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Geothermal Permeability Enhancement - Final Report
The overall objective is to apply known permeability enhancement techniques to reduce the number of wells needed and demonstrate the applicability of the techniques to other undeveloped or under-developed fields. The Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) concept presented in this project enhances energy extraction from reduced permeability zones in the super-heated, vapor-dominated Aidlin Field of the The Geysers geothermal reservoir. Numerous geothermal reservoirs worldwide, over a wide temperature range, contain zones of low permeability which limit the development potential and the efficient recovery of heat from these reservoirs. Low permeability results from poorly connected fractures or the lack of fractures. The Enhanced Geothermal System concept presented here expands these technologies by applying and evaluating them in a systematic, integrated program.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Beall, Joe & Walters, Mark
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Health Care Reform: An Introduction
This report provides an introduction to health care reform.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Lyke, Bob
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory 3nd Quarter 2009 Milestone Report: Upgrade Plasma Source Configuration and Carry Out Initial Experiments. Characterize Improvements in Focal Spot Beam Intensity
Simulations suggest that the plasma density must exceed the beam density throughout the drift compression and focusing section in order to inhibit the space charge forces that would limit the spot size and beam intensity on the target. WDM experiments will therefore require plasma densities up to 10{sup 14}/cm{sup 3}, with the highest density in the last few centimeters before the target. This work was guided by the simulations performed for the FY09 Q1 milestone. This milestone has been met and we report results of modifications made to the NDCX beamline to improve the longitudinal and radial distribution of the neutralizing plasma in the region near the target plane. In Section 2, we review pertinent simulation results from the FY09 Q1 milestone. Section 3 describes the design, and beam measurements following installation, of a biased, self-supporting metal grid that produces neutralizing electrons from glancing interception of beam ions. Section 4 describes the design and initial testing of a compact Ferro-Electric Plasma Source (FEPS) that will remove the remaining 'exclusion zone' in the neutralizing plasma close to the target plane. Section 5 describes the modification of the beamline to decrease the gap between the FEPS section exit and the final focus …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Lidia, S.; Anders, A.; Barnard, J. J.; Bieniosek, F. M.; Dorf, M.; Faltens, A. et al.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
High Temperature Capacitor Development
The absence of high-temperature electronics is an obstacle to the development of untapped energy resources (deep oil, gas and geothermal). US natural gas consumption is projected to grow from 22 trillion cubic feet per year (tcf) in 1999 to 34 tcf in 2020. Cumulatively this is 607 tcf of consumption by 2020, while recoverable reserves using current technology are 177 tcf. A significant portion of this shortfall may be met by tapping deep gas reservoirs. Tapping these reservoirs represents a significant technical challenge. At these depths, temperatures and pressures are very high and may require penetrating very hard rock. Logistics of supporting 6.1 km (20,000 ft) drill strings and the drilling processes are complex and expensive. At these depths up to 50% of the total drilling cost may be in the last 10% of the well depth. Thus, as wells go deeper it is increasingly important that drillers are able to monitor conditions down-hole such as temperature, pressure, heading, etc. Commercial off-the-shelf electronics are not specified to meet these operating conditions. This is due to problems associated with all aspects of the electronics including the resistors and capacitors. With respect to capacitors, increasing temperature often significantly changes capacitance because of …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Kosek, John
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Highway Trust Fund Expenditures on Purposes Other than Construction and Maintenance of Highways and Bridges during Fiscal Years 2004-2008
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was created in 1956 to finance the construction of the Interstate Highway System. This system, built in partnership with state and local governments for over 50 years, has become central to transportation in the United States. Over these 50 years, the federal role in surface transportation has expanded to include broader goals and more programs. Although most surface transportation funds remain dedicated to highway infrastructure, federal surface transportation programs now serve additional transportation, environmental, and societal purposes such as construction of pedestrian walkways and safety enforcement facilities along border regions. The 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) authorized $244.1 billion over 5 years for highways, highway safety, and public transportation, with the HTF serving as the funding source for most of the act's programs. In addition to authorizing funds for construction and maintenance of highways and bridges, the act specifies other purposes for which funding must or may be used, including, but not limited to, safety; metropolitan planning; transit; and transportation enhancement activities, such as trails for transportation purposes, pedestrian walkways, bicycle lanes and parking, and …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Identification of Fissionable Materials Using the Tagged Neutron Technique
This summary describes experiments to detect and identify fissionable materials using the tagged neutron technique. The objective of this work is to enhance homeland security capability to find fissionable material that may be smuggled inside shipping boxes, containers, or vehicles. The technique distinguishes depleted uranium from lead, steel, and tungsten. Future work involves optimizing the technique to increase the count rate by many orders of magnitude and to build in the additional capability to image hidden fissionable materials. The tagged neutron approach is very different to other techniques based on neutron die-away or photo-fission. This work builds on the development of the Associated Particle Imaging (API) technique at the Special Technologies Laboratory (STL) [1]. Similar investigations have been performed by teams at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Khlopin Radium Institute in Russia, and by the EURITRACK collaboration in the European Union [2,3,4].
