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Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Minimum-mirror-area single-stage solar concentrators
SciTech Connect
A means of generating a comcentrating mirror of minimum size for a given average flux-concentration output is outlined. The method is useful for acceptance angles typical of those required for tilting and tracking solar concentrators and can result in substantial cost savings when expensive mirrors (i.e.,glass) are used. Comparisons are made with compound parabolic concentrators.
Mills, D.; Harting, E.; Giutronich, J.E.; Cellich, W.; Morton, A.; Walker, I.
Minimum explanation complexity for MOD based visual concept detection
Science Conference Proceedings (OSTI)
Visual concept detection in images has been a challenging task for many years. The recently proposed MIRFLICKR-25000 dataset has set the standards even higher as the wide variety of images and annotations require new techniques to tackle the visual concept ... Keywords: feature extraction, local distinctiveness, salient points, visual concept detection
Ard Oerlemans; Michael S. Lew
Spectroscopic detection of nitrogen concentrations in sagebrush
The ability to estimate foliar nitrogen (N) in semi-arid landscapes can yield information on nutritional status and improve our limited understanding of controls on canopy photosynthesis. We examined two spectroscopic methods for estimating sagebrush dried leaf and live shrub N content: first derivative reflectance (FDR) and continuum removal. Both methods used partial least squares (PLS) regression to select wavebands most significantly correlated with N concentrations in the samples. Sagebrush dried leaf spectra produced PLS models (R2 = 0.76�0.86) that could predict N concentrations within the dataset more accurately than PLS models generated from live shrub spectra (R2 = 0.41�0.63). Inclusion of wavelengths associated with leaf water in the FDR transformations appeared to improve regression results. Findings are encouraging and warrant further exploration into sagebrush reflectance spectra to characterize N concentrations.
J. J. MITCHELL; N. F. GLENN; T.T. SANKEY; D. R. DERRYBERRY; R. C. HRUSKA; M. O. Anderson
Method for detection of extremely low concentration
DOE Patents (OSTI)
An ultratrace detector system for hand-held gas chromatography having high sensitivity, for example, to emissions generated during production of weapons, biological compounds, drugs, etc. The detector system is insensitive to water, air, helium, argon, oxygen, and CO.sub.2. The detector system is basically composed of a hand-held capillary gas chromatography (GC), an insulated heated redox-chamber, a detection chamber, and a vapor trap. For example, the detector system may use gas phase redox reactions and spectral absorption of mercury vapor. The gas chromatograph initially separates compounds that percolate through a bed of heated mercuric oxide (HgO) in a silica--or other metal--aerogel material which acts as an insulator. Compounds easily oxidized by HgO liberate atomic mercury that subsequently pass through a detection chamber which includes a detector cell, such as quartz, that is illuminated with a 254 nm ultra-violet (UV) mercury discharge lamp which generates the exact mercury absorption bands that are used to detect the liberated mercury atoms. Atomic mercury strongly absorbs 254 nm energy is therefore a specific signal for reducing compounds eluting from the capillary GC, whereafter the atomic mercury is trapped for example, in a silicon-aerogel trap.
Andresen, Brian D. (Livermore, CA); Miller, Fred S. (Bethal Island, CA)
A New Freeze Concentration Process for Minimum Effluent Process in Bleached Pulp
This project researches freeze concentration as a primary volume reduction technology for bleaching plant effluents from paper-pulp mills before they are treated by expensive technologies, such as incineration, for the destruction of the adsorbable organic halogens. Previous laboratory studies show that freeze concentration has a greater than 99.5% purification efficiency for volatile, semivolatile, and nonprocess elements, or any other solute, thus producing pure ice that can be reused in the mill as water. The first section evaluates the anticipated regulatory and public pressures associated with implementing the technology; the remaining sections deal with the experimental results from a scaled-up freeze concentration process in a 100-liter pilot-plant at Tufts University. The results of laboratory scale experiments confirmed that the freeze concentration technology could be an efficient volume reduction technology for the above elements and for removing adsorbable organic hologens and or nonprocess elements from recycled water. They also provide the necessary data for designing and operating a larger pilot plant, and identify the technical problems encountered in the scale-up and the way they could be addressed in the larger scale plants. This project was originally planned to include the operation of a large pilot plant in the facilities of Swenson Process Equipment Inc., and a field test at a pulp mill, but the paper company withdrew its financial support for the field test. In place of a final economic evaluation after the field test, a preliminary evaluation based on the small pilot plant data predicts an economically reasonable freeze concentration process in the case of reduction of the bleaching-effluent flow to less than 5 m3/kkg pulp, a target anticipated in the near future.
Qian, Ru-Ying; Botsaris, Gregory D.
Trend Detection in Regional-Mean Temperature Series: Maximum, Minimum, Mean, Diurnal Range, and SST
Regional climate trends are of interest both for understanding natural climate processes and as tests of anthropogenic climate change signatures. Relative to global trends, however, their detection is hampered by smaller datasets and the ...
Xiaogu Zheng; Reid E. Basher; Craig S. Thompson
Photoinduced nucleation: a novel tool for detecting molecules in air at ultra-low concentrations
A method and apparatus for determining the presence of molecules in a gas at concentrations of less than about 100 ppb. Light having wavelengths in the range from about 200 nm to about 350 nm is used to illuminate a flowing sample of the gas causing the molecules if present to form clusters. A mixture of the illuminated gas and a vapor is cooled until the vapor is supersaturated so that there is a small rate of homogeneous nucleation. The supersaturated vapor condenses on the clusters thus causing the clusters to grow to a size sufficient to be counted by light scattering and then the clusters are counted.
Katz, Joseph L. (Baltimore, MD); Lihavainen, Heikki (Masala, FI); Rudek, Markus M. (Bruchkoebel, DE); Salter, Brian C. (New Market, MD)
Positron emission mammography (PEM): Effect of activity concentration, object size, and object contrast on phantom lesion detection
Purpose: To characterize the relationship between lesion detection sensitivity and injected activity as a function of lesion size and contrast on the PEM (positron emission mammography) Flex Solo II scanner using phantom experiments. Methods: Phantom lesions (spheres 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 mm diameter) were randomly located in uniform background. Sphere activity concentrations were 3 to 21 times the background activity concentration (BGc). BGc was a surrogate for injected activity; BGc ranged from 0.44-4.1 kBq/mL, corresponding to 46-400 MBq injections. Seven radiologists read 108 images containing zero, one, or two spheres. Readers used a 5-point confidence scale to score the presence of spheres. Results: Sensitivity was 100% for lesions {>=}12 mm under all conditions except for one 12 mm sphere with the lowest contrast and lowest BGc (60% sensitivity). Sensitivity was 100% for 8 mm spheres when either contrast or BGc was high, and 100% for 4 mm spheres only when both contrast and BGc were highest. Sphere contrast recovery coefficients (CRC) were 49%, 34%, 26%, 14%, and 2.8% for the largest to smallest spheres. Cumulative specificity was 98%. Conclusions: Phantom lesion detection sensitivity depends more on sphere size and contrast than on BGc. Detection sensitivity remained {>=}90% for injected activities as low as 100 MBq, for lesions {>=}8 mm. Low CRC in 4 mm objects results in moderate detection sensitivity even for 400 MBq injected activity, making it impractical to optimize injected activity for such lesions. Low CRC indicates that when lesions <8 mm are observed on PEM images they are highly tracer avid with greater potential of clinical significance. High specificity (98%) suggests that image statistical noise does not lead to false positive findings. These results apply to the 85 mm thick object used to obtain them; lesion detectability should be better (worse) for thinner (thicker) objects based on the reduced (increased) influence of photon attenuation.
MacDonald, Lawrence R.; Wang, Carolyn L.; Eissa, Marna; Haseley, David; Kelly, Mary M.; Liu, Franklin; Parikh, Jay R.; Beatty, J. David; Rogers, James V. [Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357987, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357987, Seattle, Washington 98195 and Swedish Cancer Institute, Swedish Medical Center, 1221 Madison Street Arnold Pavilion, Seattle, Washington 98104 (United States); Swedish Cancer Institute, Swedish Medical Center, 1221 Madison Street Arnold Pavilion, Seattle, Washington 98104 (United States); Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357987, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Swedish Cancer Institute, Swedish Medical Center, 1221 Madison Street Arnold Pavilion, Seattle, Washington 98104 (United States)
Minimum Changeover Cost Arborescence
E-Print Network (OSTI)
having minimum changeover cost, a cost that we now describe. ... We define the changeover cost at j, denoted by d(j), as the sum of the costs at j paid for each of �...
Minimum Magnetic Energy Theorem
The Thomson's Theorem states that static charge distributions in conductors show up at the conducting surfaces in an equipotential configuration, so that the electrostatic energy is a minimum. In this work we study an analogue statement for magnetic systems: in a given set of conductors, the stored magnetic field energy reaches the minimum value for superficial current distributions so that the magnetic vector potential is tangent to the conductors surfaces. This is the counterpart of Thomson's theorem for the magnetic field.
Fiolhais, M C N
The Minimum Price Contract
A minimum price contract is one of many tools a marketer may use to better manage price and production risk while trying to achieve financial goals and objectives. This publication discusses the advantages and disadvantages involved in this marketing program and the situations when it can be used.
Waller, Mark L.; Amosson, Stephen H.; Welch, Mark; Dhuyvetter, Kevin C.
Minimum Cost Arborescences ?
In this paper, we analyze the cost allocation problem when a group of agents or nodes have to be connected to a source, and where the cost matrix describing the cost of connecting each pair of agents is not necessarily symmetric, thus extending the well-studied problem of minimum cost spanning tree games, where the costs are assumed to be symmetric. The focus is on rules which satisfy axioms representing incentive and fairness properties. We show that while some results are similar, there are also significant differences between the frameworks corresponding to symmetric and asymmetric cost matrices.
Bhaskar Dutta; Debasis Mishra; We Thank Daniel Granot; Anirban Kar; Herve Moulin For Comments
Minimum Description Length Model Selection
Minimum Description Length Model Selection Problems and Extensions Steven de Rooij #12;#12;Minimum Description Length Model Selection Problems and Extensions #12;ILLC Dissertation Series DS-2008-07 For further-mail: email@example.com homepage: http://www.illc.uva.nl/ #12;Minimum Description Length Model Selection
March 2006 MINIMUM SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS: FEDERAL INFORMATION PROCESSING STANDARD (FIPS) 200 APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE MINIMUM SECURITY REQUIREMENTS BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE Shirley Radack, EditorShirley Radack, Editor Computer Security Division
Quantum games and minimum entropy
This paper analyze Nash's equilibrium (maximum utility MU) and its relations with the order state(minimum entropy ME). I introduce the concept of minimum entropy as a paradigm of both Nash-Hayek's equilibrium. The ME concept is related to Quantum Games. ...
Edward Jim�nez
Detection of chlorine with concentration of 0.18 kg/m{sup 3} in concrete by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
The chlorine concentration in concrete samples was measured by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). One or two pulsed second harmonic Nd:YAG lasers ({lambda}=532 nm) were used for the generation of laser-induced breakdown, and an intensified CCD camera, spectrometer, and optical bundle fiber were used for spectral measurement. To maximize the spectral intensity of the chlorine fluorescence line at a wavelength of 837.59 nm, the time delay between laser irradiation and spectral measurement, the time delay between the two laser pulses in double-pulse measurement, and the gate width of the spectral measurement were optimized. The linear relationship between the spectral intensity of the chlorine fluorescence line and the chlorine concentration was verified for pressed samples with chlorine concentrations from 0.18 to 5.4 kg/m{sup 3}. The signal-to-noise ratio was higher than 2 for the sample with a chlorine concentration of 0.18 kg/m{sup 3} (0.008 wt. %). Thus, a chlorine concentration of 0.6 kg/m{sup 3}, at which the reinforcing bars in concrete structures start to corrode, can be detected. These results show that LIBS is effective for the quantitative measurement of chlorine concentration in concrete with high sensitivity.
Sugiyama, K.; Fujii, T.; Matsumura, T.; Shiogama, Y.; Yamaguchi, M.; Nemoto, K.
Minimum Gas Service Standards (Ohio)
Energy.gov (U.S. Department of Energy (DOE))
Natural gas companies in Ohio are required to follow the Minimum Gas Service Standards, which are set and enforced by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. These rules are found in chapter 4901...
High Hydrogen Concentrations Detected In The Underground Vaults For RH-TRU Waste At INEEL Compared With Calculated Values Using The INEEL-Developed Computer Code
DOE Green Energy (OSTI)
About 700 remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste drums are stored in about 144 underground vaults at the Intermediate-Level Transuranic Storage Facility at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory�s (INEEL�s) Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). These drums were shipped to the INEEL from 1976 through 1996. During recent monitoring, concentrations of hydrogen were found to be in excess of lower explosive limits. The hydrogen concentration in one vault was detected to be as high as 18% (by volume). This condition required evaluation of the safety basis for the facility. The INEEL has developed a computer program to estimate the hydrogen gas generation as a function of time and diffusion through a series of layers (volumes), with a maximum five layers plus a sink/environment. The program solves the first-order diffusion equations as a function of time. The current version of the code is more flexible in terms of user input. The program allows the user to estimate hydrogen concentrations in the different layers of a configuration and then change the configuration after a given time; e.g.; installation of a filter on an unvented drum or placed in a vault or in a shipping cask. The code has been used to predict vault concentrations and to identify potential problems during retrieval and aboveground storage. The code has generally predicted higher hydrogen concentrations than the measured values, particularly for the drums older than 20 year, which could be due to uncertainty and conservative assumptions in drum age, heat generation rate, hydrogen generation rate, Geff, and diffusion rates through the layers.
Rajiv Bhatt; Soli Khericha
Credible Research Designs for Minimum Wage Studies
Credible Research Designs for Minimum Wage Studies SylviaWe assess alternative research designs for minimum wageAllegretto: Institute for Research on Labor and Employment,
Allegretto, Sylvia; Dube, Arindrajit; Reich, Michael; Zipperer, Ben
Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards...
NLE Websites -- All DOE Office Websites (Extended Search)
Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors Section 313 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 raised Federal minimum efficiency standards for...
Zero forcing parameters and minimum rank problems
The zero forcing number Z(G), which is the minimum number of vertices in a zero forcing set of a graph G, is used to study the maximum nullity / minimum rank of the family of symmetric matrices described by G. It is shown that for a connected graph of order at least two, no vertex is in every zero forcing set. The positive semidefinite zero forcing number Z_+(G) is introduced, and shown to be equal to |G|-OS(G), where OS(G) is the recently defined ordered set number that is a lower bound for minimum positive semidefinite rank. The positive semidefinite zero forcing number is applied to the computation of positive semidefinite minimum rank of certain graphs. An example of a graph for which the real positive symmetric semidefinite minimum rank is greater than the complex Hermitian positive semidefinite minimum rank is presented.
Barioli, Francesco; Fallat, Shaun M; Hall, H Tracy; Hogben, Leslie; Shader, Bryan; Driessche, P van den; van der Holst, Hein
Minimum weight perfect matching in O(1) parallel time
Consider a 2-D square array of qubits of infinite extent. We provide a formal proof that the infinite size minimum weight perfect matching problem associated with running a particular class of topological quantum error correction codes on this array can be exactly solved with a corresponding infinite 2-D square array of classical computing devices in constant average time per round of error detection provided physical error rates are below fixed nonzero values, and other physically reasonable assumptions.
Austin G. Fowler
Cape Charles - STIP Minimum Sustainability Requirements (Virginia...
Open Energy Info (EERE)
Share this page on Facebook icon Twitter icon Cape Charles - STIP Minimum Sustainability Requirements (Virginia) This is the approved revision of this page, as well as...
Parabolic equations without a minimum principle.
??In this thesis, we consider several parabolic equations for which the minimum principle fails. We first consider a two-point boundary value problem for a one� (more)
Pang, Huadong
Energy.gov (U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)) Indexed Site
P2.23 Trace Impurity Detection in Electronic Grade Arsine by Cavity ...
Arsine was found to be a strongly absorbing matrix gas with an extremely ... A minimum detection concentration of 31 ppb water vapor in arsine was achieved. .... P1.4 Effect of Ammonia Flow Rate and 70 MeV Si Ion Irradiation Induced Defects�...
Concentrator-quality evaluation
The performance of a reflecting solar concentrator depends, of course, on its surface reflectance, but there are other important factors. Among these are sun-tracking errors, surface-slope errors, and surface irregularities. It is appropriate to use statistics to describe and analyze these non-deterministic factors. A scheme for specifying the quality of a solar concentrator that includes all these effects is described and illustrated. It is believed that this procedure is optimum in the sense that it requires a minimum of measurements to obtain a complete enough description of a concentrator to determine its optical performance under any operating geometry. The specification scheme is, therefore, suitable for use in general systems analysis studies involving solar concentrators.
Biggs, F.; Vittitoe, C.N.
Stochastic Variational Approach to Minimum Uncertainty States
We introduce a new variational characterization of Gaussian diffusion processes as minimum uncertainty states. We then define a variational method constrained by kinematics of diffusions and Schr\\"{o}dinger dynamics to seek states of local minimum uncertainty for general non-harmonic potentials.
F. Illuminati; L. Viola
A New Minimum Temperature Record for Oklahoma
A minimum temperature of ?31�F (?35�C) was recorded at Nowata, Oklahoma, on 10 February 2011. This exceeded the previous record minimum temperature for Oklahoma of ?27�F (?32.8�C). The Nowata station is in the Oklahoma Mesonet network. High pressure was ...
Gary McManus; Thomas W. Schmidlin; Christopher A. Fiebrich
A Meteorology-Based Approach to Detecting the Relationship between Changes in SO2 Emission Rates and Precipitation Concentrations of Sulfate
In this paper, the authors present an analysis of correlations between SO2 emissions and wet SO2?4 concentrations over eastern North America that includes adjustments for the impact of meteorological variability. The approach uses multiple-...
Jeffrey R. Brook; Perry J. Samson; Sanford Sillman
Microbial oceanography of anoxic oxygen minimum zones
Vast expanses of oxygen-deficient and nitrite-rich water define the major oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) of the global ocean. They support diverse microbial communities that influence the nitrogen economy of the oceans, ...
Ulloa, Osvaldo
Parabolic equations without a minimum principle
In this thesis, we consider several parabolic equations for which the minimum principle fails. We first consider a two-point boundary value problem for a one dimensional diffusion equation. We show the uniqueness and ...
The relation of chlorophyll-a concentration with the reflectance peak near 700 nm in algae-dominated waters and sensitivity of fluorescence algorithms for detecting algal bloom
In order to investigate the relation of chlorophyll-a concentration with the reflectance peak near 700 nm, reflectance spectra of harmful algal bloom (HAB) species and non-HAB algae were obtained based on in situ measurements in the oceans and cultural ...
Dongzhi Zhao; Xiaogang Xing; Yuguang Liu; Jianhong Yang; Lin Wang
Minimum error discrimination of Pauli channels
We solve the problem of discriminating with minimum error probability two given Pauli channels. We show that, differently from the case of discrimination between unitary transformations, the use of entanglement with an ancillary system can strictly improve the discrimination, and any maximally entangled state allows to achieve the optimal discrimination. We also provide a simple necessary and sufficient condition in terms of the structure of the channels for which the ultimate minimum error probability can be achieved without entanglement assistance. When such a condition is satisfied, the optimal input state is simply an eigenstate of one of the Pauli matrices.
Massimiliano F. Sacchi
Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for
Minimum Efficiency Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors to someone by E-mail Share Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors on Facebook Tweet about Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors on Twitter Bookmark Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors on Google Bookmark Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors on Delicious Rank Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors on Digg Find More places to share Federal Energy Management Program: Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors on AddThis.com... Energy-Efficient Products Federal Requirements Covered Product Categories
Concentrating Photovoltaics
Concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) are a promising alternative to flat-plate photovoltaics in high direct normal irradiance (DNI) environments. The technology�s basic operating characteristics offer significant upside compared with other solar technologies: higher system efficiencies of upwards of 30%+; higher capacity factors, generated through two-axis tracking, exceeding 30% in ideal locations; lower cellular degradation from heat compared to flat-plate PV; lower water requirements; and reduced footpri...
Minimum cost model energy code envelope requirements
This paper describes the analysis underlying development of the U.S. Department of Energy`s proposed revisions of the Council of American Building Officials (CABO) 1993 Model Energy Code (MEC) building thermal envelope requirements for single-family and low-rise multifamily residences. This analysis resulted in revised MEC envelope conservation levels based on an objective methodology that determined the minimum-cost combination of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) for residences in different locations around the United States. The proposed MEC revision resulted from a cost-benefit analysis from the consumer`s perspective. In this analysis, the costs of the EEMs were balanced against the benefit of energy savings. Detailed construction, financial, economic, and fuel cost data were compiled, described in a technical support document, and incorporated in the analysis. A cost minimization analysis was used to compare the present value of the total long-nm costs for several alternative EEMs and to select the EEMs that achieved the lowest cost for each location studied. This cost minimization was performed for 881 cities in the United States, and the results were put into the format used by the MEC. This paper describes the methodology for determining minimum-cost energy efficiency measures for ceilings, walls, windows, and floors and presents the results in the form of proposed revisions to the MEC. The proposed MEC revisions would, on average, increase the stringency of the MEC by about 10%.
Connor, C.C.; Lucas, R.G.; Turchen, S.J.
Minimum wear tube support hole design
A minimum-wear through-bore (16) is defined within a heat exchanger tube support plate (14) so as to have an hourglass configuration as determined by means of a constant radiused surface curvature (18) as defined by means of an external radius (R3), wherein the surface (18) extends between the upper surface (20) and lower surface (22) of the tube support plate (14). When a heat exchange tube (12) is disposed within the tube support plate (14) so as to pass through the through-bore (16), the heat exchange tube (12) is always in contact with a smoothly curved or radiused portion of the through-bore surface (16) whereby unacceptably excessive wear upon the heat exchange tube (12), as normally developed by means of sharp edges, lands, ridges, or the like conventionally part of the tube support plates, is eliminated or substantially reduced.
Glatthorn, Raymond H. (St. Petersburg, FL)
Geometric Complexity and Minimum Description Length Principle
The question of how one should decide among competing explanations of data is at the heart of the scientific enterprise. Quantitative methods of selecting among models have been advanced over the years without an underlying theoretical framework to guide the enterprise and evaluate new developments. In this paper, we show that differential geometry provides a unified understanding of the model selection problem. Foremost among its contributions is a reconceptualization of the problem as one of counting probability distributions. This reconceptualization naturally leads to development of a "geometric" complexity measure, which turns out to be equal to the Minimum Description Length (MDL) complexity measure Rissanen (1996) recently proposed. We demonstrate an application of the geometric complexity measure to model selection in cognitive psychology, with models of cognitive modeling in three different areas (psychophysics, information integration, categorization).
In Jae Myung; Shaobo Zhang; Mark A. Pitt
A combined microfluidic/dielectrophoretic microorganism concentrator
This thesis presents the development of a high-throughput microfluidic microorganism concentrator for pathogen detection applications. Interdigitated electrodes lining the bottom of the channel use positive dielectrophoretic ...
Gadish, Nitzan
Lean blowoff detection sensor
Apparatus and method for detecting incipient lean blowoff conditions in a lean premixed combustion nozzle of a gas turbine. A sensor near the flame detects the concentration of hydrocarbon ions and/or electrons produced by combustion and the concentration monitored as a function of time are used to indicate incipient lean blowoff conditions.
Thornton, Jimmy (Morgantown, WV); Straub, Douglas L. (Morgantown, WV); Chorpening, Benjamin T. (Morgantown, WV); Huckaby, David (Morgantown, WV)
Minimum Additive Waste Stabilization (MAWS). Technology summary
In the Minimum Additive Waste Stabilization(MAWS) concept, actual waste streams are utilized as additive resources for vitrification, which may contain the basic components (glass formers and fluxes) for making a suitable glass or glassy slag. If too much glass former is present, then the melt viscosity or temperature will be too high for processing; while if there is too much flux, then the durability may suffer. Therefore, there are optimum combinations of these two important classes of constituents depending on the criteria required. The challenge is to combine these resources in such a way that minimizes the use of non-waste additives yet yields a processable and durable final waste form for disposal. The benefit to this approach is that the volume of the final waste form is minimized (waste loading maximized) since little or no additives are used and vitrification itself results in volume reduction through evaporation of water, combustion of organics, and compaction of the solids into a non-porous glass. This implies a significant reduction in disposal costs due to volume reduction alone, and minimizes future risks/costs due to the long term durability and leach resistance of glass. This is accomplished by using integrated systems that are both cost-effective and produce an environmentally sound waste form for disposal. individual component technologies may include: vitrification; thermal destruction; soil washing; gas scrubbing/filtration; and, ion-exchange wastewater treatment. The particular combination of technologies will depend on the waste streams to be treated. At the heart of MAWS is vitrification technology, which incorporates all primary and secondary waste streams into a final, long-term, stabilized glass wasteform. The integrated technology approach, and view of waste streams as resources, is innovative yet practical to cost effectively treat a broad range of DOE mixed and low-level wastes.
Not Available
Building Information Modeling - A Minimum Mathematical Configuration
In the current context, the standardization of building construction is not limited to a specific country or to a specific building code. Trade globalization has emphasized the need for standardization in the process of exchange of design information, whether it is in the form of drawings or documents. Building Information Modeling is the latest transformational technology that supports interactive development of design information for buildings. No single Building Information Modeling software package is used in the Architecture Engineering Construction and Facilities Management industries, which is strength as new ideas develop, but a hindrance as the new ideas flow at a different pace into the various programs. The standards divergence of various software results in a limited ability to exchange data between and within projects, especially one sees the difficulty in moving data from one program to another. The Document eXchange File format represents an early attempt to standardize the exchange of drawing information by Autodesk. However, the data was limited to geometric data required for the production of plotted drawings. Metadata in a Building Information Model provides a method to add information to the basic geometric configuration provided in a Document eXchange File. Building Information Model programs use data structures to define smart objects that encapsulate building data in a searchable and robust format. Due to the complexity of building designs eXtensible Markup Language schemas of three dimensional models are often large files that can contain considerable amounts of superfluous information. The aim of this research is to exclude all the superfluous information from the design information and determine the absolute minimum information required to execute the construction of a project. A plain concrete beam element was used as the case study for this research. The results show that a minimal information schema can be developed for a simple building element. Further research is required on more complex elements.
Bhandare, Ruchika
Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors | Department of Energy
Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors Minimum Efficiency Standards for Electric Motors October 7, 2013 - 11:28am Addthis Section 313 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 raised Federal minimum efficiency standards for general-purpose, single-speed, polyphase induction motors of 1 to 500 horsepower (hp). This new standard took effect in December 2010. The new minimum efficiency levels match FEMP's performance requirement for these motors. As a result of this increase in mandatory minimum standards and combined with the lack of significant availability of motors exceeding these standards, FEMP is suspending the purchasing specification for electric motors. Federal buyers may select for purchase any motor that meets design requirements.
Hazardous Waste Minimum Distance Requirements (Connecticut) | Department of
Minimum Distance Requirements (Connecticut) Minimum Distance Requirements (Connecticut) Hazardous Waste Minimum Distance Requirements (Connecticut) < Back Eligibility Agricultural Commercial Construction Fed. Government Fuel Distributor General Public/Consumer Industrial Installer/Contractor Institutional Investor-Owned Utility Local Government Low-Income Residential Multi-Family Residential Municipal/Public Utility Nonprofit Residential Retail Supplier Rural Electric Cooperative Schools State/Provincial Govt Systems Integrator Transportation Tribal Government Utility Program Info State Connecticut Program Type Siting and Permitting Provider Department of Energy and Environmental Protection These regulations set minimum distance requirements between certain types of facilities that generate, process, store, and dispose of hazardous waste
Rules Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to Location, Design...
Standards Relating to Location, Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (Rhode Island) Rules Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to...
Microbial metatranscriptomics in a permanent marine oxygen minimum zone
Simultaneous characterization of taxonomic composition, metabolic gene content and gene expression in marine oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) has potential to broaden perspectives on the microbial and biogeochemical dynamics ...
Stewart, Frank J.
Study on optimal train movement for minimum energy consumption.
?? The presented thesis project is a study on train energy consumption calculation and optimal train driving strategies for minimum energy consumption. This study is� (more)
Gkortzas, Panagiotis
Estimate of Cost-Effective Potential for Minimum Efficiency Performanc...
Cost-Effective Potential for Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards in 13 Major World Economies Energy Savings, Environmental and Financial Impacts Title Estimate of...
Minimum Concave Cost Flow Over a Grid Network
Oct 12, 2012 ... Abstract The minimum concave cost network flow problem ... a grid network with a general nonnegative separable concave cost function.
Minimum cost subset selection with two competing agents
Nov 11, 2010 ... Minimum cost subset selection with two competing agents. Claudia Marini( nicosia ***at*** dia.uniroma3.it) Gaia Nicosia(nicosia ***at***�...
Oct 12, 2012 ... Abstract: The minimum concave cost network flow problem (MCCNFP) is NP- hard, but efficient polynomial-time algorithms exist for some�...
do not require qualified personnel, or when internal costs proportional to skills are incurred .... In conclusion, we tackle four different versions of the minimum cost�...
An Efficient Algorithm for Computing Robust Minimum Capacity st Cuts
Mar 20, 2008 ... Abstract: The Minimum Capacity s-t Cut Problem (Min Cut) is an intensively studied problem in combinatorial optimization. In this paper, we�...
Optimization Online - Guaranteed Minimum-Rank Solutions of ...
Jun 28, 2007 ... Guaranteed Minimum-Rank Solutions of Linear Matrix Equations via Nuclear Norm Minimization. Benjamin Recht(brecht ***at*** caltech.edu)
On the complexity of maximizing the minimum Shannon capacity in ...
Jan 18, 2010 ... On the complexity of maximizing the minimum Shannon capacity in wireless networks by joint channel assignment and power allocation.
Short title: STOCHASTIC VARIATIONAL APPROACH TO MINIMUM UNCERTAINTY
We introduce a new variational characterization of Gaussian diffusion processes as minimum uncertainty states. We then define a variational method constrained by kinematics of diffusions and Schr�dinger dynamics to seek states of local minimum uncertainty for general non-harmonic potentials. PACS numbers:03.65.-w, 03.65.Ca, 03.65.Bz 1.
Fabrizio Illuminati; Lorenza Viola
Characterization of imaging phone cameras using minimum description length principle
In this paper, a new Minimum Description Length (MDL) approach for the characterization of a mobile phone's color camera is presented. The use of high-order polynomials, Fourier sine series, and artificial neural networks (ANN) for solving this problem ... Keywords: artificial neural network, high-order polynomial, imaging mobile phone, minimum description length
Adrian Burian; Aki Happonen; Mihaela Cirlugea
Theoretical Minimum Energy Use of a Building HVAC System
This paper investigates the theoretical minimum energy use required by the HVAC system in a particular code compliant office building. This limit might be viewed as the "Carnot Efficiency" for HVAC system. It assumes that all ventilation and air conditioning in the building are provided using the minimum energy value that does not violate physical law.
Tanskyi, O.
Underwater vehicles: The minimum time problem Department of Mathematics
Underwater vehicles: The minimum time problem M. Chyba Department of Mathematics 2565 McCarthy Mall for a class of underwater vehicles. We focus on the situation of initial and final configurations at rest In this paper we pursue the analysis of the minimum time problem for a special class of underwater vehicles, see
Sontag, Eduardo
Underwater vehicles: The minimum time problem M. Chyba Department of Mathematics 2565 McCarthy Mall for a class of underwater vehicles. We focus on the situation of initial and final configurations at rest the analysis of the minimum time problem for a special class of underwater vehicles, see [5], [6] for previous
Sussmann, Hector
Radionuclide concentrations in terrestrial vegetation and soil on and around the Hanford Site, 1983 through 1993
This report reviews concentrations of {sup 60}Co, {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs, U isotopes, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239,240}Pu, and {sup 241}Am in soil and vegetation samples collected from 1983 through 1993 during routine surveillance of the Hanford Site. Sampling locations were grouped in study areas associated with operational areas on the Site. While radionuclide concentrations were very low and representative of background concentrations from historic fallout, some study areas on the Site contained slightly elevated concentrations compared to other study areas onsite and offsite. The 100 Areas had concentrations of {sup 60}Co comparable to the minimum detectable concentration of 0.02 pCi/g in soil. Concentrations of {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239,240}Pu, and {sup 241}Am in 200 Area soils were slightly elevated. The 300 Area had a slight elevation of U in soil. These observations were expected because many of the sampling locations were selected to monitor specific facilities or operations at the operational areas. Generally, concentrations of the radionuclides studied were greater and more readily measured in soil samples compared to vegetation samples. The general pattern of concentrations of radionuclide concentrations in vegetation by area mirrored that observed in soil. Declines in {sup 90}Sr in soil appear to be attributed to radioactive decay and possibly downward migration out of the sampling horizon. The other radionuclides addressed in this report strongly sorb to soil and are readily retained in surface soil. Because of their long half-lives compared to the length of the study period, there was no significant indication that concentrations of U isotopes and Pu isotopes were decreasing over time.
Poston, T.M.; Antonio, E.J.; Cooper, A.T.
Rules Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to Location, Design,
Rules Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to Location, Design, Rules Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to Location, Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (Rhode Island) Rules Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to Location, Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (Rhode Island) < Back Eligibility Agricultural Commercial Construction Fed. Government Fuel Distributor General Public/Consumer Industrial Installer/Contractor Institutional Investor-Owned Utility Local Government Low-Income Residential Multi-Family Residential Municipal/Public Utility Nonprofit Residential Retail Supplier Rural Electric Cooperative Schools State/Provincial Govt Systems Integrator Transportation Tribal Government Utility Program Info State Rhode Island Program Type Environmental Regulations
Spectroscopic detection
In embodiments, spectroscopic monitor monitors modulated light signals to detect low levels of contaminants and other compounds in the presence of background interference. The monitor uses a spectrometer that includes a transmissive modulator capable of causing different frequency ranges to move onto and off of the detector. The different ranges can include those with the desired signal and those selected to subtract background contributions from those with the desired signal. Embodiments of the system are particularly useful for monitoring metal concentrations in combustion effluent.
Woskov, Paul P. (Bedford, MA); Hadidi, Kamal (Cambridge, MA)
Energy Basics: Linear Concentrator Systems for Concentrating...
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Indexed Site
Energy Basics Renewable Energy Printable Version Share this resource Biomass Geothermal Hydrogen Hydropower Ocean Solar Photovoltaics Concentrating Solar Power Linear...
Concentrating Solar Power Forum Concentrating Photovoltaics (Presentation)
This presentation's summaries: a convenient truth, comparison of three concentrator technologies, value of high efficiency, and status of industry.
Kurtz, S.
Trends of Maximum and Minimum Temperatures in Northern South America
This paper presents the results of testing the homogeneity of the basic data used in this study, that is, the mean monthly maximum and minimum temperature (as derived from daily observations) of several long-term climatological stations of ...
Ramon A. Quintana-Gomez
Theory and Applications of the Minimum Spanning Tree Rank Histogram
A minimum spanning tree (MST) rank histogram (RH) is a multidimensional ensemble reliability verification tool. The construction of debiased, decorrelated, and covariance-homogenized MST RHs is described. Experiments using Euclidean L2, variance, ...
Daniel Gombos; James A. Hansen; Jun Du; Jeff McQueen
Minimum Wage Effects Across State Borders: Estimates Using Contiguous Counties
on earnings and employment in restaurants and other low-wageOur primary focus is on restaurants, since they are the mostof minimum wages on restaurant earnings, but the local
Dube, Andrajit; Lester, T. William; Reich, Michael
Minimum Stream Flow and Water Sale Contracts (Indiana)
The commission may provide certain minimum quantities of stream flow or sell water on a unit pricing basis for water supply purposes from the water supply storage in reservoir impoundments or parts...
Minimum Purchase Price Regulations (Prince Edward Island, Canada)
The Minimum Purchase Price Regulations establish the price which utilities must pay for power produced by large-scale renewable energy generators � that is those capable of producing more than 100...
What Solar Oscillation Tell us About the Solar Minimum
The availability of continuous helioseismic data for two consecutive solar minima has provided a unique opportunity to study the changes in the solar interior that might have led to this unusual minimum. We present preliminary analysis of inter mediate-degree mode frequencies in the 3 mHz band during the current period of minimal solar activity and show that the mode frequencies are significantly lower than those during the previous activity minimum. Our analysis do not show any signature of the beginning of cycle 24 till the end of 2008. In addition, the zonal and meridional flow patterns inferred from inverting frequencies also hint for a delayed onset of a new cycle. The estimates of travel time are higher than the previous minimum confirming a relatively weak solar activity during the current minimum.
