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Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Rapid thermal processing by stamping
DOE Patents (OSTI)
A rapid thermal processing device and methods are provided for thermal processing of samples such as semiconductor wafers. The device has components including a stamp (35) having a stamping surface and a heater or cooler (40) to bring it to a selected processing temperature, a sample holder (20) for holding a sample (10) in position for intimate contact with the stamping surface; and positioning components (25) for moving the stamping surface and the stamp (35) in and away from intimate, substantially non-pressured contact. Methods for using and making such devices are also provided. These devices and methods allow inexpensive, efficient, easily controllable thermal processing.
Stradins, Pauls; Wang, Qi
Rapid thermal processing of high-efficiency silicon solar cells with controlled in-situ annealing
DOE Green Energy (OSTI)
Silicon solar cell efficiencies of 17.1%, 16.4%, 14.8%, and 14.9% have been achieved on FZ, Cz, multicrystalline (mc-Si), and dendritic web (DW) silicon, respectively, using simplified, cost-effective rapid thermal processing (RTP). These represent the highest reported efficiencies for solar cells processed with simultaneous front and back diffusion with no conventional high-temperature furnace steps. Appropriate diffusion temperature coupled with the added in-situ anneal resulted in suitable minority-carrier lifetime and diffusion profiles for high-efficiency cells. The cooling rate associated with the in-situ anneal can improve the lifetime and lower the reverse saturation current density (J{sub 0}), however, this effect is material and base resistivity specific. PECVD antireflection (AR) coatings provided low reflectance and efficient front surface and bulk defect passivation. Conventional cells fabricated on FZ silicon by furnace diffusions and oxidations gave an efficiency of 18.8% due to greater short wavelength response and lower J{sub 0}.
Doshi, P.; Rohatgi, A.; Ropp, M.; Chen, Z. [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). Univ. Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics Research and Education; Ruby, D. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Meier, D.L. [EBARA Solar, Inc., Large, PA (United States)
Improved electrical transport properties in p-type ZnO film by Rapid Dark thermal annealing process
SciTech Connect
A rapid dark thermal annealing process at 800 deg. C of radio frequency sputtered P doped ZnO thin films have resulted in improved electrical transport properties with hole concentration of 1 x 1018 cm-3, mobility 4.37 cm2/Vs and resistivity 1.4 {Omega}-cm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows the presence of inactivated P in as-grown ZnO films.
Ghosh, Tushar; Basak, Durga [Department of Solid State Physics, Indian Association for the Cultivation of science, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032 (India)
RTDS: A continuous, rapid, thermal synthesis mode
The Rapid Thermal Decomposition of precursors in Solution (RTDS) Process is a flow-through hydrothermal powder synthesis method capable of producing nanophase oxide and oxyhydroxide catalysts and catalyst precursors. The RTDS technique utilizes a brief exposure of dissolved precursors to high pressure/high temperature aqueous conditions to initiate crystallite nucleation. The resulting nanocrystalline suspension is removed from the hydrothermal environment through a pressure let-down device before significant crystallite growth can occur. The RTDS process is discussed as a method to produce nanocrystalline iron oxide and oxyhydroxide powders that exhibit high activity as carbon-carbon bond cleavage catalyst precursors. Nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2} powders having prospective catalytic applications are also produced by the RTDS process.
Matson, D.W.; Linehan, J.C.; Darab, J.D.; Buehler, M.F.; Phelps, M.R.; Neuenschwander, G.G.
Ceramic thermal barrier coating for rapid thermal cycling applications
A thermal barrier coating for metal articles subjected to rapid thermal cycling includes a metallic bond coat deposited on the metal article, at least one MCrAlY/ceramic layer deposited on the bond coat, and a ceramic top layer deposited on the MCrAlY/ceramic layer. The M in the MCrAlY material is Fe, Ni, Co, or a mixture of Ni and Co. The ceramic in the MCrAlY/ceramic layer is mullite or Al.sub.2 O.sub.3. The ceramic top layer includes a ceramic with a coefficient of thermal expansion less than about 5.4.times.10.sup.-6 .degree.C.sup.-1 and a thermal conductivity between about 1 J sec.sup.-1 m.sup.-1 .degree.C.sup.-1 and about 1.7 J sec.sup.-1 m.sup.-1 .degree.C.sup.-1.
Scharman, Alan J. (Hebron, CT); Yonushonis, Thomas M. (Columbus, IN)
Rapid Modeling of Power Electronics Thermal Management Technologies: Preprint
Describes a method of rapidly evaluating trade-offs associated with alternative packaging configurations and thermal management technologies for power electronics packaging.
Bennion, K.; Kelly, K.
Automated rapid thermal imaging systems technology
E-Print Network (OSTI)
A major source of energy savings occurs on the thermal envelop of buildings, which amounts to approximately 10% of annual energy usage in the United States. To pursue these savings, energy auditors use closed loop energy ...
Phan, Long N., 1976-
Thermal Conversion Process (TCP) Technology
Energy.gov (U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)) Indexed Site
Changing World Technologies' Changing World Technologies' Thermal Conversion Process Commercial Demonstration Plant DOE/EA 1506 Weld County, Colorado December 2004 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GOLDEN FIELD OFFICE 1617 Cole Boulevard Golden, Colorado 80401 Thermal Conversion Process (TCP) Technology Commercial Demonstration - Weld County, CO TABLE OF CONTENTS Environmental Assessment Thermal Conversion Process (TCP) Technology Commercial Demonstration Project Weld County, Colorado SUMMARY............................................................................................................................. S-1 1.0 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1-1 1.1. National Environmental Policy Act and Related Procedures...........................1-1
Rapid Solar-Thermal Conversion of Biomass to Syngas - Energy ...
Production of synthesis gas or hydrogen by gasification or pyrolysis of biological feedstocks using solar-thermal energy. The invention provides processes that ...
Solar Thermal Process Heat | Open Energy Information
Open Energy Info (EERE)
Process Heat Jump to: navigation, search TODO: Add description List of Solar Thermal Process Heat Incentives Retrieved from "http:en.openei.orgwindex.php?titleSolarThermalPr...
Rapid Gas Hydrate Formation Process Opportunity
NLE Websites -- All DOE Office Websites (Extended Search)
Gas Hydrate Formation Process Gas Hydrate Formation Process Opportunity The Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is seeking collaborative research and licensing partners interested in implementing United States Non-provisional Patent Application entitled "Rapid Gas Hydrate Formation Process." Disclosed in this application is a method and device for producing gas hydrates from a two-phase mixture of water and a hydrate forming gas such as methane (CH 4 ) or carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The two-phase mixture is created in a mixing zone, which may be contained within the body of the spray nozzle. The two-phase mixture is subsequently sprayed into a reaction vessel, under pressure and temperature conditions suitable for gas hydrate formation. The reaction
LABORATORY VI ENERGY AND THERMAL PROCESSES Lab VI - 1 The change of the internal energy of a system temperature by sweating to cool down. Running seems to be the conversion of chemical energy to thermal energy energy into thermal energy, you decide to make some measurements in the laboratory. To make
Minnesota, University of
On-line DNA analysis system with rapid thermal cycling
This application describes an apparatus particularly suited for subjecting biological samples to any necessary sample preparation tasks, subjecting the sample to rapid thermal cycling, and then subjecting the sample to subsequent on-line analysis using one or more of a number of analytical techniques. The apparatus includes a chromatography device including an injection means, a chromatography pump, and a chromatography column. In addition, the apparatus also contains a capillary electrophoresis device consisting of a capillary electrophoresis column with an inlet and outlet end, a means of injection, and means of applying a high voltage to cause the differential migration of species of interest through the capillary column. Effluent from the liquid chromatography column passes over the inlet end of the capillary electrophoresis column through a tee structure and when the loading of the capillary electrophoresis column is desired, a voltage supply is activated at a precise voltage and polarity over a specific duration to cause sample species to be diverted from the flowing stream to the capillary electrophoresis column. A laser induced fluorescence detector preferably is used to analyze the products separated while in the electrophoresis column. 6 figs.
Swerdlow, H.P.; Wittwer, C.T.
An apparatus particularly suited for subjecting biological samples to any necessary sample preparation tasks, subjecting the sample to rapid thermal cycling, and then subjecting the sample to subsequent on-line analysis using one or more of a number of analytical techniques. The apparatus includes a chromatography device including an injection means, a chromatography pump, and a chromatography column. In addition, the apparatus also contains a capillary electrophoresis device consisting of a capillary electrophoresis column with an inlet and outlet end, a means of injection, and means of applying a high voltage to cause the differential migration of species of interest through the capillary column. Effluent from the liquid chromatography column passes over the inlet end of the capillary electrophoresis column through a tee structure and when the loading of the capillary electrophoresis column is desired, a voltage supply is activated at a precise voltage and polarity over a specific duration to cause sample species to be diverted from the flowing stream to the capillary electrophoresis column. A laser induced fluorescence detector preferably is used to analyze the products separated while in the electrophoresis column.
Swerdlow, Harold P. (Salt Lake City, UT); Wittwer, Carl T. (Salt Lake City, UT)
·Product Gas 400 2,000 11,300 Natural Gas 15,900 57,700 11,300 Most of these boilers are very small natural gas Distillate oil Natural gas Residual oil Distillate oil Natural gas Bituminous coal Bituminous coal Percent regulations. Candidate thermal processes include industrial processes such as boilers, process heaters, cement
Columbia University
Rapid Solar-Thermal Conversion of Biomass to Syngas
perform biomass gasification or pyrolysis for production of hydrogen, synthesis gas, liquid fuels, or other hydrocarbon based chemicals. The methods of the invention use solar thermal energy as the energy source for the biomass pyrolysis or ...
Method and apparatus for thermal processing of semiconductor substrates
An improved apparatus and method for thermal processing of semiconductor wafers. The apparatus and method provide the temperature stability and uniformity of a conventional batch furnace as well as the processing speed and reduced time-at-temperature of a lamp-heated rapid thermal processor (RTP). Individual wafers are rapidly inserted into and withdrawn from a furnace cavity held at a nearly constant and isothermal temperature. The speeds of insertion and withdrawal are sufficiently large to limit thermal stresses and thereby reduce or prevent plastic deformation of the wafer as it enters and leaves the furnace. By processing the semiconductor wafer in a substantially isothermal cavity, the wafer temperature and spatial uniformity of the wafer temperature can be ensured by measuring and controlling only temperatures of the cavity walls. Further, peak power requirements are very small compared to lamp-heated RTPs because the cavity temperature is not cycled and the thermal mass of the cavity is relatively large. Increased speeds of insertion and/or removal may also be used with non-isothermal furnaces.
Griffiths, Stewart K. (Danville, CA); Nilson, Robert H. (Cardiss, CA); Mattson, Brad S. (Los Gatos, CA); Savas, Stephen E. (Alameda, CA)
Effect of gas feeding methods on optical properties of GaN grown by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition reactor
Science Conference Proceedings (OSTI)
Keywords: Ga vacancies, GaN growth, gas feeding method, optical property, rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD), yellow luminescence
Sun Jung Kim; Young Hun Seo; Kee Suk Nahm; Yun Bong Hahn; Hyun Wook Shim; Eun-Kyung Suh; Kee Young Lim; Hyung Jae Lee
Examining Rapid Onset Drought Development Using the Thermal Infrared�Based Evaporative Stress Index
Reliable indicators of rapid drought onset can help to improve the effectiveness of drought early warning systems. In this study, the evaporative stress index (ESI), which uses remotely sensed thermal infrared imagery to estimate ...
Jason A. Otkin; Martha C. Anderson; Christopher Hain; Iliana E. Mladenova; Jeffrey B. Basara; Mark Svoboda
Lumped-parameter fuel rod model for rapid thermal transients
The thermal behavior of fuel rods during simulated accident conditions is extremely sensitive to the heat transfer coefficient which is, in turn, very sensitive to the cladding surface temperature and the fluid conditions. The development of a semianalytical, lumped-parameter fuel rod model which is intended to provide accurate calculations, in a minimum amount of computer time, of the thermal response of fuel rods during a simulated loss-of-coolant accident is described. The results show good agreement with calculations from a comprehensive fuel-rod code (FRAP-T) currently in use at Aerojet Nuclear Company. (auth)
Perkins, K.R.; Ramshaw, J.D.
Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes in Salt, Hot...
Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes in Salt, Hot Granular Salt Consolidation, Constitutive Model and Micromechanics Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes...
Thermal plasma processing of materials
Emphasis has been on plasma synthesis of fine powders, plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), on related diagnostics, and on modeling work. Since plasma synthesis as well as plasma CVD make frequent use of plasma jets, the beginning has been devoted of plasma jets and behavior of particulates injected into such plasma jets. Although most of the construction of the Triple-Torch Plasma Reactor (TTPR) has already been done, modifications have been made in particular modifications required for plasma CVD of diamond. A new reactor designed for Counter-Flow Liquid Injection Plasma Synthesis (CFLIPS) proved to be an excellent tool for synthesis of fine powders as well as for plasma CVD. An attempt was made to model flow and temperature fields in this reactor. Substantial efforts were made to single out those parameters which govern particle size, size distribution, and powder quality in our plasma synthesis experiments. This knowledge is crucial for controlling the process and for meaningful diagnostics and modeling work. Plasma CVD of diamond films using both reactors has been very successful and we have been approached by a number of companies interested in using this technology for coating of tools.
Pfender, E.; Heberlein, J.
Value of solar thermal industrial process heat
This study estimated the value of solar thermal-generated industrial process heat (IPH) as a function of process heat temperature. The value of solar thermal energy is equal to the cost of producing energy from conventional fuels and equipment if the energy produced from either source provides an equal level of service. This requirement put the focus of this study on defining and characterizing conventional process heat equipment and fuels. Costs (values) were estimated for 17 different design points representing different combinations of conventional technologies, temperatures, and fuels. Costs were first estimated for median or representative conditions at each design point. The cost impact of capacity factor, efficiency, fuel escalation rate, and regional fuel price differences were then evaluated by varying each of these factors within credible ranges.
Brown, D.R.; Fassbender, L.L.; Chockie, A.D.
Thermodynamic properties of pulverized coal during rapid heating devolatilization processes
The thermodynamic properties of coal under conditions of rapid heating have been determined using a combination of UTRC facilities including a proprietary rapid heating rate differential thermal analyzer (RHR-DTA), a microbomb calorimeter (MBC), an entrained flow reactor (EFR), an elemental analyzer (EA), and a FT-IR. The total heat of devolatilization, was measured for a HVA bituminous coal (PSOC 1451D, Pittsburgh No. 8) and a LV bituminous coal (PSOC 1516D, Lower Kittaning). For the HVA coal, the contributions of each of the following components to the overall heat of devolatilization were measured: the specific heat of coal/char during devolatilization, the heat of thermal decomposition of the coal, the specific heat capacity of tars, and the heat of vaporization of tars. Morphological characterization of coal and char samples was performed at the University of Pittsburgh using a PC-based image analysis system, BET apparatus, helium pcynometer, and mercury porosimeter. The bulk density, true density, CO{sub 2} surface area, pore volume distribution, and particle size distribution as a function of extent of reaction are reported for both the HVA and LV coal. Analyses of the data were performed to obtain the fractal dimension of the particles as well as estimates for the external surface area. The morphological data together with the thermodynamic data obtained in this investigation provides a complete database for a set of common, well characterized coal and char samples. This database can be used to improve the prediction of particle temperatures in coal devolatilization models. Such models are used both to obtain kinetic rates from fundamental studies and in predicting furnace performance with comprehensive coal combustion codes. Recommendations for heat capacity functions and heats of devolatilization for the HVA and LV coals are given. Results of sample particle temperature calculations using the recommended thermodynamic properties are provided.
Proscia, W.M.; Freihaut, J.D. [United Technologies Research Center, E. Hartford, CT (United States); Rastogi, S.; Klinzing, G.E. [Univ. of Pittsburg, PA (United States)
Thermal integration of processes to recover helium
New applications for helium have resulted in significant growth in helium demand in recent years. The primary source of helium in the USA is natural gas reservoirs. Typically natural gas reservoirs that contain helium also contain nitrogen. The presence of nitrogen requires that the heating value of the gas be upgraded using nitrogen rejection units (NRU). Thermal integration of the NRU process with the helium recovery process is described. Further integration of NRU and helium recovery process to produce cold helium gas suitable for use as a feed to a helium liquefier is also described. A key aspect of the integrated process is the use of refrigeration from the NRU to reduce power requirements, and capital cost for the helium recovery process.
Pahade, R.F.; Maloney, J.J.; Fisher, T.F. (Union Carbide Corp., Linde Div., Tonawanda, NY (US))
Rapid hydrogen gas generation using reactive thermal decomposition of uranium hydride.
Oxygen gas injection has been studied as one method for rapidly generating hydrogen gas from a uranium hydride storage system. Small scale reactors, 2.9 g UH{sub 3}, were used to study the process experimentally. Complimentary numerical simulations were used to better characterize and understand the strongly coupled chemical and thermal transport processes controlling hydrogen gas liberation. The results indicate that UH{sub 3} and O{sub 2} are sufficiently reactive to enable a well designed system to release gram quantities of hydrogen in {approx} 2 seconds over a broad temperature range. The major system-design challenge appears to be heat management. In addition to the oxidation tests, H/D isotope exchange experiments were performed. The rate limiting step in the overall gas-to-particle exchange process was found to be hydrogen diffusion in the {approx}0.5 {mu}m hydride particles. The experiments generated a set of high quality experimental data; from which effective intra-particle diffusion coefficients can be inferred.
Kanouff, Michael P.; Van Blarigan, Peter; Robinson, David B.; Shugard, Andrew D.; Gharagozloo, Patricia E.; Buffleben, George M.; James, Scott Carlton; Mills, Bernice E.
Simulation and design of solar thermal processes
Methods of simulation and design of solar thermal processes have been developed and used in process system studies. During the period of this contract, new process component model formulations have been developed, including: transient LiBr--H/sub 2/O absorption cooler; CPC and other ''advanced'' collectors; and windows, storage wall and shading devices for passive solar heating. Systems studies have included: parallel and series solar/heat pump combinations; phase change storage in solar heating; absorption cooling with and without cooler transients. The general solar process simulation program, TRNSYS, has been further developed, documented, distributed and supported. Design procedure studies have led to development of a method for calculating the phi, the average solar radiation availability, and the development of the phi, f-chart method for design of closed-loop solar heating systems which (a) can have load temperatures other than 20/sup 0/C, and (b) have approximately constant COP of any energy converters between storage and load.
Not Available
Rapid thermal cycling of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cellmembranes
Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) membranes were developed in which zirconia-based electrolyte thin films were supported by a composite metal/ceramic electrode, and were subjected to rapid thermal cycling between 200 and 800 C. The effects of this cycling on membrane performance were evaluated. The membranes, not yet optimized for performance, showed a peak power density of 350mW/cm2at 900 C in laboratory-sized SOFCs that was not affected by the thermal cycling. This resistance to cycling degradation is attributed to the close matching of thermal expansion coefficient of the cermet support electrode with that of the zirconia electrolyte.
Matus, Yuriy B.; De Jonghe, Lutgard C.; Jacobson, Craig P.; Visco, Steven J.
Synthesis report on thermally driven coupled processes
The main purpose of this report is to document observations and data on thermally coupled processes for conditions that are expected to occur within and around a repository at Yucca Mountain. Some attempt is made to summarize values of properties (e.g., thermal properties, hydrologic properties) that can be measured in the laboratory on intact samples of the rock matrix. Variation of these properties with temperature, or with conditions likely to be encountered at elevated temperature in the host rock, is of particular interest. However, the main emphasis of this report is on direct observation of thermally coupled processes at various scales. Direct phenomenological observations are vitally important in developing and testing conceptual models. If the mathematical implementation of a conceptual model predicts a consequence that is not observed, either (1) the parameters or the boundary conditions used in the calculation are incorrect or (2) the conceptual basis of the model does not fit the experiment; in either case, the model must be revised. For example, the effective continuum model that has been used in thermohydrology studies combines matrix and fracture flow in a way that is equivalent to an assumption that water is imbibed instantaneously from fractures into adjacent, partially saturated matrix. Based on this approximation, the continuum-flow response that is analogous to fracture flow will not occur until the effective continuum is almost completely saturated. This approximation is not entirely consistent with some of the experimental data presented in this report. This report documents laboratory work and field studies undertaken in FY96 and FY97 to investigate thermally coupled processes such as heat pipes and fracture-matrix coupling. In addition, relevant activities from past years, and work undertaken outside the Yucca Mountain project are summarized and discussed. Natural and artificial analogs are also discussed to provide a convenient source of material documenting the conceptual and mathematical basis for modeling coupled phenomena. The actual models and codes, and their specific empirical and theoretical bases, will be documented in a separate report to be delivered in FY99.
Hardin, E.L.
Recent Developments in Rapid Thermal Processing A. T. Fiory
is generally used with a single hot plate system (Mattson Technology, not shown). A sapphire fiber-optic probe direction. The temperature probes in this system are sapphire light pipes terminated near the surface the wafer and repeatability from wafer to wafer. Multiple lamp systems use arrayed temperature sensors
Fiory, Anthony
SSRL Postdoctoral Associate for In-situ Rapid Thermal Processing
a Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar with research interests and experience in inorganic photovoltaic materials and characterization. This position involves the development,...
Rapid Thermal Processing of Silicon Wafers with Emissivity Patterns
, the heaters in the RTP sys- tems modeled in this paper are treated as infrared sources of radiant power the model analysis of the temperature differences on the patterned wafers. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS oxidation (RTO). Temperature variation data are compared with a model of radiant heating of patterned wafers
Thermal processes for heavy oil recovery
This status report summarizes the project BE11B (Thermal Processes for Heavy Oil Recovery) research activities conducted in FY93 and completes milestone 7 of this project. A major portion of project research during FY93 was concentrated on modeling and reservoir studies to determine the applicability of steam injection oil recovery techniques in Texas Gulf Coast heavy oil reservoirs. In addition, an in-depth evaluation of a steamflood predictive model developed by Mobil Exploration and Production Co. (Mobil E&P) was performed. Details of these two studies are presented. A topical report (NIPER-675) assessing the NIPER Thermal EOR Research Program over the past 10 years was also written during this fiscal year and delivered to DOE. Results of the Gulf Coast heavy oil reservoir simulation studies indicated that though these reservoirs can be successfully steamflooded and could recover more than 50% of oil-in-place, steamflooding may not be economical at current heavy oil prices. Assessment of Mobil E&P`s steamflood predictive model capabilities indicate that the model in its present form gives reasonably good predictions of California steam projects, but fails to predict adequately the performance of non-California steam projects.
Sarkar, A.K.; Sarathi, P.S.
Fabrication of highly textured lithium cobalt oxide films by rapid thermal annealing
Systems and methods are described for fabrication of highly textured lithium cobalt oxide films by rapid thermal annealing. A method of forming a lithium cobalt oxide film includes depositing a film of lithium cobalt oxide on a substrate; rapidly heating the film of lithium cobalt oxide to a target temperature; and maintaining the film of lithium cobalt oxide at the target temperature for a target annealing time of at most, approximately 60 minutes. The systems and methods provide advantages because they require less time to implement and are, therefore less costly than previous techniques.
Bates, John B. (Marietta, GA)
Method and apparatus for rapid adjustment of process gas inventory in gaseous diffusion cascades
This invention relates to an improved method and system for making relatively large and rapid adjustments in the process gas
Dyer, Robert H. (Oak Ridge, TN); Fowler, Andrew H. (Oak Ridge, TN); Vanstrum, Paul R. (Oak Ridge, TN)
Thermal storage material and process for making
A thermal storage structure and process for making the same comprises a base material of a substantially open cell structure, with the pores interconnected and open to the surface. The open cell structure may be a volcanic rock or alternatively may be a synthetically made structure such as foamed glass, foamed concrete or foamed metal. The open cell material is completely saturated with a latent heat storage component such as a salthydrate or eutectic salts. In the process of making the latent heat storage structure, the latent heat storage component is melted in a container and the open cell structure is placed therein, whereupon the melt is spontaneously imbibed by the structure, replacing the air in the open cell structure with the liquid latent heat storage component. The structure, after cooling, is packaged or encapsulated with a vapor impermeable material. In a preferred embodiment of foamed glass material, the structure is sealed in an aluminum foil, and in an alternative embodiment, the foamed aluminum material is sealed with an aluminum foil.
Boardman, B.J.
List of Solar Thermal Process Heat Incentives | Open Energy Information
Process Heat Incentives Process Heat Incentives Jump to: navigation, search The following contains the list of 204 Solar Thermal Process Heat Incentives. CSV (rows 1 - 204) Incentive Incentive Type Place Applicable Sector Eligible Technologies Active 30% Business Tax Credit for Solar (Vermont) Corporate Tax Credit Vermont Commercial Industrial Photovoltaics Solar Space Heat Solar Thermal Electric Solar Thermal Process Heat Solar Water Heat No APS - Renewable Energy Incentive Program (Arizona) Utility Rebate Program Arizona Commercial Residential Anaerobic Digestion Biomass Daylighting Geothermal Electric Ground Source Heat Pumps Landfill Gas Other Distributed Generation Technologies Photovoltaics Small Hydroelectric Solar Pool Heating Solar Space Heat Solar Thermal Process Heat
Solar-Thermal Fluid-Wall Reaction Processing
The present invention provides a method for carrying out high temperature thermal dissociation reactions requiring rapid-heating and short residence times using solar energy. In particular, the present invention provides a method for carrying out high temperature thermal reactions such as dissociation of hydrocarbon containing gases and hydrogen sulfide to produce hydrogen and dry reforming of hydrocarbon containing gases with carbon dioxide. In the methods of the invention where hydrocarbon containing gases are dissociated, fine carbon black particles are also produced. The present invention also provides solar-thermal reactors and solar-thermal reactor systems.
Weimer, A. W.; Dahl, J. K.; Lewandowski, A. A.; Bingham, C.; Raska Buechler, K. J.; Grothe, W.
Thermal Stability of Al 5356 Processed by Cryomilling and Spark ...
... Thermal Stability of Al 5356 Processed by Cryomilling and Spark Plasma Sintering ... Ordered Complexions: The Structure and Energy of Ni-Al2O3 Interfaces.
Pulse Thermal Processing of Functional Materials Using a ...
Ronald D. Ott, Craig A. Blue, Nancy J. Dudney, and David C. Harper, Pulse Thermal Processing of Functional Materials Using Directed Plasma Arc, U.S.
Developing Thermal Processes with Energy Efficiency in Mind
Opportunities to conserve energy not only reduce ecological impact, but can result in significant cost saving, as thermal processing is a critical cost driver in�...
Planetary migration in standard models of gaseous protoplanetary disks is known to be very rapid ({approx}10{sup 5} years), jeopardizing the existence of planetary systems. We present a new mechanism for significantly slowing rapid planetary migration, discovered by means of radiative transfer calculations of the thermal structure of protoplanetary disks irradiated by their central stars. Rapid dust settling in a disk's dead zone-a region with very little turbulence-leaves a dusty wall at its outer edge. We show that the back-heating of the dead zone by this irradiated wall produces a positive gradient of the disk temperature, which acts as a thermal barrier to planetary migration which persists for the disk lifetime. Although we analyze in detail the migration of a super-Earth in a low-mass disk around an M star, our findings can apply to a wide variety of young planetary systems. We compare our findings with other potentially important stopping mechanisms and show that there are large parameter spaces for which dead zones are likely to play the most important role for reproducing the observed mass-period relation in longer planetary periods.
Hasegawa, Yasuhiro [Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1 (Canada); Pudritz, Ralph E. [Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M1 (Canada)], E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com
Rapid Gas Hydrate Formation Processes: Will They Work?
Researchers at DOE�s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have been investigating the formation of synthetic gas hydrates, with an emphasis on rapid and continuous hydrate formation techniques. The investigations focused on unconventional methods to reduce dissolution, induction, nucleation and crystallization times associated with natural and synthetic hydrates studies conducted in the laboratory. Numerous experiments were conducted with various high-pressure cells equipped with instrumentation to study rapid and continuous hydrate formation. The cells ranged in size from 100 mL for screening studies to proof-of-concept studies with NETL�s 15-Liter Hydrate Cell. Results from this work demonstrate that the rapid and continuous formation of methane hydrate is possible at predetermined temperatures and pressures within the stability zone of a Methane Hydrate Stability Curve (see Figure 1).
Brown, T.D.; Taylor, C.E.; Bernardo, M.P.
Pulse thermal processing of functional materials using directed plasma arc
A method of thermally processing a material includes exposing the material to at least one pulse of infrared light emitted from a directed plasma arc to thermally process the material, the pulse having a duration of no more than 10 s.
Ott, Ronald D. (Knoxville, TN); Blue, Craig A. (Knoxville, TN); Dudney, Nancy J. (Knoxville, TN); Harper, David C. (Kingston, TN)
Thermal processing system concepts and considerations for RWMC buried waste
This report presents a preliminary determination of ex situ thermal processing system concepts and related processing considerations for application to remediation of transuranic (TRU)-contaminated buried wastes (TRUW) at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Beginning with top-level thermal treatment concepts and requirements identified in a previous Preliminary Systems Design Study (SDS), a more detailed consideration of the waste materials thermal processing problem is provided. Anticipated waste stream elements and problem characteristics are identified and considered. Final waste form performance criteria, requirements, and options are examined within the context of providing a high-integrity, low-leachability glass/ceramic, final waste form material. Thermal processing conditions required and capability of key systems components (equipment) to provide these material process conditions are considered. Information from closely related companion study reports on melter technology development needs assessment and INEL Iron-Enriched Basalt (IEB) research are considered. Five potentially practicable thermal process system design configuration concepts are defined and compared. A scenario for thermal processing of a mixed waste and soils stream with essentially no complex presorting and using a series process of incineration and high temperature melting is recommended. Recommendations for applied research and development necessary to further detail and demonstrate the final waste form, required thermal processes, and melter process equipment are provided.
Eddy, T.L.; Kong, P.C.; Raivo, B.D.; Anderson, G.L.
U.S. natural gas processing capacity expands rapidly - Today ...
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
... EIA tracks shut-in natural gas processing capacity through the emergency schedule on the survey of natural gas processing plants, Form EIA-757B.
Process planning for rapid manufacturing of plastic injection mold for short run production.
??This thesis presents a process planning methodology for a rapid injection mold tool manufacturing system that involves additive and subtractive techniques, whereby slabs are sequentially� (more)
Karthikeyan, Rajesh Kumar
Process planning for an Additive/Subtractive Rapid Pattern Manufacturing system.
??This dissertation presents a rapid manufacturing process for sand casting patterns using a hybrid additive/subtractive approach. This includes three major areas of research that will� (more)
Luo, Xiaoming
Process and apparatus for thermal enhancement
Thermal treatment apparatus for downhole deployment comprising a combustion stage with an elongated hot wall combustion zone for the substantially complete combustion of the fuel-air mixture and an ignition zone immediately upstream from the combustion zone in which a mixture of atomized liquid fuel and air at or below stoichiometric ratio is ignited; together with a water injection stage immediately downstream from the combustion zone through which essentially partuculate free high temperature combustion products flow from the combustion zone and into which water is sprayed. The resulting mixture of steam and combustion products is injected into an oil formation for enhancing the speed and effectiveness of reservoir response due to physical, chemical, and/or thermal stimulation interactions.
Burrill, Jr., Charles E. (Billerica, MA); Smirlock, Martin E. (Brimfield, MA); Krepchin, Ira P. (Newton Upper Falls, MA)
In Search of Rapid Processing Routes for CIGS Photovoltaic ...
Effects of Sensitizer Length on Radiation Crosslinked Shape-Memory ... Microstructural Development during Thermo Mechanical Processing of Pipeline Steel.
Conductive Thermal Interaction in Evaporative Cooling Process
It has long been recognized that evaporative cooling is an effective and logical substitute for mechanical cooling in hot-arid climates. This paper explores the application of evaporative coolers to the hot-humid climates using a controlled temperature of the incoming water. With exploitation of the effect of the thermal conduction between cool underground water and entering air, the performance of an evaporative cooler can be enhanced and its use in hot and moderately humid climates should also be considered. Usually the dry-bulb depression performed by an evaporative cooler depends solely on the ambient wet-bulb temperature. The cool underground water in an evaporative cooler can cause not only adiabatic evaporation but also sensible heat transfer between water and entering air for thermal comfort. This hybrid system outperforms the two-stage evaporative cooler without employing a complicated heat exchanger (indirect system), if the temperature of underground water is lower than the ambient wet-bulb temperature. Several areas in the southern hot-humid parts of the U.S. meet this condition.
Kim, B. S.; Degelman, L. O.
A simple method for rapidly processing HEU from weapons returns
A method based on the use of a high temperature fluidized bed for rapidly oxidizing, homogenizing and down-blending Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) from dismantled nuclear weapons is presented. This technology directly addresses many of the most important issues that inhibit progress in international commerce in HEU; viz., transaction verification, materials accountability, transportation and environmental safety. The equipment used to carry out the oxidation and blending is simple, inexpensive and highly portable. Mobile facilities to be used for point-of-sale blending and analysis of the product material are presented along with a phased implementation plan that addresses the conversion of HEU derived from domestic weapons and related waste streams as well as material from possible foreign sources such as South Africa or the former Soviet Union.
McLean, W. II; Miller, P.E.
Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory (Fact Sheet)
This fact sheet describes the purpose, lab specifications, applications scenarios, and information on how to partner with NREL's Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory at the Energy Systems Integration Facility. The focus of the Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory at NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) is to research, develop, test, and evaluate new techniques for thermal energy storage systems that are relevant to utility-scale concentrating solar power plants. The laboratory holds test systems that can provide heat transfer fluids for the evaluation of heat exchangers and thermal energy storage devices. The existing system provides molten salt at temperatures up to 800 C. This unit is charged with nitrate salt rated to 600 C, but is capable of handling other heat transfer fluid compositions. Three additional test bays are available for future deployment of alternative heat transfer fluids such as hot air, carbon dioxide, or steam systems. The Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory performs pilot-scale thermal energy storage system testing through multiple charge and discharge cycles to evaluate heat exchanger performance and storage efficiency. The laboratory equipment can also be utilized to test instrument and sensor compatibility with hot heat transfer fluids. Future applications in the laboratory may include the evaluation of thermal energy storage systems designed to operate with supercritical heat transfer fluids such as steam or carbon dioxide. These tests will require the installation of test systems capable of providing supercritical fluids at temperatures up to 700 C.
Technical resource document for assured thermal processing of wastes
This document is a concise compendium of resource material covering assured thermal processing of wastes (ATPW), an area in which Sandia aims to develop a large program. The ATPW program at Sandia is examining a wide variety of waste streams and thermal processes. Waste streams under consideration include municipal, chemical, medical, and mixed wastes. Thermal processes under consideration range from various incineration technologies to non-incineration processes such as supercritical water oxidation or molten metal technologies. Each of the chapters describes the element covered, discusses issues associated with its further development and/or utilization, presents Sandia capabilities that address these issues, and indicates important connections to other ATPW elements. The division of the field into elements was driven by the team`s desire to emphasize areas where Sandia`s capabilities can lead to major advances and is therefore somewhat unconventional. The report will be valuable to Sandians involved in further ATPW program development.
Farrow, R.L.; Fisk, G.A.; Hartwig, C.M.; Hurt, R.H.; Ringland, J.T.; Swansiger, W.A.
Rapid thermal cycling of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell membranes
vacuum infiltration deposition. Thermal expansion of 8YSZLSCF cathode before and after thermal cycling at 900�C. AIR+6AT 8YSZ Temperature, 0 C Fig. 3. Thermal expansion of 8YSZ
Thermal Insulation Performance in the Process Industries: Facts and Fallacies
The efficient use of thermal insulation materials and systems for design of cryogenic and elevated temperature process applications depends upon a reliable knowledge of their properties. Properties determined under idealized laboratory conditions are inadequate based on quantified field performance results. The various general and specific materials and environment factors which influence actual thermal performance will be outlined and discussed. Examples are given to illustrate the significant effects that such factors can have on energy conservation in the industrial arena. Various solutions are suggested.
Tye, R. P.
Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes in Salt, Hot Granular
Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes in Salt, Hot Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes in Salt, Hot Granular Salt Consolidation, Constitutive Model and Micromechanics Coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical Processes in Salt, Hot Granular Salt Consolidation, Constitutive Model and Micromechanics The report addresses granular salt reconsolidation from three vantage points: laboratory testing, modeling, and petrofabrics. The experimental data 1) provide greater insight and understanding into the role of elevated temperature and pressure regimes on physical properties of reconsolidated crushed salt, 2) can supplement an existing database used to develop a reconsolidation constitutive model and 3) provide data for model evaluation. The constitutive model accounts for the effects of moisture through pressure solution and dislocation creep, with both terms dependent
Process management using component thermal-hydraulic function classes
A process management expert system for a nuclear, chemical or other process is effective following malfunctioning of a component, such as a pump, for determining system realignment procedures such as for by-passing the malfunctioning component with on-line speeds to maintain operation of the process at full or partial capacity or to provide safe shut down of the system while isolating the malfunctioning component. The expert system uses thermal-hydraulic function classes at the component level for analyzing unanticipated as well as anticipated component malfunctions to provide recommended sequences of operator actions. Each component is classified according to its thermal-hydraulic function, and the generic and component-specific characteristics for that function. Using the diagnosis of the malfunctioning component and its thermal hydraulic class, the expert system analysis is carried out using generic thermal-hydraulic first principles. One aspect of the invention employs a qualitative physics-based forward search directed primarily downstream from the malfunctioning component in combination with a subsequent backward search directed primarily upstream from the serviced component. Generic classes of components are defined in the knowledge base according to the three thermal-hydraulic functions of mass, momentum and energy transfer and are used to determine possible realignment of component configurations in response to thermal-hydraulic function imbalance caused by the malfunctioning component. The search process is based upon mass, momentum and energy conservation principles so that qualitative thermal-hydraulic fundamental principles are satisfied for new system configurations. Each realignment to a new configuration produces the accompanying sequence of recommended operator actions. All possible new configurations are examined and a prioritized list of acceptable solutions is produced.
Morman, James A.; Wei, Thomas Y.C.; Reifman, Jaques
A process management expert system where following malfunctioning of a component, such as a pump, for determining system realignment procedures such as for by-passing the malfunctioning component with on-line speeds to maintain operation of the process at full or partial capacity or to provide safe shut down of the system while isolating the malfunctioning component. The expert system uses thermal-hydraulic function classes at the component level for analyzing unanticipated as well as anticipated component malfunctions to provide recommended sequences of operator actions. Each component is classified according to its thermal-hydraulic function, and the generic and component-specific characteristics for that function. Using the diagnosis of the malfunctioning component and its thermal hydraulic class, the expert system analysis is carried out using generic thermal-hydraulic first principles. One aspect of the invention employs a qualitative physics-based forward search directed primarily downstream from the malfunctioning component in combination with a subsequent backward search directed primarily upstream from the serviced component. Generic classes of components are defined in the knowledge base according to the three thermal-hydraulic functions of mass, momentum and energy transfer and are used to determine possible realignment of component configurations in response to thermal-hydraulic function imbalance caused by the malfunctioning component. Each realignment to a new configuration produces the accompanying sequence of recommended operator actions. All possible new configurations are examined and a prioritized list of acceptable solutions is produced.
