State-by-State Comparison of Selected Electricity Restructuring Provisions (open access)

State-by-State Comparison of Selected Electricity Restructuring Provisions

Since 1996, twenty-one states have restructured their electricity markets. While the extent of this restructuring varies by state, four issues have generally been considered by all state legislatures: stranded costs, aggregation, universal service, and public benefits. This report compares the treatment of these issues in the restructuring legislation of the twenty-one states. Using information collected directly from the relevant state laws and the rules promulgated by state public utility commissions, this report provides a state-by-state comparison of the restructuring provisions relating to the four issues.
Date: January 13, 2000
Creator: Abel, Amy & Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ideas and concepts for diagnosis of performance and evaluation of data reliability based upon ARSA state-of-health (SOH) data (open access)

Ideas and concepts for diagnosis of performance and evaluation of data reliability based upon ARSA state-of-health (SOH) data

At the current time, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) prototype for the Automated Radioxenon Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) automatically transmits, on a daily basis, a subset of all state-of-health (SOH) data in an e-mail data file to a limited number of recipients. These variables represent what were considered the most critical physical parameters for the ARSA's operation at the beginning of the field demonstration in Freiburg, Germany. Operators at PNNL perform a daily review of the information in the data file for anomalous operational conditions as evidenced by sensor readings. The initial review is easily implemented by plotting the various sensor data versus time and looking for gross deviations in the periodicity of the variables compared to previous sample sensor data. After viewing the 24-hr graphical plots, if necessary, a review is conducted of the tabular data of specific sensor anomalies. In most cases, the experience has been that when there is an ARSA operational problem the data file will have multiple sensor readings that reflect some aspect of the problem.
Date: April 27, 2000
Creator: Abel, KH; Bowyer, TW; Hayes, JC; Heimbigner, TR; Panisko, ME; McIntyre, JI et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ideas and Concepts for Diagnosis of Performance and Evaluation of Data Reliability Based Upon ARSA State-of-Health (SOH) Data (open access)

Ideas and Concepts for Diagnosis of Performance and Evaluation of Data Reliability Based Upon ARSA State-of-Health (SOH) Data

At the current time the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) prototype for the Automated Radioxenon Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) automatically transmits, on a daily basis, a subset of all state-of-health (SOH) data in an e-mail data file to a limited distribution of participants.
Date: April 27, 2000
Creator: Abel, Keith H.; Bowyer, Ted W.; Hayes, James C.; Heimbigner, Tom R.; Panisko, Mark E.; McIntyre, Justin I. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Injection into the SNS accumulator ring: Minimizing uncontrolled losses and dumping stripped electrons (open access)

Injection into the SNS accumulator ring: Minimizing uncontrolled losses and dumping stripped electrons

None
Date: June 30, 2000
Creator: Abell, D. T.; Lee, Y. Y. & Meng, W.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Influence of EGR on Component Durability (open access)

Influence of EGR on Component Durability

None
Date: August 20, 2000
Creator: Abi-Akar, Hind
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
NEW PARADIGM IN SEPARATIONS: MOLECULAR RECOGNITION MEMBRANES (open access)

NEW PARADIGM IN SEPARATIONS: MOLECULAR RECOGNITION MEMBRANES

None
Date: October 1, 2000
Creator: Abney, K.D. & Barr, M.E.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commodity multi-processor systems in the ATLAS level-2 trigger (open access)

Commodity multi-processor systems in the ATLAS level-2 trigger

Low cost SMP (Symmetric Multi-Processor) systems provide substantial CPU and I/O capacity. These features together with the ease of system integration make them an attractive and cost effective solution for a number of real-time applications in event selection. In ATLAS the authors consider them as intelligent input buffers (active ROB complex), as event flow supervisors or as powerful processing nodes. Measurements of the performance of one off-the-shelf commercial 4-processor PC with two PCI buses, equipped with commercial FPGA based data source cards (microEnable) and running commercial software are presented and mapped on such applications together with a long-term program of work. The SMP systems may be considered as an important building block in future data acquisition systems.
Date: May 23, 2000
Creator: Abolins, M.; Blair, R.; Bock, R.; Bogaerts, A.; Dawson, J.; Ermoline, Y. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characterization of oxidation products on a ZrFe{sub 2}-type laves intermetallic exposed to 200{degree}C steam. (open access)

Characterization of oxidation products on a ZrFe{sub 2}-type laves intermetallic exposed to 200{degree}C steam.