Jain, Kiran; Burtseva, O; Hernandez, I Gonzalez; Hill, F; Howe, R; Kholikov, S; Komm, R; Leibacher, J
Selection of minimum earthquake intensity in calculating pipe failure probabilities
In a piping reliability analysis, it is sometimes necessary to specify a minimum ground motion intensity, usually the peak acceleration, below which the ground motions are not considered as earthquakes and, hence, are neglected. The calculated probability of failure of a piping system is dependent on this selected minimum earthquake intensity chosen for the analysis. A study was conducted to determine the effects of the minimum earthquake intensity on the probability of pipe failure. The results indicated that the probability of failure of the piping system is not very sensitive to the variations of the selected minimum peak ground acceleration. However, it does have significant effects on various scenarios that make up the system failure.
Lo, T.Y.
Apr 3, 2008 ... The Minimum Capacity s-t Cut Problem (Min Cut) is an intensively ... In this paper, we study Min Cut when arc capacities are uncertain but�...
Do We Know of Any Maunder Minimum Stars?
Most stars previously identified as Maunder minimum stars are old stars evolved off of the main sequence. Analysis of activity measurements from the California and Carnegie Planet Search program stars and Hipparcos parallaxes implies that the canonical age-chromospheric activity relation breaks down for stars older than $\\sim 6$ Gyr when activity is calculated from Mount Wilson S values. Stars only 1 magnitude above the main sequence exhibit significantly suppressed activity levels which have been mistaken for examples of Maunder minimum behavior.
Jason T. Wright
Batteryless Chemical Detection - Energy Innovation Portal
Ultrasensitive detection of low-concentration gas leaks (pipeline protection) Military, particularly on the battlefield (chemical and biological ...
Classical capacity of bosonic broadcast communication and a new minimum output entropy conjecture
Previous work on the classical information capacities of bosonic channels has established the capacity of the single-user pure-loss channel, bounded the capacity of the single-user thermal-noise channel, and bounded the capacity region of the multiple-access channel. The latter is a multi-user scenario in which several transmitters seek to simultaneously and independently communicate to a single receiver. We study the capacity region of the bosonic broadcast channel, in which a single transmitter seeks to simultaneously and independently communicate to two different receivers. It is known that the tightest available lower bound on the capacity of the single-user thermal-noise channel is that channel's capacity if, as conjectured, the minimum von Neumann entropy at the output of a bosonic channel with additive thermal noise occurs for coherent-state inputs. Evidence in support of this minimum output entropy conjecture has been accumulated, but a rigorous proof has not been obtained. In this paper, we propose a new minimum output entropy conjecture that, if proved to be correct, will establish that the capacity region of the bosonic broadcast channel equals the inner bound achieved using a coherent-state encoding and optimum detection. We provide some evidence that supports this new conjecture, but again a full proof is not available.
Saikat Guha; Jeffrey H. Shapiro; Baris I. Erkmen
Concentrating Photovoltaics (Presentation)
Solar is growing rapidly, and the concentrating photovoltaics industry-both high- and low-concentration cell approaches-may be ready to ramp production in 2009.
Minimum Stream Flow Standards (Connecticut) | Department of Energy
Minimum Stream Flow Standards (Connecticut) Minimum Stream Flow Standards (Connecticut) Minimum Stream Flow Standards (Connecticut) < Back Eligibility Agricultural Commercial Construction Developer Fed. Government Fuel Distributor General Public/Consumer Industrial Installer/Contractor Institutional Investor-Owned Utility Local Government Low-Income Residential Multi-Family Residential Municipal/Public Utility Nonprofit Residential Retail Supplier Rural Electric Cooperative Schools State/Provincial Govt Systems Integrator Transportation Tribal Government Utility Savings Category Water Buying & Making Electricity Program Info State Connecticut Program Type Siting and Permitting Provider Department of Energy and Environmental Protection These regulations apply to all dams and structures which impound or divert waters on rivers or their tributaries, with some exceptions. The
Development and Online Opertation of Minimum Bias Triggers in ATLAS
The design of minimum bias triggers should allow for a highly efficient selection on pp-collisions, while minimising any possible bias in the event selection. In ATLAS two main minimum bias triggers have been developed using complementary technologies. A hardware based first level trigger, consisting of 32 plastic scintillators, has proven to efficienctly select pp-interactions. In particular during the start-up phase this trigger played a crucial role for the commissioning of the central trigger processor and detector sub-systems. A complementary selection is achieved by a multi-level minimum bias trigger, seeded off a random trigger on filled bunches. For the event selection at higher trigger levels a dedicated algorithm was developed, able to cope with around 86 millions of detector signals per bunch-crossing. We will present these trigger systems and their deployment online, highlighting their performance and trigger efficiencies. We outline as well the operation with increasing beam intensities and lumin...
Martin, T; The ATLAS collaboration
ATLAS measurements of minimum bias and soft QCD
The first measurements of charged particle production in proton?proton collisions at center?of?mass energy s ?=?900? GeV and 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. Minimum bias distributions are measured for events with at least one charged particle in the kinematic range |?| 500? MeV and compared with the predictions from various Monte Carlo models. Activity in the underlying event was measured with respect to the highest p T track in the event. Both the minimum bias and underlying event measurements are fully corrected for detector effects to obtain distributions at the hadron level.
Maaike Limper; The ATLAS collaboration
Compliance of clinical trial registries with the World Health Organization minimum data set: a survey
Organization minimum data set: a survey Lorenzo P Moja* 1 ,of the WHO minimum data set. Methods: A retrospectivethe launch of the WHO minimum data set seemed to positively
Linear Concentrator Systems for Concentrating Solar Power
Linear concentrating solar power (CSP) collectors capture the sun's energy with large mirrors that reflect and focus the sunlight onto a linear receiver tube. The receiver contains a fluid that is...
Recent State Minimum Temperature Records in the Midwest
State minimum temperature records were set or tied in Indiana (?37.8�C) and Kentucky (?38.3�C) in January 1994, and in Illinois (?37.2�C), Iowa (?43.9�C), Minnesota (?51.1�C), and Wisconsin (?48.3�C) in February 1996. The veracity of these ...
Thomas W. Schmidlin
Minimum-outage broadcast in wireless networks with fading channels
We consider the problem of cooperative broadcasting for minimum outage in wireless networks. We consider wireless multihop broadcast as a set of transmitters that transmit in a certain order. The receiving nodes are able to combine all the previous transmissions ... Keywords: broadcast, multicast, outage, wireless networks
Tolga Girici; Gulizar Duygu Kurt
Power Allocations in Minimum-Energy SER Constrained Cooperative Networks
1 Power Allocations in Minimum-Energy SER Constrained Cooperative Networks Behrouz Maham-Spring). Behrouz Maham and Are Hjørungnes are with UNIK University Graduate Center, University of Oslo, Norway. Behrouz Maham is currently a visiting scholar at Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford
Paris-Sud XI, Université de
CONSTRAINED MINIMUM ENTROPY AND MAXIMUM NEGENTROPY BLIND DECONVOLUTION AND EQUALIZATION Seungjin on the variance of decon volved signal. We also consider the maximum negen tropy principle and show that the CME version, without any prior knowledge (such as channel impulse response, training data). As the demand
Choi, Seungjin
A faster distributed protocol for constructing a minimum spanning tree
This paper studies the problem of constructing a minimum-weight spanning tree (MST) in a distributed network. This is one of the most important problems in the area of distributed computing. There is a long line of gradually improving protocols ...
Michael Elkin
Minimum cost multiple multicast network coding with quantized rates
In this paper, we consider multiple multicast sessions with intra-session network coding where rates over all links are integer multiples of a basic rate. Although having quantized rates over communication links is quite common, conventional minimum ... Keywords: Decomposition algorithm, Multicast networks, Network coding
M. A. Raayatpanah; H. Salehi Fathabadi; B. H. Khalaj; S. Khodayifar
THE SOLAR CYCLE AT THE MAUNDER MINIMUM EPOCH HIROKO MIYAHARA, DMITRY SOKOLOFF and ILYA G. USOSKIN Solar-Terrestrial Environmental Laboratory, Nagoya University Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan Department minima, when the solar dynamo was in a special mode. We review available sets of direct and indirect data
Usoskin, Ilya G.
Photovoltaic concentrator initiative: Concentrator cell development
This project involves the development of a large-area, low-cost, high-efficiency concentrator solar cell for use in the Entech 22-sun linear-focus Fresnel lens concentrator system. The buried contact solar cell developed at the University of New South Wales was selected for this project. Both Entech and the University of New South Wales are subcontractors. This annual report presents the program efforts from November 1990 through December 1991, including the design of the cell, development of a baseline cell process, and presentation of the results of preliminary cell processing. Important results include a cell designed for operation in a real concentrator system and substitution of mechanical grooving for the previously utilized laser scribing.
Wohlgemuth, J.H.; Narayanan, S. [Solarex Corp., Frederick, MD (US)
Concentrating Solar Power
Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. This thermal energy can then be used to...
Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems
Concentrator photovoltaic (PV) systems use less solar cell material than other PV systems. PV cells are the most expensive components of a PV system, on a per-area basis. A concentrator makes use...
Summarizes the goals and activities of the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program efforts within its concentrating solar power subprogram.
MINIMUM EMITTANCE LATTICE FOR MINIMUM EMITTANCE LATTICE FOR SYNCHROTRON RADIATION STORAGE RINGS 1. C. Teng ANL/FNAL LS-17 L. Teng March 18, 1985 The natural emittance of an electron beam in a storage ring is given by (see e.g., M. Sands, SLAC 21) (1) where Cq =~~= 3.832 x 10-l3 m 32/3 mc J x partition factor in the bending plane y = total energy in mc 2 uni ts p orbit radius in bending magnets (assumed the same in all magne ts) H yn 2 - + 2ann ' + Bn I 2 ( a, B, Y = betatron functions ) n, n I dispersion functions <> = averaging over bending magnets We shall calculate for each bending magnet, then average over all magnets. 2 A. General Expression for H This can be calculated in a straightforward manner, but we can save a great deal of arithmetic with some preliminary formal analytical
Minimum/maximum excitation limiter performance goals for small generation
Small generators connected to the utility system often act as followers as they tend to follow system bus voltage variations. For the lack of kVA capacity, small machines tend to be susceptible to becoming over or under excited (excessive Vars in or Vars out of the generator) as the voltage regulator tries to maintain its setpoint with variations in system bus voltage. Minimum and maximum excitation limiters are utilized to limit the voltage regulator characteristic response to system bus voltage changes, that can otherwise result in machine overheating and/or pulling out of synchronization. This paper reviews the operating performance of minimum and maximum excitation limiters used on small machines, and provides the user typical performance expectations. The examples will highlight both main field and exciter field applications. Lastly, conditions will be reviewed that may occur during excitation limiter initial startup that can affect their ability to be initially tuned.
Eberly, T.W.; Schaefer, R.C.
The minimum-uncertainty coherent states for Landau levels
The Glauber minimum-uncertainty coherent states with two variables for Landau levels, based on the representation of Weyl-Heisenberg algebra by two different modes, have been studied about four decades ago. Here, we introduce new two-variable coherent states with minimum uncertainty relationship for Landau levels in three different methods: the infinite unitary representation of su(1, 1) is realized in two different methods, first, by consecutive levels with the same energy gaps and also with the same value for z-angular momentum quantum number, then, by shifting z-angular momentum mode number by two units while the energy level remaining the same. Besides, for su(2), whether by lowest Landau levels or Landau levels with lowest z-angular momentum, just one finite unitary representation is introduced. Having constructed the generalized Klauder-Perelomov coherent states, for any of the three representations, we obtain their Glauber coherency by displacement operator of Weyl-Heisenberg algebra.
Dehghani, A. [Physics Department, Payame Noor University, P. O. Box 19395-4697 Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Fakhri, H. [Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Tabriz, P. O. Box 51666-16471 Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mojaveri, B. [Department of Physics, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, P. O. Box 51745-406 Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)
JBIG2 Symbol Dictionary Design Based on Minimum Spanning Trees
The JBIG2 standard is a very flexible bi-level image coding strategy based on pattern matching. The encoder collects a set of symbols in a dictionary and encodes a page by reference to the dictionary symbols. JBIG2 allows the encoder to view all symbols and choose a good set for the dictionary. In this paper, we examine the bit rate trade-off that arises in choosing different dictionary sizes. In particular, we propose a suboptimal dictionary design technique based on minimum spanning trees. This technique gives competitive compression ratios and allows us to specify the dictionary size almost arbitrarily, thus providing a way to study the bit rate trade-off problem in detail. Keywords: JBIG2, Text image compression, Symbol dictionary, Minimum spanning tree 1
Yan Ye; Pamela Cosman
Impact of Minimum Load Operation on Steam Turbines
Some utilities, as part of a fleet management strategy, are keeping baseload-design plants that are not competitive for 24/7 dispatch at minimum loads to increase their ability to respond to changing demand. Units being operated this way face some associated risks and may see an additional drop in availability, further exacerbating supply management issues and increasing O&M costs. This report seeks to capture ...
Estimating Gas Concentration of Coal Mines Based on ISGNN
Online detecting failure of gas sensors in mine wells is an important problem. A key step for solution of the problem is estimating sample values of detected gas sensor, according to sample values of other gas sensors. We propose a scheme based on ISGNN ... Keywords: Estimating gas concentration, Gas concentration modeling, Generating Neural Networks, ISGNN
Aiguo Li; Lina Song
Concentration with uniform flux
A modification of a parabolic cylinder concentrator is developed to procedure uniform flux. The controlling surface equation is given. A three-dimensional ray-trace technique is used to obtain the shape of the image at the focal plane of a thin slice of the mirror. Also, the concentration distribution for uniform flux is given. 1 references, 7 figures.
An Obstacle-avoiding Minimum Variation B-spline Problem
We study the problem of computing a planar curve, restricted to lie between two given polygonal chains, such that the integral of the square of arc-length derivative of curvature along the curve is minimized. We introduce the Minimum Variation B-spline problem which is a linearly constrained optimization problem over curves defined by Bspline functions only. An empirical investigation indicates that this problem has one unique solution among all uniform quartic B-spline functions. Furthermore, we prove that, for any B-spline function, the convexity properties of the problem are preserved subject to a scaling and translation of the knot sequence defining the B-spline. 1
Tomas Berglund; Inge S�derkvist
Strategies For Detecting Hidden Geothermal Systems By Near-Surface...
stress resulting from elevated CO2 concentrations, and (5) light detection and ranging (LIDAR) that can measure CO2 concentrations over an integrated path. Technologies currently...
Minimum bias and underlying event studies at CDF
Soft, non-perturbative, interactions are poorly understood from the theoretical point of view even though they form a large part of the hadronic cross section at the energies now available. We review the CDF studies on minimum-bias ad underlying event in p{bar p} collisions at 2 TeV. After proposing an operative definition of 'underlying event', we present part of a systematic set of measurements carried out by the CDF Collaboration with the goal to provide data to test and improve the QCD models of hadron collisions. Different analysis strategies of the underlying event and possible event topologies are discussed. Part of the CDF minimum-bias results are also presented: in this sample, that represent the full inelastic cross-section, we can test simultaneously our knowledge of all the components that concur to form hadronic interactions. Comparisons with MonteCarlo simulations are always shown along with the data. These measurements will also contribute to more precise estimates of the soft QCD background of high-p{sub T} observables.
Moggi, Niccolo; /INFN, Bologna
The elusive minimum viable population size for white sturgeon
Biological conservation of sturgeon populations is a concern for many species. Those responsible for managing the white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and similar species are interested in identifying extinction thresholds to avoid. Two thresholds that exist in theory are the minimum viable population size (MVP) and minimum amount of suitable habitat. In this paper, we present both model and empirical estimates of these thresholds. We modified a population viability analysis (PVA) model for white sturgeon to include two new Allee mechanisms. Despite this, PVA-based MVP estimates were unrealistically low compared with empirical estimates unless opportunities for spawning were assumed to be less frequent. PVA results revealed a trade-off between MVP and habitat thresholds; smaller populations persisted in longer river segments and vice versa. Our empirical analyses suggested (1) a MVP range based on population trends from 1,194 to 27,700 individuals, and (2) a MVP estimate of 4,000 individuals based on recruitment. Long-term historical population surveys are needed for more populations to pinpoint an MVP based on trends, whereas the available data were sufficient to estimate MVP based on recruitment. Beyond the MVP, we developed a hierarchical model for population status based on empirical data. Metapopulation support was the most important predictor of population health, followed by the length of free-flowing habitat, with habitat thresholds at 26 and 150 km. Together, these results suggest that habitat and connectivity are important determinants of population status that likely influence the site-specific MVP thresholds.
Jager, Yetta [ORNL; Lepla, Ken B. [Idaho Power Company; Van Winkle, Webb [Van Windle Environmental Consulting; James, Mr Brad [Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; McAdam, Dr Steve [University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Organic photovoltaics and concentrators
The separation of light harvesting and charge generation offers several advantages in the design of organic photovoltaics and organic solar concentrators for the ultimate end goal of achieving a lower cost solar electric ...
Mapel, Jonathan King
Concentrator silicon cell research
This project continued the developments of high-efficiency silicon concentrator solar cells with the goal of achieving a cell efficiency in the 26 to 27 percent range at a concentration level of 150 suns of greater. The target efficiency was achieved with the new PERL (passivated emitter, rear locally diffused) cell structure, but only at low concentration levels around 20 suns. The PERL structure combines oxide passivation of both top and rear surfaces of the cells with small area contact to heavily doped regions on the top and rear surfaces. Efficiency in the 22 to 23 percent range was also demonstrated for large-area concentrator cells fabricated with the buried contact solar cell processing sequence, either when combined with prismatic covers or with other innovative approaches to reduce top contact shadowing. 19 refs.
Green, M.A.; Wenham, S.R.; Zhang, F.; Zhao, J.; Wang, A. [New South Wales Univ., Kensington (Australia). Solar Photovoltaic Lab.
Joined concentric tubes
Tubular objects having two or more concentric layers that have different properties are joined to one another during their manufacture primarily by compressive and friction forces generated by shrinkage during sintering and possibly mechanical interlocking. It is not necessary for the concentric tubes to display adhesive-, chemical- or sinter-bonding to each other in order to achieve a strong bond. This facilitates joining of dissimilar materials, such as ceramics and metals.
DeJonghe, Lutgard; Jacobson, Craig; Tucker, Michael; Visco, Steven
The impact of minimum age of employment regulation on child labor and schooling
Promoting minimum age of employment regulation has been a centerpiece in child labor policy for the last 15 years. If enforced, minimum age regulation would change the age profile of paid child employment. Using micro-data ...
Edmonds, Eric V
A New Perspective on Recent Global Warming: Asymmetric Trends of Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature
Monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures for over 50% (10%) of the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere landmass, accounting for 37% of the global landmass, indicate that the rise of the minimum temperature has occurred at a rate three times that ...
Thomas R. Karl; Richard W. Knight; Kevin P. Gallo; Thomas C. Peterson; Philip D. Jones; George Kukla; Neil Plummer; Vyacheslav Razuvayev; Janette Lindseay; Robert J. Charlson
Contracting Officer Warrant Requirements Function Experience Minimum Training Continuous Learning
ACMP Flash 2011-62 ACMP Flash 2011-62 Contracting Officer Warrant Requirements Function Experience Minimum Training Continuous Learning GS-1105s with a warrant for purchases up to $25,000 At least 6 months of Government Purchase Card experience Certified to Level I in the ACMP Purchasing Program 80 hours every two years GS-1105s with a warrant for purchases $25,000 up to the simplified acquisition threshold At least 1 year of Government Purchase Card experience Certified to Level II in the ACMP Purchasing Program 80 hours every two years GS-1105s with a warrant for purchases over the simplified acquisition threshold At least 5 years of progressively complex contracting experience Certified to Level III in the ACMP Purchasing Program 80 hours every two years
A simple model for evolution of proteins towards the global minimum of free energy
A simple model for evolution of proteins towards the global minimum of free energy Tamar Kaffe-Abramovich and Ron Unger Background: Proteins seem to have their native structure in a global minimum of free energy is in the global minimum of free energy. The aim of this study is to investigate such evolutionary processes
Unger, Ron
The quadratic minimum spanning tree problem: A lower bounding procedure and an efficient search algorithm
In this paper we consider the quadratic minimum spanning tree problem (QMSTP) which is known to be NP-hard. Given a complete graph, the QMSTP consists of finding a minimum spanning tree (MST) where interaction costs between pairs of edges are prescribed. ... Keywords: Lagrangian relaxation, Local search, Quadratic minimum spanning tree problem
Temel �ncan; Abraham P. Punnen
Minimum Multicolored Subgraph Problem in Multiplex PCR Primer Set Selection and
Minimum Multicolored Subgraph Problem in Multiplex PCR Primer Set Selection and Population is a common generalization of minimum cost multiplex PCR primer set selection and maximum likeli- hood and its variants model two important bioinformatics problems: minimum cost multiplex PCR primer set
Mandoiu, Ion
Photovoltaic solar concentrator
A photovoltaic solar concentrator is disclosed with one or more transverse-junction solar cells (also termed point contact solar cells) and a lens located above each solar cell to concentrate sunlight onto the solar cell to generate electricity. Piezoelectric actuators tilt or translate each lens to track the sun using a feedback-control circuit which senses the electricity generated by one or more of the solar cells. The piezoelectric actuators can be coupled through a displacement-multiplier linkage to provide an increased range of movement of each lens. Each lens in the solar concentrator can be supported on a frame (also termed a tilt plate) having three legs, with the movement of the legs being controlled by the piezoelectric actuators.
Nielson, Gregory N.; Okandan, Murat; Resnick, Paul J.; Cruz-Campa, Jose Luis
ARM - Measurement - Aerosol concentration
concentration concentration ARM Data Discovery Browse Data Comments? We would love to hear from you! Send us a note below or call us at 1-888-ARM-DATA. Send Measurement : Aerosol concentration A measure of the amount of aerosol particles (e.g. number, mass, volume) per unit volume of air. Categories Aerosols Instruments The above measurement is considered scientifically relevant for the following instruments. Refer to the datastream (netcdf) file headers of each instrument for a list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes. ARM Instruments AOS : Aerosol Observing System CSPHOT : Cimel Sunphotometer CPC : Condensation Particle Counter IAP : In-situ Aerosol Profiles (Cessna Aerosol Flights) TDMA : Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer
A compound parabolic concentrator
A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) for solar energy applications is presented in this work. A prototype was built and its thermal performance was determined. Operating temperatures of the order of 150 /sup 0/C with a reasonable efficiency can be attained by means of a fixed CPC.
Manrique, J.A.
On the minimum temperature of the quiet solar chromosphere
aims: We aim to provide an estimate of the minimum temperature of the quiet solar chromosphere. methods: We perform a 2D radiation-MHD simulation spanning the upper convection zone to the lower corona. The simulation includes non-LTE radiative transfer and {an equation-of-state that includes non-equilibrium ionization of hydrogen and non-equilibrium H_2 molecule formation}. We analyze the reliability of the various assumptions made in our model in order to assess the realism of the simulation. results: Our simulation contains pockets of cool gas with down to 1660 K from 1 Mm up to 3.2 Mm height. It overestimates the radiative heating, and contains non-physical heating below 1660 K. Therefore we conclude that cool pockets in the quiet solar chromosphere might have even lower temperatures than in the simulation, provided that there exist areas in the chromosphere without significant magnetic heating. We suggest off-limb molecular spectroscopy to look for such cool pockets and 3D simulations including a local dy...
Leenaarts, Jorrit; Hansteen, Viggo; Gudiksen, Boris V
Minimum error discrimination between similarity-transformed quantum states
Using the well-known necessary and sufficient conditions for minimum error discrimination (MED), we extract an equivalent form for the MED conditions. In fact, by replacing the inequalities corresponding to the MED conditions with an equivalent but more suitable and convenient identity, the problem of mixed state discrimination with optimal success probability is solved. Moreover, we show that the mentioned optimality conditions can be viewed as a Helstrom family of ensembles under some circumstances. Using the given identity, MED between N similarity transformed equiprobable quantum states is investigated. In the case that the unitary operators are generating a set of irreducible representation, the optimal set of measurements and corresponding maximum success probability of discrimination can be determined precisely. In particular, it is shown that for equiprobable pure states, the optimal measurement strategy is the square-root measurement (SRM), whereas for the mixed states, SRM is not optimal. In the case that the unitary operators are reducible, there is no closed-form formula in the general case, but the procedure can be applied in each case in accordance to that case. Finally, we give the maximum success probability of optimal discrimination for some important examples of mixed quantum states, such as generalized Bloch sphere m-qubit states, spin-j states, particular nonsymmetric qudit states, etc.
Jafarizadeh, M. A. [Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 51664 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, Tehran 19395-1795 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Fundamental Sciences, Tabriz 51664 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sufiani, R. [Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 51664 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, Tehran 19395-1795 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mazhari Khiavi, Y. [Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 51664 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)
India�s Credible Minimum Deterrence A Decade Later
Deterrence in the most conventional sense implies the making of military threats in order to prevent an adversary from taking aggressive actions (Buzan 1987). According to Barry Buzan (1987: 136), deterrence as a concept purports to stop an unwanted action by the adversary before they occur and encompasses both denial and the possibility of retaliation. The introduction of nuclear weapons into this complex dynamic of deterrence does not stabilise the crisis situation, as conventional wisdom suggests, but makes it even more threatening. The core of nuclear deterrence involves convincing the adversary that the cost of an undesirable action is more than the rewards. This requires a comprehensive understanding of not only the adversary�s motives, decision-making processes and objectives, but also one�s own capability to influence the calculus of costs and benefits that an adversary attaches to his own belligerence. Therefore, nuclear deterrence also takes into account the credibility of one�s own nuclear threat that is aimed at convincing the adversary that his belligerence will be �punished � by unacceptable damage through nuclear means. It is in the wake of this that India evolved its own nuclear doctrine which seeks to uphold the notion of credible minimum deterrence.
Tanvi Kulkarni; Alankrita Sinha
Derived Concentration Technical Standard
196-2011 196-2011 April 2011 DOE STANDARD DERIVED CONCENTRATION TECHNICAL STANDARD U.S. Department of Energy AREA ENVR Washington, D.C. 20585 Not Measurement Sensitive This document is available on the Department of Energy Technical Standards Program Web Site at http://www.hss.doe.gov/nuclearsafety/ns/techstds/standard/standard.html DOE-STD-1196-2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Derived Concentration Technical Standard was a collaborative effort sponsored by the DOE Office of Environmental Policy and Assistance, with support from Department subject matter experts (SMEs) in the field of radiation protection. This standard, which complements DOE Order (O) 458.1, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment, was developed taking
Concentrating Solar Thermal Technology
After nearly 20 years of commercial dormancy, concentrating solar thermal (CST) power development and investment activity is heating up globally. Encouraged by volatile energy prices, carbon markets, and renewable-friendly policies, an increasing number of established companies, newcomers, utilities, and government agencies are planning to deploy CST systems to tap the technologies' improving conversion efficiencies and low-cost electricity production potential. This renewable energy technology perspecti...
The Impact of Minimum Quality Standards on Firm Entry, Exit and Product Quality: The Case of the Child Care Market
A Theory of Minimum Standards,� Journal of Politi- calto Minimum Quality Standards Regulation,� NBER working paperDuopoly and Quality Standards,� European Economic Review,
Hotz, V. Joseph; Xiao, Mo
Composition for detecting uranyl
The present invention relates to an indicator composition for use in spectrophotometric detection of a substance in a solution, and a method for making the composition. Useful indicators are sensitive to the particular substance being measured, but are unaffected by the fluid and other chemical species that may be present in the fluid. Optical indicators are used to measure the uranium concentration of process solutions in facilities for extracting uranium from ores, production of nuclear fuels, and reprocessing of irradiated fuels. The composition comprises an organohalide covalently bonded to an indicator for the substance, in such a manner that the product is itself an indicator that provides increased spectral resolution for detecting the substance. The indicator is preferably arsenazo III and the organohalide is preferably cyanuric chloride. These form a composition that is ideally suited for detecting uranyl.
Baylor, L.C.; Stephens, S.M.
Characterization of Photovoltaic Concentrators
This paper will describe the resources at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for performing characterization of photovoltaic (PV) materials designed for operation under concentrated light. NREL has the capability to measure devices ranging from very small, unencapsulated research cells to reasonably sized, environmentally protected modules. Data gathering and interpretation are also ongoing areas of revision and improvement. The main goal of the current research is to reduce the measurement uncertainty to the lowest practical value. At present, the state of the art is limited at a ?5% level in measuring efficiency accurately.
Kiehl, J.; Emery, E.
A method of concentrating N/sup 15/ in a liquid is described. Gaseous nitric oxide and at least one liquid selected from the group consisting of the aqueous oxyacids and oxides of nitrogen, wherein the atomic ratio of oxygen to nitrogen is greater than unity, are brought into intimate contact to cause an enrichment of the liquid and a depletion of the gas in N/sup 15/. The liquid is, thereafter, reacted with sulfur dioxide to produce a gas contuining nitric oxide. The gas contuining nitric oxide is then continuously passed in countercurrent contact with the liquid to cause further enrichment of the liquid.
Taylor, T.I.; Spindel, W.
Concentric Black Rings
We present new supersymmetric solutions of five-dimensional minimal supergravity that describe concentric black rings with an optional black hole at the common centre. Configurations of two black rings are found which have the same conserved charges as a single rotating black hole; these black rings can have a total horizon area less than, equal to, or greater than the black hole with the same charges. A numerical investigation of these particular black ring solutions suggests that they do not have closed timelike curves.
Jerome P. Gauntlett; Jan B. Gutowski
Vapor concentration monitor
An apparatus for monitoring the concentration of a vapor, such as heavy water, having at least one narrow bandwidth in its absorption spectrum, in a sample gas such as air. The air is drawn into a chamber in which the vapor content is measured by means of its radiation absorption spectrum. High sensitivity is obtained by modulating the wavelength at a relatively high frequency without changing its optical path, while high stability against zero drift is obtained by the low frequency interchange of the sample gas to be monitored and of a reference sample. The variable HDO background due to natural humidity is automatically corrected.
Bayly, John G. (Deep River, CA); Booth, Ronald J. (Deep River, CA)
Optical oxygen concentration monitor
A system for measuring and monitoring the concentration of oxygen uses as a light source an argon discharge lamp, which inherently emits light with a spectral line that is close to one of oxygen's A-band absorption lines. In a preferred embodiment, the argon line is split into sets of components of shorter and longer wavelengths by a magnetic field of approximately 2000 Gauss that is parallel to the light propagation from the lamp. The longer wavelength components are centered on an absorption line of oxygen and thus readily absorbed, and the shorter wavelength components are moved away from that line and minimally absorbed. A polarization modulator alternately selects the set of the longer wavelength, or upshifted, components or the set of the shorter wavelength, or downshifted, components and passes the selected set to an environment of interest. After transmission over a path through that environment, the transmitted optical flux of the argon line varies as a result of the differential absorption. The system then determines the concentration of oxygen in the environment based on the changes in the transmitted optical flux between the two sets of components. In alternative embodiments modulation is achieved by selectively reversing the polarity of the magnetic field or by selectively supplying the magnetic field to either the emitting plasma of the lamp or the environment of interest.
Kebabian, Paul (Acton, MA)
A system for measuring and monitoring the concentration of oxygen uses as a light source an argon discharge lamp, which inherently emits light with a spectral line that is close to one of oxygen`s A-band absorption lines. In a preferred embodiment, the argon line is split into sets of components of shorter and longer wavelengths by a magnetic field of approximately 2,000 Gauss that is parallel to the light propagation from the lamp. The longer wavelength components are centered on an absorption line of oxygen and thus readily absorbed, and the shorter wavelength components are moved away from that line and minimally absorbed. A polarization modulator alternately selects the set of the longer wavelength, or upshifted, components or the set of the shorter wavelength, or downshifted, components and passes the selected set to an environment of interest. After transmission over a path through that environment, the transmitted optical flux of the argon line varies as a result of the differential absorption. The system then determines the concentration of oxygen in the environment based on the changes in the transmitted optical flux between the two sets of components. In alternative embodiments modulation is achieved by selectively reversing the polarity of the magnetic field or by selectively supplying the magnetic field to either the emitting plasma of the lamp or the environment of interest. 4 figs.
Kebabian, P.
Universal solar concentrator panel
This patent describes a solar concentrator device. It comprises: a solar energy receiver; and a flat solar energy reflector arranged to reflect solar energy to the receiver, the reflector including a substantially square-shaped frame limiting an inner space, individual flat reflective panels arranged in the space in a first group or rows extending in a first direction and a second group of rows extending in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction and so that each of the panels is turnable about three mutually perpendicular axes, and means for mounting the panels so that they are turnable about the axes. The mounting means including first means which connect the panels in the rows extending in one of the directions so that the panels in each of the rows extending in the one direction are jointly turnable about a first one of the axes, second means for mounting each of the panels so that in each of the rows extending in the one direction each of the panels is turnable about a second one of the axes, and third means for mounting each panel in each of the rows extending in the one direction so that each of the panels is turnable about a third one of the axes. This patent also describes a solar concentrator device, wherein the receiver includes a box forming an inner chamber, a plurality of photovoltaic cells sealed with a clear plastic and accommodated in the chamber, and water filling the chamber and surrounding the photovoltaic cells.
Bagno, R.G.
Paper: Safeguards design for a plutonium concentrator
In this paper we consider the design of a nonlinear estimator to be used in conjunction with on-line detectors for a plutonium nitrate concentrator. Using a complex state-of-the-art process model to simulate 'realistic' data, we show that the estimator ... Keywords: (diversion detection), (nuclear safeguards), Kalman filter, decision theory, nonlinear filtering, nuclear plants, on-line operation, optimal filtering, state estimation
J. V. Candy; R. B. Rozsa
Non-tracking solar concentrator with a high concentration ratio
A nontracking solar concentrator with a high concentration ratio is provided. The concentrator includes a plurality of energy absorbers which communicate with a main header by which absorbed heat is removed. Undesired heat flow of those absorbers not being heated by radiant energy at a particular instant is impeded, improving the efficiency of the concentrator.
Hinterberger, Henry (Batavia, IL)
Minimum Cost Flow Problems with Value-at-Risk and Conditional ...
Stochastic minimum cost flow (SMCF) problems have been studied for applica- tions involving random ...... approach to stochastic programming of heating oil.
Minimum Bias Measurements with the ATLAS Detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider
efficiency at the Event Filter MBTS trigger efficiency atand counted at the Event Filter trigger level. Any eventsCHAPTER 3. MINIMUM BIAS TRIGGER Event Selection The analysis
Leyton, Michael A.
Estimate of Technical Potential for Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards in 13 Major World Economies
Mexico minimum efficiency performance standard million tons (of CO 2 ) national energyand Mexico, produces the largest savings of all the end uses: 780 TWh. The baseline energy
Letschert, Virginie
Revised equipartition & minimum energy formula for magnetic field strength estimates from radio synchrotron observations
The commonly used classical equipartition or minimum-energy estimate of total magnetic fields strengths from radio synchrotron intensities is of limited practical use because it is based on the hardly known ratio K of the total energies of cosmic ray protons and electrons and also has inherent problems. We present a revised formula, using the number density ratio K for which we give estimates. For particle acceleration in strong shocks K is about 40 and increases with decreasing shock strength. Our revised estimate for the field strength gives larger values than the classical estimate for flat radio spectra with spectral indices of about 0.5-0.6, but smaller values for steep spectra and total fields stronger than about 10 muG. In very young supernova remnants, for example, the classical estimate may be too large by up to 10x. On the other hand, if energy losses of cosmic ray electrons are important, K increases with particle energy and the equipartition field may be underestimated significantly. Our revised larger equipartition estimates in galaxy clusters and radio lobes are consistent with independent estimates from Faraday rotation measures, while estimates from the ratio between radio synchrotron and X-ray inverse Compton intensities generally give much weaker fields. This may be explained e.g. by a concentration of the field in filaments. Our revised field strengths may also lead to major revisions of electron lifetimes in jets and radio lobes estimated from the synchrotron break frequency in the radio spectrum.