Morman, James A. (Woodridge, IL); Wei, Thomas Y. C. (Downers Grove, IL); Reifman, Jaques (Western Springs, IL)
A process management expert system where following malfunctioning of a component, such as a pump, for determining system realignment procedures such as for by-passing the malfunctioning component with on-line speeds to maintain operation of the process at full or partial capacity or to provide safe shut down of the system while isolating the malfunctioning component. The expert system uses thermal-hydraulic function classes at the component level for analyzing unanticipated as well as anticipated component malfunctions to provide recommended sequences of operator actions. Each component is classified according to its thermal-hydraulic function, and the generic and component-specific characteristics for that function. Using the diagnosis of the malfunctioning component and its thermal hydraulic class, the expert system analysis is carried out using generic thermal-hydraulic first principles. One aspect of the invention employs a qualitative physics-based forward search directed primarily downstream from the malfunctioning component in combination with a subsequent backward search directed primarily upstream from the serviced component. Generic classes of components are defined in the knowledge base according to the three thermal-hydraulic functions of mass, momentum and energy transfer and are used to determine possible realignment of component configurations in response to thermal-hydraulic function imbalance caused by the malfunctioning component. Each realignment to a new configuration produces the accompanying sequence of recommended operator actions. All possible new configurations are examined and a prioritized list of acceptable solutions is produced. 5 figs.
Morman, J.A.; Wei, T.Y.C.; Reifman, J.
Thermal acidization and recovery process for recovering viscous petroleum
A thermal acidization and recovery process for increasing production of heavy viscous petroleum crude oil and synthetic fuels from subterranean hydrocarbon formations containing clay particles creating adverse permeability effects is described. The method comprises injecting a thermal vapor stream through a well bore penetrating such formations to clean the formation face of hydrocarbonaceous materials which restrict the flow of fluids into the petroleum-bearing formation. Vaporized hydrogen chloride is then injected simultaneously to react with calcium and magnesium salts in the formation surrounding the bore hole to form water soluble chloride salts. Vaporized hydrogen fluoride is then injected simultaneously with its thermal vapor to dissolve water-sensitive clay particles thus increasing permeability. Thereafter, the thermal vapors are injected until the formation is sufficiently heated to permit increased recovery rates of the petroleum.
Poston, Robert S. (Winter Park, FL)
Unvented thermal process for treatment of hazardous and mixed wastes
An Unvented Thermal Process is being developed that does not release gases during the thermal treatment operation. The main unit in the process is a fluidized-bed processor containing a bed of calcined limestone (CaO), which reacts with gases given off during oxidation of organic materials. Gases that will react with CaO include CO{sub 2}, SO{sub 2}, HCI, HBr, and other acid gases. Water vapor formed during the oxidation process is carried off with the fluidizing gas and is removed in a condenser. Oxygen is added to the remaining gas (mainly nitrogen), which is recirculated to the oxidizer. The most flexible arrangement of equipment involves separating the processor into two units: An oxidizer, which may be any of a variety of types including standard incinerators, and a carbon dioxide sorber.
Nelson, P.A.; Swift, W.M.
Supporting technology for enhanced oil recovery - EOR thermal processes
This report contains the results of efforts under the six tasks of the Eighth Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Agreement. The report is presented in sections and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of efforts under each of the tasks. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section.
The Impact of Rapid Wind Variability upon Air�Sea Thermal Coupling
The basic effect of extratropical atmosphere�ocean thermal coupling is to enhance the variance of both anomalous sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and air temperatures (AIRT) due to a decreased energy flux between the atmosphere and ocean, called ...
Philip Sura; Matthew Newman
Wide-Area Thermal Processing of Light-Emitting Materials
Silicon carbide based materials and devices have been successfully exploited for diverse electronic applications. However, they have not achieved the same success as Si technologies due to higher material cost and higher processing temperatures required for device development. Traditionally, SiC is not considered for optoelectronic applications because it has an indirect bandgap. However, AppliCote Associates, LLC has developed a laser-based doping process which enables light emission in SiC through the creation of embedded p-n junctions. AppliCote laser irradiation of silicon carbide allows two different interaction mechanisms: (1) Laser conversion or induced phase transformation which creates carbon rich regions that have conductive properties. These conductive regions are required for interconnection to the light emitting semiconducting region. (2) Laser doping which injects external dopant atoms into the substrate that introduces deep level transition states that emit light when electrically excited. The current collaboration with AppliCote has focused on the evaluation of ORNL's unique Pulse Thermal Processing (PTP) technique as a replacement for laser processing. Compared to laser processing, Pulse Thermal Processing can deliver similar energy intensities (20-50 kW/cm2) over a much larger area (up to 1,000 cm2) at a lower cost and much higher throughput. The main findings of our investigation; which are significant for the realization of SiC based optoelectronic devices, are as follows: (1) The PTP technique is effective in low thermal budget activation of dopants in SiC similar to the laser technique. The surface electrical conductivity of the SiC samples improved by about three orders of magnitude as a result of PTP processing which is significant for charge injection in the devices; (2) The surface composition of the SiC film can be modified by the PTP technique to create a carbon-rich surface (increased local C:Si ratio from 1:1 to 2.9:1). This is significant as higher thermal and electrical conductivities of the surface layer are critical for a successful development of integrated optoelectronic devices; and (3) PTP provides low thermal budget dopant activation with a controlled depth profile, which can be exploited for high performance device development with selective patterning of the substrate. This project has successfully demonstrated that a low thermal budget annealing technique, such as PTP, is critical to defining the path for low cost electronic devices integrated on glass or polymeric substrates. This project is complimentary to the goals of the Solid State Lighting Program within DOE. It involves new manufacturing techniques for light emitting materials that are potentially much lower cost and energy efficient than existing products. Significant opportunity exists for further exploration of AppliCote's material and device technology in combination with ORNL's PTP technique, modeling, and characterization capabilities.
Duty, C.; Quick, N. (AppliCote Associates, LLC)
Thermally stable booster explosive and process for manufacture
A thermally stable booster explosive and process for the manufacture of the explosive. The product explosive is 2,4,7,9-tetranitro-10H-benzo[4,5]furo[3,2-b]indole (TNBFI). A reactant/solvent such as n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) or dimethyl formamide (DMF) is made slightly basic. The solution is heated to reduce the water content. The solution is cooled and hexanitrostilbene is added. The solution is heated to a predetermined temperature for a specific time period, cooled, and the product is collected by filtration.
Quinlin, William T. (Amarillo, TX); Thorpe, Raymond (Amarillo, TX); Lightfoot, James M. (Amarillo, TX)
Solution Processing of Polymer Nanotube Thermal Interface Materials
Ideal TIMs should exhibit high thermal conductivity and maintain mechanical ... bulk polymers exhibit phonon scattering and are poor conductors of thermal�...
Energy Efficient Process Heating: Insulation and Thermal Mass Kevin Carpenter and Kelly Kissock
1 Energy Efficient Process Heating: Insulation and Thermal Mass Kevin Carpenter and Kelly Kissock tanks and reducing thermal mass. A companion paper, Energy Efficiency Process Heating: Managing Air Flow of the oven/furnace. Reducing the quantity of energy lost to thermal mass in a process heating system saves
Kissock, Kelly
Coupled Electromagnetic and Thermal Modeling of Microwave Tissue Processing
This study deals with 3D finite element modeling of microwave tissue processing using Comsol software 4.0. Maxwell�s equations are coupled with heat conduction equation to determine electromagnetic field distribution and temperature profile within tissue sample in a reagent inside a domestic microwave oven. The microwave power generation term is calculated. Also, temperature distribution obtained is compared with experimental point measurements recorded in the centre of the tissue using a shielded K type thermocouple. Good agreement is found between numerical and experimental data. The effect of size of both reagent and tissue as well as tissue type on microwave heating patterns within tissue sample is investigated. Studies shows that the reagent volume has greater effect than other factors. The results of the study is considered as a basic foundation for development of coupled electromagnetic thermal models of microwave heating of tissue specimens. The model assists in choosing appropriate process parameters for achieving uniform temperature distribution within tissue specimen.
Osama A Hassan; Ahmed H K; Il Ences; Ahmed M El Bialy
Synthesis Gas Production by Rapid Solar Thermal Gasification of Corn Stover
Biomass resources hold great promise as renewable fuel sources for the future, and there exists great interest in thermochemical methods of converting these resources into useful fuels. The novel approach taken by the authors uses concentrated solar energy to efficiently achieve temperatures where conversion and selectivity of gasification are high. Use of solar energy removes the need for a combustion fuel and upgrades the heating value of the biomass products. The syngas product of the gasification can be transformed into a variety of fuels useable with today?s infrastructure. Gasification in an aerosol reactor allows for rapid kinetics, allowing efficient utilization of the incident solar radiation and high solar efficiency.
Perkins, C. M.; Woodruff, B.; Andrews, L.; Lichty, P.; Lancaster, B.; Weimer, A. W.; Bingham, C.
Project W-320 SAR and process control thermal analyses
This report summarizes the results of thermal hydraulic computer modeling supporting Project W-320 for process control and SAR documentation. Parametric analyses were performed for the maximum steady state waste temperature. The parameters included heat load distribution, tank heat load, fluffing factor and thermal conductivity. Uncertainties in the fluffing factor and heat load distribution had the largest effect on maximum waste temperature. Safety analyses were performed for off normal events including loss of ventilation, loss of evaporation and loss of secondary chiller. The loss of both the primary and secondary ventilation was found to be the most limiting event with saturation temperature in the bottom waste reaching in just over 30 days. An evaluation was performed for the potential lowering of the supernatant level in tank 241-AY-102. The evaluation included a loss of ventilation and steam bump analysis. The reduced supernatant level decreased the time to reach saturation temperature in the waste for the loss of ventilation by about one week. However, the consequence of a steam bump were dramatically reduced.
Sathyanarayana, K.
Applications of fusion thermal energy to industrial processes
The feasibility of applying fusion thermal energy as process heat in the iron-steel industry, petrochemical industry, cement industry, and in the production of acetylene fom coal via calcium carbide are discussed. These four industries were selected for analysis because they require massive amounts of energy. This preliminary study concludes that the production of synthetic fuels using fusion heat appears to be the most promising method of storing and transporting this heat. Of the four industries studied, the iron-steel and the petrochemical industries appear to be the most promising because they consume substantial amounts of hydrogen and oxygen as feedstocks. These can be produced from water using the high-temperature fusion heat. The production of hydrogen and oxygen using fusion heat will also reduce the capital investment required for these industries. These two industries also consume tremendous amounts of heat at temperatures which can be delivered from a fusion blanket via chemical heat pipes.
Bowman, R.M.; Jody, B.J.; Lu, K.C.
Rapid Solar-thermal Dissociation of Natural Gas in an Aerosol Flow Reactor
as compared to conventional steam-methane reforming and furnace black processing. Introduction by the furnace black process. For steam reforming, steam is reacted with methane over a reforming catalyst. Currently, hydrogen is produced through the steam reforming of natural gas and carbon black is produced
electrolyte layer after co- firing at 1350�C. LSCF cathode LSOFC electrolyte layer after co-firing at 1350�C. Fig. 6.atmospheres necessary for the co-firing process used here to
Thermal casting process for the preparation of anisotropic membranes and the resultant membrane
A method for providing anisotropic polymer membranes from a binary polymer/solvent solution using a thermal inversion process. A homogeneous binary solution is cast onto a support and cooled in such a way as to provide a differential in cooling rate across the thickness of the resulting membrane sheet. Isotropic or anisotropic structures of selected porosities can be produced, depending on the initial concentration of polymer in the selected solvent and on the extent of the differential in cooling rate. This differential results in a corresponding gradation in pore size. The method may be modified to provide a working skin by applying a rapid, high-temperature pulse to redissolve a predetermined thickness of the membrane at one of its faces and then freezing the entire structure.
Caneba, Gerard T. M. (Albany, CA); Soong, David S. (Albany, CA)
Rapid tooling for functional prototyping of metal mold processes: Literature review on cast tooling
This report is a literature review on cast tooling with the general focus on AISI H13 tool steel. The review includes processing of both wrought and cast H13 steel along with the accompanying microstructures. Also included is the incorporation of new rapid prototyping technologies, such as Stereolithography and Selective Laser Sintering, into the investment casting of tool steel. The limiting property of using wrought or cast tool steel for die casting is heat checking. Heat checking is addressed in terms of testing procedures, theories regarding the mechanism, and microstructural aspects related to the cracking.
Baldwin, M.D. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hochanadel, P.W. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Dept. of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Supporting technology for enhanced oil recovery: EOR thermal processes
This report contains the results of efforts under the six tasks of the Seventh Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Agreement. The report is presented in sections (for each of the 6 tasks) and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of efforts under each of the tasks. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section. The tasks are numbered 50 through 55. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh reports on Annex IV, Venezuela MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-1, IV-2, IV-3, IV-4, IV-5 and IV-6 (DOE/BETC/SP-83/15, DOE/BC-84/6/SP, DOE/BC-86/2/SP, DOE/BC-87/2/SP, DOE/BC-89/l/SP, DOE/BC-90/l/SP, and DOE/BC-92/l/SP) contain the results for the first 49 tasks. Those reports are dated April 1983, August 1984, March 1986, July 1987, November 1988, December 1989, and October 1991, respectively. Each task report has been processed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.
Reid, T.B. (USDOE Bartlesville Project Office, OK (United States)); Colonomos, P. (INTEVEP, Filial de Petroleos de Venezuela, SA, Caracas (Venezuela))
Modeling Thermal-Hydrologic Processes for a Heated Fractured Rock System: Impact of a Capillary-Pressure Maximum
Tsang, Y.W. : Modeling the thermal-hydrologic processes in aanalyses of heterogeneity and thermal-loading factors for a2005 Lin, W. , Sun, Y. : Thermal hydrological processes in
Sun, Y.; Buscheck, T. A.; Lee, K. H.; Hao, Y.; James, S. C.
Analytical and experimental studies for thermal plasma processing of materials
Work continued on thermal plasma processing of materials. This quarter, ceramic powders of carbides, aluminium nitride, oxides, solids solutions, magnetic and non magnetic spinels, superconductors, and composites have been successfully synthesized in a Triple DC Torch Plasma Jet Reactor (TTPR) and in a single DC Plasma Jet Reactor. All the ceramic powders with the exception of AIN were synthesized using a novel injection method developed to overcome the problems associated with solid injection, in particular for the single DC plasma jet reactor, and to realize the benefits of gas phase reactions. Also, initial experiments have been performed for the deposition of diamond coatings on Si wafers using the TTPR with methane as the carbon source. Well faceted diamond crystallites were deposited on the surface of the wafers, forming a continuous one particle thick coating. For measuring temperature and velocity fields in plasma systems, enthalpy probes have been developed and tested. The validity has been checked by performing energy and mass flux balances in an argon plasma jet operated in argon atmosphere. Total Gibbs free energy minimization calculations using a quasi-equilibrium modification have been applied to simulate several chemical reactions. Plasma reactor modelling has been performed for the counter-flow liquid injection plasma synthesis experiment. Plasma diagnostics has been initiated to determine the pressure gradient in the coalesced part of the plasma jet. The pressure gradient drives the diffusion of chemical species which ultimately controls the chemical reactions. 4 figs.
Supporting technology for enhanced oil recovery for thermal processes
This report contains the results of efforts under the six tasks of the Ninth Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Agreement. The report is presented in sections (for each of the 6 tasks) and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of efforts under each of the tasks. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section. The tasks are numbered 62 through 67. The first, second, third, fourth fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth reports on Annex IV, [Venezuela MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-1, IV-2, IV-3, IV-4, IV-5, IV-6, IV-7, and IV-8 (DOE/BETC/SP-83/15, DOE/BC-84/6/SP, DOE/BC-86/2/SP, DOE/BC-87/2/SP, DOE/BC-90/1/SP, DOE/BC-90/1/SP) (DOE/BC-92/1/SP, DOE/BC-93/3/SP, and DOE/BC-95/3/SP)] contain the results from the first 61 tasks. Those reports are dated April 1983, August 1984, March 1986, July 1987, November 1988, October 1991, February 1993, and March 1995 respectively.
Reid, T.B.; Bolivar, J.
The Interaction between Baroclinic and Diabatic Processes in a Numerical Simulation of a Rapidly Intensifying Extratropical Marine Cyclone
This study addresses the relative contributions of adiabatic baroclinic and diabatic processes and their interaction in the evolution of a rapidly intensifying marine cyclone. Two numerical experiments were performed using a limited-area ...
Ying-Hwa Kuo; M. A. Shapiro; Evelyn G. Donall
Some industrial process-scale plants require the monitoring of specific radionuclides as an indication of the composition of their feed streams or as indicators of plant performance. In this process environment, radiochemical measurements must be fast, accurate, and reliable. Manual sampling, sample preparation, and analysis of process fluids are highly precise and accurate, but tend to be expensive and slow. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have assembled and characterized a fully automated prototype Process Monitor instrument which was originally designed to rapidly measure Tc-99 in the effluent streams of the Waste Treatment Plant at Hanford, WA. The system is capable of a variety of tasks: extraction of a precise volume of sample, sample digestion / analyte redox adjustment, column-based chemical separations, flow-through radiochemical detection and data analysis / reporting. The system is compact, its components are fluidically inter-linked, and analytical results can be immediately calculated and electronically reported. It is capable of performing a complete analytical cycle in less than 15 minutes. The system is highly modular and can be adapted to a variety of sample types and analytical requirements. It exemplifies how automation could be integrated into reprocessing facilities to support international nuclear safeguards needs.
O'Hara, Matthew J.; Durst, Philip C.; Grate, Jay W.; Egorov, Oleg; Devol, Timothy A.
Thermal Integration of CO2 Compression Processes with Coal-Fired...
Thermal Integration of CO 2 Compression Processes with Coal-Fired Power Plants Equipped with Carbon Capture Background Increased attention is being placed on research into...
Pulse Thermal Processing of Functional Materials Using a Directed Plasma Arc
Using pulses of high density infrared light from a directed plasma arc, ORNL researchersinvented a method to thermally process thin films and other ...
Enhanced oil recovery: miscible flooding; thermal methods; and process implementation. Annual report, October 1, 1979-September 30, 1980
The individual papers in this volume covering miscible flooding, thermal methods, and process implementation were indexed.
Linville, B. (ed.)
Monitoring of thermal enhanced oil recovery processes with electromagnetic methods
Research in applying electromagnetic methods for imaging thermal enhanced oil recovery has progressed significantly during the past eighteen months. Working together with researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) and supported by a group of industrial sponsors we have focused our effort on field system development and doing field surveys connected with EOR operations. Field surveys were recently completed at the Lost Hills No.3 oil field and at UC Richmond Field station. At Lost Hills, crosshole EM data sets were collected before a new phase of steam injection for EOR and again four months after the onset of steaming. The two data sets were nearly identical suggesting that very little steam had been injected into this borehole. This is in accord with the operators records which indicate injectivity problems with this particular well. At Richmond we conducted a salt water injection monitoring experiment where 50,000 gallons of salt water were injected in a shallow aquifer and crosshole EM data were collected using the injection well and several observation wells. We applied the imaging code to some of the collected data and produced an image showing that the salt water slug has propagated 8--10 m from the injector into the aquifer. This result is partially confirmed by prior calculations and well logging data. Applying the EM methods to the problem of oil field characterization essentially means extending the borehole resistivity log into the region between wells. Since the resistivity of a sedimentary environment is often directly dependent on the fluids in the rock the knowledge of the resistivity distribution within an oil field can be invaluable for finding missed or bypassed oil or for mapping the overall structure. With small modification the same methods used for mapping EOR process can be readily applied to determining the insitu resistivity structure.
Wilt, M.
Representation of thermal energy in the design process
The goal of thermal design is to go beyond the comfort zone. In spatial design architects don't just look up square footage requirements and then draw a rectangle that satisfies the givens. There must be an interpretation. ...
Roth, Shaun
Silicon nucleation and film evolution on silicon dioxide using disilane: Rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition of very smooth silicon at high deposition rates
An investigation of Si{sub 2}H{sub 6} and H{sub 2} for rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) of silicon on SiO{sub 2} has been performed at temperatures ranging from 590 to 900 C and pressures ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 Torr. Deposition at 590 C yields amorphous silicon films with the corresponding ultrasmooth surface with a deposition rate of 68 nm/min. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of a sample deposited at 625 C and 1 Torr reveals a bilayer structure which is amorphous at the growth surface and crystallized at the oxide interface. Higher temperatures yield polycrystalline films where the surface roughness depends strongly on both deposition pressure and temperature. Silane-based amorphous silicon deposition in conventional systems yields the expected ultrasmooth surfaces, but at greatly reduced deposition rates unsuitable for single-wafer processing. However, disilane, over the process window considered here, yields growth rates high enough to be appropriate for single-wafer manufacturing, thus providing a viable means for deposition of very smooth silicon films on SiO{sub 2} in a single-wafer environment.
Violette, K.E.; Oeztuerk, M.C.; Christensen, K.N.; Maher, D.M. [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
THERMAL DeNOx: A COMMERCIAL SELECTIVE NONCATALYTIC NOx REDUCTION PROCESS FOR
THERMAL DeNOx: A COMMERCIAL SELECTIVE NONCATALYTIC NOx REDUCTION PROCESS FOR WASTE when high NOx reduction is required. To illustrate the cost effectiveness, investment and operating in cinerators. INTRODUCTION THERMAL DeNO", a selective noncatalytic NO" reduction process, was invented just
Bentonite alteration due to thermal-hydro-chemical processes during the early thermal period in a nuclear waste repository
After closure of an underground nuclear waste repository, the decay of radionuclides will raise temperature in the repository, and the bentonite buffer will resaturate by water inflow from the surrounding host rock. The perturbations from these thermal and hydrological processes are expected to dissipate within hundreds to a few thousand years. Here, we investigate coupled thermal-hydro-chemical processes and their effects on the short-term performance of a potential nuclear waste repository located in a clay formation. Using a simplified geometric configuration and abstracted hydraulic parameters of the clayey formation, we examine geochemical processes, coupled with thermo-hydrologic phenomena, and potential changes in porosity near the waste container during the early thermal period. The developed models were used for evaluating the mineral alterations and potential changes in porosity of the buffer, which can affect the repository performance. The results indicate that mineral alteration and associated changes in porosity induced by early thermal and hydrological processes are relatively small and are expected to not significantly affect flow and transport properties. Chlorite precipitation was obtained in all simulation cases. A maximum of one percent volume fraction of chlorite could be formed, whose process may reduce swelling and sorption capacity of bentonite clay, affecting the performance of the repository. llitisation process was not obtained from the present simulations.
Xu, T.; Senger, R.; Finsterle, S.
Thermal Spray and Cold Spray Processing - Programmaster.org
Mar 4, 2013 ... Cold Spray Processing (CSP) is a low temperature, high velocity powder spray process. In this research, billet size specimens are sought for�...
Experience base for Radioactive Waste Thermal Processing Systems: A preliminary survey
In the process of considering thermal technologies for potential treatment of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory mixed transuranic contaminated wastes, a preliminary survey of the experience base available from Radioactive Waste Thermal Processing Systems is reported. A list of known commercial radioactive waste facilities in the United States and some international thermal treatment facilities are provided. Survey focus is upon the US Department of Energy thermal treatment facilities. A brief facility description and a preliminary summary of facility status, and problems experienced is provided for a selected subset of the DOE facilities.
Mayberry, J.; Geimer, R.; Gillins, R.; Steverson, E.M.; Dalton, D. (Science Applications International Corp., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)); Anderson, G.L. (EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States))
Rapid Metal Heating: Reducing Energy Consumption and Increasing Productivity in the Thermal Processing of Metals
Energy intensive manufacturing operations, such as iron and steel production, forging, and heat treating, are attempting to increase productivity while decreasing energy consumption.
Thermal processes generated in quark-gluon plasma by yoctosecond laser pulses
In this paper the thermal processes generated by yoctosecond (10-24 s) laser pulses in QGP are investigated. Considering that the relaxation time in QGP is of the order of 1 ys it is shown that in QGP the yoctosecond laser pulses can generate the thermal waves with velocity v = c (0.3 fm/ys). Key words: QGP, thermal waves, yoctosecond pulses
Marciak-Kozlowska, J
J. Marciak-Kozlowska; M. Kozlowski
Currently most hydrogen is produced through a process of heating natural gas with water vapor called steam reforming. This process requires energy to heat the gasses and produces greenhouse gases such as CO2 as its byproducts. These conditions confine ...
Process of making cryogenically cooled high thermal performance crystal optics
A method for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N{sub 2} is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation.
Kuzay, T.M.
A method is disclosed for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N[sub 2] is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation. 7 figs.
Thermal Energy Storage/Heat Recovery and Energy Conservation in Food Processing
Modern food processing operations often require that the temperature of the processed foodstuff be raised or lowered. These operations result in energy consumption by refrigeration or heating systems, and a portion of this energy can be recovered from waste heat streams for reuse in the processing operations. This paper addresses the recovery of waste heat and the storage of thermal energy as a means of energy conservation in food processing. An energy conservation project in a poultry processing plant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and conducted by Georgia Tech is used as an illustrative example of potential applications of heat recovery and thermal energy storage.
Combes, R. S.; Boykin, W. B.
Thermal and Non-thermal Physiochemical Processes in Nanoscale Films of Amorphous Solid Water
Amorphous solid water (ASW) is a metastable form of water created by vapor deposition onto a cold substrate (typically less than 130 K). Since this unusual form of water only exists on earth in laboratories with highly specialized equipment, it is fair to ask why there is any interest in studying this esoteric material. Much of the scientific interest involves using ASW as a model system to explore the physical and reactive properties of liquid water and aqueous solutions. Other researchers are interested in ASW because it is believed to be the predominate form of water in the extreme cold temperatures found in many astrophysical and planetary environments. In addition, ASW is a convenient model system for studying the stability of metastable systems (glasses) and the properties of highly porous materials. A fundamental understanding of such properties has applications in a diverse range of disciplines including cryobiology, food science, pharmaceuticals, astrophysics and nuclear waste storage among others.There exist several excellent reviews on the properties of ASW and supercooled liquid water and a new comprehensive review is beyond the scope of this Account. Instead, we focus on our research over the past 15 years using molecular beams and surface science techniques to probe the thermal and non thermal properties of nanoscale films of ASW. We use molecular beams to precisely control the deposition conditions (flux, incident, energy, incident angle) to create compositionally-tailored, nanoscale films of ASW at low temperatures. To study the transport properties (viscosity, diffusivity), the amorphous films can be heated above their glass transition temperatures, Tg, at which time they transform into deeply supercooled liquids prior to crystallization. The advantage of this approach is that at temperatures near Tg the viscosity is approximately 15 orders of magnitude larger than a normal liquid, and therefore the crystallization kinetics are dramatically slowed, increasing the time available for experiments. For example, near Tg, on a typical laboratory time scale (e.g. {approx}1000 s), a water molecule moves less than a molecular distance. For this reason, nanoscale films help to probe the behavior and reactions of supercooled liquid at these low temperatures. ASW films can be used for investigating the non-thermal reactions relevant to radiolysis. In this account we will present a survey of our research on the thermal and non thermal properties of ASW using this approach.
Smith, R. Scott; Petrik, Nikolay G.; Kimmel, Gregory A.; Kay, Bruce D.
Stochastic thermal simulation considering spatial correlated within-die process variations
In this work, we develop a statistical thermal simulator including the effect of spatial correlation under within-die process variations. This method utilizes the Karhunen-Lo�ve (KL) expansion to model the physical parameters, and apply the Polynomial ...
Pei-Yu Huan; Jia-Hong Wu; Yu-Min Lee
No-thermal plasma processing of VOCs and NO{sub x} at LLNL
For the past few years, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been conducting a comprehensive research program on the application of non-thermal plasmas for air pollution control and abatement. This program combines an extensive modeling effort with an experimental facility and test program. We believe that there are two major issues to be addressed in order to apply non-thermal plasma processing to air pollution control; these are electrical energy consumption and byproduct identification. The thrust of our work has been to understand the scalability of the non-thermal process by focusing on the energy efficiency of the non-thermal process and to identify the byproducts to ensure that effluent gases from a non-thermal processor are benign. We have compared different types of electrical discharge reactors both theoretically and experimentally. Our interests in the application of non-thermal plasmas vary from the destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to NO{sub x} reduction for mobile applications. This paper will discuss the processing of both NO{sub x} and VOCs by non-thermal plasmas at LLNL.
Merritt, B.T.; Hsiao, M.C.; Penetrante, B.M.; Vogtlin, G.E.; Wallman, P.H.
Thermodynamic properties of pulverized coal during rapid heating devolatilization processes. Quarterly progress report, January--March 1993
Knowledge of the thermodynamic and morphological properties of coal associated with rapid heating decomposition pathways is essential to progress in coal utilization technology. Specifically, knowledge of the heat of devolatilization, surface area and density of coal as a function of rank characteristics, temperature and extent of devolatilization in the context of rapid heating conditions is required both, for the fundamental determination of kinetic parameters of coal devolatilization, and to refine existing devolatilization sub-models used in comprehensive coal combustion codes. The objective of this research is to obtain data on the thermodynamic properties and morphology of coal under conditions of rapid heating. Specifically, the total heat of devolatilization, external surface area, BET surface area and true density will be measured for representative coal samples. In addition, for one coal, the contribution of each of the following components to the overall heat of devolatilization will be measured: the specific heat of coal/char during devolatilization, the heat of thermal decomposition of the coal, the specific heat capacity of tars, and the heat of vaporization of tars. Morphological characterization of the parent coal samples has been completed by the University of Pittsburgh. Results are presented for true density, CO{sub 2} surface area, mercury porosimetry, and particle size and shape measurements using image analysis. The heat of thermal decomposition of PSOC 1451D (Task 5) will be calculated from the data reported here. The Task 10 effort, Morphological Characterization of Coal/Char Samples as a Function of Extent of Devolatilization, will continue at the University of Pittsburgh. Work will focus on measurement of the morphological characteristics of the char samples as a function of extent of reaction.
Proscia, W.M.; Freihaut, J.D.
Thermodynamic properties of pulverized coal during rapid heating devolatilization processes. Quarterly progress report, April--June 1993
Knowledge of the thermodynamic and morphological properties of coal associated with rapid heating decomposition pathways is essential to progress in coal utilization technology. Specifically, knowledge of the heat of devolatilization, surface area and density of coal as a function of rank characteristics, temperature and extent of devolatilization in the context of rapid heating conditions is essential to the fundamental determination of kinetic parameters of coal devolatilization. These same properties are also needed to refine existing devolatilization sub-models utilized in large-scale modeling of coal combustion systems. The objective of this research is to obtain data on the thermodynamic properties and morphology of coal under conditions of rapid heating. Specifically, the total heat of devolatilization, external surface area, BET surface area and true density will be measured for representative coal samples. The coal ranks to be investigated will include a high volatile A bituminous (PSOC 1451 D) and a low volatile bituminous (PSOC 1516D). An anthracite (PSOC 1468) will be used as a non-volatile coal reference. In addition, for one coal, the contribution of each of the following components to the overall heat of devolatilization will be measured: the specific heat of coal/char during devolatilization, the heat of thermal decomposition of the coal, the specific heat capacity of tars, and the heat of vaporization of tars.
Indirect thermal liquefaction process for producing liquid fuels from biomass
A progress report on an indirect liquefaction process to convert biomass type materials to quality liquid hydrocarbon fuels by gasification followed by catalytic liquid fuels synthesis has been presented. A wide variety of feedstocks can be processed through the gasification system to a gas with a heating value of 500 + Btu/SCF. Some feedstocks are more attractive than others with regard to producing a high olefin content. This appears to be related to hydrocarbon content of the material. The H/sub 2//CO ratio can be manipulated over a wide range in the gasification system with steam addition. Some feedstocks require the aid of a water-gas shift catalyst while others appear to exhibit an auto-catalytic effect to achieve the conversion. H/sub 2/S content (beyond the gasification system wet scrubber) is negligible for the feedstocks surveyed. The water gas shift reaction appears to be enhanced with an increase in pyrolysis reactor temperature over the range of 1300 to 1700/sup 0/F. Reactor temperature in the Fischer-Tropsch step is a significant factor with regard to manipulating product composition analysis. The optimum temperature however will probably correspond to maximum conversion to liquid hydrocarbons in the C/sub 5/ - C/sub 17/ range. Continuing research includes integrated system performance assessment, alternative feedstock characterization (through gasification) and factor studies for gasification (e.g., catalyst usage, alternate heat transfer media, steam usage, recycle effects, residence time study) and liquefaction (e.g., improved catalysts, catalyst activity characterization).
Kuester, J.L.
Prototyping Manufacturing Technologies The Rapid Prototyping Laboratory (RPL) supports internal design, manufacturing, and process develop- ment with three rapid prototyping (RP)...
A general thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen production based on thermal water splitting processes is presented. Results of the analysis show that the overall efficiency of any thermal water splitting process operating between two temperature limits is proportional to the Carnot efficiency. Implications of thermodynamic efficiency limits and the impacts of loss mechanisms and operating conditions are discussed as they pertain specifically to hydrogen production based on high-temperature electrolysis. Overall system performance predictions are also presented for high-temperature electrolysis plants powered by three different advanced nuclear reactor types, over their respective operating temperature ranges.
J. E. O'Brien
Process to improve boiler operation by supplemental firing with thermally beneficiated low rank coal
The invention described is a process for improving the performance of a commercial coal or lignite fired boiler system by supplementing its normal coal supply with a controlled quantity of thermally beneficiated low rank coal, (TBLRC). This supplemental TBLRC can be delivered either to the solid fuel mill (pulverizer) or directly to the coal burner feed pipe. Specific benefits are supplied based on knowledge of equipment types that may be employed on a commercial scale to complete the process. The thermally beneficiated low rank coal can be delivered along with regular coal or intermittently with regular coal as the needs require.
Sheldon, Ray W. (Huntley, MT)
Simultaneous and rapid determination of multiple component concentrations in a Kraft liquor process stream
The present invention is a rapid method of determining the concentration of the major components in a chemical stream. The present invention is also a simple, low cost, device of determining the in-situ concentration of the major components in a chemical stream. In particular, the present invention provides a useful method for simultaneously determining the concentrations of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and sodium carbonate in aqueous kraft pulping liquors through use of an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) tunnel flow cell or optical probe capable of producing a ultraviolet absorbency spectrum over a wavelength of 190 to 300 nm. In addition, the present invention eliminates the need for manual sampling and dilution previously required to generate analyzable samples. The inventive method can be used in Kraft pulping operations to control white liquor causticizing efficiency, sulfate reduction efficiency in green liquor, oxidation efficiency for oxidized white liquor and the active and effective alkali charge to kraft pulping operations.
Li, Jian (Marietta, GA); Chai, Xin Sheng (Atlanta, GA); Zhu, Junyoung (Marietta, GA)
Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory (Fact Sheet), NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)
Systems Process and Systems Process and Components Laboratory may include: * CSP technology developers * Utilities * Certification laboratories * Government agencies * Universities * Other National laboratories Contact Us If you are interested in working with NREL's Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory, please contact: ESIF Manager Carolyn Elam firstname.lastname@example.com 303-275-4311 Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory The focus of the Thermal Systems Process and Components Laboratory at NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) is to research, develop, test, and evaluate new techniques for thermal energy storage systems that are relevant to utility-scale concentrating solar power plants. The laboratory holds
A Numerical Investigation of Low-Level Processes in Rapid Cyclogenesis
Several physical processes and properties of the initial state that affect marine cyclogenesis are examined using a mesoscale numerical model. The sensitivity of an idealized cyclone to the effects of latent heat release, surface heat and ...
Wendell A. Nuss; Richard A. Anthes
Rapid VLIW processor customization for signal processing applications using combinational hardware functions
This paper presents an architecture that combines VLIW (very long instruction word) processing with the capability to introduce application-specific customized instructions and highly parallel combinational hardware functions for the acceleration of ...
Raymond R. Hoare; Alex K. Jones; Dara Kusic; Joshua Fazekas; John Foster; Shenchih Tung; Michael McCloud
A thermal computation program of process steam boilers obtained with reusable equipments and plants
This paper presents a process steam boiler dimensioned by means of two computer programs. The first computer program entitled "thermal computation of the chamber furnace of boiler" provides the utilization of the Boltzmann criterion. This computer program ... Keywords: boiler, chamber furnace, computer program, heat exchanger
Aurel Gaba; Ion-Florin Popa; Alexis-Daniel Negrea
Quantification of rapid environmental redox processes with quick-scanning x-ray absorption
manganese oxide x-ray absorption near-edge structure kinetics In the environment, chemical reactions to determining chemical kinetic rate constants and reaction mechanisms, both of which are required to fully understand environmental chemical processes. Kinetic measurements with traditional techniques, such as batch
Sparks, Donald L.
Elastic properties of silica aerogels from a new rapid supercritical extraction process
Silica aerogels were produced by a new process from Tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) with ammonia as base catalyst. the process involves pouring the liquid sol in a stainless steel mold and immediately heating it to supercritical conditions. Gelation and aging occurs during heating and reaction rates are high die to high average temperatures. the gel fills the container completely, which enables relatively fast venting of the supercritical fluid by providing a constraint for swelling and failure of the gel monolith. The whole process can be completed in 6 h or less. Longitudinal and shear moduli were measured in the dried aerogels by ultrasonic velocity measurements both as a function of chemical composition of the original sol and of position in the aerogel. It was found that the sound velocity exhibits marked maxima on the surface of the cylindrical specimens and specifically close to the ends, where the fluid left during venting. Specimens with high catalyst concentration and high water:TMOS ratio exhibited higher average moduli.
Gross, J.; Coronado, P.R.; Hair, L.M.; Hrubesh, L.W.
Combined System of Monothermal Chemical Exchange Process with Electrolysis and Thermal Diffusion Process for Enriching Tritium
Tritium Processing / Proceedings of the Third Topical Meeting on Tritium Technology in Fission, Fusion and Isotopic Applications (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 1-6, 1988)
Asashi Kitamoto; Katsuo Hasegawa; Takashi Masui
Enhanced oil recovery for thermal processes. First amendment and extension to Annex IV
This report contains the result of efforts under the several tasks of the First Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal processes. The report is presented in six sections (for each of the six tasks) and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of efforts under each one of the tasks. Each section has been abstracted and processed for inclusion in the Energy Data Base. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section. The tasks are numbered 8-13. The first report on Annex IV, Venezuela-MEM/USE-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-1, (DOE/BETC/SP-83/15), contains the results from the first seven tasks. That report is dated April 1983, entitled, EOR Thermal Processes.
Peterson, G.; Schwartz, E.