The release of radioactive elements from the stainless steel-15 wt% zirconium (SS-15Zr) metal waste form will be governed by the corrosion behavior of ZrFe{sub 2}-type intermetallics phases present in the alloy. In this article, oxidation products that formed on a ZrFe{sub 2}-type intermetallic sample exposed to 200 C steam were characterized by Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The data revealed two oxide layers on the sample surface: an outer crystalline iron-oxide layer and an inner amorphous zirconium-rich layer believed to be zirconium oxide. Thermodynamic considerations indicate that the zirconium-rich layer formed first. The iron-oxide layer appears to have resulted from the diffusion of iron through the zirconium-rich layer to the oxide-vapor interface.
Date: November 20, 2000
Creator: Abraham, D. P.; Dietz, N. & Finnegan, N.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Corrosion of structural materials by lead-based reactor coolants. (open access)

Corrosion of structural materials by lead-based reactor coolants.

Advanced nuclear reactor design has, in recent years, focused increasingly on the use of heavy-liquid-metal coolants, such as lead and lead-bismuth eutectic. Similarly, programs on accelerator-based transmutation systems have also considered the use of such coolants. Russian experience with heavy-metal coolants for nuclear reactors has lent credence to the validity of this approach. Of significant concern is the compatibility of structural materials with these coolants. We have used a thermal convection-based test method to allow exposure of candidate materials to molten lead and lead-bismuth flowing under a temperature gradient. The gradient was deemed essential in evaluating the behavior of the test materials in that should preferential dissolution of components of the test material occur we would expect dissolution in the hotter regions and deposition in the colder regions, thus promoting material transport. Results from the interactions of a Si-rich mild steel alloy, AISI S5, and a ferritic-martensitic stainless steel, HT-9, with the molten lead-bismuth are presented.
Date: November 16, 2000
Creator: Abraham, D. P.; Leibowitz, L.; Maroni, V. A.; McDeavitt, S. M. & Raraz, A. G.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drying Results of K-Basin Damaged/Corroded SNF Internal Sludge and Surface Coating (open access)

Drying Results of K-Basin Damaged/Corroded SNF Internal Sludge and Surface Coating

Experiments were performed using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) system by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)to study the drying behavior of the K-Basin spent nuclear fuel (SNF) internal sludge and two different surface coatings of SNF elements. These measurements were conducted in support of the safety and process analyses of the proposed Integrated Process Strategy (IPS) to move the N-Reactor fuel stored at K-Basin to an interim storage facility. These limited experiments on the corrosion products of K-Basin SNF material were part of the broad studies performed to ascertain the bounding pressurization of the Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO). Seven SNF internal sludge samples taken from different damage regions of three damaged/corroded outer K-Basin SNF elements were dried. Additionally, two surface coating samples taken from two SNF elements stored at K-West were tested. All the tests were performed in a vacuum atmosphere with the same temperature ramp rate of about 0.4 C/ min. Each TGA test sample was weighed before and after the test on a balance located in the Shielded Analytical Laboratory hot cell. The test samples were vacuum dried in the TGA system for about 24 hours prior to heating them at the rate of 0.4 C/min. The observations from the …
Date: September 21, 2000
Creator: Abrefah, J.; Alexander, D. L. & Marschman, S. C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Polycube oxidation and factors affecting the concentrations of gaseous products (open access)