Rainer Beck; Marita Krause
Method and apparatus for concentrating vapors for analysis
A pre-concentration device and a method are disclosed for concentrating gaseous vapors for analysis. Vapors sorbed and concentrated within the bed of the pre-concentration device are thermally desorbed, achieving at least partial separation of the vapor mixtures. The pre-concentration device is suitable, e.g., for pre-concentration and sample injection, and provides greater resolution of peaks for vapors within vapor mixtures, yielding detection levels that are 10-10,000 times better than direct sampling and analysis systems. Features are particularly useful for continuous unattended monitoring applications. The invention finds application in conjunction with, e.g., analytical instruments where low detection limits for gaseous vapors are desirable.
Grate, Jay W. (West Richland, WA); Baldwin, David L. (Kennewick, WA); Anheier, Jr., Norman C. (Richland, WA)
Photovoltaic solar concentrator module
This invention consists of a planar photovoltaic concentrator module for producing an electrical signal from incident solar radiation which includes an electrically insulating housing having a front wall, an opposing back wall and a hollow interior. A solar cell having electrical terminals is positioned within the interior of the housing. A planar conductor is connected with a terminal of the solar cell of the same polarity. A lens forming the front wall of the housing is operable to direct solar radiation incident to the lens into the interior of the housing. A refractive optical element in contact with the solar cell and facing the lens receives the solar radiation directed into the interior of the housing by the lens and directs the solar radiation to the solar cell to cause the solar cell to generate an electrical signal. An electrically conductive planar member is positioned in the housing to rest on the housing back wall in supporting relation with the solar cell terminal of opposite polarity. The planar member is operable to dissipate heat radiated by the solar cell as the solar cell generates an electrical signal and further forms a solar cell conductor connected with the solar cell terminal to permit the electrical signal generated by the solar cell to be measured between the planar member and the conductor.
Chiang, C.J.
Two-Point Boundary Value Problems for Curves: The Case of Minimum Free Energy Paths
Two-Point Boundary Value Problems for Curves: The Case of Minimum Free Energy Paths corrected.S.A. Abstract The calculation of a minimum free energy path can be considered as a two-point boundary value box solvers. The second paragraph of Section 1 is corrected. Because free energy is defined in terms
Skeel, Robert
A branch-and-cut algorithm for the minimum labeling Hamiltonian cycle problem and two variants
This paper proposes a mathematical model, valid inequalities and polyhedral results for the minimum labeling Hamiltonian cycle problem. This problem is defined on an unweighted graph in which each edge has a label. The aim is to determine a Hamiltonian ... Keywords: Branch-and-cut, Minimum labeling problem, Traveling salesman problem
Nicolas Jozefowiez; Gilbert Laporte; Fr�d�ric Semet
Fast Algorithms for Specially Structured Minimum Cost Flow Problems with Applications
The objective of the classical minimum cost flow problem is to send units of a good that reside at one or more points in a network (sources or supply nodes) with arc capacities to one or more other points in the network (sinks or demand nodes), incurring ... Keywords: analysis of algorithms, applications, computational complexity, flow algorithms, minimum cost flow problem, networks
Balachandran Vaidyanathan; Ravindra K. Ahuja
Minimum Energy Compensation Strategy and Characteristic Analysis for Dynamic Voltage Restorer
The minimum energy compensation strategy and its characteristic for Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) considering the equipment�s voltage limitation are discussed. The strategy when the injection voltage is under or especially above the voltage limitation ... Keywords: dynamic voltage restorer, minimum energy compensation, compensation strategy, compensation characteristic, voltage limitation
Yingying Liu; Xu Yonghai; Xiao Xiangning; Guo Chunlin
Detection Apparatus
This invention concerns a sensitive apparatus for detecting and counting neutrons, particularly neutrons liberated in an alpha, neutron reaction. The apparatus includes an improved ionization chamber structure together with an improved combination alpha-particle source and holder for the material under test.
Anderson, H.L.
Detection device
The present invention is directed to a detection device comprising: (1) an entrance chamber; (2) a central chamber; and (3) an exit chamber. The central chamber includes an ionizing gas, anode, and means for connecting the anode with an external power supply and pulse counter.
Smith, J.E.
Cost effective manufacturing of the SEA 10X concentrator array
This report describes a low-cost, mass-producible 10X concentrator system that has been claimed to produce electricity at $0.04/kWh. It details changes in manufacturing techniques that could produce a concentrator system at a selling price of $0.71/W. (A simple design and a minimum number of parts and manufacturing steps reduced production costs.) Present production techniques, changes to improve these techniques, impediments to changes, and solutions to the impediments are described. This 10X concentrator system uses available components and manufacturing processes and one-sun solar cells in conjunction with inexpensive plastic lenses to generate about eight times the amount of electricity normally produced by these cells.
Kaminar, N.; McEntee, J.; Curchod, D. (Solar Engineering Applications Corp., San Jose, CA (United States))
Olfactory detectability of homologous n-alkylbenzenes as reflected by concentration-detection functions in humans.
Office of Odor, Noise and Vibration. Environmental ManagementOffice of Odor, Noise and Vibration. Environmental Management
Cometto-Mu�iz, J E; Abraham, M H
Markets for concentrating solar power
The report describes the markets for concentrating solar power. As concentrating solar power technologies advance into the early stages of commercialization, their economic potential becomes more sharply defined and increasingly tangible.
Antihydrogen and mirror-trapped antiproton discrimination: Discriminating between antihydrogen and mirror-trapped antiprotons in a minimum-B trap
Recently, antihydrogen atoms were trapped at CERN in a magnetic minimum (minimum-B) trap formed by superconducting octupole and mirror magnet coils. The trapped antiatoms were detected by rapidly turning off these magnets, thereby eliminating the magnetic minimum and releasing any antiatoms contained in the trap. Once released, these antiatoms quickly hit the trap wall, whereupon the positrons and antiprotons in the antiatoms annihilated. The antiproton annihilations produce easily detected signals; we used these signals to prove that we trapped antihydrogen. However, our technique could be confounded by mirror-trapped antiprotons, which would produce seemingly-identical annihilation signals upon hitting the trap wall. In this paper, we discuss possible sources of mirror-trapped antiprotons and show that antihydrogen and antiprotons can be readily distinguished, often with the aid of applied electric fields, by analyzing the annihilation locations and times. We further discuss the general properties of antiproton and antihydrogen trajectories in this magnetic geometry, and reconstruct the antihydrogen energy distribution from the measured annihilation time history.
C. Amole; G. B. Andresen; M. D. Ashkezari; M. Baquero-Ruiz; W. Bertsche; E. Butler; C. L. Cesar; S. Chapman; M. Charlton; A. Deller; S. Eriksson; J. Fajans; T. Friesen; M. C. Fujiwara; D. R. Gill; A. Gutierrez; J. S. Hangst; W. N. Hardy; M. E. Hayden; A. J. Humphries; R. Hydomako; L. Kurchaninov; S. Jonsell; N. Madsen; S. Menary; P. Nolan; K. Olchanski; A. Olin; A. Povilus; P. Pusa; F. Robicheaux; E. Sarid; D. M. Silveira; C. So; J. W. Storey; R. I. Thompson; D. P. van der Werf; J. S. Wurtele
Linear Concentrator System Basics for Concentrating Solar Power |
Linear Concentrator System Basics for Concentrating Solar Power Linear Concentrator System Basics for Concentrating Solar Power Linear Concentrator System Basics for Concentrating Solar Power August 20, 2013 - 4:45pm Addthis Photo of numerous parallel rows of parabolic trough collectors tracking the sun. Cooling towers and other generator equipment are in the midst of the troughs, and two water tanks are in the background. The Solar Electric Generating Station IV power plant in California consists of many parallel rows of parabolic trough collectors that track the sun. The cooling towers can be seen with the water plume rising into the air, and white water tanks are in the background. Credit: Sandia National Laboratory / PIX 14955 Linear concentrating solar power (CSP) collectors capture the sun's energy with large mirrors that reflect and focus the sunlight onto a linear
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Southwest Concentrating Solar
Southwest Concentrating Solar Power 1000-MW Initiative Southwest Concentrating Solar Power 1000-MW Initiative Photos of various concentrating solar power systems. NREL, working through SunLab, supports the U.S. Department of Energy's goal to install 1,000 megawatts (MW) of new concentrating solar power systems in the southwestern United States by 2010. This level of deployment, combined with research and development to reduce technology component costs, could help reduce concentrating solar power electricity costs to $0.07/kilowatt-hour. At this cost, concentrating solar power can compete effectively in the Southwest's energy markets. To achieve the Initiative's goal, the U.S. Department of Energy is partnering with the Western Governors' Association to encourage concentrating solar power installations in Arizona, California, Colorado,
Energy Basics: Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems
Energy Basics Renewable Energy Printable Version Share this resource Biomass Geothermal Hydrogen Hydropower Ocean Solar Photovoltaics Cells Systems Concentrating Solar...
Energy Basics: Concentrating Solar Power
"Table A52. Nonswitchable Minimum Requirements and Maximum Consumption"
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Indexed Site
2. Nonswitchable Minimum Requirements and Maximum Consumption" 2. Nonswitchable Minimum Requirements and Maximum Consumption" " Potential by Census Region, 1991" " (Estimates in Physical Units)" ,,,,"RSE" ,"Actual","Minimum","Maximum","Row" "Type of Energy","Consumption","Consumption(a)","Consumption(b)","Factors" "RSE Column Factors:",1,1.2,0.8 ," Total United States" ,"-","-","-" "Electricity Receipts(c) (million kilowatthours)",718480,701478,766887,2 "Natural Gas (billion cubic feet)",5345,3485,5887,2 "Distillate Fuel Oil (thousand barrels)",23885,19113,201081,3.7 "Residual Fuel Oil (thousand barrels)",65837,36488,201921,2.6
www.wine-economics.org Restaurant Prices and the Minimum Wage
We examine the e�ect of the minimum wage on restaurant prices. For that purpose, we estimate a price rigidity model by exploiting a unique dataset of individual price quotes used to calculate the Consumer Price Index in France. We �nd a positive and signi�cant impact of the minimum wage on prices. We obtain that the e�ect of the minimum wage on prices is very protracted. The aggregate impact estimated with our model takes more than a year to fully pass through to retail prices.
Denis Foug�re; Erwan Gautier; Herv� Le Bihan
Surface structure determination by a one-stop search method for the deepest minimum
We report results of a one-stop automated search method for the deepest minimum in surface structure determination. Starting from known chemical bond lengths, the deepest minimization frozen low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) method locates the deepest minimum in a single run without any human intervention. This is achieved by using an approximation method, the frozen LEED, which has a radius of convergence of over 0.8 A, together with a simulated annealing algorithm that hops out of local minima until a deepest minimum is found. Demonstrations are presented using simulated and experimental results.
Yu, Z.X. [Department of Physics, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Tong, S.Y. [Department of Physics and Materials, City University of Hong Kong (China)
Planar micro-optic solar concentration
such as compound parabolic concentrators and nonimagingas kaleidoscopes or compound parabolic concentrators whicha variation of the compound parabolic concentrator, however,
Karp, Jason Harris
Recent Trends of Minimum and Maximum Surface Temperatures over Eastern Africa
This study investigated recent trends in the mean surface minimum and maximum air temperatures over eastern Africa by use of both graphical and statistical techniques. Daily records for 71 stations for the period 1939�92 were used.
S. M. King�uyu; L. A. Ogallo; E. K. Anyamba
The Use of Polar-orbiting Satellite Sounding Data to Estimate Rural Maximum and Minimum Temperatures
Atmospheric sounding products from NOAA's polar-orbiting satellites were used to derive and test predictive equations of rural shelter-level maximum and minimum temperatures. Sounding data from both winter and summer months were combined with ...
Gregory L. Johnson; Jerry M. Davis; Thomas R. Karl; Alan L. McNab; J. Dan Tarpley; Peter Bloomfield
Minimum Uncertainty, Coherence and Squeezing in Diffusion Processes, and Stochastic Quantization
We show that uncertainty relations, as well as minimum uncertainty coherent and squeezed states, are structural properties for diffusion processes. Through Nelson stochastic quantization we derive the stochastic image of the quantum mechanical coherent and squeezed states.
Salvatore De Martino; Silvio De Siena; Fabrizio Illuminati; Giuseppe Vitiello
We show that uncertainty relations, as well as minimum uncertainty coherent and squeezed states, are structural properties for diffusion processes. Through Nelson stochastic quantization we derive the stochastic image of the quantum mechanical coherent and squeezed states. 1
S. De Martino; S. De Siena; F. Illuminati; G. Vitiello
Recent Trends in Maximum and Minimum Temperature Threshold Exceedences in the Northeastern United States
Changes in the annual number of daily maximum and minimum temperature threshold exceedences between 1951 and 1993 are assessed at a network of 22 primarily rural sites in the northeastern United States. After adjusting the annual time series for ...
Arthur T. DeGaetano
A Local Minimum Aliasing Method for Use in Nonlinear Numerical Models
The local spectral method is a minimum aliasing technique for the discretization and numerical integration of prognostic systems consisting of nonlinear partial differential equations. The technique embodies many features of both spectral ...
John R. Anderson
From Fjords to Open Seas: Ecological Genomics of Expanding Oxygen Minimum Zones (2010 JGI User Meeting)
Steven Hallam of the University of British Columbia talks "From Fjords to Open Seas: Ecological Genomics of Expanding Oxygen Minimum Zones" on March 24, 2010 at the 5th Annual DOE JGI User Meeting
Hallam, Steven
Systematic Biases in Manual Observations of Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature
The authors demonstrate that manual observations of daily maximum and minimum temperature are strongly biased toward temperatures ending in certain digits. The nature and severity of these biases are quantified using standard statistical methods. ...
Jon M. Nese
Optimising maximum power output and minimum entropy generation of Atkinson cycle using mutable smart bees algorithm
The purpose of this article is optimising maximum power output (MPO) and minimum entropy generation (MEG) of an Atkinson cycle as a multi-objective constraint thermodynamic problem by a new improved artificial bee colony algorithm which utilises 'mutable ...
Mofid Gorji; Ahmad Mozaffari; Sina Mohammadrezaei Noudeh
A Method to Estimate Missing Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature Observations
A method to estimate missing daily maximum and minimum temperatures is presented. Temperature estimates are based on departures from daily temperature normals at the three closest stations with similar observation times. Although applied to ...
Arthur T. DeGaetano; Keith L. Eggleston; Warren W. Knapp
Minimum bayes risk decoding with enlarged hypothesis space in system combination
This paper describes a new system combination strategy in Statistical Machine Translation. Tromble et al. (2008) introduced the evidence space into Minimum Bayes Risk decoding in order to quantify the relative performance within lattice or n-best output ...
Tsuyoshi Okita; Josef van Genabith
The Minimum Spanning Tree Histogram as a Verification Tool for Multidimensional Ensemble Forecasts
The minimum spanning tree (MST) histogram is a multivariate extension of the ideas behind the conventional scalar rank histogram. It tabulates the frequencies, over n forecast occasions, of the rank of the MST length for each ensemble, within the ...
D. S. Wilks
Reconstructed Annual Minimum Temperatures for the Gulf States, 1799�1988
A very long series of minimum winter temperatures for the United States Gulf Coast region was developed. A search was made through sources of archival data to locate early temperature records for the region. Records from a number of different ...
Robert D. Erhardt Jr.
Optical techniques for detecting and identifying biological-warfare agents
Rapid and accurate detection and identification of biological agents is an objective of various national security programs. Detection in general is difficult owing to natural clutter and anticipated low concentrations of ...
Greenwood, Darryl P.
DiffServ node with join minimum cost queue policy and multiclass traffic
DiffServ, the vehicle for providing relative QoS in the Internet is also easily amenable to simple and effective pricing mechanisms. By pricing access to a relative QoS, we can model a DiffServ node as a 'Join Minimum Cost Queue' in which an arriving ... Keywords: diffServ, finite buffer queues, join minimum cost queue, join shortest queue, network pricing, quasi-birth--death processes, queue control
Rahul Tandra; N. Hemachandra; D. Manjunath
On-Off Minimum-Time Control With Limited Fuel Usage: Global Optima Via Linear Programming
A method for finding a global optimum to the on-off minimum-time control problem with limited fuel usage is presented. Each control can take on only three possible values: maximum, zero, or minimum. The simplex method for linear systems naturally yields such a solution for the re-formulation presented herein because it always produces an extreme point solution to the linear program. Numerical examples for the benchmark linear flexible system are presented.
Cylindrical Acoustic Levitator/Concentrator
Cylindrical Acoustic Levitator/Concentrator Cylindrical Acoustic Levitator/Concentrator Cylindrical Acoustic Levitator/Concentrator A low-power, inexpensive acoustic apparatus for levitation and/or concentration of aerosols and small liquid/solid samples having particulates up to several millimeters in diameter in air or other fluids is described. Available for thumbnail of Feynman Center (505) 665-9090 Email Cylindrical Acoustic Levitator/Concentrator A low-power, inexpensive acoustic apparatus for levitation and/or concentration of aerosols and small liquid/solid samples having particulates up to several millimeters in diameter in air or other fluids is described. It is constructed from a commercially available, hollow cylindrical piezoelectric crystal which has been modified to tune the resonance frequency of the breathing mode resonance of the crystal to that
Radon detection
A detector for atmospheric radon using a long range alpha detector as its sensing element is described. An electrostatic filter removes ions from ambient air, while allowing radon atoms to pass into a decay cavity. Here, radon atoms are allowed to decay, creating air ions. These air ions are drawn by a fan through a second electrostatic filter which can be activated or deactivated, and into the long range alpha detector. With the second electrostatic filter activated, no air ions are allowed to pass, and the signal output from the long range alpha detector consists of only the electronic background. With the second electrostatic filter deactivated, air ions and cosmic rays will be detected. The cosmic ray contribution can be minimized by shielding. 3 figures.
MacArthur, D.W.; Allander, K.S.; Bounds, J.A.
A detector for atmospheric radon using a long range alpha detector as its sensing element. An electrostatic filter removes ions from ambient air, while allowing radon atoms to pass into a decay cavity. Here, radon atoms are allowed to decay, creating air ions. These air ions are drawn by a fan through a second electrostatic filter which can be activated or deactivated, and into the long range alpha detector. With the second electrostatic filter activated, no air ions are allowed to pass, and the signal output from the long range alpha detector consists of only the electronic background. With the second electrostatic filter deactivated, air ions and cosmic rays will be detected. The cosmic ray contribution can be minimized by shielding.
MacArthur, Duncan W. (Los Alamos, NM); Allander, Krag S. (Ojo Caliente, NM); Bounds, John A. (Los Alamos, NM)
ARM - Measurement - CO2 concentration
: CO2 concentration The amount of carbon dioxide, a heavy, colorless greenhouse gas, per unit of volume. Categories Atmospheric Carbon Instruments The above measurement is...
use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. This thermal energy can then be used to produce electricity...
A low-power, inexpensive acoustic apparatus for levitation andor concentration of aerosols and small liquidsolid samples having particulates up to several millimeters in...
Method and Apparatus for Concentrating Vapors for Analysis
An apparatus and method are disclosed for pre-concentrating gaseous vapors for analysis. The invention finds application in conjunction with, e.g., analytical instruments where low detection limits for gaseous vapors are desirable. Vapors sorbed and concentrated within the bed of the apparatus can be thermally desorbed achieving at least partial separation of vapor mixtures. The apparatus is suitable, e.g., for preconcentration and sample injection, and provides greater resolution of peaks for vapors within vapor mixtures, yielding detection levels that are 10-10,000 times better than for direct sampling and analysis systems. Features are particularly useful for continuous unattended monitoring applications.
Process for concentrated biomass saccharification
Processes for saccharification of pretreated biomass to obtain high concentrations of fermentable sugars are provided. Specifically, a process was developed that uses a fed batch approach with particle size reduction to provide a high dry weight of biomass content enzymatic saccharification reaction, which produces a high sugars concentration hydrolysate, using a low cost reactor system.
Hennessey, Susan M. (Avondale, PA); Seapan, Mayis (Landenberg, PA); Elander, Richard T. (Evergreen, CO); Tucker, Melvin P. (Lakewood, CO)
Colorimetric detection of uranium in water
Disclosed are methods, materials and systems that can be used to determine qualitatively or quantitatively the level of uranium contamination in water samples. Beneficially, disclosed systems are relatively simple and cost-effective. For example, disclosed systems can be utilized by consumers having little or no training in chemical analysis techniques. Methods generally include a concentration step and a complexation step. Uranium concentration can be carried out according to an extraction chromatographic process and complexation can chemically bind uranium with a detectable substance such that the formed substance is visually detectable. Methods can detect uranium contamination down to levels even below the MCL as established by the EPA.
DeVol, Timothy A. (Clemson, SC); Hixon, Amy E. (Piedmont, SC); DiPrete, David P. (Evans, GA)
ARM - Measurement - Organic Carbon Concentration
govMeasurementsOrganic Carbon Concentration govMeasurementsOrganic Carbon Concentration ARM Data Discovery Browse Data Comments? We would love to hear from you! Send us a note below or call us at 1-888-ARM-DATA. Send Measurement : Organic Carbon Concentration The concentration of carbon bound in organic compounds. Categories Aerosols Instruments The above measurement is considered scientifically relevant for the following instruments. Refer to the datastream (netcdf) file headers of each instrument for a list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes. ARM Instruments ACSM : Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor Field Campaign Instruments AEROSCARBON : Aerosol Carbon Analyzer AEROSMASSSPEC : Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Datastreams AOS : Aerosol Observing System Datastreams
Concentrated solar power on demand
This thesis describes a new concentrating solar power central receiver system with integral thermal storage. Hillside mounted heliostats direct sunlight into a volumetric absorption molten salt pool, which also functions ...
Codd, Daniel Shawn
Carbothermic Reduction of Niobium Concentrate
Abstract Scope, Ferro Niobium is produced by aluminothermic reduction of the ... However, the niobium concentrate has impurities, such as phosphorus, lead and tin, ... Phase Transformation of Andalusite-Mullite and Its Fiber Reinforcement to�...
Testing minimum energy with powerful radio sources in clusters of galaxies
We analyze ROSAT data for cluster gas surrounding powerful radio galaxies, which is well fitted by a ``beta-model'' gas distribution, after allowing for a compact central source. The cluster thermal pressure at the distance of the radio lobes is typically an order of magnitude larger than the lobe minimum pressure. Since radio lobes are sharply-bounded, the missing pressure is not simply entrained intra-cluster gas. Thus the minimum energy in the lobes is a severe underestimate of the actual energy content. We argue that the extra energy is mostly in the form of particles, so that the magnetic field is below equipartition and thus not a major factor in the lobe dynamics. The large departure from minimum energy has far-reaching implications for the nature of AGN central engines and the supply of mechanical energy to the cluster gas.
J. P. Leahy; Nectaria A. B. Gizani
Impact of CIR Storms on Thermosphere Density Variability during the Solar Minimum of 2008
The solar minimum of 2008 was exceptionally quiet, with sunspot numbers at their lowest in 75 years. During this unique solar minimum epoch, however, solar wind high - speed streams emanating from near-equatorial coronal holes occurred frequently and were the primary contributor to the recurrent geomagnetic activity at Earth. These conditions enabled the isolation of forcing by geomagnetic activity on the preconditioned solar minimum state of the upper atmosphere caused by Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs). Thermosphere density observations around 400 km from the CHAMP satellite are used to study the thermosphere density response to solar wind high - speed streams/CIRs. Superposed epoch results show that thermosphere density responds to high - speed streams globally, and the density at 400 km changes by 75% on average. The relative changes of neutral density are comparable at different latitudes, although its variability is largest at high latitudes. In addition, the response of thermosphere density to hi...
Lei, Jiuhou; Wang, Wenbin; McPherron, Robert L
Point sensitive NMR imaging system using a magnetic field configuration with a spatial minimum
A point-sensitive NMR imaging system (10) in which a main solenoid coil (11) produces a relatively strong and substantially uniform magnetic field and a pair of perturbing coils (PZ1 and PZ2) powered by current in the same direction superimposes a pair of relatively weak perturbing fields on the main field to produce a resultant point of minimum field strength at a desired location in a direction along the Z-axis. Two other pairs of perturbing coils (PX1, PX2; PY1, PY2) superimpose relatively weak field gradients on the main field in directions along the X- and Y-axes to locate the minimum field point at a desired location in a plane normal to the Z-axes. An RF generator (22) irradiates a tissue specimen in the field with radio frequency energy so that desired nuclei in a small volume at the point of minimum field strength will resonate.
Eberhard, Philippe H. (El Cerrito, CA)
Fuel washout detection system
A system for detecting grossly failed reactor fuel by detection of particulate matter as accumulated on a filter.
Colburn, Richard P. (Pasco, WA)
LOW-LATITUDE CORONAL HOLES AT THE MINIMUM OF THE 23rd SOLAR CYCLE
Low- and mid-latitude coronal holes (CHs) observed on the Sun during the current solar activity minimum (from 2006 September 21, Carrington rotation (CR) 2048, to 2009 June 26, CR 2084) were analyzed using Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope and STEREO-A SECCHI EUVI data. From both the observations and Potential Field Source Surface modeling, we find that the area occupied by CHs inside a belt of +-40{sup 0} around the solar equator is larger in the current 2007 solar minimum relative to the similar phase of the previous 1996 solar minimum. The enhanced CH area is related to a recurrent appearance of five persistent CHs, which survived during 7-27 solar rotations. Three of the CHs are of positive magnetic polarity and two are negative. The most long-lived CH was being formed during 2 days and existed for 27 rotations. This CH was associated with fast solar wind at 1 AU of approximately 620 +- 40 km s{sup -1}. The three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic modeling for this time period shows an open field structure above this CH. We conclude that the global magnetic field of the Sun possessed a multi-pole structure during this time period. Calculation of the harmonic power spectrum of the solar magnetic field demonstrates a greater prevalence of multi-pole components over the dipole component in the 2007 solar minimum compared to the 1996 solar minimum. The unusual large separation between the dipole and multi-pole components is due to the very low magnitude of the dipole component, which is three times lower than that in the previous 1996 solar minimum.
Abramenko, Valentyna; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl [Big Bear Solar Observatory, Big Bear City, CA 92314 (United States); Linker, Jon; Mikic, Zoran [Predictive Science, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121 (United States); Luhmann, Janet; Lee, Christina O. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
Method for detecting toxic gases
A method capable of detecting low concentrations of a pollutant or other component in air or other gas, utilizing a combination of a heating filament having a catalytic surface of a noble metal for exposure to the gas and producing a derivative chemical product from the component, and an electrochemical sensor responsive to the derivative chemical product for providing a signal indicative of the product. At concentrations in the order of about 1-100 ppm of tetrachloroethylene, neither the heating filament nor the electrochemical sensor is individually capable of sensing the pollutant. In the combination, the heating filament converts the benzyl chloride to one or more derivative chemical products which may be detected by the electrochemical sensor.
Stetter, Joseph R. (Naperville, IL); Zaromb, Solomon (Hinsdale, IL); Findlay, Jr., Melvin W. (Bolingbrook, IL)
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Concentrating Solar Power
Concentrating Solar Power Resource Maps Concentrating Solar Power Resource Maps These direct-normal solar radiation maps-filtered by solar resource and land availability-identify the most economically suitable lands available for deploying of large-scale concentrating solar power plants in the southwestern United States. Each of the following seven states, as well as the southwestern U.S. region, has two maps: the left and right maps represent analyses excluding land with slopes >1% and >3%, respectively. Lower-resolution jpg versions are available below; much higher-resolution pdf files, suitable for plotting large-scale posters, can be requested. You can also access an unfiltered direct-normal solar radiation map of the southwestern United States. Download Adobe Reader. Southwestern U.S.
Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems | Department of Energy
Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems Concentrator Photovoltaic Systems August 20, 2013 - 4:12pm Addthis Concentrator photovoltaic (PV) systems use less solar cell material than other...
Automated Methods for Multiplexed Pathogen Detection
Detection of pathogenic microorganisms in environmental samples is a difficult process. Concentration of the organisms of interest also co-concentrates inhibitors of many end-point detection methods, notably, nucleic acid methods. In addition, sensitive, highly multiplexed pathogen detection continues to be problematic. The primary function of the BEADS (Biodetection Enabling Analyte Delivery System) platform is the automated concentration and purification of target analytes from interfering substances, often present in these samples, via a renewable surface column. In one version of BEADS, automated immunomagnetic separation (IMS) is used to separate cells from their samples. Captured cells are transferred to a flow-through thermal cycler where PCR, using labeled primers, is performed. PCR products are then detected by hybridization to a DNA suspension array. In another version of BEADS, cell lysis is performed, and community RNA is purified and directly labeled. Multiplexed detection is accomplished by direct hybridization of the RNA to a planar microarray. The integrated IMS/PCR version of BEADS can successfully purify and amplify 10 E. coli O157:H7 cells from river water samples. Multiplexed PCR assays for the simultaneous detection of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella on bead suspension arrays was demonstrated for the detection of as few as 100 cells for each organism. Results for the RNA version of BEADS are also showing promising results. Automation yields highly purified RNA, suitable for multiplexed detection on microarrays, with microarray detection specificity equivalent to PCR. Both versions of the BEADS platform show great promise for automated pathogen detection from environmental samples. Highly multiplexed pathogen detection using PCR continues to be problematic, but may be required for trace detection in large volume samples. The RNA approach solves the issues of highly multiplexed PCR and provides ''live vs. dead'' capabilities. However, sensitivity of the method will need to be improved for RNA analysis to replace PCR.
Straub, Tim M.; Dockendorff, Brian P.; Quinonez-Diaz, Maria D.; Valdez, Catherine O.; Shutthanandan, Janani I.; Tarasevich, Barbara J.; Grate, Jay W.; Bruckner-Lea, Cindy J.
The Concentric Eyewall Cycle of Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 formed an outer eyewall as it intensified rapidly toward a record minimum pressure of 888 hPa in the western Caribbean. The outer eyewall strengthened and contracted, while the inner eyewall showed some signs of ...
Michael L. Black; Hugh E. Willoughby
Radionuclide detection devices and associated methods
Radionuclide detection devices comprise a fluid cell comprising a flow channel for a fluid stream. A radionuclide collector is positioned within the flow channel and configured to concentrate one or more radionuclides from the fluid stream onto at least a portion of the radionuclide collector. A scintillator for generating scintillation pulses responsive to an occurrence of a decay event is positioned proximate at least a portion of the radionuclide collector and adjacent to a detection system for detecting the scintillation pulses. Methods of selectively detecting a radionuclide are also provided.
Mann, Nicholas R. (Rigby, ID); Lister, Tedd E. (Idaho Falls, ID); Tranter, Troy J. (Idaho Falls, ID)
How Will An Increase From $6.75 to $7.75 in the California Minimum Wage Impact the California Economy?
Impact of the 2001 California Minimum Wage Increase."Statistics and Research, California Industrial Relationsthe Minimum Wage in California," memorandum, Institute for
Vassalotti, Amy
ARM - Measurement - Trace gas concentration
govMeasurementsTrace gas concentration govMeasurementsTrace gas concentration ARM Data Discovery Browse Data Comments? We would love to hear from you! Send us a note below or call us at 1-888-ARM-DATA. Send Measurement : Trace gas concentration The amount per unit volume of trace gases other than carbon dioxide, ozone and water vapor, typically measured in conjunction with in situ aerosol measurements, e.g. carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide. Categories Atmospheric Carbon, Atmospheric State Instruments The above measurement is considered scientifically relevant for the following instruments. Refer to the datastream (netcdf) file headers of each instrument for a list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes. ARM Instruments CO : Carbon Monoxide Mixing Ratio System
Concentrating Solar Power | Department of Energy
Concentrating Solar Power Concentrating Solar Power August 20, 2013 - 4:38pm Addthis Text Version This solar concentrator has a fixed-focus faceted dish with a concentration of...
Stochastic Modelling and 3D Minimum Variance RecursiveEstimation of Image Sequences
In this paper the 3D minimum variance filtering problem is considered. The proposed spatiotemporal filter is derived according to the assumption that the 3D signal can be modelled by an ensemble of smooth 3D gaussian random fields. The resulting ... Keywords: image processing, optimal filtering, stochastic modelling
L. Jetto
The Process of Fixing the British National Minimum Wage, 1997-2007
to negotiate, with embedded mediation, a level of minimum wage that has been not only 19 acceptable to government but also, at time of writing, overwhelmingly benign in its economic and social impact. The author is grateful for the comments of David...
Brown, William
A hierarchical application of the Minimum Current Corona C. Beveridge and D.W. Longcope
A hierarchical application of the Minimum Current Corona C. Beveridge and D.W. Longcope Department. Beveridge, C.: 2003, Ph.D. Thesis, University of St. Andrews. Beveridge, C. and Longcope, D.W.: 2005, Solar.M.: 1990, Astrophys. J., 366, 577. Longcope, D.W.: 1996, Solar Phys, 169, 91. Longcope, D.W.: 2001, Phys
Longcope, Dana
Battery Sizing for Grid Connected PV Systems with Fixed Minimum Charging/Discharging Time
Battery Sizing for Grid Connected PV Systems with Fixed Minimum Charging/Discharging Time Yu Ru, Jan Kleissl, and Sonia Martinez Abstract-- In this paper, we study a battery sizing problem for grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems assuming that the battery charging/discharging limit scales linearly with its
Martínez, Sonia
Mobility-assisted minimum connected cover in a wireless sensor network
All properties of mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSNs) are inherited from static wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and meanwhile have their own uniqueness and node mobility. Sensor nodes in these networks monitor different regions of an area of interest ... Keywords: Energy-aware selection method, Minimum connected sensor cover set, Mobile wireless sensor networks, Redundant node, Relocation
Ahmed M. Khedr; Walid Osamy
A robust forced dynamic sliding mode minimum energy position controller for permanent magnet synchronous motor drives
As a contribution towards improving the environment, a new position controller for vector controlled electric drives employing permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) is presented that achieves approximately 27% less frictional energy loss than a ... Keywords: forced dynamic control, minimum energy manoeuvres, sliding mode control, synchronous motor drives
Stephen J. Dodds; Gunaratnam. Sooriyakumar; Roy Perryman
A stochastic minimum principle and an adaptive pathwise algorithm for stochastic optimal control
We present a numerical method for finite-horizon stochastic optimal control models. We derive a stochastic minimum principle (SMP) and then develop a numerical method based on the direct solution of the SMP. The method combines Monte Carlo pathwise simulation ... Keywords: Electric power systems, Monte Carlo simulation, Stochastic control
Panos Parpas, Mort Webster
Statistical inference of minimum BD estimators and classifiers for varying-dimensional models
Stochastic modeling for large-scale datasets usually involves a varying-dimensional model space. This paper investigates the asymptotic properties, when the number of parameters grows with the available sample size, of the minimum-BD estimators and classifiers ... Keywords: A diverging number of parameters, Exponential family, Hemodynamic response function, Loss function, Optimal Bayes rule, primary, secondary
Chunming Zhang
A steady-state L-mode tokamak fusion reactor : large scale and minimum scale
We perform extensive analysis on the physics of L-mode tokamak fusion reactors to identify (1) a favorable parameter space for a large scale steady-state reactor and (2) an operating point for a minimum scale steady-state ...
Reed, Mark W. (Mark Wilbert)
Analysis on Achieving a Minimum Bunch Length in LCLS Bunch Compressor One
An ultra-short bunch is required by different applications in many aspects. In this paper, the condition to achieve a minimum bunch length at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) [1] bunch compressor one (BC1) is analyzed analytically and evaluated by simulation. The space charge, wake field and coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) effects are not discussed here.
Sun, Yipeng
Externally Forced and Internal Variability in Ensemble Climate Simulations of the Maunder Minimum
The response of the climate system to natural, external forcing during the Maunder Minimum (ca. a.d. 1645�1715) is investigated using a comprehensive climate model. An ensemble of six transient simulations is produced in order to examine the ...
