This report discusses employer trip reduction (ETR) programs, which would require large employers to implement certain transportation control measures as part of a national effort to combat air pollution, largely as a direct result of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

Letter opinion 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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Whether a teacher at Texas State Technical College is prohibited from serving as a Harlingen city commissioner(ID# 16363).

Letter opinion 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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Authority of a juvenile court to designate county space as a juvenile processing office ,pursuant to section 52.025 of the Family Code(ID# 19119)

Letter opinion 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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the use of a county-paid employee in the private law practice of a county attorney is a use of public funds for a private purpose in violation of article III, section 52 of the Texas Constitution (ID# 16451)

Letter opinion 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, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Whether the term "business entity" in Government Code in section 481.0042,includes non-profit businesses(ID# 17502).

This invention is an apparatus for use in 100% leak testing of food containers used in conjunction with a tracer gas. It includes a shell with entrance and exit air locks to create a controlled atmosphere through which a series of containers is conveyed by a conveyor belt. Pressure in the shell is kept lower than that in the containers and the atmosphere is made to flow with the containers so that a tracer gas placed in the packages before sealing them will leak more readily, but the leaked tracer gas will remain associated with the leaking package as it moves through the shell. The leaks are detected with a sniffer probe in fluid communication with a gas chromatograph (GC). The GC issues a signal when it detects a leak to an ejector that eject the leaking container from the conveyor. The system is timed so that the series of containers can move continuously into and out of the shell, past the probe and the ejector, without stopping, yet each package is tested for leaks and removed if leaking.

Twelve weld overlay hardfacing alloys have been selected for preliminary erosion testing based on a literature review These alloys have been separated into three major groups: (1) Cobalt containing alloys, (2) Nickel-base alloys, (3) Iron base alloys. These alloys are being applied to carbon steel substrates and will undergo preliminary erosion testing to identify candidates weld overlay alloys for erosion control in CFB boilers. The candidate alloys selected from the preliminary erosion tests will then undergo more detailed evaluations in future research.

The European nuclear power industry is being restructured from an industry drawn along national lines to a European-wide industry. This, in part, reflects growth of the European Economic Community, but it also reflects changes in the international nuclear power industry. The objectives of the participants, beyond better integration of the nuclear industry in Western Europe, are to (1) obtain European leadership of the worldwide commercial nuclear power industry, (2) improve medium- and long-term safety of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU) power reactors, and (3) reduce domestic concerns about nuclear power. The activities to achieve these goals include (1) formation of Nuclear Power International (a joint venture of the German and French nuclear power plant vendors for design and construction of nuclear power plants), (2) formation of a utility group to forge agreement throughout Europe on what the requirements are for the next generation of nuclear power plants, and (3) agreement by regulators in multiple European countries to harmonize regulations. This is to be achieved before the end of the decade. These changes would allow a single design of nuclear power plant to be built anywhere in Europe. The creation of European-wide rules (utility requirements, engineering standards, and …

These notes give an overview of some aspects of the quantum theory of light and its interaction with matter. A description is given of basic emission and absorption processes, as well as the theory of photodetection and optical coherence. Basic research in this area is increasingly relevant to areas of technological importance, including microlaser devices and the noise characteristics of semiconductor lasers.

This project is a step in the Department of Energy's program to show that ultra-clean fuel can be produced from selected coals and that the fuel will be a cost-effective replacement for oil and natural gas now fueling boilers in this country. The replacement of premium fossil fuels with coal can only be realized if retrofit costs are kept to a minimum and retrofit boiler emissions meet national goals for clean air. These concerns establish the specifications for maximum ash and sulfur levels and combustion properties of the ultra-clean coal. The primary objective is to develop the design base for prototype commercial advanced fine coal cleaning facilities capable of producing ultra-clean coals suitable for conversion to coal-water slurry fuel. The fine coal cleaning technologies are advanced column flotation and selective agglomeration. A secondary objective is to develop the design base for near-term commercial integration of advanced fine coal cleaning technologies in new or existing coal preparation plants for economically and efficiently processing minus 28-mesh coal fines. A third objective is to determine the distribution of toxic trace elements between clean coal and refuse when applying the advance column flotation and selective agglomeration technologies. The project team consists of Amax Research …

The objective of this study was to make a more refined evaluation of the Anderson Quin Cycle based on most recent information on the performance of various elements that will be used in the Anderson Quin Cycle. My original estimate of the work plan for evaluating and optimizing the Anderson Quin Cycle called for 7000 man hours of work. Since this grant was limited to 2150 man hours, we could not expect to achieve all the objectives within the allotted period of work. However, the most relevant program objectives have been completed as reported here. The analysis generally confirms the results originally estimated in my paper on the subject. (Ref. 2) Further optimizations should show even higher efficiencies. The Anderson Quin Cycle (US Patent applied for) basically consists of 5 elements in the power cycle: A refrigeration system to cool and clean the inlet air before it enters the compressor that supplies air for the gas turbine; a gas turbine consisting of a compressor, combustor, and turbine; a steam boiler and steam turbine system using the heat from the exhaust gas out of the gas turbine; a vapor turbine cycle, which utilizes the condensed heat from the exhaust of the …

In this research program, a laboratory test facility was built for the purpose of testing a gas-fired water heating appliance. This test facility can be used to examine the important performance characteristics of efficiency, dynamic response, and quality of combustion. An innovative design for a tankless water heater was built and then tested to determine its performance characteristics. This unit was tested over a 5:1 range in input (20,000 to 100,000 btuh heat input). The unit was then configured as a circulating hot water boiler, and a specially designed heat exchanger was used with it to generate domestic hot water. This unit was also tested, and was found to offer performance advantages with regard to low flow and temperature stability.

