The National Ignition Facility (NIF), currently under construction at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a $2.25B stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, 351-nm laser system. NIF is being built by the National Nuclear Security Agency and when completed will be the world's largest laser system, providing a national center to study inertial confinement fusion and the physics of extreme energy densities and pressures. In NIF up to 192 energetic laser beams will compress small fusion targets to conditions where they will ignite and burn, liberating more energy than is required to initiate the fusion reactions. NIF experiments will allow the study of physical processes at temperatures approaching 100 million K and 100 billion times atmospheric pressure. These conditions exist naturally only in the interior of stars and in nuclear weapons explosions. In the course of designing the world's most energetic laser system, a number of significant technology breakthroughs have been achieved. Research is also underway to develop a shorter pulse capability on NIF for high power applications. We discuss here the technology challenges and solutions that have made NIF possible along with enhancements to NIF's design that could lead to exawatt power levels.

Multiresolution methods provide a means for representing data at multiple levels of detail. They are typically based on a hierarchical data organization scheme and update rules needed for data value computation. We use a data organization that is based on what we call n{radical}2 subdivision. The main advantage of subdivision, compared to quadtree (n = 2) or octree (n = 3) organizations, is that the number of vertices is only doubled in each subdivision step instead of multiplied by a factor of four or eight, respectively. To update data values we use n-variate B-spline wavelets, which yields better approximations for each level of detail. We develop a lifting scheme for n = 2 and n = 3 based on the n{radical}2-subdivision scheme. We obtain narrow masks that could also provide a basis for view-dependent visualization and adaptive refinement.

Internal combustion engines, both spark ignition and Diesel, are dominant types of vehicle power sources and also provide power for other important stationary applications. Overall, these engines are a central part of power generation in modern society. However, these engines, burning hydrocarbon fuels from natural gas to gasoline and Diesel fuel, are also responsible for a great deal of pollutant emissions to the environment, especially oxides of nitrogen (NO{sub x}) and unburned hydrocarbons (UHC). In recent years, pollutant species emissions from internal combustion engines have been the object of steadily more stringent limitations from various governmental agencies. Engine designers have responded by developing engines that reduce emissions to accommodate these tighter limitations. However, as these limits become ever more stringent, the ability of engine design modifications to meet those limits must be questioned. Production of NO{sub x} in internal combustion engines is primarily due to the high temperature extended Zeldovich reaction mechanism: (1) O + N{sub 2} = NO + N; (2) N + O{sub 2} = NO + O; and (3) N + OH = NO + H. The rates of these reactions become significant when combustion temperatures reach or exceed about 2000K. This large temperature dependence, characterized by …

Water samples previously acquired from superheated (>140 C) zones within hydrological test boreholes of the Drift Scale Test (DST) show relatively high fluoride concentrations (5-66 ppm) and low pH (3.1-3.5) values. In these high temperature regions of the rock, water is present superheated vapor only--liquid water for sampling purposes is obtained during the sampling process by cooling. Based on data collected to date, it is evident that the source of the fluoride and low pH is from introduced man-made materials (Teflon{trademark} and/or Viton{trademark} fluoroelastomer) used in the test. The test materials may contribute fluoride either by degassing hydrogen fluoride (HF) directly to produce trace concentrations of HF gas ({approx}0.1 ppm) in the high temperature steam, or by leaching fluoride in the sampling tubes after condensation of the superheated steam. HF gas is known to be released from Viton{trademark} at high temperatures (Dupont Dow Elastomers L.L.C., Elkton, MD, personal communication) and the sample water compositions indicate near stoichiometric balance of hydrogen ion and fluoride ion, indicating dissolution of HF gas into the aqueous phase. These conclusions are based on a series of water samples collected to determine if the source of the fluoride is from the degradation of materials originally installed …

Discrete {gamma}-ray spectra have been measured for nuclei populated in {sup 191}Ir(n{sub 4}xn{gamma}) with x{<=}11, as a function of incident neutron energy using neutrons from the 'white' neutron source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center's WNR facility. The energy of the neutrons was determined using the time-of-flight technique. The data were taken using the GEANIE spectrometer. The cross sections for emission of 202 {gamma} rays of {sup 181-191}Ir were determined for neutron energies 0.2 MeV < E{sub n} < 300 MeV. Comparison with model calculations, using the GNASH reaction model, and with GEANIE results from the similar {sup 193}Ir(n{sub 4}xn{gamma}) reactions is made.