Masakazu Yoshimori; Thomas F. Stocker; Christoph C. Raible; Manuel Renold
Optimal Control of Hybrid Electric Vehicles Based on Pontryagin's Minimum Principle
Optimal Control of Hybrid Electric Vehicles Based on Pontryagin's Minimum Principle Namwook Kim. INTRODUCTION he optimal control of HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) is an important topic not only because, Sukwon Cha, Huei Peng Abstract - A number of strategies for the power management of HEVs (Hybrid Electric
Peng, Huei
GEOMAGNETIC EFFECTS OF INTERPLANETARY SHOCK WAVES DURING SOLAR MINIMUM (1995-1996) AND SOLAR on geomagnetic activity, quantified by the maximum hourly Dst and tri-hourly ap indices, in a period of 3 days after the shock, are evaluated. Correlations between shock parameters and Dst and ap geomagnetic indices
Improved Fixed-Parameter Algorithms for Minimum-Flip Consensus Trees
In computational phylogenetics, the problem of constructing a consensus tree for a given set of rooted input trees has frequently been addressed. In this article we study the Minimum-Flip Problem: the input trees are transformed into a binary ... Keywords: Phylogenetics, consensus tree, fixed-parameter algorithm
Sebastian B�cker; Quang Bao Anh Bui; Anke Truss
Solar Tracing Sensors for Maximum Solar Concentrator ...
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) relies on thermodynamic processes to convert concentrated light into useful forms of energy. Accurate sun tracking ...
Concentrating solar collector: technical note
The Acurex Model 3002 concentrator is a reflecting parabolic trough collector designed to heat liquids or gases to temperatures between 140/sup 0/F and 350/sup 0/F. The cost effectiveness, performance, reliability, and technical description of the collector are presented.
Taking into account results obtained from models and from statistical analyses of obtained parameters, we discuss flare activity levels and flare characteristics of five UV Ceti stars. We present the parameters of unpublished flares detected over two years of observations of V1005 Ori. We compare parameters of the U-band flares detected over several seasons of observations of AD Leo, EV Lac, EQ Peg, V1054 Oph, and V1005 Ori. Flare frequencies calculated for all program stars and maximum energy levels of the flares are compared, and we consider which is the most correct parameter as an indicator of flare activity levels. Using the One Phase Exponential Association function, the distributions of flare equivalent duration versus flare total duration are modeled for each program star. We use the Independent Samples t-Test in the statistical analyses of the parameters obtained from the models. The results reveal some properties of flare processes occurring on the surfaces of UV Ceti type stars. (1) Flare energies cannot be higher than a specific value regardless of the length of the flare total duration. This must be a saturation level for white-light flares occurring in flare processes observed in the U band. Thus, for the first time it is shown that white-light flares have a saturation in a specific energy range. (2) The span values, which are the difference between the equivalent durations of flares with the shortest and longest total durations, are almost equal for each star. (3) The half-life values, minimum flare durations for saturation, increase toward the later spectral types. (4) Both maximum total durations and maximum rise times computed from the observed flares decrease toward the later spectral types among the UV Ceti stars. According to the maximum energy levels obtained from the models, both EV Lac and EQ Peg are more active than the other three program stars, while AD Leo is the most active flare star according to the flare frequencies.
Dal, H. A.; Evren, S., E-mail: email@example.com [Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, University of Ege, Bornova, 35100 Izmir (Turkey)
Autonomous Rule Creation for Intrusion Detection
Many computational intelligence techniques for anomaly based network intrusion detection can be found in literature. Translating a newly discovered intrusion recognition criteria into a distributable rule can be a human intensive effort. This paper explores a multi-modal genetic algorithm solution for autonomous rule creation. This algorithm focuses on the process of creating rules once an intrusion has been identified, rather than the evolution of rules to provide a solution for intrusion detection. The algorithm was demonstrated on anomalous ICMP network packets (input) and Snort rules (output of the algorithm). Output rules were sorted according to a fitness value and any duplicates were removed. The experimental results on ten test cases demonstrated a 100 percent rule alert rate. Out of 33,804 test packets 3 produced false positives. Each test case produced a minimum of three rule variations that could be used as candidates for a production system.
Todd Vollmer; Jim Alves-Foss; Milos Manic
Silicon concentrator solar cell research
This report describes work conducted between December 1990 and May 1992 continuing research on silicon concentrator solar cells. The objectives of the work were to improve the performance of high-efficiency cells upon p-type substrates, to investigate the ultraviolet stability of such cells, to develop concentrator cells based on n-type substrates, and to transfer technology to appropriate commercial environments. Key results include the identification of contact resistance between boron-defused areas and rear aluminum as the source of anomalously large series resistance in both p- and n-type cells. A major achievement of the present project was the successful transfer of cell technology to both Applied Solar Energy Corporation and Solarex Corporation.
Green, M.A.; Zhao, J.; Wang, A.; Dai, X.; Milne, A.; Cai, S.; Aberle, A.; Wenham, S.R. [Univ. of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW (AU). Centre for Photovoltaic Devices and Systems
Cylindrical acoustic levitator/concentrator
A low-power, inexpensive acoustic apparatus for levitation and/or concentration of aerosols and small liquid/solid samples having particulates up to several millimeters in diameter in air or other fluids is described. It is constructed from a commercially available, hollow cylindrical piezoelectric crystal which has been modified to tune the resonance frequency of the breathing mode resonance of the crystal to that of the interior cavity of the cylinder. When the resonance frequency of the interior cylindrical cavity is matched to the breathing mode resonance of the cylindrical piezoelectric transducer, the acoustic efficiency for establishing a standing wave pattern in the cavity is high. The cylinder does not require accurate alignment of a resonant cavity. Water droplets having diameters greater than 1 mm have been levitated against the force of gravity using; less than 1 W of input electrical power. Concentration of aerosol particles in air is also demonstrated.
Kaduchak, Gregory (Los Alamos, NM); Sinha, Dipen N. (Los Alamos, NM)
Development of concentrator solar cells
A limited pilot production run on PESC silicon solar cells for use at high concentrations (200 to 400 suns) is summarized. The front contact design of the cells was modified for operation without prismatic covers. The original objective of the contract was to systematically complete a process consolidation phase, in which all the, process improvements developed during the contract would be combined in a pilot production run. This pilot run was going to provide, a basis for estimating cell costs when produced at high throughput. Because of DOE funding limitations, the Photovoltaic Concentrator Initiative is on hold, and Applied Solar`s contract was operated at a low level of effort for most of 1993. The results obtained from the reduced scope pilot run showed the effects of discontinuous process optimization and characterization. However, the run provided valuable insight into the technical areas that can be optimized to achieve the original goals of the contract.
How to Detect Radiation
How to Detect Radiation How to Survey Measurement Safety Around Radiation Sources Types of Radiation Exposure Managing Radiation Emergencies Procedure Demonstration Detection How...
Photovoltaic concentrator module improvements study
This report presents results of a project to design and fabricate an improved photovoltaic concentrator module. Using previous work as a baseline, this study conducted analyses and testing to select major module components and design features. The lens parquet and concentrator solar cell were selected from the highest performing, available components. A single 185X point-focus module was fabricated by the project team and tested at Sandia. Major module characteristics include a 6 by 4 compression-molded acrylic lens parquet (0.737 m{sup 2} area), twenty-four 0.2 ohms-cm, FZ, p-Si solar cells (1.56 cm{sup 2} area) soldered to ceramic substrates and copper heat spreaders, and an aluminized steel housing with corrugated bottom. This project marked the first attempt to use prismatic covers on solar cells in a high-concentration, point-focus application. Cells with 15 percent metallization were obtained, but problems with the fabrication and placement of prismatic covers on these cells lead to the decision not to use covers in the prototype module. Cell assembly fabrication, module fabrication, and module optical design activities are presented here. Test results are also presented for bare cells, cell assemblies, and module. At operating conditions of 981 watts/m{sup 2} DNI and an estimated cell temperature of 65{degrees}C, the module demonstrated an efficiency of 13.9 percent prior to stressed environmental exposure. 12 refs., 56 figs., 7 tabs.
Levy, S.L.; Kerschen, K.A. (Black and Veatch, Kansas City, MO (United States)); Hutchison, G. (Solar Kinetics, Inc., Dallas, TX (United States)); Nowlan, M.J. (Spire Corp., Bedford, MA (United States))
Advanced high efficiency concentrator cells
This report describes research to develop the technology needed to demonstrate a monolithic, multijunction, two-terminal, concentrator solar cell with a terrestrial power conversion efficiency greater than 35%. Under three previous subcontracts, Varian developed many of the aspects of a technology needed to fabricate very high efficiency concentrator cells. The current project was aimed at exploiting the new understanding of high efficiency solar cells. Key results covered in this report are as follows. (1) A 1.93-eV AlGaAs/1.42-eV GaAs metal-interconnected cascade cell was manufactured with a one-sun efficiency at 27.6% at air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) global. (2) A 1.0eV InGaAs cell was fabricated on the reverse'' side of a low-doped GaAs substrate with a one-sun efficiency of 2.5% AM1.5 diffuse and a short-circuit current of 14.4 mA/cm{sup 2}. (3) Small-scale manufacturing of GaAs p/n concentrator cells was attempted and obtained an excellent yield of high-efficiency cells. (4) Grown-in tunnel junction cell interconnects that are transparent and thermally stable using C and Si dopants were developed. 10 refs.
Gale, R. (Varian Associates, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (United States). Varian Research Center)
Boulder, Colorados SmartRegs: Minimum Performance Standards for Residential Rental Housing
Policy Brief is an excerpt from the report: "Delivering Energy Efficiency to Middle Income Single Policy Brief is an excerpt from the report: "Delivering Energy Efficiency to Middle Income Single Family Households." For the full report and other resources visit: http://middleincome.lbl.gov March 20, 2012 Boulder, Colorado's SmartRegs: Minimum Performance Standards for Residential Rental Housing The Case for Performance Standards The City of Boulder's Climate Action Plan calls for greenhouse gas emissions reductions across all sectors of the community (e.g., buildings, transportation and industry). Energy conservation in new and existing buildings plays a key role in the plan's ambitious goals. In 2006, Boulder residents overwhelmingly approved a Climate Action Tax to fund Climate Action Plan efforts. For more than a decade the city has been incrementally strengthening minimum energy efficiency standards for residential
The recently protracted solar minimum provided years of interplanetary data that were largely absent in any association with observed large-scale transient behavior on the Sun. With large-scale shear at 1 AU generally isolated to corotating interaction regions, it is reasonable to ask whether the solar wind is significantly turbulent at this time. We perform a series of third-moment analyses using data from the Advanced Composition Explorer. We show that the solar wind at 1 AU is just as turbulent as at any other time in the solar cycle. Specifically, the turbulent cascade of energy scales in the same manner proportional to the product of wind speed and temperature. Energy cascade rates during solar minimum average a factor of 2-4 higher than during solar maximum, but we contend that this is likely the result of having a different admixture of high-latitude sources.
Coburn, Jesse T.; Smith, Charles W.; Vasquez, Bernard J. [Physics Department and Space Science Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States); Stawarz, Joshua E. [Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CA (United States); Forman, Miriam A., E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com, E-mail: email@example.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY (United States)
Mercury concentrations in tissues of Florida bald eagles
We collected 48 blood and 61 feather samples from nestling bald eagles at 42 nests and adult feather samples from 20 nests in north and central Florida during 1991-93. We obtained 32 liver, 10 feather, and 5 blood samples from 33 eagle carcasses recovered in Florida during 1987-93. For nestlings, mercury concentrations in blood (GM = 0.16 ppm wet wt) and feather (GM = 3.23 ppm) samples were correlated (r = 0.69, P = 0.0001). Although nestlings had lower mercury concentrations in feathers than did adults (GM = 6.03 ppm), the feather mercury levels in nestlings and adults from the same nest were correlated (r = 0.63, P eagles (GM = 0.23 ppm) was similar to Florida nestlings but some Florida nestlings had blood mercury concentrations up to 0.61 ppm, more than twice as high as captive adults. Feather mercury concentrations in both nestlings and adults exceeded those in captive eagles, but concentrations in all tissues were similar to, or lower than, those in bald eagles from other wild populations. Although mercury concentrations in Florida eagles are below those that cause mortality, they are in the range of concentrations that can cause behavioral changes or reduce reproduction. We recommend periodic monitoring of mercury in Florida bald eagles for early detection of mercury increases before negative effects on reproduction occur. 26 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.
Wood, P.B.; Wood, J.M. [Wes Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States); White, J.H. [Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Eustis, FL (United States)] [and others
Investigation of Catalyst Deactivation from Operation Below the Minimum Operating Temperature
The expanding use of alternative and renewable energy sources is forcing large coal-fired power plants to operate at low load more frequently and for longer periods. For units with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems and without economizer bypass capabilities, low-load operation requires the SCR system to operate at reduced flue gas temperatures. For units burning high-sulfur coal, these lower temperatures are often below the minimum operating temperature defined by SCR catalyst vendors. ...
A model was derived for a minimum-weight radial reflector for SNAP reactors. The effect, which the use of this optimal reflector has on radiation shield weight requirements is investigated. Weights of systems employing conventional and optimal radial reflectors are compared using the FARSE and FARSER computer codes. It is found that for the configuration under study additional shield weight required when the optimal reflector is used is in excess of the reflector weight savings. (auth)
Bernick, R.L.
Free Magnetic Energy in Solar Active Regions above the Minimum-Energy Relaxed State
To understand the physics of solar flares, including the local reorganisation of the magnetic field and the acceleration of energetic particles, we have first to estimate the free magnetic energy available for such phenomena, which can be converted into kinetic and thermal energy. The free magnetic energy is the excess energy of a magnetic configuration compared to the minimum-energy state, which is a linear force-free field if the magnetic helicity of the configuration is conserved. We investigate the values of the free magnetic energy estimated from either the excess energy in extrapolated fields or the magnetic virial theorem. For four different active regions, we have reconstructed the nonlinear force-free field and the linear force-free field corresponding to the minimum-energy state. The free magnetic energies are then computed. From the energy budget and the observed magnetic activity in the active region, we conclude that the free energy above the minimum-energy state gives a better estimate and more insights into the flare process than the free energy above the potential field state.
S. Regnier; E. R. Priest
To understand the physics of solar flares, including the local reorganisation of the magnetic field and the acceleration of energetic particles, we have first to estimate the free magnetic energy available for such phenomena, which can be converted into kinetic and thermal energy. The free magnetic energy is the excess energy of a magnetic configuration compared to the minimum-energy state, which is a linear force-free field if the magnetic helicity of the configuration is conserved. We investigate the values of the free magnetic energy estimated from either the excess energy in extrapolated fields or the magnetic virial theorem. For four different active regions, we have reconstructed the nonlinear force-free field and the linear force-free field corresponding to the minimum-energy state. The free magnetic energies are then computed. From the energy budget and the observed magnetic activity in the active region, we conclude that the free energy above the minimum-energy state gives a better estimate and more ...
R�gnier, S
The solar magnetic activity cycle causes changes in the Sun on timescales that are equivalent to human lifetimes. The minimum solar activity that preceded the current solar cycle (cycle 24) was deeper and quieter than any other recent minimum. Using data from the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON), we show that the structure of the solar sub-surface layers during the descending phase of the preceding cycle (cycle 23) was very different from that during cycle 22. This leads us to believe that a detailed examination of the data would have led to the prediction that the cycle 24 minimum would be out of the ordinary. The behavior of the oscillation frequencies allows us to infer that changes in the Sun that affected the oscillation frequencies in cycle 23 were localized mainly to layers above about 0.996 R{sub Sun }, depths shallower than about 3000 km. In cycle 22, on the other hand, the changes must have also occurred in the deeper-lying layers.
Basu, Sarbani [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 (United States); Broomhall, Anne-Marie; Chaplin, William J.; Elsworth, Yvonne, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom)
Optimal design and allocation of electrified vehicles and dedicated charging infrastructure for minimum life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and cost
for minimum life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and cost Elizabeth Traut a,n , Chris Hendrickson b,1 , Erica reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by shifting energy demand from gasoline to electricity. GHG benefits. HEVs are optimal or near-optimal for minimum cost in most scenarios. High gas prices and low
Michalek, Jeremy J.
The exact distribution of the maximum, minimum and the range of Multinomial/Dirichlet and Multivariate Hypergeometric frequencies
The exact distribution of the maximum and minimum frequencies of Multinomial/Dirichlet and Multivariate Hypergeometric distributions of n balls in m urns is compactly represented as a product of stochastic matrices. This representation ... Keywords: Dirichlet multinomial, Multinomial maximum, minimum, range, Multinomial outliers, inliers, Multivariate hypergeometric, Stochastic matrix
Charles J. Corrado
Radiation Detection Instruments
Directory of Accredited Laboratories. Radiation Detection Instruments. In 2005, the Department of Homeland Security requested ...
Portable modular detection system
Disclosed herein are portable and modular detection devices and systems for detecting electromagnetic radiation, such as fluorescence, from an analyte which comprises at least one optical element removably attached to at least one alignment rail. Also disclosed are modular detection devices and systems having an integrated lock-in amplifier and spatial filter and assay methods using the portable and modular detection devices.
Brennan, James S. (Rodeo, CA); Singh, Anup (Danville, CA); Throckmorton, Daniel J. (Tracy, CA); Stamps, James F. (Livermore, CA)
Concentrating Solar Power Program overview
Over the last decade, the US solar thermal industry has established a track record in the power industry by building and operating utility-scale power plants with a combined rated capacity of 354 megawatts (MW). The technology used in these power plants is based on years of research and development (R and D), much of it sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE). DOE`s Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Program is collaborating with its partners in the private sector to develop two new solar technologies -- power towers and dish/engines -- to meet the huge commercial potential for solar power.
Mathematical modeling of solar concentrators
A computational capability that models the operation of any solar energy collector that uses flux concentrators is a valuable aid in the planning, design, construction, calibration, safety analysis, and operation of the system. In addition to the usual optical considerations, the model should treat such imperfections as reflecting-surface slope errors, suntracking and alignment errors, and mirror-focusing errors. It should properly account for the angular distribution of incoming sun rays and the effects of atmospheric transmission on this distribution. A model with these capabilities is described, and two computer programs for implementing it are illustrated.
Measurement of /sup 85/Kr concentrations in air using a cryogenic sampling technique
A new method to detect moderate concentrations (down to approximately 370 Bq/m/sup 3/ under actual field conditions) of /sup 85/Kr in air has been developed. This method employs a cryogenic sampler for collection of the air sample of interest and a Ge(Li) spectroscopy system to determine the concentration of /sup 85/Kr by detection of the 514-keV gamma photon. Data from experiments are presented.
Owens, M.E.; Berven, B.A.; Perdue, P.T.
Optimizing luminescent solar concentrator design.
Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs) use fluorescent materials and light guides to convert direct and diffuse sunlight into concentrated wavelength-shifted light that produces electrical power in small photovoltaic (PV) cells with the goal of significantly reducing the cost of solar energy utilization. In this paper we present an optimization analysis based on the implementation of a genetic algorithm (GA) subroutine to a numerical ray-tracing Monte Carlo model of an LSC, SIMSOLAR-P. The initial use of the GA implementation in SIMSOLAR-P is to find the optimal parameters of a hypothetical 'perfect luminescent material' that obeys the Kennard Stepanov (K-S) thermodynamic relationship between emission and absorption. The optimization balances the efficiency losses in the wavelength shift and PV conversion with the efficiency losses due to re-scattering of light out of the collector. The theoretical limits of efficiency are provided for one, two and three layer configurations; the results show that a single layer configuration is far from optimal and adding a second layer in the LSC with wavelength shifted material in the near infrared region significantly increases the power output, while the gain in power by adding a third layer is relatively small. The results of this study provide a theoretical upper limit to the performance of an LSC and give guidance for the properties required for luminescent materials, such as quantum nanocrystals, to operate efficiently in planar LSC configurations.
Hernandez-Noyola, H.; Potterveld, D. H.; Holt, R. J.; Darling, S. B. (Center for Nanoscale Materials); ( PHY)
Gas and Particulate Concentration Measurements and ...
... to the species of interest as gas concentration standards ... for low concentrations and toxic and reactive gases. ... data set correlating liquid-phase fuels ...
Federal Energy Management Program: Concentrating Solar Power...
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Concentrating Solar Power Facilities | Department of Energy
Concentrating Solar Power Facilities Concentrating Solar Power Facilities Florida Hawaii Southwest U.S. Addthis Browse By Topic TOPICS Energy Efficiency ---Home Energy Audits...
SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power
Concentrating Solar Power to Concentrating Solar Power to someone by E-mail Share SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power on Facebook Tweet about SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power on Twitter Bookmark SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power on Google Bookmark SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power on Delicious Rank SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power on Digg Find More places to share SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power on AddThis.com... Concentrating Solar Power Systems Components Competitive Awards Staff Photovoltaics Systems Integration Balance of Systems Concentrating Solar Power SunShot CSP Team Learn more about the SunShot concentrating solar power program staff by visiting the team's profile pages. Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory
Concentrating Solar Power: Technology Overview
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) has the potential to contribute significantly to the generation of electricity by renewable energy resources in the U.S.. Thermal storage can extend the duty cycle of CSP beyond daytime hours to early evening where the value of electricity is often the highest. The potential solar resource for the southwest U.S. is identified, along with the need to add power lines to bring the power to consumers. CSP plants in the U.S. and abroad are described. The CSP cost of electricity at the busbar is discussed. With current incentives, CSP is approaching competiveness with conventional gas-fired systems during peak-demand hours when the price of electricity is the highest. It is projected that a mature CSP industry of over 4 GWe will be able to reduce the energy cost by about 50%, and that U.S. capacity could be 120 GW by 2050.
Mehos, M.
Parabolic concentrating collector: a tutorial
A tutorial overview of point-focusing parabolic collectors is presented. Optical and thermal characteristics of such collectors are discussed. Data representing typical achievable collector efficiencies are presented and the importance of balancing collector cost with concentrator quality is argued through the development of a figure of merit for the collector. The impact of receiver temperature on performance is assessed and the general observation made that temperatures much in excess of 1500 to 2000/sup 0/F can actually result in decreased performance. Various types of two-axis tracking collectors are described, including the standard parabolic deep dish, Cassegrainian and Fresnel, as well as two forms of fixed mirrors with articulating receivers. The present DOE program to develop these devices is briefly discussed, as are present and projected costs for these collectors. Pricing information is presented for the only known commercial design available on the open market.
Truscello, V.C.
Advanced evacuated tubular concentrator research
Previous research projects led to the conceptual development and proof-of-concept of an advanced evacuated concentrating solar collector tube. The basic idea involves the integration of a nonimaging Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) inside an evacuated tube and coupled to a spectrally selective absorber. An experimental panel of these tubes achieved the highest operating efficiency at high temperatures ever measured with a non-tracking stationary solar collector. Subsequent studies have indicated that a mass-producible collector, incorporating the same concepts, can be developed which will deliver excellent performance across a broad range of temperatures, extending from about 50{degrees}C (suitable for domestic hot water and space heating) to well above 200{degrees}C (suitable for space cooling, process steam and many other end uses). Some form of advanced Integrated CPC (ICPC) remains the only simple and effective method for delivering solar thermal energy efficiently throughout the temperature range from 50{degrees}C to about 300{degrees}C without tracking. It has the potential to make practical and economical several cooling technologies which are otherwise not viable. In addition to its potential for driving cooling systems, this technology also provides a highly versatile solar source for virtually all thermal end uses including general purpose space and domestic hot water heating as well as industrial process heat. Research efforts have been directed towards designing and prototyping a manufacturable version of such a collector tube. We have been pursuing several paths. These include: (1) a small tube version, 52mm in diameter, based on the use of the T-17 commercially produced fluorescent glass tubing, which is the largest size lamp tubing produced in high volume in the United States, and (2) a large tube version, 125mm in diameter, compatible with the commercial design manufactured until recently by Corning France (the CORTEC collector).
Winston, R.; O'Gallagher, J.J.
Determination of waterborne {sup 222}Rn concentrations using AC canisters
A method for measuring {sup 222}Rn concentration in water using charcoal canisters is presented. {sup 222}Rn is transferred within a few minutes from water contained in a 0.720 L bottle to a charcoal canister using a portable degassing unit. In the laboratory, gamma counting is performed at least 10 h after sampling to determine waterborne {sup 222}Rn concentration. The results obtained with charcoal canisters are compared to measurements made with Marinelli beakers calibrated in a comparison with liquid scintillation counting. The efficiency of transferring dissolved {sup 222}Rn in water to activated charcoal is 99% based on measurements made using Marinelli beakers. The lower limit of detection at the 95% confidence level is approximately 1 kBq m{sup -3} for a 15 min gamma count. the system was used to measure radon concentration in mineral groundwater near Rome. 7 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
Mancini, C.; Giannelli, G. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Nucleare e Conversioni di Energia, Roma (Italy)
Concentration and separation of biological organisms by ultrafiltration and dielectrophoresis
Disclosed is a method for monitoring sources of public water supply for a variety of pathogens by using a combination of ultrafiltration techniques together dielectrophoretic separation techniques. Because water-borne pathogens, whether present due to "natural" contamination or intentional introduction, would likely be present in drinking water at low concentrations when samples are collected for monitoring or outbreak investigations, an approach is needed to quickly and efficiently concentrate and separate particles such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites in large volumes of water (e.g., 100 L or more) while simultaneously reducing the sample volume to levels sufficient for detecting low concentrations of microbes (e.g., <10 mL). The technique is also designed to screen the separated microbes based on specific conductivity and size.
Simmons, Blake A. (San Francisco, CA); Hill, Vincent R. (Decatur, GA); Fintschenko, Yolanda (Livermore, CA); Cummings, Eric B. (Livermore, CA)
Design of light concentrators for Cherenkov telescope observatories
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the largest cosmic gamma ray detector ever built in the world. It will be installed at two different sites in the North and South hemispheres and should be operational for about 30 years. In order to cover the desired energy range, the CTA is composed of typically 50-100 collecting telescopes of various sizes (from 6 to 24-m diameters). Most of them are equipped with a focal plane camera consisting of 1500 to 2000 Photomultipliers (PM) equipped with light concentrating optics, whose double function is to maximize the amount of Cherenkov light detected by the photo-sensors, and to block any stray light originating from the terrestrial environment. Two different optical solutions have been designed, respectively based on a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC), and on a purely dioptric concentrating lens. In this communication are described the technical specifications, optical designs and performance of the different solutions envisioned for all these light concentra...
H�nault, F; jocou, L; Kh�lifi, B; Manigot, P; Hormigos, S; Knodlseder, J; Olive, J F; Jean, P; Punch, M
We consider the common proposition that the fraction of chromospherically very inactive stars in a solar-type sample is analogous to the fraction of the Sun's main-sequence lifetime spent in a grand minimum state. In a new approach to this proposition, we examine chromospheric activity log R'{sub HK} in a stellar sample having Hipparcos parallax measurements, and having spectroscopically determined metallicity close to solar (-0.1 {<=} [Fe/H] {<=} 0.1). We evaluate height above the Hipparcos main sequence, and estimate age using isochrones, to identify the most Sun-like stars in this sample. As a threshold below which a star is labeled very inactive, we use the peak of the HK activity distribution mapped over the quiet Sun during the 1968 epoch. We estimate the fraction of Maunder Minimum (MM) analog candidates in our sample at 11.1%. Given the 70 yr duration of the historical MM, this suggests that in any given year there is a 1/630 chance of entering a similar grand minimum. There are three important cautions with this type of estimate. First, recent investigation using actual activity and photometric time series has suggested that very low activity may not be a necessary criterion for identifying a non-cycling MM analog candidate. Second, this type of estimate depends very strongly on the choice of very low activity threshold. Third, in instantaneous measurements of log R'{sub HK}, it is not always clear whether a star is a viable MM analog candidate or merely an older star nearing the end of its main-sequence lifetime.
Lubin, Dan [Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0221 (United States); Tytler, David; Kirkman, David [Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0424 (United States)
Energy Conversion � Photovoltaic, Concentrating Solar Power, and ...
About this Symposium. Meeting, Materials Science & Technology 2012. Symposium, Energy Conversion � Photovoltaic, Concentrating Solar Power, and �...
Performance of the ATLAS Minimum Bias Trigger in pp collisions at the LHC
The early physics program at the ATLAS experiment includes measuring the basic properties of proton proton collisions, such as charged particle multiplicities, in order to constrain phenomenological models of soft interactions in the LHC energy regime. An inclusive and well understood trigger is crucial to minimize any possible bias in the event selection. The ATLAS experiment uses two complementary types of minimum bias triggers. A scintillator trigger sensitive to the forward regions of 2.1trigger based on counting hits in the inner tracking detector has provided a useful control sample. The performance and efficiency measurements of these triggers and detectors will be presented.
Lauren Tompkins
Tompkins, Lauren
Spatiotemporal anomaly detection in gas monitoring sensor networks
In this paper, we use Bayesian Networks as a means for unsupervised learning and anomaly (event) detection in gas monitoring sensor networks for underground coal mines. We show that the Bayesian Network model can learn cyclical baselines for gas concentrations, ...
X. Rosalind Wang; Joseph T. Lizier; Oliver Obst; Mikhail Prokopenko; Peter Wang
Intrusion Detection: Characterising intrusion detection sensors
An intrusion detection sensor is defined as a device that collects and analyses network traffic for the purpose of identifying suspicious events. Too often the value of a sensor is associated with its data collection and analysis features. Experience ...
Siraj A. Shaikh; Howard Chivers; Philip Nobles; John A. Clark; Hao Chen
Concentrating Solar Power (Fact Sheet)
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy option that can help meet the nation's goal of making solar energy cost competitive with other energy sources by the end of the decade. The DOE SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national initiative to make solar energy technologies cost-competitive with other forms of energy by reducing the cost of solar energy systems by about 75% by the end of the decade. Reducing the total installed cost for utility-scale solar electricity to roughly 6 cents per kilowatt hour without subsidies will result in rapid, large-scale adoption of solar electricity across the United States. Reaching this goal will re-establish American technological leadership, improve the nation's energy security, and strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness in the global clean energy race. SunShot will work to bring down the full cost of solar - including the costs of solar cells and installation by focusing on four main pillars: (1) Technologies for solar cells and arrays that convert sunlight to energy; (2) Electronics that optimize the performance of the installation; (3) Improvements in the efficiency of solar manufacturing processes; and (4) Installation, design, and permitting for solar energy systems.
Planar photovoltaic solar concentrator module
A planar photovoltaic concentrator module for producing an electrical signal from incident solar radiation includes an electrically insulating housing having a front wall, an opposing back wall and a hollow interior. A solar cell having electrical terminals is positioned within the interior of the housing. A planar conductor is connected with a terminal of the solar cell of the same polarity. A lens forming the front wall of the housing is operable to direct solar radiation incident to the lens into the interior of the housing. A refractive optical element in contact with the solar cell and facing the lens receives the solar radiation directed into the interior of the housing by the lens and directs the solar radiation to the solar cell to cause the solar cell to generate an electrical signal. An electrically conductive planar member is positioned in the housing to rest on the housing back wall in supporting relation with the solar cell terminal of opposite polarity. The planar member is operable to dissipate heat radiated by the solar cell as the solar cell generates an electrical signal and further forms a solar cell conductor connected with the solar cell terminal to permit the electrical signal generated by the solar cell to be measured between the planar member and the conductor. 5 figs.
A planar photovoltaic concentrator module for producing an electrical signal from incident solar radiation includes an electrically insulating housing having a front wall, an opposing back wall and a hollow interior. A solar cell having electrical terminals is positioned within the interior of the housing. A planar conductor is connected with a terminal of the solar cell of the same polarity. A lens forming the front wall of the housing is operable to direct solar radiation incident to the lens into the interior of the housing. A refractive optical element in contact with the solar cell and facing the lens receives the solar radiation directed into the interior of the housing by the lens and directs the solar radiation to the solar cell to cause the solar cell to generate an electrical signal. An electrically conductive planar member is positioned in the housing to rest on the housing back wall in supporting relation with the solar cell terminal of opposite polarity. The planar member is operable to dissipate heat radiated by the solar cell as the solar cell generates an electrical signal and further forms a solar cell conductor connected with the solar cell terminal to permit the electrical signal generated by the solar cell to be measured between the planar member and the conductor.
Chiang, Clement J. (New Brunswick, NJ)
Integrated Technology for Distribution Systems Applications: Survey and Testing of Voltage Detecting/Indicating Devices for AC Power Lines
This report summarizes product reviews and testing commercially available voltage-sensing devices used to detect energized electric distribution lines, with particular focus on minimum detection and indication performance. To adequately detect line energization across the entire spectrum of possible voltage levels on a power line (from 40 Vac to full line voltage), multiple devices are currently necessary. The ideal improvement to address current gaps in voltage sensing would be the development of a ...
Performance evaluation of wireless sensor networks for event-detection with shadowing-induced radio irregularities
In this paper, we study a particular application of wireless sensor networks for event-detection and tracking. In this kind of application, the transport of data is simplified, and guaranteeing a minimum number of packets at the monitoring node is the ...
Giuseppe De Marco; Tao Yang; Makoto Ikeda; Leonard Barolli
Parallelizing data race detection
Detecting data races in multithreaded programs is a crucial part of debugging such programs, but traditional data race detectors are too slow to use routinely. This paper shows how to speed up race detection by spreading the work across multiple cores. ... Keywords: data race detection, uniparallelism
Benjamin Wester; David Devecsery; Peter M. Chen; Jason Flinn; Satish Narayanasamy
Model Diagnosis of Nighttime Minimum Temperature Warming during Summer due to Irrigation in the California Central Valley
This study examines the mechanisms of nighttime minimum temperature warming in the California Central Valley during summer due to irrigation. The Scripps Experimental Climate Prediction Center (ECPC) Regional Spectral Model (RSM) was used to ...
Hideki Kanamaru; Masao Kanamitsu
A Comparative Study of Maximum and Minimum Temperatures over Argentina: NCEP�NCAR Reanalysis versus Station Data
This paper compares surface-station temperature observations over Argentina with gridpoint analyses available in the NCEP�NCAR reanalysis dataset. The primary objective is to determine whether the maximum and minimum surface temperatures from the ...
Matilde M. Rusticucci; Vernon E. Kousky
Spatial Interpolation of Daily Maximum and Minimum Air Temperature Based on Meteorological Model Analyses and Independent Observations
Hourly meteorological forecast model initializations are used to guide the spatial interpolation of daily cooperative network station data in the northeastern United States. The hourly model data are transformed to daily maximum and minimum ...
Arthur T. DeGaetano; Brian N. Belcher
The Relative Importance of Solar and Anthropogenic Forcing of Climate Change between the Maunder Minimum and the Present
The climate during the Maunder Minimum is compared with current conditions in GCM simulations that include a full stratosphere and parameterized ozone response to solar spectral irradiance variability and trace gas changes. The Goddard Institute ...
David Rind; Drew Shindell; Judith Perlwitz; Jean Lerner; Patrick Lonergan; Judith Lean; Chris McLinden
A Southeastern South American Daily Gridded Dataset of Observed Surface Minimum and Maximum Temperature for 1961�2000
This study presents a southeastern South American gridded dataset of daily minimum and maximum surface temperatures for 1961�2000. The data used for the gridding are observed daily data from meteorological stations in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and ...
B�rbara Tencer; Matilde Rusticucci; Phil Jones; David Lister
Concentrator Photovoltaic System Basics | Department of Energy
Concentrator Photovoltaic System Basics Concentrator Photovoltaic System Basics Concentrator Photovoltaic System Basics August 20, 2013 - 4:12pm Addthis Concentrator photovoltaic (PV) systems use less solar cell material than other PV systems. PV cells are the most expensive components of a PV system, on a per-area basis. A concentrator makes use of relatively inexpensive materials such as plastic lenses and metal housings to capture the solar energy shining on a fairly large area and focus that energy onto a smaller area-the solar cell. One measure of the effectiveness of this approach is the concentration ratio-in other words, how much concentration the cell is receiving. Concentrator PV systems have several advantages over flat-plate systems. First, concentrator systems reduce the size or number of cells needed and
Production of fullerenes using concentrated solar flux
A method of producing soot containing high amounts of fullerenes comprising: providing a primary concentrator capable of impingement of a concentrated beam of sunlight onto a carbon source to cause vaporization of carbon and subsequent formation of fullerenes, or providing a solar furnace having a primary concentrator with a focal point that concentrates a solar beam of sunlight; providing a reflective secondary concentrator having an entrance aperture and an exit aperture at the focal point of the solar furnace; providing a carbon source at the exit aperture of the secondary concentrator; supplying an inert gas over the carbon source to keep the secondary concentrator free from vaporized carbon; and impinging a concentrated beam of sunlight from the secondary concentrator on the carbon source to vaporize the carbon source into a soot containing high amounts of fullerenes.