Polycube oxidation and factors affecting the concentrations of gaseous products

The polycubes stored at the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) have been identified in a Vulnerability Assessment as material that requires a stabilization process in support of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board Recommendation 94-1. The baseline plan involves a pyrolysis process to separate out the plutonium and uranium oxides before the remaining material is packaged for interim storage, in accordance with the Record of Decision (ROD), issued June 25, 1996, for the Plutonium Finishing Plant Stabilization Final Environmental Impact Statement, DOE/EIS-0244-F. The polycubes were manufactured at Hanford in the 1960s for use in criticality studies to determine the hydrogen-to-fissile atom ratios for neutron moderation. A mixture of plutonium and/or uranium oxides and a polystyrene (vinyl benzene) matrix, cast into the shape of cubes, the polycubes simulated solutions containing high concentrations of fissile materials. The polycubes varied in size, typically 1/2 x 2 x 2 in. up to 2 x 2 x 2 in., and were sealed with a coating of aluminum paint and/or tape (PVC or Shurtape). The estimated 1,600 polycubes (calculated 179,165 grams net weight) stored at PFP were packed in vented food cans with five to eight cubes per can to accommodate gas generation by radiolysis. Some …
Date: May 4, 2000
Creator: Abrefah, J.; MacFarlan, P. J. & Sell, R. L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Thermal Decomposition of Radiation-Damaged Polystyrene (open access)

Thermal Decomposition of Radiation-Damaged Polystyrene

The radiation-damaged polystyrene (given the identification name of 'polycube') was fabricated by mixing high-density polystyrene material ("Dylene Fines # 100") with plutonium and uranium oxides. The polycubes were used in the 1960s for criticality studies during processing of spent nuclear fuel. The polycubes have since been stored for almost 40 years at the Hanford Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) after failure of two processes to reclaim the plutonium and uranium oxides from the polystyrene matrix. Thermal decomposition products from this highly cross-linked polystyrene matrix were characterized using Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) system coupled to a horizontal furnace. The decomposition studies were performed in air and helium atmospheres at about 773 K. The volatile and semi-volatile organic products for the radiation-damaged polystyrene were different compared to virgin polystyrene. The differences were in the number of organic species generated and their concentrations. In the inert (i.e., helium) atmosphere, the major volatile organic products identified (in order of decreasing concentrations) were styrene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, nathphalene, propane, .alpha.-methylbenzene, indene and 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene. But in air, the major volatile organic species identified changed slightly. Concentrations of the organic species in the inert atmosphere were significantly higher than those for the air atmosphere processing. Overall, 38 …
Date: September 26, 2000
Creator: Abrefah, John & Klinger, George S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Polycube Oxidation and Factors Affecting the Concentrations of Gaseous Products (open access)

Polycube Oxidation and Factors Affecting the Concentrations of Gaseous Products

The degraded polycube samples were tested in air and argon/oxygen atmospheres to determine the effect of size increase on the flammable gases concentrations. Within the size range tested, the flammable gas generation rate increases with increasing size but the extrapolation of the data to actual processing polycube size yielded flammable gas species concentration in the off-gas stream below the lower flammable limit of all the major gas species identified. Extreme surface area increase with a powder sample showed no significant effect on the flammable gas generation rate. The polycube went through the thermal stabilization process by undergoing both pyrolysis and oxidation generating at the end a plutonium oxide powder that showed unmeasurable weight change at 1273 K.
Date: April 4, 2000
Creator: Abrefah, John; MacFarlan, Paul J. & Sell, Rachel L.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Migration and Entrapment of DNAPLs in Physically and Chemically Heterogeneous Porous Media - Final Report - 09/15/1996 - 09/15/2000 (open access)

The Migration and Entrapment of DNAPLs in Physically and Chemically Heterogeneous Porous Media - Final Report - 09/15/1996 - 09/15/2000

Hazardous dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), such as chlorinated solvents, are slightly water soluble and pose a serious threat to soil and groundwater supplies in many portions of the United States. The migration and entrapment of DNAPLs in the subsurface environment is typically believed to be controlled by physical heterogeneities; i.e, layers and lenses of contrasting soil texture. The rationale for this assumption is that capillarity, as determined by the soil texture, is the dominant transport mechanism. Capillarity also depends on interfacial tension and medium wettability. Interfacial tension and medium wettability may be spatially and temporally dependent due to variations in aqueous phase chemistry, contaminant aging, and/or variations in mineralogy and organic matter distributions. Such chemical heterogeneities have largely been ignored to date, even though they are known to have dramatic effects on the hydraulic property relations. Numerical multiphase flow and transport models typically assume that solids are water-wet and that interfacial tension is constant. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the influence of coupled physical and chemical heterogeneities on the migration and entrapment of DNAPLs. This objective will be accomplished through a combination of laboratory and numerical experiments. Laboratory experiments will be conducted to examine: (i) …
Date: September 15, 2000
Creator: Abriola, L. M. & Demond, A. H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Migration and Entrapment of DNAPLs in Physically and Chemically Heterogeneous Porous Media (open access)