Modeling of thermally driven hydrological processes in partially saturated fractured rock
This paper is a review of the research that led to an in-depth understanding of flow and transport processes under strong heat stimulation in fractured, porous rock. It first describes the anticipated multiple processes that come into play in a partially saturated, fractured porous volcanic tuff geological formation, when it is subject to a heat source such as that originating from the decay of radionuclides. The rationale is then given for numerical modeling being a key element in the study of multiple processes that are coupled. The paper outlines how the conceptualization and the numerical modeling of the problem evolved, progressing from the simplified to the more realistic. Examples of numerical models are presented so as to illustrate the advancement and maturation of the research over the last two decades. The most recent model applied to in situ field thermal tests is characterized by (1) incorporation of a full set of thermal-hydrological processes into a numerical simulator, (2) realistic representation of the field test geometry, in three dimensions, and (3) use of site-specific characterization data for model inputs. Model predictions were carried out prior to initiation of data collection, and the model results were compared to diverse sets of measurements. The approach of close integration between modeling and field measurements has yielded a better understanding of how coupled thermal hydrological processes produce redistribution of moisture within the rock, which affects local permeability values and subsequently the flow of liquid and gases. The fluid flow in turn will change the temperature field. We end with a note on future research opportunities, specifically those incorporating chemical, mechanical, and microbiological factors into the study of thermal and hydrological processes.
Tsang, Yvonne; Birkholzer, Jens; Mukhopadhyay, Sumit
Materials Selection Considerations for Thermal Process Equipment: A BestPractices Process Heating Technical Brief
This technical brief is a guide to selecting high-temperature metallic materials for use in process heating applications such as burners, electrical heating elements, material handling, load support, and heater tubes, etc.
A novel thin-film poly-Si fabrication process has been demonstrated. This low thermal budget process transforms the single- and multi-layer amorphous silicon thin films into a poly-Si structure in one simple step over a pulsed rapid thermal annealing process with the enhancement of an ultrathin Ni layer. The complete poly-Si solar cell was fabricated in a short period of time without deteriorating the underneath glass substrate. The unique vertical crystallization process including the mechanism is discussed. Influences of the dopant type and process parameters on crystal structure will be revealed. The poly-Si film structure has been proved using TEM, XRD, Raman, and XPS methods. The poly-Si solar cell structure and the performance have been examined. In principle, the new process is potentially applicable to produce large-area thin-film poly-Si solar cells at a high throughput and low cost. A critical issue in this process is to prevent the excessive dopant diffusion during crystallization. Process parameters and the cell structure have to be optimized to achieve the production goal.
Yue Kuo
Baroclinic Adjustment in an Atmosphere�Ocean Thermally Coupled Model: The Role of the Boundary Layer Processes
Baroclinic eddy equilibration and the roles of different boundary layer processes in limiting the baroclinic adjustment are studied using an atmosphere�ocean thermally coupled model. Boundary layer processes not only affect the dynamical ...
Yang Zhang; Peter H. Stone
Evolution of seismic velocities in heavy oil sand reservoirs during thermal recovery process
In thermally enhanced recovery processes like cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) or steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), continuous steam injection entails changes in pore fluid, pore pressure and temperature in the rock reservoir, that are most often unconsolidated or weakly consolidated sandstones. This in turn increases or decreases the effective stresses and changes the elastic properties of the rocks. Thermally enhanced recovery processes give rise to complex couplings. Numerical simulations have been carried out on a case study so as to provide an estimation of the evolution of pressure, temperature, pore fluid saturation, stress and strain in any zone located around the injector and producer wells. The approach of Ciz and Shapiro (2007) - an extension of the poroelastic theory of Biot-Gassmann applied to rock filled elastic material - has been used to model the velocity dispersion in the oil sand mass under different conditions of temperature and stress. A good agreement has been found between these pre...
Nauroy, Jean-Fran�ois; Guy, N; Baroni, Axelle; Delage, Pierre; Mainguy, Marc; 10.2516/ogst/2012027
Thermal Conversion of Methane to Acetylene
This report describes the experimental demonstration of a process for the direct thermal conversion of methane to acetylene. The process utilizes a thermal plasma heat source to dissociation products react to form a mixture of acetylene and hydrogen. The use of a supersonic expansion of the hot gas is investigated as a method of rapidly cooling (quenching) the product stream to prevent further reaction or thermal decomposition of the acetylene which can lower the overall efficiency of the process.
Fincke, James Russell; Anderson, Raymond Paul; Hyde, Timothy Allen; Wright, Randy Ben; Bewley, Randy Lee; Haggard, Delon C; Swank, William David
Waste Heat Recovery and Recycling in Thermal Separation Processes: Distillation, Multi-Effect Evaporation (MEE) and Crystallization Processes
Evaporation and crystallization are key thermal separation processes for concentrating and purifying inorganic and organic products with energy consumption over 1,000 trillion Btu/yr. This project focused on a challenging task of recovering low-temperature latent heat that can have a paradigm shift in the way thermal process units will be designed and operated to achieve high-energy efficiency and significantly reduce the carbon footprint as well as water footprint. Moreover, this project has evaluated the technical merits of waste-heat powered thermal heat pumps for recovery of latent heat from distillation, multi-effect evaporation (MEE), and crystallization processes and recycling into the process. The Project Team has estimated the potential energy, economics and environmental benefits with the focus on reduction in CO2 emissions that can be realized by 2020, assuming successful development and commercialization of the technology being developed. Specifically, with aggressive industry-wide applications of heat recovery and recycling with absorption heat pumps, energy savings of about 26.7 trillion Btu/yr have been estimated for distillation process. The direct environmental benefits of this project are the reduced emissions of combustible products. The estimated major reduction in environmental pollutants in the distillation processes is in CO2 emission equivalent to 3.5 billion lbs/year. Energy consumption associated with water supply and treatments can vary between 1,900 kWh and 23,700 kWh per million-gallon water depending on sources of natural waters [US DOE, 2006]. Successful implementation of this technology would significantly reduce the demand for cooling-tower waters, and thereby the use and discharge of water treatment chemicals. The Project Team has also identified and characterized working fluid pairs for the moderate-temperature heat pump. For an MEE process, the two promising fluids are LiNO3+KNO3+NANO3 (53:28:19 ) and LiNO3+KNO3+NANO2(53:35:12). And for an H2O2 distillation process, the two promising fluids are Trifluoroethanol (TFE) + Triethylene Glycol Dimethyl ether (DMETEG) and Ammonia+ Water. Thermo-physical properties calculated by Aspen+ are reasonably accurate. Documentation of the installation of pilot-plants or full commercial units were not found in the literature for validating thermo-physical properties in an operating unit. Therefore, it is essential to install a pilot-scale unit to verify thermo-physical properties of working fluid pairs and validate the overall efficiency of the thermal heat pump at temperatures typical of distillation processes. For an HO2 process, the ammonia-water heat pump system is more compact and preferable than the TFE-DMETEG heat pump. The ammonia-water heat pump is therefore recommended for the H2O2 process. Based on the complex nature of the heat recovery system, we anticipated that capital costs could make investments financially unattractive where steam costs are low, especially where co-generation is involved. We believe that the enhanced heat transfer equipment has the potential to significantly improve the performance of TEE crystallizers, independent of the absorption heat-pump recovery system. Where steam costs are high, more detailed design/cost engineering will be required to verify the economic viability of the technology. Due to the long payback period estimated for the TEE open system, further studies on the TEE system are not warranted unless there are significant future improvements to heat pump technology. For the H2O2 distillation cycle heat pump waste heat recovery system, there were no significant process constraints and the estimated 5 years payback period is encouraging. We therefore recommend further developments of application of the thermal heat pump in the H2O2 distillation process with the focus on the technical and economic viability of heat exchangers equipped with the state-of-the-art enhancements. This will require additional funding for a prototype unit to validate enhanced thermal performances of heat transfer equipment, evaluat
Emmanuel A. Dada; Chandrakant B. Panchal; Luke K. Achenie; Aaron Reichl; Chris C. Thomas
Elastoplastic analysis of process induced residual stresses in thermally sprayed coatings
The residual stresses induced from thermal spraying process have been extensively investigated in previous studies. However, most of such works were focused on the elastic deformation range. In this paper, an elastoplastic model for predicting the residual stresses in thermally sprayed coatings was developed, in which two main contributions were considered, namely the deposition induced stress and that due to differential thermal contraction between the substrate and coating during cooling. The deposition induced stress was analyzed based on the assumption that the coating is formed layer-by-layer, and then a misfit strain is accommodated within the multilayer structure after the addition of each layer (plastic deformation is induced consequently). From a knowledge of specimen dimensions, processing temperatures, and material properties, residual stress distributions within the structure can be determined by implementing the model with a simple computer program. A case study for the plasma sprayed NiCoCrAlY on Inconel 718 system was performed finally. Besides some similar phenomena observed from the present study as compared with previous elastic model reported in literature, the elastoplastic model also provides some interesting features for prediction of the residual stresses.
Chen Yongxiong; Liang Xiubing; Liu Yan; Xu Binshi [National Key Laboratory for Remanufacturing, Academy of Armored Forces Engineering, Beijing 100072 (China)
Supporting technology for enhanced oil recovery: EOR thermal processes. Seventh Amendment and Extension to Annex 4, Enhanced oil recovery thermal processes
Reid, T.B. [USDOE Bartlesville Project Office, OK (United States); Colonomos, P. [INTEVEP, Filial de Petroleos de Venezuela, SA, Caracas (Venezuela)
Rapid Automated Treatment Planning Process to Select Breast Cancer Patients for Active Breathing Control to Achieve Cardiac Dose Reduction
Purpose: To evaluate a rapid automated treatment planning process for the selection of patients with left-sided breast cancer for a moderate deep inspiration breath-hold (mDIBH) technique using active breathing control (ABC); and to determine the dose reduction to the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and the heart using mDIBH. Method and Materials: Treatment plans were generated using an automated method for patients undergoing left-sided breast radiotherapy (n = 53) with two-field tangential intensity-modulated radiotherapy. All patients with unfavorable cardiac anatomy, defined as having >10 cm{sup 3} of the heart receiving 50% of the prescribed dose (V{sub 50}) on the free-breathing automated treatment plan, underwent repeat scanning on a protocol using a mDIBH technique and ABC. The doses to the LAD and heart were compared between the free-breathing and mDIBH plans. Results: The automated planning process required approximately 9 min to generate a breast intensity-modulated radiotherapy plan. Using the dose-volume criteria, 20 of the 53 patients were selected for ABC. Significant differences were found between the free-breathing and mDIBH plans for the heart V{sub 50} (29.9 vs. 3.7 cm{sup 3}), mean heart dose (317 vs. 132 cGy), mean LAD dose (2,047 vs. 594 cGy), and maximal dose to 0.2 cm{sup 3} of the LAD (4,155 vs. 1,507 cGy, all p <.001). Of the 17 patients who had a breath-hold threshold of {>=}0.8 L, 14 achieved a {>=}90% reduction in the heart V{sub 50} using the mDIBH technique. The 3 patients who had had a breath-hold threshold <0.8 L achieved a lower, but still significant, reduction in the heart V{sub 50}. Conclusions: A rapid automated treatment planning process can be used to select patients who will benefit most from mDIBH. For selected patients with unfavorable cardiac anatomy, the mDIBH technique using ABC can significantly reduce the dose to the LAD and heart, potentially reducing the cardiac risks.
Wang Wei; Purdie, Thomas G. [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON (Canada); Rahman, Mohammad; Marshall, Andrea [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON (Canada); Liu Feifei [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON (Canada); Fyles, Anthony, E-mail: email@example.com [Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON (Canada); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON (Canada)
Formation processes and main properties of hollow aluminosilicate microspheres in fly ash from thermal power stations
The main parameters of aluminosilicate microspheres formed at thermal power stations in Russia were studied. These parameters are responsible for the prospective industrial application of these microspheres. A comparative analysis of the properties of mineral coal components, the conditions of coal combustion, and the effects of chemical and phase-mineralogical compositions of mineral impurities in coals from almost all of the main coal deposits on the formation of microspheres was performed. The effects of thermal treatment conditions on gas evolution processes in mineral particles and on the fraction of aluminosilicate microspheres in fly ash were considered. It was found that the yield of microspheres was higher in pulverized coal combustion in furnaces with liquid slag removal, all other factors being equal. The regularities of microsphere formation were analyzed, and the mechanism of microsphere formation in fly ash during the combustion of solid fuels was considered.
V.S. Drozhzhin; M.Ya. Shpirt; L.D. Danilin; M.D. Kuvaev; I.V. Pikulin; G.A. Potemkin; S.A. Redyushev [Russian Federal Nuclear Center VNIIEF, Nizhegorodskaya oblast (Russia)
Site-specific investigations of aquifer thermal energy storage for space and process cooling
The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has completed three preliminary site-specific feasibility studies that investigated using aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) to reduce space and process cooling costs. Chilled water stored in an ATES system could be used to meet all or part of the process and/or space cooling loads at the three facilities investigated. The work was sponsored by the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Management. The ultimate goal of DOE's Thermal Energy Storage Program is to successfully transfer ATES technology to industrial and commercial sectors. The primary objective of this study was to identify prospective sites and determine the technical and economic feasibility of implementing chill ATES technology. A secondary objective was to identify site-specific factors promoting or inhibiting the application of chill ATES technology so that other potentially attractive sites could be more easily identified and evaluated. A preliminary investigation of the feasibility of commercializing chill ATES in automotive assembly facilities was completed. The results suggested that automotive assembly facilities was completed. The results suggested that automotive assembly facilities represent a good entry market for chill ATES, if the system is cost-effective. As a result, this study was undertaken to identify and evaluate prospective chill ATES applications in the automotive industry. The balance of the report contains two main sections. Section 2.0 describes the site identification process. Site feasibility is addressed in Section 3.0. Overall study conclusions and recommendations are than presented in Section 4.0.
Brown, D R; Hattrup, M P; Watts, R L
Second amendment and extension to Annex IV enhanced oil recovery thermal processes
This report contains the result of efforts under the several tasks of the Second Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Energy Agreement. The report is presented in sections (for each of the 12 tasks) and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of efforts under each of the tasks. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section. The tasks are numbered 11 and 14 through 24. The first and second reports on Annex IV, Venezuela-MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-1 and Report IV-2 (DOE/BETS/SP-83/15 and DOE/BC-84/6/SP), contain the results from the first 14 tasks, with the exception of an INTEVEP Survey for Task II which is included here. Those reports are dated April 1983 and August 1984 and are both entitled, ''EOR Thermal Processes''. Selected papers have been processed for inclusion in the Energy Data Base.
Peterson, G.; Munoz, J.D.
Thermal Analysis of the Divertor Primary Heat Transfer System Piping During the Gas Baking Process
A preliminary analysis has been performed examining the temperature distribution in the Divertor Primary Heat Transfer System (PHTS) piping and the divertor itself during the gas baking process. During gas baking, it is required that the divertor reach a temperature of 350 C. Thermal losses in the piping and from the divertor itself require that the gas supply temperature be maintained above that temperature in order to ensure that all of the divertor components reach the required temperature. The analysis described in this report was conducted in order to estimate the required supply temperature from the gas heater.
Yoder Jr, Graydon L [ORNL; Harvey, Karen [ORNL; Ferrada, Juan J [ORNL
Physical and thermal properties and leaching characteristics of a beneficiated eastern oil shale hydroretorted in the PFH process
The preferred feedstocks for the Institute of Gas Technology`s (IGT) Pressurized Fluidized-Bed Hydroretorting (PFH) process are beneficiated Eastern US oil shales. After hydroretorting, the beneficiated shale is combusted to generate process and export power. Before hydroretorting and after combustion the shale will be stored in large embankments. The design and characteristics of these embankments depends on the physical, thermal, and leaching properties of the raw and spent shales. IGT and the Illinois Institute of Technology conducted tests to determine the physical and thermal properties and leaching characteristics of samples of beneficiated and thermally processed Alabama shale. The physical and thermal properties determined include permeability, compressibility, compactability, consolidation, shear stress, cohesion, thermal conductivity, and liquid and plastic limits. Tests were conducted on samples of raw, hydroretorted, hydroretorted and combusted (H&C), and the results show that the physical properties of raw and thermally processed beneficiated shale are considerably different. Leachability test results show that none of the thermally processed shale samples exhibited the toxicity characteristic [per the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP)]. Combustion and agglomeration reduced the levels of metals leached from the H&C and H&A shale samples during TCLP tests. Overall, storage of raw and spent beneficiated shales in embankments will not result in significant environmental impacts
Mensinger, M.C. [Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (United States); Budiman, J.S. [Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering
Evaluation of gasification and novel thermal processes for the treatment of municipal solid waste
This report identifies seven developers whose gasification technologies can be used to treat the organic constituents of municipal solid waste: Energy Products of Idaho; TPS Termiska Processor AB; Proler International Corporation; Thermoselect Inc.; Battelle; Pedco Incorporated; and ThermoChem, Incorporated. Their processes recover heat directly, produce a fuel product, or produce a feedstock for chemical processes. The technologies are on the brink of commercial availability. This report evaluates, for each technology, several kinds of issues. Technical considerations were material balance, energy balance, plant thermal efficiency, and effect of feedstock contaminants. Environmental considerations were the regulatory context, and such things as composition, mass rate, and treatability of pollutants. Business issues were related to likelihood of commercialization. Finally, cost and economic issues such as capital and operating costs, and the refuse-derived fuel preparation and energy conversion costs, were considered. The final section of the report reviews and summarizes the information gathered during the study.
Niessen, W.R.; Marks, C.H.; Sommerlad, R.E. [Camp Dresser and McKee, Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)] [Camp Dresser and McKee, Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)
A method to determine stratification efficiency of thermal energy storage processes independently from storage heat losses
A new method for the calculation of a stratification efficiency of thermal energy storages based on the second law of thermodynamics is presented. The biasing influence of heat losses is studied theoretically and experimentally. Theoretically, it does not make a difference if the stratification efficiency is calculated based on entropy balances or based on exergy balances. In practice, however, exergy balances are less affected by measurement uncertainties, whereas entropy balances can not be recommended if measurement uncertainties are not corrected in a way that the energy balance of the storage process is in agreement with the first law of thermodynamics. A comparison of the stratification efficiencies obtained from experimental results of charging, standby, and discharging processes gives meaningful insights into the different mixing behaviors of a storage tank that is charged and discharged directly, and a tank-in-tank system whose outer tank is charged and the inner tank is discharged thereafter. The new method has a great potential for the comparison of the stratification efficiencies of thermal energy storages and storage components such as stratifying devices. (author)
Haller, Michel Y.; Streicher, Wolfgang [Institute of Thermal Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 25/B, 8010 Graz (Austria); Yazdanshenas, Eshagh; Andersen, Elsa; Furbo, Simon [Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Brovej, Building 118, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark); Bales, Chris [Solar Energy Research Center SERC, Hoegskolan Dalarna, 781 88 Borlaenge (Sweden)
Fundamental limitations of non-thermal plasma processing for internal combustion engine NO{sub x} control
This paper discusses the physics and chemistry of non-thermal plasma processing for post-combustion NO{sub x} control in internal combustion engines. A comparison of electron beam and electrical discharge processing is made regarding their power consumption, radical production, NO{sub x} removal mechanisms, and by product formation. Can non-thermal deNO{sub x} operate efficiently without additives or catalysts? How much electrical power does it cost to operate? What are the by-products of the process? This paper addresses these fundamental issues based on an analysis of the electron-molecule processes and chemical kinetics.
Penetrante, B.M.
Rapid DNA Testing Approaches for Reference Samples
... Page 12. Rapid PCR Protocols Rapid PCR with alternate polymerases ... 28 cycles = 19 min Rapid PCR Protocols: Thermal Cyclers 95oC 1 min 95oC ...
Solar thermal hydrogen production process: Final report, January 1978-December 1982
Under sponsorship by the United States Department of Energy, Westinghouse Advanced Energy-Systems Division has investigated the potential for using solar thermal energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. A hybrid thermochemical/electrochemical process, known as the Sulfur Cycle, has been the focus of these investigations. Process studies have indicated that, with adequate and ongoing research and development, the Sulfur Cycle can be effectively driven with solar heat. Also, economic analyses have indicated that the cycle has the potential to produce hydrogen in economic competitiveness with conventional methods (e.g. methane/steam reforming) by the turn of the century. A first generation developmental system has been defined along with its critical components, i.e. those components that need substantial engineering development. Designs for those high temperature components that concentrate, vaporize and decompose the process circulating fluid, sulfuric acid, have been prepared. Extensive experimental investigations have been conducted with regard to the selection of construction materials for these components. From these experiments, which included materials endurance tests for corrosion resistance for periods up to 6000 hours, promising materials and catalysts have been identified.
Yellowstone as an Analog for Thermal-Hydrological-Chemical Processes at Yucca Mountain
Enhanced water-rock interaction resulting from the emplacement of heat-generating nuclear waste in the potential geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, may result in changes to fluid flow (resulting from mineral dissolution and precipitation in condensation and boiling zones, respectively). Studies of water-rock interaction in active and fossil geothermal systems (natural analogs) provide evidence for changes in permeability and porosity resulting from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes. The objective of this research is to document the effects of coupled THC processes at Yellowstone and then examine how differences in scale could influence the impact that these processes may have on the Yucca Mountain system. Subsurface samples from Yellowstone National Park, one of the largest active geothermal systems in the world, contain some the best examples of hydrothermal self-sealing found in geothermal systems. We selected core samples from two USGS research drill holes from the transition zone between conductive and convective portions of the geothermal system (where sealing was reported to occur). We analyzed the core, measuring the permeability, porosity, and grain density of selected samples to evaluate how lithology, texture, and degree of hydrothermal alteration influence matrix and fracture permeability.
P. F. Dobson; T. J. Kneafsey; A. Simmons; J. Hulen
The thermal expansion coefficient as a key design parameter for thermoelectric materials and its relationship to processing-dependent bloating
The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is a key design parameter for thermoelectric (TE) materials, especially in energy harvesting applications since stresses generated by CTE mismatch, thermal gradients, and thermal transients scale with the CTE of the TE material. For the PbTe PbS-based TE material (Pb 0.95 Sn 0.05 Te) 0.92(PbS) 0.08 0.055 % PbI 2 over the temperature ranges of 293 543 and 293 773 K, a CTE, alpha avg , of 21.4 0.3 x 10-6 K-1 was measured using (1) dilatometry and (2) high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD) for powder and bulk specimens. The CTE values measured via dilatometry and HT-XRD are similar to the literature values for other Pb-based chalcogenides. However, the processing technique was found to impact the thermal expansion such that bloating (which leads to a hysteresis in thermal expansion) occurred for hot pressed billets heated to temperatures [603 K while specimens fabricated by pulsed electric current sintering and as-cast specimens did not show a bloating-modified thermal expansion even for temperatures up to 663 K. The relationship of bloating to the processing techniques is discussed, along with a pos- sible mechanism for inhibiting bloating in powder processed specimens.
Ni, Jennifer E. [Michigan State University, East Lansing; Case, Eldon D [Michigan State University, East Lansing; Schmidt, Robert [Michigan State University, East Lansing; Wu, Chun-I [Michigan State University, East Lansing; Hogan, Timothy [Michigan State University, East Lansing; Trejo, Rosa M [ORNL; Kirkham, Melanie J [ORNL; Lara-Curzio, Edgar [ORNL; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G. [Northwestern University, Evanston
Automated Thermal Image Processing for Detection and Classification of Birds and Bats - FY2012 Annual Report
Surveying wildlife at risk from offshore wind energy development is difficult and expensive. Infrared video can be used to record birds and bats that pass through the camera view, but it is also time consuming and expensive to review video and determine what was recorded. We proposed to conduct algorithm and software development to identify and to differentiate thermally detected targets of interest that would allow automated processing of thermal image data to enumerate birds, bats, and insects. During FY2012 we developed computer code within MATLAB to identify objects recorded in video and extract attribute information that describes the objects recorded. We tested the efficiency of track identification using observer-based counts of tracks within segments of sample video. We examined object attributes, modeled the effects of random variability on attributes, and produced data smoothing techniques to limit random variation within attribute data. We also began drafting and testing methodology to identify objects recorded on video. We also recorded approximately 10 hours of infrared video of various marine birds, passerine birds, and bats near the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL) at Sequim, Washington. A total of 6 hours of bird video was captured overlooking Sequim Bay over a series of weeks. An additional 2 hours of video of birds was also captured during two weeks overlooking Dungeness Bay within the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Bats and passerine birds (swallows) were also recorded at dusk on the MSL campus during nine evenings. An observer noted the identity of objects viewed through the camera concurrently with recording. These video files will provide the information necessary to produce and test software developed during FY2013. The annotation will also form the basis for creation of a method to reliably identify recorded objects.
Duberstein, Corey A.; Matzner, Shari; Cullinan, Valerie I.; Virden, Daniel J.; Myers, Joshua R.; Maxwell, Adam R.
Thermal Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater Treatment Processes for Zero Liquid Discharge Operations
This report presents a worldwide inventory of power plant flue gas desulfurization (FGD) blowdown treatment systems using thermal technologies to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) water management. The number of thermal treatment systems presently operating is very few, with the majority using chemical pretreatment followed by evaporation in a brine concentrator and crystallizer and finally dewatering of the residual salts. Of the operating thermal ZLD systems identified, six are located in Italy and o...
Thermal removal of mercury in spent powdered activated carbon from TOXECON process
This research developed and demonstrated a technology to liberate Hg adsorbed onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) by the TOXECON process using pilot-scale high temperature air slide (HTAS) and bench-scale thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The HTAS removed 65, 83, and 92% of Hg captured with PAC when ran at 900{sup o}F, 1,000{sup o}F, and 1,200 {sup o}F, respectively, while the TGA removed 46 and 100% of Hg at 800 {sup o}F and 900{sup o}F, respectively. However, addition of CuO-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} mixture and CuCl catalysts enhanced Hg removal and PAC regeneration at lower temperatures. CuO-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} mixture performed better than CuCl in PAC regeneration. Scanning electron microscopy images and energy dispersive X-ray analysis show no change in PAC particle aggregation or chemical composition. Thermally treated sorbents had higher surface area and pore volume than the untreated samples indicating regeneration. The optimum temperature for PAC regeneration in the HTAS was 1,000{sup o}F. At this temperature, the regenerated sorbent had sufficient adsorption capacity similar to its virgin counterpart at 33.9% loss on ignition. Consequently, the regenerated PAC may be recycled back into the system by blending it with virgin PAC.
Okwadha, G.D.O.; Li, J.; Ramme, B.; Kollakowsky, D.; Michaud, D. [University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)
Supporting Technology for Enhanced Oil Recovery-EOR Thermal Processes Report IV-12
This report contains the results of efforts under the six tasks of the Ninth Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Agreement. The report is presented in sections (for each of the 6 tasks) and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of efforts under each of the tasks. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section. The tasks are numbered 62 through 67. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eight, and ninth reports on Annex IV, [Venezuela MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-1, IV-2, IV-3, IV-4, IV-5, IV-6, IV-7, and IV-8 (DOE/BETC/SP-83/15, DOE/BC-84/6/SP, DOE/BC-86/2/SP, DOE/BC-87/2/SP, DOE/BC-89/1/SP, DOE/BC-90/1/SP) DOE/BC-92/1/SP, DOE/BC-93/3/SP, and DOE/BC-95/3/SP] contain the results from the first 61 tasks. Those reports are dated April 1983, August 1984, March 1986, July 1! 987, November 1988, December 1989, October 1991, February 1993, and March 1995 respectively.
Izequeido, Alexandor
Assisted thermal stripping (ATS) for removal of PCBs from contaminated soils. Design of experiments modeling of the ATS process
In a companion report, the Assisted Thermal Stripping (ATS) process for enhanced removal of PCBs from PCB-contaminated soil is described. In studies directed toward achieving residual PCB levels of {le}2 ppm, it was found that four factors were particularly important -- (1) process temperature; (2) process time; (3) the amount of additive (for enhancing the removal of PCBs); and (4) steam flow rate. In order to optimize the ATS process, it was deemed crucial to ascertain the relative effect exerted by each of those process factors and the reproducibility of the process. To accomplish that, we have relied on the technique {open_quotes}Design of Experiments{close_quotes} (DOE) to mathematically model the ATS process. After considering the findings from our previous investigations, it was decided to employ formic acid as the additive for enhancing the removal of PCBs.
Krabbenhoft, H.O.; Webb, J.L.; Gascoyne, D.G. [GE Corporate Research & Development, Schenectady, NY (United States); Cawse, J.N. [GE Plastics, Pittsfield, MA (United States)
Rapid formation of phase-clean 110 K (Bi-2223) powders derived via freeze-drying process
This invention relates to an improved process of preparing Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO) powders, and more particularly, to a process for preparing BSCCO powders that utilize freeze-drying. The process generally includes splat freezing a nitrate solution of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca, and Cu to form flakes of the solution; grinding the flakes to form a powder; freeze-drying the frozen powder; heating the powder to form dry green precursor powders; denitrating the powders; and heating the powders to form phase-clean Bi-2223 powders.
Balachandran, U.; Krishnaraj, P.; Eror, N.G.; Lelovic, M.
Design, cost, and performance comparisons of several solar thermal systems for process heat. Volume III. Receivers
The receiver subsystem converts reflected solar radiation into thermal power by heating a working fluid. The objective of the task described was to estimate the cost and performance of the receiver subsystem for parabolic troughs, parabolic dishes, and central receivers over a wide range of temperatures and power levels for thermal power applications. This volume presents the fundamental design philosophy employed, the constraints identified, the tradeoffs performed and the cost and performance results obtained for each receiver in the study matrix.
Woodard, J.B. Jr.
the dominant heat-transfer process. Because the multipleof coupled heat transfer and reactive transport processes inflow, heat transfer, and phase transformation processes
Tsang, Yvonne
A process for the preparation of amorphous precursor powders for Pb-doped Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2} Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} (2223) includes a freeze-drying process incorporating a splat-freezing step. The process generally includes splat freezing a nitrate solution of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca, and Cu to form flakes of the solution without any phase separation; grinding the frozen flakes to form a powder; freeze-drying the frozen powder; heating the dried powder to form a dry green precursor powders; denitrating the green-powders; heating the denitrated powders to form phase-clean Bi-2223 powders. The grain boundaries of the 2223 grains appear to be clean, leading to good intergrain contact between 2223 grains. 11 figs.
Balachandran, U.
A process for the preparation of amorphous precursor powders for Pb-doped Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x (2223) includes a freeze-drying process incorporating a splat-freezing step. The process generally includes splat freezing a nitrate solution of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca, and Cu to form flakes of the solution without any phase separation; grinding the frozen flakes to form a powder; freeze-drying the frozen powder; heating the dried powder to form a dry green precursor powders; denitrating the green-powders; heating the denitrated powders to form phase-clean Bi-2223 powders. The grain boundaries of the 2223 grains appear to be clean, leading to good intergrain contact between 2223 grains.
Balachandran, Uthamalingam (Hinsdale, IL)
Determination of Thermal Contact Conductance of Metal Tabs for Battery Ultrasonic Welding Process
A new experimental apparatus and data analysis algorithm were used to determine the thermal contact conductance between 0.2-mm-thick pure aluminum battery tabs as a function of contact pressure from 3.6 to 14.4 MPa. Specimens were sandwiched between one optically transparent and one infrared (IR) transparent glass windows, and heated up from one side by an intense short pulse of flash light. The temperature transient on the other side was measured by an IR camera. In order to determine the thermal contact conductance, two experiment configurations having different number of Al specimen layers were used. Numerical heat conduction simulations showed that the thermal contact conductance strongly depended on the ratio of the maximum temperature rise between the two configurations. Moreover, this ratio was not sensitive to the uncertainties of other thermal properties. Through the simulation results, a simple correlation between the gap conductance and the ratio was established. Therefore, once the ratio of the temperature rise between two configurations was experimentally measured, the thermal contact conductance could be readily determined from the correlation. The new method was fast and robust. Most importantly, the data analysis algorithm improved the measurement accuracy by considerably reducing the uncertainties associated with the thermophysical properties of materials and measurement system.
Chen, Jian [ORNL; Zhang, Wei [ORNL; Yu, Zhenzhen [ORNL; Feng, Zhili [ORNL
A contamination mitigation plan was initiated to address the discovery of radioactive zinc‐65 in a glovebox. A near term solution was developed, installation of heated filters in the glovebox piping. This solution is effective at retaining the zinc in the currently contaminated area, but the gamma emitting contaminant is still present in a system designed for tritium beta. A project was initiated to develop a solution to contain the {sup 65}Zn in the furnace module. Copper and bronze (a Cu/Sn alloy) were found to be candidate materials to combine with zinc‐65 vapor, using thermodynamic calculations. A series of binary Cu/Sn alloys were developed (after determining that commercial alloys were unacceptable), that were found to be effective traps of zinc vapor. The task described in this report was undertaken to determine if the bronze substrates would retain their zinc gettering capability after being exposed to simulated extraction conditions with oxidizing and reducing gases. Pure copper and three bronze alloys were prepared, exposed to varying oxidation conditions from 250 to 450{degree}C, then exposed to varying reduction conditions in He-H{sub 2} from 250-450{degree}C, and finally exposed to zinc vapor at 350{degree}C for four hours. The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, mass change, and visual observation. It was observed that the as fabricated samples and the reduced samples all retained their zinc gettering capacity while samples in the "as-oxidized" condition exhibited losses in zinc gettering capacity. Over the range of conditions tested, i.e., composition, oxidation temperature, and reduction temperature, no particular sample composition appeared better. Samples reduced at 350{degree}C exhibited the greatest zinc capacity, although there were some testing anomalies associated with these samples. This work clearly demonstrated that the zinc gettering was not adversely affected by exposure to simulated process conditions and a full scale lithium and zinc trap should be fabricated for testing in the Tritium Extraction Facility.
Korinko, P.; Golyski, M.
Enhanced-oil-recovery thermal processes, annex IV. Venezuela-MEM/USA-DOE fossil-energy report IV-1
The Agreement between the United States and Venezuela was designed to further energy research and development in six areas. This report focuses on Annex IV - Enhanced-Oil-Recovery Thermal Processes which was divided into seven tasks. This report will discuss the information developed within Task I related to the Department of Energy providing data on the performance of insulated oil-well tubulars. Surface generated steam has been traditionally used in thermal enhanced oil recovery processes. In past years the tubing through which the steam is injected into the reservoir has been bare with relatively high heat losses. In recent years however various materials and designs for insulating the tubing to reduce heat losses have been developed. Evaluation of several of these designs in an instrumented test tower and in an oil field test environment was undertaken. These tests and the resulting data are presented.
The effect of process parameters on the thermal conditions during moving mold ESR
Several experimental melts were conducted using a moving mold electroslag remelting furnace. The conditions of electrode immersion depth, slag cap thickness, and melt current were varied. Mold wall temperatures and slag pool temperatures were measured and the heat flux through the mold wall was calculated. The relationships between varying ESR melt parameters and the resultant thermal conditions were examined. The thermal profile of the mold, the heat transfer to the mold coolant total and fractional, and the formation of a slag skin were studied.
Heilman, J.E. [Carpenter Technology Corp., Reading, PA (United States); Damkroger, B.K. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Benefits of rapid solidification processing of modified LaNi{sub 5} alloys by high pressure gas atomization for battery applications
A high pressure gas atomization approach to rapid solidification has been employed to investigate simplified processing of Sn modified LaNi{sub 5} powders that can be used for advanced Ni/metal hydride (Ni/MH) batteries. The current industrial practice involves casting large ingots followed by annealing and grinding and utilizes a complex and costly alloy design. This investigation is an attempt to produce powders for battery cathode fabrication that can be used in an as-atomized condition without annealing or grinding. Both Ar and He atomization gas were tried to investigate rapid solidification effects. Sn alloy additions were tested to promote subambient pressure absorption/desorption of hydrogen at ambient temperature. The resulting fine, spherical powders were subject to microstructural analysis, hydrogen gas cycling, and annealing experiments to evaluate suitability for Ni/MH battery applications. The results demonstrate that a brief anneal is required to homogenize the as-solidified microstructure of both Ar and He atomized powders and to achieve a suitable hydrogen absorption behavior. The Sn addition also appears to suppress cracking during hydrogen gas phase cycling in particles smaller than about 25 {micro}m. These results suggest that direct powder processing of a LaNi{sub 5{minus}x}Sn{sub x} alloy has potential application in rechargeable Ni/MH batteries.
Anderson, I.E.; Pecharsky, V.K.; Ting, J. [Ames Lab., IA (United States); Witham, C.; Bowman, R.C. [California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (United States)
In-flight particle pyrometer for thermal spray processes. Final report, October 1, 1992--December 31, 1994
The objective of the project was to produce an industrial hardened particle temperature sensor. In general the thermal spray community believes that the particle temperature and velocity prior to impact on the substrate are two of the predominant parameters which effect coating quality. Prior to the full scale prototyping of such an instrument it was necessary to firmly establish the relationship between operating parameters, particle temperature and coating characteristics. It was shown in the first year of this project that the characteristics and consistency of the coatings formed are directly determined by particle velocity and temperature at impact. For the HVOF spray process the authors have also shown that the particle velocity is determined primarily by chamber pressure, while stoichiometry (the ratio of oxygen to fuel) has a minor influence. Hence, particle velocity can be controlled by maintaining the chamber pressure at a set point. Particle temperature, on the other hand is primarily a function of stoichiometry. Therefore particle velocity and temperature can be independently controlled. In the second year (FY-94), an industrial hardened prototype particle temperature sensor (In-flight Particle Pyrometer) was produced. The IPP is a two-color radiation pyrometer incorporating improvements which make the device applicable to the measurement of in-flight temperature of particles over a wide range of operating conditions in thermal spray processes. The device is insensitive to particulate loading (particle feed rate), particle composition, particle size distribution, and provides an ensemble average particle temperature. The sensor head is compact and coupled to the electronics via a fiber optic cable. Fiber optic coupling allows maximum flexibility of deployment while providing isolation of the electronics from electromagnetic interference and the hot, particulate laden environment of a typical spray booth. The device is applicable to all thermal spray processes, including plasma spray, HVOF, twin wire arc, and liquid metal fed processes, as well as other more conventional high temperature processes such as crucible or hearth melting.
Optimization studies on thermal and mechanical manufacturing processes for multifilament superconducting tape and wire
There are many parameters that significantly affect the electrical performance of ceramic-core superconducting composite wire and tapes, which remain ambiguous and require more labor on their optimization. BSCCO 2212 has not been paid the attention and investment it deserves. In this regard, all optimization efforts were made for BSCCO 2223. In our work, a practical and inexpensive manufacturing method, thermally and mechanically optimized for Pb doped BiSrCaCuO 2212 superconducting multifilament (38 filaments) wires and tapes, was successfully employed. Optimized parameters can be classified under material, mechanical (deformation) and heat treatment (thermal) subgroups. Parameters involved with materials included investigation of deformation behavior of two different sheath metals; pure silver and 0.02% magnesia dispersion reinforced silver alloy. Pb doped BiSrCaCuO 2212 ceramic superconductor powder, the other source of material related parameters, was synthesized following the "Thermal Co-decomposition or Wet Mix" method. Fabrication of mono and multifilament wires with Oxide Powder in Tube (OPIT) method followed next. Optimization of drawing deformation was practiced to achieve the best ceramic grain alignment and smoother ceramic powder core/metal sheath interface in order to avoid "sausaging" in wires. Rolling of the wire products into tapes by following different deformation regimes was the other manufacturing stage of the project. Variable and constant reduction-per-pass deformation paths were employed to reveal their effects on our composites with distinct sheath material and filament formation. The search for the best (optimum) heat treatment schedule for our Bi2212 superconductor composites, a modified version of "step solidification partial melting", was employed successfully. A solution through tried recipes for the bubbling problem that occurred with our tapes was also addressed. Electrical performance tests of fully reacted wires were carried out in our laboratory and very promising results were attained.