Fields, Clark L. (Greeley, CO); Pitts, John Roland (Lakewood, CO); King, David E. (Lakewood, CO); Hale, Mary Jane (Golden, CO); Bingham, Carl E. (Denver, CO); Lewandowski, Allan A. (Evergreen, CO)
Analysis of Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards for Residential General Service Lighting in Chile
Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) have been chosen as part of Chile's national energy efficiency action plan. As a first MEPS, the Ministry of Energy has decided to focus on a regulation for lighting that would ban the sale of inefficient bulbs, effectively phasing out the use of incandescent lamps. Following major economies such as the US (EISA, 2007) , the EU (Ecodesign, 2009) and Australia (AS/NZS, 2008) who planned a phase out based on minimum efficacy requirements, the Ministry of Energy has undertaken the impact analysis of a MEPS on the residential lighting sector. Fundacion Chile (FC) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) collaborated with the Ministry of Energy and the National Energy Efficiency Program (Programa Pais de Eficiencia Energetica, or PPEE) in order to produce a techno-economic analysis of this future policy measure. LBNL has developed for CLASP (CLASP, 2007) a spreadsheet tool called the Policy Analysis Modeling System (PAMS) that allows for evaluation of costs and benefits at the consumer level but also a wide range of impacts at the national level, such as energy savings, net present value of savings, greenhouse gas (CO2) emission reductions and avoided capacity generation due to a specific policy. Because historically Chile has followed European schemes in energy efficiency programs (test procedures, labelling program definitions), we take the Ecodesign commission regulation No 244/2009 as a starting point when defining our phase out program, which means a tiered phase out based on minimum efficacy per lumen category. The following data were collected in order to perform the techno-economic analysis: (1) Retail prices, efficiency and wattage category in the current market, (2) Usage data (hours of lamp use per day), and (3) Stock data, penetration of efficient lamps in the market. Using these data, PAMS calculates the costs and benefits of efficiency standards from two distinct but related perspectives: (1) The Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) calculation examines costs and benefits from the perspective of the individual household; and (2) The National Perspective projects the total national costs and benefits including both financial benefits, and energy savings and environmental benefits. The national perspective calculations are called the National Energy Savings (NES) and the Net Present Value (NPV) calculations. PAMS also calculate total emission mitigation and avoided generation capacity. This paper describes the data and methodology used in PAMS and presents the results of the proposed phase out of incandescent bulbs in Chile.
Letschert, Virginie E.; McNeil, Michael A.; Leiva Ibanez, Francisco Humberto; Ruiz, Ana Maria; Pavon, Mariana; Hall, Stephen
Effects of CCN Concentrations on Stratus Clouds
Comparisons between cloud-base CCN concentrations and cloud droplet concentrations in stratus clouds over San Diego and 100 km out to sea showed a positive correlation. The supersaturation in these clouds, as derived from the matching of the CCN ...
James G. Hudson
Estimating Contaminant Release Concentrations from Hanford ...
& Transport Model Long-Term Performance Assessment ... sludge provide upper limit on future releases. 9 Metals Concentrations in Hanford Tank ...
Detection of chrysotile asbestos in workers urine
Urinary asbestos concentrations were evaluated as an indicator of occupational exposure to chrysotile asbestos via inhalation and ingestion. Detection of asbestos in the urine represents the first step in developing a biological indicator of exposure. Such an indicator could be used to supplement exposure data from workplace air sampling. A biological indicator would be particularly valuable in evaluating workers with intermittent airborne asbestos exposures and in determining if airborne exposure results in penetration of asbestos through the lung or gastro-intestinal tract. Transmission electron microscopy was selected as the most sensitive technique for identification of all sizes of asbestos fibers which might appear in the urine. The levels of chrysotile asbestos detected in the urine of five workers were significantly greater than the asbestos concentrations in matched field blanks. Also, the workers urinary asbestos levels were significantly greater than the concentrations found in the control group. Finally, the levels of chrysotile asbestos detected in the urine of two of six controls were significantly greater than those in matched field blanks. Although the project was not specifically designed to correlate urinary and airborne asbestos concentrations, preliminary data indicated that a correlation did not exist between these factors.
Finn, M.B.; Hallenbeck, W.H.
Multicasting in Large Wireless Networks: Bounds on the Minimum Energy per Bit
We consider scaling laws for maximal energy efficiency of communicating a message to all the nodes in a wireless network, as the number of nodes in the network becomes large. Two cases of large wireless networks are studied -- dense random networks and constant density (extended) random networks. In addition, we also study finite size regular networks in order to understand how regularity in node placement affects energy consumption. We first establish an information-theoretic lower bound on the minimum energy per bit for multicasting in arbitrary wireless networks when the channel state information is not available at the transmitters. Upper bounds are obtained by constructing a simple flooding scheme that requires no information at the receivers about the channel states or the locations and identities of the nodes. The gap between the upper and lower bounds is only a constant factor for dense random networks and regular networks, and differs by a poly-logarithmic factor for extended random networks. Further...
Jain, Aman; Verdu, Sergio
Nonradiating and minimum energy sources and their fields: Generalized source inversion theory and applications
Abstract�A new general framework for characterizing scalar and electromagnetic (EM) nonradiating (NR) and minimum energy (ME) sources and their fields is developed that is of interest for both radiation and source reconstruction problems. NR sources are characterized in connection with the concept of reciprocity as nonreceptors. Localized ME sources are shown to be free fields truncated within the source�s support. A new source analysis tool is developed that is based on the decomposition of a source and its field into their radiating and NR components. The individual radiating and reactive energy roles of the radiating and NR parts of a source are characterized. The general theory is illustrated with a time-harmonic EM example. Index Terms�Inverse problems.
Edwin A. Marengo; Richard W. Ziolkowski
Image transmission over OFDM channel with rate allocation scheme and minimum peak-toaverage power ratio
This paper proposes new scheme for efficient rate allocation in conjunction with reducing peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Modification of the set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) image coder is proposed to generate four different groups of bit-stream relative to its significances. The significant bits, the sign bits, the set bits and the refinement bits are transmitted in four different groups. The proposed method for reducing the PAPR utilizes twice the unequal error protection (UEP), using the Read-Solomon codes (RS), in conjunction with bit-rate allocation and selective interleaving to provide minimum PAPR. The output bit-stream from the source code (SPIHT) will be started by the most significant types of bits (first group of bits). The optimal unequal error protection (UEP) of the four groups is proposed based on the channel destortion. The proposed structure provides significant improvement in bit error rate (BER) performance. Per...
Mohammed, Usama S
The turbulent cascade and proton heating in the solar wind during solar minimum
Solar wind measurements at 1 AU during the recent solar minimum and previous studies of solar maximum provide an opportunity to study the effects of the changing solar cycle on in situ heating. Our interest is to compare the levels of activity associated with turbulence and proton heating. Large-scale shears in the flow caused by transient activity are a source that drives turbulence that heats the solar wind, but as the solar cycle progresses the dynamics that drive the turbulence and heat the medium are likely to change. The application of third-moment theory to Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) data gives the turbulent energy cascade rate which is not seen to vary with the solar cycle. Likewise, an empirical heating rate shows no significan changes in proton heating over the cycle.
Coburn, Jesse T.; Smith, Charles W.; Vasquez, Bernard J. [Physics Department and Space Science Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire (United States); Stawarz, Joshua E. [Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado (United States); Forman, Miriam A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York (United States)
Possible Observation of Nuclear Reactor Neutrinos Near the Oscillation Absolute Minimum
After a summary of the basic three neutrino oscillation formalism we review briefly our present empirical knowledge of the oscillation parameters and conclude that the 2-neutrinos model is adequate to describe the survival probability of the electronic neutrino P(nue->nue). Then we proceed to the evaluation of P(nue->nue) relative to the antineutrinos emitted by the nuclear power stations presently in operation along the the Rhone valley. We assume that a detector has been installed in a existing cavity located under the Mont Ventoux at a depth equivalent to 1500 m of water. We show that such an experiment would provide the opportunity to observe neutrinos near the oscillation absolute minimum. We end by a rough estimate of the counting rate.
C. Bouchiat
NREL's Concentrated Solar Radiation User Facility
Declared a national user facility in 1993, NREL's Concentrated Solar Radiation User Facility (CSR) allows industry, government, and university researchers to examine the effects and applications of as much as 50,000 suns of concentrated solar radiation using a High-Flux Solar Furnace and long-term exposure using an ultraviolet (UV) concentrator.
Lewandowski, A.
Observed Minimum Illuminance Threshold for Night Market Vendors in Kenya who use LED Lamps
Creation of light for work, socializing, and general illumination is a fundamental application of technology around the world. For those who lack access to electricity, an emerging and diverse range of LED based lighting products hold promise for replacing and/or augmenting their current fuel-based lighting sources that are costly and dirty. Along with analysis of environmental factors, economic models for total cost-ofownership of LED lighting products are an important tool for studying the impacts of these products as they emerge in markets of developing countries. One important metric in those models is the minimum illuminance demanded by end-users for a given task before recharging the lamp or replacing batteries. It impacts the lighting service cost per unit time if charging is done with purchased electricity, batteries, or charging services. The concept is illustrated in figure 1: LED lighting products are generally brightest immediately after the battery is charged or replaced and the illuminance degrades as the battery is discharged. When a minimum threshold level of illuminance is reached, the operational time for the battery charge cycle is over. The cost to recharge depends on the method utilized; these include charging at a shop at a fixed price per charge, charging on personal grid connections, using solar chargers, and purchasing dry cell batteries. This Research Note reports on the observed"charge-triggering" illuminance level threshold for night market vendors who use LED lighting products to provide general and task oriented illumination. All the study participants charged with AC power, either at a fixed-price charge shop or with electricity at their home.
Johnstone, Peter; Jacobson, Arne; Mills, Evan; Radecsky, Kristen
QUIET-TIME INTERPLANETARY {approx}2-20 keV SUPERHALO ELECTRONS AT SOLAR MINIMUM
We present a statistical survey of {approx}2-20 keV superhalo electrons in the solar wind measured by the SupraThermal Electron instrument on board the two STEREO spacecraft during quiet-time periods from 2007 March through 2009 March at solar minimum. The observed superhalo electrons have a nearly isotropic angular distribution and a power-law spectrum, f{proportional_to}v{sup -{gamma}}, with {gamma} ranging from 5 to 8.7, with nearly half between 6.5 and 7.5, and an average index of 6.69 {+-} 0.90. The observed power-law spectrum varies significantly on a spatial scale of {approx}>0.1 AU and a temporal scale of {approx}>several days. The integrated density of quiet-time superhalo electrons at 2-20 keV ranges from {approx}10{sup -8} cm{sup -3} to 10{sup -6} cm{sup -3}, about 10{sup -9}-10{sup -6} of the solar wind density, and, as well as the power-law spectrum, shows no correlation with solar wind proton density, velocity, or temperature. The density of superhalo electrons appears to show a solar-cycle variation at solar minimum, while the power-law spectral index {gamma} has no solar-cycle variation. These quiet-time superhalo electrons are present even in the absence of any solar activity-e.g., active regions, flares or microflares, type III radio bursts, etc.-suggesting that they may be accelerated by processes such as resonant wave-particle interactions in the interplanetary medium, or possibly by nonthermal processes related to the acceleration of the solar wind such as nanoflares, or by acceleration at the CIR forward shocks.
Wang, Linghua [Department of Geophysics, Peking University, 100871 Beijing (China); Lin, Robert P.; Salem, Chadi; Pulupa, Marc; Larson, Davin E.; Luhmann, Janet G. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States); Yoon, Peter H., E-mail: email@example.com [School of Space Research, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi (Korea, Republic of)
Thirty-Year Solid Waste Generation Maximum and Minimum Forecast for SRS
This report is the third phase (Phase III) of the Thirty-Year Solid Waste Generation Forecast for Facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Phase I of the forecast, Thirty-Year Solid Waste Generation Forecast for Facilities at SRS, forecasts the yearly quantities of low-level waste (LLW), hazardous waste, mixed waste, and transuranic (TRU) wastes generated over the next 30 years by operations, decontamination and decommissioning and environmental restoration (ER) activities at the Savannah River Site. The Phase II report, Thirty-Year Solid Waste Generation Forecast by Treatability Group (U), provides a 30-year forecast by waste treatability group for operations, decontamination and decommissioning, and ER activities. In addition, a 30-year forecast by waste stream has been provided for operations in Appendix A of the Phase II report. The solid wastes stored or generated at SRS must be treated and disposed of in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. To evaluate, select, and justify the use of promising treatment technologies and to evaluate the potential impact to the environment, the generic waste categories described in the Phase I report were divided into smaller classifications with similar physical, chemical, and radiological characteristics. These smaller classifications, defined within the Phase II report as treatability groups, can then be used in the Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement process to evaluate treatment options. The waste generation forecasts in the Phase II report includes existing waste inventories. Existing waste inventories, which include waste streams from continuing operations and stored wastes from discontinued operations, were not included in the Phase I report. Maximum and minimum forecasts serve as upper and lower boundaries for waste generation. This report provides the maximum and minimum forecast by waste treatability group for operation, decontamination and decommissioning, and ER activities.
Thomas, L.C.
Optimization of Operating Parameters for Minimum Mechanical Specific Energy in Drilling
Efficiency in drilling is measured by Mechanical Specific Energy (MSE). MSE is the measure of the amount of energy input required to remove a unit volume of rock, expressed in units of energy input divided by volume removed. It can be expressed mathematically in terms of controllable parameters; Weight on Bit, Torque, Rate of Penetration, and RPM. It is well documented that minimizing MSE by optimizing controllable factors results in maximum Rate of Penetration. Current methods for computing MSE make it possible to minimize MSE in the field only through a trial-and-error process. This work makes it possible to compute the optimum drilling parameters that result in minimum MSE. The parameters that have been traditionally used to compute MSE are interdependent. Mathematical relationships between the parameters were established, and the conventional MSE equation was rewritten in terms of a single parameter, Weight on Bit, establishing a form that can be minimized mathematically. Once the optimum Weight on Bit was determined, the interdependent relationship that Weight on Bit has with Torque and Penetration per Revolution was used to determine optimum values for those parameters for a given drilling situation. The improved method was validated through laboratory experimentation and analysis of published data. Two rock types were subjected to four treatments each, and drilled in a controlled laboratory environment. The method was applied in each case, and the optimum parameters for minimum MSE were computed. The method demonstrated an accurate means to determine optimum drilling parameters of Weight on Bit, Torque, and Penetration per Revolution. A unique application of micro-cracking is also presented, which demonstrates that rock failure ahead of the bit is related to axial force more than to rotation speed.
Hamrick, Todd
Optimization of neutron tomography for rapid hydrogen concentration inspection of metal castings
Hydrogen embrittlement describes a group of phenomena leading to the degradation of metal alloy properties. The hydrogen concentration in the alloy can be used as an indicator for the onset of embrittlement. A neutron tomography system has been optimized to perform nondestructive detection of hydrogen concentration in titanium aircraft engine compressor blades. Preprocessing of back projection images and postprocessing of tomographic reconstructions are used to achieve hydrogen concentration sensitivity below 200 ppm weight. This paper emphasizes the postprocessing techniques which allow automated reporting of hydrogen concentration.
Gibbons, M. R., LLNL
Nanofluidic Concentration Device for Biomolecules Utilizing Ion Concentration Polarization: Theory, Fabrication, and Applications
Recently, a new type of electrokinetic concentration devices has been developed in a microfluidic chip format, which allows efficient trapping and concentration of biomolecules by utilizing ion concentration polarization ...
Kim, Sung Jae
Sulfide chemiluminescence detection
A method of chemiluminescently determining a sulfide which is either hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan by reacting the sulfide with chlorine dioxide at low pressure and under conditions which allow a longer reaction time in emission of a single photon for every two sulfide containing species, and thereafter, chemiluminescently detecting and determining the sulfide. The invention also relates not only to the detection method, but the novel chemical reaction and a specifically designed chemiluminescence detection cell for the reaction.
Spurlin, Stanford R. (Ames, IA); Yeung, Edward S. (Ames, IA)
A method is described for chemiluminescently determining a sulfide which is either hydrogen sulfide or methyl mercaptan by reacting the sulfide with chlorine dioxide at low pressure and under conditions which allow a longer reaction time in emission of a single photon for every two sulfide containing species, and thereafter, chemiluminescently detecting and determining the sulfide. The invention also relates not only to the detection method, but the novel chemical reaction and a specifically designed chemiluminescence detection cell for the reaction. 4 figs.
Spurlin, S.R.; Yeung, E.S.
Proppant concentrator boosts foam frac effectiveness
A recently introduced propant concentrator appears to be reducing downtime and enhancing the overall effectiveness and practicality of foam fracturing. The basic purpose behind the proppant concentrator is to provide a method to allow higher proppant concentrations to be run in foam stimulation treatments. A concentrator removes liquid while pumping to allow a higher proppant load to be delivered to the well. This is accomplished by injecting the fluid/proppant slurry, which has been preblended, and passing it through a standard screen or centrifugal device. This allows removal of up to 50% of the liquid portion of the slurry and achieves a doubling of the proppant concentration prior to being foamed.
Neutron-detection apparatus
An atomic fission counting apparatus used for neutron detection is provided with spirally curved electrode plates uniformly spaced apart in a circular array and coated with fissile material.
Kopp, M.K.; Valentine, K.H.
Liquid level detection
This paper discusses a method. It is for detecting presence of a liquid level at a first predetermined point along the depth of a borehole.
Fryer, C.D.; Stie, K.E.; Wedel, M.W.; Stamper, K.R.
Neutron detection apparatus
Kopp, Manfred K. (Oak Ridge, TN); Valentine, Kenneth H. (Lenoir City, TN)
Concentrating solar power | Open Energy Information
Concentrating solar power Concentrating solar power (Redirected from Concentrating Solar Power) Jump to: navigation, search Concentrating Solar Power Basics (The following text is derived from NREL's concentrating solar power information page.)[1] Concentrating solar power (CSP) offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy option that can help meet our nation's demand for electricity. CSP plants produce power by first using mirrors to focus sunlight to heat a working fluid. Ultimately, this high-temperature fluid is used to spin a turbine or power an engine that drives a generator. And the final product is electricity. Smaller CSP systems can be located directly where the power is needed. Larger, utility-scale CSP applications provide hundreds of megawatts of electricity for the power grid. Both linear concentrator and power tower
Concentrating solar power Concentrating solar power (Redirected from - Concentrating Solar Power) Jump to: navigation, search Concentrating Solar Power Basics (The following text is derived from NREL's concentrating solar power information page.)[1] Concentrating solar power (CSP) offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy option that can help meet our nation's demand for electricity. CSP plants produce power by first using mirrors to focus sunlight to heat a working fluid. Ultimately, this high-temperature fluid is used to spin a turbine or power an engine that drives a generator. And the final product is electricity. Smaller CSP systems can be located directly where the power is needed. Larger, utility-scale CSP applications provide hundreds of megawatts of electricity for the power grid. Both linear concentrator and power tower
Nanofluidic biosensing for beta-amyloid detection
A nanofluidic biosensor using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was developed to detect the ?-amyloid (A?) protein, one of the biomarkers of Alzheimer�s disease (AD). Recent studies have indicated that investigating changes in relative concentrations of structure specific A? oligomers in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) during the progression of AD could be important indicators for diagnosing AD pre-mortem. However, there is no definitive pre-mortem diagnosis of AD thus far because of the lack of technology available for sensitive A? detection. Hence, the development of a system for detecting the structure specific A? oligomers, along with the concentrations of these oligomers in CSF, would be useful in the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of A? cytotoxicity associated with AD. In this thesis, a nanofluidic trapping device trapping system for detecting biomolecules at sub-picomolar concentrations was developed for using SERS. The device, with a microchannel leading to a nanochannel, carries out dual functions: encouraging sizedependent trapping of gold nanoparticles (60nm) at the entrance of the nanochannel as well as restricting the target molecules between the gaps created by the aggregated nanoparticles. Initially, the trapping capability of the nanofluidic device was tested using fluorescent polystyrene and gold nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy was used to characterize the gold nanoparticle clusters at the entrance to the nanochannel. The device established controlled, reproducible, SERS active sites within the interstices of gold nanoparticle clusters and shifted the plasmon resonance to the near infrared, in resonance with incident laser light. Two strongly Raman active molecules, adenine and Congo red, were used to test the feasibility of the SERS nanofluidic device as a platform for the detection of multiple analytes. The results showed that strong SERS signals were obtained from the nanoparticle clusters at the nanochannel entrance. Once the feasibility of the approach was determined with strong Raman molecules, A? was detected using this nanofluidic SERS platform. Distinct surface-enhanced Raman spectra of A? was observed in different conformational states as a function of concentration and structure (monomer versus oligomer form) due to A? refolding from ?-helical to a predominantly ?-pleated sheet form. The sensor was also shown to potentially distinguish A? from insulin and albumin, confounder proteins in cerebral spinal fluid. Thus, a novel platform was developed to detect picomoler levels of A? with the ultimate goal of facilitating the diagnosis and understanding of Alzheimer�s disease by means of detecting structure specific oligomers of A?.
Chou, I-Hsien
Determining Reserves in Low Permeability and Layered Reservoirs Using the Minimum Terminal Decline Rate Method: How Good are the Predictions?
This thesis evaluates the applicability of forecasting production from low permeability and layered tight gas wells using the Arps hyperbolic equation at earlier times and then switching to the exponential form of the equation at a predetermined minimum decline rate. This methodology is called the minimum terminal decline rate method. Two separate completion types have been analyzed. The first is horizontal completions with multi-stage hydraulic fractures while the second is vertical fractured wells in layered formations, completed with hydraulic fractures. For both completion types both simulated data and real world well performance histories have been evaluated using differing minimum terminal decline rates and the benefit of increasing portions of production history to make predictions. The application of the minimum terminal decline rate method to the simulated data in this study (3 percent minimum decline applied to multiple fractured horizontal wells MFHW- and 7 percent applied to vertical fractured layered wells) gave high errors for some simulations within the first two years. Once additional production data is considered in making predictions, the errors in estimated ultimate recovery and in remaining reserves is significantly reduced. This result provides a note of caution, when using the minimum decline rate method for forecasting using small quantities of production history. The evaluation of real world data using the minimum terminal decline rate method introduces other inaccuracies such as poor data quality, low data frequency, operational changes which affect the production profile and workovers / re-stimulations which require a restart of production forecasting process. Real well data for MFHW comes from the Barnett Shale completions of the type which have been widely utilized since 2004. There is insufficient production history from real wells to determine an appropriate minimum terminal decline rate. In the absence of suitable analogs for the determination of the minimum terminal decline rate it would be impossible to correctly apply this methodology. Real well data for vertical fractured layered wells from the Carthage Cotton Valley field indicate that for wells similar to Conoco operated Panola County wells a feasible decline rate is between 5 percent and 10 percent. Further if a consistent production trend and with more than 2 years of production history are used to forecast, the EUR can be predicted to within plus/minus 10 percent and remaining reserves to within plus/minus 15 percent.
McMillan, Marcia Donna
Market power in electricity markets: Beyond concentration measures
The wave of electricity market restructuring both within the US and abroad has brought the issue of horizontal market power to the forefront of energy policy. Traditionally, estimation and prediction of market power has relied heavily on concentration measures. In this paper, the authors discuss the weaknesses of concentration measures as a viable measure of market power in the electricity industry, and they propose an alternative method based on market simulations that take advantage of existing plant level data. The authors discuss results from previous studies they have performed, and present new results that allow for the detection of threshold demand levels where market power is likely to be a problem. In addition, the authors analyze the impact of that recent divestitures in the California electricity market will have on estimated market power. They close with a discussion of the policy implications of the results.
Borenstein, S.; Bushnell, J.; Knittel, C.R.
Ionization detection system for aerosols
This invention relates to an improved smoke-detection system of the ionization-chamber type. In the preferred embodiment, the system utilizes a conventional detector head comprising a measuring ionization chamber, a reference ionization chamber, and a normally non-conductive gas triode for discharging when a threshold concentration of airborne particulates is present in the measuring chamber. The improved system utilizes a measuring ionization chamber which is modified to minimize false alarms and reductions in sensitivity resulting from changes in ambient temperature. In the preferred form of the modification, an annular radiation shield is mounted about the usual radiation source provided to effect ionization in the measuring chamber. The shield is supported by a bimetallic strip which flexes in response to changes in ambient temperature, moving the shield relative to the source so as to vary the radiative area of the source in a manner offsetting temperature-induced variations in the sensitivity of the chamber.
Jacobs, Martin E. (Chillicothe, OH)
Flaw Detection and Evaluation
Table 2 Planar flaw classification and NDE detection methods...Lack of bonding Forging or rolling lap Casting cold shut Heat treatment cracks Grinding cracks Plating cracks Fatigue cracks Stress-corrosion cracks Welding cracks Lack of fusion Incomplete penetration Brazing debond NDE detection methods Visual Replication microscopy Magnetic particle Magnetic...
On Detecting Spatial Outliers
The ever-increasing volume of spatial data has greatly challenged our ability to extract useful but implicit knowledge from them. As an important branch of spatial data mining, spatial outlier detection aims to discover the objects whose non-spatial ... Keywords: algorithm, outlier detection, spatial data mining
Dechang Chen; Chang-Tien Lu; Yufeng Kou; Feng Chen
Analytes Detected from Crude, Dirty Samples
... Page 5. Kit-Based Platform Explosives detection Fission product detection Nerve agent detection Bioagent detection DNA Extraction? Page 6. ...
Concentrating Solar Power Basics | Department of Energy
Basics Basics Concentrating Solar Power Basics August 20, 2013 - 4:38pm Addthis Text Version This solar concentrator has a fixed-focus faceted dish with a concentration of about 250 suns. This system can be used for large fields connected to the utility grid, hydrogen generation, or water pumping. Credit: Science Applications International Corporation / PIX 13464 Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. This thermal energy can then be used to produce electricity via a steam turbine or heat engine that drives a generator. Concentrating solar power offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy option that can help meet our nation's demand for
Sparsity Enforcing Edge Detection Method for Blurred and Noisy Fourier data
We present a new method for estimating the edges in a piecewise smooth function from blurred and noisy Fourier data. The proposed method is constructed by combining the so called concentration factor edge detection method, which uses a finite number ... Keywords: Compressive sensing, Concentration factors, Edge detection, Higher order methods, Partial Fourier data, Sparseness
W. Stefan; A. Viswanathan; A. Gelb; R. Renaut
Cytokine-capture nanoparticles to quantify IL-2 concentrations within the immunological synapse during T cell activation
The feasibility of bringing a nascent technology for detection and quantification of local cytokine concentrations on cell surfaces to market is presented in this paper. Quantum dots or fluorochrome-loaded nanoparticles ...
Hong, Julee Y. (Julee Yang-A.), 1980-
Concentrating Solar Power (Revised) (Fact Sheet)
The fact sheet summarizes the goals and activities of the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program efforts within its concentrating solar power subprogram.
Status of photovoltaic concentrator modules and systems
Several leading line- and point-focus photovoltaic concentrator system development programs are reviewed, including those by ENTECH, SEA Corporation, AMONIX, and Alpha Solarco. Concentrating collectors and trackers are gaining maturity and reaching product status as designs are made more manufacturable and reliable. Utilities are starting to take notice of this emerging technology, and several privately-funded utility installations are underway. Several advantages are offered by concentrators, including low system and capital cost and rapid production ramp-up. These are discussed along with issues generally raised concerning concentrator technology.
Maish, A.B.
Gravity Gold Concentration at Newmont Mining
Abstract Scope, The process of gold recovery by gravity concentration is incorporated ... Energy Management Planning, Following the ISO 50001 Draft Standard.
PV FAQs: What's New in Concentrating PV?
This publication, one in a series of PV FAQs, addresses concentrating PV: what it is, how it works, the challenges it faces, recent breakthroughs, and its future direction.
Production mechanisms, number concentration, size distribution...
Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002asl2.441 Meeting Report Production mechanisms, number concentration, size distribution, chemical composition, and...
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Technology Basics
Technology Basics Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies can be a major contributor to our nation's future need for new, clean sources of energy, particularly in the Western...
Automated Micro-Tracking Planar Solar Concentrators.
?? One aim of solar concentrators is to reduce the cost of a solar power systems by reducing the amount of expensive semiconductor used in� (more)
Hallas, Justin Matthew
Modeling Carbon Concentration Profiles in Austenitic Stainless ...
Presentation Title, Modeling Carbon Concentration Profiles in Austenitic Stainless Steels Carburized at Low Temperatures. Author(s), Gary M. Michal, Xiaoting�...
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Webmaster
Your name: Your email address: Your message: Send Message Printable Version Concentrating Solar Power Research Home Projects Research Staff Working with Us Data & Resources...
Concentrating Solar Power: Energy from Mirrors
This fact sheet explains how concentrating solar power technology works and the three types of systems in development today: trough, dish, and central receiver.
Poole, L.
Alignment method for parabolic trough solar concentrators
A Theoretical Overlay Photographic (TOP) alignment method uses the overlay of a theoretical projected image of a perfectly aligned concentrator on a photographic image of the concentrator to align the mirror facets of a parabolic trough solar concentrator. The alignment method is practical and straightforward, and inherently aligns the mirror facets to the receiver. When integrated with clinometer measurements for which gravity and mechanical drag effects have been accounted for and which are made in a manner and location consistent with the alignment method, all of the mirrors on a common drive can be aligned and optimized for any concentrator orientation.
Diver, Richard B. (Albuquerque, NM)
A solar concentrating photovoltaic/thermal collector.
??This thesis discusses aspects of a novel solar concentrating photovoltaic / thermal (PV/T) collector that has been designed to produce both electricity and hot water.� (more)
Coventry, Joseph S
TOPCAT Solar Cell Alignment & Energy Concentration Technology ...
Patent 7,667,833: Alignment method for parabolic trough solar concentrators A Theoretical Overlay Photographic (TOP) alignment method uses the overlay of a ...
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Projects Home Page
of concentrating solar power plants. Activities include testing large-scale systems and developing advanced technologies, components, instrumentation, and analysis techniques....
The extended minimum of solar cycle 23 as seen by radial velocity (GOLF, GONG) and intensity (VIRGO) helioseismic instruments
We present an analysis of the variability of the solar oscillation spectrum during solar cycle 23 and its extended minimum. We use simultaneous observations of the low-degree solar p modes collected by the space-based, Sun-as-a-star GOLF (radial velocity) and VIRGO (intensity) instruments, and by the ground-based, multi-site network GONG. We investigate in particular the response of the p-mode eigenfrequencies to the observed peculiar deep solar minimum of surface activity of 2007-2009 as compared with the previous solar cycle 23. We study the different temporal variations of the p-mode frequencies with individual angular degrees.
Salabert, D; Palle, P L; Jimenez-Reyes, S J; Jimenez, A
Exact and approximate solutions for the quantum minimum-Kullback-entropy estimation problem
The minimum Kullback entropy principle (mKE) is a useful tool to estimate quantum states and operations from incomplete data and prior information. In general, the solution of a mKE problem is analytically challenging and an approximate solution has been proposed and employed in different context. Recently, the form and a way to compute the exact solution for finite dimensional systems has been found, and a question naturally arises on whether the approximate solution could be an effective substitute for the exact solution, and in which regimes this substitution can be performed. Here, we provide a systematic comparison between the exact and the approximate mKE solutions for a qubit system when average data from a single observable are available. We address both mKE estimation of states and weak Hamiltonians, and compare the two solutions in terms of state fidelity and operator distance. We find that the approximate solution is generally close to the exact one unless the initial state is near an eigenstate of the measured observable. Our results provide a rigorous justification for the use of the approximate solution whenever the above condition does not occur, and extend its range of application beyond those situations satisfying the assumptions used for its derivation.
Carlo Sparaciari; Stefano Olivares; Francesco Ticozzi; Matteo G. A. Paris
The effect of longitudinal spacer ribs on the minimum pressure drop in a heated annulus
When evaluating a heated flow passage for vulnerability to static flow excursions, special note should be taken of flow restrictions which might allow premature vapor generation. In this study, measurements of steady state pressure drop were made for the downward flow of water in a vertical annulus. The outer wall was uniformly heated to allow subcooled boiling. Minima in the pressure drop characteristics were compared for test sections with and without longitudinal spacer ribs. For a given power and inlet temperature, the minimum occurred at a higher flow rate in the ribbed test section. This is attributed to vapor generation at the ribs. The work cited in this document show how a restriction in a heated channel can produce vapor which would not be observed in the absence of the restriction. In the present study, the effect of a flow restriction on the tendency to flow excursion is explored by finding demand curves for a heated annulus in subcooled boiling flow. The annulus is heated from the outside, and alternately equipped with and without longitudinal spacer ribs. These ribs separate the heated and unheated walls; in pressing against the heated wall they provide a means for premature vapor production.
Johnston, B.S.; Neff, J.M.
Minimum Energy Dwelling (MED) workbook: an investigation of techniques and materials for energy conscious design
This workbook is based upon information gathered during the design phase of the Minimum Energy Dwelling. The objective of the project, sponsored by the Southern California Gas Co., Department of Energy, and Mission Viejo is to substantially reduce energy use by the incorporation of energy conservation and solar techniques in a single-family detached dwelling. The Project will demonstrate to builders, as well as to the general public, a number of technological innovations that can, at reasonable cost, be included in a dwelling design. The problem facing Southern California Gas Co., along with most other gas utilities, is ever-decreasing amounts of gas at increasing prices. The dwelling designed has approximately 1,150 ft/sup 2/, consistent with current home-building trends. Through the optimum use of energy-conserving appliances, insulation, window and wall shading, exterior coloring, and thermal mass, the yearly energy usage has been reduced by over 50%. Of the remaining 50% of the energy required for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, the majority is supplied by the solar-energy system. Three hundred twenty square feet (270 effective) of evacuated tube collector are incorporated into the building structure. The hot water provided by the collectors is used to run an absorption chiller for cooling, the domestic hot water, and the heating system. The remaining energy requirements are met by an auxiliary natural gas energy system and a cool-air-economizer cycle.
Method For Detecting The Presence Of A Ferromagnetic Object
A method for detecting a presence or an absence of a ferromagnetic object within a sensing area may comprise the steps of sensing, during a sample time, a magnetic field adjacent the sensing area; producing surveillance data representative of the sensed magnetic field; determining an absolute value difference between a maximum datum and a minimum datum comprising the surveillance data; and determining whether the absolute value difference has a positive or negative sign. The absolute value difference and the corresponding positive or negative sign thereof forms a representative surveillance datum that is indicative of the presence or absence in the sensing area of the ferromagnetic material.
Roybal, Lyle G. (Idaho Falls, ID)
Detecting Climate Change
The likelihood ratio of the data for a hypothesis of some change, relative to the hypothesis of no change, is a suitable statistical measure for the detection of climate change. Likelihood ratios calculated on the basis of Angell and Korshover's (...
Edward S. Epstein
Detection of counterfeit currency
A method of detecting counterfeit currency by contacting the currency to be tested with near infrared beams in the spectrum below 1250 namometers, measuring reflectance of the near infrared beams and comparing the reflectance values with those from genuine currency.
Burns, Donald A. (Los Alamos, NM)
Definition: Concentrating solar power | Open Energy Information
Dictionary.png Dictionary.png Concentrating solar power Technologies that use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. This thermal energy can then be used to produce electricity via a steam turbine or heat engine that drives a generator.[1][2] View on Wikipedia Wikipedia Definition . ]] File:El-v-01 ubt. jpeg Sustainable energy Renewable energy Anaerobic digestion Hydroelectricity · Geothermal Microgeneration · Solar Tidal · Wave · Wind Energy conservation Cogeneration · Energy efficiency Geothermal heat pump Green building · Passive Solar Sustainable transport Plug-in hybrids · Electric vehicles File:Terra- edge blur. png Environment Portal v · d · e Concentrated solar power (also called concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal, and CSP) systems use
A Minimum Free Energy Reaction Path for the E2 Reaction between Fluoro Ethane and a Fluoride Ion
A Minimum Free Energy Reaction Path for the E2 Reaction between Fluoro Ethane and a Fluoride Ion, such as the mechanism and the free-energy profile, remains an important challenge not only for enzyme catalysis1 of the reaction free-energy profile is very cumbersome with constrained molecular dynamics (MD) and umbrella
Nielsen, Steven O.