The Migration and Entrapment of DNAPLs in Physically and Chemically Heterogeneous Porous Media

This document summarizes EMSP funded research designed to improve our understanding of and ability to simulate the influence of subsurface chemical heterogeneities on DNAPL flow and entrapment in the saturated zone. Specific project objectives include: (i) the quantification of DNAPL interfacial and hydraulic properties; (ii) development and assessment of constitutive hydraulic property and continuum based multiphase flow models; (iii) exploration of DNAPL migration and entrapment in heterogeneous systems at larger scales; and (iv) development of innovative remediation schemes.
Date: June 1, 2000
Creator: Abriola, Linda M. & Demond, Avery H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
EARLY ENTRANCE COPRODUCTION PLANT (open access)

EARLY ENTRANCE COPRODUCTION PLANT

The overall objective of this project is the three phase development of an Early Entrance Coproduction Plant (EECP) which produces at least one product from at least two of the following three categories: (1) electric power (or heat), (2) fuels, and (3) chemicals. The objective is to have these products produced by technologies capable of using synthesis gas derived from coal and/or other carbonaceous feedstock. The objective of Phase I is to determine the feasibility and define the concept for the EECP located at a specific site and to develop a Research, Development, and Testing Plan (RD and T) for implementation in Phase II. The objective of Phase II is to implement the RD and T as outlined in the Phase I RD and T Plan to enhance the development and commercial acceptance of coproduction technology that produces high-value products, particularly those that are critical to our domestic fuel and power requirements. The project will resolve critical knowledge and technology gaps on the integration of gasification and downstream processing to coproduce some combination of power, fuels, and chemicals from coal and other feedstocks. The objective of Phase III is to develop an engineering design package and a financing plan for …
Date: October 26, 2000
Creator: Abughazaleh, John S.; Ahmed, Mushtaq; Anand, Ashok; Anderson, John H.; Benham, Charles; Brent, Fred D. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Sequential Fluid-mechanic Chemical-kinetic Model of Propane HCCI Combustion (open access)

A Sequential Fluid-mechanic Chemical-kinetic Model of Propane HCCI Combustion

We have developed a methodology for predicting combustion and emissions in a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engine. This methodology combines a detailed fluid mechanics code with a detailed chemical kinetics code. Instead of directly linking the two codes, which would require an extremely long computational time, the methodology consists of first running the fluid mechanics code to obtain temperature profiles as a function of time. These temperature profiles are then used as input to a multi-zone chemical kinetics code. The advantage of this procedure is that a small number of zones (10) is enough to obtain accurate results. This procedure achieves the benefits of linking the fluid mechanics and the chemical kinetics codes with a great reduction in the computational effort, to a level that can be handled with current computers. The success of this procedure is in large part a consequence of the fact that for much of the compression stroke the chemistry is inactive and thus has little influence on fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Then, when chemistry is active, combustion is rather sudden, leaving little time for interaction between chemistry and fluid mixing and heat transfer. This sequential methodology has been capable of explaining the main …
Date: November 29, 2000
Creator: Aceves, S M; Flowers, D L; Martinez-Frias, J; Smith, J R; Westbrook, C; Pitz, W et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Low Temperature and High Pressure Evaluation of Insulated Pressure Vessels for Cryogenic Hydrogen Storage (open access)

Low Temperature and High Pressure Evaluation of Insulated Pressure Vessels for Cryogenic Hydrogen Storage