Basaran, Burak
We discuss a possible mechanism for heating the solar atmosphere by the ensemble of thermal waves, generated by the photospheric dynamo and propagating upward with increasing magnitudes. These waves are self-sustained and amplified due to the specific dependence of the efficiency of heat release by Ohmic dissipation on the ratio of the collisional to gyrofrequencies, which in its turn is determined by the temperature profile formed in the wave. In the case of sufficiently strong driving, such a mechanism can increase the plasma temperature by a few times, i.e., it may be responsible for heating the chromosphere and the base of the transition region.
Dumin, Yurii V., E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com [Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere, and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN), Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow reg., 142190 (Russian Federation)
Plasma-Thermal Synthesis
INL�s Plasma-Thermal Synthesis process improves the conversion process for natural gas into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Retrieval of Thermal and Microphysical Variables in Observed Convective Storms. Part II: Sensitivity of Cloud Processes to Variation of the Microphysical Parameterization
The hydrometeor content and thermal fields in a thunderstorm are estimated from a three-dimensional kinematic cloud model employing Doppler wind fields and parameterized microphysical processes. The sensitivity of the cloud model calculations to ...
Conrad L. Ziegler
Heating the Solar Atmosphere by the Self-Enhanced Thermal Waves Caused by the Dynamo Processes
We discuss a possible mechanism for heating the solar chromosphere and lower part of the transition region by the ensemble of thermal waves, generated by the photospheric dynamo and propagating upwards with increasing magnitudes. These waves are self-sustained and amplified due to the specific dependence of the efficiency of heat release by Ohmic dissipation on the ratio of the collisional to gyro- frequencies, which in its turn is determined by the temperature profile formed in the wave. In the case of sufficiently strong driving, such a mechanism can increase the plasma temperature by an order of magnitude, i.e. it may be responsible for heating the chromosphere and the lower part of the transition region.
Dumin, Yurii V
Hybrid Sulfur cycle is gaining popularity as a possible means for massive production of hydrogen from nuclear energy. Several different ways of carrying out the SO{sub 2}-depolarized electrolysis step are being pursued by a number of researchers. These alternatives are evaluated with complete flowsheet simulations and on a common design basis using Aspen Plus{trademark}. Sensitivity analyses are performed to assess the performance potential of each configuration, and the flowsheets are optimized for energy recovery. Net thermal efficiencies are calculated for the best set of operating conditions for each flowsheet and the results compared. This will help focus attention on the most promising electrolysis alternatives. The sensitivity analyses should also help identify those features that offer the greatest potential for improvement.
Gorensek, M
Near net shape processing for solar thermal propulsion hardware using directed light fabrication
Directed light fabrication (DLF) is a direct metal deposition process that fuses gas delivered powder, in the focal zone of a high powered laser beam to form fully fused near net shaped components. The near net shape processing of rhenium, tungsten, iridium and other high temperature materials may offer significant cost savings compared with conventional processing. This paper describes a 3D parametric solid model, integrated with a manufacturing model, and creating a control field which runs on the DLF machine directly depositing a fully dense, solid metal, near net shaped, nozzle component. Examples of DLF deposited rhenium, iridium and tantalum, from previous work, show a continuously solidified microstructure in rod and tube shapes. Entrapped porosity indicates the required direction for continued process development. These combined results demonstrate the potential for a new method to fabricate complex near net shaped components using materials of interest to the space and aerospace industries.
Milewski, J.O. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Materials Science and Technology Div.; Fonseca, J.C.; Lewis, G.K. [SyntheMet Corp., Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Coal liquefaction quenching process
There is described an improved coal liquefaction quenching process which prevents the formation of coke with a minimum reduction of thermal efficiency of the coal liquefaction process. In the process, the rapid cooling of the liquid/solid products of the coal liquefaction reaction is performed without the cooling of the associated vapor stream to thereby prevent formation of coke and the occurrence of retrograde reactions. The rapid cooling is achieved by recycling a subcooled portion of the liquid/solid mixture to the lower section of a phase separator that separates the vapor from the liquid/solid products leaving the coal reactor.
Thorogood, Robert M. (Macungie, PA); Yeh, Chung-Liang (Bethlehem, PA); Donath, Ernest E. (St. Croix, VI)
A Reduced-Order Model of a Chevron Plate Heat Exchanger for Rapid Thermal Management by Using Thermo-Chemical Energy Storage
The heat flux demands for electronics cooling applications are quickly approaching the limits of conventional thermal management systems. To meet the demand of next generation electronics, a means for rejecting high heat fluxes at low temperatures in a compact system is an urgent need. To answer this challenge, in this work a gasketed chevron plate heat exchanger in conjunction with a slurry consisting of highly endothermic solid ammonium carbamate and a heat transfer fluid. A reduced-order 1-dimensional model was developed and used to solve the coupled equations for heat, mass, and momentum transfer. The feasibility of this chosen design for satisfying the heat rejection load of 2kW was also explored in this study. Also, a decomposition reaction using acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate was conducted in a plate heat exchanger (to simulate a configuration similar to the ammonium carbamate reactions). This enabled the experimental validation of the numerical predictions for the momentum transfer correlations used in this study (which in turn, are closely tied to both the heat transfer correlations and chemical kinetics models). These experiments also reveal important parameters of interest that are required for the reactor design. A numerical model was developed in this study and applied for estimating the reactor size required for achieving a power rating of 2 kW. It was found that this goal could be achieved with a plate heat exchanger weighing less than 70 kg (~100 lbs) and occupying a volume of 29 L (which is roughly the size of a typical desktop printer). Investigation of the hydrodynamic phenomena using flow visualization studies showed that the flow patterns were similar to those described in previous studies. This justified the adaptation of empirical correlations involving two-phase multipliers that were developed for air-water two-phase flows. High-speed video confirmed the absence of heterogeneous flow patterns and the prevalence of bubbly flow with bubble sizes typically less than 0.5 mm, which justifies the use of homogenous flow based correlations for vigorous gas-producing reactions inside a plate heat exchanger. Absolute pressure measurements - performed for experimental validation studies - indicate a significant rise in back pressure that are observed to be several times greater than the theoretically estimated values of frictional and gravitational pressure losses. The predictions from the numerical model were found to be consistent with the experimental measurements, with an average absolute error of ~26%
Niedbalski, Nicholas
The Chemistry of the Thermal DeNOx Process: A Review of the Technology's Possible Application to control of NOx from Diesel Engines
This paper presents a review of the Thermal DeNOx process with respect to its application to control of NOx emissions from diesel engines. The chemistry of the process is discussed first in empirical and then theoretical terms. Based on this discussion the possibilities of applying the process to controlling NOx emissions from diesel engines is considered. Two options are examined, modifying the requirements of the chemistry of the Thermal DeNOx process to suit the conditions provided by diesel engines and modifying the engines to provide the conditions required by the process chemistry. While the former examination did not reveal any promising opportunities, the latter did. Turbocharged diesel engine systems in which the turbocharger is a net producer of power seem capable of providing the conditions necessary for NOx reduction via the Thermal DeNOx reaction.
Lyon, Richard
THERMAL PROPERTIES AND PROCESSES D Hillel, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
be the infiltration of warm waste water (from, e.g., a power plant) into an initially cold soil. Conduction, the third influences biological processes such as seed germination, seedling emergence and growth, root development- lengths, is proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature Tof the body's surface. This law
Avoiding Carbon Bed Hot Spots in Thermal Process Off-Gas Systems
Mercury has had various uses in nuclear fuel reprocessing and other nuclear processes, and so is often present in radioactive and mixed (radioactive and hazardous) wastes. Test programs performed in recent years have shown that mercury in off-gas streams from processes that treat radioactive wastes can be controlled using fixed beds of activated sulfur-impregnated carbon, to levels low enough to comply with air emission regulations such as the Hazardous Waste Combustor (HWC) Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards. Carbon bed hot spots or fires have occurred several times during these tests, and also during a remediation of tanks that contained mixed waste. Hot spots occur when localized areas in a carbon bed become heated to temperatures where oxidation occurs. This heating typically occurs due to heat of absoption of gas species onto the carbon, but it can also be caused through external means such as external heaters used to heat the carbon bed vessel. Hot spots, if not promptly mitigated, can grow into bed fires. Carbon bed hot spots and fires must be avoided in processes that treat radioactive and mixed waste. Hot spots are detected by (a) monitoring in-bed and bed outlet gas temperatures, and (b) more important, monitoring of bed outlet gas CO concentrations. Hot spots are mitigated by (a) designing for appropriate in-bed gas velocity, for avoiding gas flow maldistribution, and for sufficient but not excessive bed depth, (b) appropriate monitoring and control of gas and bed temperatures and compositions, and (c) prompt implementation of corrective actions if bed hot spots are detected. Corrective actions must be implemented quickly if bed hot spots are detected, using a graded approach and sequence starting with corrective actions that are simple, quick, cause the least impact to the process, and are easiest to recover from.
Nick Soelberg; Joe Enneking
Thermal spray coatings: New materials, processes and applications; Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Thermal Spray, Long Beach, CA, October 31-November 2, 1984
Thermal-spray-coating techniques and their applications are discussed in reviews and reports of laboratory experiments and industrial experience. Topics explored include the future of thermal spraying, plasma-sprayed bonding coats for plastic substrates, plasma-spray deposition of hollow-particle ceramic powders, volumetric-feed-back powder-feed controllers, metal sprayed coating systems onboard U.S. Navy ships, high-performance plasma-sprayed coatings, and arc-coating technology and equipment. Consideration is given to cavitation-erosion of plasma-sprayed alloys, statistical methods of plasma-spray parameter testing, NDE of surface coatings by photothermal imaging, NDE of thermal-spray-coating bonds, and diamond-wheel grinding of thermal-spray materials.
Longo, F.N.
Oxidation resistant high temperature thermal cycling resistant coatings on silicon-based substrates and process for the production thereof
An oxidation resistant, high temperature thermal cycling resistant coated ceramic article for ceramic heat engine applications is disclosed. The substrate is a silicon-based material, i.e. a silicon nitride- or silicon carbide-based monolithic or composite material. The coating is a graded coating of at least two layers: an intermediate AlN or Al[sub x]N[sub y]O[sub z] layer and an aluminum oxide or zirconium oxide outer layer. The composition of the coating changes gradually from that of the substrate to that of the AlN or Al[sub x]N[sub y]O[sub z] layer and further to the composition of the aluminum oxide or zirconium oxide outer layer. Other layers may be deposited over the aluminum oxide layer. A CVD process for depositing the graded coating on the substrate is also disclosed.
Sarin, V.K.
Solar thermal hydrogen production process. Annual technical progress report, January-December, 1979
Westinghouse is currently under contract to DOE for technology development of the Sulfur Cycle, a hybrid thermochemical-electrochemical process for the production of hydrogen and oxygen from water. Operational studies have been conducted and have resulted in definitions of operating modes for solar/hydrogen plants and in assessments of the day/night and annual variations in performance that will influence the operating modes and the sizing of plant subsystems. Conceptual design studies have been conducted for process components that interface with the solar receiver. From related trade-off studies, a preferred configuration emerged that involves an intermediate working fluid (e.g., hot gas) between the solar receiver and the sulfuric acid decomposition reactor. The design of the reactor has been based on a shell and tube type heat exchanger configuration with catalyst placement on the shell side. A number of candidate materials for structural use in the acid decomposition reactor also have been evaluated experimentally. Screening tests and endurance tests with potential catalysts (to accelerate the rate of sulfur trioxide cracking) have been conducted with encouraging results. Approximately three dozen candidate materials for use in constructing the acid vaporizer have been tested for corrosion resistance to the expected environment. Detailed discussions of the results obtained during 1979 are presented.
Parker, G.H.
Thermal plasma processing of materials. Progress report, September 1, 1988--January 31, 1992
Modeling shear failure and permeability enhancement due to coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical processes in Enhanced Geothermal Reservoirs
The connectivity and accessible surface area of flowing fractures, whether natural or man-made, is possibly the single most important factor, after temperature, which determines the feasibility of an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS). Rock deformation and in-situ stress changes induced by injected fluids can lead to shear failure on preexisting fractures which can generate microseismic events, and also enhance the permeability and accessible surface area of the geothermal formation. Hence, the ability to accurately model the coupled thermal-hydrologic-mechanical (THM) processes in fractured geological formations is critical in effective EGS reservoir development and management strategies. The locations of the microseismic events can serve as indicators of the zones of enhanced permeability, thus providing vital information for verification of the coupled THM models. We will describe a general purpose computational code, FEHM, developed for this purpose, that models coupled THM processes during multiphase fluid flow and transport in fractured porous media. The code incorporates several models of fracture aperture and stress behavior combined with permeability relationships. We provide field scale examples of applications to geothermal systems to demonstrate the utility of the method.
Kelkar, Sharad [Los Alamos National Laboratory
Generation of ELF and VLF waves by HF-modulated polar electrojet via a thermal instability process
Generation of ELF and VLF waves via a thermal instability process in a HF-modulated polar electrojet has been investigated. It is shown that a positive feedback through the electron-neutral collisional heating process can cause the transient response of the plasma to the modulated HF heater to grow exponentially. The threshold fields of the instability under normal electrojet conditions are found to be about 2.25 V/m and 1.13 V/m for the operation of the o-mode and x-mode heaters with a 50% duty cycle, respectively. For a heater wave field of, e.g., 1.5 V/m, the instability can be excited by the x-mode heater within a few tens of millisecond. The predicted dependence of the ELF/VLF radiation amplitude on the percentage of the duty cycle of the HF modulation is identical to that of the recent observational results of Barr and Stubbe. 28 refs., 2 figs.
Kuo, S.P. (Polytechnic Univ., Farmingdale, NY (United States)); Lee, M.C. (Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, Cambridge (United States))
Supporting technology for enhanced oil recovery: Third ammendment and extension to Annex IV enhanced oil recovery thermal processes
This report contains the results of efforts under the seven tasks of the Third Amendment and Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Agreement. The report is presented in sections (for each of the tasks) and each section contains one or more reports prepared by various individuals or groups describing the results of effort under each of the tasks. A statement of each task, taken from the agreement, is presented on the first page of each section. The tasks are numbered 25 through 31. The first, second, and third reports on Annex IV, ((Venezuela-MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-1, IV-2, and IV-3 (DOE/BETC/SP-83/15, DOE/BC-84/6/SP, and DOE/BC-86/2/SP)) contain the results from the first 24 tasks. Those reports are dated April 1983, August 1984, and March 1986. Selected papers have been processed for inclusion in the Energy Data Base.
Technical progress and community relations activities for the fluidized bed thermal treatment process at the Rocky Flats Plant
A fluidized bed system is being developed at Rocky Flats for the treatment of mixed waste (a mixture of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste). The current program builds on experience gained in the 1970's and 1980's in tests with bench-scale, pilot-scale, and demonstration-scale fluidized bed incinerators. Rocky Flat's fluidized bed system operates at low temperatures ([approximately]525--600[degrees]C) which eliminates many of the disadvantages associated with high temperature thermal treatment processes. The bed makes use of in situ neutralization of acidic off-gases by incorporating either sodium carbonate or a mixture of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate (Trona) in the bed media. This obviates using wet scrubbers to treat the off-gas. It is expected that once in production, the fluidized bed process will yield up to a 40:1 reduction in the volume of the waste feed. The current development program for the full-scale system is a nationwide effort incorporating input from national laboratories, universities, regulatory agencies, and private companies to assure the most current technology is utilized and that regulatory concerns are addressed. In addition to resolving technological issues, the fluidized bed program is addressing public concerns with a proactive community relations program.
Semones, G.B.; Williams, P.M.; Stiefvater, S.P.; Mitchell, D.L.; Roecker, B.D.
A fluidized bed system is being developed at Rocky Flats for the treatment of mixed waste (a mixture of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste). The current program builds on experience gained in the 1970`s and 1980`s in tests with bench-scale, pilot-scale, and demonstration-scale fluidized bed incinerators. Rocky Flat`s fluidized bed system operates at low temperatures ({approximately}525--600{degrees}C) which eliminates many of the disadvantages associated with high temperature thermal treatment processes. The bed makes use of in situ neutralization of acidic off-gases by incorporating either sodium carbonate or a mixture of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate (Trona) in the bed media. This obviates using wet scrubbers to treat the off-gas. It is expected that once in production, the fluidized bed process will yield up to a 40:1 reduction in the volume of the waste feed. The current development program for the full-scale system is a nationwide effort incorporating input from national laboratories, universities, regulatory agencies, and private companies to assure the most current technology is utilized and that regulatory concerns are addressed. In addition to resolving technological issues, the fluidized bed program is addressing public concerns with a proactive community relations program.
A multi-criteria assessment of scenarios on thermal processing of infectious hospital wastes: A case study for Central Macedonia
In Greece more than 14,000 tonnes of infectious hospital waste are produced yearly; a significant part of it is still mismanaged. Only one off-site licensed incineration facility for hospital wastes is in operation, with the remaining of the market covered by various hydroclave and autoclave units, whereas numerous problems are still generally encountered regarding waste segregation, collection, transportation and management, as well as often excessive entailed costs. Everyday practices still include dumping the majority of solid hospital waste into household disposal sites and landfills after sterilization, still largely without any preceding recycling and separation steps. Discussed in the present paper are the implemented and future treatment practices of infectious hospital wastes in Central Macedonia; produced quantities are reviewed, actual treatment costs are addressed critically, whereas the overall situation in Greece is discussed. Moreover, thermal treatment processes that could be applied for the treatment of infectious hospital wastes in the region are assessed via the multi-criteria decision method Analytic Hierarchy Process. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed and the analysis demonstrated that a centralized autoclave or hydroclave plant near Thessaloniki is the best performing option, depending however on the selection and weighing of criteria of the multi-criteria process. Moreover the study found that a common treatment option for the treatment of all infectious hospital wastes produced in the Region of Central Macedonia, could offer cost and environmental benefits. In general the multi-criteria decision method, as well as the conclusions and remarks of this study can be used as a basis for future planning and anticipation of the needs for investments in the area of medical waste management.
Karagiannidis, A. [Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece); Papageorgiou, A., E-mail: email@example.com [Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece); Perkoulidis, G. [Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece); Sanida, G. [3rd Health Region Administration (Macedonia), 16 Aristotelous Str, GR-54623 Thessaloniki (Greece); Samaras, P. [Technological Education Institution of West Macedonia, Department of Pollution Control Technologies, 50100 Kozani (Greece)
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Energy.gov (U.S. Department of Energy (DOE))
A process called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the heat energy stored in the Earth's oceans to generate electricity.
Thermal and Thermomechanical Processing
Oct 8, 2012 ... State of the art Steelmaking with use of residual-free Direct-reduced iron (DRI) and continuous casting with dynamic soft reduction were�...
drift-scale thermal test at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Lawrencemechanical analyses of the Yucca Mountain Drift Scale Test�waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The modeling
Oxidation Behavior of In-Flight Molten Aluminum Droplets in the Twin-Wire Electric Arc Thermal Spray Process
This paper examines the in-flight oxidation of molten aluminum sprayed in air using the twin-wire electric arc (TWEA) thermal spray process. The oxidation reaction of aluminum in air is highly exothermic and is represented by a heat generation term in the energy balance. Aerodynamic shear at the droplet surface enhances the amount of in-flight oxidation by: (1) promoting entrainment and mixing of the surface oxides within the droplet, and (2) causing a continuous heat generation effect that increases droplet temperature over that of a droplet without internal circulation. This continual source of heat input keeps the droplets in a liquid state during flight. A linear rate law based on the Mott-Cabrera theory was used to estimate the growth of the surface oxide layer formed during droplet flight. The calculated oxide volume fraction of an average droplet at impact agrees well with the experimentally determined oxide content for a typical TWEA-sprayed aluminum coating, which ranges from 3.3 to 12.7%. An explanation is provided for the elevated, nearly constant surface temperature (~ 2000 oC) of the droplets during flight to the substrate and shows that the majority of oxide content in the coating is produced during flight, rather than after deposition.
Donna Post Guillen; Brian G. Williams
Venezuela-MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report IV-11: Supporting technology for enhanced oil recovery - EOR thermal processes
This report contains the results of efforts under the six tasks of the Tenth Amendment anti Extension of Annex IV, Enhanced Oil Recovery Thermal Processes of the Venezuela/USA Energy Agreement. This report is presented in sections (for each of the six Tasks) and each section contains one or more reports that were prepared to describe the results of the effort under each of the Tasks. A statement of each Task, taken from the Agreement Between Project Managers, is presented on the first page of each section. The Tasks are numbered 68 through 73. The first through tenth report on research performed under Annex IV Venezuela MEM/USA-DOE Fossil Energy Report Number IV-1, IV-2, IV-3, IV-4, IV-5, IV-6, IV-7, IV-8, IV-9, IV-10 contain the results of the first 67 Tasks. These reports are dated April 1983, August 1984, March 1986, July 1987, November 1988, December 1989, October 1991, February 1993, March 1995, and December 1997, respectively.
Development of Protocols for Rapid Amplification of STR ...
... Rapid PCR Applications � Faster sample-to-answer ... Cycling for most STR kits is run in '9600 emulation mode' (1oC/s) PCR Thermal Cycling Profile ...
Numerical Simulation of Thermal-Solid Coupling to Coal-Rock during the Process of Heat Injection Mine for CBM
For gaining effective influence radius of heat injection mine for CBM (Coal Bed Methane) and influence rules of permeability under the condition of temperature and effective stress, heat transfer and elastic mechanics theory combined, hooker law of thermal ... Keywords: heat injection, thermal-solid coupling, numerical simulation, effective influence radius, permeability
Xin Le Yang; Yong Li Zhang
Effective passivation of the low resistivity silicon surface by a rapid thermal oxide/PECVD silicon nitride stack and its application to passivated rear and bifacial Si solar cells
A novel stack passivation scheme, in which plasma silicon nitride (SiN) is stacked on top of a rapid thermal SiO{sub 2} (RTO) layer, is developed to attain a surface recombination velocity (S) approaching 10 cm/s at the 1.3 {Omega}-cm p-type (100) silicon surface. Such low S is achieved by the stack even when the RTO and SiN films individually yield considerably poorer surface passivation. Critical to achieving low S by the stack is the use of a short, moderate temperature anneal (in this study 730 C for 30 seconds) after film growth and deposition. This anneal is believed to enhance the release and delivery of atomic hydrogen from the SiN film to the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface, thereby reducing the density of interface traps at the surface. Compatibility with this post-deposition anneal makes the stack passivation scheme attractive for cost-effective solar cell production since a similar anneal is required to fire screen-printed contacts. Application of the stack to passivated rear screen-printed solar cells has resulted in V{sub oc}`s of 641 mV and 633 mV on 0.65 {Omega}-cm and 1.3 {Omega}-cm FZ Si substrates, respectively. These V{sub oc} values are roughly 20 mV higher than for cells with untreated, highly recombinative back surfaces. The stack passivation has also been used to form fully screen-printed bifacial solar cells which exhibit rear-illuminated efficiency as high as 11.6% with a single layer AR coating.
Rohatgi, A.; Narasimha, S. [Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States). Univ. Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics Research and Education; Ruby, D.S. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Preparation of silica aerogels with improved mechanical properties and extremely low thermal conductivities through modified sol-gel process
Reported silica aerogels have a thermal conductivity as low as 15 mW/mK. The fragility of silica aerogels, however, makes them impractical for structural applications. The purpose of the study is to improve the ductility ...
Zuo, Yanjia
How rapid is rapid prototyping? analysis of ESPADON programme results
New methodologies, engineering processes, and support environments are beginning to emerge for embedded signal processing systems. The main objectives are to enable defence industry to field state-of-the-art products in less time and with lower costs, ... Keywords: COTS, EDA tools, FPGA, beamformer, heterogeneous platform, model year, rapid prototyping
Bob K. Madahar; Ian D. Alston; Denis Aulagnier; Hans Schurer; Mark Thomas; Brigitte Saget
Development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) will require creation of a reservoir of sufficient volume to enable commercial-scale heat transfer from the reservoir rocks to the working fluid. A key assumption associated with reservoir creation/stimulation is that sufficient rock volumes can be hydraulically fractured via both tensile and shear failure, and more importantly by reactivation of naturally existing fractures (by shearing) to create the reservoir. The advancement of EGS greatly depends on our understanding of the dynamics of the intimately coupled rock-fracture-fluid system and our ability to reliably predict how reservoirs behave under stimulation and production. In order to increase our understanding of how reservoirs behave under these conditions, we have developed a physics-based rock deformation and fracture propagation simulator by coupling a discrete element model (DEM) for fracturing with a continuum multiphase flow and heat transport model. In DEM simulations, solid rock is represented by a network of discrete elements (often referred as particles) connected by various types of mechanical bonds such as springs, elastic beams or bonds that have more complex properties (such as stress-dependent elastic constants). Fracturing is represented explicitly as broken bonds (microcracks), which form and coalesce into macroscopic fractures when external load is applied. DEM models have been applied to a very wide range of fracturing processes from the molecular scale (where thermal fluctuations play an important role) to scales on the order of 1 km or greater. In this approach, the continuum flow and heat transport equations are solved on an underlying fixed finite element grid with evolving porosity and permeability for each grid cell that depends on the local structure of the discrete element network (such as DEM particle density). The fluid pressure gradient exerts forces on individual elements of the DEM network, which therefore deforms and fractures. Such deformation/fracturing in turn changes the permeability, which again changes the evolution of fluid pressure, coupling the two phenomena. The intimate coupling between fracturing and fluid flow makes the meso-scale DEM simulations necessary, as these methods have substantial advantages over conventional continuum mechanical models of elastic rock deformation. The challenges that must be overcome to simulate EGS reservoir stimulation, preliminary results, progress to date and near future research directions and opportunities will be discussed.
Robert Podgorney; Hai Huang; Derek Gaston
NREL: Process Development and Integration Laboratory - Atmospheric
Atmospheric Processing Platform Capabilities Atmospheric Processing Platform Capabilities The Atmospheric Processing platform in the Process Development and Integration Laboratory offers powerful capabilities with integrated tools for depositing, processing, and characterizing photovoltaic materials and devices. In particular, this platform focuses on different methods to deposit ("write") materials onto a variety of substrates and then further process into optoelectronic materials using rapid thermal processing. You can read more on the rationale for developing this platform and its capabilities. Contact Maikel van Hest for more details on these capabilities. The Atmospheric Processing platform will allow deposition in any sequence and is applicable to activities in all Technology Roadmaps, which include
Chemical Equilibrium in Heavy Ion Collisions: Rapidity Dependence
Particle yields in heavy ion collisions show an overwhelming evidence for chemical or relative chemical equilibrium at all beam energies. The rapidity dependence of the thermal parameters $T$ and $\\mu_B$ can now be determined over a wide range of rapidities and show a systematic behavior towards an increase in $\\mu_B$ away from mid-rapidity.
F. Becattini; J. Cleymans
Mechanical and thermal design of the CEBAF Hall a beam calorimeter
A calorimeter is being fabricated to provide 0.5% - 1.0% absolute measurement of the beam current in the Hall A end station of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab (JLAB). Modern powder metallurgy processes have produced high density, high thermal conductivity tungsten-copper composite materials that minimize electromagnetic and hadronic energy loss while maintaining a rapid thermal response time. Heat leaks are minimized by mounting the mass in vacuum on glass ceramic mounts. A conduction cooling scheme utilizes an advanced carbon fiber compliant thermal interface material. Transient finite difference and finite element models were developed to estimate heat leaks and thermal response times.
M. Bevins; A. Day; P. Degtiarenko; L.A. Dillon-Townes; A. Freyberger; R. Gilman; A. Saha; S. Slachtouski
The Hy-C process (thermal decomposition of natural gas): Potentially the lowest cost source of hydrogen with the least CO{sub 2} emission
The abundance of natural gas as a natural resource and its high hydrogen content make it a prime candidate for a low cost supply of hydrogen. The thermal decomposition of natural gas by methane pyrolysis produces carbon and hydrogen. The process energy required to produce one mol of hydrogen is only 5.3% of the higher heating value of methane. The thermal efficiency for hydrogen production as a fuel without the use of carbon as a fuel, can be as high as 60%. Conventional steam reforming of methane requires 8.9% process energy per mole of hydrogen even though 4 moles of hydrogen can be produced per mole of methane, compared to 2 moles by methane pyrolysis. When considering greenhouse global gas warming, methane pyrolysis produces the least amount of CO{sub 2} emissions per unit of hydrogen and can be totally eliminated when the carbon produced is either sequestered or sold as a materials commodity, and hydrogen is used to fuel the process. Conventional steam reforming of natural gas and CO shifting produces large amounts of CO{sub 2} emissions. The energy requirement for non-fossil, solar, nuclear, and hydropower production of hydrogen, mainly through electrolysis, is much greater than that from natural gas. From the resource available energy and environmental points of view, production of hydrogen by methane pyrolysis is most attractive. The by-product carbon black, when credited as a saleable material, makes hydrogen by thermal decomposition of natural gas (the Hy-C process) potentially the lowest cost source of large amounts of hydrogen.
Steinberg, M.
Stability of thermal modes in cool prominence plasmas
Context: Magnetohydrodynamic thermal modes may play an important role in the formation, plasma condensation, and evolution of solar prominences. Unstable thermal modes due to unbalance between radiative losses and heating can lead to rapid plasma cooling and condensation. An accurate description of the radiative loss function is therefore crucial for this process. Aims: We study the stability of thermal modes in unbounded and uniform plasmas with properties akin to those in solar prominences. Effects due to partial ionization are taken into account. Three different parametrizations of the radiative loss function are used. Methods: By means of a normal mode analysis, we investigate linear nonadiabatic perturbations superimposed on the equilibrium state. We find an approximate instability criterion for thermal modes, while the exact linear growth rate is obtained by numerically solving the general dispersion relation. The stability of thermal disturbances is compared for the three different loss functions consi...
Soler, Roberto; Parenti, Susanna
Thermal Integration of CO{sub 2} Compression Processes with Coal-Fired Power Plants Equipped with Carbon Capture
Coal-fired power plants, equipped either with oxycombustion or post-combustion CO{sub 2} capture, will require a CO{sub 2} compression system to increase the pressure of the CO{sub 2} to the level needed for sequestration. Most analyses show that CO{sub 2} compression will have a significant effect on parasitic load, will be a major capital cost, and will contribute significantly to reduced unit efficiency. This project used first principle engineering analyses and computer simulations to determine the effects of utilizing compressor waste heat to improve power plant efficiency and increase net power output of coal-fired power plants with carbon capture. This was done for units with post combustion solvent-based CO{sub 2} capture systems and for oxyfired power plants, firing bituminous, PRB and lignite coals. The thermal integration opportunities analyzed for oxycombustion capture are use of compressor waste heat to reheat recirculated flue gas, preheat boiler feedwater and predry high-moisture coals prior to pulverizing the coal. Among the thermal integration opportunities analyzed for post combustion capture systems are use of compressor waste heat and heat recovered from the stripper condenser to regenerate post-combustion CO{sub 2} capture solvent, preheat boiler feedwater and predry high-moisture coals. The overall conclusion from the oxyfuel simulations is that thermal integration of compressor heat has the potential to improve net unit heat rate by up to 8.4 percent, but the actual magnitude of the improvement will depend on the type of heat sink used and to a lesser extent, compressor design and coal rank. The simulations of a unit with a MEA post combustion capture system showed that thermal integration of either compressor heat or stripper condenser heat to preheat boiler feedwater would result in heat rate improvements from 1.20 percent to 4.19 percent. The MEA capture simulations further showed that partial drying of low rank coals, done in combination with feedwater heating, would result in heat rate reductions of 7.43 percent for PRB coal and 10.45 percent for lignite.
Edward Levy
Rapid Multiplex PCR
Development of Rapid Multiplex PCR Techniques. Summary: Forensic DNA typing is currently conducted in approximately eight to ten hours. ...
REIMR - A Process for Utilizing Liquid Rocket Propulsion-Oriented 'Lessons Learned' to Mitigate Development Risk in Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
This paper is a summary overview of a study conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA-MSFC) during the initial phases of the Space Launch Initiative (SLI) program to evaluate a large number of technical problems associated with the design, development, test, evaluation and operation of several major liquid propellant rocket engine systems (i.e., SSME, Fastrac, J-2, F-1). One of the primary results of this study was the identification of the 'Fundamental Root Causes' that enabled the technical problems to manifest, and practices that can be implemented to prevent them from recurring in future propulsion system development efforts, such as that which is currently envisioned in the field of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP). This paper will discus the Fundamental Root Causes, cite some examples of how the technical problems arose from them, and provide a discussion of how they can be mitigated or avoided in the development of an NTP system.
Ballard, Richard O. [Nuclear and Advanced Propulsion Systems Engineering Branch, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 (United States)
Thermal Management of Solar Cells
as a source of photovoltaic energy is rapidly increasingphotovoltaic cells under concentrated illumination: a critical review," Solar Energyphotovoltaic/thermal collector, PV/T, and it utilizes both electrical and heat energies
Saadah, Mohammed Ahmed
Biomass Rapid Analysis Network (BRAN)
Helping the emerging biotechnology industry develop new tools and methods for real-time analysis of biomass feedstocks, process intermediates and The Biomass Rapid Analysis Network is designed to fast track the development of modern tools and methods for biomass analysis to accelerate the development of the emerging industry. The network will be led by industry and organized and coordinated through the National Renewable Energy Lab. The network will provide training and other activities of interest to BRAN members. BRAN members will share the cost and work of rapid analysis method development, validate the new methods, and work together to develop the training for the future biomass conversion workforce.
IDENTIFICATION OF AN {sup 84}Sr-DEPLETED CARRIER IN PRIMITIVE METEORITES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THERMAL PROCESSING IN THE SOLAR PROTOPLANETARY DISK
The existence of correlated nucleosynthetic heterogeneities in solar system reservoirs is now well demonstrated for numerous nuclides. However, it has proven difficult to discriminate between the two disparate processes that can explain such correlated variability: incomplete mixing of presolar material or secondary processing of a well-mixed disk. Using stepwise acid-leaching of the Ivuna CI-chondrite, we show that unlike other nuclides such as {sup 54}Cr and {sup 50}Ti, Sr-isotope variability is the result of a carrier depleted in {sup 84}Sr. The carrier is most likely presolar SiC, which is known to have both high Sr-concentrations relative to solar abundances and extremely depleted {sup 84}Sr compositions. Thus, variability in {sup 84}Sr in meteorites and their components can be attributed to varying contributions from presolar SiC. The observed {sup 84}Sr excesses in calcium-aluminum refractory inclusions (CAIs) suggest their formation from an SiC-free gaseous reservoir, whereas the {sup 84}Sr depletions present in differentiated meteorites require their formation from material with an increased concentration of SiC relative to CI chondrites. The presence of a positive correlation between {sup 84}Sr and {sup 54}Cr, despite being hosted in carriers of negative and positive anomalies, respectively, is not compatible with incomplete mixing of presolar material but instead suggests that the solar system's nucleosynthetic heterogeneity reflects selective thermal processing of dust. Based on vaporization experiments of SiC under nebular conditions, the lack of SiC material in the CAI-forming gas inferred from our data requires that the duration of thermal processing of dust resulting in the vaporization of CAI precursors was extremely short-lived, possibly lasting only hours to days.
Paton, Chad; Schiller, Martin; Bizzarro, Martin, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com [Centre for Star and Planet Formation, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-1350 (Denmark)
A literature review of coupled thermal-hydrologic-mechanical-chemical processes pertinent to the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain
A literature review has been conducted to determine the state of knowledge available in the modeling of coupled thermal (T), hydrologic (H), mechanical (M), and chemical (C) processes relevant to the design and/or performance of the proposed high-level waste (HLW) repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The review focuses on identifying coupling mechanisms between individual processes and assessing their importance (i.e., if the coupling is either important, potentially important, or negligible). The significance of considering THMC-coupled processes lies in whether or not the processes impact the design and/or performance objectives of the repository. A review, such as reported here, is useful in identifying which coupled effects will be important, hence which coupled effects will need to be investigated by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in order to assess the assumptions, data, analyses, and conclusions in the design and performance assessment of a geologic reposit``. Although this work stems from regulatory interest in the design of the geologic repository, it should be emphasized that the repository design implicitly considers all of the repository performance objectives, including those associated with the time after permanent closure. The scope of this review is considered beyond previous assessments in that it attempts with the current state-of-knowledge) to determine which couplings are important, and identify which computer codes are currently available to model coupled processes.
Manteufel, R.D.; Ahola, M.P.; Turner, D.R.; Chowdhury, A.H. [Southwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States). Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses
Analysis of the economic potential of solar thermal energy to provide industrial process heat. Final report, Volume I. [In-depth analysis of 78 industries
The process heat data base assembled as the result of this survey includes specific process applications from 78 four-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) groups. These applications account for the consumption of 9.81 quadrillion Btu in 1974, about 59 percent of the 16.6 quadrillion Btu estimated to have been used for all process heat in 1974. About 7/sup 1///sub 2/ percent of industrial process heat is used below 212/sup 0/F (100/sup 0/C), and 28 percent below 550/sup 0/F (288/sup 0/C). In this study, the quantitative assessment of the potential of solar thermal energy systems to provide industrial process heat indicates that solar energy has a maximum potential to provide 0.6 quadrillion Btu per year in 1985, and 7.3 quadrillion Btu per year in 2000, in economic competition with the projected costs of conventional fossil fuels for applications having a maximum required temperature of 550/sup 0/ (288/sup 0/C). A wide variety of collector types were compared for performance and cost characteristics. Performance calculations were carried out for a baseline solar system providing hot water in representative cities in six geographical regions within the U.S. Specific industries that should have significant potential for solar process heat for a variety of reasons include food, textiles, chemicals, and primary metals. Lumber and wood products, and paper and allied products also appear to have significant potential. However, good potential applications for solar process heat can be found across the board throughout industry. Finally, an assessment of nontechnical issues that may influence the use of solar process heat in industry showed that the most important issues are the establishment of solar rights, standardization and certification for solar components and systems, and resolution of certain labor-related issues. (Volume 1 of 3 volumes.)