An exact solution for finding minimum recombinant haplotype configurations on pedigrees with missing data by integer linear programming
We study the problem of reconstructing haplotype configurations from genotypes on pedigree data with missing alleles under the Mendelian law of inheritance and the minimum recombination principle, which is important for the construction of haplotype ... Keywords: branch-and-bound algorithm, haplotyping, integer linear programming, missing data imputation, pedigree analysis, recombination
Jing Li; Tao Jiang
KIDS: keyed intrusion detection system
Since most current network attacks happen at the application layer, analysis of packet payload is necessary for their detection. Unfortunately malicious packets may be crafted to mimic normal payload, and so avoid detection if the anomaly detection method ... Keywords: Kerckhoffs' principle, anomaly detection, keyed IDS, network intrusion detection, word model
Sasa Mrdovic; Branislava Drazenovic
Mercury concentrations in Maine sport fishes
To assess mercury contamination of fish in Maine, fish were collected from 120 randomly selected lakes. The collection goal for each lake was five fish of the single most common sport fish species within the size range commonly harvested by anglers. Skinless, boneless fillets of fish from each lake were composited, homogenized, and analyzed for total mercury. The two most abundant species, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, were also analyzed individually. The composite fish analyses indicate high concentrations of mercury, particularly in large and long-lived nonsalmonid species. Chain pickerel Esox niger, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, and white perch Morone americana had the highest average mercury concentrations, and brook trout and yellow perch Perca flavescens had the lowest. The mean species composite mercury concentration was positively correlated with a factor incorporating the average size and age of the fish. Lakes containing fish with high mercury concentrations were not clustered near known industrial or population centers but were commonest in the area within 150 km of the seacoast, reflecting the geographical distribution of species that contained higher mercury concentrations. Stocked and wild brook trout were not different in length or weight, but wild fish were older and had higher mercury concentrations. Fish populations maintained by frequent introductions of hatchery-produced fish and subject to high angler exploitation rates may consist of younger fish with lower exposure to environmental mercury and thus contain lower concentrations than wild populations.
Stafford, C.P. [Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME (United States); Haines, T.A. [Geological Survey, Orono, ME (United States)
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Publications
Publications Publications NREL develops publications, including technical reports and papers, about its R&D activities in concentrating solar power, as well as related information. Below you'll find a list of selected NREL publications concerning these activities. Also see TroughNet's publications on parabolic trough technology, and market and economic assessment. For other NREL concentrating solar power publications, you can search NREL's Publications Database. Selected Publications These publications are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Utility-Scale Power Tower Solar Systems: Performance Acceptance Test Guidelines NREL Subcontract Report Author: David Kearney - Kearney & Associates Publication Date: March 2013 Simulating the Value of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy
Entanglement concentration of three-partite states
We investigate the concentration of multiparty entanglement by focusing on a simple family of three-partite pure states, superpositions of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states and singlets. Despite the simplicity of the states, we show that they cannot be reversibly concentrated by the standard entanglement concentration procedure, to which they seem ideally suited. Our results cast doubt on the idea that for each N there might be a finite set of N-party states into which any pure state can be reversibly transformed. We further relate our results to the concept of locking of entanglement of formation.
Groisman, Berry [HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL (United Kingdom); Linden, Noah [Department of Mathematics, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TH (United Kingdom); Popescu, Sandu [HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL (United Kingdom); Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS12 6QZ (United Kingdom)
Concentric ring flywheel without expansion separators
A concentric ring flywheel wherein the adjacent rings are configured to eliminate the need for differential expansion separators between the adjacent rings. This is accomplished by forming a circumferential step on an outer surface of an inner concentric ring and forming a matching circumferential step on the inner surface of an adjacent outer concentric ring. During operation the circumferential steps allow the rings to differentially expand due to the difference in the radius of the rings without the formation of gaps therebetween, thereby eliminating the need for expansion separators to take up the gaps formed by differential expansion.
Kuklo, Thomas C. (Oakdale, CA)
A concentric ring flywheel wherein the adjacent rings are configured to eliminate the need for differential expansion separators between the adjacent rings. This is accomplished by forming a circumferential step on an outer surface of an inner concentric ring and forming a matching circumferential step on the inner surface of an adjacent outer concentric ring. During operation the circumferential steps allow the rings to differentially expand due to the difference in the radius of the rings without the formation of gaps therebetween, thereby eliminating the need for expansion separators to take up the gaps formed by differential expansion. 3 figs.
Kuklo, T.C.
VSHOT Measurements of Distal II Dish Concentrators
The Video Scanning Hartmann Optical Tester (VSHOT) is a laser ray-trace tool for measuring the slope error of solar concentrator mirrors. The VSHOT measurements made on two, 8.5-m diameter, Distal II dishes represent its first use on a concentrator installed and operating in the field. A number of valuable lessons were learned regarding the use of the VSHOT for outdoor testing. The two dishes were found to have overall figure-of-merit RMS slope errors from an ideal parabola of 2.99 and 3.18 milliradians. The VSHOT measurements compare well qualitatively with distant observer photographs made using a colored concentric ring target.
Jones, S.A.
Si concentrator solar cell development. [Final report
This is the final report of a program to develop a commercial, high-efficiency, low-cost concentrator solar cell compatible with Spectrolab`s existing manufacturing infrastructure for space solar cells. The period covered is between 1991 and 1993. The program was funded through Sandia National Laboratories through the DOE concentrator initiative and, was also cost shared by Spectrolab. As a result of this program, Spectrolab implemented solar cells achieving an efficiency of over 19% at 200 to 300X concentration. The cells are compatible with DOE guidelines for a cell price necessary to achieve a cost of electricity of 12 cents a kilowatthour.
Krut, D.D. [Spectrolab, Inc., Sylmar, CA (United States)
Temperature differential detection device
A temperature differential detection device for detecting the temperature differential between predetermined portions of a container wall is disclosed as comprising a Wheatstone bridge circuit for detecting resistance imbalance with a first circuit branch having a first elongated wire element mounted in thermal contact with a predetermined portion of the container wall, a second circuit branch having a second elongated wire element mounted in thermal contact with a second predetermined portion of a container wall with the wire elements having a predetermined temperature-resistant coefficient, an indicator interconnected between the first and second branches remote from the container wall for detecting and indicating resistance imbalance between the first and second wire elements, and connector leads for electrically connecting the wire elements to the remote indicator in order to maintain the respective resistance value relationship between the first and second wire elements. The indicator is calibrated to indicate the detected resistance imbalance in terms of a temperature differential between the first and second wall portions.
Girling, Peter M. (Allentown, PA)
A temperature differential detection device for detecting the temperature differential between predetermined portions of a container wall is disclosed as comprising a Wheatstone bridge circuit for detecting resistance imbalance with a first circuit branch having a first elongated wire element mounted in thermal contact with a predetermined portion of the container wall, a second circuit branch having a second elongated wire element mounted in thermal contact with a second predetermined portion of a container wall with the wire elements having a predetermined temperature-resistant coefficient, an indicator interconnected between the first and second branches remote from the container wall for detecting and indicating resistance imbalance between the first and second wire elements, and connector leads for electrically connecting the wire elements to the remote indicator in order to maintain the respective resistance value relationship between the first and second wire elements. The indicator is calibrated to indicate the detected resistance imbalance in terms of a temperature differential between the first and second wall portions. 2 figs.
Girling, P.M.
Linear Concentrator Systems | Open Energy Information
Linear Concentrator Systems Linear Concentrator Systems Jump to: navigation, search Introduction Linear concentrating collector fields consist of a large number of collectors in parallel rows that are typically aligned in a north-south orientation to maximize both annual and summertime energy collection. With a single-axis sun-tracking system, this configuration enables the mirrors to track the sun from east to west during the day, ensuring that the sun reflects continuously onto the receiver tubes. Parabolic Trough Systems The predominant CSP systems currently in operation in the United States are linear concentrators using parabolic trough collectors. In such a system, the receiver tube is positioned along the focal line of each parabola-shaped reflector. The tube is fixed to the mirror structure and
Concentrating Solar Power Basics (The following text is derived from NREL's concentrating solar power information page.)[1] Concentrating solar power (CSP) offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy option that can help meet our nation's demand for electricity. CSP plants produce power by first using mirrors to focus sunlight to heat a working fluid. Ultimately, this high-temperature fluid is used to spin a turbine or power an engine that drives a generator. And the final product is electricity. Smaller CSP systems can be located directly where the power is needed. Larger, utility-scale CSP applications provide hundreds of megawatts of electricity for the power grid. Both linear concentrator and power tower systems can be easily integrated with thermal storage, helping to generate
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Particle Receiver...
Bed-Novel Components to Overcome Existing Barriers Advancing concentrating solar power (CSP) systems to the target cost of 0.06 per kilowatt-hour, set by the U.S. Department of...
Analytical Solutions for Cloud-Drop Concentration
This note compares and evaluates the analytical solutions of Squires and Twomey for cloud droplet concentration. Either solution is likely to be fairly accurate (�30%) when the slope parameter (?) of the cloud condensation nuclei distribution is ...
David B. Johnson
Power Tower Systems for Concentrating Solar Power
In power tower concentrating solar power systems, numerous large, flat, sun-tracking mirrors, known as heliostats, focus sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a tall tower. A heat-transfer fluid...
Gas concentration cells for utilizing energy
An apparatus and method are disclosed for utilizing energy, in which the apparatus may be used for generating electricity or as a heat pump. When used as an electrical generator, two gas concentration cells are connected in a closed gas circuit. The first gas concentration cell is heated and generates electricity. The second gas concentration cell repressurizes the gas which travels between the cells. The electrical energy which is generated by the first cell drives the second cell as well as an electrical load. When used as a heat pump, two gas concentration cells are connected in a closed gas circuit. The first cell is supplied with electrical energy from a direct current source and releases heat. The second cell absorbs heat. The apparatus has no moving parts and thus approximates a heat engine. 4 figs.
Salomon, R.E.
What does stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations mean?
The MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model is applied to an exploration of the national emissions obligations that would be required to stabilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations at levels now under active ...
Jacoby, Henry D.; Schmalensee, Richard.; Reiner, David M.
An apparatus and method for utilizing energy, in which the apparatus may be used for generating electricity or as a heat pump. When used as an electrical generator, two gas concentration cells are connected in a closed gas circuit. The first gas concentration cell is heated and generates electricity. The second gas concentration cell repressurizes the gas which travels between the cells. The electrical energy which is generated by the first cell drives the second cell as well as an electrical load. When used as a heat pump, two gas concentration cells are connected in a closed gas circuit. The first cell is supplied with electrical energy from a direct current source and releases heat. The second cell absorbs heat. The apparatus has no moving parts and thus approximates a heat engine.
Salomon, Robert E. (Philadelphia, PA)
Biological denitrification of high concentration nitrate waste
Biological denitrification of nitrate solutions at concentrations of greater than one kilogram nitrate per cubic meter is accomplished anaerobically in an upflow column having as a packing material a support for denitrifying bacteria.
Francis, Chester W. (Oak Ridge, TN); Brinkley, Frank S. (Knoxville, TN)
NREL: Learning - Concentrating Solar Power Basics
Concentrating Solar Power Basics Many power plants today use fossil fuels as a heat source to boil water. The steam from the boiling water spins a large turbine, which drives a...
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Research Staff
Research Staff Here you'll find contact information for NREL's concentrating solar power research team and staff. To learn more about us and our expertise, read the staff's...
Concentrating Solar Power Commercial Application Study
Concentrating Solar Power Technologies............................................... 7 Parabolic Troughs power technologies are described in this report: parabolic troughs, linear Fresnel, power towers, and dish/engine. Parabolic troughs are the most commercially available technology. Linear Fresnel and power
Laughlin, Robert B.
Test results of early photovoltaic concentrating collectors
Several passively and actively cooled photovoltaic concentrating collectors built during the period 1976 to 1979 have been tested. The tests provide information on the performance characteristics of these collectors. The results of the tests are summarized.
Gerwin, H.J.; Pritchard, D.A.
Spectral converters and luminescent solar concentrators
In this paper we present a comprehensive theoretical description of molecular spectral converters in the specific context of Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs). The theoretical model is an extension to a three-level system interacting with a solar radiation bath of the standard quantum theory of atomic radiative processes. We derive the equilibrium equations of the conversion process and provide specific examples of application of this principle to the development of solar concentration devices.
Petra F. Scudo; Luigi Abbondanza; Roberto Fusco
Scudo, Petra F; Fusco, Roberto
Georgia Tech spiral concentrator: an innovative design
A new, low cost, high performance solar energy concentrator has been developed at Georgia Tech. It is based on Fresnel reflector principles, and is formed by slightly winding a flat spiral of reflective material and securing it to a planar frame. Special focal distributions are easily designed into the concentrator. A wide variety of applications exist for this new device, ranging from generation of industrial process heat to solar cooking.
Steenblik, R.A.; Bomar, S.H. Jr.
Solar system fault detection
A fault detecting apparatus and method are provided for use with an active solar system. The apparatus provides an indication as to whether one or more predetermined faults have occurred in the solar system. The apparatus includes a plurality of sensors, each sensor being used in determining whether a predetermined condition is present. The outputs of the sensors are combined in a pre-established manner in accordance with the kind of predetermined faults to be detected. Indicators communicate with the outputs generated by combining the sensor outputs to give the user of the solar system and the apparatus an indication as to whether a predetermined fault has occurred. Upon detection and indication of any predetermined fault, the user can take appropriate corrective action so that the overall reliability and efficiency of the active solar system are increased.
Farrington, R.B.; Pruett, J.C. Jr.
Farrington, Robert B. (Wheatridge, CO); Pruett, Jr., James C. (Lakewood, CO)
Error detection method
An apparatus, program product, and method that run an algorithm on a hardware based processor, generate a hardware error as a result of running the algorithm, generate an algorithm output for the algorithm, compare the algorithm output to another output for the algorithm, and detect the hardware error from the comparison. The algorithm is designed to cause the hardware based processor to heat to a degree that increases the likelihood of hardware errors to manifest, and the hardware error is observable in the algorithm output. As such, electronic components may be sufficiently heated and/or sufficiently stressed to create better conditions for generating hardware errors, and the output of the algorithm may be compared at the end of the run to detect a hardware error that occurred anywhere during the run that may otherwise not be detected by traditional methodologies (e.g., due to cooling, insufficient heat and/or stress, etc.).
Olson, Eric J.
OPTIMIZED FUEL INJECTOR DESIGN FOR MAXIMUM IN-FURNACE NOx REDUCTION AND MINIMUM UNBURNED CARBON
Reaction Engineering International (REI) has established a project team of experts to develop a technology for combustion systems which will minimize NO x emissions and minimize carbon in the fly ash. This much need technology will allow users to meet environmental compliance and produce a saleable by-product. This study is concerned with the NO x control technology of choice for pulverized coal fired boilers, ?in-furnace NO x control,? which includes: staged low-NO x burners, reburning, selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) and hybrid approaches (e.g., reburning with SNCR). The program has two primary objectives: 1) To improve the performance of ?in-furnace? NO x control processes. 2) To devise new, or improve existing, approaches for maximum ?in-furnace? NO x control and minimum unburned carbon. The program involves: 1) fundamental studies at laboratory- and bench-scale to define NO reduction mechanisms in flames and reburning jets; 2) laboratory experiments and computer modeling to improve our two-phase mixing predictive capability; 3) evaluation of commercial low-NO x burner fuel injectors to develop improved designs, and 4) demonstration of coal injectors for reburning and low-NO x burners at commercial scale. The specific objectives of the two-phase program are to: 1 Conduct research to better understand the interaction of heterogeneous chemistry and two phase mixing on NO reduction processes in pulverized coal combustion. 2 Improve our ability to predict combusting coal jets by verifying two phase mixing models under conditions that simulate the near field of low-NO x burners. 3 Determine the limits on NO control by in-furnace NO x control technologies as a function of furnace design and coal type. 5 Develop and demonstrate improved coal injector designs for commercial low-NO x burners and coal reburning systems. 6 Modify the char burnout model in REI?s coal combustion code to take account of recently obtained fundamental data on char reactivity during the late stages of burnout. This will improve our ability to predict carbon burnout with low-NO x firing systems.
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research Home Page
A collage of Concentrating Solar Power photographs. The first photo shows a dish-engine solar system. The second is of a SAIC Stirling dish collector. And the third photo shows a SkyTrough solar concentrator located on a mesa top. A collage of Concentrating Solar Power photographs. The first photo shows a dish-engine solar system. The second is of a SAIC Stirling dish collector. And the third photo shows a SkyTrough solar concentrator located on a mesa top. NREL collaborates with industry to further the research and development (R&D) of concentrating solar power (CSP) plant and solar thermal technologies. NREL's projects in concentrating solar power focus on components R&D and systems analysis related to power tower and parabolic trough technologies: Collectors Receivers Power block Thermal energy storage Analysis. In addition, NREL has received funding through the following competitively awarded projects: 10-megawatt supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO2) turbine test Near-blackbody, enclosed-particle receiver integrated with a
NVLAP Radiation Detection Instruments LAP
Radiation Detection Instruments LAP. Leticia Pibida uses a hand-held radiation detection device to check cargo. Photo: Copyright Robert Rathe. ...
Detection of solar events
A flux detection apparatus can include a radioactive sample having a decay rate capable of changing in response to interaction with a first particle or a field, and a detector associated with the radioactive sample. The detector is responsive to a second particle or radiation formed by decay of the radioactive sample. The rate of decay of the radioactive sample can be correlated to flux of the first particle or the field. Detection of the first particle or the field can provide an early warning for an impending solar event.
Fischbach, Ephraim; Jenkins, Jere
Radiation detection system
A radiation detection system which utilizes the generation of Cerenkov light in and the transmission of that light longitudinally through fiber optic wave guides in order to transmit intelligence relating to the radiation to a remote location. The wave guides are aligned with respect to charged particle radiation so that the Cerenkov light, which is generated at an angle to the radiation, is accepted by the fiber for transmission therethrough. The Cerenkov radiation is detected, recorded, and analyzed at the other end of the fiber.
Nelson, Melvin A. (Santa Barbara, CA); Davies, Terence J. (Santa Barbara, CA); Morton, III, John R. (Livermore, CA)
We use the Bayesian estimation on direct T - Q - U cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization maps to forecast errors on the tensor-to-scalar power ratio r, and hence on primordial gravitational waves, as a function of sky coverage f{sub sky}. This map-based likelihood filters the information in the pixel-pixel space into the optimal combinations needed for r detection for cut skies, providing enhanced information over a first-step linear separation into a combination of E, B, and mixed modes, and ignoring the latter. With current computational power and for typical resolutions appropriate for r detection, the large matrix inversions required are accurate and fast. Our simulations explore two classes of experiments, with differing bolometric detector numbers, sensitivities, and observational strategies. One is motivated by a long duration balloon experiment like Spider, with pixel noise {proportional_to}{radical}(f{sub sky}) for a specified observing period. This analysis also applies to ground-based array experiments. We find that, in the absence of systematic effects and foregrounds, an experiment with Spider-like noise concentrating on f{sub sky} {approx} 0.02-0.2 could place a 2{sigma}{sub r} Almost-Equal-To 0.014 boundary ({approx}95% confidence level), which rises to 0.02 with an l-dependent foreground residual left over from an assumed efficient component separation. We contrast this with a Planck-like fixed instrumental noise as f{sub sky} varies, which gives a Galaxy-masked (f{sub sky} = 0.75) 2{sigma}{sub r} Almost-Equal-To 0.015, rising to Almost-Equal-To 0.05 with the foreground residuals. Using as the figure of merit the (marginalized) one-dimensional Shannon entropy of r, taken relative to the first 2003 WMAP CMB-only constraint, gives -2.7 bits from the 2012 WMAP9+ACT+SPT+LSS data, and forecasts of -6 bits from Spider (+ Planck); this compares with up to -11 bits for CMBPol, COrE, and PIXIE post-Planck satellites and -13 bits for a perfectly noiseless cosmic variance limited experiment. We thus confirm the wisdom of the current strategy for r detection of deeply probed patches covering the f{sub sky} minimum-error trough with balloon and ground experiments.
Farhang, M.; Bond, J. R.; Netterfield, C. B. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada); Dore, O. [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, 60 St. George, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada)
Homobuffer thickness effect on the background electron carrier concentration of epitaxial ZnO thin films
Epitaxial ZnO thin films were grown on r-plane sapphire substrates using plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. ZnO homobuffer layers grown at a lower temperature were introduced to improve the crystallinity of the top ZnO thin films. Thicker homobuffer layers lead to better crystallinity of the subsequent epitaxial ZnO thin films due to the strain relaxation effect. Residual background electron carrier concentration in these undoped ZnO thin films first decreases, then increases as the buffer layer thickness increases from {approx}1 to 30 nm, with a minimum electron concentration of {approx}1x10{sup 17} cm{sup -3} occurring in ZnO homobuffer of {approx}5 nm. These results demonstrate that the optimized ZnO homobuffer thickness to achieve both good ZnO crystallinity and low residual electron concentration is determined by the relative electron carrier concentration ratios and mobility ratios between the buffer and epi-ZnO layers.
Yang, Z.; Zhou, H. M.; Li, L.; Zhao, J. Z.; Liu, J. L. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Quantum Structures Laboratory, University of California, Riverside, California 92521 (United States); Chen, W. V.; Yu, P. K. L. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)
Energy Basics: Dish/Engine Systems for Concentrating Solar Power
power plant. Solar Concentrator The solar concentrator, or dish, gathers the solar energy coming directly from the sun. The resulting beam of concentrated sunlight is reflected...
Detection optimization using linear systems analysis of a coded aperture laser sensor system
Minimum detectable irradiance levels for a diffraction grating based laser sensor were calculated to be governed by clutter noise resulting from reflected earth albedo. Features on the earth surface caused pseudo-imaging effects on the sensor`s detector arras that resulted in the limiting noise in the detection domain. It was theorized that a custom aperture transmission function existed that would optimize the detection of laser sources against this clutter background. Amplitude and phase aperture functions were investigated. Compared to the diffraction grating technique, a classical Young`s double-slit aperture technique was investigated as a possible optimized solution but was not shown to produce a system that had better clutter-noise limited minimum detectable irradiance. Even though the double-slit concept was not found to have a detection advantage over the slit-grating concept, one interesting concept grew out of the double-slit design that deserved mention in this report, namely the Barker-coded double-slit. This diffractive aperture design possessed properties that significantly improved the wavelength accuracy of the double-slit design. While a concept was not found to beat the slit-grating concept, the methodology used for the analysis and optimization is an example of the application of optoelectronic system-level linear analysis. The techniques outlined here can be used as a template for analysis of a wide range of optoelectronic systems where the entire system, both optical and electronic, contribute to the detection of complex spatial and temporal signals.
Gentry, S.M. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Optoelectronic Design Dept.
Method and apparatus for phase for and amplitude detection
A new class of techniques been developed which allow inexpensive application of SAW-type chemical sensor devices while retaining high sensitivity (ppm) to chemical detection. The new techniques do not require that the sensor be part of an oscillatory circuit, allowing large concentrations of, e.g., chemical vapors in air, to be accurately measured without compromising the capacity to measure trace concentrations. Such devices have numerous potential applications in environmental monitoring, from manufacturing environments to environmental restoration.
Cernosek, Richard W. (Albuquerque, NM); Frye, Gregory C. (Cedar Crest, NM); Martin, Stephen J. (Albuquerque, NM)
A method is disclosed of detecting counterfeit currency by contacting the currency to be tested with near infrared beams in the spectrum below 1,250 nanometers, measuring reflectance of the near infrared beams and comparing the reflectance values with those from genuine currency. 18 figs.
Burns, D.A.
Toward gravitational wave detection
An overview of some tools and techniques being developed for data conditioning (regression of instrumental and environmental artifacts from the data channel), detector design evaluation (modeling the science ``reach'' of alternative detector designs and configurations), noise simulations for mock data challenges and analysis system validation, and analyses for the detection of gravitational radiation from gamma-ray burst sources.
L. S. Finn; G. Gonzalez; J. Hough; M. F. Huq; S. Mohanty; J. Romano; S. Rowan; P. R. Saulson; K. A. Strain
Radiation Detection from Fission
This report briefly describes the neutrons and gamma rays emitted in fission, briefly discusses measurement methods, briefly discusses sources and detectors relevant to detection of shielded HEU in sealand containers, and lists the measurement possibilities for the various sources. The brief descriptions are supplemented by reference.
Mihalczo, J.
This patent application describes a sensitive detection or protective system capable of giving an alarm or warning upon the entrance or intrusion of any body into a defined area or zone protected by a radiation field of suitable direction or extent.
Tillman, J.E.
A radiation detection system including a radiation-to-light converter and fiber optic wave guides to transmit the light to a remote location for processing. The system utilizes fluors particularly developed for use with optical fibers emitting at wavelengths greater than about 500 nm and having decay times less than about 10 ns.
Franks, Larry A. (Santa Barbara, CA); Lutz, Stephen S. (Santa Barbara, CA); Lyons, Peter B. (Los Alamos, NM)
Initiative for Explosives Detection
capabilities. Staff at PNNL are developing effective integrated systems for explosives detection, addressing, fundamental science and health. Battelle, based in Columbus, Ohio, has operated PNNL since 1965. PNNL's long. PNNL is located in Richland, Washington. Additional web resources are at: http
Wikipedia vandalism detection
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that anyone can access and edit. It has become one of the most important sources of knowledge online and many third party projects rely on it for a wide-range of purposes. The open model of Wikipedia allows pranksters, ... Keywords: Wikipedia vandalism detection, machine learning, natural language processing, reputation
Santiago M. Mola-Velasco
Improved isolation of the p-p underlying event based on minimum-bias trigger-associated hadron correlations
Some aspects of hadron production in p-p collisions remain unresolved, including the low-hadron-momentum structure of high-parton-energy dijets, separation of triggered dijets from the underlying event (UE), the systematics of multiple parton interactions and possible systematic underestimation of dijet contributions to high-energy nuclear collisions. In this study we apply a minimum-bias trigger-associated (TA) correlation analysis to p-p collisions. We extract a hard component from TA correlations that can be compared with measured jet fragment systematics derived from e-e collisions. The kinematic limits on jet fragment production may be determined. The same method may be extended to A-A collisions where the role of minimum-bias jets in spectra and correlations is strongly contested.
Thomas A. Trainor; Duncan J. Prindle
Alternative Minimum Levels for Utility Aqueous Discharges: Chemical Analytical Measurement Guide for National Pollutant Discharge El imination System (NPDES) Permits
The Clean Water Act requires the electric utility industry to monitor their wastewater discharges to ensure compliance with discharge permit limits. EPRI developed a new definition of quantitation level appropriate to water quality compliance monitoring and used data from its previous studies on trace element analysis of utility wastewaters to calculate Alternative Minimum Levels (AMLs). The approach developed in this report will help utilities define reasonable pollutant discharge limits to meet effluen...
A Minimum Column Density of 1 g cm^-2 for Massive Star Formation
Massive stars are very rare, but their extreme luminosities make them both the only type of young star we can observe in distant galaxies and the dominant energy sources in the universe today. They form rarely because efficient radiative cooling keeps most star-forming gas clouds close to isothermal as they collapse, and this favors fragmentation into stars ~ 1 g cm^-2 can avoid fragmentation and form massive stars. This threshold, and the environmental variation of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) that it implies, naturally explain the characteristic column densities of massive star clusters and the difference between the radial profiles of Halpha and UV emission in galactic disks. The existence of a threshold also implies that there should be detectable variations in the IMF with environment within the Galaxy and in the characteristic column densities of massive star clusters between galaxies, and that star formation rates in some galactic environments may have been systematically underestimated.
Mark R. Krumholz; Christopher F. McKee
THE BEHAVIOR OF THE 17 GHz SOLAR RADIUS AND LIMB BRIGHTENING IN THE SPOTLESS MINIMUM XXIII/XXIV
The current solar minimum has surprised the entire solar community because the spotless period is presently almost 2-3 years longer than the usual minima. To better understand this, we studied the variation of the solar radius and the polar limb brightening at 17 GHz, comparing the results from the minimum at the end of cycle XXIII with those of the previous one. Daily maps obtained by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) from 1992 through 2010 were analyzed. Whereas the variation of the solar radius at radio frequencies indicates the heating of the solar atmosphere due to solar activity, the limb brightening intensity depends on the organization of the polar magnetic field of the Sun, including the global dipole and the features formed around it. These features are more prominent during minima periods. As a common result, researchers have observed a decrease in both radius and limb brightness intensity at 17 GHz during the present minimum when compared with the previous one. The mean solar radius is 0.''9 {+-} 0.''6 smaller and the limb brightening reduced its intensity by around 20%. Both decrements are interpreted in terms of the weaker solar chromospheric activity of the present cycle. Measurement of the radius and limb brightening at 17 GHz can be used as an alternative solar activity index and should be included in the set of parameters used to predict future cycles.
Selhorst, C. L. [IP and D-Universidade do Vale do ParaIba-UNIVAP, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Gimenez de Castro, C. G.; Valio, A. [CRAAM, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Costa, J. E. R. [CEA, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Shibasaki, K., E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com [NoRH, Nobeyama Radioheliograph (Japan)
Geothermal heating retrofit at the Utah State Prison Minimum Security Facility. Final report, March 1979-January 1986
This report is a summary of progress and results of the Utah State Prison Geothermal Space Heating Project. Initiated in 1978 by the Utah State Energy Office and developed with assistance from DOE's Division of Geothermal and Hydropower Technologies PON program, final construction was completed in 1984. The completed system provides space and water heating for the State Prison's Minimum Security Facility. It consists of an artesian flowing geothermal well, plate heat exchangers, and underground distribution pipeline that connects to the existing hydronic heating system in the State Prison's Minimum Security Facility. Geothermal water disposal consists of a gravity drain line carrying spent geothermal water to a cooling pond which discharges into the Jordan River, approximately one mile from the well site. The system has been in operation for two years with mixed results. Continuing operation and maintenance problems have reduced the expected seasonal operation from 9 months per year to 3 months. Problems with the Minimum Security heating system have reduced the expected energy contribution by approximately 60%. To date the system has saved the prison approximately $18,060. The total expenditure including resource assessment and development, design, construction, performance verification, and reporting is approximately $827,558.
An estimate for the sum of a Dirichlet series in terms of the minimum of its modulus on a vertical line segment
The behaviour of the sum of an entire Dirichlet series is analyzed in terms of the minimum of its modulus on a system of vertical line segments. Also a more general problem, connected with the Polya conjecture is posed and solved. It concerns the minimum modulus of an entire function with Fabri gaps and its growth along curves going to infinity. Bibliography: 33 titles.
Gaisin, Ahtyar M; Rakhmatullina, Zhanna G
Low-Cost, Lightweight Solar Concentrators
Concentrators Concentrators California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Award Number:0595-1612 | April 18, 2013 | Ganapathi * Mirror module development has been approached with the goal of being applicable to all types of CSP systems * Several heliostat design options being considered to address driving requirements: * Facets that are compliant to winds > 35 mph * Deep structures for optimizing structural efficiency * Pointing accuracy achieved with mechanism design * Simple precision components * Easy on-site assembly with pre-fab components * Structural foam properties and strengthening trades being conducted to reduce overall costs with FEM models Goal: Typical costs for a concentrator (heliostat or parabolic dish) can range between 40-50% of the total costs. To meet SunShot
Concentration of perrhenate and pertechnetate solutions
A method of preparing a concentrated solution of a carrier-free radioisotope which includes the steps of: a. providing a generator column loaded with a composition containing a parent radioisotope; b. eluting the generator column with an eluent solution which includes a salt of a weak acid to elute a target daughter radioisotope from the generator column in a first eluate. c. eluting a cation-exchange column with the first eluate to exchange cations of the salt for hydrogen ions and to elute the target daughter radioisotope and a weak acid in a second eluate; d. eluting an anion-exchange column with the second eluate to trap and concentrate the target daughter radioisotope and to elute the weak acid solution therefrom; and e. eluting the concentrated target daughter radioisotope from the anion-exchange column with a saline solution.
Knapp, Furn F. (Oak Ridge, TN); Beets, Arnold L. (Clinton, TN); Mirzadeh, Saed (Knoxville, TN); Guhlke, Stefan (Bonn, DE)
Concentration and purification of plutonium or thorium
In this invention a first solution obtained from such as a plutonium/thorium purification process or the like, containing plutonium (Pu) and/or thorium (Th) in such as a low nitric acid (HNO.sub.3) concentration may have the Pu and/or Th separated and concentrated by passing an electrical current from a first solution having disposed therein an anode to a second solution having disposed therein a cathode and separated from the first solution by a cation permeable membrane, the Pu or Th cation permeating the cation membrane and forming an anionic complex within the second solution, and electrical current passage affecting the complex formed to permeate an anion membrane separating the second solution from an adjoining third solution containing disposed therein an anode, thereby effecting separation and concentration of the Pu and/or Th in the third solution.
Hayden, John A. (Arvada, CO); Plock, Carl E. (Golden, CO)
concentrating solar power | OpenEI
concentrating solar power concentrating solar power Dataset Summary Description This dataset is part of a larger internal dataset at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that explores various characteristics of large solar electric (both PV and CSP) facilities around the United States. This dataset focuses on the land use characteristics for solar facilities that are either under construction or currently in operation. Source Land-Use Requirements for Solar Power Plants in the United States Date Released June 25th, 2013 (7 months ago) Date Updated Unknown Keywords acres area average concentrating solar power csp Density electric hectares km2 land land requirements land use land-use mean photovoltaic photovoltaics PV solar statistics Data application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet icon Master Solar Land Use Spreadsheet (xlsx, 1.5 MiB)
Design package for concentrating solar collector panels
Information used to evaluate the design of the Northrup concentrating collector is presented. Included are the system performance specifications, the applications manual, and the detailed design drawings of the collector. The Northrup concentrating solar collector is a water/glycol/working fluid type, dipped galvanized steel housing, transparent acrylic Fresnel lens cover, copper absorber tube, fiber glass insulation and weighs 98 pounds. The gross collector area is about 29.4/sup 2/ per collector. A collector assembly includes four collector units within a tracking mount array.
Installation package for concentrating solar collector panels
Northrup, Inc., has developed and delivered 300 square feet of Concentrating Solar Collector (ML Series) and Attitude Control System, under the direction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The ''ML Series'' Solar Collector Panels comprise a complete package array consisting of collector panels using modified Fresnel Prismatic Lenses for a 10 to 1 concentrating ration, supporting framework, fluid manifolding and tracking drive system, in unassembled components for field erection. The Installation, Operation and Maintenance Manual, Warranty, List of Materials, Sub-Assembly drawings and Final Field Assembly Drawings are included in the package.
Concentrating Photovoltaic Module Testing at NREL's Concentrating Solar Radiation Users Facility
There has been much recent interest in photovoltaic modules designed to operate with concentrated sunlight (>100 suns). Concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technology offers an exciting new opportunity as a viable alternative to dish Stirling engines. Advantages of CPV include potential for>40% cell efficiency in the long term (25% now), no moving parts, no intervening heat transfer surface, near-ambient temperature operation, no thermal mass, fast response, concentration reduces cost of cells relative to optics, and scalable to a range of sizes. Over the last few years, we have conducted testing of several CPV modules for DOEs Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) program. The testing facilities are located at the Concentrating Solar Radiation Users Facility (CRULF) and consist the 10 kW High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) and a 14m2 Concentrating Technologies, LLC (CTEK) dish. This paper will primarily describe the test capabilities; module test results will be detailed in the presentation.
Bingham, C.; Lewandowski, A.; Stone, K.; Sherif, R.; Ortabasi, U.; Kusek, S.
Detection of alpha radiation in a beta radiation field
An apparatus and method for detecting alpha particles in the presence of high activities of beta particles utilizing an alpha spectrometer. The apparatus of the present invention utilizes a magnetic field applied around the sample in an alpha spectrometer to deflect the beta particles from the sample prior to reaching the detector, thus permitting detection of low concentrations of alpha particles. In the method of the invention, the strength of magnetic field required to adequately deflect the beta particles and permit alpha particle detection is given by an algorithm that controls the field strength as a function of sample beta energy and the distance of the sample to the detector.