A large number of partial {gamma}-ray cross sections produced in neutron-induced reactions with neutrons in the energy range 1 < E{sub n}(MeV) < 200 have been measured over the past eight years. Partial {gamma}-ray cross sections are measured as a function of incident neutron energy using the time-of-flight technique. Reaction channel cross sections were deduced from these measurements with the aid of nuclear modeling. Enabling facilities are the intense 'white' source of neutrons at the LANSCE/WNR 60R 20-meter flight path, and the precision {gamma}-ray spectrometry of the Compton-suppressed Ge detector array GEANIE. The first focus of the measurements was on the {sup 239}Pu(n,2n) cross section, followed by a series of other experiments on nuclei throughout the periodic table, with an emphasis on neutron-fluence activation detectors (or 'RadChem detectors'). Representative measurements will be presented, along with the techniques. Experiments in progress and future plans are mentioned.

We introduce a novel wavelet decomposition algorithm that makes a number of powerful new surface design operations practical. Wavelets, and hierarchical representations generally, have held promise to facilitate a variety of design tasks in a unified way by approximating results very precisely, thus avoiding a proliferation of undergirding mathematical representations. However, traditional wavelet decomposition is defined from fine to coarse resolution, thus limiting its efficiency for highly precise surface manipulation when attempting to create new non-local editing methods. Our key contribution is the progressive wavelet decomposition algorithm, a general-purpose coarse-to-fine method for hierarchical fitting, based in this paper on an underlying multiresolution representation called dyadic splines. The algorithm requests input via a generic interval query mechanism, allowing a wide variety of non-local operations to be quickly implemented. The algorithm performs work proportionate to the tiny compressed output size, rather than to some arbitrarily high resolution that would otherwise be required, thus increasing performance by several orders of magnitude. We describe several design operations that are made tractable because of the progressive decomposition. Free-form pasting is a generalization of the traditional control-mesh edit, but for which the shape of the change is completely general and where the shape can be placed …

Comparative genomics provides the means to demarcate functional regions in anonymous DNA sequences. The successful application of this method to identifying novel genes is currently shifting to deciphering the noncoding encryption of gene regulation across genomes. To facilitate the use of comparative genomics to practical applications in genetics and genomics we have developed several analytical and visualization tools for the analysis of arbitrary sequences and whole genomes. These tools include two alignment tools: zPicture and Mulan; a phylogenetic shadowing tool: eShadow for identifying lineage- and species-specific functional elements; two evolutionary conserved transcription factor analysis tools: rVista and multiTF; a tool for extracting cis-regulatory modules governing the expression of co-regulated genes, CREME; and a dynamic portal to multiple vertebrate and invertebrate genome alignments, the ECR Browser. Here we briefly describe each one of these tools and provide specific examples on their practical applications. All the tools are publicly available at the http://www.dcode.org/ web site.

Hydrocarbon ignition is an important element in many practical combustion systems, including internal combustion engines, detonations, pulse combustors, and flame initiation. The rapid compression machine (RCM) is used frequently to study the kinetics of hydrocarbon autoignition [e.g., 1-7], since the reactive gas temperatures and time histories are similar to those seen in automotive engines during Diesel ignition and end gas autoignition leading to engine knock in spark-ignition engines. The RCM provides a rich environment for study of the theory of hydrocarbon oxidation, including degenerate chain branching, alkylperoxy radical isomerization and effects of thermal feedback [8]. The literature of hydrocarbon oxidation studies in the RCM has been summarized recently [9,10], and many classes of fuels have been studied. Detailed kinetic modeling is another tool available to study hydrocarbon oxidation in the RCM [4,11]. The aim of the present work is to determine experimentally the influence of variations in fuel molecular structure on autoignition, and to use a kinetic model to understand the reasons for those variations. This study is unique in that while other studies have addressed variations in pressure and equivalence ratio on ignition [11], this work addresses effects of variations in fuel molecular structure for all of the isomers …

We report the measurement of charged hadron production at different pseudo-rapidity values in deuteron+gold as well as proton-proton collisions at {radical}(sNN) = 200GeV at RHIC. The nuclear modification factors R{sub dAU} and R{sub cp} are used to investigate new behaviors in the deuteron+gold system as function of rapidity and the centrality of the collisions respectively.