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Keegan, R. P.; Hurley, J. P.; Tinsley, J. R. & Trainham, R.
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
IMPACT OF TARGET MATERIAL ACTIVATION ON PERSONNEL EXPOSURE AND RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION IN THE NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY
Detailed activation analyses are performed for the different materials under consideration for use in the target capsules and hohlraums used during the ignition campaign on the National Ignition Facility. Results of the target material activation were additionally used to estimate the levels of contamination within the NIF target chamber and the workplace controls necessary for safe operation. The analysis examined the impact of using Be-Cu and Ge-doped CH capsules on the external dose received by workers during maintenance activities. Five days following a 20 MJ shot, dose rates inside the Target Chamber (TC) due to the two proposed capsule materials are small ({approx} 1 {micro}rem/h). Gold and depleted-uranium (DU) are considered as potential hohlraum materials. Following a shot, gold will most probably get deposited on the TC first wall. On the other hand, while noble-gas precursors from the DU are expected to stay in the TC, most of the noble gases are pumped out of the chamber and end up on the cryopumps. The dose rates inside the TC due to activated gold or DU, at 5 days following a 20 MJ shot, are about 1 mrem/h. Dose rates in the vicinity of the cryo-pumps (containing noble 'fission' gases) drop-off …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Khater, H; Epperson, P; Thacker, R; Beale, R; Kohut, T & Brereton, S
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Information Technology: Federal Agencies Need to Strengthen Investment Board Oversight of Poorly Planned and Performing Projects
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The federal government expects to spend about $71 billion for information technology (IT) projects for fiscal year 2009. Given the amount of money at stake, it is critical that these projects be planned and managed effectively to ensure that the public's resources are being invested wisely. This includes ensuring that they receive appropriate selection and oversight reviews. Selection involves identifying and analyzing projects' risks and returns and selecting those that will best support the agency's mission needs; oversight includes reviewing the progress of projects against expectations and taking corrective action when these expectations are not being met. GAO was asked to determine whether (1) federal departments and agencies have guidance on the role of their department-level investment review boards in selecting and overseeing IT projects and (2) these boards are performing reviews of poorly planned and poorly performing projects. In preparing this report, GAO reviewed the guidance of 24 major agencies and requested evidence of department-level board reviews for a sample of 41 projects that were identified as being poorly planned or poorly performing."
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Localized Plasticity in the Streamlined Genomes of Vinyl Chloride Respiring Dehalococcoides
Vinyl chloride (VC) is a human carcinogen and widespread priority pollutant. Here we report the first, to our knowledge, complete genome sequences of microorganisms able to respire VC, Dehalococcoides sp. strains VS and BAV1. Notably, the respective VC reductase encoding genes, vcrAB and bvcAB, were found embedded in distinct genomic islands (GEIs) with different predicted integration sites, suggesting that these genes were acquired horizontally and independently by distinct mechanisms. A comparative analysis that included two previously sequenced Dehalococcoides genomes revealed a contextually conserved core that is interrupted by two high plasticity regions (HPRs) near the Ori. These HPRs contain the majority of GEIs and strain-specific genes identified in the four Dehalococcoides genomes, an elevated number of repeated elements including insertion sequences (IS), as well as 91 of 96 rdhAB, genes that putatively encode terminal reductases in organohalide respiration. Only three core rdhA orthologous groups were identified, and only one of these groups is supported by synteny. The low number of core rdhAB, contrasted with the high rdhAB numbers per genome (up to 36 in strain VS), as well as their colocalization with GEIs and other signatures for horizontal transfer, suggests that niche adaptation via organohalide respiration is a fundamental ecological …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
McMurdie, Paul J.; Behrens, Sebastien F.; Muller, Jochen A.; Goke, Jonathan; Ritalahti, Kirsti M.; Wagner, Ryan et al.