Mohagheghi, Amir H. (Albuquerque, NM); Reese, Robert P. (Edgewood, NM)
Protein detection system
The present embodiment describes a miniature, microfluidic, absorption-based sensor to detect proteins at sensitivities comparable to LIF but without the need for tagging. This instrument utilizes fiber-based evanescent-field cavity-ringdown spectroscopy, in combination with faceted prism microchannels. The combination of these techniques will increase the effective absorption path length by a factor of 10.sup.3 to 10.sup.4 (to .about.1-m), thereby providing unprecedented sensitivity using direct absorption. The coupling of high-sensitivity absorption with high-performance microfluidic separation will enable real-time sensing of biological agents in aqueous samples (including aerosol collector fluids) and will provide a general method with spectral fingerprint capability for detecting specific bio-agents.
Fruetel, Julie A. (Livermore, CA); Fiechtner, Gregory J. (Bethesda, MD); Kliner, Dahv A. V. (San Ramon, CA); McIlroy, Andrew (Livermore, CA)
Solar neutrino detection
More than 40 years ago, neutrinos where conceived as a way to test the validity of the solar models which tell us that stars are powered by nuclear fusion reactions. The first measurement of the neutrino flux, in 1968 in the Homestake mine in South Dakota, detected only one third of the expected value, originating what has been known as the Solar Neutrino Problem. Different experiments were built in order to understand the origin of this discrepancy. Now we know that neutrinos undergo oscillation phenomenon changing their nature traveling from the core of the Sun to our detectors. In the work the 40 year long saga of the neutrino detection is presented; from the first proposals to test the solar models to last real time measurements of the low energy part of the neutrino spectrum.
Miramonti, Lino [Physics department of Milano University and INFN (Italy)
Cell Phone Detection Techniques
A team composed of Rick Pratt, Dave Puczyki, Kyle Bunch, Ryan Slaugh, Morris Good, and Doug McMakin teamed together to attempt to exploit cellular telephone features and detect if a person was carrying a cellular telephone into a Limited Area. The cell phone�s electromagnetic properties were measured, analyzed, and tested in over 10 different ways to determine if an exploitable signature exists. The method that appears to have the most potential for success without adding an external tag is to measure the RF spectrum, not in the cell phone band, but between 240 and 400MHz. Figures 1- 7 show the detected signal levels from cell phones from three different manufacturers.
Pratt, Richard M.; Bunch, Kyle J.; Puzycki, David J.; Slaugh, Ryan W.; Good, Morris S.; McMakin, Douglas L.
Lino Miramonti
Detection of pump degradation
This Phase II Nuclear Plant Aging Research study examines the methods of detecting pump degradation that are currently employed in domestic and overseas nuclear facilities. This report evaluates the criteria mandated by required pump testing at U.S. nuclear power plants and compares them to those features characteristic of state-of-the-art diagnostic programs and practices currently implemented by other major industries. Since the working condition of the pump driver is crucial to pump operability, a brief review of new applications of motor diagnostics is provided that highlights recent developments in this technology. The routine collection and analysis of spectral data is superior to all other technologies in its ability to accurately detect numerous types and causes of pump degradation. Existing ASME Code testing criteria do not require the evaluation of pump vibration spectra but instead overall vibration amplitude. The mechanical information discernible from vibration amplitude analysis is limited, and several cases of pump failure were not detected in their early stages by vibration monitoring. Since spectral analysis can provide a wealth of pertinent information concerning the mechanical condition of rotating machinery, its incorporation into ASME testing criteria could merit a relaxation in the monthly-to-quarterly testing schedules that seek to verify and assure pump operability. Pump drivers are not included in the current battery of testing. Operational problems thought to be caused by pump degradation were found to be the result of motor degradation. Recent advances in nonintrusive monitoring techniques have made motor diagnostics a viable technology for assessing motor operability. Motor current/power analysis can detect rotor bar degradation and ascertain ranges of hydraulically unstable operation for a particular pump and motor set. The concept of using motor current or power fluctuations as an indicator of pump hydraulic load stability is presented.
Greene, R.H.; Casada, D.A.; Ayers, C.W. [and others
On-Chip Dielectrophoretic Separation and Concentration of Viable, Non-Viable and Viable but Not Culturable (VBNC) Escherichia coli
Although bacterial culture remains the gold standard for detection of viable bacteria in environmental specimens, the typical time requirement of twenty-four hours can delay and even jeopardize appropriate public health intervention. In addition, culture is incapable of detecting viable but not culturable (VBNC) species. Conversely, nucleic acid and antibody-based methods greatly decrease time to detection but rarely characterize viability of the bacteria detected. Through selection by membrane permeability, the method described in this work employs positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) for separation and purification of viable and VBNC species from water and allows concentration of bacteria for downstream applications.
Packard, M M; Shusteff, M; Alocilja, E C
System and method for detecting gas
A system to detect a presence of a specific gas in a mixture of gaseous byproducts comprising moisture vapor is disclosed. The system includes an electrochemical cell, a transport to deliver the mixture of gaseous byproducts from the electrochemical cell, a gas sensor in fluid communication with the transport, the sensor responsive to a presence of the specific gas to generate a signal corresponding to a concentration of the specific gas, and a membrane to prevent transmission of liquid moisture, the membrane disposed between the transport and the gas sensor.
Chow, Oscar Ken (Simsbury, CT); Moulthrop, Lawrence Clinton (Windsor, CT); Dreier, Ken Wayne (Madison, CT); Miller, Jacob Andrew (Dexter, MI)
Power Power SunShot CSP Team Learn more about the SunShot concentrating solar power program staff by visiting the team's profile pages. Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory High-Efficiency Thermal Energy Storage System for CSP University of California Los Angeles University of California Los Angeles High Operating Temperature Liquid Metal Heat Transfer Fluids Jet Propulsion Laborator Jet Propulsion Laboratory Low-Cost, Lightweight Solar Concentrators Abengoa Solar Abengoa Solar Advanced Nitrate Salt Central Receiver Power Plant HiTek Services HiTek Services Low-Cost Heliostat Development The Department of Energy (DOE) supports research and development of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies as a unique path to achieve SunShot Initiative cost targets with systems that can supply solar power on demand through the use of thermal storage. CSP technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. Thermal energy can then be used to produce electricity via a turbine or heat engine driving a generator.
Low-Cost Installation of Concentrating Photovoltaic
Low-Cost Installation of Concentrating Photovoltaic Renewable Energy Research Renewable Energy Research http://www.energy.ca.gov/research/renewabl e/index.html August 2011 The Issue Several factors inhibit the potential growth of the California photovoltaic market: high installation costs, expenses
Nonimaging light concentrator with uniform irradiance
A nonimaging light concentrator system including a primary collector of light, an optical mixer disposed near the focal zone for collecting light from the primary collector, the optical mixer having a transparent entrance aperture, an internally reflective housing for substantially total internal reflection of light, a transparent exit aperture and an array of photovoltaic cells disposed near the transparent exit aperture.
Winston, Roland (Chicago, IL); Gee, Randy C. (Arvada, CO)
Low chemical concentrating steam generating cycle
A steam cycle for a nuclear power plant having two optional modes of operation. A once-through mode of operation uses direct feed of coolant water to an evaporator avoiding excessive chemical concentration buildup. A recirculation mode of operation uses a recirculation loop to direct a portion of flow from the evaporator back through the evaporator to effectively increase evaporator flow.
Mangus, James D. (Greensburg, PA)
HELIOS: a computational model for solar concentrators
HELIOS is a computer code for mathematically simulating the behavior of the flux pattern from the concentrator field for a solar central receiver power station. Statistical methods are used to incorporate nondeterministic factors. The code is described, and some examples of its output are given.
Western North Pacific Typhoons with Concentric Eyewalls
This study examines the intensity change and moat dynamics of typhoons with concentric eyewalls using passive microwave data and best-track data in the western North Pacific between 1997 and 2006. Of the 225 typhoons examined, 55 typhoons and 62 ...
Hung-Chi Kuo; Chih-Pei Chang; Yi-Ting Yang; Hau-Jang Jiang
Optical modelling of square solar concentrator
This paper deals with the optical design of a photovoltaic solar concentrator composed by two squared reflection mirrors. The optical configuration of the device, is based on the Cassegrain telescope and designed in order to maximize the fill factor ... Keywords: photovoltaic, ray tracing, solar cell
Maurizio Carlini; Carlo Cattani; Andrea O. M. Tucci
Minimum State Awareness for Resilient Control Systems Under Cyber-Attack
State awareness for a control system is the accurate knowledge of the internal states of the system realization. To maintain stable operation, a controller requires a certain degree of state awareness. By definition, a cyber-attacker decreases the state awareness by modifying or removing the information available to the operator and control system. By doing so, the attacker can directly cause damage to the physical system through the control system, or indirectly by causing the operator to react in a damaging manner to the false information. In a number of recent papers, detection and mitigation strategies have been proposed that assume state awareness. The goal of the attacker to reduce or remove state awareness makes this assumption invalid for most situations. One of the central problems of resilient control is developing methods to retain sufficient state awareness to continue operation during a cyberattack. In this paper, we will define state awareness, discuss the consequences of loss of state awareness, and some potential research directions for maintaining state awareness.
Kisner, Roger [ORNL; Fugate, David L [ORNL; McIntyre, Timothy J [ORNL
Monte Carlo Simulations for Mine Detection
During January, 1998, collaboration between LLNL, UCI and Exdet, Ltd. arranged for the testing and evaluation of a Russian developed antitank mine detection system at the Buried Objects Detection Facility (BODF) located at the Nevada Test Site. BODF is a secured 30-acre facility with approximately 300 live antitank mines that were buried in 1993 and 1994. The burial depths range from a few cm to 15 cm and the various metal- and plastic-case antitank mines each contain 6-12 kg of high explosive. Contractors who have tested their mine detection equipment at BODF include: SAIC, SRI, ERIM, MIT/Lincoln Laboratory and Loral Defense Systems. In addition LLNL researchers have used BODF to test antitank mine detection systems based on: dual-band infrared imaging, hyper-spectral imaging, synthetic aperture impulse radar and micro-impulse radar. In a blind test the Russian operated system obtained the highest score of any technology tested to date at BODF. The system is based on combining information from two separate sensors; one to detect anomalous concentrations of hydrogen and the other to detect if such anomalies also have the correct nitrogen to carbon ratio for high explosives. The detection sensitivity is set by the geometry and type of neutron moderator and filters surrounding the neutron source and detectors. Detection of hydrogen anomalies is a rapid process based on neutron scattering. The handheld instrument on the end of a wand could scan a large area at a rate of 4-5 square meters per minute. Once the hydrogen anomalies were located a second sensor was used to measure the thermal neutron excited gamma-ray spectrum at each hydrogen anomaly to determine whether that location in addition contained high concentrations of nitrogen. The second process was slower, taking up to 5 minutes for each location. The information from both sensors were then examined by the operator and a declaration was made as to whether or not the anomaly was a buried antitank mine. Although the system worked extremely well on all classes of anti-tank mines, the Russian hardware components were inferior to those that are commercially available in the United States, i.e. the NaI(Tl) crystals had significantly higher background levels and poorer resolution than their U.S. counterparts, the electronics appeared to be decades old and the photomultiplier tubes were noisy and lacked gain stabilization circuitry. During the evaluation of this technology, the question that came to mind was: could state-of-the-art sensors and electronics and improved software algorithms lead to a neutron based system that could reliably detect much smaller buried mines; namely antipersonnel mines containing 30-40 grams of high explosive? Our goal in this study was to conduct Monte Carlo simulations to gain better understanding of both phases of the mine detection system and to develop an understanding for the system's overall capabilities and limitations. In addition, we examined possible extensions of this technology to see whether or not state-of-the-art improvements could lead to a reliable anti-personnel mine detection system.
Toor, A.; Marchetti, A.A.
Remote detection of fissile material : Cherenkov counters for gamma detection
The need for large-size detectors for long-range active interrogation (Al) detection has generated interest in water-based detector technologies. AI is done using external radiation sources to induce fission and to detect, ...
Erickson, Anna S
Development of a scintillation flow-cell detection system for environmental restoration and waste management applications
A flow-cell detection system was developed utilizing a coincidence circuit and tested with BaF{sub 2}, CaF{sub 2}:Eu and scintillating glass. The coincidence detection system reduced the background from {approximately}200 cps to {approximately}0.5 cps. The detection efficiencies for these cells ranged from 0.38 to 0.66 for {sup 45}Ca beta particles (E{sub max} = 0.257 MeV) and from 0.45 to 0.52 for {sup 233}U alpha particles (E{sub {alpha}} = 4.8 MeV). The minimum detectable activity was calculated for a 30 s count time and determined to be in the range of 1-2 Bq.
DeVol, T.A.; Branton, S.D.; Fjeld, R.A.
All HRT process piping and equipment is contained in a large tank and flanged connections with stainless steel ring gaskets are used where needed to permit the removal of values and items of equipment. Underwater remote maintenance is to be employed and special provisions are required for indicating and locating leaks at all mechanical joints in the process system. Each joint is monitored and a signal is given when a leak occurs. The valve operator stems are sealed with stainless steel bellows and a means of detecting a leak in the bellows has been included. (auth)
Kuster, J.E.
Nucleic acid detection compositions
The present invention relates to means for the detection and characterization of nucleic acid sequences, as well as variations in nucleic acid sequences. The present invention also relates to methods for forming a nucleic acid cleavage structure on a target sequence and cleaving the nucleic acid cleavage structure in a site-specific manner. The structure-specific nuclease activity of a variety of enzymes is used to cleave the target-dependent cleavage structure, thereby indicating the presence of specific nucleic acid sequences or specific variations thereof.
Prudent, James R. (Madison, WI); Hall, Jeff G. (Madison, WI); Lyamichev, Victor I. (Madison, WI); Brow, Mary Ann (Madison, WI); Dahlberg, James L. (Madison, WI)
Flaw detection and evaluation
The invention provides a method of and apparatus for optically inspecting nuclear fuel pellets for surface flaws. The inspection system includes a prism and lens arrangement for scanning the surface of each pellet as the same is rotated. The resulting scan produces data indicative of the extent and shape of each flaw which is employed to generate a flaw quality index for each detected flaw. The flaw quality indexes from all flaws are summed and compared with an acceptable surface quality index. The result of the comparison is utilized to control the acceptance or rejection of the pellet.
Wilks, Robert S. (Plum, PA); Sturges, Jr., Robert H. (Plum, PA)
Outlier Detection Rules for Fault Detection in Solar Photovoltaic Arrays
fault detection. Furthermore, the proposed models become more reliable as the number of PV measurements analysis specifically for PV installation. Several fault detection models and monitoring systems have been studied for PV systems [8][14]. PV monitoring and fault detection models based on energy yield and power
Lehman, Brad
Using Absolute Humidity and Radiochemical Analyses of Water Vapor Samples to Correct Underestimated Atmospheric Tritium Concentrations
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) emits a wide variety of radioactive air contaminants. An extensive ambient air monitoring network, known as AIRNET, is operated on-site and in surrounding communities to estimate radioactive doses to the public. As part of this monitoring network, water vapor is sampled continuously at more than 50 sites. These water vapor samples are collected every two weeks by absorbing the water vapor in the sampled air with silica gel and then radiochemically analyzing the water for tritium. The data have consistently indicated that LANL emissions cause a small, but measurable impact on local concentrations of tritium. In early 1998, while trying to independently verify the presumed 100% water vapor collection efficiency, the author found that this efficiency was normally lower and reached a minimum of 10 to 20% in the middle of summer. This inefficient collection was discovered by comparing absolute humidity (g/m{sup 3}) calculated from relative humidity and temperature to the amount of water vapor collected by the silica gel per cubic meter of air sampled. Subsequent experiments confirmed that the elevated temperature inside the louvered housing was high enough to reduce the capacity of the silica gel by more than half. In addition, their experiments also demonstrated that, even under optimal conditions, there is not enough silica gel present in the sampling canister to absorb all of the moisture during the higher humidity periods. However, there is a solution to this problem. Ambient tritium concentrations have been recalculated by using the absolute humidity values and the tritium analyses. These recalculated tritium concentrations were two to three times higher than previously reported. Future tritium concentrations will also be determined in the same manner. Finally, the water vapor collection process will be changed by relocating the sampling canister outside the housing to increase collection efficiency and, therefore, comparability to the true ambient concentrations of tritium.
Eberhart, C.F.
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Projects
Projects Projects NREL's concentrating solar power (CSP) projects focus on components R&D and systems analysis related to power tower and parabolic trough technologies. We support the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in its CSP deployment efforts in the following areas: Collectors Receivers Power block Thermal energy storage Analysis. NREL received funding from DOE for concentrating solar power research projects. Through a competitive process, NREL was selected to lead the following projects: Novel Components to Overcome Existing Barriers-Particle Receiver Integrated with a Fluidized Bed Thermodynamic Cycle to Revolutionize CSP Systems-10-Megawatt Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (s-CO2) Turbine Test Nanomaterials for thermal energy storage in CSP plants In addition to these efforts, NREL is also a key partner on two other
ORIGINAL ARTICLE Radionuclide Concentrations in Benthic Invertebrates
Office of Legacy Management (LM)
Environ Monit Assess (2007) 128:329-341 Environ Monit Assess (2007) 128:329-341 DO1 10.1007/~10661-006-93 I 6 4 ORIGINAL ARTICLE - Radionuclide Concentrations in Benthic Invertebrates from Amchitka and Kiska Islands in the Aleutian Chain, Alaska Joanna Burger Michael Gochfeld Stephen C. Jewett Received: 8 March 2006 /Accepted: 8 May 2006 1 Published online: 21 October 2006 0 Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2006 Abstract Concentrations of 13 radionuclides 1291, 60co, 1 5 2 ~ ~ , 9 0 s r , 9 9 ~ ~ , 2 4 1 ~ ~ , 238pu, 239249pu, 2 3 4 ~ , 2 3 5 ~ , 236U, 2 3 8 ~ were examined in seven species of invertebrates from Amchitka and Kiska Islands, in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska, using gamma spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, and alpha spectroscopy. Amchitka Island was the site of three underground nuclear test
Concentrators Concentrators California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Award Number:0595-1612 | January 15, 2013 | Ganapathi Thin Film mirror is ~40-50% cheaper and 60% lighter than SOA * Project leverages extensive space experience by JPL and L'Garde to develop a low-cost parabolic dish capable of providing 4 kW thermal. Key features: * Metallized reflective thin film material with high reflectivity (>93%) with polyurethane foam backing * Single mold polyurethane backing fabrication enables low cost high production manufacturing * Ease of panel installation and removal enables repairs and results in a low total life cycle cost * Deployment of multiple dishes enhances system level optimizations by simulating larger fields which addresses issues like shared resources
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Partnerships
Partnerships Partnerships NREL maintains partnerships to advance concentrating solar power research, development, and deployment efforts. Currently, NREL works with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, through SunLab-a partnership developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to administer its concentrating solar power R&D and analysis activities. SolarPACES Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems (SolarPACES), an international program of the International Energy Agency, furthers collaborative development, testing, and marketing of CSP plants. NREL represents the U.S. activities and serves on various committees in SolarPACES, which now has 13 members: Algeria, Australia, Egypt, the European Commission, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Laboratory Capabilities
Laboratory Capabilities Laboratory Capabilities To research, develop, and test a variety of concentrating solar power technologies, NREL features the following laboratory capabilities: High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) Large Payload Solar Tracker Advanced Optical Materials Laboratory Advanced Thermal Storage Materials Laboratory Optical Testing Laboratory and Beam Characterization System Receiver Test Laboratory Heat Collection Element (HCE) Temperature Survey Photo of NREL's High-Flux Solar Furnace. NREL's High-Flux Solar Furnace. High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) The power generated at NREL's High-Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF) can be used to expose, test, and evaluate many components-such as receivers, collectors, and reflector materials-used in concentrating solar power systems. The 10-kilowatt HFSF consists of a tracking heliostat and 25 hexagonal
Mirror mirror on the wall, what's the Mirror mirror on the wall, what's the greatest energy source of all? The sun. Enough energy from the sun falls on the Earth everyday to power our homes and businesses for almost 30 years. Yet we've only just begun to tap its potential. You may have heard about solar electric power to light homes or solar thermal power used to heat water, but did you know there is such a thing as solar thermal-electric power? Electric utility companies are using mirrors to concentrate heat from the sun to produce environmentally friendly electricity for cities, especially in the southwestern United States. The southwestern United States is focus- ing on concentrating solar energy because it's one of the world's best areas for sun- light. The Southwest receives up to twice the sunlight as other regions in the coun-
Thermal regeneration of an electrochemical concentration cell
A system and method are described for thermally regenerating an electrochemical concentration cell having first and second aluminum electrodes respectively positioned in contact with first and second electrolytes separated by an ion exchange member, the first and second electrolytes being composed of different concentrations of an ionic solvent and a salt, preferably an aluminum halide. The ionic solvent may be either organic or inorganic with a relatively low melting point, the ionic solvent and the salt form a complex wherein the free energy of formation of said complex is less than about -5 kcal/mole. A distillation column using solar heat or low grade industrial waste heat receives the first and second electrolytes and thermally decomposes the salt-solvent complex to provide feed material for the two half cells.
Krumpelt, M.; Bates, J.K.
A low temperature waste form known as Cast Stone is being considered to provide supplemental Low Activity Waste (LAW) immobilization capacity for the Hanford site. Formulation of Cast Stone at high sodium concentrations is of interest since a significant reduction in the necessary volume of Cast Stone and subsequent disposal costs could be achieved if an acceptable waste form can be produced with a high sodium molarity salt solution combined with a high water to premix (or dry blend) ratio. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the factors involved with increasing the sodium concentration in Cast Stone, including production and performance properties and the retention and release of specific components of interest. Three factors were identified for the experimental matrix: the concentration of sodium in the simulated salt solution, the water to premix ratio, and the blast furnace slag portion of the premix. The salt solution simulants used in this study were formulated to represent the overall average waste composition. The cement, blast furnace slag, and fly ash were sourced from a supplier in the Hanford area in order to be representative. The test mixes were prepared in the laboratory and fresh properties were measured. Fresh density increased with increasing sodium molarity and with decreasing water to premix ratio, as expected given the individual densities of these components. Rheology measurements showed that all of the test mixes produced very fluid slurries. The fresh density and rheology data are of potential value in designing a future Cast Stone production facility. Standing water and density gradient testing showed that settling is not of particular concern for the high sodium compositions studied. Heat of hydration measurements may provide some insight into the reactions that occur within the test mixes, which may in turn be related to the properties and performance of the waste form. These measurements showed that increased sodium concentration in the salt solution reduced the time to peak heat flow, and reducing the amount of slag in the premix increased the time to peak heat flow. These observations may help to describe some of the cured properties of the samples, in particular the differences in compressive strength observed after 28 and 90 days of curing. Samples were cured for at least 28 days at ambient temperature in the laboratory prior to cured properties analyses. The low activity waste form for disposal at the Hanford Site is required to have a compressive strength of at least 500 psi. After 28 days of curing, several of the test mixes had mean compressive strengths that were below the 500 psi requirement. Higher sodium concentrations and higher water to premix ratios led to reduced compressive strength. Higher fly ash concentrations decreased the compressive strength after 28 days of curing. This may be explained in that the cementitious phases matured more quickly in the mixes with higher concentrations of slag, as evidenced by the data for the time to peak heat generation. All of the test mixes exhibited higher mean compressive strengths after 90 days of curing, with only one composition having a mean compressive strength of less than 500 psi. Leach indices were determined for the test mixes for contaminants of interest. The leaching performance of the mixes evaluated in this study was not particularly sensitive to the factors used in the experimental design. This may be beneficial in demonstrating that the performance of the waste form is robust with respect to changes in the mix composition. The results of this study demonstrate the potential to achieve significantly higher waste loadings in Cast Stone and other low temperature, cementitious waste forms. Additional work is needed to elucidate the hydration mechanisms occurring in Cast Stone formulated with highly concentrated salt solutions since these reactions are responsible for determining the performance of the cured waste form. The thermal analyses completed in this study provide some preliminary insight, although the limited
Fox, K.; Edwards, T.; Roberts, K.
Fox, K.; Roberts, K.; Edwards, T.
High-efficiency silicon concentrator cell commercialization
This report summarizes the first phase of a forty-one month program to develop a commercial, high-efficiency concentrator solar cell and facility for manufacturing it. The period covered is November 1, 1990 to December 31, 1991. This is a joint program between the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Sandia National Laboratories. (This report is also published by EPRI as EPRI report number TR-102035.) During the first year of the program, SunPower accomplished the following major objectives: (1) a new solar cell fabrication facility, which is called the Cell Pilot Line (CPL), (2) a baseline concentrator cell process has been developed, and (3) a cell testing facility has been completed. Initial cell efficiencies are about 23% for the baseline process. The long-range goal is to improve this efficiency to 27%.
Sinton, R.A.; Swanson, R.M. [SunPower Corp., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Development of advanced drilling, completion, and stimulation systems for minimum formation damage and improved efficiency: A program overview
The Department of Energy`s (DOE) Natural Gas Resource and Extraction Program consists of industry/government co-sponsored research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects, which focus on gas recovery from both conventional and nonconventional resources. The Drilling, Completion, and Stimulation (DCS) Project focuses on advanced, non-damaging technology systems and equipment for improving gas recovery from conventional and nonconventional reservoirs. As operators move from development of current day economically attractive gas-field development to the lower permeability geologic regions of domestic onshore plays, increasing the emphasis on minimum formation damage DCS will permit economic development of gas reserves. The objective of the Project is to develop and demonstrate cost-effective, advanced technology to accelerate widespread use and acceptance of minimum formation damage DCS systems. The goal of this product development effort is to reduce costs and improve the overall efficiency of vertical, directional, and horizontally drilled wells in gas formations throughout the US. The current focus of the Project is on the development of underbalanced drilling technology and minimum formation damage stimulation technology concurrently with the appropriate completion hardware to improve the economics of domestic natural gas field development. Ongoing drilling technology projects to be discussed include development of an electromagnetic measurement while drilling system for directional and horizontal drilling in underbalanced drilling applications and the development of a steerable air percussion drilling system for hard formation drilling and improved penetration rates. Ongoing stimulation technology projects to be discussed include introduction of carbon dioxide/sand fracturing technology for minimal formation damage.
Layne, A.W.; Yost, A.B. II
Solar concentrator with restricted exit angles
A device is provided for the collection and concentration of radiant energy and includes at least one reflective side wall. The wall directs incident radiant energy to the exit aperture thereof or onto the surface of energy absorber positioned at the exit aperture so that the angle of incidence of radiant energy at the exit aperture or on the surface of the energy absorber is restricted to desired values.
Rabl, Arnulf (Downers Grove, IL); Winston, Roland (Chicago, IL)
Efficiency of luminescence in luminescent solar concentrators
The power effiency of luminescence excited by solar radiation in luminescent solar collectors is calculated for a glass sheet doped with CR/sup 3 +/. The achievable chemical potential for an optically thick absorber irradiated by diluted blackbody radiation as a function of Cr/sup 3 +/ concentration, sheet thickness, sunlight dilution, and luminescence quantum yield leads directly to overall conversion efficiency of solar power to luminescence power.
Lempicki, A.
The adsorption-absorption of Cs/sup 137/ by algae is of interest because Cs/sup 137/ of the critical fission products in power reactor wastes and atomic weapon fall-out. It is well known that plankton takes up radioactivity in fairly high concentrations. The purpose of this investigation was to study the accumulation of Cs/sup 137/ by fresh water-algae. (A.C.)
Williams, L.G.; Swanson, H.D.
Material for a luminescent solar concentrator
A material for use in a luminescent solar concentrator, formed by ceramitizing the luminescent ion Cr/sup 3 +/ with a transparent ceramic glass containing mullite. The resultant material has tiny Cr/sup 3 +/-bearing crystallites dispersed uniformly through an amorphous glass. The invention combines the high luminescent efficiency of Cr/sup 3 +/ in the crystalline phase with the practical and economical advantages of glass technology.
Andrews, L.J.
Real time cross-layer adaptation for minimum energy wireless image transport using bit error rate control
In wireless multimedia systems, significant power is consumed in processing image/video content This research looks specifically at the energy cost of wireless image/video transport focusing on image quality as an end metric. The quality of received ... Keywords: PSNR values, real-time cross-layer adaptation, minimum-energy wireless image transport, bit error rate control, wireless multimedia systems, wireless image-video content processing, communication channel, image-video data compression, received signal quality, minimal RF energy consumption, optimization procedure, varying channel conditions, baseband signal, RF power amplifier, RF PA, optimal transmission bit error rate value, closed loop feedback control
J. Natarajan; S. Sen; A. Chatterjee
Implication of a covenant to diligently develop and mine in hard mineral leases that provide for minimum rents or royalties
An examination of the status of the implied covenant to develop in hard mineral leases which contain minimum royalty provisions discusses the rationale for the implied development covenant, restrictions on its use, and scenarios under which mining delays occur. Later sections delineate the rules of construction and interpretative tests used in various mining jurisdictions. The author then analyzes the logic of these tests in light of the regulatory and economic climate of today's mining industry. He finds that this climate forces prudent mining companies to delay mine development in many instances. The substantial relation test considers all factors that are indicative of the original parties expectations; the demand for development rule does not.
Bender, J.C.
An Experimental Shield Test Facility for the Development of Minimum Weight Shields for Compact Reactor Power Systems
Discussions are given of the characteristics of fission-source plate, graphite reactor, and pool-type reactor facilities applicable to development studies of minimum weight shielding materials. Advantages of a proposed SNAP dual-purpose shielding facility are described in terms of a disk-shaped fission-source plate, reactor, and building. A program for the study of advanced shielding materials is discussed for materials and configuations to be evaluted with the fission-source plate, the testing of the prototype at high-power levels, and full-power tests on the actual reactor.
Tomlinson, R.L.
Development of a prototype lignin concentration sensor
The US Department of Energy, Office of Industrial Technologies, is sponsoring a research and development program for the development of a real-time, in-situ sensor to measure the concentration of lignin in wood pulp. The program is composed of phase I showing feasibility which is now complete, phase II for development and testing of a Field Prototype, in progress, Phase III commercialization. Phase I work (funded entirely by B&W) demonstrated a correlation between the fluorescence intensity and lignin concentration (as measured by TAPPI procedure, T 236 hm-85 Kappa Number of Pulp) for undiluted wood pulp samples. In Phase II, a laboratory test program directed at characterizing the fluorescence of wood pulp has been conducted as a prelude to the design of a prototype sensor. The current report summarizes the testing completed in Phase I and documents the Phase II laboratory testing completed through December 1991. Future Phase II efforts include additional laboratory testing, design and fabrication of a prototype sensor, and field testing of the prototype sensor. Phase III of the program will concentrate on the incorporation of the sensor into a control system and commercialization of the sensor.
Malito, M.L.; Jeffers, L.A.
The US Department of Energy, Office of Industrial Technologies, is sponsoring a research and development program for the development of a real-time, in-situ sensor to measure the concentration of lignin in wood pulp. The program is composed of phase I showing feasibility which is now complete, phase II for development and testing of a Field Prototype, in progress, Phase III commercialization. Phase I work (funded entirely by B W) demonstrated a correlation between the fluorescence intensity and lignin concentration (as measured by TAPPI procedure, T 236 hm-85 Kappa Number of Pulp) for undiluted wood pulp samples. In Phase II, a laboratory test program directed at characterizing the fluorescence of wood pulp has been conducted as a prelude to the design of a prototype sensor. The current report summarizes the testing completed in Phase I and documents the Phase II laboratory testing completed through December 1991. Future Phase II efforts include additional laboratory testing, design and fabrication of a prototype sensor, and field testing of the prototype sensor. Phase III of the program will concentrate on the incorporation of the sensor into a control system and commercialization of the sensor.
DOE High Performance Concentrator PV Project
Much in demand are next-generation photovoltaic (PV) technologies that can be used economically to make a large-scale impact on world electricity production. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the High-Performance Photovoltaic (HiPerf PV) Project to substantially increase the viability of PV for cost-competitive applications so that PV can contribute significantly to both our energy supply and environment. To accomplish such results, the National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV) directs in-house and subcontracted research in high-performance polycrystalline thin-film and multijunction concentrator devices with the goal of enabling progress of high-efficiency technologies toward commercial-prototype products. We will describe the details of the subcontractor and in-house progress in exploring and accelerating pathways of III-V multijunction concentrator solar cells and systems toward their long-term goals. By 2020, we anticipate that this project will have demonstrated 33% system efficiency and a system price of $1.00/Wp for concentrator PV systems using III-V multijunction solar cells with efficiencies over 41%.
McConnell, R.; Symko-Davies, M.
Industrial solar breeder project using concentrator photovoltaics
The purpose of this program is to demonstrate the use of a concentrating photovoltaic system to provide the energy for operating a silicon solar cell production facility, i.e., to demonstrate a solar breeder. Solarex has proposed to conduct the first real test of the solar breeder concept by building and operating a 200 kW(e) (peak) concentrating photovoltaic system based on the prototype and system design developed during Phase I. This system will provide all of the electrical and thermal energy required to operate a solar cell production line. This demonstration would be conducted at the Solarex Rockville facility, with the photovoltaic array located over the company parking lot and on an otherwise unusable flood plain. Phase I of this program included a comprehensive analysis of the application, prototype fabrication and evaluation, system design and specification, and a detailed plan for Phases II and III. A number of prototype tracking concentrator solar collectors were constructed and operated. Extensive system analysis was performed to design the Phase II system as a stand-alone power supply for a solar cell production line. Finally, a detailed system fabrication proposal for Phase II and an operation and evaluation plan for Phase III were completed. These proposals included technical, management, and cost plans for the fabrication and exercise of the proposed system.
Hamilton, R.; Wohlgemuth, J.; Burkholder, J.; Levine, A.; Storti, G.; Wrigley, C.; McKegg, A.
Collision detection and proximity queries
This course will primarily cover widely accepted and proved methodologies in collision detection. In addition more advanced or recent topics such as continuous collision detection, ADFs, and using graphics hardware will be introduced. When appropriate ...
Sunil Hadap; Dave Eberle; Pascal Volino; Ming C. Lin; Stephane Redon; Christer Ericson
Microburst Detection Using Agent Networks
Automatic detection of microbursts with Doppler radar data is an interesting challenge. Traditionally, manual detection is performed by trained meteorologists who scan through the volumetric radar data for appropriate signatures, bringing to bear ...
Sandy Dance; Rodney Potts
Detecting alien life forms
Detecting alien life forms Detecting alien life forms Name: Brian S Foster Status: N/A Age: N/A Location: N/A Country: N/A Date: N/A Question: What would you do to find out if there is any life form on other planets? Replies: If you mean intelligent life, probably the best way would be to listen for radio messages, since you could do this from very far away. Earth emits as much radio energy as a small star --- very noticeable. If you mean just any kind of life it gets harder and you would have to send a robot or human in a spacecraft to visit. You could then look for the absorption of reflected light by oxygen molecules in the atmosphere. Oxygen is such a reactive molecule that it can only stay in the atmosphere if it is continually replenished by something, such as plants photosynthesizing. We cannot of course know that other life will build itself as does life on Earth, out of carbon-containing molecules which are formed by cracking apart carbon dioxide molecules with light energy (releasing oxygen). So the only sure way would probably be to land on the planet and look around. And even then you might well miss something
Dynamic Fault Detection Chassis
Abstract The high frequency switching megawatt-class High Voltage Converter Modulator (HVCM) developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is now in operation. One of the major problems with the modulator systems is shoot-thru conditions that can occur in a IGBTs H-bridge topology resulting in large fault currents and device failure in a few microseconds. The Dynamic Fault Detection Chassis (DFDC) is a fault monitoring system; it monitors transformer flux saturation using a window comparator and dV/dt events on the cathode voltage caused by any abnormality such as capacitor breakdown, transformer primary turns shorts, or dielectric breakdown between the transformer primary and secondary. If faults are detected, the DFDC will inhibit the IGBT gate drives and shut the system down, significantly reducing the possibility of a shoot-thru condition or other equipment damaging events. In this paper, we will present system integration considerations, performance characteristics of the DFDC, and discuss its ability to significantly reduce costly down time for the entire facility.
