Vol. 54, Special Issue        February 2002

Energy and critical infrastructures

We have developed state-of-the-art battery safety tests to evaluate batteries destined for space (aboard NASA's Space Shuttle) and terrestrial applications (electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles). We have tested batteries from US and Japanese manufacturers at the request of NASA and DOE, measuring parameters of importance for the cells, and the response of cells to physical and electrical abuse. We have provided information that will help ensure that safe, reliable cells are used in these large-scale applications. (2500, 1800) Daniel Doughty, dhdough@sandia.gov

Sandia, in cooperation with the American Water Works Association Research Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), developed a security risk assessment methodology for assessing the surety of water utilities. This water infrastructure assessment tool has been employed to evaluate security and mitigate risks at several large municipal water utilities. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman highlighted and applauded Sandia's efforts in a nationally televised speech. Sandia was invited to testify about the program before two congressional committees. (5800, 6100, 6500), Jeffrey Danneels, jjdanne@sandia.gov

Complying with new Environmental Protection Agency arsenic drinking water standard of 10 ppb could cost affected rural water customers an additional $100 per month. Sandia is developing less costly alternatives through the application of nano- technology. Fundamental insights gained through molecular and surface complexation modeling are guiding the design and synthesis of optimal Specific Anion Nanoengineered Sorbents, which outperform alternatives by at least a factor of six in real application conditions. (6100) Henry Westrich, hrwestr@sandia.gov

A Risk-Informed Proliferation Analysis methodology has been developed for quantifying the proliferation resistance of nuclear fuel cycles. The methodology uses the tools of probability risk assessment to identify proliferation pathways for various definitions of proliferators. The tool is being used to compare the proliferation risk of advanced nuclear fuel cycles with today's once-through nuclear fuel cycle. (6400, 5300) Gary Rochau, gerocha@sandia.gov

Federal authorities used decontamination formulation developed at Sandia to help rid Capitol Hill buildings of anthrax. Members of the Chemical and Catalysis Technologies Department helped license this decontamination foam to two companies. This year, the team helped develop this licensed product to address the national security need for an anthrax decontaminant. This department was consulted for the foam's possible uses, and consequently helped develop a stronger formula (for more robust threats like anthrax contamination). (6200)

RAMPART -- the Risk Assessment Method- Property Analysis and Ranking Tool -- represents a new type of computer application for the screening-level assessment of risk to federal buildings. RAMPART was developed for the General Services Administration. Users enter basic data and RAMPART evaluates and allocates the risk arising from earthquake, tornado, flood, winter storm, hurricane, crime, and terrorism. The consequences considered are death, injury, loss of mission capability, loss of property, loss of contents, loss of use of property, and first-responder risk. Results are presented graphically. (6800, 5800) Regina Hunter, rlhunte@sandia.gov

Sandia researchers have developed a novel method for producing catalyzed complex hydrides to store hydrogen. The starting materials are simply aluminum and sodium hydride powders. When mixed with a titanium catalyst precursor, the resulting material forms a sintered powder that is capable of storing a record 4 percent to 5 percent hydrogen by weight. Hydrogen gas can be desorbed (at 1 atmosphere) in less than 1 hour at 125° C. This work represents a major breakthrough in the search for a light-weight, low-temperature, and low-pressure means of storing hydrogen for fuel cell automobile applications. (8700, 8300) Karl Gross, kjgross@sandia.gov

Scientists at the Combustion Research Facility and the University of Nevada have made the first measurements of the direction in which molecules rotate after a collision. These measurements are of basic scientific importance because a diatomic molecule struck by an atom recoils from the collision spinning, and that energy transfer process is fundamental to how gasses heat up, cool down, and come to equilibrium. Experiments demonstrated the "preferred sense of rotation" of NO molecules recoiling from collisions with argon atoms. Not only is there a preferred sense of rotation, but that sense depends on the rotational state of the diatomic molecule and the angle at which the molecule scatters. For example, at a scattering angle of 45 degrees, 80 percent of the molecules are spinning clockwise. At 60 degrees, they might prefer to spin counterclockwise. (8300) Dave Chandler, chand@sandia.gov

A unique electronic "sniffer" has been developed that can provide real-time in situ monitoring of volatile organic contaminants in air, soil, and water. A small waterproof package houses an array of chemiresistors that can instantaneously detect a large variety of volatile organic compounds. The sensor can be deployed directly in underground wells or water resources, and data are transmitted to a computer for remote monitoring. This system could save millions of dollars at sites that currently rely on traditional manual sampling methods and off-site laboratory analysis. (6100, 1700) Cliff Ho, ckho@sandia.gov

Sandia, in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, established the Congressionally-chartered National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC). NISAC will provide the most advanced modeling and simulation capabilities and expertise for the analysis of the nation's critical infrastructures, their interdependencies, vulnerabilities, and system complexities. This will lead to optimized mitigation strategies and reconstruction planning and real time crisis support and will allow the nation's leaders, policy makers, and infrastructure owners to proactively protect the infrastructures. (6500) Jennifer Nelson, jenelso@sandia.gov

Collaborative experiments of Sandia's Alternate Fuels Optical Engine Laboratory with Lawrence Livermore National Lab have shown that isotope tracing with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) can help us understand how oxygenates affect soot formation in diesel engines. The addition of oxygenates to diesel fuel can reduce particulate emissions, but the underlying reasons for the reductions are not understood. Dibutyl maleate, labeled at the carbonyl carbons, was burned in a modified 350-hp Caterpillar engine, soot was collected on filters, and the carbon-14 content of the soot measured by AMS. The almost complete lack of carbon-14 in the particulate matter suggests that the carbon-oxygen bond does not break during combustion. (8000) Bob Carling, rwcarli@sandia.gov

Sandia has worked with The Timken Company to develop a sensor to optimize combustion and energy utilization in electric arc furnaces by the real-time measurement of CO and CO2 concentrations in off-gases. The tunable-laser-based prototype sensor has been successfully tested in field trials and is now installed for long-term tests in their Canton, Ohio, facility. Around-the-clock measurements are handled under remote control from the Combustion Research Facility. (8000)

The photovoltaic inverter test lab was expanded into the Distributed Energy Technologies Laboratory to address distributed generation issues of utilities, manufacturers, and end-users. Fossil and renewable energy generation and information technology are combined, with testing capability for electric grid-tied applications as well as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition of remote generation. These capabilities have already resulted in a utility CRADA, and negotiations for a second with another utility. (6200) John Boyes, jdboyes@sandia.gov

Last modified: February 28 , 2002

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