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis
Some policymakers have concluded that the energy challenges facing the United States are so critical that a concentrated investment in energy research and development (R&D) should be undertaken. The Manhattan project, which produced the atomic bomb, and the Apollo program, which landed American men on the moon, have been cited as examples of the success such R&D investments can yield. Investment in federal energy technology R&D programs of the 1970s, in response to two energy crises, have generally been viewed as less successful than the earlier two efforts. This report compares and contrasts the goals of, and the investments in, the three initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Stine, Deborah D.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis
None
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Stine, Deborah D.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Medicaid and CHIP: Opportunities Exist to Improve U.S. Insular Area Demographic Data That Could Be Used to Help Determine Federal Funding
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The five largest insular areas of the United States--American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--receive federal funding through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), joint federal-state programs that finance health care for certain low-income individuals. These programs are administered and funded differently in the insular areas when compared to the states. For example, while states must extend Medicaid eligibility to certain individuals whose incomes are at or below a percentage of the federal poverty level (FPL), the insular areas are not required to cover this population. In addition, under both Medicaid and CHIP, the federal government matches state or local government spending. However, federal law establishes the federal matching rate for expenditures by the insular areas at the lowest rate available to states, while matching rates for the states are determined each year based on a formula that takes into account variations in per capita income in each state. Furthermore, federal Medicaid spending in the insular areas is subject to an annual limit that does not apply to the states. Finally, while CHIP funding …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Meson-Baryon Scattering Lengths from Mixed-Action Lattice QCD
The {pi}{sup +}{Sigma}{sup +}, {pi}{sup +}{Xi}{sup 0}, K{sup +}p, K{sup +}n, {bar K}{sup 0}{Sigma}{sup +}, and {bar K}{sup 0}{Xi}{sup 0} scattering lengths are calculated in mixed-action Lattice QCD with domain-wall valence quarks on the asqtad-improved coarse MILC configurations at four light-quark masses, and at two light-quark masses on the fine MILC configurations. Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory with two and three flavors of light quarks is used to perform the chiral extrapolations. We find no convergence for the kaon-baryon processes in the three-flavor chiral expansion. Using the two-flavor chiral expansion, we find a{sub {pi}{sup +}{Sigma}{sup +}} = -0.197 {+-} 0.017 fm, and a{sub {pi}{sup +}{Xi}{sup 0}} = -0.098 {+-} 0.017 fm, where the comprehensive error includes statistical and systematic uncertainties.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Beane, S; Detmold, W; Luu, T; Orginos, K; Parreno, A; Torok, A et al.