UEE 2008 Ziermann, Martin 2004 Macht und Architektur: ZweiP ROCESSION Martin Stadler EDITORS W ILLEKE W ENDRICHFull Citation: Stadler, Martin, 2008, Procession. In Jacco
Stadler, Martin
...are processed to complex final shapes by investment casting. Iron-nickel-base superalloys are not customarily investment cast. Investment casting permits intricate internal cooling
Development of CFD-Based Simulation Tools for In-Situ Thermal Processing of Oil Shale/Sands
In our research, we are taking the novel approach of developing and applying high performance computing, computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based simulation tools to a modified in-situ process for production of oil from oil shale. The simulation tools being developed capture the relevant physical processes and data from a large-scale system. The modified in-situ application is a pilot-scale heat transfer process inside Red Leaf Resources�?? EcoShale capsule. We demonstrate the need to understand fluid flow behavior in the convective channels of the rubblized shale bed as convective heating greatly decreases the time required to heat the oil shale to the production temperature when compared with conductive heating alone. We have developed and implemented a geometry creation strategy for a representative section of the EcoShale capsule, developed a meshing approach to deal with the complicated geometry and produce a well-behaved mesh, analyzed the effects of boundary conditions on the simulation results, and devised a new operator splitting solution algorithm that reduces computational costs by taking advantage of the differing convective and conductive time scales occurring in the simulation. These simulation tools can be applied to a wide range of processes involving convective fluid flow heating in rubblized beds.
Rapid Development of the Tropical Cyclone Warm Core
This paper presents a simple theoretical argument to isolate the conditions under which a tropical cyclone can rapidly develop a warm-core thermal structure and subsequently approach a steady state. The theoretical argument is based on the ...
Jonathan L. Vigh; Wayne H. Schubert
A review of test results on parabolic dish solar thermal power modules with dish-mounted rankine engines and for production of process steam
This paper presents results of development testing of various solar thermal parabolic dish modules and assemblies. Most of the tests were at modules and assemblies that used a dish-mounted, organic Rankine cycle turbine for production of electric power. Some tests were also run on equipment for production of process steam or for production of electricity using dish-mounted reciprocating steam engines. These tests indicate that early modules achieve efficiencies of about 18 percent in converting sunlight to electricity (excluding the inverter but including parasitics). A number of malfunctions occurred. The performance measurements, as well as the malfunctions and other operating experience, provided information that should be of value in developing systems with improved performance and reduced maintenance.
Jaffe, L.D.
Thermally Processed High-Mobility MOS Thin-Film Transistors on Transferable Single-Crystal Elastically Strain-Sharing Si/SiGe/Si Nanomembranes
Demonstration of high-performance MOS thin-film transistors (TFTs) on elastically strain-sharing single-crystal Si/SiGe/Si nanomembranes (SiNMs) that are transferred to foreign substrates is reported. The transferable SiNMs are realized by first growing pseudomorphic SiGe and Si layers on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, and then, selectively removing the buried oxide (BOX) layer from the SOI. Before the release, only the SiGe layer is compressively strained. Upon release, part of the compressive strain in the SiGe layer is transferred to the thin Si layers, and the Si layers, thus, become tensile strained. Both the initial compressive strain state in the SiGe layer and the final strain sharing state between the SiGe and the Si layers are verified with X-ray diffraction measurements. The TFTs are fabricated employing the conventional high-temperature MOS process on the strain-shared SiNMs that are transferred to an oxidized Si substrate. The transferred strained-sharing SiNMs show outstanding thermal stability and can withstand the high-temperature TFT process on the new host substrate. The strained-channel TFTs fabricated on the new host substrate show high current drive capability and an average electron effective mobility of 270 cm{sup 2}/V ldr s. The results suggest that transferable and thermally stable single-crystal elastically strain- sharing SiNMs can serve as excellent active material for high-speed device application with a simple and scalable transfer method. The demonstration of MOS TFTs on the transferable nanomembranes may create the opportunity for future high-speed Si CMOS heterogeneous integration on any substrate.
Yuan, H.-C.; Kelly, M. M.; Savage, D. E.; Lagally, M. G.; Celler, G. K.; Zhenqiang, M.
Energy Basics: Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Indexed Site
Thermal Energy Conversion A process called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the heat energy stored in the Earth's oceans to generate electricity. OTEC works best when...
The effects of thermal processing on properties of fundamental food polymers in commercial Asian and experimental sorghum noodles
Processing variables of 100% sorghum noodles were evaluated. A dough was made, extruded to create noodles then dried. Structural, physical, and cooking characteristics of the experimental sorghum noodles, as well as thin spaghetti, commercial Asian rice, broad bean, tapioca, sweet potato and egg noodles were evaluated. In comparison to the commercial noodles, the experimental sorghum noodles had high dry matter loss, but similar water uptake and moisture. The dry matter loss of sorghum noodles was greatly affected by the heating stage before extrusion, with a lower dry matter loss resulting from a longer heating time. The internal structure of the noodles was evaluated with the ESEM. Starch noodles had a thick starchy continuous phase that was smooth and amorphous. The protein based noodles were held together by a gluten matrix, small endosperm pieces with intact starch granules were visible and suspended within the matrix. Noodles made from any grain or starch other than wheat must rely on starch gelatinization for their structure. The sorghum noodles produced in this experiment indicated that sorghum could be used to produce a non-wheat noodle. A sorghum noodle could be a new food product for those who are gluten-intolerant or an alternative food product for the semi-arid tropic regions where sorghum is a native grain.
Leach, Michelle R
Development of a carbonaceous selective absorber for solar thermal energy collection and process for its formation: Final report
The main goal of the US Department of Energy supported part of this project is to develop information about controlling the complicated chemical processes involved in the formation of a carbonaceous selective absorber and learn what equipment will allow production of this absorber commercially. The work necessary to accomplish this goal is not yet complete. Formation of the carbonaceous selective absorber in the conveyor oven tried so far has been unsatisfactory, because the proper conditions for applying the carbonaceous coating in each conveyor oven fabricated, either have been difficult to obtain, or have been difficult to maintain over an extended period of time. A new conveyor oven is nearing completion which is expected to allow formation of the carbonaceous selective absorber on absorber tubes in a continuous operation over many days without the necessity of cleaning the conveyor oven or changing the thickness of the electroplated nickel catalyst to compensate for changes in the coating environment in the oven. Work under this project concerned with forming and sealing glass panels to test ideas on evacuated glass solar collector designs and production have been generally quite satisfactory. Delays in completion of the selective absorber work, has caused postponement of the fabrication of a small prototype evacuated glass solar collector panel. Preliminary cost estimates of the selective absorber and solar collector panel indicate that this collector system should be lower in cost than evacuated solar collectors now on the market. 4 figs.
Garrison, J.D.
Flexible thermal cycle test equipment for concentrator solar cells
A system and method for performing thermal stress testing of photovoltaic solar cells is presented. The system and method allows rapid testing of photovoltaic solar cells under controllable thermal conditions. The system and method presents a means of rapidly applying thermal stresses to one or more photovoltaic solar cells in a consistent and repeatable manner.
Hebert, Peter H. (Glendale, CA); Brandt, Randolph J. (Palmdale, CA)
THERMAL RECOVERY Thermal recovery comprises the techniques of steamflooding, cyclic steam stimulation, and in situ combustion. In steamflooding, high-temperature steam is injected...
Applications of thermal energy storage to process heat storage and recovery in the paper and pulp industry. Final report, September 1977--May 1978
Applications of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) in a paper and pulp mill power house were studied as one approach to the transfer of steam production from fossil fuel boilers to waste fuel (hog fuel) boilers. Data from specific mills were analyzed, and various TES concepts evaluated for application in the process steam supply system. Constant pressure and variable pressure steam accumulators were found to be the most attractive storage concepts for this application. Performance analyses based on the operation of a math model of the process steam supply system indicate potential substitution of waste wood fuel for 100,000 bbl oil per year per installation with the accumulator TES system. Based on an industry survey of potential TES application, which requires excess base steaming capability, the results from the individual installation were extrapolated to a near-term (1980's) fossil fuel savings in the paper and pulp industry of 3.2 x 10/sup 6/ bbl oil/year. Conceptual designs of mechanical equipment and control systems indicate installed cost estimates of about $560,000 per installation, indicating an after tax return on investment of over 30%.
Carr, J.H.; Hurley, P.J.; Martin, P.J.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion | Department of Energy
Thermal Energy Conversion Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion August 16, 2013 - 4:22pm Addthis A process called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the heat energy stored in...
Applications of thermal energy storage to process heat and waste heat recovery in the primary aluminum industry. Final report, September 1977-September 1978
The results of a study entitled, Applications of Thermal Energy Storage to Process Heat and Waste Heat Recovery in the Primary Aluminum Industry are presented. In this preliminary study, a system has been identified by which the large amounts of low-grade waste energy in the primary pollution control system gas stream can be utilized for comfort heating in nearby communities. Energy is stored in the form of hot water, contained in conventional, insulated steel tanks, enabling a more efficient utilization of the constant energy source by the cyclical energy demand. Less expensive energy storage means (heated ponds, aquifers), when they become fully characterized, will allow even more cost-competitive systems. Extensive design tradeoff studies have been performed. These tradeoff studies indicate that a heating demand equivalent to 12,000 single-family residences can be supplied by the energy from the Intalco plant. Using a 30-year payback criterion (consistent with utility planning practice), the average cost of energy supplied over the system useful life is predicted at one-third the average cost of fossil fuel. The study clearly shows that the utilization of waste energy from aluminum plants is both technically and economically attractive. The program included a detailed survey of all aluminum plants within the United States, allowing the site specific analyses to be extrapolated to a national basis. Should waste heat recovery systems be implemented by 1985, a national yearly savings of 6.5 million barrels of oil can be realized.
Katter, L.B.; Hoskins, R.L.
Method and device for predicting wavelength dependent radiation influences in thermal systems
A method and apparatus for predicting the spectral (wavelength-dependent) radiation transport in thermal systems including interaction by the radiation with partially transmitting medium. The predicted model of the thermal system is used to design and control the thermal system. The predictions are well suited to be implemented in design and control of rapid thermal processing (RTP) reactors. The method involves generating a spectral thermal radiation transport model of an RTP reactor. The method also involves specifying a desired wafer time dependent temperature profile. The method further involves calculating an inverse of the generated model using the desired wafer time dependent temperature to determine heating element parameters required to produce the desired profile. The method also involves controlling the heating elements of the RTP reactor in accordance with the heating element parameters to heat the wafer in accordance with the desired profile.
Kee, Robert J. (864 Lucille St., Livermore, CA 94550); Ting, Aili (7329 Stonedale Dr., Pleasanton, CA 94558)
Solar Thermal Conversion
The thermal conversion process of solar energy is based on well-known phenomena of heat transfer (Kreith 1976). In all thermal conversion processes, solar radiation is absorbed at the surface of a receiver, which contains or is in contact with flow passages through which a working fluid passes. As the receiver heats up, heat is transferred to the working fluid which may be air, water, oil, or a molten salt. The upper temperature that can be achieved in solar thermal conversion depends on the insolation, the degree to which the sunlight is concentrated, and the measures taken to reduce heat losses from the working fluid.
Kreith, F.; Meyer, R. T.
Thermal Stability of Chelated Indium Activable Tracers
The thermal stability of indium tracer chelated with organic ligands ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) was measured for reservoir temperatures of 150, 200, and 240 C. Measurements of the soluble indium concentration was made as a function of time by neutron activation analysis. From the data, approximate thermal decomposition rates were estimated. At 150 C, both chelated tracers were stable over the experimental period of 20 days. At 200 C, the InEDTA concentration remained constant for 16 days, after which the thermal decomposition occurred at a measured rate constant of k = 0.09 d{sup -1}. The thermal decomposition of InNTA at 200 C showed a first order reaction with a measured rate constant of k = 0.16 d{sup -1}. At 240 C, both indium chelated tracers showed rapid decomposition with rate constants greater than 1.8 d{sup -1}. The data indicate that for geothermal reservoir with temperatures up to about 200 C, indium chelated tracers can be used effectively for transit times of at least 20 days. These experiments were run without reservoir rock media, and do not account for concomitant loss of indium tracer by adsorption processes.
Chrysikopoulos, Costas; Kruger, Paul
An experimental and numerical investigation on the influence of external gas recirculation on the HCCI autoignition process in an engine: Thermal, diluting, and chemical effects
In order to contribute to the solution of controlling the autoignition in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine, parameters linked to external gas recirculation (EGR) seem to be of particular interest. Experiments performed with EGR present some difficulties in interpreting results using only the diluting and thermal aspect of EGR. Lately, the chemical aspect of EGR is taken more into consideration, because this aspect causes a complex interaction with the dilution and thermal aspects of EGR. This paper studies the influence of EGR on the autoignition process and particularly the chemical aspect of EGR. The diluents present in EGR are simulated by N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}, with dilution factors going from 0 to 46 vol%. For the chemically active species that could be present in EGR, the species CO, NO, and CH{sub 2}O are used. The initial concentration in the inlet mixture of CO and NO is varied between 0 and 170 ppm, while that of CH{sub 2}O alters between 0 and 1400 ppm. For the investigation of the effect of the chemical species on the autoignition, a fixed dilution factor of 23 vol% and a fixed EGR temperature of 70 C are maintained. The inlet temperature is held at 70 C, the equivalence ratios between 0.29 and 0.41, and the compression ratio at 10.2. The fuels used for the autoignition are n-heptane and PRF40. It appeared that CO, in the investigated domain, did not influence the ignition delays, while NO had two different effects. At concentrations up until 45 ppm, NO advanced the ignition delays for the PRF40 and at higher concentrations, the ignition delayed. The influence of NO on the autoignition of n-heptane seemed to be insignificant, probably due to the higher burn rate of n-heptane. CH{sub 2}O seemed to delay the ignition. The results suggested that especially the formation of OH radicals or their consumption by the chemical additives determines how the reactivity of the autoignition changed. (author)
Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias, Simeon [UPMC Universite Paris 06, LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); UPMC Universite Paris 06, FRT, Institut Jean Le Rond D'Alembert, 2, place de la Gare de Ceinture, 78210 St Cyr l'Ecole (France); Guibert, Philippe [UPMC Universite Paris 06, FRT, Institut Jean Le Rond D'Alembert, 2, place de la Gare de Ceinture, 78210 St Cyr l'Ecole (France)
Geothermal power promises clean, renewable, reliable and potentially widely-available energy, but is limited by high initial capital costs. New drilling technologies are required to make geothermal power financially competitive with other energy sources. One potential solution is offered by Thermal Spallation Drilling (TSD) - a novel drilling technique in which small particles (spalls) are released from the rock surface by rapid heating. While TSD has the potential to improve drilling rates of brittle granitic rocks, the coupled thermomechanical processes involved in TSD are poorly described, making system control and optimization difficult for this drilling technology. In this paper, we discuss results from a new modeling effort investigating thermal spallation drilling. In particular, we describe an explicit model that simulates the grain-scale mechanics of thermal spallation and use this model to examine existing theories concerning spalling mechanisms. We will report how borehole conditions influence spall production, and discuss implications for macro-scale models of drilling systems.
Walsh, S C; Lomov, I; Roberts, J J
Overview of Rapid DNA Testing
... Recent Work with Rapid PCR At NIST we are working on new PCR methods ... Applications for Rapid PCR � Integrated devices ('Lab on a Chip') ...
Rapid road repair vehicle
Disclosed is a rapid road repair vehicle capable of moving over a surface to be repaired at near normal posted traffic speeds to scan for and find at the high rate of speed, imperfections in the pavement surface, prepare the surface imperfection for repair by air pressure and vacuum cleaning, applying a correct amount of the correct patching material to effect the repair, smooth the resulting repaired surface, and catalog the location and quality of the repairs for maintenance records of the road surface. The rapid road repair vehicle can repair surface imperfections at lower cost, improved quality, at a higher rate of speed than was not heretofor possible, with significantly reduced exposure to safety and health hazards associated with this kind of road repair activities in the past. 2 figs.
Mara, L.M.
Thermal Flipping of Interstellar Grains
In interstellar dust grains, internal processes dissipate rotational kinetic energy. The dissipation is accompanied by thermal fluctuations, which transfer energy from the vibrational modes to rotation. Together, these processes are known as internal relaxation. For the past several years, internal relaxation has been thought to give rise to thermal flipping, with profound consequences for grain alignment theory. I show that thermal flipping is not possible in the limit that the inertia tensor does not vary with time.
Joseph C. Weingartner
The Synchrotron Boiler: a Thermalizer in Seyfert Galaxies
There are difficulties in understanding what keeps the plasma thermalized in compact sources, especially during rapid variations of the emitted flux. Particle-particle collisions are too inefficient in hot rarefied plasmas, and a faster process is called for. Synchrotron absorption is such a process. We show that relativistic electrons can thermalize in a few synchrotron cooling times by emitting and absorbing cyclo-synchrotron photons. The resulting equilibrium distribution is a Maxwellian at low energies, with a high energy power law tail when Compton cooling is important. Assuming that the particles emit completely self absorbed synchrotron radiation while they at the same time Compton scatter ambient UV photons, we calculate the time dependent behavior of the distribution function, and the final high energy spectra.
Gabriele Ghisellini; Francesco Haardt; Roland Svensson
The Synchrotron Boiler a Thermalizer in Seyfert Galaxies
Ghisellini, G; Svensson, R; Ghisellini, Gabriele; Haardt, Francesco; Svensson, Roland
Effects of Composition and Thermal Gradients on Rapid ...
Differential Characterization of Ikperejere Iron shale and Iron Sandstone Deposit � Direct Precipitation of Sr-doped LaP3O9 Thin Film Electrolytes for�...
Rapid micro?uidic thermal cycler for polymerase chain reaction ...
a Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA b Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Center for Micro and Nanotechnology, USA
Thermal disconnect for high-temperature batteries
A new type of high temperature thermal disconnect has been developed to protect electrical and mechanical equipment from damage caused by operation at extreme temperatures. These thermal disconnects allow continuous operation at temperatures ranging from 250.degree. C. to 450.degree. C., while rapidly terminating operation at temperatures 50.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. higher than the continuous operating temperature.
Jungst, Rudolph George (Albuquerque, NM); Armijo, James Rudolph (Albuquerque, NM); Frear, Darrel Richard (Austin, TX)
Microwave Thermal Hydrolysis Of Sewage Sludge As A Pretreatment Stage For Anaerobic Digestion
This article focuses on the effects of microwave thermal hydrolysis on sewage sludge anaerobic digestion. Volatile suspended solid (VSS) and COD solubilization of treated sludge were investigated. It was found that the microwave hydrolysis provided a rapid and efficient process to release organics from sludge. The increase of organic dissolution ratio was not obvious when holding time was over 5 min. The effect of the VSS solubilization was mainly dependent on temperature. The highest value of VSS dissolving ratio
W. Qiao; W. Wang; R. Xun
Rapid Oscillations in Cataclysmic Variables
I give an overview of the rich phenomenology of dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) and Quasi-periodic Oscillations (QPOs) observed in cataclysmic variable stars (CVs). The favoured interpretation of these rapid brightness modulations (3 - >1000 s time scales) is that they are magnetic in nature - magnetically channelled accretion from the inner accretion disc for DNOs and possible magnetically excited travelling waves in the disc for QPOs. There is increasing evidence for the magnetic aspects, which extend to lower field the well known properties of strong field (polars) and intermediate strength field (intermediate polars) CVs. The result is that almost all CVs show the presence of magnetic fields on their white dwarf primaries - though for many the intrinsic field may be locally enhanced by the accretion process itself. There are many parallel behaviours with the QPOs seen in X-Ray binaries, with high and low frequency X-Ray QPOs resembling respectively the DNOs and QPOs in CVs.
Brian Warner
Thermal spallation drilling
Thermal spallation drilling is an underdeveloped process with great potential for reducing the costs of drilling holes and mining shafts and tunnels in most very hard rocks. Industry has used this process to drill blast holes for emplacing explosives and to quarry granite. Some theoretical work has been performed, and many signs point to a great future for this process. The Los Alamos National Laboratory has studied the theory of the spallation process and is conducting experiments to prove out the system and to adapt it for use with a conventional rotary rig. This report describes work that has been accomplished at the Laboratory on the development of thermal spallation drilling and some work that is projected for the future on the system. 3 references, 3 figures.
Williams, R.E.
(i,j) at (i,j)'' computing and painting the pixels one at a time, in roworder. A typical fractal rendered on an arithmetic progression which allows ``fat pixels'' to be drawn early in the process to artificially rendered pixel. In case there is an advantage to rendering entire scan lines left to right (as there often
Zanibbi, Richard
Control of growth and the processes of energy transfer from CdSe quantum dots for Nd{sup 3+} ions in a vitreous system: Thermal annealing time
The authors report clear evidence of radiative and nonradiative energy transfer from CdSe quantum dots to Nd{sup 3+} ions in a glass system synthesized by melting method. An efficient control of energy transfer can be obtained by controlling the mean radius of the CdSe quantum dots. Increase of about 100% of the near infrared Nd{sup 3+} emission ({sup 4}F{sub 3/2}{yields}{sup 4}I{sub 9/2}) was observed as a function of thermal annealing time.
Dantas, N. O.; Serqueira, E. O. [Laboratorio de Novos Materiais Isolantes e Semicondutores-LNMIS, Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, 38400-902 Uberlandia, Minas Gerais (Brazil); Anjos, V.; Bell, M. J. V. [Grupo de Espectroscopia de Materiais, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, 36036-330 Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais (Brazil)
Measurement of Thermal Diffusity and Flow Resistance for TCAP Materials
SRS uses the Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) to separate isotopes of hydrogen. The frequency of thermal cycles is a limit of the productivity of the process and that frequency is largely determined by the thermal diffusivity of the absorbent material. For a given tube diameter, a larger thermal diffusivity decreases the time required for each cycle. In 1998, the Engineering Development Laboratory measured thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity for three TCAP materials in helium.
Logic foundry: rapid prototyping for FPGA-based DSP systems
We introduce the Logic Foundry, a system for the rapid creation and integration of FPGA-based digital signal processing systems. Recognizing that some of the greatest challenges in creating FPGA-based systems occur in the integration of the various components, ... Keywords: CAD tools, DSP, FPGA, design methodology, integration, rapid prototyping
Gary Spivey; Shuvra S. Bhattacharyya; Kazuo Nakajima
methods. The poly-Si solar cell structure and the performance have been examined. In principle, the new process is potentially applicable to produce large-area thin-film poly-Si solar cells at a high throughput and low cost. A critical issue in this process is to prevent the excessive dopant diffusion during crystallization. Process parameters and the cell structure have to be optimized to achieve the production goal.
Realistic Financial Planning and Rapid
Rapid Modification to Project Execution are Essential PMLL Identifier: PMLL-2010-LLNL-NIF-0001 (Source: User Submitted) Validator: Victoria Pratt Date: 4272010 Contact:...
Ion beam surface treatment: A new capability for rapid melt and resolidification of surfaces
The emerging capability to produce high average power (5--250 kW) pulsed ion beams at 0.2--2 MeV energies is enabling us to develop a new, commercial-scale thermal surface treatment technology called Ion Beam Surface Treatment (IBEST). This technique uses high energy, pulsed ({le}100 ns) ion beams to directly deposit energy in the top 2--20 micrometers of the surface of any material. Depth of treatment is controllable by varying the ion energy and species. Deposition of the energy with short pulses in a thin surface layer allows melting of the layer with relatively small energies and allows rapid cooling of the melted layer by thermal diffusion into the underlying substrate. Typical cooling rates of this process (10{sup 9}10{sup 10} K/sec) cause rapid resolidification, resulting in production of non-equilibrium microstructures (nano-crystalline and metastable phases) that have significantly improved corrosion, wear, and hardness properties. We have conducted IBEST feasibility experiments with results confirming surface hardening, nanocrystaline grain formation, metal surface polishing, controlled melt of ceramic surfaces, and surface cleaning.
Stinnett, R.W.; McIntyre, D.C.; Buchheit, R.G. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Greenly, J.B.; Thompson, M.O. [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
Thermal energy storage application areas
The use of thermal energy storage in the areas of building heating and cooling, recovery of industrial process and waste heat, solar power generation, and off-peak energy storage and load management in electric utilities is reviewed. (TFD)
Production of jets at forward rapidities in hadronic collisions
We discuss high-pT production processes at forward rapidities in hadron-hadron collisions, and describe recent results from using QCD high-energy factorization in forward jet production at the LHC.
F. Hautmann
Modeling the steady-state ISV (in situ vitrification) process: A 3-D finite element analysis of coupled thermal-electric fields
Steady-state modeling considerations for simulating the in situ vitrification (ISV) process are documented based upon the finite element numerical approach. Recommendations regarding boundary condition specifications and mesh discretization are presented. The effects of several parameters on the ISV process response are calculated and the results discussed. The parameters investigated include: (1) electrode depth, (2) ambient temperature, (3) supplied current, (4) electrical conductivity, (5) electrode separation, and (6) soil/waste characterization. 13 refs., 29 figs., 1 tab.
Langerman, M.A.
Thermal Properties
Table 12 Thermal conductivities of polymers and other materials...40,000 2.8 Aluminum 24,000 1.7 Steel 5000 0.35 Granite 350 0.02 Crown glass (75 wt% silica) 90 0.006 Source: Ref 4...
Seasonal Variations of the Subsurface Thermal Structure in the Gulf of Guinea
The subsurface thermal structure in the Gulf of Guinea is analyzed using the historical hydrographic data file. Of particular interest is the rapid vertical displacement of the thermal structure from the warm (March�May) season to the cold (July�...
Robert W. Houghton
Fractography of Thermally Shocked Glass Cookware
Fractography of fractured glass cookware can be a time consuming process of putting ... to Conduct Thermal Shock Test on Refractories Using Steel Blocks.
Thermal conductivity of mass-graded graphene flakes
In this letter we investigate thermal conductions in mass-graded graphene flakes by nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. It shows mass-graded graphene flakes reveal no thermal rectification effect in thermal conduction process. Dependences of thermal conductivity upon the heat fluxes and the mass gradients are studied. It is found that thermal conductivity would be dramatically decreased by increasing the mass gradients. We also discuss the influence of thermal curvatures and thermal expansions upon the thermal conduction process in mass-graded graphene flakes.
Cheh, Jigger
Processing and Behavior of Fe-Based Metallic Glass Components via Laser-Engineered Net Shaping
the local thermal conditions (temperature and cooling rate)occurs during rapid cooling as the thermal energy is trans-initial thermal transient results in a high cooling rate (10
Zheng, B.; Zhou, Y.; Smugeresky, J. E.; Lavernia, E. J.
Office of Fossil EnergyTOPICAL REPORT: DEVELOPMENT OF CFD_BASED SIMULATION TOOLS FOR IN SITU THERMAL PROCESSING OF OIL SHALE/SANDS
This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. In our research, we are taking the novel approach of developing and applying high performance computing, computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based simulation tools to a modified in-situ process for production of oil from oil shale. The simulation tools being developed capture the relevant physical processes and data from a large-scale system. The modified in-situ application
Michal Hradisky; Philip J. Smith; Doe Award; No. De-fe
using aquifers for thermal energy storage. Problems outlinedmatical Modeling of Thermal Energy Storage in Aquifers,"Proceed- ings of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Workshop,
Tsang, C.-F.
aquifers for thermal energy storage. Problems outlined aboveModeling of Thermal Energy Storage in Aquifers," Proceed-ings of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Workshop, Lawrence
Realistic Financial Planning and Rapid Realistic Financial Planning and Rapid Modification to Project Execution are Essential PMLL Identifier: PMLL-2010-LLNL-NIF-0001 (Source: User Submitted) Validator: Victoria Pratt Date: 4/27/2010 Contact: 202-586-7358 Statement: Schedule and cost impacts can be reduced by accounting for potential annual funding delays as well as by adjusting project execution rapidly Discussion: The NIF Project was funding constrained, and planned (per Acquisition Executive direction) with the assumption that the full annual funding in the budget profile would be available early in October. Any delays or changes in the annual funding availability required extraordinary measures both for obtaining the funding required to avoid significant project impacts in a timely manner, and in rapidly adjusting project execution.
Rapid prototyping of green composites
Rapid prototyping employs digital fabrication techniques to quickly manufacture parts. However, the available materials are not yet suitable for making strong, large or durable objects. Composites are materials which are ...
Peek, Nadya (Nadya Meile)
Novel Ceramic Thermal Insulators Prepared by Gelation Freezing ...
Developing Thermal Processes with Energy Efficiency in Mind � Development of Ceramic ... Improving the Efficiency of Solar Cells � Integrating Ceramics and�...
Design and application of innovative site remediation technologies: Thermal destruction
The book covers wet air oxidation, Texaco gasification process, flameless thermal oxidation, and plasma furnaces. 17 figs., 20 tabs.
Holm, F.W.
Live pathogens: rapid detection technique developed
January » January » Live Pathogens: Rapid Detection Technique Developed Live pathogens: rapid detection technique developed The technique relies on bacteria being critically dependent upon the key nutrient iron. January 24, 2013 Colorized scanning electron micrograph of E. coli. Colorized scanning electron micrograph of E. coli. Photo credit: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention LANL's new method eliminates the need for laboratory culture and greatly speeds the process. Los Alamos researchers have developed a better technique for quick detection of live pathogens in the field. Identification of viable bacteria in a complex environment is scientifically challenging. Current detection and diagnostic techniques are inadequate in major public health emergencies, such as outbreaks of food-borne illness. Detection of live
Rapid scanning system for fuel drawers
A nondestructive method for uniqely distinguishing among and quantifying the mass of individual fuel plates in situ in fuel drawers utilized in nuclear reactors is described. The method is both rapid and passive, eliminating the personnel hazard of the commonly used irradiation techniques which require that the analysis be performed in proximity to an intense neutron source such as a reactor. In the present technique, only normally decaying nuclei are observed. This allows the analysis to be performed anywhere. This feature, combined with rapid scanning of a given fuel drawer (in approximately 30 s), and the computer data analysis allows the processing of large numbers of fuel drawers efficiently in the event of a loss alert.
Caldwell, John T. (Los Alamos, NM); Fehlau, Paul E. (Los Alamos, NM); France, Stephen W. (Los Alamos, NM)
Thermal Conductivity Database of Various Structural Carbon-Carbon
Advanced thermal protection materials envisioned for use on future hypersonic vehicles will likely be subjected to temperatures in excess of 1811 K (2800F) and, therefore, will require the rapid conduction of heat away from the stagnation regions of ...
Ohlhorst Craig W.; Vaughn Wallace L.; Ransone Philip O.; Tsou Hwa-Tsu
Near-field thermal transistor
Using a block of three separated solid elements, a thermal source and drain together with a gate made of an insulator-metal transition material exchanging near-field thermal radiation, we introduce a nanoscale analog of a field-effect transistor which is able to control the flow of heat exchanged by evanescent thermal photons between two bodies. By changing the gate temperature around its critical value, the heat flux exchanged between the hot body (source) and the cold body (drain) can be reversibly switched, amplified, and modulated by a tiny action on the gate. Such a device could find important applications in the domain of nanoscale thermal management and it opens up new perspectives concerning the development of contactless thermal circuits intended for information processing using the photon current rather than the electric current.
Ben-Abdallah, Philippe
Advanced solar thermal technology
The application of dish solar collectors to industrial process heat (IPH) has been reviewed. IPH represents a market for displacement of fossil fuels (10 quads/y). A 10% market penetration would indicate a substantial market for solar thermal systems. Apparently, parabolic dish systems can produce IPH at a lower cost than that of troughs or compound parabolic concentrators, even though dish fabrication costs per unit area are more expensive. Successful tests of point-focusing collectors indicate that these systems can meet the energy requirements for process heat applications. Continued efforts in concentrator and transport technology development are needed. 7 figures.
Leibowitz, L.P.; Hanseth, E.; Liu, T.M.
Innovation Ecosystems Spur Rapid Growth for Startups, Entrepreneurs |
Innovation Ecosystems Spur Rapid Growth for Startups, Entrepreneurs Innovation Ecosystems Spur Rapid Growth for Startups, Entrepreneurs Innovation Ecosystems Spur Rapid Growth for Startups, Entrepreneurs September 14, 2011 - 4:22pm Addthis Rich Earley, CEO of Clean Urban Energy presents at Clean Energy Trust's Clean Energy Challenge in March 2011 | Courtesy of Clean Energy Trust Rich Earley, CEO of Clean Urban Energy presents at Clean Energy Trust's Clean Energy Challenge in March 2011 | Courtesy of Clean Energy Trust Sarah Jane Maxted Special Assistant, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy What does this project do? Smart grid start-up company Clean Urban Energy secured $75,000 for its energy storage and smart grid performance optimization technology. Their system harnesses a building's inherent thermal mass to drive
Thermal dissolution of solid fossil fuels
The use of oil shales and coals in the processes of thermal dissolution is considered. It is shown that thermal dissolution is a mode of liquefaction of solid fossil fuels and can be used both independently and in combination with liquefaction of coals and processing of heavy petroleum residues.
E.G. Gorlov [Institute for Fossil Fuels, Moscow (Russian Federation)
Thermal Stabilization Blend Plan
This Blend Plan documents the feed material items that are stored in 2736-2 vaults, the 2736-ZB 638 cage, the 192C vault, and the 225 vault that will be processed through the thermal stabilization furnaces. The purpose of thermal stabilization is to heat the material to 1000 degrees Celsius to drive off all water and leave the plutonium and/or uranium as oxides. The stabilized material will be sampled to determine the Loss On Ignition (LOI) or percent water. The stabilized material must meet water content or LOI of less than 0.5% to be acceptable for storage under DOE-STD-3013-99 specifications. Out of specification material will be recycled through the furnaces until the water or LOI limits are met.
Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics
Thermal-Hydraulics Thermal-Hydraulics Dr. Tanju Sofu, Argonne National Laboratory In a power reactor, the energy produced in fission reaction manifests itself as heat to be removed by a coolant and utilized in a thermodynamic energy conversion cycle to produce electricity. A simplified schematic of a typical nuclear power plant is shown in the diagram below. Primary coolant loop Steam Reactor Heat exchanger Primary pump Secondary pump Condenser Turbine Water Although this process is essentially the same as in any other steam plant configuration, the power density in a nuclear reactor core is typically four orders of magnitude higher than a fossil fueled plant and therefore it poses significant heat transfer challenges. Maximum power that can be obtained from a nuclear reactor is often limited by the
Risk D&D Rapid Prototype: Scenario Documentation and Analysis Tool
Report describes process and methodology associated with a rapid prototype tool for integrating project risk analysis and health & safety risk analysis for decontamination and decommissioning projects.
Unwin, Stephen D.; Seiple, Timothy E.
? Thermal Packaging
? Final devices will be lab bench and field tested for reliability. Recent Results ? Fuel delivery system fabricated ? 500um thick NiFe structures plated ? 900um Rotor/Housing fabrication process improved Next Six Months ? Fuel / air mixture manifold
Dorian Liepmann Ph. D; David C. Walther; Prof Al Pisano
High-speed thermal cycling system and method of use
A thermal cycling system and method of use are described. The thermal cycling system is based on the-circulation of temperature-controlled water directly to the underside of thin-walled polycarbonate microtiter plates. The water flow is selected from a manifold fed by pumps from heated reservoirs. The plate wells are loaded with typically 15-20 .mu.l of reagent mix for the PCR process. Heat transfer through the thin polycarbonate is sufficiently rapid that the contents reach thermal equilibrium with the water in less than 15 seconds. Complete PCR amplification runs of 40 three-step cycles have been performed in as little as 14.5 minutes, with the results showing substantially enhanced specificity compared to conventional technology requiring run times in excess of 100 minutes. The plate clamping station is designed to be amenable to robotic loading and unloading of the system. It includes a heated lid, thus eliminating the need for mineral oil overlay of the reactants. The present system includes three or more plate holder stations, fed from common reservoirs but operating with independent switching cycles. The system can be modularly expanded.
Hansen, Anthony D. A. (Berkely, CA); Jaklevic, Joseph M. (Lafayette, CA)
A thermal cycling system and method of use are described. The thermal cycling system is based on the circulation of temperature-controlled water directly to the underside of thin-walled polycarbonate plates. The water flow is selected from a manifold fed by pumps from heated reservoirs. The plate wells are loaded with typically 15-20 microliters of reagent mix for the PCR process. Heat transfer through the thin polycarbonate is sufficiently rapid that the contents reach thermal equilibrium with the water in less than 15 seconds. Complete PCR amplification runs of 40 three-step cycles have been performed in as little as 14.5 minutes, with the results showing substantially enhanced specificity compared to conventional technology requiring run times in excess of 100 minutes. The plate clamping station is designed to be amenable to robotic loading and unloading of the system. It includes a heated lid, thus eliminating the need for mineral oil overlay of the reactants. The present system includes three or more plate holder stations, fed from common reservoirs but operating with independent switching cycles. The system can be modularly expanded. 13 figs.
Hansen, A.D.A.; Jaklevic, J.M.
Versatile and Rapid Plasma Heating Device for Steel and Aluminum
The main objective of the research was to enhance steel and aluminum manufacturing with the development of a new plasma RPD device. During the project (1) plasma devices were manufactured (2) testing for the two metals were carried out and (3) market development strategies were explored. Bayzi Corporation has invented a Rapid Plasma Device (RPD) which produces plasma, comprising of a mixture of ionized gas and free electrons. The ions, when they hit a conducting surface, deposit heat in addition to the convective heat. Two generic models called the RPD-Al and RPD-S have been developed for the aluminum market and the steel market. Aluminum melting rates increased to as high as 12.7 g/s compared to 3 g/s of the current industrial practice. The RPD melting furnace operated at higher energy efficiency of 65% unlike most industrial processes operating in the range of 13 to 50%. The RPD aluminum melting furnace produced environment friendly cleaner melts with less than 1% dross. Dross is the residue in the furnace after the melt is poured out. Cast ingots were extremely clean and shining. Current practices produce dross in the range of 3 to 12%. The RPD furnace uses very low power ~0.2 kWh/Lb to melt aluminum. RPDs operate in one atmosphere using ambient air to produce plasma while the conventional systems use expensive gases like argon, or helium in air-tight chambers. RPDs are easy to operate and do not need intensive capital investment. Narrow beam, as well as wide area plasma have been developed for different applications. An RPD was developed for thermal treatments of steels. Two different applications have been pursued. Industrial air hardening steel knife edges were subjected to plasma beam hardening. Hardness, as measured, indicated uniform distribution without any distortion. The biggest advantage with this method is that the whole part need not be heated in a furnace which will lead to oxidation and distortion. No conventional process will offer localized hardening. The RPD has a great potential for heat treating surgical knives and tools. Unavailability of the full amount of the DOE award prevented further development of this exciting technology. Significant progress was made during the 5th quarter, specially the invention of the wider-area plasma and the resultant benefits in terms of rapid melting of aluminum and thermal treatments of larger size steel parts. Coating of nickel base superalloys was demonstrated (an additional task over that proposed). Directed low cost surface enhancement of steel and the directed clean low dross energy efficient melting of aluminum are industrial needs that require new technologies. These are large volume markets which can benefit from energy savings. Estimated energy savings are very large, in the order of 1015 J/year when the equipment is universally used. Compact and directed heating technology/product market in these two sectors could potentially reach over $1B in sales. The results of the research, presented at the DOE annual Review meeting on Aluminum held at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory during the 4-5 October 2005, were very well received by the delegates and panel reviewers. Insufficient DOE funds to fully fund the project at the end of the 5th quarter necessitated some key tasks being only partially completed.
