinook salmon of unknown rearing. During 2003, the Snake River trap captured five hatchery and 13 wild/natural sockeye salmon and 36 coho salmon O. kisutch of unknown rearing. Differences in trap catch between years are due to fluctuations not only in smolt production, but also differences in trap efficiency and duration of trap operation associated with flow. The …

This project monitored the daily passage of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, steelhead trout O. mykiss, and sockeye salmon O. nerka smolts during the 2004 spring out-migration at migrant traps on the Snake River and Salmon River. In 2004 fish management agencies released significant numbers of hatchery Chinook salmon and steelhead trout above Lower Granite Dam that were not marked with a fin clip or coded-wire tag. Generally, these fish were distinguishable from wild fish by the occurrence of fin erosion. Total annual hatchery Chinook salmon catch at the Snake River trap was 1.1 times greater in 2004 than in 2003. The wild Chinook catch was 1.1 times greater than the previous year. Hatchery steelhead trout catch was 1.2 times greater than in 2003. Wild steelhead trout catch was 1.6 times greater than the previous year. The Snake River trap collected 978 age-0 Chinook salmon of unknown rearing. During 2004, the Snake River trap captured 23 hatchery and 18 wild/natural sockeye salmon and 60 coho salmon O. kisutch of unknown rearing. Differences in trap catch between years are due to fluctuations not only in smolt production, but also differences in trap efficiency and duration of trap operation associated with flow. Trap …

This project monitored the daily passage of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, steelhead trout O. mykiss, and sockeye salmon O. nerka smolts during the 2005 spring out-migration at migrant traps on the Snake River and Salmon River. In 2005 fish management agencies released significant numbers of hatchery Chinook salmon and steelhead trout above Lower Granite Dam that were not marked with a fin clip or coded-wire tag. Generally, the age-1 and older fish were distinguishable from wild fish by the occurrence of fin erosion. Age-0 Chinook salmon are more difficult to distinguish between wild and non-adclipped hatchery fish and therefore classified as unknown rearing. The total annual hatchery spring/summer Chinook salmon catch at the Snake River trap was 0.34 times greater in 2005 than in 2004. The wild spring/summer Chinook catch was 0.34 times less than the previous year. Hatchery steelhead trout catch was 0.67 times less than in 2004. Wild steelhead trout catch was 0.72 times less than the previous year. The Snake River trap collected 1,152 age-0 Chinook salmon of unknown rearing. During 2005, the Snake River trap captured 219 hatchery and 44 wild/natural sockeye salmon and 110 coho salmon O. kisutch of unknown rearing. Differences in trap catch …

This report is a request to ship depleted Uranium Oxide to the Hanford Reservation.

US industry is fighting to maintain its competitive edge in the global market place. Today markets fluctuate rapidly. Companies, to survive, have to be able to respond with quick-to-market, improved, high quality, cost efficient products. The way products are developed and brought to market can be improved and made more efficient through the proper incorporation of emerging technologies. The RRM project was established to leverage the expertise and resources of US private industries and federal agencies to develop, integrate, and deploy new technologies that meet critical needs for effective product realization. The RRM program addressed a needed change in the US Manufacturing infrastructure that will ensure US competitiveness in world market typified by mass customization. This project provided the effort needed to define, develop and establish a customizable infrastructure for rapid response product development design and manufacturing. A major project achievement was the development of a broad-based framework for automating and integrating the product and process design and manufacturing activities involved with machined parts. This was accomplished by coordinating and extending the application of feature-based product modeling, knowledge-based systems, integrated data management, and direct manufacturing technologies in a cooperative integrated computing environment. Key technological advancements include a product model that …

We have proposed a technique that could reduce CO{sub 2} emissions from near coastal fossil-fuel power plants using existing power plant cooling water flow rates (Rau and Caldeira, 1999; Caldeira and Rau, 2000). Preliminary cost estimates are as low as $68 per tonne C sequestered, as compared to > $170 per tonne C estimated for other approaches to CO{sub 2} separation with geologic or deep-ocean storage. Engineers at McDermott Technologies, Inc., have independently estimated the cost of our proposed technique, and came to the conclusion that our cost estimates were at the high end of the likely range. Interest has been expressed in pursuing this approach further both in Norway and in Japan. We have proved the viability of our concept using (1) bench-top laboratory experiments (Figures 1 and 2), (2) computer modeling of those experiments, (3) more sophisticated cost estimates, and (4) three-dimensional computer modeling of the consequences to global ocean chemistry (Figure 3 and 4). The climate and environmental impacts of our current, carbon intensive energy usage demands that effective and practical energy alternatives and CO{sub 2} mitigation strategies be found. As part of this effort, various means of capturing and storing CO{sub 2} generated from fossil-fuel-based energy …

The overall goal of this project was the development of methods for the estimation of in situ Synechococcus growth rates using flow cytometrically-measured cellular properties. As an important picoplanktonic primary producer, Synechococcus can be expected to significantly influence the cycling of carbon in coastal marine environments. Traditional methods for estimating growth rates in natural populations of these and other phytoplankton have relied upon bottle incubations, which take a long time to perform and are subject to a well known suite of artifactual bottle effects. The analytical approach the authors are developing would obviate the need for such incubations, thus avoiding bottle effects and allowing much higher sample through-put. Application of this approach to field populations of Synechococcus would contribute significantly to an understanding of the population dynamics of these organisms, and ultimately to an understanding of carbon cycling in coastal marine environments. The first step toward developing the proposed method for in situ growth rate determination is to establish the relationships between growth rate and cellular properties (e.g., cellular rRNA and DNA content) in Synechococcus strains growing under a variety of conditions. Establishing these relationships has been the focus of this project.