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Navasota Independent School District, June 2009
This report reviews the management and performance of the Navasota Independent School District's (NISD) educational, financial, and operational functions.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Texas. Legislative Budget Board.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The Portal to Texas History
Nevada Test Site National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants Calendar Year 2008
The Nevada Test Site (NTS) is operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office. From 1951 through 1992, the NTS was the continental testing location for U.S. nuclear weapons. The release of radionuclides from NTS activities has been monitored since the initiation of atmospheric testing. Limitation to under-ground detonations after 1962 greatly reduced radiation exposure to the public surrounding the NTS. After nuclear testing ended in 1992, NTS radiation monitoring focused on detecting airborne radionuclides from historically contaminated soils. These radionuclides are derived from re-suspension of soil (primarily by winds) and emission of tritium-contaminated soil moisture through evapotranspiration. Low amounts of tritium were also emitted to air at the North Las Vegas Facility (NLVF), an NTS support complex in the city of North Las Vegas. To protect the public from harmful levels of man-made radiation, the Clean Air Act, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) (Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 61 Subpart H) (CFR, 2008a) limits the release of radioactivity from a U.S. Department of Energy facility (e.g., the NTS) to 10 millirem per year (mrem/yr) effective dose equivalent to any member of the public. This limit does not …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Grossman, Ronald Warren and Robert F.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Lattice Calculation
Thermal property of low-density neutron matter is reliably determined by a large scale computation using supercomputers. Physics of superfluid in neutron matter are clarified, as a basis of the structure of neutron-halo nuclei and of outer crust of neutron stars. In achieving these, a novel method of lattice quantum Monte Carlo technique is applied by combining with effective field theory.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Seki, Ryoichi
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Operable Unit 3-13, Group 7, SFE-20 Hot Waste Tank System Remedial Action Report
This Remedial Action Report summarizes activities undertaken to remediate the Operable Unit 3-13, Group 7, SFE-20 Hot Waste Tank System at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center at the Idaho National Laboratory Site. The site addressed in this report was defined in the Operable Unit 3-13 Record of Decision and subsequent implementing documents. This report concludes that remediation requirements and cleanup goals established for the site have been accomplished and is hereafter considered a No Further Action site.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Davison, Lee
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Operable Unit 3-13, Group 7, SFE-20 Hot Waste Tank System Remedial Action Request
This Remedial Action Report summarizes activities undertaken to remediate the Operable Unit 3-13, Group 7, SFE-20 Hot Waste Tank System at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center at the Idaho National Laboratory Site. The site addressed in this report was defined in the Operable Unit 3-13 Record of Decision and subsequent implementing documents. This report concludes that remediation requirements and cleanup goals established for the site have been accomplished and is hereafter considered a No Further Action site.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Davison, L.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Public Transportation: FTA's Triennial Review Program Has Improved, But Assessments of Grantees' Performance Could Be Enhanced
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) oversees about $5.5 billion in federal funds each year to transit agencies serving urban areas (grantee), in part through its triennial review program, which evaluates grantee adherence to federal requirements at least once every 3 years. GAO recommended in a 1998 oversight report that FTA improve the program. The subcommittee requested that GAO review this program. GAO identified (1) the extent to which triennial reviews indicate that grantees met applicable federal requirements from fiscal years 2000 through 2008; (2) the strengths and weaknesses of the triennial review process; and (3) FTA's performance measures for the triennial review and the extent to which they meet key attributes of successful performance measures. GAO addressed these objectives by analyzing oversight data on 424 grantees that had three triennial reviews, reviewing triennial review reports and guidance, assessing FTA's performance measures; and interviewing FTA headquarters and regional officials, contractors who conduct the reviews, and grantees."
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Pushing EUV lithography development beyond 22-nm half pitch
Microfield exposure tools (METs) have and continue to play a dominant role in the development of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) resists and masks. One of these tools is the SEMATECH Berkeley 0.3 numerical aperture (NA) MET. Here we investigate the possibilities and limitations of using the 0.3-NA MET for sub-22-nm half-pitch development. We consider mask resolution limitations and present a method unique to the centrally obscured MET allowing these mask limitations to be overcome. We also explore projection optics resolution limits and describe various illumination schemes allowing resolution enhancement. At 0.3-NA, the 0.5 k1 factor resolution limit is 22.5 nm meaning that conventional illumination is of limited utility for sub-22-nm development. In general resolution enhancing illumination encompasses increased coherence. We study the effect of this increased coherence on line-edge roughness, which along with resolution is another crucial factor in sub-22-nm resist development.
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Naulleau, Patrick; Anderson, Christopher N.; Baclea-an, Lorie-Mae; Denham, Paul; George, Simi; Goldberg, Kenneth A. et al.