Reddy, G.S.
Thermal conductivity of thermal-battery insulations
The thermal conductivities of a variety of insulating materials used in thermal batteries were measured in atmospheres of argon and helium using several techniques. (Helium was used to simulate the hydrogen atmosphere that results when a Li(Si)/FeS{sub 2} thermal battery ages.) The guarded-hot-plate method was used with the Min-K insulation because of its extremely low thermal conductivity. For comparison purposes, the thermal conductivity of the Min-K insulating board was also measured using the hot-probe method. The thermal-comparator method was used for the rigid Fiberfrax board and Fiberfrax paper. The thermal conductivity of the paper was measured under several levels of compression to simulate the conditions of the insulating wrap used on the stack in a thermal battery. The results of preliminary thermal-characterization tests with several silica aerogel materials are also presented.
Guidotti, R.A.; Moss, M.
Selective thermal and photooxidation of hydrocarbons in zeolites by oxygen
A process for selective thermal oxidation or photooxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions or under irradiation with visible light. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts.
Frei, Heinz (Berkeley, CA); Blatter, Fritz (Basel, CH); Sun, Hai (Saint Charles, MO)
A process for a combined selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly combined selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions or under irradiation with visible light. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts.
Selective thermal oxidation of hydrocarbons in zeolites by oxygen
A process for selective thermal oxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly selective thermal oxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls is carried out in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts.
A process is described for selective thermal oxidation or photooxidation of hydrocarbons adsorbed onto zeolite matrices. A highly selective thermal oxidation and photooxidation of unsubstituted or alkyl substituted alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and cycloalkyls in solvent free zeolites under dark thermal conditions or under irradiation with visible light. The process oxidizes hydrocarbons almost completely selectively without substantial production of byproducts. 19 figs.
Frei, H.; Blatter, F.; Sun, H.
Microwavable thermal energy storage material
A microwavable thermal energy storage material is provided which includes a mixture of a phase change material and silica, and a carbon black additive in the form of a conformable dry powder of phase change material/silica/carbon black, or solid pellets, films, fibers, moldings or strands of phase change material/high density polyethylene/ethylene-vinyl acetate/silica/carbon black which allows the phase change material to be rapidly heated in a microwave oven. The carbon black additive, which is preferably an electrically conductive carbon black, may be added in low concentrations of from 0.5 to 15% by weight, and may be used to tailor the heating times of the phase change material as desired. The microwavable thermal energy storage material can be used in food serving applications such as tableware items or pizza warmers, and in medical wraps and garments.
Salyer, Ival O. (Dayton, OH)
A microwavable thermal energy storage material is provided which includes a mixture of a phase change material and silica, and a carbon black additive in the form of a conformable dry powder of phase change material/silica/carbon black, or solid pellets, films, fibers, moldings or strands of phase change material/high density polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate/silica/carbon black which allows the phase change material to be rapidly heated in a microwave oven. The carbon black additive, which is preferably an electrically conductive carbon black, may be added in low concentrations of from 0.5 to 15% by weight, and may be used to tailor the heating times of the phase change material as desired. The microwavable thermal energy storage material can be used in food serving applications such as tableware items or pizza warmers, and in medical wraps and garments. 3 figs.
Salyer, I.O.
The Blend Plan was written to identify items stored outside of the 213 MBA that will be moved into the MBA for thermal stabilization processing. Product quality oxide items stored in our vaults are found in Appendix A. A table is included in Appendix A which details the isotopic values for the oxide items and calculates the amount of material of any specific run that can be placed in a product can and maintain the 15 watt limit to meet storage vault specifications. This Revision of the Blend Plan adds items of lesser dose rate to lower the exposure of the workers until additional shielding can be added to the gloveboxes.
Rapid Gas Hydrate Formation Process - Energy Innovation Portal
This invention may have utility in natural gas / CH4 storage and transport, CO2 sequestration, cold energy storage, ... (CH4) or carbon dioxide (CO2).
Parallel Processing Enables Rapid Computation of X-ray ...
... Feff has a user base of over 400 research groups, including a number of industrial users, such as Dow, DuPont, Boeing, Chevron, Kodak, and ...
Physical Processes Governing the Rapid Deepening Tail of Maritime Cyclogenesis
The positively skewed distribution of maritime cyclone maximum deepening rates is investigated for cyclones as a class rather than through individual case study, using a series of experiments employing perpetual January simulations from the global ...
Paul J. Roebber; Melissa R. Schumann
NASA's Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) Field Experiment
In August�September 2010, NASA, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted separate but closely coordinated hurricane field campaigns, bringing to bear a combined seven aircraft with both new and mature observing technologies. NASA's ...
Scott A. Braun; Ramesh Kakar; Edward Zipser; Gerald Heymsfield; Cerese Albers; Shannon Brown; Stephen L. Durden; Stephen Guimond; Jeffery Halverson; Andrew Heymsfield; Syed Ismail; Bjorn Lambrigtsen; Timothy Miller; Simone Tanelli; Janel Thomas; Jon Zawislak
Seasonal thermal energy storage
This report describes the following: (1) the US Department of Energy Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage Program, (2) aquifer thermal energy storage technology, (3) alternative STES technology, (4) foreign studies in seasonal thermal energy storage, and (5) economic assessment.
Allen, R.D.; Kannberg, L.D.; Raymond, J.R.
Thermally Driven and Eddy-Driven Jet Variability in Reanalysis
Two important dynamical processes influence the extratropical zonal wind field: angular momentum transport by the thermally direct Hadley circulation (thermal-driving T) and momentum flux convergence by atmospheric waves (eddies) that develop in ...
Camille Li; Justin J. Wettstein
Research on simulation using TRNSYS and FCHART methods is described including systems analysis, user services, design procedures, and model validation. (MHR)
Transient Thermal Processing of Materials Session V
Sponsored by: EMPMD Thin Films & Interfaces Committee. Program Organizers: N.M. Ravindra, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ; R.K. Singh,�...
PEER REVIEW Advanced Thermal Processing Alternatives
. The capital cost of a coal gasification combined-cycle power plant (without CO2 separation) is estimated estimates are in development. Sequestration of carbon dioxide may mandate the location of gasification power Bank, 1998). Economics The cost of power from a coal gasification power plant is comprised of capital
... has been deposited a nickel grid that serves ... is supplied by a sinusoidal power supply whose ... Figure 2. Simplified block diagram of Silent Discharge ...
There have been many proposed explanations for the larger-than-expected radii of some transiting hot Jupiters, including either stellar or orbital energy deposition deep in the atmosphere or deep in the interior. In this paper, we explore the important influences on hot-Jupiter radius evolution of (1) additional heat sources in the high atmosphere, the deep atmosphere, and deep in the convective interior; (2) consistent cooling of the deep interior through the planetary dayside, nightside, and poles; (3) the degree of heat redistribution to the nightside; and (4) the presence of an upper atmosphere absorber inferred to produce anomalously hot upper atmospheres and inversions in some close-in giant planets. In particular, we compare the radius expansion effects of atmospheric and deep-interior heating at the same power levels and derive the power required to achieve a given radius increase when night-side cooling is incorporated. We find that models that include consistent day/night cooling are more similar to isotropically irradiated models when there is more heat redistributed from the dayside to the nightside. In addition, we consider the efficacy of ohmic heating in the atmosphere and/or convective interior in inflating hot Jupiters. Among our conclusions are that (1) the most highly irradiated planets cannot stably have uB {approx}> 10 km s{sup -1} G over a large fraction of their daysides, where u is the zonal wind speed and B is the dipolar magnetic field strength in the atmosphere, and (2) that ohmic heating cannot in and of itself lead to a runaway in planet radius.
Spiegel, David S. [Astrophysics Department, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States); Burrows, Adam, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)
Thermally Activated Dislocation Processes in FCC Metals
Numerical Simulation of the Erosion in the Hearth of COREX Melter Gasifier under the Condition of Different Drainage Type � Numerical Study on Behavior of
Thermal energy storage for cogeneration applications
Cogeneration is playing an increasingly important role in providing energy efficient power generation and thermal energy for space heating and industrial process heat applications. However, the range of applications for cogeneration could be further increased if the generation of electricity could be coupled from the generation of process heat. Thermal energy storage (TES) can decouple power generation from the production of process heat, allowing the production of dispatchable power while fully utilizing the thermal energy available from the prime mover. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) leads the US Department of Energy's Thermal Energy Storage Program. The program focuses on developing TES for daily cycling (diurnal storage), annual cycling (seasonal storage), and utility applications (utility thermal energy storage (UTES)). Several of these technologies can be used in a cogeneration facility. This paper discusses TES concepts relevant to cogeneration and describes the current status of these TES systems.
Drost, M.K.; Antoniak, Z.I.
Cogeneration is playing an increasingly important role in providing energy efficient power generation and thermal energy for space heating and industrial process heat applications. However, the range of applications for cogeneration could be further increased if the generation of electricity could be coupled from the generation of process heat. Thermal energy storage (TES) can decouple power generation from the production of process heat, allowing the production of dispatchable power while fully utilizing the thermal energy available from the prime mover. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) leads the US Department of Energy`s Thermal Energy Storage Program. The program focuses on developing TES for daily cycling (diurnal storage), annual cycling (seasonal storage), and utility applications (utility thermal energy storage (UTES)). Several of these technologies can be used in a cogeneration facility. This paper discusses TES concepts relevant to cogeneration and describes the current status of these TES systems.
Active solar thermal design manual
This manual is aimed at systems design engineers, architects, system supplier/installers, and contractor/builders. Practical information for both skilled and inexperienced designers. Solar thermal applications focuses on residential and commercial space heating, potable hot water heating, process water heating, and space cooling.
Rapid Separation Methods to Characterize Actinides and Metallic Impurities in Plutonium Scrap Materials at SRS
The Nuclear Materials Stabilization and Storage Division at SRS plans to stabilize selected plutonium scrap residue materials for long term storage by dissolution processing and plans to stabilize other plutonium vault materials via high-temperature furnace processing. To support these nuclear material stabilization activities, the SRS Analytical Laboratories Department (ALD) will provide characterization of materials required prior to the dissolution or the high-firing of these materials. Lab renovations to install new analytical instrumentation are underway to support these activities that include glove boxes with simulated-process dissolution and high- pressure microwave dissolution capability. Inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), inductively- coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) will be used to measure actinide isotopics and metallic impurities. New high-speed actinide separation methods have been developed that will be applied to isotopic characterization of nuclear materials by TIMS and ICP-MS to eliminate isobaric interferences between Pu-238 /U- 238 and Pu-241/Am-241. TEVA Resin, UTEVA Resin, and TRU Resin columns will be used with vacuum-assisted flow rates to minimize TIMS and ICP-MS sample turnaround times. For metallic impurity analysis, rapid column removal methods using UTEVA Resin, AGMP-1 anion resin and AG MP-50 cation resin have also been developed to remove plutonium and uranium matrix interferences prior to ICP-AES and ICP- MS measurements.
Maxwell, S.L. III [Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States); Jones, V.D.
Thermal Imaging Control of Furnaces and Combustors
The object if this project is to demonstrate and bring to commercial readiness a near-infrared thermal imaging control system for high temperature furnaces and combustors. The thermal imaging control system, including hardware, signal processing, and control software, is designed to be rugged, self-calibrating, easy to install, and relatively transparent to the furnace operator.
David M. Rue; Serguei Zelepouga; Ishwar K. Puri
Study on machined thermal sprayed coatings adherence
Thermal sprayed coatings represent a modern way of solving real important problems, like repairing worn parts working under severe wearing conditions or, ensuring efficient corrosion protection of parts used in sea, as platform, bridges, or obtaining ... Keywords: adherence, cylindrical turning, metallizing process, sample, thermal sprayed coatings, transducer
Mihaiela Iliescu; Mihnea Costoiu; Sergiu Tonoiu
Rapid reconnaissance of geothermal prospects using shallow temperature
Second technical report Second technical report Jump to: navigation, search GEOTHERMAL ENERGYGeothermal Home Report: Rapid reconnaissance of geothermal prospects using shallow temperature surveys. Second technical report Details Activities (1) Areas (1) Regions (0) Abstract: The previously examined geothermal sites at Long Valley and Coso were studied in much greater detail. Techniques for correcting the 2-m temperature data were evaluated. Using a preliminary model and analysis of the Coso data, the importance of measuring soil thermal diffusivity data at each temperature probe site was shown. Corrected 2-m temperature anomaly at Coso was compared with a low altitude aeromagnetic anomaly and an anomaly outlined by electrical resistivity methods obtained independently. Preliminary tests were made with a simple thermal conductivity probe
Solar-thermal power technical and management support. Program summary report
Support activities described are: preparation of the significant development weekly reports; preparation of briefings for the Solar Thermal Power Systems Program; preparation of the Annual Thermal Power Systems Technical Progress Report; Integrated Solar Thermal/Industrial Process Heat Program Plan; review of the Storage Technology Development Program for Thermal Power Systems; and review of the Thermal Power Systems Multiyear Plan. A draft of the Goals and Requirements Section of the Integrated Solar Thermal/Industrial Process Heat Program Plan is included. (LEW)
Rapid starting methanol reactor system
The invention relates to a methanol-to-hydrogen cracking reactor for use with a fuel cell vehicular power plant. The system is particularly designed for rapid start-up of the catalytic methanol cracking reactor after an extended shut-down period, i.e., after the vehicular fuel cell power plant has been inoperative overnight. Rapid system start-up is accomplished by a combination of direct and indirect heating of the cracking catalyst. Initially, liquid methanol is burned with a stoichiometric or slightly lean air mixture in the combustion chamber of the reactor assembly. The hot combustion gas travels down a flue gas chamber in heat exchange relationship with the catalytic cracking chamber transferring heat across the catalyst chamber wall to heat the catalyst indirectly. The combustion gas is then diverted back through the catalyst bed to heat the catalyst pellets directly. When the cracking reactor temperature reaches operating temperature, methanol combustion is stopped and a hot gas valve is switched to route the flue gas overboard, with methanol being fed directly to the catalytic cracking reactor. Thereafter, the burner operates on excess hydrogen from the fuel cells.
Chludzinski, Paul J. (38 Berkshire St., Swampscott, MA 01907); Dantowitz, Philip (39 Nancy Ave., Peabody, MA 01960); McElroy, James F. (12 Old Cart Rd., Hamilton, MA 01936)
World NGL markets continue rapid expansion
The international LPG industry has expanded rapidly during the 1990s and undergone significant changes. LPG consumption has expanded at nearly twice the rate of world petroleum demand. In particular, LPG use in residential and commercial markets has more than doubled in many developing countries. Markets for LPG and other petroleum products have been opened in many countries, accelerating demand growth and creating investment opportunities in all downstream segments. This has led to an overall strengthening of global LPG pricing and the development of many new export gas-processing projects. The paper discusses world LPG demand in residential and commercial markets and in petrochemicals, world LPG supply, regional increases, international trade, the US situation in natural gas, NGL supply, and NGL demand.
Otto, K.; Gist, R.; Whitley, C. [Purvin and Gertz, Houston, TX (United States); Haun, R. [Purvin and Gertz, Dallas, TX (United States)
NetCOPE: Platform for Rapid Development of Network Applications
Rapid development in area of network technologies and the bandwidth increase to 1Gbps or 10Gbps puts more and more requirements to devices, that have to process or analyze a network traffic. The results from numerous research works show that the performance ...
Tomas Martinek; Martin Kosek
An effect of stimulated radiation processes on thermal radiation from an accretion disk is considered. The radial density waves triggering flare emission and producing quasiperiodic oscillations in radiation from an accretion disk are discussed. It is argued that the observational data suggest the existence of the weak laser sources in a twotemperature plasma of an accretion disk. It was shown earlier that thermal radio emission has a stimulated character and that this statement is probably valid for thermal blackbody radiation in others spectral ranges (Prigara 2003). According to this conception thermal radiation from non-uniform gas is produced by an ensemble of individual emitters.
unknown authors
Keynote Presentation at RAPID 2013
... of technology innovations will be integrally linked to production processes� to ... and he tasked the Departments of Defense and Energy to use ...
Processes Processes Manufacturing Technologies The vacuum processing capabilities in the Thin Film, Vacuum, & Packaging Laboratory encompass several areas. Capabilities include vacuum, inert gas and hydrogen firing; thermal desorption mass spectroscopy; vacuum out- gassing rate measurement; ion beam milling; and cermet densification. Capabilities * Expertise in the development of cleaning processes and materials characterization of vacuum materials and components * Vacuum and hydrogen firing of components for oxide reduction and cleaning of vacuum components * Large scale cleaning processes, vapor degreasing and vacu- um firing for large vol- ume components * Thermal desorption mass spectroscopy of material and components with controlled tem- perature ramp rates to 1500°C in a UHV
Quasi-Lagrangian Models of Nascent Thermals
Thermals are modeled by considering their boundaries as self-advecting vortex sheets. Both slab-symmetric and axisymmetiic geometries are considered. Discussion is restricted to the case of a neutral environment, and turbulent processes are not ...
Sandro Rambaldi; David A. Randall
Rapid 500-mb Cyclogenesis and Anticyclogenesis
Rapid intensification of cyclones and anticyclones in National Meteorological Center 500-mb height analyses is investigated during the 1983�84 through 1986�87 cool seasons (September through May). Rapid intensification is defined by analyzed ...
Timothy L. Alberta; Stephen J. Colucci; J. Clay Davenport
Powder and Laser Processing
Mar 2, 2011 ... Highly thermal conductive materials were hard to be bonded without .... are placed in closed insulating caskets and heated by an 83 GHz beam to ... by Cold Gas Dynamic Spray Processing: Paul Eason1; Phillip Brooke1;�...
Thermal Shock-resistant Cement
We studied the effectiveness of sodium silicate-activated Class F fly ash in improving the thermal shock resistance and in extending the onset of hydration of Secar #80 refractory cement. When the dry mix cement, consisting of Secar #80, Class F fly ash, and sodium silicate, came in contact with water, NaOH derived from the dissolution of sodium silicate preferentially reacted with Class F fly ash, rather than the #80, to dissociate silicate anions from Class F fly ash. Then, these dissociated silicate ions delayed significantly the hydration of #80 possessing a rapid setting behavior. We undertook a multiple heating -water cooling quenching-cycle test to evaluate the cement�s resistance to thermal shock. In one cycle, we heated the 200 and #61616;C-autoclaved cement at 500 and #61616;C for 24 hours, and then the heated cement was rapidly immersed in water at 25 and #61616;C. This cycle was repeated five times. The phase composition of the autoclaved #80/Class F fly ash blend cements comprised four crystalline hydration products, boehmite, katoite, hydrogrossular, and hydroxysodalite, responsible for strengthening cement. After a test of 5-cycle heat-water quenching, we observed three crystalline phase-transformations in this autoclaved cement: boehmite and #61614; and #61543;-Al2O3, katoite and #61614; calcite, and hydroxysodalite and #61614; carbonated sodalite. Among those, the hydroxysodalite and #61614; carbonated sodalite transformation not only played a pivotal role in densifying the cementitious structure and in sustaining the original compressive strength developed after autoclaving, but also offered an improved resistance of the #80 cement to thermal shock. In contrast, autoclaved Class G well cement with and without Class F fly ash and quartz flour failed this cycle test, generating multiple cracks in the cement. The major reason for such impairment was the hydration of lime derived from the dehydroxylation of portlandite formed in the autoclaved cement, causing its volume to expand.
Sugama T.; Pyatina, T.; Gill, S.
Rapid Solar Mirror Characterization with Fringe Reflection ...
Energy Analysis Rapid ... Technology Marketing Summary This technology is an automated system in which the ... Solar Energy; More Information Patent ...
Rapid automatic keyword extraction for information retrieval ...
Methods and systems for rapid automatic keyword extraction for information retrieval and analysis. Embodiments can include parsing words in an ...
Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Rapid, Ultra- sensitive ...
A rapid, highly sensitive, inexpensive method to detect and identify specific hazardous environmental pollutants has been invented by ORNL ...
Nanostructured materials are rarely synthesized with appropriate phase and/or morphology. In this study, critical additional of as-synthesized nanostructured materials, such as annealing and/or activation of dopants, are addressed using infrared plasma arc lamps (PAL) over areas as large as 1,000 cm2. The broad spectral range of the PAL and the spectral variation of light absorption in nanostructured materials make the selection of processing parameters extremely difficult, posing a major technological barrier. In this study, the measurement of the surface temperature using various techniques for ZnO films on crystalline silicon wafers is discussed. An energy transport model for the simulation of rapid thermal processing using PAL is presented. The experimental and computational results show that the surface temperature cannot be measured directly and that computer simulation results are an effective tool for obtaining accurate data on processing temperatures.
Sabau, Adrian S [ORNL; Dinwiddie, Ralph Barton [ORNL; Xu, Jun [ORNL; Angelini, Joseph Attilio [ORNL; Harper, David C [ORNL
Accurately determining the escape rate from a planet's atmosphere is critical for determining its evolution. A large amount of Cassini data is now available for Titan's upper atmosphere and a wealth of data is expected within the next decade on escape from Pluto, Mars, and extra-solar planets. Escape can be driven by upward thermal conduction of energy deposited well below the exobase, as well as by nonthermal processes produced by energy deposited in the exobase region. Recent applications of a model for escape driven by upward thermal conduction, called the slow hydrodynamic escape model, have resulted in surprisingly large loss rates for the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Based on a molecular kinetic simulation of the exobase region, these rates appear to be orders of magnitude too large. Therefore, the slow hydrodynamic model is evaluated here. It is shown that such a model cannot give a reliable description of the atmospheric temperature profile unless it is coupled to a molecular kinetic description of the exobase region. Therefore, the present escape rates for Titan and Pluto must be re-evaluated using the atmospheric model described here.
Johnson, Robert E., E-mail: email@example.com [Engineering Physics, Thornton Hall B102, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22902 (United States); Physics Department, New York University, New York, NY 10003 (United States)
Manipulation of Thermal Phonons
Developing materials that can conduct electricity easily, but block the motion of phonons is necessary in the applications of thermoelectric devices, which can generate electricity from temperature differences. In converse, a key requirement as chips get faster is to obtain better ways to dissipate heat. Controlling heat transfer in these crystalline materials devices � such as silicon � is important. The heat is actually the motion or vibration of atoms known as phonons. Finding ways to manipulate the behavior of phonons is crucial for both energy applications and the cooling of integrated circuits. A novel class of artificially periodic structured materials � phononic crystals � might make manipulation of thermal phonons possible. In many fields of physical sciences and engineering, acoustic wave propagation in solids attracts many researchers. Wave propagation phenomena can be analyzed by mathematically solving the acoustic wave equation. However, wave propagation in inhomogeneous media with various geometric structures is too complex to find an exact solution. Hence, the Finite Difference Time Domain method is developed to investigate these complicated problems. In this work, the Finite-Difference Time-Domain formula is derived from acoustic wave equations based on the Taylor�s expansion. The numerical dispersion and stability problems are analyzed. In addition, the convergence conditions of numerical acoustic wave are stated. Based on the periodicity of phononic crystal, the Bloch�s theorem is applied to fulfill the periodic boundary condition of the FDTD method. Then a wide-band input signal is used to excite various acoustic waves with different frequencies. In the beginning of the calculation process, the wave vector is chosen and fixed. By means of recording the displacement field and taking the Fourier transformation, we can obtain the eigenmodes from the resonance peaks of the spectrum and draw the dispersion relation curve of acoustic waves. With the large investment in silicon nanofabrication techniques, this makes tungsten/silicon phononic crystal a particularly attractive platform for manipulating thermal phonons. Phononic crystal makes use of the fundamental properties of waves to create band gap over which there can be no propagation of acoustic waves in the crystal. This crystal can be applied to deterministically manipulate the phonon dispersion curve affected by different crystal structures and to modify the phonon thermal conductivity accordingly. We can expect this unique metamaterial is a promising route to creating unprecedented thermal properties for highly-efficient energy harvesting and thermoelectric cooling.
Hsu, Chung-Hao
RAPID toolkit/FAQ | Open Energy Information
source source History View New Pages Recent Changes All Special Pages Semantic Search/Querying Get Involved Help Apps Datasets Community Login | Sign Up Search Page Edit History Facebook icon Twitter icon » RAPID toolkit/FAQ Jump to: navigation, search Rapid selected.png RAPIDtoolkit About FAQ Contact Us Presentations Outreach Get Involved Tools Frequently Asked Questions What does RAPID offer? The RAPID web site provides tools to aid in the permitting of renewable energy and bulk transmission projects. RAPID covers federal and state regulations for selected states. Additional states and technologies are continuously being added, so check back for new information. Does RAPID address bills that have not been enacted or regulations that have not been fully approved? No. How is RAPID maintained?
Prospect of Rapidity Asymmetry and Nuclear Modifications
In asymmetric heavy ion collisions like dA or pA, particle production yields are different in the forward (d- or p-side) and backward (A-side) rapidity directions. The rapidity distribution reflects the geometry and phase-space distribution of nuclear matter. These properties may depend on the time evolution of the collision. Due to the smallness of the backward-forward differences, the rapidity asymmetry factor can be useful to quantify nuclear modification effects, like e.g. shadowing and the EMC effect. Our work is a survey of the nuclear modification factor and the rapidity asymmetries at RHIC energies. We analyze the rapidity dependence and the strength of the nuclear effects. We focus on the high transverse momentum region, and make predictions for the role of nuclear modifications and rapidity asymmetries for future experimental measurements at increasing absolute values of rapidity.
G. G. Barnaf�ldi; A. Adeluyi; G. Fai; P. L�vai; G. Papp
High Thermal Gradient Directional Solidification with Liquid Metal ...
Presentation Title, High Thermal Gradient Directional Solidification with Liquid Metal Cooling and Its Application in the Processing of Nickel-Based Superalloys.
Stabilized thermally beneficiated low rank coal and method of ...
A process for reducing the spontaneous combustion tendencies of thermally beneficiated low rank coals employing heat, air or an oxygen containing gas ...
Inhomogeneous holographic thermalization
The sudden injection of energy in a strongly coupled conformal field theory and its subsequent thermalization can be holographically modeled by a shell falling into anti-de Sitter space and forming a black brane. For a homogeneous shell, Bhattacharyya and Minwalla were able to study this process analytically using a weak field approximation. Motivated by event-by-event fluctuations in heavy ion collisions, we include inhomogeneities in this model, obtaining analytic results in a long wavelength expansion. In the early-time window in which our approximations can be trusted, the resulting evolution matches well with that of a simple free streaming model. Near the end of this time window, we find that the stress tensor approaches that of second-order viscous hydrodynamics. We comment on possible lessons for heavy ion phenomenology.
V. Balasubramanian; A. Bernamonti; J. de Boer; B. Craps; L. Franti; F. Galli; E. Keski-Vakkuri; B. M�ller; A. Sch�fer
The Blend Plan was written to identify items stored outside of the 213 MBA that will be moved into the MBA for thermal stabilization processing. Product quality oxide items stored in our vaults are found in Appendix B. A table is included in Appendix B which details the isotopic values for the oxide items and calculates the amount of material of any specific run that can be placed in a product can and maintain the 15 watt limit to meet storage vault specifications. There is no chance of exceeding the 15 watt limit with items starting with the designations ''LAO'' or ''PBO.'' All items starting with the designations ''BO,'' ''BLO,'' and ''DZ0'' are at risk of exceeding the 15 watt specification if the can were to be filled.
HEATS: Thermal Energy Storage
HEATS Project: The 15 projects that make up ARPA-E�s HEATS program, short for �High Energy Advanced Thermal Storage,� seek to develop revolutionary, cost-effective ways to store thermal energy. HEATS focuses on 3 specific areas: 1) developing high-temperature solar thermal energy storage capable of cost-effectively delivering electricity around the clock and thermal energy storage for nuclear power plants capable of cost-effectively meeting peak demand, 2) creating synthetic fuel efficiently from sunlight by converting sunlight into heat, and 3) using thermal energy storage to improve the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs) and also enable thermal management of internal combustion engine vehicles.
Thermal contact resistance
This work deals with phenomena of thermal resistance for metallic surfaces in contact. The main concern of the work is to develop reliable and practical methods for prediction of the thermal contact resistance for various ...
Mikic, B. B.
Underground Coal Thermal Treatment
The long-term objective of this work is to develop a transformational energy production technology by insitu thermal treatment of a coal seam for the production of substitute natural gas (SNG) while leaving much of the coal�??s carbon in the ground. This process converts coal to a high-efficiency, low-GHG emitting gas fuel. It holds the potential of providing environmentally acceptable access to previously unusable coal resources. This topical report discusses the development of experimental capabilities, the collection of available data, and the development of simulation tools to obtain process thermo-chemical and geo-thermal parameters in preparation for the eventual demonstration in a coal seam. It also includes experimental and modeling studies of CO{sub 2} sequestration. Efforts focused on: �?� Constructing a suite of three different coal pyrolysis reactors. These reactors offer the ability to gather heat transfer, mass transfer and kinetic data during coal pyrolysis under conditions that mimic in situ conditions (Subtask 6.1). �?� Studying the operational parameters for various underground thermal treatment processes for oil shale and coal and completing a design matrix analysis for the underground coal thermal treatment (UCTT). This analysis yielded recommendations for terms of targeted coal rank, well orientation, rubblization, presence of oxygen, temperature, pressure, and heating sources (Subtask 6.2). �?� Developing capabilities for simulating UCTT, including modifying the geometry as well as the solution algorithm to achieve long simulation times in a rubblized coal bed by resolving the convective channels occurring in the representative domain (Subtask 6.3). �?� Studying the reactive behavior of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) with limestone, sandstone, arkose (a more complex sandstone) and peridotite, including mineralogical changes and brine chemistry for the different initial rock compositions (Subtask 6.4). Arkose exhibited the highest tendency of participating in mineral reactions, which can be attributed to the geochemical complexity of its initial mineral assemblage. In experiments with limestone, continuous dissolution was observed with the release of CO{sub 2} gas, indicated by the increasing pressure in the reactor (formation of a gas chamber). This occurred due to the lack of any source of alkali to buffer the solution. Arkose has the geochemical complexity for permanent sequestration of CO{sub 2} as carbonates and is also relatively abundant. The effect of including NH{sub 3} in the injected gas stream was also investigated in this study. Precipitation of calcite and trace amounts of ammonium zeolites was observed. A batch geochemical model was developed using Geochemists Workbench (GWB). Degassing effect in the experiments was corrected using the sliding fugacity model in GWB. Experimental and simulation results were compared and a reasonable agreement between the two was observed.
P. Smith; M. Deo; E. Eddings; A. Sarofim; K. Gueishen; M. Hradisky; K. Kelly; P. Mandalaparty; H. Zhang
Method for rapidly producing microporous and mesoporous materials
An improved, rapid process is provided for making microporous and mesoporous materials, including aerogels and pre-ceramics. A gel or gel precursor is confined in a sealed vessel to prevent structural expansion of the gel during the heating process. This confinement allows the gelation and drying processes to be greatly accelerated, and significantly reduces the time required to produce a dried aerogel compared to conventional methods. Drying may be performed either by subcritical drying with a pressurized fluid to expel the liquid from the gel pores or by supercritical drying. The rates of heating and decompression are significantly higher than for conventional methods.
Coronado, Paul R. (Livermore, CA); Poco, John F. (Livermore, CA); Hrubesh, Lawrence W. (Pleasanton, CA); Hopper, Robert W. (Danville, CA)
An improved, rapid process is provided for making microporous and mesoporous materials, including aerogels and pre-ceramics. A gel or gel precursor is confined in a sealed vessel to prevent structural expansion of the gel during the heating process. This confinement allows the gelation and drying processes to be greatly accelerated, and significantly reduces the time required to produce a dried aerogel compared to conventional methods. Drying may be performed either by subcritical drying with a pressurized fluid to expel the liquid from the gel pores or by supercritical drying. The rates of heating and decompression are significantly higher than for conventional methods. 3 figs.
Coronado, P.R.; Poco, J.F.; Hrubesh, L.W.; Hopper, R.W.
Thermal Spray Coatings
Table 35 Thermal spray coatings used for hardfacing applications...piston ring (internal combustion);
Nanocomposite Thermal Spray Coatings.
Long-Term Surface Restoration Effect Introduced by Advanced Lubricant Additive � Nanocomposite Thermal Spray Coatings. New Hardfacing Overlay Claddings�...
Thermal and Electrical Transport in Oxide Heterostructures
of thermal conductivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.4 Thermal transport in2.3.2 Thermal transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ravichandran, Jayakanth
Apparatus for nuclear transmutation and power production using an intense accelerator-generated thermal neutron flux
Apparatus for nuclear transmutation and power production using an intense accelerator-generated thermal neutron flux. High thermal neutron fluxes generated from the action of a high power proton accelerator on a spallation target allows the efficient burn-up of higher actinide nuclear waste by a two-step process. Additionally, rapid burn-up of fission product waste for nuclides having small thermal neutron cross sections, and the practicality of small material inventories while achieving significant throughput derive from employment of such high fluxes. Several nuclear technology problems are addressed including 1. nuclear energy production without a waste stream requiring storage on a geological timescale, 2. the burn-up of defense and commercial nuclear waste, and 3. the production of defense nuclear material. The apparatus includes an accelerator, a target for neutron production surrounded by a blanket region for transmutation, a turbine for electric power production, and a chemical processing facility. In all applications, the accelerator power may be generated internally from fission and the waste produced thereby is transmuted internally so that waste management might not be required beyond the human lifespan.
Bowman, Charles D. (Los Alamos, NM)
Bowman, C.D.
phonon transmission and interface thermal conductance acrossF. Miao, et al. , "Superior Thermal Conductivity of Single-Advanced Materials for Thermal Management of Electronic
Thermal neutron detection system
According to the present invention, a system for measuring a thermal neutron emission from a neutron source, has a reflector/moderator proximate the neutron source that reflects and moderates neutrons from the neutron source. The reflector/moderator further directs thermal neutrons toward an unmoderated thermal neutron detector.
Peurrung, Anthony J. (Richland, WA); Stromswold, David C. (West Richland, WA)
Reactive gas atomization processing for Fe-based ODS alloys
Gas atomization reaction synthesis was employed as a simplified method for processing oxide dispersion forming precursor Fe-based powders (e.g., Fe-Cr-Y-Hf). During this process a reactive atomization gas (i.e., Ar-O{sub 2}) was used to oxidize the powder surfaces during primary break-up and rapid solidification of the molten alloy. This resulted in envelopment of the powders by an ultra-thin (t dispersion strengthened microstructures were engineered from different powder particle size ranges, illustrating microstructural control as a function of particle solidification rate. Additionally, preliminary thermal-mechanical processing was used to develop a fine scale dislocation substructure for ultimate strengthening of the alloy.
Rieken, J.R.; Anderson, I.E.; Kramer, M.J.; Odette, G.R.; Stergarc, E.; Haney, E.
and Ocean Optics) Patent Baohua Gu. Functionalized Gold Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrate for Rapid and Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Anionic Species
Current Projects: Rapid Sampling Tools - Vulnerability Assessment...
Applications include counter-terrorism, emergency response teams, drug and environmental raids, and waste management. For more information visit Rapid Sampling from Sealed...
ARM - Evaluation Product - Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI)
ProductsMultispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) ProductsMultispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) Comments? We would love to hear from you! Send us a note below or call us at 1-888-ARM-DATA. Send Evaluation Product : Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) 2000.10.01 - 2003.05.02 Site(s) NSA SGP General Description The Multispectral Thermal Imager is a space-based research and development project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nonproliferation and National Security. MTI's primary objective is to demonstrate advanced multispectral and thermal imaging, image processing, and associated technologies that could be used in future systems for detecting and characterizing facilities producing weapons of mass destruction. However, ARM and the MTI have an arrangement that allows ARM to receive MTI images.
Use of Rapid Temperature Measurements at a 2-Meter Depth to Augment Deeper
Use of Rapid Temperature Measurements at a 2-Meter Depth to Augment Deeper Use of Rapid Temperature Measurements at a 2-Meter Depth to Augment Deeper Temperature Gradient Drilling Jump to: navigation, search OpenEI Reference LibraryAdd to library Conference Paper: Use of Rapid Temperature Measurements at a 2-Meter Depth to Augment Deeper Temperature Gradient Drilling Abstract Temperature gradient drilling has historically been a key tool in the exploration for geothermal resources in the Great Basin, USA, but regulatory, environmental, and accessibility issues, as well as the expense of drilling, are increasingly limiting its use. In cases where thermal groundwater is not overlain by near-surface cold aquifers, it is possible to augment temperature gradient drilling with temperatures measured from a 2-meter depth. We discuss the development of a rapid, efficient, and
Quantum Process Nonclassicality
We propose a definition of nonclassicality for a single-mode quantum-optical process based on its action on coherent states. If a quantum process transforms a coherent state to a nonclassical state, it is verified to be nonclassical. To identify nonclassical processes, we introduce a representation for quantum processes, called the process-nonclassicality quasiprobability distribution, whose negativities indicate nonclassicality of the process. Using this distribution, we derive a relation for predicting nonclassicality of the output states for a given input state. We experimentally demonstrate our method by considering the single-photon addition as a nonclassical process, and predicting nonclassicality of the output state for an input thermal state.
Saleh Rahimi-Keshari; Thomas Kiesel; Werner Vogel; Samuele Grandi; Alessandro Zavatta; Marco Bellini
Building Energy Software Tools Directory: Thermal Comfort
Thermal Comfort Thermal Comfort logo. Provides a user-friendly interface for calculating thermal comfort parameters and making thermal comfort predictions using several thermal...
An Overview of Facilities and Capabilities to Support the Development of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
Abstract. The future of American space exploration depends on the ability to rapidly and economically access locations of interest throughout the solar system. There is a large body of work (both in the US and the Former Soviet Union) that show that Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) is the most technically mature, advanced propulsion system that can enable this rapid and economical access by its ability to provide a step increase above what is a feasible using a traditional chemical rocket system. For an NTP system to be deployed, the earlier measurements and recent predictions of the performance of the fuel and the reactor system need to be confirmed experimentally prior to launch. Major fuel and reactor system issues to be addressed include fuel performance at temperature, hydrogen compatibility, fission product retention, and restart capability. The prime issue to be addressed for reactor system performance testing involves finding an affordable and environmentally acceptable method to test a range of engine sizes using a combination of nuclear and non-nuclear test facilities. This paper provides an assessment of some of the capabilities and facilities that are available or will be needed to develop and test the nuclear fuel, and reactor components. It will also address briefly options to take advantage of the greatly improvement in computation/simulation and materials processing capabilities that would contribute to making the development of an NTP system more affordable. Keywords: Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP), Fuel fabrication, nuclear testing, test facilities.