Insulated pressure vessels are cryogenic-capable pressure vessels that can be fueled with liquid hydrogen (LH{sub 2}) or ambient-temperature compressed hydrogen (CH{sub 2}). Insulated pressure vessels offer the advantages of liquid hydrogen tanks (low weight and volume), with reduced disadvantages (fuel flexibility, lower energy requirement for hydrogen liquefaction and reduced evaporative losses). The work described here is directed at verifying that commercially available pressure vessels can be safely used to store liquid hydrogen. The use of commercially available pressure vessels significantly reduces the cost and complexity of the insulated pressure vessel development effort. This paper describes a series of tests that have been done with aluminum-lined, fiber-wrapped vessels to evaluate the damage caused by low temperature operation. All analysis and experiments to date indicate that no significant damage has resulted. Required future tests are described that will prove that no technical barriers exist to the safe use of aluminum-fiber vessels at cryogenic temperatures.
Date: June 25, 2000
Creator: Aceves, S.; Martinez-Frias, J. & Garcia-Villazana, O.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Numerical and Experimental Studies of HCCI combustion (open access)

Numerical and Experimental Studies of HCCI combustion

None
Date: August 20, 2000
Creator: Aceves, Salvador M.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
ENSO Simulation in CGCMs and the Associated Errors in Atmospheric Response (open access)

ENSO Simulation in CGCMs and the Associated Errors in Atmospheric Response

Tropical Pacific variability, and specifically the simulation of ENSO in coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models (CGCMs) has previously been assessed in many studies (McCreary and Anderson [1991], Neelin et al. [1992], Mechoso et al. [1995], Latif et al. [2000], and Davey et al. [2000]). These studies have concentrated on SST variations in the tropical Pacific, and discussions of the atmospheric response have been limited to east-west movements of the convergence zone. In this paper we discuss the large-scale atmospheric response to simulated ENSO events. Control simulations from 17 global CGCMs from CMIP (Meehl et al. [2000]) are studied. The web site http:// www-pcmdi.llnl.gov/cmip/modeldoc provides documentation of the configurations of the models.
Date: September 11, 2000
Creator: AchutaRao, K. & Sperber, K.R.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reduction of Tropical Cloudiness by Soot (open access)

Reduction of Tropical Cloudiness by Soot

Measurements and models show that enhanced aerosol concentrations can augment cloud albedo not only by increasing total droplet cross-sectional area, but also by reducing precipitation and thereby increasing cloud water content and cloud coverage. Aerosol pollution is expected to exert a net cooling influence on the global climate through these conventional mechanisms. Here we demonstrate an opposite mechanism through which aerosols can reduce cloud cover and thus significantly offset aerosol-induced radiative cooling at the top of the atmosphere on a regional scale. In model simulations the daytime clearing of trade cumulus is hastened and intensified by solar heating in dark haze (as found over much of the northern Indian Ocean during the northeast monsoon).
Date: May 8, 2000
Creator: Ackerman, A. S.; Toon, O. B.; Stevens, D. E.; Heymsfield, A. J. & Ramanathan, V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Charitable Choice: Constitutional Issues and Developments Through the 106th Congress (open access)

Charitable Choice: Constitutional Issues and Developments Through the 106th Congress

This report is about the charitable choice of constitutional issues and developments through the 106th congress.
Date: December 27, 2000
Creator: Ackerman, David M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Education Vouchers: Constitutional Issues and Cases (open access)

Education Vouchers: Constitutional Issues and Cases

This report details the constitutional standards that currently apply to indirect aid programs and summarizes all of the pertinent state and federal court decisions, including the Ohio case that will be heard by the Supreme Court. On September 25, 2001, the Supreme Court agreed to review a case raising the controversial issue of the constitutionality of education vouchers. In Zelman v. Simmons-Harris the Sixth Circuit held Ohio’s Pilot Scholarship Program, which provided up to $2500 to help low-income students in Cleveland’s public schools attend private schools in the city, to violate the establishment of religion clause of the First Amendment.
Date: December 19, 2000
Creator: Ackerman, David M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Law of Church and State: Public Aid to Sectarian Schools (open access)

The Law of Church and State: Public Aid to Sectarian Schools

One of the most difficult issues of constitutional law concerns the extent to which the establishment of religion clause of the First Amendment imposes constraints on the provision of public aid to private sectarian schools. This report gives a brief overview of the evolution of the Court’s interpretation of the establishment clause in this area and itemizes the categories of aid that have been addressed by the Court and held to be constitutionally permissible or impermissible, both at the elementary and secondary school level and at the college level.
Date: August 1, 2000
Creator: Ackerman, David M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library