Emission standards for diesel engines in vehicles have been steadily reduced in recent years, and a great deal of research and development effort has been focused on reducing particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions. One promising approach to reducing emissions involves the addition of oxygen to the fuel, generally by adding an oxygenated compound to the normal diesel fuel. Miyamoto et al. [1] showed experimentally that particulate levels can be significantly reduced by adding oxygenated species to the fuel. They found the Bosch smoke number (a measure of the particulate or soot levels in diesel exhaust) falls from about 55% for conventional diesel fuel to less than 1% when the oxygen content of the fuel is above about 25% by mass, as shown in Figure 1. It has been well established that addition of oxygenates to automotive fuel, including both diesel fuel as well as gasoline, reduces NOx and CO emissions by reducing flame temperatures. This is the basis for addition of oxygenates to produce reformulated gasoline in selected portions of the country. Of course, this is also accompanied by a slight reduction in fuel economy. A new overall picture of diesel combustion has been developed by Dec [2], in which …

Moveable radiation shielding barriers made of plastic material containing lead and boron can be used to reduce radiation exposure near the work place. Personnel can maneuver and position the transparent radiation shielding barriers anywhere within the work place. The lead in the shielding barrier provides an effective shielding material against radiation exposure (approximately a 1.0 mm lead equivalent protection) while the boron in the shielding barrier provides neutron absorption to reduce the moderation/reflection effects of the shielding materials (approximately a 2% {Delta}k/k reduction).

An experimental study of the combustion of two isomers of pentane, n-pentane and iso-pentane, in laminar cool flames has been carried out. Three flames were studied, one with n-pentane, the second with iso-pentane, and the third with an equimolar mixture of the two isomers. Particular attention has been given to the low temperature region ahead of the hot region of the flame and the cool flame chemistry occurring there. A unique experimental facility has been used to provide access to this cool flame region. Comparisons are made of the structures of the three flames, with particular attention on the different intermediate species produced and the correlations between the fuel molecule structure and the specific intermediates produced.

Isotope distributions in natural systems can be highly sensitive to the mass (m) dependence of solute diffusion coefficients (D) in liquid water. Isotope geochemistry studies routinely have assumed that this mass dependence either is negligible (as predicted by hydrodynamic theories) or follows a kinetic-theory-like inverse square root relationship (D {proportional_to} m{sup -0.5}). However, our recent experimental results and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed that the mass dependence of D is intermediate between hydrodynamic and kinetic theory predictions (D {proportional_to} m{sup -{beta}} with 0 {<=} {beta} < 0.2 for Li{sup +}, Cl{sup -}, Mg{sup 2+}, and the noble gases). In this paper, we present new MD simulations and experimental results for Na{sup +}, K{sup +}, Cs{sup +}, and Ca{sup 2+} that confirm the generality of the inverse power-law relation D {proportional_to} m{sup -{beta}}. Our new findings allow us to develop a general description of the influence of solute valence and radius on the mass dependence of D for monatomic solutes in liquid water. This mass dependence decreases with solute radius and with the magnitude of solute valence. Molecular-scale analysis of our MD simulation results reveals that these trends derive from the exponent {beta} being smallest for those solutes whose motions are …

Waste streams that may be generated by the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) Advanced Energy Initiative may contain significant quantities of organics (0-53 wt%) and/or nitrates (0-56 wt%). Decomposition of high nitrate streams requires reducing conditions, e.g. organic additives such as sugar or coal, to reduce the NO{sub x} in the off-gas to N{sub 2} to meet the Clean Air Act (CAA) standards during processing. Thus, organics will be present during waste form stabilization regardless of which GNEP processes are chosen, e.g. organics in the feed or organics for nitrate destruction. High organic containing wastes cannot be stabilized with the existing HLW Best Developed Available Technology (BDAT) which is HLW vitrification (HLVIT) unless the organics are removed by preprocessing. Alternative waste stabilization processes such as Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming (FBSR) operate at moderate temperatures (650-750 C) compared to vitrification (1150-1300 C). FBSR converts organics to CAA compliant gases, creates no secondary liquid waste streams, and creates a stable mineral waste form that is as durable as glass. For application to the high Cs-137 and Sr-90 containing GNEP waste streams a single phase mineralized Cs-mica phase was made by co-reacting illite clay and GNEP simulated waste. The Cs-mica accommodates up to …