James Werner; Sam Bhattacharyya; Mike Houts
Rapid Compositional Analysis of Microalgae by NIR Spectroscopy
One of the challenges associated with the development of algal biofuels is the rapid determination of the composition of algae. The oil content in particular is important in a biofuels production process and selecting the right algal strain from a pool of potentially thousands of candidates remains difficult. This article discusses how near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a technology that could be used for distinguishing algal strains and more importantly, differentiating between high and low oil content of biomass.
Laurens, L. M. L.; Wolfrum, E. J.
Integration of rapid prototyping into design and manufacturing
The introduction of rapid prototyping machines into the marketplace promises to revolutionize the process of producing prototype parts with production-like quality. In the age of concurrent engineering and agile manufacturing, it is necessary to exploit applicable new technologies as soon as they become available. The driving force behind integrating these evolutionary processes into the design and manufacture of prototype parts is the need to reduce lead times and fabrication costs, improve efficiency, and increase flexibility without sacrificing quality. Sandia utilizes Stereolithography (SL) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) capabilities to support internal design and manufacturing efforts. SL is used in the design iteration process to produce proof-of-concept models, hands-on models for design reviews, fit-check models, visual aids for manufacturing, and functional parts in assemblies. SLS is used to produce wax patterns for the lost wax process of investment casting in support of an internal Sandia National Laboratories program called FASTCAST which integrates experimental and computational technologies into the investment casting process. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the SL and SLS processes and address our experiences with these technologies from the standpoints of application, accuracy, surface finish, and feature definition. Also presented will be several examples of prototype parts manufactured by the Stereolithography and Selective Laser Sintering rapid prototyping machines.
Atwood, C.L.; McCarty, G.D.; Pardo, B.T.; Bryce, E.A.
The Experiment on Rapidly Intensifying cyclones over the Atlantic (ERICA) Field Study: Objectives and Plans
The Experiment on Rapidly Intensifying Cyclones over the Atlantic (ERICA) field study is designed to determine physical mechanisms and processes, and their critical spatial and temporal combinations, which can account for the wintertime ...
Ron Hadlock; Carl W. Kreitzberg
Thermal spray applications for power plant components
Power plants usually are located near water and many are in salt water environments. Corrosion occurring in these environments is a problem often solved with thermal spray coatings. The use of thermal spray aluminum and zinc in three power plants for various components is reviewed. Special emphasis is on the cooling tower at the Seabrook, New Hampshire plant. A guide to selection of the coating and process also is given.
Sampson, E.R.
Automatic rapid attachable warhead section
Disclosed are a method and apparatus for automatically selecting warheads or reentry vehicles from a storage area containing a plurality of types of warheads or reentry vehicles, automatically selecting weapon carriers from a storage area containing at least one type of weapon carrier, manipulating and aligning the selected warheads or reentry vehicles and weapon carriers, and automatically coupling the warheads or reentry vehicles with the weapon carriers such that coupling of improperly selected warheads or reentry vehicles with weapon carriers is inhibited. Such inhibition enhances safety of operations and is achieved by a number of means including computer control of the process of selection and coupling and use of connectorless interfaces capable of assuring that improperly selected items will be rejected or rendered inoperable prior to coupling. Also disclosed are a method and apparatus wherein the stated principles pertaining to selection, coupling and inhibition are extended to apply to any item-to-be-carried and any carrying assembly. 10 figures.
Trennel, A.J.
Disclosed are a method and apparatus for (1) automatically selecting warheads or reentry vehicles from a storage area containing a plurality of types of warheads or reentry vehicles, (2) automatically selecting weapon carriers from a storage area containing at least one type of weapon carrier, (3) manipulating and aligning the selected warheads or reentry vehicles and weapon carriers, and (4) automatically coupling the warheads or reentry vehicles with the weapon carriers such that coupling of improperly selected warheads or reentry vehicles with weapon carriers is inhibited. Such inhibition enhances safety of operations and is achieved by a number of means including computer control of the process of selection and coupling and use of connectorless interfaces capable of assuring that improperly selected items will be rejected or rendered inoperable prior to coupling. Also disclosed are a method and apparatus wherein the stated principles pertaining to selection, coupling and inhibition are extended to apply to any item-to-be-carried and any carrying assembly.
Trennel, Anthony J. (Albuquerque, NM)
An inhomogeneous jet model for the rapid variability of TeV blazars
We present a new time-dependent inhomogeneous jet model of non-thermal blazar emission, which reproduces the entire spectral energy distribution together with the rapid gamma-ray variability. Ultra-relativistic leptons are injected at the base of a jet and propagate along the jet structure. We assume continuous reacceleration and cooling, producing a relativistic quasi-maxwellian (or "pile-up") particle energy distribution. The synchrotron and Synchrotron-Self Compton jet emissivity are computed at each altitude. Klein-Nishina effects as well as intrinsic gamma-gamma absorption are included in the computation. Due to the pair production optical depth, considerable particle density enhancement can occur, particularly during flaring states. Time-dependent jet emission can be computed by varying the particle injection, but due to the sensitivity of pair production process, only small variations of the injected density are required during the flares. The stratification of the jet emission, together with a pile-up distribution, allows significantly lower bulk Lorentz factors, compared to one-zone models. Applying this model to the case of PKS2155-304 and its big TeV flare observed in 2006, we can reproduce simultaneously the average broad band spectrum of this source as well as the TeV spectra and TeV light curve of the flare with bulk Lorentz factor lower than 15.
Timoth� Boutelier; Gilles Henri; Pierre-Olivier Petrucci
The solar thermal report. Volume 3, Number 5
This report is published by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the DOE Solar Thermal Technology Division to provide an account of work sponsored by the Division and to aid the community of people interested in solar thermal technology in gaining access to technical information. Contents include articles entitled the following: Solar system supplies thermal energy for producing chemicals at USS plant; Solar thermal power module designed for small community market; Roof-mounted trough system supplies process heat for Caterpillar plant; Solar thermal update -- 10 MW(e) pilot plant and 3-MW(t) total energy system; Solar steam processes crude oil; New York investigates solar ponds as a source of thermal energy; On-farm solar -- Finding new uses for the sun; and Topical index of solar thermal report articles.
Processing of CuInSe{sub 2}-based solar cells: Characterization of deposition processes in terms of chemical reaction analyses. Phase I annual report, 6 May 1995--5 May 1996
An interdisciplinary team of five graduate students and four faculty have made considerable progress during Phase I of this program. The objective of this initiative is to develop a high-rate processing sequence to produce device-quality thin films of CI(G)S(Se). A comprehensive CI(G)S(Se) device fabrication capability is being established that includes thermal evaporation and plasma assisted deposition of CI(G)S(Se), rapid thermal processing, DC sputtering of both undoped and doped ZnO, CBD and MOCVD of CdS, and rf sputtering of Mo. Insight into the materials processing issues is being addressed through assessment of the thermochemistry and phase equilibria of the CI(G)S(Se) system, single crystal growth studies, investigation of Na effects on the growth, and detailed materials characterization.
Anderson, T. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)
Processes for producing low cost, high efficiency silicon solar cells
Processes which utilize rapid thermal processing (RTP) are provided for inexpensively producing high efficiency silicon solar cells. The RTP processes preserve minority carrier bulk lifetime .tau. and permit selective adjustment of the depth of the diffused regions, including emitter and back surface field (bsf), within the silicon substrate. In a first RTP process, an RTP step is utilized to simultaneously diffuse phosphorus and aluminum into the front and back surfaces, respectively, of a silicon substrate. Moreover, an in situ controlled cooling procedure preserves the carrier bulk lifetime .tau. and permits selective adjustment of the depth of the diffused regions. In a second RTP process, both simultaneous diffusion of the phosphorus and aluminum as well as annealing of the front and back contacts are accomplished during the RTP step. In a third RTP process, the RTP step accomplishes simultaneous diffusion of the phosphorus and aluminum, annealing of the contacts, and annealing of a double-layer antireflection/passivation coating SiN/SiO.sub.x. In a fourth RTP process, the process of applying front and back contacts is broken up into two separate respective steps, which enhances the efficiency of the cells, at a slight time expense. In a fifth RTP process, a second RTP step is utilized to fire and adhere the screen printed or evaporated contacts to the structure.
Rohatgi, Ajeet (Marietta, GA); Doshi, Parag (Altanta, GA); Tate, John Keith (Lawrenceville, GA); Mejia, Jose (Atlanta, GA); Chen, Zhizhang (Duluth, GA)
Processes which utilize rapid thermal processing (RTP) are provided for inexpensively producing high efficiency silicon solar cells. The RTP processes preserve minority carrier bulk lifetime {tau} and permit selective adjustment of the depth of the diffused regions, including emitter and back surface field (bsf), within the silicon substrate. In a first RTP process, an RTP step is utilized to simultaneously diffuse phosphorus and aluminum into the front and back surfaces, respectively, of a silicon substrate. Moreover, an in situ controlled cooling procedure preserves the carrier bulk lifetime {tau} and permits selective adjustment of the depth of the diffused regions. In a second RTP process, both simultaneous diffusion of the phosphorus and aluminum as well as annealing of the front and back contacts are accomplished during the RTP step. In a third RTP process, the RTP step accomplishes simultaneous diffusion of the phosphorus and aluminum, annealing of the contacts, and annealing of a double-layer antireflection/passivation coating SiN/SiO{sub x}. In a fourth RTP process, the process of applying front and back contacts is broken up into two separate respective steps, which enhances the efficiency of the cells, at a slight time expense. In a fifth RTP process, a second RTP step is utilized to fire and adhere the screen printed or evaporated contacts to the structure. 28 figs.
Rohatgi, A.; Doshi, P.; Tate, J.K.; Mejia, J.; Chen, Z.
Catalytic thermal barrier coatings
A catalyst element (30) for high temperature applications such as a gas turbine engine. The catalyst element includes a metal substrate such as a tube (32) having a layer of ceramic thermal barrier coating material (34) disposed on the substrate for thermally insulating the metal substrate from a high temperature fuel/air mixture. The ceramic thermal barrier coating material is formed of a crystal structure populated with base elements but with selected sites of the crystal structure being populated by substitute ions selected to allow the ceramic thermal barrier coating material to catalytically react the fuel-air mixture at a higher rate than would the base compound without the ionic substitutions. Precious metal crystallites may be disposed within the crystal structure to allow the ceramic thermal barrier coating material to catalytically react the fuel-air mixture at a lower light-off temperature than would the ceramic thermal barrier coating material without the precious metal crystallites.
Kulkarni, Anand A. (Orlando, FL); Campbell, Christian X. (Orlando, FL); Subramanian, Ramesh (Oviedo, FL)
A new rapid method for the determination of actinides in soil and sediment samples has been developed at the Savannah River Site Environmental Lab (Aiken, SC, USA) that can be used for samples up to 2 grams in emergency response situations. The actinides in soil method utilizes a rapid sodium hydroxide fusion method, a lanthanum fluoride soil matrix removal step, and a streamlined column separation process with stacked TEVA, TRU and DGA Resin cartridges. Lanthanum was separated rapidly and effectively from Am and Cm on DGA Resin. Vacuum box technology and rapid flow rates are used to reduce analytical time. Alpha sources are prepared using cerium fluoride microprecipitation for counting by alpha spectrometry. The method showed high chemical recoveries and effective removal of interferences. This new procedure was applied to emergency soil samples received in the NRIP Emergency Response exercise administered by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in April, 2009. The actinides in soil results were reported within 4-5 hours with excellent quality.
Maxwell, S.; Culligan, B.; Noyes, G.
Semi-annual technical report Semi-annual technical report Jump to: navigation, search GEOTHERMAL ENERGYGeothermal Home Report: Rapid reconnaissance of geothermal prospects using shallow temperature surveys. Semi-annual technical report Details Activities (1) Areas (1) Regions (0) Abstract: Shallow (2-m) soil temperature data have been collected at 27 sites at Long Valley, California, and at 102 sites at Coso, California. These geothermal areas are locations where traditional deep reconnaissance geothermal survey bore holes have been emplaced, allowing us to compare directly our shallow temperature results with standard geothermal exploration techniques. The effects of surface roughness, albedo, soil thermal diffusivity, topography and elevation were considered in making the necessary corrections to our 2-m temperature data. The corrected data for
Thermal Barrier Coatings
Thermal Barrier Coatings Opportunity The Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is seeking licensing partners interested in implementing United States...
Thermally Conductive Graphite Foam
oriented graphite planes, similar to high performance carbon fibers, which have been estimated to exhibit a thermal conductivity greater than 1700 ...
Variable pressure thermal insulating jacket
A device for controlled insulation of a thermal device. The device includes a thermal jacket with a closed volume able to be evacuated to form an insulating jacket around the thermal source. A getter material is in communcation with the closed volume of the thermal jacket. The getter material can absorb and desorb a control gas to control gas pressure in the volume of the thermal jacket to control thermal conductivity in the thermal jacket.
Nelson, Paul A. (Wheaton, IL); Malecha, Richard F. (Naperville, IL); Chilenskas, Albert A. (Chicago, IL)
A device for controlled insulation of a thermal device is disclosed. The device includes a thermal jacket with a closed volume able to be evacuated to form an insulating jacket around the thermal source. A getter material is in communication with the closed volume of the thermal jacket. The getter material can absorb and desorb a control gas to control gas pressure in the volume of the thermal jacket to control thermal conductivity in the thermal jacket. 10 figs.
Nelson, P.A.; Malecha, R.F.; Chilenskas, A.A.
Main-sequence stars earlier than spectral-type approxF6 or so are expected to rotate rapidly due to their radiative exteriors. This rapid rotation leads to an oblate stellar figure. It also induces the photosphere to be hotter (by up to several thousand kelvin) at the pole than at the equator as a result of a process called gravity darkening that was first predicted by von Zeipel. Transits of extrasolar planets across such a non-uniform, oblate disk yield unusual and distinctive lightcurves that can be used to determine the relative alignment of the stellar rotation pole and the planet orbit normal. This spin-orbit alignment can be used to constrain models of planet formation and evolution. Orderly planet formation and migration within a disk that is coplanar with the stellar equator will result in spin-orbit alignment. More violent planet-planet scattering events should yield spin-orbit misaligned planets. Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements of transits of lower-mass stars show that some planets are spin-orbit aligned, and some are not. Since Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements are difficult around rapid rotators, lightcurve photometry may be the best way to determine the spin-orbit alignment of planets around massive stars. The Kepler mission will monitor approx10{sup 4} of these stars within its sample. The lightcurves of any detected planets will allow us to probe the planet formation process around high-mass stars for the first time.
Barnes, Jason W., E-mail: email@example.com
Upgrading Methane Using Ultra-Fast Thermal Swing Adsorption
The purpose of this project is to design and demonstrate an approach to upgrade low-BTU methane streams from coal mines to pipeline-quality natural gas. The objective of Phase I of the project was to assess the technical feasibility and cost of upgrading low-BTU methane streams using ultra-fast thermal swing adsorption (TSA) using Velocys modular microchannel process technology. The objective of Phase II is to demonstrate the process at the bench-scale. Natural gas upgrading systems have six main unit operations: feed compressor, dehydration unit, nitrogen rejection unit, deoxygenator, carbon dioxide scrubber, and a sales compressor. The NRU is the focus of the development program, and a bench-scale demonstration has been initiated. The Velocys NRU system targets producing methane with greater than 96% purity and at least 90% recovery for final commercial operation. A preliminary cost analysis of the methane upgrading system, including the Velocys NRU, suggests that costs below $2.00 per million (MM) BTU methane may be achieved. The cost for a conventional methane upgrading system is well above $2.30 per MM BTU, as benchmarked in an Environmental Protection Agency study. The project is on schedule and on budget. Task 4, a bench-scale demonstration of the ultra-fast TSA system is complete. Rapid thermal swing of an adsorbent bed using microchannels has been successfully demonstrated and the separation of a 70% methane and 30% nitrogen was purified to 92% methane. The bench-scale demonstration unit was small relative to the system dead volume for the initial phase of experiments and a purge step was added to sweep the dead volume prior to desorbing the bed and measuring purity. A technical and economic feasibility assessment was completed in Task 3. The proposed Velocys technology appears feasible for the methane upgrading market. Evaluated categories include adsorbent selection, rapid-cycle valve selection, microchannel manufacturability assessment, and system design and cost. The selected adsorbent, granular microporous carbon from either Barnaby-Sutcliffe or Calgon, experimentally demonstrated sufficient methane capacity under differential temperature at 100 pounds per square inch gauge. Several valve options were identified, including candidates that can operate millions of cycles between refurbishment. The microchannel adsorber and desorber designs were made using internal Velocys manufacturability standards, and the associated costs are acceptable as included with the complete nitrogen rejection unit (NRU) cost projection. A system design and cost estimate was completed for the NRU section of the methane upgrading system. As integrated into the complete system, the cost is in line with the market requirement.
Anna Lee Tonkovich
Thermal masses in leptogenesis
We investigate the validity of using thermal masses in the kinematics of final states in the decay rate of heavy neutrinos in leptogenesis calculations. We find that using thermal masses this way is a reasonable approximation, but corrections arise through quantum statistical distribution functions and leptonic quasiparticles.
Kiessig, Clemens P
Thermal protection apparatus
An apparatus which thermally protects sensitive components in tools used in a geothermal borehole. The apparatus comprises a Dewar within a housing. The Dewar contains heat pipes such as brass heat pipes for thermally conducting heat from heat sensitive components to a heat sink such as ice.
Bennett, Gloria A. (Los Alamos, NM); Elder, Michael G. (Los Alamos, NM); Kemme, Joseph E. (Albuquerque, NM)
The disclosure is directed to an apparatus for thermally protecting sensitive components in tools used in a geothermal borehole. The apparatus comprises a Dewar within a housing. The Dewar contains heat pipes such as brass heat pipes for thermally conducting heat from heat sensitive components such as electronics to a heat sink such as ice.
Bennett, G.A.; Elder, M.G.; Kemme, J.E.
Presidential Rapid Commercialization Initiative for mixed waste solvent extraction
Recently, the Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) has made some major steps in mixed waste treatment which have taken it closer to meeting final remediation goals. However, one major hurdle remains for the FEMP mixed waste treatment program, and that hurdle is tri-mixed waste. Tri-mixed is a term coined to describe low-level waste containing RCRA hazardous constituents along with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). The prescribed method for disposal of PCBs is incineration. In mixed waste treatment plans developed by the FEMP with public input, the FEMP committed to pursue non-thermal treatment methods and avoid the use of incineration. Through the SITE Program, the FEMP identified a non-thermal treatment technology which uses solvents to extract PCBs. The technology belongs to a small company called Terra-Kleen Response Group, Inc. A question arose as to how can this new and innovative technology be implemented by a small company at a Department of Energy (DOE) facility. The answer came in the form of the Rapid Commercialization Initiative (RCI) and the Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA). RCI is a program sponsored by the Department of commerce (DOC), DOE, Department of Defense (DOD), US EPA and various state agencies to aid companies to market new and innovative technologies.
Honigford, L.; Dilday, D.; Cook, D. [Fluor Daniel Fernald, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (United States). Fernald Environmental Management Project; Sattler, J. [USDOE Fernald Area Office, OH (United States)
Thermal treatment wall
A thermal treatment wall emplaced to perform in-situ destruction of contaminants in groundwater. Thermal destruction of specific contaminants occurs by hydrous pyrolysis/oxidation at temperatures achievable by existing thermal remediation techniques (electrical heating or steam injection) in the presence of oxygen or soil mineral oxidants, such as MnO.sub.2. The thermal treatment wall can be installed in a variety of configurations depending on the specific objectives, and can be used for groundwater cleanup, wherein in-situ destruction of contaminants is carried out rather than extracting contaminated fluids to the surface, where they are to be cleaned. In addition, the thermal treatment wall can be used for both plume interdiction and near-wellhead in-situ groundwater treatment. Thus, this technique can be utilized for a variety of groundwater contamination problems.
Aines, Roger D. (Livermore, CA); Newmark, Robin L. (Livermore, CA); Knauss, Kevin G. (Livermore, CA)
Solar thermal aircraft
A solar thermal powered aircraft powered by heat energy from the sun. A heat engine, such as a Stirling engine, is carried by the aircraft body for producing power for a propulsion mechanism, such as a propeller. The heat engine has a thermal battery in thermal contact with it so that heat is supplied from the thermal battery. A solar concentrator, such as reflective parabolic trough, is movably connected to an optically transparent section of the aircraft body for receiving and concentrating solar energy from within the aircraft. Concentrated solar energy is collected by a heat collection and transport conduit, and heat transported to the thermal battery. A solar tracker includes a heliostat for determining optimal alignment with the sun, and a drive motor actuating the solar concentrator into optimal alignment with the sun based on a determination by the heliostat.
Bennett, Charles L. (Livermore, CA)
City of Grand Rapids Building Solar Roof Demonstration
Grand Rapids, Michigan is striving to reduce it environmental footprint. The municipal government organization has established environmental sustainability policies with the goal of securing 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. This report describes the process by which the City of Grand Rapids evaluated, selected and installed solar panels on the Water/Environmental Services Building. The solar panels are the first to be placed on a municipal building. Its new power monitoring system provides output data to assess energy efficiency and utilization. It is expected to generate enough clean solar energy to power 25 percent of the building. The benefit to the public includes the economic savings from reduced operational costs for the building; an improved environmentally sustainable area in which to live and work; and increased knowledge about the use of solar energy. It will serve as a model for future energy saving applications.
DeClercq, Mark; Martinez, Imelda
Characterization of Thermal Properties of Depleted Uranium Metal Microspheres
Nuclear fuel comes in many forms; oxide fuel is the most commonly used in current reactor systems while metal fuel is a promising fuel type for future reactors due to neutronic performance and increased thermal conductivity. As a key heat transfer parameter, thermal conductivity describes the heat transport properties of a material based upon the density, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity. A material�s ability to transport thermal energy through its structure is a measurable property known as thermal diffusivity; the units for thermal diffusivity are given in area per unit time (e.g., m2/s). Current measurement methods for thermal diffusivity include LASER (or light) Flash Analysis and the hot-wire method. This study examines an approach that combines these previous two methods to characterize the diffusivity of a packed bed of microspheres of depleted uranium (DU) metal, which have a nominal diameter of 250 micrometers. The new apparatus is designated as the Crucible Heater Test Assembly (CHTA), and it induces a radial transient across a packed sample of microspheres then monitors the temperature profile using an array of thermocouples located at different distances from the source of the thermal transient. From the thermocouple data and an accurate time log, the thermal diffusivity of the sample may be calculated. Results indicate that DU microspheres have very low thermal conductivity, relative to solid uranium metal, and rapidly form an oxidation layer. At 500�C, the thermal conductivity of the DU microspheres was 0.431 � 13% W/m-K compared to approximately 32 W/m-K for solid uranium metal. Characterization of the developed apparatus revealed a method that may be useful for measuring the thermal diffusivity of powders and liquids.
Humrickhouse, Carissa Joy
Cogeneration improves thermal EOR efficiency
This paper reports that the successful completion and operation of a cogeneration plant is a prime example of the multi-faceted use of cogeneration. Through high-efficiency operation, significant energy is saved by combining the two process of steam and electrical production. The 225-megawatt (mw) cogeneration plant provides 1,215 million lb/hr of steam for thermally enhanced oil recovery (TEOR) at the Midway-Sunset oil field in south-central California. Overall pollutant emissions as well as total electric and steam production costs have been reduced. The area's biological resources also have been protected.
Western, E.R. (Oryx Energy Co., Fellows, CA (US)); Nass, D.W. (Chas. T. Main Inc., Pasadena, CA (US))
Thermally-related safety issues associated with thermal batteries.
Thermal batteries can experience thermal runaway under certain usage conditions. This can lead to safety issues for personnel and cause damage to associated test equipment if the battery thermally self destructs. This report discusses a number of thermal and design related issues that can lead to catastrophic destruction of thermal batteries under certain conditions. Contributing factors are identified and mitigating actions are presented to minimize or prevent undesirable thermal runaway.
Guidotti, Ronald Armand
Process / CI Process
2 Process/Continual Improvement Rev. 11_0406 Page 1 of 6 2 Process/Continual Improvement Rev. 11_0406 Page 1 of 6 EOTA - Business Process Document Title: Process/Continual Improvement Document Number: P-012 Rev 11_0406 Document Owner: Elizabeth Sousa Backup Owner: David Rocha Approver(s): Melissa Otero Parent Document: Q-001 Quality Manual Notify of Changes: EOTA Staff Referenced Document(s): F-016 Process/Continual Improvement Form, P-001 Document Control Process, P-008 Corrective Action and Preventive Action, P-004 Business System Management Review P-012 Process/Continual Improvement Rev. 11_0406 Page 2 of 6 Revision History:
There is an increasing need to develop faster analytical methods for emergency response, including emergency soil and air filter samples. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) performed analyses on samples received from Japan in April, 2011 as part of a U.S. Department of Energy effort to provide assistance to the government of Japan, following the nuclear event at Fukushima Daiichi, resulting from the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Of particular concern was whether it was safe to plant rice in certain areas (prefectures) near Fukushima. The primary objectives of the sample collection, sample analysis, and data assessment teams were to evaluate personnel exposure hazards, identify the nuclear power plant radiological source term and plume deposition, and assist the government of Japan in assessing any environmental and agricultural impacts associated with the nuclear event. SRNL analyzed approximately 250 samples and reported approximately 500 analytical method determinations. Samples included soil from farmland surrounding the Fukushima reactors and air monitoring samples of national interest, including those collected at the U.S. Embassy and American military bases. Samples were analyzed for a wide range of radionuclides, including strontium-89, strontium-90, gamma-emitting radionuclides, and plutonium, uranium, americium and curium isotopes. Technical aspects of the rapid soil and air filter analyses will be described. The extent of radiostrontium contamination was a significant concern. For {sup 89,90}Sr analyses on soil samples, a rapid fusion technique using 1.5 gram soil aliquots to enable a Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) of calcium fluoride precipitations, followed by Sr-Resin separation and gas flow proportional counting. To achieve a lower detection limit for analysis of some of the Japanese soil samples, a 10 gram aliquot of soil was taken, acid-leached and processed with similar preconcentration chemistry. The MDA using this approach was ~0.03 pCi/g (1.1 mBq/g)/, which is less than the 0.05-0.10 pCi/g {sup 90}Sr levels found in soil as a result of global fallout. The chemical yields observed for the Japanese soil samples was typically 75-80% and the laboratory control sample (LCS) and matrix spike (MS) results looked very good for this work Individual QC results were well within the � 25% acceptable range and the average of these results does not show significant bias. Additional data for a radiostrontium in soil method for 50 gram samples will also be presented, which appears to be a significant step forward based on looking at the current literature, with higher chemical yields for even larger sample aliquots and lower MDA. Hou et al surveyed a wide range of separation methods for Pu in waters and environmental solid samples. While there are many actinide methods in the scientific literature, few would be considered rapid due to the tedious and time-consuming steps involved. For actinide analyses in soil, a new rapid method for the determination of actinide isotopes in soil samples using both alpha spectrometry and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry was employed. The new rapid soil method utilizes an acid leaching method, iron/titanium hydroxide precipitation, a lanthanum fluoride soil matrix removal step, and a rapid column separation process with TEVA Resin. The large soil matrix is removed easily and rapidly using these two simple precipitations with high chemical recoveries and effective removal of interferences. Vacuum box technology and rapid flow rates were used to reduce analytical time. Challenges associated with the mineral content in the volcanic soil will be discussed. Air filter samples were reported within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt using rapid techniques published previously. The r
Maxwell, S.
Damage Evolution in Thermal Barrier Coatings with Thermal Cycling
Abstract Scope, Thermal barrier coatings typically fail on cooling after prolonged thermal cycling by the growth of sub-critical interface separations. Observations�...
List of Ocean Thermal Incentives | Open Energy Information
Thermal Incentives Thermal Incentives Jump to: navigation, search The following contains the list of 96 Ocean Thermal Incentives. CSV (rows 1 - 96) Incentive Incentive Type Place Applicable Sector Eligible Technologies Active Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC) (Federal) Corporate Tax Credit United States Agricultural Commercial Industrial Utility Anaerobic Digestion Biomass CHP/Cogeneration Fuel Cells Fuel Cells using Renewable Fuels Geothermal Direct Use Geothermal Electric Ground Source Heat Pumps Hydroelectric energy Landfill Gas Microturbines Municipal Solid Waste Ocean Thermal Photovoltaics Small Hydroelectric Small Wind Solar Space Heat Solar Thermal Electric Solar Thermal Process Heat Solar Water Heat Tidal Energy Wave Energy Wind energy Yes CCEF - Project 150 Initiative (Connecticut) State Grant Program Connecticut Commercial Solar Thermal Electric
Improving Battery Design with Electro-Thermal Modeling
Operating temperature greatly affects the performance and life of batteries in electric and hybrid vehicles. Increased attention is necessary to battery thermal management. Electrochemical models and finite element analysis tools are available for predicting the thermal performance of batteries, but each has limitations. In this study we describe an electro-thermal finite element approach that predicts the thermal performance of a cell or module with realistic geometry. To illustrate the process, we simulated the thermal performance of two generations of Panasonic prismatic nickel-metal-hydride modules used in the Toyota Prius. The model showed why the new generation of Panasonic modules had better thermal performance. Thermal images from two battery modules under constant current discharge indicate that the model predicts the experimental trend reasonably well.
Bharathan, D.; Pesaran, A.; Vlahinos, A.; Kim, G.-H.
Improving scrap tire processing
The market for tire-derived materials is growing rapidly, with the largest market being tire-derived fuels. There is therefore a growing demand for higher quality products. This paper describes the processing and removal of steel from scrap tires.
Astafan, C.G. [Columbus McKinnon Corp., Sarasota, FL (United States)
Efficient thermal management for multiprocessor systems
2.2.4 Thermal Modeling . . . . . . . .63 Table 4.3: Thermal Hot Spots . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Performance-Efficient Thermal Management . . . . . . . . . .
Co?kun, Ay?e K?v?lc?m
Cooling thermal storage
This article gives some overall guidelines for successful operation of cooling thermal storage installations. Electric utilities use rates and other incentives to encourage thermal storage, which not only reduces their system peaks but also transfers a portion of their load from expensive daytime inefficient peaking plants to less expensive nighttime base load high efficiency coal and nuclear plants. There are hundreds of thermal storage installations around the country. Some of these are very successful; others have failed to achieve all of their predicted benefits because application considerations were not properly addressed.
Gatley, D.P.
Gas atomization reaction synthesis was employed as a simplified method for processing oxide dispersion forming precursor Fe-based powders (e.g., Fe�Cr�Y�Hf). During this process a reactive atomization gas (i.e., Ar�O2) was used to oxidize the powder surfaces during primary break-up and rapid solidification of the molten alloy. This resulted in envelopment of the powders by an ultra-thin (t < 50 nm) metastable Cr-enriched oxide shell that was used as a vehicle to transport oxygen into the consolidated microstructure. Subsequent elevated temperature heat treatment promoted thermodynamically driven oxygen exchange reactions between trapped films of Cr-enriched oxide and internal (Y, Hf)-enriched intermetallic precipitates, resulting in highly stable nano-metric mixed oxide dispersoids (i.e., Y�Hf�O) that were identified with X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography results also revealed that the size and distribution of the dispersoids were found to depend strongly on the original rapidly solidified microstructure. To exploit this, several oxide dispersion strengthened microstructures were engineered from different powder particle size ranges, illustrating microstructural control as a function of particle solidification rate. Additionally, preliminary thermal�mechanical processing was used to develop a fine scale dislocation substructure for ultimate strengthening of the alloy.
Rieken, Joel R [Ames Laboratory; Anderson, Iver E [Ames Laboratory; Kramer, Matthew J [Ames Laboratory; Odette, G R [University of California; Stergar, E [University of California; Haney, E [University of California
An evaporation-based model of thermal neutron induced ternary fission of plutonium
Ternary fission probabilities for thermal neutron induced fission of plutonium are analyzed within the framework of an evaporation-based model where the complexity of time-varying potentials, associated with the neck collapse, are included in a simplistic fashion. If the nuclear temperature at scission and the fission-neck-collapse time are assumed to be ~1.2 MeV and ~10^-22 s, respectively, then calculated relative probabilities of ternary-fission light-charged-particle emission follow the trends seen in the experimental data. The ability of this model to reproduce ternary fission probabilities spanning seven orders of magnitude for a wide range of light-particle charges and masses implies that ternary fission is caused by the coupling of an evaporation-like process with the rapid re-arrangement of the nuclear fluid following scission.
J. P. Lestone
Single particle machine for generalized thermalization
The long time accumulation of the actions of single particle "reservoir" can transfer some information of its initial state to its coupled system. This dynamic process can be referred as a generalized thermalization since the coupled system can reach the same temperature as that of the reservoir in a thermal equilibrium. The system can be cooled and "coherently heated" as a maser process, respectively, when the reservoir is initially prepared in ground and excited states. Especially, when the "reservoir" in equilibrium is driven to possesses some coherence, the thermalized system may reach higher temperature in comparison with the reservoir. We also point out a possible experimental test for our theoretical prediction based on superconducting circuit QED.
Liao, Jie-Qiao; Sun, C P
Multilayer thermal barrier coating systems
The present invention generally describes multilayer thermal barrier coating systems and methods of making the multilayer thermal barrier coating systems. The thermal barrier coating systems comprise a first ceramic layer, a second ceramic layer, a thermally grown oxide layer, a metallic bond coating layer and a substrate. The thermal barrier coating systems have improved high temperature thermal and chemical stability for use in gas turbine applications.
Vance, Steven J. (Orlando, FL); Goedjen, John G. (Oviedo, FL); Sabol, Stephen M. (Orlando, FL); Sloan, Kelly M. (Longwood, FL)
Scalable autonic processing systems
The number of automotive functions that are controlled by computers is rapidly increasing. In the past, these functions were confined to stand-alone control units, such as the engine or ABS brake controller. In modern cars, the data exchange between ... Keywords: autonic systems, distributed processing and real-time systems, event-triggered, fault tolerance, parallel processing, scalable automotive electronics system, time-triggered, vehicle electronics
Adnan Shaout; Najamuz Zaman; Taisir Eldos
Thermal insulations using vacuum panels
Thermal insulation vacuum panels are formed of an inner core of compressed low thermal conductivity powders enclosed by a ceramic/glass envelope evaluated to a low pressure.
Glicksman, Leon R. (Lynnfield, MA); Burke, Melissa S. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Ocean Thermal | Open Energy Information
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Comparison of Thermal Insulation Materials.
??This thesis is about comparing of different thermal insulation materials of different manufactures. In our days there are a lot of different thermal insulation materials� (more)
Chaykovskiy, German
Integrability vs Quantum Thermalization
Non-integrability is often taken as a prerequisite for quantum thermalization. Still, a generally accepted definition of quantum integrability is lacking. With the basis in the driven Rabi model we discuss this careless usage of the term "integrability" in connection to quantum thermalization. The model would be classified as non-integrable according to the most commonly used definitions, for example, the only preserved quantity is the total energy. Despite this fact, a thorough analysis conjectures that the system will not thermalize. Thus, our findings suggest first of all (i) that care should be paid when linking non-integrability with thermalization, and secondly (ii) that the standardly used definitions for quantum integrability are unsatisfactory.
Jonas Larson
Contact thermal lithography
Contact thermal lithography is a method for fabricating microscale patterns using heat transfer. In contrast to photolithography, where the minimum achievable feature size is proportional to the wavelength of light used ...
Schmidt, Aaron Jerome, 1979-
Properties of Thermal Glueballs
We study the properties of the 0++ glueball at finite temperature using SU(3) quenched lattice QCD. We find a significant thermal effects near T_c. We perform the \\chi^2 fit analyses adopting two Ansaetze for the spectral function, i.e., the conventional narrow-peak Ansatz and an advanced Breit-Wigner Ansatz. The latter is an extension of the former, taking account of the appearance of the thermal width at T>0. We also perform the MEM analysis. These analyses indicate that the thermal effect on the glueball is a significant thermal-width broadening \\Gamma(T_c) \\sim 300 MeV together with a modest reduction in the peak center \\Delta\\omega_0(T_c) \\sim 100 MeV.
Noriyoshi Ishii; Hideo Suganuma
Thermal springs of Wyoming
This bulletin attempts, first, to provide a comprehensive inventory of the thermal springs of Wyoming; second, to explore the geologic and hydrologic factors producing these springs; and, third, to analyze the springs collectively as an indicator of the geothermal resources of the state. A general discussion of the state's geology and the mechanisms of thermal spring production, along with a brief comparison of Wyoming's springs with worldwide thermal features are included. A discussion of geothermal energy resources, a guide for visitors, and an analysis of the flora of Wyoming's springs follow the spring inventory. The listing and analysis of Wyoming's thermal springs are arranged alphabetically by county. Tabulated data are given on elevation, ownership, access, water temperature, and flow rate. Each spring system is described and its history, general characteristics and uses, geology, hydrology, and chemistry are discussed. (MHR)
Breckenridge, R.M.; Hinckley, B.S.
Solar Thermal Manufacturing Activities
Reports and Publications (EIA)
This report, Solar Thermal Collector Manufacturing Activities, providesan overview and tables with historical data spanning 2000-2009. These tables willcorrespond to similar tables to be presented in the Renewable Energy Annual 2009 andare numbered accordingly.
Michele Simmons
Rock Rapids Municipal Utility | Open Energy Information
Rapids Municipal Utility Rapids Municipal Utility Jump to: navigation, search Name Rock Rapids Municipal Utility Place Iowa Utility Id 16206 Utility Location Yes Ownership M NERC Location MRO NERC MRO Yes Operates Generating Plant Yes Activity Generation Yes Activity Transmission Yes Activity Buying Transmission Yes Activity Distribution Yes References EIA Form EIA-861 Final Data File for 2010 - File1_a[1] LinkedIn Connections CrunchBase Profile No CrunchBase profile. Create one now! This article is a stub. You can help OpenEI by expanding it. Utility Rate Schedules Grid-background.png Commercial Power (Single-Phase) Commercial Commercial Power (Three-Phase) Commercial Residential Power Residential Average Rates Residential: $0.0807/kWh Commercial: $0.0633/kWh Industrial: $0.0899/kWh
A new rapid method for the determination of actinides and strontium in air filter samples has been developed at the Savannah River Site Environmental Lab (Aiken, SC, USA) that can be used in emergency response situations. The actinides and strontium in air filter method utilizes a rapid acid digestion method and a streamlined column separation process with stacked TEVA, TRU and Sr Resin cartridges. Vacuum box technology and rapid flow rates are used to reduce analytical time. Alpha emitters are prepared using cerium fluoride microprecipitation for counting by alpha spectrometry. The purified {sup 90}Sr fractions are mounted directly on planchets and counted by gas flow proportional counting. The method showed high chemical recoveries and effective removal of interferences. This new procedure was applied to emergency air filter samples received in the NRIP Emergency Response exercise administered by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in April, 2009. The actinide and {sup 90}Sr in air filter results were reported in {approx}4 hours with excellent quality.