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Recovery Act: The Department of Transportation Followed Key Federal Requirements in Developing Selection Criteria for Its Supplemental Discretionary Grants Program
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Recovery Act established relatively few requirements for the design of the TIGER grant program. In addition to the requirements outlined in the opening paragraph of this report, the act requires that the department (1) award grants of no less than $20 million and no more than $300 million with no more than $300 million awarded for projects in any one state; (2) give priority to projects that are expected to be completed by February 17, 2012; (3) give priority to projects that require a contribution of federal funds in order to complete an overall financing package, although the federal share of the costs for which expenditure is made may be 100 percent; and (4) ensure a balance in addressing the needs of rural and urban communities and an equitable geographic distribution of funds. In its May 18 interim notice, the department created two tiers of selection criteria--primary and secondary. The primary selection criteria are (1) long-term outcomes (state of good repair, economic competitiveness, livability, sustainability, and safety) and (2) jobs creation and economic stimulus. The secondary criteria are innovation and partnership. Within each criterion, the department has …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
THE RESULTS OF TESTING TO EVALUATE CRYSTAL FORMATION AND SETTLING IN THE COLD CRUCIBLE INDUCTION MELTER
The Cold Crucible Induction Melter (CCIM) technology offers the potential to increase waste loading for High Level Waste (HLW) glasses leading to significant improvements in waste throughput rates compared to the reference Joule Heated Melter (JHM). Prior to implementation of a CCIM in a production facility it is necessary to better understand processing constraints associated with the CCIM. The glass liquidus temperature requirement for processing in the CCIM is an open issue. Testing was conducted to evaluate crystal formation and crystal settling during processing in the CCIM to gain insight into the effects on processing. A high aluminum/high iron content glass composition with known crystal formation tendencies was selected for testing. A continuous melter test was conducted for approximately 51 hours. To evaluate crystal formation, glass samples were obtained from pours and from glass receipt canisters where the glass melt had varying residence time in the melter. Additionally, upon conclusion of the testing, glass samples from the bottom of the melter were obtained to assess the degree of crystal settling. Glass samples were characterized in an attempt to determine quantitative fractions of crystals in the glass matrix. Crystal identity and relative composition were determined using a combination of x-ray diffraction …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Marra, J.
Object Type:
Article
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Reuse of Treated Internal or External Wastewaters in the Cooling Systems of Coal-Based Thermoelectric Power Plants
This study evaluated the feasibility of using three impaired waters - secondary treated municipal wastewater, passively treated abandoned mine drainage (AMD), and effluent from ash sedimentation ponds at power plants - for use as makeup water in recirculating cooling water systems at thermoelectric power plants. The evaluation included assessment of water availability based on proximity and relevant regulations as well as feasibility of managing cooling water quality with traditional chemical management schemes. Options for chemical treatment to prevent corrosion, scaling, and biofouling were identified through review of current practices, and were tested at bench and pilot-scale. Secondary treated wastewater is the most widely available impaired water that can serve as a reliable source of cooling water makeup. There are no federal regulations specifically related to impaired water reuse but a number of states have introduced regulations with primary focus on water aerosol 'drift' emitted from cooling towers, which has the potential to contain elevated concentrations of chemicals and microorganisms and may pose health risk to the public. It was determined that corrosion, scaling, and biofouling can be controlled adequately in cooling systems using secondary treated municipal wastewater at 4-6 cycles of concentration. The high concentration of dissolved solids in treated …
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Vidic, Radisav; Dzombak, David; Hsieh, Ming-Kai; Li, Heng; Chien, Shih-Hsiang; Feng, Yinghua et al.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
SciDAC - Center for Plasma Edge Simulation - General Atomics Support of NYU Collaborations
Methods for implementing Coulomb collisions in particle codes were studied and developed. At first, a lattice-Boltzmann method seemed promising. After considering this in more detail, it was found not to be efficient enough. A method was then sought for implementing collisional effects as changes in particle weights, instead of changes in velocities. Although this may eventually be done, it was decided that a Langevin method would be more straightforward to develop, since it was possible to build on previous work. The rest of the contract period was spent developing the Langevin method, which ultimately resulted in a published paper, in April 2008 [F.L. Hinton, Phys. Plasma 15, 042501 (2008)].
Date:
June 30, 2009
Creator:
Hinton, F.L. & Staff, Project
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library