{delta}-Ln{sub 2-x}LuxS{sub 3} (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd; x = 0.67-0.71) compounds have been synthesized through the reaction of elemental rare earth metals and S using Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} flux at 1000 C. These compounds are isotypic with CeTmS{sub 3}, which has a complex three-dimensional structure. It includes four larger Ln{sup 3+} sites in eight- and nine-coordinate environments, two disordered seven-coordinate Ln{sup 3+}/Lu{sup 3+} positions, and two six-coordinate Lu{sup 3+} ions. The structure is constructed from one-dimensional chains of LnSn (n = 6-9) polyhedra that extend along the b axis. These polyhedra share faces or edges with two neighbors within the chains, while in the [ac] plane they share edges and corners with other chains. Least square refinements gave rise to the formulas of {delta}-Ce{sub 1.30}Lu{sub 0.70}S{sub 3}, {delta}-Pr{sub 1.29}Lu{sub 0.71}S{sub 3} and {delta}-Nd{sub 1.33}Lu{sub 0.67}S{sub 3}, which are consistent with the EDX analysis and magnetic susceptibility data. {delta}-Ln{sub 2-x}LuxS{sub 3} (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd; x = 0.67-0.71) show no evidence of magnetic ordering down to 5 K. Optical properties measurements show that the band gaps for {delta}-Ce{sub 1.30}Lu{sub 0.70}S{sub 3}, {delta}-Pr{sub 1.29}Lu{sub 0.71}S{sub 3}, and {delta}-Nd{sub 1.33}Lu{sub 0.67}S{sub 3} are 1.25 eV, 1.38 eV, and 1.50 eV, respectively. …

Assimilation of radar velocity and precipitation fields into high-resolution model simulations can improve precipitation forecasts with decreased 'spin-up' time and improve short-term simulation of boundary layer winds (Benjamin, 2004 & 2007; Xiao, 2008) which is critical to improving plume transport forecasts. Accurate description of wind and turbulence fields is essential to useful atmospheric transport and dispersion results, and any improvement in the accuracy of these fields will make consequence assessment more valuable during both routine operation as well as potential emergency situations. During 2008, the United States National Weather Service (NWS) radars implemented a significant upgrade which increased the real-time level II data resolution to 8 times their previous 'legacy' resolution, from 1 km range gate and 1.0 degree azimuthal resolution to 'super resolution' 250 m range gate and 0.5 degree azimuthal resolution (Fig 1). These radar observations provide reflectivity, velocity and returned power spectra measurements at a range of up to 300 km (460 km for reflectivity) at a frequency of 4-5 minutes and yield up to 13.5 million point observations per level in super-resolution mode. The migration of National Weather Service (NWS) WSR-88D radars to super resolution is expected to improve warning lead times by detecting small scale …

Local transient hydrogen concentrations were evaluated inside a large process room when the hydrogen gas was released by three postulated accident scenarios associated with the process tank leakage and fire leading to a loss of gas confinement. The three cases considered in this work were fire in a room, loss of confinement from a process tank, and loss of confinement coupled with fire event. Based on these accident scenarios in a large and unventilated process room, the modeling calculations of the hydrogen migration were performed to estimate local transient concentrations of hydrogen due to the sudden leakage and release from a glovebox system associated with the process tank. The modeling domain represented the major features of the process room including the principal release or leakage source of gas storage system. The model was benchmarked against the literature results for key phenomena such as natural convection, turbulent behavior, gas mixing due to jet entrainment, and radiation cooling because these phenomena are closely related to the gas driving mechanisms within a large air space of the process room. The modeling results showed that at the corner of the process room, the gas concentrations migrated by the Case 2 and Case 3 scenarios …

The objective of this research project was the development of ionic liquids to capture and utilize waste heat from distributed power generation systems. Ionic Liquids (ILs) are organic salts that are liquid at room temperature and they have the potential to make fundamental and far-reaching changes in the way we use energy. In particular, the focus of this project was fundamental research on the potential use of IL/CO2 mixtures in absorption-refrigeration systems. Such systems can provide cooling by utilizing waste heat from various sources, including distributed power generation. The basic objectives of the research were to design and synthesize ILs appropriate for the task, to measure and model thermophysical properties and phase behavior of ILs and IL/CO2 mixtures, and to model the performance of IL/CO2 absorption-refrigeration systems.