Maxwell, S.; Noyes, G.; Culligan, B.
Photovoltaic-thermal collectors
A photovoltaic-thermal solar cell including a semiconductor body having antireflective top and bottom surfaces and coated on each said surface with a patterned electrode covering less than 10% of the surface area. A thermal-absorbing surface is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the semiconductor and a heat-exchange fluid is passed between the bottom surface and the heat-absorbing surface.
Cox, III, Charles H. (Carlisle, MA)
Thermal Energy Storage
This Technology Brief provides an update on the current state of cool thermal energy storage systems (TES) for end-use applications. Because of its ability to shape energy use, TES is strategic technology that allows end-users to reduce their energy costs while simultaneously providing benefits for electric utilities through persistent peak demand reduction and peak shifting. In addition to discussing the concepts of thermal energy storage, the Brief discusses the current state of TES technologies and dr...
Texas Thermal Comfort Report
thermal comfort thermal comfort Too often, the systems in our houses are both physically and intellectually inaccessible. In the SNAP House, HVAC components are integrated into the overall structure, and act as an experiential threshold between public and private spaces. They are located in a central, structural chase that supports the clerestory and gives the systems a functional presence within the interior. Each individual component is contained within a single chase
Phase controlled rectifier circuit for rapidly charging batteries
An improved battery charger circuit for rapidly charging a battery by increasing the rate of battery charge acceptance through periodic battery discharge during the charging process includes a pair of first and second controlled rectifier circuits coupled to an ac source and adapted for coupling to a battery. The first controlled rectifier circuit is rendered conductive during the charging intervals to supply the battery with charge current from the ac source. The second controlled rectifier circuit is rendered conductive during battery discharge intervals to discharge the battery in a substantially lossless manner by conducting battery discharge current through the ac source, thus realizing a highly efficient battery charger.
Steigerwald, R. L.
Spontaneous emissions and thermalization of cold bosons in optical lattices
We study the thermalization of excitations generated by spontaneous emission events for cold bosons in an optical lattice. Computing the dynamics described by the many-body master equa- tion, we characterize equilibration timescales in different parameter regimes. For simple observables, we find regimes in which the system relaxes rapidly to values in agreement with a thermal distribu- tion, and others where thermalization does not occur on typical experimental timescales. Because spontaneous emissions lead effectively to a local quantum quench, this behavior is strongly depen- dent on the low-energy spectrum of the Hamiltonian, and undergoes a qualitative change at the Mott Insulator-superfluid transition point. These results have important implications for the un- derstanding of thermalization after localized quenches in isolated quantum gases, as well as the characterization of heating in experiments.
Johannes Schachenmayer; Lode Pollet; Matthias Troyer; Andrew John Daley
A new rapid method for the determination of {sup 226}Ra in environmental samples has been developed at the Savannah River Site Environmental Lab (Aiken, SC, USA) that can be used for emergency response or routine sample analyses. The need for rapid analyses in the event of a Radiological Dispersive Device or Improvised Nuclear Device event is well-known. In addition, the recent accident at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in March, 2011 reinforces the need to have rapid analyses for radionuclides in environmental samples in the event of a nuclear accident. {sup 226}Ra (T1/2 = 1,620 years) is one of the most toxic of the long-lived alpha-emitters present in the environment due to its long life and its tendency to concentrate in bones, which increases the internal radiation dose of individuals. The new method to determine {sup 226}Ra in environmental samples utilizes a rapid sodium hydroxide fusion method for solid samples, calcium carbonate precipitation to preconcentrate Ra, and rapid column separation steps to remove interferences. The column separation process uses cation exchange resin to remove large amounts of calcium, Sr Resin to remove barium and Ln Resin as a final purification step to remove {sup 225}Ac and potential interferences. The purified {sup 226}Ra sample test sources are prepared using barium sulfate microprecipitation in the presence of isopropanol for counting by alpha spectrometry. The method showed good chemical recoveries and effective removal of interferences. The determination of {sup 226}Ra in environmental samples can be performed in less than 16 h for vegetation, concrete, brick, soil, and air filter samples with excellent quality for emergency or routine analyses. The sample preparation work takes less than 6 h. {sup 225}Ra (T1/2 = 14.9 day) tracer is used and the {sup 225}Ra progeny {sup 217}At is used to determine chemical yield via alpha spectrometry. The rapid fusion technique is a rugged sample digestion method that ensures that any refractory radium particles are effectively digested. The preconcentration and column separation steps can also be applied to aqueous samples with good results.
Power and thermal challenges in mobile devices
In spite of significant advances in the development of low-power designs and power management techniques, power remains and will remain a first-class design constraint for mobile devices. The functionality integrated into mobile devices will only continue ... Keywords: leakage power, mobile devices, power management, process variability, thermal management
Krishna Sekar
Architectural implications of spatial thermal filtering
Process technology scaling, lagging supply voltage scaling, and the resulting exponential increase in power density, have made temperature a first-class design constraint in today's microprocessors. Prior work has shown that the silicon substrate acts ... Keywords: Aspect ratio, Granularity, Many-core, Spatial filtering, Temperature, Thermal management
Karthik Sankaranarayanan; Brett H. Meyer; Wei Huang; Robert Ribando; Hossein Haj-Hariri; Mircea R. Stan; Kevin Skadron
RRTT - Rapid Response Team for Transmission
Rapid Response Team- Rapid Response Team- Transmission Exploring the Business Link Opportunity: Transmission & Clean Energy Development in the West TRIBAL LEADER FORUM SERIES February 7, 2012 Laura Smith Morton Department of Energy firstname.lastname@example.com Nine Agency MOU * Improves uniformity, consistency, and transparency - Establishes the roles and responsibilities of the nine signatory agencies regarding electric transmission infrastructure project applicants * Provides single point of contact for coordinating all federal authorizations required to locate electric transmission facilities on federal land * Establishes DOE (under authority pursuant to section 216(h) of the FPA) as lead agency for coordinating all federal authorizations and related environmental
SAGA Biennial Technical Meeting and Exhibition Short Paper Rapid Mesozoic thermal and chemical modification of the
, email@example.com 14. ABB Power Technologies ABB HVDC, Sweden, firstname.lastname@example.com 15
Jones, Alan G.
complete Fe30Cr+6AT-supported SOFC membrane after firing atof Fe-Cr ferritic steels as SOFC interconnect material," inmass production route for metallic SOFC-interconnectors," in
effect of pressure on solid oxide fuel cell performance," inflat plate solid oxide fuel cells," in Proceedings of theSymposium on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. Electrochem. Soc. 1993,
Physical aging studied by a device allowing for rapid thermal equilibration
Aging to the equilibrium liquid state of organic glasses is studied. The glasses were prepared by cooling the liquid to temperatures just below the glass transition. Aging following a temperature jump was studied by measuring the dielectric loss at a fixed frequency using a microregulator in which temperature is controlled by means of a Peltier element. Compared to conventional equipment the new device adds almost two orders of magnitude to the span of observable aging times. Data for the following five glass-forming liquids are presented: Dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, 2,3-epoxy propyl-phenyl-ether, 5-polyphenyl-ether, and triphenyl phosphite. The aging data were analyzed using the Tool-Narayanaswamy formalism. The following features are found for all five liquids: 1) Each liquid has an "internal clock", a fact that is established by showing that the aging of the structure is controlled by the same material time that controls the dielectric properties. 2) There are no so-called expansion gaps between the long-time limits of the relaxation rates following up and down jumps to the same temperature. 3) At long times the structural relaxation is not stretched, but a simple exponential decay. 4) For small temperature steps the rate of the long-time exponential structural relaxation is identical to that of the long-time decay of the dipole autocorrelation function.
Tina Hecksher; Niels Boye Olsen; Kristine Niss; Jeppe C. Dyre
Rapid cooling of neutron star in Cassiopeia A and $r$-mode damping in the core
An alternative explanation to the rapid cooling of neutron star in Cas A is proposed, which suggests that the star is experiencing the recovery period following the \\textit{r}-mode heating process, assuming the star is differentially rotating. Like the neutron-superfluidity-triggering model, we predicted the rapid cooling will continue for several decades. But the behavior of the two models has slight differences, and they may be distinguished by observations in the near future.
Yang, Shu-Hua; Zheng, Xiao-Ping
Advanced thermal barrier coating system development. Technical progress report
This report describes work to develop new thermal barrier coating systems, which will be essential to the operation of the ATS engine which is under development. Work is at the stage of process improvement and bond coat improvement, along with proof testing of the coatings under thermal conditions typical of what can be expected in the ATS engine.
Cellulolytic Microorganisms from Thermal Environments
Thermal, anaerobic environments rich in decaying plant material are a potential source of novel cellulolytic bacteria. Samples collected from geothermal aquifers in the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) were used to select for cellulolytic thermophiles. Laboratory enrichments on dilute-acid pretreated plant biomass (switchgrass, Populus), and crystalline cellulose (Avicel) resulted in the isolation of 247 environmental clones. The majority of individual clones were affiliated with the cellulolytic bacteria of phylum Firmicutes, followed by xylanolytic and saccharolytic members of the phylum Dictyoglomi. Among the Firmicutes, the clones were affiliated with the genera Caldicellulosiruptor (54.4%), Caloramator (11.5%), Thermoanaerobacter (8.8%), Thermovenabulum (4.1%), and Clostridium (2.0%). From established anaerobic thermophilic enrichments a total of 81 single strains of the genera Caldicellulosiruptor (57%) and Thermoanaerobacter (43%) were isolated. With continuous flow enrichment on Avicel, increases in the relative abundance of Caloramator sp. was observed over clones detected from the Caldicellulosiruptor. Complex communities of interacting microorganisms bring about cellulose decomposition in nature, therefore using up-to-date approaches may yield novel cellulolytic microorganisms with high activity and a rapid rate of biomass conversion to biofuels.
Vishnivetskaya, Tatiana A [ORNL; Raman, Babu [ORNL; Phelps, Tommy Joe [ORNL; Podar, Mircea [ORNL; Elkins, James G [ORNL
Thermalization and the chromo-Weibel instability
Despite the apparent success of ideal hydrodynamics in describing the elliptic flow data which have been produced at Brookhaven National Lab's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, one lingering question remains: is the use of ideal hydrodynamics at times t < 1 fm/c justified? In order to justify its use a method for rapidly producing isotropic thermal matter at RHIC energies is required. One of the chief obstacles to early isotropization/thermalization is the rapid longitudinal expansion of the matter during the earliest times after the initial nuclear impact. As a result of this expansion the parton distribution functions become locally anisotropic in momentum space. In contrast to locally isotropic plasmas anisotropic plasmas have a spectrum of soft unstable modes which are characterized by exponential growth of transverse chromo-magnetic/-electric fields at short times. This instability is the QCD analogue of the Weibel instability of QED. Parametrically the chromo-Weibel instability provides the fastest method for generation of soft background fields and dominates the short-time dynamics of the system.
Michael Strickland
Rapid Data Assimilation in the Indoor Environment: Theory and...
Rapid Data Assimilation in the Indoor Environment: Theory and Examples from Real-Time Interpretation of Indoor Plumes of Airborne Chemical Title Rapid Data Assimilation in the...
Rapid Data Assimilation in the Indoor Environment: theory and...
Rapid Data Assimilation in the Indoor Environment: theory and examples from real-time interpretation of indoor plumes of airborne chemicals Title Rapid Data Assimilation in the...
Revealing the rapid isothermal growth of graphene on catalytic...
Materials Synthesis from Atoms to Systems Revealing the rapid isothermal growth of graphene on catalytic substrates July 01, 2013 Optical reflectivity tracks the rapid growth of...
GOES Observation of a Rapidly Melting Snowband
GOES observation of rapid dissipation of a 5�10 cm (2�4 inches) depth snowband over the central and upper Mississippi River valley on 15 April 1980 is presented. Differences in the local weather between the stations with and without melting snow ...
Carlyle H. Wash; Delain A. Edman; John Zapotocny
Rapid file system development using ptrace
Developing kernel-level file systems is a difficult task that requires a significant time investment. For experimental file systems, it is desirable to develop a prototype before investing the time required to develop a kernel-level file system. We have ... Keywords: monitors, rapid prototyping
Richard P. Spillane; Charles P. Wright; Gopalan Sivathanu; Erez Zadok
Rapid low fidelity turbomachinery disk optimization
Turbomachinery disks are heavy, highly stressed components used in gas turbines. Improved design of turbomachinery disks could yield a significant reduction in engine weight. This paper focuses on rapid low fidelity design and optimization of isotropic ... Keywords: Flywheel, Optimization, Plane stress, Turbomachinery disk
David P. Gutzwiller; Mark G. Turner
Thermal Performance Engineer's Handbook: Introduction to Thermal Performance
The two-volume Thermal Performance Engineer Handbook will assist thermal performance engineers in identifying and investigating the cause of megawatt (MWe) losses as well as in proposing new ways to increase MWe output. Volume 1 contains a thermal performance primer to provide a brief review of thermodynamic principles involved in the stream power plant thermal cycle. The primer also contains brief descriptions of the equipment and systems in the cycle that can be sources of thermal losses. Also in Volum...
Processes which utilize rapid thermal processing (RTP) are provided for inexpensively producing high efficiency silicon solar cells. The RTP processes preserve minority carrier bulk lifetime .tau. and permit selective adjustment of the depth of the diffused regions, including emitter and back surface field (bsf), within the silicon substrate. Silicon solar cell efficiencies of 16.9% have been achieved. In a first RTP process, an RTP step is utilized to simultaneously diffuse phosphorus and aluminum into the front and back surfaces, respectively, of a silicon substrate. Moreover, an in situ controlled cooling procedure preserves the carrier bulk lifetime .tau. and permits selective adjustment of the depth of the diffused regions. In a second RTP process, both simultaneous diffusion of the phosphorus and aluminum as well as annealing of the front and back contacts are accomplished during the RTP step. In a third RTP process, the RTP step accomplishes simultaneous diffusion of the phosphorus and aluminum, annealing of the contacts, and annealing of a double-layer antireflection/passivation coating SiN/SiO.sub.x.
Rohatgi, Ajeet (Marietta, GA); Chen, Zhizhang (Duluth, GA); Doshi, Parag (Atlanta, GA)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Thermal Management ofUniversity of California, Riverside Acknowledgments First, I
Multilayer Nanoscale Thermal Barrier Coatings
Advanced high-efficiency gas turbines require thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with low thermal conductivity and excellent thermal-cycling resistance. The multilayer TBC developed in this project has a thermal conductivity about half that of conventional TBCs and also rejects up to 70 percent of incoming radiant energy.
List of Solar Thermal Electric Incentives | Open Energy Information
Electric Incentives Electric Incentives Jump to: navigation, search The following contains the list of 548 Solar Thermal Electric Incentives. CSV (rows 1-500) CSV (rows 501-548) Incentive Incentive Type Place Applicable Sector Eligible Technologies Active 30% Business Tax Credit for Solar (Vermont) Corporate Tax Credit Vermont Commercial Industrial Photovoltaics Solar Space Heat Solar Thermal Electric Solar Thermal Process Heat Solar Water Heat No APS - Net Metering (Arizona) Net Metering Arizona Commercial Industrial Residential Nonprofit Schools Local Government State Government Fed. Government Agricultural Institutional Solar Thermal Electric Photovoltaics Wind energy Biomass No Advanced Energy Fund (Ohio) Public Benefits Fund Ohio Commercial Industrial Institutional
Solar-thermal technology
Solar-thermal technology converts sunlight into thermal energy. It stands alongside other solar technologies including solar-electric and photovoltaic technologies, both of which convert sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaic technology converts by direct conversion, and solar-electric converts by using sunlight`s thermal energy in thermodynamic power cycles. The numerous up-and-running solar energy systems prove solar-thermal technology works. But when is it cost-effective, and how can HVAC engineers and facility owners quickly identify cost-effective applications? This article addresses these questions by guiding the reader through the basics of solar-thermal technology. The first section provides an overview of today`s technology including discussions of collectors and typical systems. The next section presents an easy method for identifying potentially cost-effective applications. This section also identifies sources for obtaining more information on the technology--collector ratings and performance, solar manufacturers, and solar design and analysis tools. The article discusses only those collectors and systems that are most often used. Many others are on the market--the article does not, by omission, mean to infer that one is better than the other.
Bennett, C. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Coupled power and thermal simulation with active cooling
Abstract. Power is rapidly becoming the primary design constraint for systems ranging from server computers to handhelds. In this paper we study microarchitecture-level coupled power and thermal simulation considering dynamic and leakage power models with temperature and voltage scaling. We develop an accurate temperature-dependent leakage power model and efficient temperature calculation, and show that leakage energy can be different by up to 10X for temperatures between 35 o C and 110 o C. Given the growing significance of leakage power and its sensitive dependence on temperature, no power simulation without considering dynamic temperature calculation is accurate. Furthermore, we discuss the thermal runaway induced by the interdependence between leakage power and temperature, and show that in the near future thermal runaway could be a severe problem. We also study the microarchitecture level coupled power and thermal management by novel active cooling techniques that reduce packaging thermal resistance. We show that the active cooling technique that reduces thermal resistance from 0.8 o C/W to 0.05 o C/W can increase system maximum clock by up to 2.44X under the same thermal constraints. 1
Weiping Liao; Lei He
Separation of Hydrogen Isotopes by Thermal Diffusion
At high hot wall temperatures the gas phase thermal diffusion column acts as an atomic rather than a molecular separator. A modified theory was developed to describe the process. Equivalent transport equations were derived for the two nuclides in a binary atomic mixture. The equations are identical in form to those normally encountered in thermal diffusion column theory. Experiments to test the theory were carried out with two 3-meter columns. Experimental results with deuterium-tritium mixtures were found to be in satisfactory agreement with theory, and it was concluded that the theory was sufficiently accurate for design purposes.
Rutherford, W. M.; Lindsay, C. N.
Retrieval/ex situ thermal treatment scoring interaction report
A retrieval/ex situ thermal treatment technology process for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory transuranic waste pits and trenches is present. A system performance score is calculated, and assumptions, requirements, and reference baseline technologies for all subelements are included.
Raivo, B.D.; Richardson, J.G.
Multiphase Flow Dynamics 4: Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics, 1st edition
Volume 4 of the successful book package "Multiphase Flow" is devoted to nuclear thermal hydraulics which is a substantial part of nuclear reactor safety. It provides knowledge and mathematical tools for adequate description of the process of transferring ...
Nikolay I. Kolev
Development of an advanced nanocalorimetry system for rapid material characterizations
The development of a versatile system capable of providing rapid, portable, and inexpensive detection of explosives and energetic compounds is needed critically to offer an enhanced level of protection against current and future threats to homeland security, as well as to satisfy a wide range of applications in the fields of forensic analysis, emergency response, and industrial hazards analysis. The hand-held nanocalorimeter will serve as a first-of-its-kind screening tools for explosive and energetic compounds directly in the settings where they are needed with high efficiency, reduced cost, and simplicity with ease of use. Unlike current explosives detectors, this system is based on calorimetric techniques that are inherently capable of providing direct measurements of energy release potential and therefore do not depend on prior knowledge of familiar compounds. The microfabricated calorimetry instrument consists of (i) a thermal control module incorporating arrays of microfabricated heaters and temperature sensors, as well as any necessary electronic interconnections, and (ii) a sample encapsulation module incorporating etched enclosures designed to accommodate either solid or liquid samples. Initial work has led to successful fabrication of a chip capable of sampling nano-sized solid or liquid compounds. Control algorithms incorporating the DSC principle have also been written using LabVIEW. Device performance of the original and redesigned chips were tested by studying the thermal transitions associated with the boiling points of acetone and pentane. With the redesigned chip, the heat loss issue was reduced: the measured input heat was reduced from 32 times of the required energy to 5 times of the required energy. Future work will focus on modifying the chip design and control algorithm to improve accuracy and sensitivity, developing a trace analysis software to link it to a database of explosive information, and adapting different fabrication procedures for high temperature operation and large scale production.
Liu, Yen-Shan
The Savannah River Site's (SRS) H-Canyon facility uses ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) to separate impure neptunium (Np) from a high sulfate feed stream. The material is processed using a two-pass solvent extraction purification which relies on CAN to oxidize neptunium to Np(VI) during the first pass prior to extraction. Spectrophotometric oxidation-state analyses normally used to validate successful oxidation to Np(VI) prior to extraction were compromised by this feed stream matrix. Therefore, a rapid chromatographic method to validate successful Np oxidation was developed using Eichrom Industries TRU and TEVA{reg_sign} resins. The method was validated and subsequently transferred to existing operations in the process analytical laboratories.
Diprete, D; C Diprete, C; Mira Malek, M; Eddie Kyser, E
Article for thermal energy storage
A thermal energy storage composition is provided which is in the form of a gel. The composition includes a phase change material and silica particles, where the phase change material may comprise a linear alkyl hydrocarbon, water/urea, or water. The thermal energy storage composition has a high thermal conductivity, high thermal energy storage, and may be used in a variety of applications such as in thermal shipping containers and gel packs.
Thermal insulated glazing unit
An improved insulated glazing unit is provided which can attain about R5 to about R10 thermal performance at the center of the glass while having dimensions about the same as those of a conventional double glazed insulated glazing unit. An outer glazing and inner glazing are sealed to a spacer to form a gas impermeable space. One or more rigid, non-structural glazings are attached to the inside of the spacer to divide the space between the inner and outer glazings to provide insulating gaps between glazings of from about 0.20 inches to about 0.40 inches. One or more glazing surfaces facing each thermal gap are coated with a low emissivity coating. Finally, the thermal gaps are filled with a low conductance gas such as krypton gas.
Selkowitz, Stephen E. (Piedmont, CA); Arasteh, Dariush K. (Oakland, CA); Hartmann, John L. (Seattle, WA)
Objects of various shapes, with some appreciable hydrogen content, were exposed to fast neutrons from a pulsed D-T generator, resulting in a partially-moderated spectrum of backscattered neutrons. The thermal component of the backscatter was used to form images of the objects by means of a coded aperture thermal neutron imaging system. Timing signals from the neutron generator were used to gate the detection system so as to record only events consistent with thermal neutrons traveling the distance between the target and the detector. It was shown that this time-of-flight method provided a significant improvement in image contrast compared to counting all events detected by the position-sensitive {sup 3}He proportional chamber used in the imager. The technique may have application in the detection and shape-determination of land mines, particularly non-metallic types.
An improved insulated glazing unit is provided which can attain about R5 to about R10 thermal performance at the center of the glass while having dimensions about the same as those of a conventional double glazed insulated glazing unit. An outer glazing and inner glazing are sealed to a spacer to form a gas impermeable space. One or more rigid, non-structural glazings are attached to the inside of the spacer to divide the space between the inner and outer glazings to provide insulating gaps between glazings of from about 0.20 inches to about 0.40 inches. One or more glazing surfaces facing each thermal gap are coated with a low emissivity coating. Finally, the thermal gaps are filled with a low conductance gas such as krypton gas. 2 figs.
Selkowitz, S.E.; Arasteh, D.K.; Hartmann, J.L.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Basics | Department of Energy
Thermal Energy Conversion Basics Thermal Energy Conversion Basics Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Basics August 16, 2013 - 4:22pm Addthis A process called ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the heat energy stored in the Earth's oceans to generate electricity. OTEC works best when the temperature difference between the warmer, top layer of the ocean and the colder, deep ocean water is about 36°F (20°C). These conditions exist in tropical coastal areas, roughly between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. To bring the cold water to the surface, ocean thermal energy conversion plants require an expensive, large-diameter intake pipe, which is submerged a mile or more into the ocean's depths. Some energy experts believe that if ocean thermal energy conversion can become cost-competitive with conventional power technologies, it could be
Thermal test options
Shipping containers for radioactive materials must be qualified to meet a thermal accident environment specified in regulations, such at Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 71. Aimed primarily at the shipping container design, this report discusses the thermal testing options available for meeting the regulatory requirements, and states the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The principal options considered are testing with radiant heat, furnaces, and open pool fires. The report also identifies some of the facilities available and current contacts. Finally, the report makes some recommendations on the appropriate use of these different testing methods.
Koski, J.A.; Keltner, N.R.; Sobolik, K.B.
Thermal energy storage material
A thermal energy storage material which is stable at atmospheric temperature and pressure and has a melting point higher than 32.degree.F. is prepared by dissolving a specific class of clathrate forming compounds, such as tetra n-propyl or tetra n-butyl ammonium fluoride, in water to form a substantially solid clathrate. The resultant thermal energy storage material is capable of absorbing heat from or releasing heat to a given region as it transforms between solid and liquid states in response to temperature changes in the region above and below its melting point.
Leifer, Leslie (Hancock, MI)
Thermal Insulation Systems
Thermal insulation systems are receiving a high degree of attention in view of increasing energy cost. Industrial, commercial and residential energy users are all well aware of energy cost increases and great emphasis is being directed to energy cost reduction programs. One of the best places to start with energy conservation is to employ proper insulation systems. This article discusses the significant properties of thermal insulation materials primarily for industrial application. Some of the information is applicable to commercial and residential insulation. Only hot service conditions will be covered.
Stanley, T. F.
Thermal ignition combustion system
The thermal ignition combustion system comprises means for providing walls defining an ignition chamber, the walls being made of a material having a thermal conductivity greater than 20 W/m C and a specific heat greater than 480 J/kg C with the ignition chamber being in constant communication with the main combustion chamber, means for maintaining the temperature of the walls above a threshold temperature capable of causing ignition of a fuel, and means for conducting fuel to the ignition chamber. 8 figs.
Kamo, R.; Kakwani, R.M.; Valdmanis, E.; Woods, M.E.
Rapid Scan AERI Observations: Benefits and Analysis
Rapid Scan AERI Observations: Benefits and Analysis Rapid Scan AERI Observations: Benefits and Analysis W. F. Feltz, D. D. Turner, R. O. Knuteson, and R. G. Dedecker Space Science and Engineering Center Cooperative Institute of Mesoscale Meteorological Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin D. D. Turner Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland, Washington Introduction The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program has funded the development of the atmospheric emitted radiance interferometer (AERI). This has led to a hardened, autonomous system that measures downwelling infrared (IR) radiance at high-spectral resolution. Seven AERI systems have been deployed around the world as part of the ARM Program. The initial goal of these instruments was to characterize the clear-sky IR emission from the atmosphere,
Why are gasoline prices falling so rapidly?
Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (EIA)
Why are gasoline prices falling so rapidly? Why are gasoline prices falling so rapidly? As of October 29, 2001, the national average retail price of regular gasoline was $1.235 per gallon, its lowest level since November 8, 1999 (Figure 1). The average price has fallen 29 cents in 6 weeks since September 17, with further declines perhaps to come. The sharpest decline has been in the Midwest (Petroleum Administration for Defense District 2), where the average has dropped 57 cents in 8 weeks since Labor Day (September 3). Additionally, this decline comes on the heels of a 33-cent drop in the national average in 10 weeks from Memorial Day through August 6, interrupted only by a brief 17-cent rise in August. In total, the national average retail gasoline price has fallen nearly 48 cents from its peak on May 14. This is already the widest one-year range in retail prices
Cedar Rapids Wind Project | Open Energy Information
Wind Project Wind Project Jump to: navigation, search Name Cedar Rapids Wind Project Facility Cedar Rapids Sector Wind energy Facility Type Community Wind Location NE Coordinates 41.562199°, -98.148048° Loading map... {"minzoom":false,"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","type":"ROADMAP","zoom":14,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"geoservice":"google","maxzoom":false,"width":"600px","height":"350px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","visitedicon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"wmsoverlay":"","layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"kml":[],"gkml":[],"fusiontables":[],"resizable":false,"tilt":0,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"imageoverlays":[],"markercluster":false,"searchmarkers":"","locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":null,"lat":41.562199,"lon":-98.148048,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""}]}
Definition: Thermal Ion Dispersion | Open Energy Information
Dispersion Dispersion Jump to: navigation, search Dictionary.png Thermal Ion Dispersion Thermal Ion Dispersion (TID) is a method used by the precious-metals industry to determine the movement of hot, mineral-bearing waters through rocks, gravels, and soils. The survey involves collection of soil samples and analyses of ions by an enzyme leach process done by commercial laboratories. The method utilizes the property of elements to be dissolved, transported, or deposited depending on the temperature of the thermal waters.{{#tag:ref|[[Final Technical Report}}[1][2][3][4] Also Known As enzyme leach References ↑ Geothermal Resource Evaluation And Definitioni (Gred) Program-Phases I ↑ Ii ↑ And Iii For The Animas Valley ↑ Nm Geothermal Resource]] {{#set:Reference URI={{#explode:{{#replace:[[Final Technical Report|[|}}|
Thermal Spraying Coatings Assisted by Laser Treatment
Coatings produced by air plasma spraying (APS) are widely used to protect components against abrasive wear and corrosion. However, APS coatings contain porosities and the properties of these coatings may thereby be reduced. To improve these properties, various methods could be proposed, including post-laser irradiation [1-4]. Firstly, PROTAL process (thermal spraying assisted by laser) has been developed as a palliative technique to degreasing and grit-blasting prior to thermal spraying. Secondly, thermal spray coatings are densified and remelted using Laser treatment. In this study, a review of microstructure coatings prepared by laser-assisted air plasma spraying will be presented. Mechanical and magnetic properties will be evaluated in relation to changes in the coating microstructure and the properties of such coatings will be compared with those of as-sprayed APS coatings.
Fenineche, N. E.; Cherigui, M. [LERMPS-UTBM (Site de Sevenans), 90010 Belfort Cedex (France)
Gas storage carbon with enhanced thermal conductivity
A carbon fiber carbon matrix hybrid adsorbent monolith with enhanced thermal conductivity for storing and releasing gas through adsorption and desorption is disclosed. The heat of adsorption of the gas species being adsorbed is sufficiently large to cause hybrid monolith heating during adsorption and hybrid monolith cooling during desorption which significantly reduces the storage capacity of the hybrid monolith, or efficiency and economics of a gas separation process. The extent of this phenomenon depends, to a large extent, on the thermal conductivity of the adsorbent hybrid monolith. This invention is a hybrid version of a carbon fiber monolith, which offers significant enhancements to thermal conductivity and potential for improved gas separation and storage systems.
Burchell, Timothy D. (Oak Ridge, TN); Rogers, Michael Ray (Knoxville, TN); Judkins, Roddie R. (Knoxville, TN)
Combustion chemical vapor deposited coatings for thermal barrier coating systems
The new deposition process, combustion chemical vapor deposition, shows a great deal of promise in the area of thermal barrier coating systems. This technique produces dense, adherent coatings, and does not require a reaction chamber. Coatings can therefore be applied in the open atmosphere. The process is potentially suitable for producing high quality CVD coatings for use as interlayers between the bond coat and thermal barrier coating, and/or as overlayers, on top of thermal barrier coatings. In this report, the evaluation of alumina and ceria coatings on a nickel-chromium alloy is described.
Hampikian, J.M.; Carter, W.B. [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Materials Science and Engineering
A Regional GSI-based Ensemble Kalman Filter Data Assimilation System for the Rapid Refresh Configuration: Testing at Reduced Resolution
A regional ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) system is established for potential Rapid Refresh (RAP) operational application. The system borrows data processing and observation operators from the Grid-point Statistical Interpolation (GSI), and ...
Kefeng Zhu; Yujie Pan; Ming Xue; Xuguang Wang; Jeffrey S. Whitaker; Stanley G. Benjamin; Stephen S. Weygandt; Ming Hu
Thermal Reactor Safety
Information is presented concerning fire risk and protection; transient thermal-hydraulic analysis and experiments; class 9 accidents and containment; diagnostics and in-service inspection; risk and cost comparison of alternative electric energy sources; fuel behavior and experiments on core cooling in LOCAs; reactor event reporting analysis; equipment qualification; post facts analysis of the TMI-2 accident; and computational methods.
Thermal barrier coating
A thermal barrier coating for hot gas path components of a combustion turbine based on a zirconia-scandia system. A layer of zirconium scandate having the hexagonal Zr.sub.3 Sc.sub.4 O.sub.12 structure is formed directly on a superalloy substrate or on a bond coat formed on the substrate.
Bowker, Jeffrey Charles (Gibsonia, PA); Sabol, Stephen M. (Orlando, FL); Goedjen, John G. (Oviedo, FL)
Solar thermal financing guidebook
This guidebook contains information on alternative financing methods that could be used to develop solar thermal systems. The financing arrangements discussed include several lease alternatives, joint venture financing, R and D partnerships, industrial revenue bonds, and ordinary sales. In many situations, alternative financing arrangements can significantly enhance the economic attractiveness of solar thermal investments by providing a means to efficiently allocate elements of risk, return on investment, required capital investment, and tax benefits. A net present value approach is an appropriate method that can be used to investigate the economic attractiveness of alternative financing methods. Although other methods are applicable, the net present value approach has advantages of accounting for the time value of money, yielding a single valued solution to the financial analysis, focusing attention on the opportunity cost of capital, and being a commonly understood concept that is relatively simple to apply. A personal computer model for quickly assessing the present value of investments in solar thermal plants with alternative financing methods is presented in this guidebook. General types of financing arrangements that may be desirable for an individual can be chosen based on an assessment of his goals in investing in solar thermal systems and knowledge of the individual's tax situation. Once general financing arrangements have been selected, a screening analysis can quickly determine if the solar investment is worthy of detailed study.
Williams, T.A.; Cole, R.J.; Brown, D.R.; Dirks, J.A.; Edelhertz, H.; Holmlund, I.; Malhotra, S.; Smith, S.A.; Sommers, P.; Willke, T.L.
Cylindrical thermal contact conductance
Thermal contact conductance is highly important in a wide variety of applications, from the cooling of electronic chips to the thermal management of spacecraft. The demand for increased efficiency means that components need to withstand higher temperatures and heat transfer rates. Many situations call for contact heat transfer through nominally cylindrical interfaces, yet relatively few studies of contact conductance through cylindrical interfaces have been undertaken. This study presents a review of the experimental and theoretical investigations of the heat transfer characteristics of composite cylinders, presenting data available in open literature in comparison with relevant correlations. The present investigation presents a study of the thermal contact conductance of cylindrical interfaces. The experimental investigation of sixteen different material combinations offers an opportunity to develop predictive correlations of the contact conductance, in conjunction with an analysis of the interface pressure as a function of the thermal state of the individual cylindrical shells. Experimental results of the present study are compared with previously published conductance data and conductance models.
Ayers, George Harold
Design Tool for Cryogenic Thermal Insulation Systems
Thermal isolation of low-temperature systems from ambient environments is a constant issue faced by practitioners of cryogenics. For energy-efficient systems and processes to be realized, thermal insulation must be considered as an integrated system, not merely an add-on element. A design tool to determine the performance of insulation systems for comparative trade-off studies of different available material options was developed. The approach is to apply thermal analysis to standard shapes (plane walls, cylinders, spheres) that are relatively simple to characterize with a one-dimensional analytical or numerical model. The user describes the system hot and cold boundary geometry and the operating environment. Basic outputs such as heat load and temperature profiles are determined. The user can select from a built-in insulation material database or input user defined materials. Existing information has been combined with the new experimental thermal conductivity data produced by the Cryogenics Test Laboratory for cryogenic and vacuum environments, including high vacuum, soft vacuum, and no vacuum. Materials in the design tool include multilayer insulation, aerogel blankets, aerogel bulk-fill, foams, powders, composites, and other insulation system constructions. A comparison of the design tool to a specific composite thermal insulation system is given.
Demko, Jonathan A [ORNL; Fesmire, J. E. [NASA Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Florida; Augustynowicz, S. D. [Sierra Lobo Inc., Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Optimization of Thermal Cycle for Rails with Respect to the Wear ...
Presentation Title, Optimization of Thermal Cycle for Rails with Respect to the Wear ... A Hybrid Model on Low Energy Ion Beam Processing Leading to Phase�...
Thermal shock resistance ceramic insulator
Thermal shock resistant cermet insulators containing 0.1-20 volume % metal present as a dispersed phase. The insulators are prepared by a process comprising the steps of (a) providing a first solid phase mixture of a ceramic powder and a metal precursor; (b) heating the first solid phase mixture above the minimum decomposition temperature of the metal precursor for no longer than 30 minutes and to a temperature sufficiently above the decomposition temperature to cause the selective decomposition of the metal precursor to the metal to provide a second solid phase mixture comprising particles of ceramic having discrete metal particles adhering to their surfaces, said metal particles having a mean diameter no more than 1/2 the mean diameter of the ceramic particles, and (c) densifying the second solid phase mixture to provide a cermet insulator having 0.1-20 volume % metal present as a dispersed phase.
Morgan, Chester S. (Oak Ridge, TN); Johnson, William R. (Maynardville, TN)
Thermal hydraulics development for CASL
This talk will describe the technical direction of the Thermal-Hydraulics (T-H) Project within the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) Department of Energy Innovation Hub. CASL is focused on developing a 'virtual reactor', that will simulate the physical processes that occur within a light-water reactor. These simulations will address several challenge problems, defined by laboratory, university, and industrial partners that make up CASL. CASL's T-H efforts are encompassed in two sub-projects: (1) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), (2) Interface Treatment Methods (ITM). The CFD subproject will develop non-proprietary, scalable, verified and validated macroscale CFD simulation tools. These tools typically require closures for their turbulence and boiling models, which will be provided by the ITM sub-project, via experiments and microscale (such as DNS) simulation results. The near-term milestones and longer term plans of these two sub-projects will be discussed.
Lowrie, Robert B [Los Alamos National Laboratory
Rapid prototyping method for a microfluidics device
The product design process can be described as a number of steps taken to turn an idea into a reality. One particular design process of creating a microfluidics device was studied and analyzed. A device containing channels ...
Klauber, Kameron L
Preliminary requirements for thermal storage subsystems in solar thermal applications
Methodologies for the analysis of value and comparing thermal storage concepts are presented. Value is a measure of worth and is determined by the cost of conventional fuel systems. Value data for thermal storage in large solar thermal electric power applications are presented. Thermal storage concepts must be compared when all are performing the same mission. A method for doing that analysis, called the ranking index, is derived. Necessary data to use the methodology are included.
Copeland, R.J.
Thermally Activated Desiccant Technology for Heat Recovery and Comfort
Desiccant cooling is an important part of the diverse portfolio of Thermally Activated Technologies (TAT) designed for conversion of heat for the purpose of indoor air quality control. Thermally activated desiccant cooling incorporates a desiccant material that undergoes a cyclic process involving direct dehumidification of moist air and thermal regeneration. Desiccants fall into two categories: liquid and solid desiccants. Regardless of the type, solid or liquid, the governing principles of desiccant dehumidification systems are the same. In the dehumidification process, the vapor pressure of the moist air is higher than that of the desiccant, leading to transfer of moisture from the air to the desiccant material. By heating the desiccant, the vapor pressure differential is reversed in the regeneration process that drives the moisture from the desiccant. Figure 1 illustrates a rotary solid-desiccant dehumidifier. A burner or a thermally compatible source of waste heat can provide the required heat for regeneration.
Jalalzadeh, A. A.