Mize, Jeffery J [ORNL
The aim of this project is to delineate the role of mineralogy of reservoir rocks in determining interactions between reservoir minerals and externally added reagents (surfactants/polymers) and its effect on critical solid-liquid and liquid-liquid interfacial properties such as adsorption, wettability and interfacial tension in systems relevant to reservoir conditions. Previous studies have suggested that significant surfactant loss by precipitation or adsorption on reservoir minerals can cause chemical schemes to be less than satisfactory for enhanced oil recovery. Both macroscopic adsorption, wettability and microscopic orientation and conformation studies for various surfactant/polymer mixtures/reservoir rocks systems were conducted to explore the cause of chemical loss by means of precipitation or adsorption, and the effect of rock mineralogy on the chemical loss. During this period, the adsorption of mixed system of n-dodecyl-{beta}-D-maltoside (DM) and dodecyl sulfonate (C{sub 12}SO{sub 3}Na) has been studied. The effects of solution pH, surfactant mixing ratio and different salts on surfactant adsorption on alumina have been investigated in detail. Along with these adsorption studies, changes in mineral wettability due to the adsorption of the mixtures were determined under relevant conditions to identify the nano-structure of the adsorbed layers. Solution properties of C{sub 12}SO{sub 3}Na/DM mixtures were also studied to identify surfactant interactions that affect the mixed aggregate formation in solution. Adsorption of SDS on gypsum and limestone suggested stronger surfactant/mineral interaction than on alumina, due to the precipitation of surfactant by dissolved calcium ions. The effects of different salts such as sodium nitrate, sodium sulfite and sodium chloride on DM adsorption on alumina have also been determined. As surfactant hemimicelles at interface and micelles in solution have drastic effects on oil recovery processes, their microstructures in solutions and at mineral/solution interfaces were investigated by monitoring micropolarity of the aggregates using fluorescence technique. Compositional changes of the aggregates in solution were observed with the increase in surfactant concentration. The importance of this lies in that the resulting polarity/hydrophobicity change of the mixed micelles will affect the adsorption of surfactant mixtures on reservoir minerals, surfactant/oil emulsion formation and wettability, as a result, the oil release efficiency of the chemical flooding processes in EOR.
P. Somasundaran
Radiation Detection with Plastic Scintillators
Environmental information. ... As well as help in detecting neutrons in major scientific projects. ... for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear ...
Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays Detection
The paper describes methods used for the detection of cosmic rays with energies above 1018 eV (UHECR
Carla Aramo
SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research
National Laboratory Concentrating National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research to someone by E-mail Share SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research on Facebook Tweet about SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research on Twitter Bookmark SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research on Google Bookmark SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research on Delicious Rank SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research on Digg Find More places to share SunShot Initiative: National Laboratory Concentrating Solar Power Research on AddThis.com... Concentrating Solar Power Systems Components Competitive Awards CSP Research & Development Thermal Storage
UNICORN: misuse detection for UNICOS
An effective method for detecting computer misuse is the automatic auditing and analysis of on-line user activity. This activity is reflected in the system audit record, by changes in the vulnerability posture of the system configuration, and in other ... Keywords: anomaly detection, computer misuse, auditing, UNICOS, computer security, hacking, intrusion detection, security logs
Gary G. Christoph; Kathleen A. Jackson; Michael C. Neuman; Christine L. B. Siciliano; Dennis D. Simmonds; Cathy A. Stallings; Joseph L. Thompson
An Intrusion-Detection Model
A model of a real-time intrusion-detection expert system capable of detecting break-ins, penetrations, and other forms of computer abuse is described. The model is based on the hypothesis that security violations can be detected by monitoring a system's ... Keywords: statistical measures, Abnormal behavior, auditing, intrusions, monitoring, profiles, security
Dorothy E. Denning
Monitoring smartphones for anomaly detection
In this paper we demonstrate how to monitor a smartphone running Symbian operating system and Windows Mobile in order to extract features for anomaly detection. These features are sent to a remote server because running a complex intrusion detection ... Keywords: anomaly detection, monitoring, smartphones
Aubrey-Derrick Schmidt; Frank Peters; Florian Lamour; Christian Scheel; Seyit Ahmet �amtepe; Sahin Albayrak
Non-destructive determination of trace-element concentrations. Annual progress report, August 1979
Development and testing of the neutron-capture prompt ..gamma..-ray activation analysis method continued. A wide range of NBS Standard Reference Materials, USGS Standard Rocks, and other materials have been analyzed in order to identify elements whose lines can be observed, to determine interferences and detection limits for each important ..gamma.. ray of observable elements and to measure concentrations of observable elements for comparison with certified or other previous results. In most crustal samples, concentrations of 16 to 20 elements can be determined.
Gordon, G.E.; Zoller, W.H.; Walters, W.B.
Arc fault detection system
An arc fault detection system for use on ungrounded or high-resistance-grounded power distribution systems is provided which can be retrofitted outside electrical switchboard circuits having limited space constraints. The system includes a differential current relay that senses a current differential between current flowing from secondary windings located in a current transformer coupled to a power supply side of a switchboard, and a total current induced in secondary windings coupled to a load side of the switchboard. When such a current differential is experienced, a current travels through a operating coil of the differential current relay, which in turn opens an upstream circuit breaker located between the switchboard and a power supply to remove the supply of power to the switchboard.
Jha, Kamal N. (Bethel Park, PA)
An arc fault detection system for use on ungrounded or high-resistance-grounded power distribution systems is provided which can be retrofitted outside electrical switchboard circuits having limited space constraints. The system includes a differential current relay that senses a current differential between current flowing from secondary windings located in a current transformer coupled to a power supply side of a switchboard, and a total current induced in secondary windings coupled to a load side of the switchboard. When such a current differential is experienced, a current travels through a operating coil of the differential current relay, which in turn opens an upstream circuit breaker located between the switchboard and a power supply to remove the supply of power to the switchboard. 1 fig.
Jha, K.N.
Radiation waves can be detected by simultaneously measuring radiation- wave intensities at a plurality of space-distributed points and producing therefrom a plot of the wave intensity as a function of time. To this end. a detector system is provided which includes a plurality of nuclear radiation intensity detectors spaced at equal radial increments of distance from a source of nuclear radiation. Means are provided to simultaneously sensitize the detectors at the instant a wave of radiation traverses their positions. the detectors producing electrical pulses indicative of wave intensity. The system further includes means for delaying the pulses from the detectors by amounts proportional to the distance of the detectors from the source to provide an indication of radiation-wave intensity as a function of time.
Wouters, L.F.
Detection of gas leakage
A method of detecting leaks and measuring volumes as well as an apparatus, the Power-free Pump Module (PPM), that is a self-contained leak test and volume measurement apparatus that requires no external sources of electrical power during leak testing or volume measurement, where the invention is a portable, pneumatically-controlled instrument capable of generating a vacuum, calibrating volumes, and performing quantitative leak tests on a closed test system or device, all without the use of alternating current (AC) power. Capabilities include the ability is to provide a modest vacuum (less than 10 Torr), perform a pressure rise leak test, measure the gas's absolute pressure, and perform volume measurements. All operations are performed through a simple rotary control valve which controls pneumatically-operated manifold valves.
Thornberg, Steven (Peralta, NM); Brown, Jason (Albuquerque, NM)
Weld failure detection
Method and apparatus for detecting failure in a welded connection, particrly applicable to not readily accessible welds such as those joining components within the reactor vessel of a nuclear reactor system. A preselected tag gas is sealed within a chamber which extends through selected portions of the base metal and weld deposit. In the event of a failure, such as development of a crack extending from the chamber to an outer surface, the tag gas is released. The environment about the welded area is directed to an analyzer which, in the event of presence of the tag gas, evidences the failure. A trigger gas can be included with the tag gas to actuate the analyzer.
Pennell, William E. (Unity Township, Westmoreland County, PA); Sutton, Jr., Harry G. (Mt. Lebanon, PA)
A Comparison among Strategies for Interpolating Maximum and Minimum Daily Air Temperatures. Part II: The Interaction between Number of Guiding Variables and the Type of Interpolation Method
In a comparative experiment, the sequence of daily maximum and minimum temperatures for 1976 was interpolated over England and Wales to a resolution of 1 km using partial thin plate splines, ordinary kriging, trend surface, and an automatic ...
Claire H. Jarvis; Neil Stuart
Evaluation of the AR4 Climate Models� Simulated Daily Maximum Temperature, Minimum Temperature, and Precipitation over Australia Using Probability Density Functions
The coupled climate models used in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are evaluated. The evaluation is focused on 12 regions of Australia for the daily simulation of precipitation, minimum temperature, ...
S. E. Perkins; A. J. Pitman; N. J. Holbrook; J. McAneney
A Comparison among Strategies for Interpolating Maximum and Minimum Daily Air Temperatures. Part I: The Selection of �Guiding� Topographic and Land Cover Variables
This paper explores the derivation and selection of a comprehensive set of continuous topographic and land cover�related variables to guide the interpolation of daily maximum and minimum temperatures over England and Wales, for an entire annual ...
The Effects of Data Gaps on the Calculated Monthly Mean Maximum and Minimum Temperatures in the Continental United States: A Spatial and Temporal Study
Gaps in otherwise regularly scheduled observations are often referred to as missing data. This paper explores the spatial and temporal impacts that data gaps in the recorded daily maximum and minimum temperatures have on the calculated monthly ...
David E. Stooksbury; Craig D. Idso; Kenneth G. Hubbard
Prediction of Summer Maximum and Minimum Temperature over the Central and Western United States: The Roles of Soil Moisture and Sea Surface Temperature
A statistical model based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was used to explore climatic associations and predictability of June�August (JJA) maximum and minimum surface air temperatures (Tmax and Tmin) as well as the frequency of Tmax ...
Eric J. Alfaro; Alexander Gershunov; Daniel Cayan
Development and Testing of Canada-Wide Interpolated Spatial Models of Daily Minimum�Maximum Temperature and Precipitation for 1961�2003
The application of trivariate thin-plate smoothing splines to the interpolation of daily weather data is investigated. The method was used to develop spatial models of daily minimum and maximum temperature and daily precipitation for all of ...
Michael F. Hutchinson; Dan W. McKenney; Kevin Lawrence; John H. Pedlar; Ron F. Hopkinson; Ewa Milewska; Pia Papadopol
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - News
News News Below are news stories related to NREL Concentrating Solar Power research. Subscribe to the RSS feed RSS . Learn about RSS. November 5, 2013 Solar Working Group Releases Standard Contracts A working group representing solar industry stakeholders has developed standard contracts that should help lower transaction costs and make it easier to access low-cost financing for residential and commercial solar power projects. October 24, 2013 NREL Researcher Honored with Hispanic STEM Award A national organization devoted to getting more Hispanics into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), has honored a scientist at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) with its annual Outstanding Technical Achievement Award.
Acoustic concentration of particles in fluid flow
An apparatus for acoustic concentration of particles in a fluid flow includes a substantially acoustically transparent membrane and a vibration generator that define a fluid flow path therebetween. The fluid flow path is in fluid communication with a fluid source and a fluid outlet and the vibration generator is disposed adjacent the fluid flow path and is capable of producing an acoustic field in the fluid flow path. The acoustic field produces at least one pressure minima in the fluid flow path at a predetermined location within the fluid flow path and forces predetermined particles in the fluid flow path to the at least one pressure minima.
Ward, Michael D. (Los Alamos, NM); Kaduchak, Gregory (Los Alamos, NM)
2009 Concentrating Photovoltaic Solar Technology Assessment
This report investigates manufacturers of concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems with a special emphasis on companies that may be ready to deploy one or more 50-MW systems by 2012. The report has three main sections: Detailed profiles of 10 companies that appear likely to be able to field utility-scale deployments by 2012 A market study and forecast for CPV over the period 2012�2020 An appendix, listing contacts and other information about the dozens of CPV vendors that were not included in the detail...
Suspension Hydrogen Reduction of Iron Oxide Concentrates
The objective of the project is to develop a new ironmaking technology based on hydrogen and fine iron oxide concentrates in a suspension reduction process. The ultimate objective of the new technology is to replace the blast furnace and to drastically reduce CO2 emissions in the steel industry. The goals of this phase of development are; the performance of detailed material and energy balances, thermochemical and equilibrium calculations for sulfur and phosphorus impurities, the determination of the complete kinetics of hydrogen reduction and bench-scale testing of the suspension reduction process using a large laboratory flash reactor.
H.Y. Sohn
Dish/Engine Systems for Concentrating Solar Power | Department...
DishEngine Systems for Concentrating Solar Power DishEngine Systems for Concentrating Solar Power August 20, 2013 - 5:02pm Addthis The dishengine system is a concentrating solar...
Evidence of small-scale magnetic concentrations dragged by vortex motion of solar photospheric plasma
Vortex-type motions have been measured by tracking bright points in high-resolution observations of the solar photosphere. These small-scale motions are thought to be determinant in the evolution of magnetic footpoints and their interaction with plasma and therefore likely to play a role in heating the upper solar atmosphere by twisting magnetic flux tubes. We report the observation of magnetic concentrations being dragged towards the center of a convective vortex motion in the solar photosphere from high-resolution ground-based and space-borne data. We describe this event by analyzing a series of images at different solar atmospheric layers. By computing horizontal proper motions, we detect a vortex whose center appears to be the draining point for the magnetic concentrations detected in magnetograms and well-correlated with the locations of bright points seen in G-band and CN images.
Balmaceda, L; Palacios, J; Cabello, I; Domingo, V
The purpose of this study is to evaluate dissolved concentration limits (also referred to as solubility limits) of elements with radioactive isotopes under probable repository conditions, based on geochemical modeling calculations using geochemical modeling tools, thermodynamic databases, field measurements, and laboratory experiments. The scope of this modeling activity is to predict dissolved concentrations or solubility limits for 14 elements with radioactive isotopes (actinium, americium, carbon, cesium, iodine, lead, neptunium, plutonium, protactinium, radium, strontium, technetium, thorium, and uranium) important to calculated dose. Model outputs for uranium, plutonium, neptunium, thorium, americium, and protactinium are in the form of tabulated functions with pH and log (line integral) CO{sub 2} as independent variables, plus one or more uncertainty terms. The solubility limits for the remaining elements are either in the form of distributions or single values. The output data from this report are fundamental inputs for Total System Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA) to determine the estimated release of these elements from waste packages and the engineered barrier system. Consistent modeling approaches and environmental conditions were used to develop solubility models for all of the actinides. These models cover broad ranges of environmental conditions so that they are applicable to both waste packages and the invert. Uncertainties from thermodynamic data, water chemistry, temperature variation, and activity coefficients have been quantified or otherwise addressed.
Black Carbon Concentrations and Diesel Vehicle Emission Factors...
Black Carbon Concentrations and Diesel Vehicle Emission Factors Derived from Coefficient of Haze Measurements in California: 1967-2003 Title Black Carbon Concentrations and Diesel...
Low Cost High Concentration PV Systems for Utility Power Generation...
Other Agencies You are here Home Low Cost High Concentration PV Systems for Utility Power Generation Low Cost High Concentration PV Systems for Utility Power Generation An...
Other Agencies You are here Home Low Cost High Concentration PV Systems for Utility Power Generation Amonix, Inc. Low Cost High Concentration PV Systems for Utility Power...
Immersion Cooling of Photovoltaic Cells in Highly Concentrated Solar Beams.
??Concentrated solar radiation can be utilized to generate electrical power from photovoltaic cells, but concentrated solar radiation increases the photovoltaic cell�s temperature. This increase in� (more)
Darwish, Ahmed
Concentrating Solar Power: Best Practices Handbook for the Collection...
Concentrating Solar Power: Best Practices Handbook for the Collection and Use of Solar Resource Data Jump to: navigation, search Tool Summary Name: Concentrating Solar Power: Best...
The Measurement of the Moisture Concentration of Selected Test...
The Measurement of the Moisture Concentration of Selected Test Model Ore Zones (April 1977) The Measurement of the Moisture Concentration of Selected Test Model Ore Zones (April...
Category:Concentrating Solar Power | Open Energy Information
Sign Up Search Category Edit History Facebook icon Twitter icon Category:Concentrating Solar Power Jump to: navigation, search This is the Concentrating Solar Power category....
Concentrations of fine, ultrafine, and black carbon particles...
Concentrations of fine, ultrafine, and black carbon particles in auto-rickshaws in New Delhi, India Title Concentrations of fine, ultrafine, and black carbon particles in...
Factors affecting the indoor concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols...
Factors affecting the indoor concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols of outdoor origin Title Factors affecting the indoor concentrations of carbonaceous aerosols of outdoor origin...
A Transformer Coupling Method for Imaging Defects in Concentrically Arranged Steel Tubes
This paper describes the development of a system that uses a transformer coupling method for imaging defects in the outer tube of a concentric steel tube pair. Transformer coupling is employed where a receiver is mounted opposite to the transmitter. Magnetic field coupling is used, in which the field propagates through the inner steel tube towards the outer steel tube. Defects in the outer section distort the field and the change is detected by the receiver.
Miller, G.; Hussin, H.; Fernandes, B.; Zaid, M.; Gaydecki, P.; El-Madaani, F. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Manchester, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD (United Kingdom)
Device and method for determining oxygen concentration and pressure in gases
Disclosed are oxygen concentration and/or pressure sensing devices and methods which incorporate photoluminescent silica aerogels. Disclosed sensors include a light proof housing for holding the photoluminescent aerogel, a source of excitation radiation (e.g., a UV source), a detector for detecting radiation emitted by the aerogel, a system for delivering a sample gas to the aerogel, and a thermocouple. Also disclosed are water resistant oxygen sensors having a photoluminescent aerogel coated with a hydrophobic material. 6 figs.
Ayers, M.R.; Hunt, A.J.
Disclosed are oxygen concentration and/or pressure sensing devices and methods which incorporate photoluminescent silica aerogels. Disclosed sensors include a light proof housing for holding the photoluminescent aerogel, a source of excitation radiation (e.g., a UV source), a detector for detecting radiation emitted by the aerogel, a system for delivering a sample gas to the aerogel, and a thermocouple. Also disclosed are water resistant oxygen sensors having a photoluminescent aerogel coated with a hydrophobic material.
Ayers, Michael R. (El Cerrito, CA); Hunt, Arlon J. (Kensington, CA)
Using Echo State Networks for Anomaly Detection in Underground Coal Mines
We investigate the problem of identifying anomalies in monitoring critical gas concentrations using a sensor network in an underground coal mine. In this domain, one of the main problems is a provision of mine specific anomaly detection, with cyclical ... Keywords: sensor networks, anomaly detection, recurrent neural networks, echo state networks, bayesian networks, coal mines
Oliver Obst; X. Rosalind Wang; Mikhail Prokopenko
Gravitational waves (GWs) are tiny ripples in the fabric of space time predicted by Einstein's general relativity. Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are well poised to detect low-frequency (10{sup -9}-10{sup -7} Hz) GWs in the near future. There has been a significant amount of research into the detection of a stochastic background of GWs from supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs). Recent work has shown that single continuous sources standing out above the background may be detectable by PTAs operating at a sensitivity sufficient to detect the stochastic background. The most likely sources of continuous GWs in the pulsar timing frequency band are extremely massive and/or nearby SMBHBs. In this paper we present detection strategies including various forms of matched filtering and power spectral summing. We determine the efficacy and computational cost of such strategies. It is shown that using an optimal matched filter explicitly including the poorly constrained pulsar distances with a grid-based method is computationally infeasible. We show that an Earth-term-matched filter constructed using only the correlated signal terms is robust, computationally viable and highly sensitive to GW signals. We further show that a simple power spectral summing technique is nearly equivalent to the Earth-term-matched filter in terms of the minimum detectable amplitude. Both of these techniques are only a factor of two less sensitive than the computationally unrealizable optimal matched filter. We also show that a pairwise matched filter, taking the pulsar distances into account, is comparable to the optimal matched filter for the single template case and comparable to the Earth-term-matched filter for many search templates. Finally, using simulated data optimal quality, we place a theoretical minimum detectable strain amplitude of h > 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -15} from continuous GWs at frequencies on the order {approx}1/T{sub obs}.
Ellis, J. A. [Center for Gravitation, Cosmology, and Astrophysics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211 (United States); Jenet, F. A. [Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Texas, Brownsville, TX 78520 (United States); McLaughlin, M. A. [Physics Department, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505 (United States)
www.elsevier.com/locate/envres Seasonal variation of arsenic concentration in wells in Nevada $
The issue of seasonal arsenic measurement variability poses consequences regarding the interpretation and frequency of well water measurements for both public health research and surveillance. In this study, we evaluated seasonal variability in arsenic concentration in 356 wells in western Nevada. River flow data obtained from US Geological Survey National Water Information System were used to classify seasons as wet or dry, and mean differences in arsenic well concentrations measured during these seasons were compared. Arsenic concentrations in these wells averaged 72:9 mg=L (range, non-detect to 3000 mg=L). The mean difference in arsenic concentrations between the wet and dry seasons was 3:3 mg=L (p 0:78; average percent difference 2.3%). Eighty wells (22%) had higher arsenic concentrations in the wet season, 75 wells (21%) had higher arsenic concentrations in the dry season and no difference was seen in 201 wells (56%). The mean differences in wells with arsenic levels of 0�10, 11�50, 51�200, 4200 mg=L were 1:4 mg=L �p 0:43�, 9:2mg=L �p 0:36�, 15:1mg=L�p 0:30�, and 49:9 mg=L �p 0:59�. In summary, although changes in arsenic concentrations were seen in some wells, clear trends in arsenic concentration over time were not associated with the wet and dry seasons. These findings provide evidence that, in our study area as a whole, little seasonal variability occurs in arsenic concentrations, and repeated assessments of arsenic
Josef G. Thundiyil A; Yan Yuan B; Allan H. Smith B; Craig Steinmaus B
Fracture detection and mapping
Because the costs of drilling, completing, and testing a well can be extremely high, it is important to develop better tools and methods for locating high permeability zones prior to drilling, and to develop better tools and methods for identifying and characterizing major fracture zones during the drilling and well testing stages. At the recommendation of the LBL Industry Review Panel on Geothermal Reservoir Technology, we organized and convened a one-day workshop this past July to discuss various aspects of DOE's current and planned activities in fracture detection, to review the geothermal industry's near-term and long-term research needs, to determine the priority of those needs, to disseminate to industry the status of research in progress, and to discuss the possibility of future joint research between industry and DOE. In this paper we present a brief overview of the workshop from the perspective of those who participated in it and provided us with written comments to a questionnaire that was distributed.
Goldstein, N.E.; Iovenitti, J.L.
There are a variety of stressors that can affect the operation of centrifugal pumps. Although these general stressors are active in essentially all centrifugal pumps, the stressor level and the extent of wear and degradation can vary greatly. Parameters that affect the extent of stressor activity are manifold. In order to assure the long-term operational readiness of a pump, it is important to both understand the nature and magnitude of the specific degradation mechanisms and to monitor the performance of the pump. The most commonly applied method of monitoring the condition of not only pumps, but rotating machinery in general, is vibration analysis. Periodic or continuous spectral vibration analysis is a cornerstone of most pump monitoring programs. In the nuclear industry, non-spectral vibration monitoring of safety-related pumps is performed in accordance with the ASME code. Although vibration analysis has dominated the condition monitoring field for many years, there are other measures that have been historically used to help understand pump condition: advances in historically applied technologies and developing technologies offer improved monitoring capabilities. The capabilities of several technologies (including vibration analysis, dynamic pressure analysis, and motor power analysis) to detect the presence and magnitude of both stressors and resultant degradation are discussed.
Casada, D.
Assessment of concentrations of trace organic contaminants in sediments at Rame Head Cefas Multi-disciplinary Project Team
Concentrations of organic contaminants were determined in seabed sediments from the Rame Head area. These are presented here together with concentrations of the same contaminants determined at other disposal grounds around England and Wales. Brominated flame retardants (BFR) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) The use of PCB has been controlled for over 20 years, but their persistence in the environment means that they are still detectable today. Organochlorine pesticides (OCP) The OCPs studied in this survey were dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p�-DDT) and its degradation products/metabolites p,p�-DDE and p,p�-TDE, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dieldrin and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). BFR determined were the brominated diphenyl ethers (BDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). Total BDE ? 10 congeners Total PCB ? 25 congeners Elevated concentrations of PCB at the disposal site are probably due to historic disposal activity. Concentrations of PCB at the SAC and outside the disposal area are either low or below the limit of detection of the methods used. Dieldrin Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) A range of oil and combustion-derived PAH were monitored in this survey. Total DDT ? p,p�-DDT, p,p�-DDE and p,p�-TDE concentrations Total HBCD ? ?, ? and ?-HBCD isomers. Except for p,p�-DDT at one site, all OCP concentrations were low, below sediment quality guidelines 2,3. Concentrations of BFR measured in this study are comparable to the lowest concentrations detected in European marine sediments 1 and at other disposal grounds around the UK. These concentrations of BFR represent general environmental background, which may have resulted from a combination of diffuse inputs and atmospheric deposition. References Environmental impacts resulting from disposal of dredged material at the Rame Head disposal site, S.W.
The Centre For Environment; Aquaculture Science
NREL: Concentrating Solar Power Research - Systems Analysis
Systems Analysis Systems Analysis Featured Resource Learn more about NREL's capabilities in modeling and analysis of CSP Systems. NREL and other national laboratories support U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) systems analysis activities to evaluate and validate the cost, performance, durability, and grid penetration impacts for concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. DOE's systems analysis program focuses on the greatest opportunities for impact, based on estimates of the current and future costs of CSP plants, subsystems, and components. Opportunities and Potential Impact The DOE SunShot Initiative to reduce the installed cost of solar energy systems by 75% by the end of the decade will require low-cost configurations that are easy to integrate into the electric grid. Systems
Exploratory study of complexant concentrate waste processing
The purpose of this exploratory study, conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory for Westinghouse Hanford Company, was to determine the effect of applying advanced chemical separations technologies to the processing and disposal of high-level wastes (HLW) stored in underground tanks. The major goals of this study were to determine (1) if the wastes can be partitioned into a small volume of HLW plus a large volume of low-level waste (LLW), and (2) if the activity in the LLW can be lowered enough to meet NRC Class LLW criteria. This report presents the results obtained in a brief scouting study of various processes for separating radionuclides from Hanford complexant concentrate (CC) waste.
Lumetta, G.J.; Bray, L.A.; Kurath, D.E.; Morrey, J.R.; Swanson, J.L.; Wester, D.W.
Enclosed, off-axis solar concentrator
A solar concentrator including a housing having receiving wall, a reflecting wall and at least two end walls, the receiving, reflecting and end walls defining a three-dimensional volume having an inlet, wherein a vertical axis of the housing is generally perpendicular to the inlet, a receiver mounted on the receiving wall of the housing, the receiver including at least one photovoltaic cell, wherein a vertical axis of the receiver is disposed at a non-zero angle relative to the vertical axis of the housing, at least one clip disposed on the reflecting wall an optical element received within the three-dimensional volume, the optical element including at least one tab, the tab being engaged by the clip to align the optical element with the receiver, and a window received over the inlet to enclose the housing.
Benitez, Pablo; Grip, Robert E; Minano, Juan C; Narayanan, Authi A; Plesniak, Adam; Schwartz, Joel A
Concentrating Solar Power strategic plan summary
A strategic plan for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) -- A Bright Path to the Future -- was completed and released by the US Department of Energy`s Office of Solar Thermal, Biomass Power, and Hydrogen Technologies in December 1996. This strategic plan document will help bring CSP (formerly solar thermal electric) technologies to the marketplace over the course of the next 20 years (1996--2015) -- taking us from the current pre-competitive status closer to full commercialization. The plan, developed in concert with stakeholders, is a living document and will undergo periodic reevaluation as well as revision to reflect changes in the market environment, the progress of the technologies, and the development of new concepts and ideas.
Development of Concentrating Solar Thermal Power
(Draft under Consideration by the World Bank) In May 2004, the World Bank submitted a status report on the GEF co-financed solar thermal portfolio to the GEF Council. In response to Council comments, the Bank subsequently commissioned an external assessment of the World Bank/GEF�s strategy for the market development of concentrating solar thermal power. The consultant was selected through a competitive procurement process, following World Bank procedures. The selected consortium, the Global Research Alliance, is led by CSIR-South Africa, and includes the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and CSIRO-Australia. The report�s findings and recommendations are now under consideration by the World Bank. Council Members are invited to comment on the report, by July 15, 2005.
Gef Council; Concentrating Solar; Thermal Power; Copied To Mr. Rohit Khanna; Senior Operations Officer; Steve Szewczuk; Csir South Africa; Thomas Engelmann; Michael Geyer; Juan Granados; Andreas Haeberle; Haeussermann Tewfik Hasni; David Kearney; Ludger Lorych; Thomas Mancini; Abdellah Mdarhri; Paul Nava; Joachim Nick-leptin; Hani El Nokrashy; Robert Pitz; Klaus-peter Pischke; Hank Price; J�rgen Ratzinger; Thomas Rueckert; David Saul; Franz Trieb; Christine Woerlen
Steam generation in compound parabolic concentrator collectors
This report describes the advantages of generating steam directly in a nonimaging compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collector rather than using a heat-transfer fluid and a secondary heat exchanger. The predicted performance advantages from generating steam directly in CPC collectors are significant, and that performance has ben verified using a collector built and tested at Argonne National Laboratory. The collector and the method used to test its operation in a steam-generating mode are described. Test results are included for a 6.4-m/sup 2/ array of evacuated tube collectors with an advanced absorber coating, silver reflectors, and tubes oriented in a north-south configuration. Also described are the test methods and results for indoor testing for heat loss by the collectors and outdoor testing of their instantaneous optical efficiency.
Allen, J.W.; Schertz, W.W.; Wantroba, A.S.
Development of a commercial photovoltaic concentrator module
The ojective of this work was to develop the design and prototype of a commercial high-concentration photovoltaic (PV) module. The design is for a 282-sun point-focus concentrating module. Most of the components, subassemblies, and design features incorporate simplifications and ease of manufacturing. The Solar Kinetics, Inc. (SKI) module is designed to incorporate high-efficiency, single-crystal silicon PV cells. The housing is made with aluminum laminated for voltage stand-off and simultaneously providing high thermal conductivity. The Fresnel lens injection molded by American Optical (AO) as singles. The cell assembly consists of a copper heat spreader, a photovoltaic cell soldered, a top and bottom contact, and a reflective secondary optical element (SOE). The cell assemblies passed all of the initial electrical characterization and high-potential tests. Under environmental cycling, the only bond that failed was the PV cell-to-heat spreader interface. The other components (top contact, bottom contact, SOE) passed all the environmental cycling tests. The cell assemblies were designed to be mounted onto the receiver section with a thermally conductive RTV. This geometry was subjected to environmental testing. There was no delamination of this bond nor was there electrical breakdown when the assemblies were subjected to the hi-pot test. A mock module was fabricated for environmental evaluation. This module was subjected to the humidity/freeze cycling to assess the performance of the lens mounting design. This module was also subjected to the rain test after the humidity/freeze cycling and checked for water leaks. The lens showed small displacement from its original position after the environmental cycling. One tablespoon of water did collect inside the module.
Saifee, S.T.; Hutchison, G. [Solar Kinetics, Inc., Dallas, TX (United States)
Toxicity Data to Determine Refrigerant Concentration Limits
This report reviews toxicity data, identifies sources for them, and presents resulting exposure limits for refrigerants for consideration by qualified parties in developing safety guides, standards, codes, and regulations. It outlines a method to calculate an acute toxicity exposure limit (ATEL) and from it a recommended refrigerant concentration limit (RCL) for emergency exposures. The report focuses on acute toxicity with particular attention to lethality, cardiac sensitization, anesthetic and central nervous system effects, and other escape-impairing effects. It addresses R-11, R-12, R-22, R-23, R-113, R-114, R-116, R-123, R-124, R-125, R-134, R-134a, R-E134, R-141b, R-142b, R-143a, R-152a, R-218, R-227ea, R-236fa, R-245ca, R-245fa, R-290, R-500, R-502, R-600a, R-717, and R-744. It summarizes additional data for R-14, R-115, R-170 (ethane), R-C318, R-600 (n-butane), and R-1270 (propylene) to enable calculation of limits for blends incorporating them. The report summarizes the data a nd related safety information, including classifications and flammability data. It also presents a series of tables with proposed ATEL and RCL concentrations-in dimensionless form and the latter also in both metric (SI) and inch-pound (IP) units of measure-for both the cited refrigerants and 66 zerotropic and azeotropic blends. They include common refrigerants, such as R-404A, R-407C, R-410A, and R-507A, as well as others in commercial or developmental status. Appendices provide profiles for the cited single-compound refrigerants and for R-500 and R-502 as well as narrative toxicity summaries for common refrigerants. The report includes an extensive set of references.
Calm, James M.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate dissolved concentration limits (also referred to as solubility limits) of elements with radioactive isotopes under probable repository conditions, based on geochemical modeling calculations using geochemical modeling tools, thermodynamic databases, field measurements, and laboratory experiments. The scope of this activity is to predict dissolved concentrations or solubility limits for elements with radioactive isotopes (actinium, americium, carbon, cesium, iodine, lead, neptunium, plutonium, protactinium, radium, strontium, technetium, thorium, and uranium) relevant to calculated dose. Model outputs for uranium, plutonium, neptunium, thorium, americium, and protactinium are provided in the form of tabulated functions with pH and log fCO{sub 2} as independent variables, plus one or more uncertainty terms. The solubility limits for the remaining elements are either in the form of distributions or single values. Even though selection of an appropriate set of radionuclides documented in Radionuclide Screening (BSC 2002 [DIRS 160059]) includes actinium, transport of Ac is not modeled in the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA-LA) model because of its extremely short half-life. Actinium dose is calculated in the TSPA-LA by assuming secular equilibrium with {sup 231}Pa (Section 6.10); therefore, Ac is not analyzed in this report. The output data from this report are fundamental inputs for TSPA-LA used to determine the estimated release of these elements from waste packages and the engineered barrier system. Consistent modeling approaches and environmental conditions were used to develop solubility models for the actinides discussed in this report. These models cover broad ranges of environmental conditions so they are applicable to both waste packages and the invert. Uncertainties from thermodynamic data, water chemistry, temperature variation, and activity coefficients have been quantified or otherwise addressed.
P. Bernot
The Minimum-Mass Extrasolar Nebula: In-Situ Formation of Close-In Super-Earths
Close-in super-Earths, with radii R = 2-5 R_Earth and orbital periods P < 100 days, orbit more than half, and perhaps nearly all Sun-like stars in the universe. We use this omnipresent population to construct the minimum-mass extrasolar nebula (MMEN), the circumstellar disk of solar-composition solids and gas from which such planets formed, if they formed near their current locations and did not migrate. In a series of back-of-the-envelope calculations, we demonstrate how in-situ formation in the MMEN is fast, efficient, and can reproduce many of the observed properties of close-in super-Earths, including their gas-to-rock fractions. Testable predictions are discussed.
Chiang, E
A Measurement of the holographic minimum observable beam branching ratio in the Fermilab 15-foot bubble chamber
Holography has been used successfully in combination with conventional optics for the first time in a large cryogenic bubble chamber, the 15-Foot Bubble Chamber at Fermilab, during a physics run. The innovative system combined the reference beam with the object beam, illuminating a conical volume of {approx} 1.4 m{sup 3}. Bubble tracks from neutrino interactions with a width of {approx} 120 {micro}m have been recorded with good contrast. The ratio of intensities of the object light to the reference light striking the film is called the Beam Branching Ratio. We obtained in our experiment an exceedingly small minimum-observable ratio of (0.54 {+-} 0.21) x 10{sup -7}. The technology has the potential for a wide range of applications.
Aderholz, M.; Aggarwal, M.M.; Akbari, H.; Allport, P.P.; Badyal, S.K.; Ballagh, H.C.; Barth, M.; Baton, J.P.; Bingham, H.H.; Bjelkhagen, H.; Brucker, E.B.; Burnstein, R.A.; Campbell, J.R.; Cence, R.J.; Chatterjee, T.K.; Clayton, E.F.; Corrigan, G.; Coutures, C.; DeProspo, D.; Devanand,; De Wolf, E.A.; /UC, Berkeley /Birmingham U. /Brussels U., IIHE /CERN /Punjab U. /Fermilab /Hawaii U. /Imperial Coll., London /IIT, Chicago /Jammu U. /Munich, Max Planck Inst. /Oxford U. /Rutgers U., Piscataway /Rutherford /DAPNIA, Saclay /Stevens Tech. /Tufts U.
Active and passive cooling for concentrating photovoltaic arrays
Optimization, based on minimum energy cost, of active and passive cooling designs for point-focus Fresnel lens photovoltaic arrays and line-focus, parabolic-trough photovoltaic arrays is discussed, and the two types of cooling are compared. Passive cooling is more cost-effective for Fresnel lens arrays while the reverse is true for parabolic-trough arrays.
Edenburn, M.W.