The cracking resistance of Alloy 600, Alloy 690 and their welds, EN82H and EN52, was characterized by conducting J{sub IC} rising load tests in air and hydrogenated water and cooldown testing in water under constant-displacement conditions. All test materials displayed excellent toughness in air and high temperature water, but Alloy 690 and the two welds were severely embrittled in low temperature water. In 54 C water with 150 cc H{sub 2}/kg H{sub 2}O, J{sub IC} values were reduced by 70% to 95%, relative to their air counterpart. The toughness degradation was associated with a fracture mechanism transition from microvoid coalescence to intergranular fracture. Comparison of the cracking response in water with that for hydrogen-precharged specimens tested in air demonstrated that susceptibility to low temperature crack propagation (LTCP) is due to hydrogen embrittlement of grain boundaries. The effects of water temperature, hydrogen content and loading rate on LTCP were studied. In addition, testing of specimens containing natural weld defects and as-machined notches was performed to determine if low temperature cracking can initiate at these features. Unlike the other materials, Alloy 600 is not susceptible to LTCP as the toughness in 54 C water remained high and a microvoid coalescence mechanism was …

CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. is currently in the process of constructing a temporary surface barrier over a portion of the T Tank Farm as part of the T farm Interim Surface Barrier Demonstration Project. The surface barrier is designed to prevent the infiltration of precipitation into the contaminated soil zone created by the Tank T-106 leak and minimize movement of the contamination. As part of the demonstration effort, vadose zone moisture monitoring is being performed to assess the effectiveness of the barrier at reducing soil moisture. A solar-powered and remotely-controlled system was installed to continuously monitor soil water conditions in four instrument nests (i.e., A, B, C, and D) and the site meteorological condition. Each instrument nest was composed of a capacitance probe with multiple sensors, multiple heat-dissipation units, a neutron probe access tube and a datalogger. Nests A and B also contained a drain gauge each. The principle variables monitored for this purpose are soil-water content, soil-water pressure, and soil-water flux. In addition to these, soil temperature, precipitation, and air temperature are measured. Data from each of the dataloggers were transmitted remotely to the receiving computer. The neutron probe access tube was used to perform quarterly manual measurements …

It is widely recognized that increasing demands for water in Southern California are being affected by actions to reduce and redirect the amount of water imported from the Colorado River. In the Imperial Valley region, for example, import reductions will not only affect agricultural users but also could produce significant collateral impacts on the level and quality of water in the Salton Sea, its regional ecology, or even the long term air quality in the greater basin. The notion of using groundwater in the Imperial Valley as an additional source for agricultural or domestic needs, energy production, or Salton Sea restoration efforts, so as to offset reductions in imported water, is not a new concept. Even though it has been discussed recently (e.g., LLNL, 2002), the idea goes back, in part, to several studies performed by the US Department of Interior and other agencies that have indicated that there may be substantial, usable amounts of groundwater in some portions of the Imperial Valley. It has been estimated, for example, that between 1.1 and 3 billion acre-feet (AF) of groundwater lie within the extended, deep basin underlying the valley and Salton Sea region, even though much of it may be unrecoverable …

Dark red single crystals of PrLnYb{sub 2}S{sub 6} (Ln = Pr/Yb, Tb, Dy) have been synthesized through the reaction of elemental rare earth metals and S using a Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} flux at 1000 C. These isotypic compounds adopt the F-Ln{sub 2}S3 three-dimensional open channel structure type. Eight-coordinate Pr{sup 3+} ions sit in the channels, which are constructed from three different edge-shared double chains running down the b axis, which contain Yb(1)S{sub 6} octahedra, Yb(2)S{sub 6}, octahedra and LnS{sub 7} monocapped trigonal prisms, respectively. Each double chain connects to four other neighbors by sharing vertices and edges. Considerable disordering in Ln positions was observed in single X-ray diffraction experiments only in the case of Pr/Yb. Least square refinements gave rise to the formulas of Pr{sub 1.34}Yb{sub 2.66}S{sub 6}, of PrTbYb{sub 2}S{sub 6}, and PrDyYb{sub 2}S{sub 6}, which are confirmed by the elemental analysis and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Pr1.34Yb2.66S{sub 6}, PrTbYb{sub 2}S{sub 6} and PrDyYb{sub 2}S{sub 6} are paramagnetic down to 2 K without any indications of long range magnetic ordering. The optical transitions for Pr{sub 1.34}Yb{sub 2.66}S{sub 6}, PrTbYb{sub 2}S{sub 6}, and PrDyYb{sub 2}S{sub 6} are at approximately 1.6 eV. Crystallographic data: Pr{sub 1.34}Yb{sub 2.66}S{sub 6}, monoclinic, space group P2{sub …

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