Newsletter of the Texas Department of Health discussing the news, activities, and events of the organization and other information related to health in Texas.

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

The objectives for this research were two-fold: To identify means of using measurements of the outgoing radiation stream from earth to identify mechanisms of climate change; and to develop a flexible radiation code based upon the correlated-k method to enable rapid and accurate calculations of the outgoing radiation. The intended products are three papers and a radiation code. The three papers are to be on Entropy fluxes and the dissipation of the climate system, Radiation fingerprints of climate change, and A rapid correlated-k code.

A common problem in shield design is determining the neutron flux that streams through ducts in shields and also that penetrates the shield after having traveled partway down the duct. Obviously the determination of the neutrons that stream down the duct can be computed in a straightforward manner using Monte Carlo techniques. On the other hand those neutrons that must penetrate a significant portion of the shield are more easily handled using discrete ordinates methods. A hybrid discrete ordinates/Monte Carlo cods, TWODANT/MC, which is an extension of the existing discrete ordinates code TWODANT, has been developed at Los Alamos to allow the efficient, accurate treatment of both streaming and deep penetration problems in a single calculation. In this paper we provide examples of the application of TWODANT/MC to typical geometries that are encountered in shield design and compare the results with those obtained using the Los Alamos Monte Carlo code MCNP{sup 3}.

The design of the F- and H-Area Seepage Basin contaminated groundwater remediation system requires information from multiple well pump tests (Reference 1). Soil percolation rates are needed in order to support the multiple well pump test planning. The objective of this task was to determine characteristic percolation rates for soils in four select areas where infiltration galleries are proposed. These infiltration galleries will be temporary installations built on the ground surface and used to disposes of water from the multiple well pump tests. A procedure defining the specific work process for collecting percolation rate data is contained in Appendix 3. Results from these percolation tests will be used in the design of infiltration galleries for the disposal of well water extracted during the multiple well pump tests.

Tasks 3 (Environmental Field Sampling and Analysis of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), Heavy Metals, and Organics) and 4 (Monitoring of the Recovery of Impacted Wetland and Open Bay Produced Water Discharge Sites in Coastal Louisiana and Texas) activities have included the narrowing of the list of potential offshore platforms for study off Louisiana and Texas and a preliminary selection of three coastal sites in Louisiana. After an extensive search effort, it was concluded that no coastal sites are available in Texas. A meeting was held between the contractor, Department of Energy (DOE), and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) personnel to discuss potential sites and sampling designs. A letter was sent to the Scientific Review Committee (SRC) providing a general description of the revised site selection process and sampling designs. Task 5 (Assessment of Economic Impacts of Offshore and Coastal Discharge Requirements on Present and Future Operations in the Gulf of Mexico Region) activities included continued evaluation of data types available for the economic analysis. Historical field basis data were acquired. The identification of permitted discharge points was also initiated. Task 6 (Synthesis of Gulf of Mexico Seafood Consumption and Use Patterns) activities have involved the completion of the literature review. …

The High Energy Physic Division at Argonne National Laboratory was given the task of developing the procedures, fixtures, and schedules for the final assembly of the barrel and endcap calorimeters for the SDC. The work completed led to some major decision about how and where this assembly work would be done. The primary assembly decision was the feasibility of assembling the major detector components (barrel and endcap sub-assemblies) above ground and lowering them into position in the experimental hall, as opposed to assembling the calorimeter directly in the experimental hall. Due to cost of above ground assembly and schedule changes, the in-hall option was adopted. Although no actual hardware was constructed, many conceptual ideas were formalized and brought to workable solutions as a result of the effort put forth at ANL.

The Bechtel National, Inc. Detailed Design Instructions for Structural Design (DDI-02) requires that concrete components of the GWSB not exceed 150{degrees}F for structural elements and 200{degrees}F locally over a 24 hour period. In addition, the Waste Acceptance Product Specifications (WAPS) sets the maximum post cooldown temperature of the glass waste-form at 400{degrees}C. Various scenarios can be postulated which result in elevated glass and concrete temperatures in the GWSB. Therefore, it is important to determine the concrete and glass temperatures during both normal and off-normal conditions. This document details specific tasks required to develop a technically defensible and verifiable methodology for determining maximum temperatures for the waste-forms and the GWSB concrete structures. All models used in this analysis will satisfy Quality Assurance requirements and be defensible to review and oversight committees.

The objective of the research was to assess the potential for vertical, directional and horizontal air drilling in the United States and to evaluate the current technology used in air drilling. To accomplish the task, the continental United States was divided into drilling regions and provinces. The map in Appendix A shows the divisions. Air drilling data were accumulated for as many provinces as possible. The data were used to define the potential problems associated with air drilling, to determine the limitations of air drilling and to analyze the relative economics of drilling with air versus drilling mud. While gathering the drilling data, operators, drilling contractors, air drilling contractors, and service companies were contacted. Their opinion as to the advantages and limitations of air drilling were discussed. Each was specifically asked if they thought air drilling could be expanded within the continental United States and where that expansion could take place. The well data were collected and placed in a data base. Over 165 records were collected. Once in the data base, the information was analyzed to determine the economics of air drilling and to determine the limiting factors associated with air drilling.