Publications

Large scale experiments were performed to determine the effectiveness of thermal glow plug igniters to burn hydrogen in a condensing steam environment due to the presence of water sprays. The experiments were designed to determine if a detonation or accelerated flame could occur in a hydrogen-air-steam mixture which was initially nonflammable due to steam dilution but was rendered flammable by rapid steam condensation due to water sprays. Eleven Hydrogen Igniter Tests were conducted in the test vessel. The vessel was instrumented with pressure transducers, thermocouple rakes, gas grab sample bottles, hydrogen microsensors, and cameras. The vessel contained two prototypic engineered systems: (1) a deliberate hydrogen ignition system and (2) a water spray system. Experiments were conducted under conditions scaled to be nearly prototypic of those expected in Advanced Light Water Reactors (such as the Combustion Engineering (CE) System 80+), with prototypic spray drop diameter, spray mass flux, steam condensation rates, hydrogen injection flow rates, and using the actual proposed plant igniters. The lack of any significant pressure increase during the majority of the burn and condensation events signified that localized, benign hydrogen deflagration(s) occurred with no significant pressure load on the containment vessel. Igniter location did not appear to be a factor in the open geometry. Initially stratified tests with a stoichiometric mixture in the top showed that the water spray effectively mixes the initially stratified atmosphere prior to the deflagration event. All tests demonstrated that thermal glow plugs ignite hydrogen-air-steam mixtures under conditions with water sprays near the flammability limits previously determined for hydrogen-air-steam mixtures under quiescent conditions. This report describes these experiments, gives experimental results, and provides interpretation of the results. 12 refs., 127 figs., 16 tabs.

Metathesis-catalyzed polymerizations of primary silanes were performed to generate polysilanes suitable for functionalization with a variety of side groups. Modeling was employed to predict conformations and estimate electronic properties of candidate functionalized polysilanes. Chemical functionalization of oligo(hydrido)silanes with terminal {alpha}, {omega}-dienes under free radical conditions yielded highly crosslinked, nonporous polysilane networks. Ketone reduction with oligo(hydrido)silanes under free radical conditions led to novel poly(phenylalkoxysilanes). Free radical reduction of terminal alkenyl(alkoxy)silanes forms functionalized polysilanes which can be further transformed into sol-gel matrices with the polysilane functionality intact. These gels may be processed into nonporous xerogels or high surface area aerogels.

Ion-beam driven hohlraum targets were designed to absorb the energy of PBFAII lithium ion beams within a foam, which converted the ion beam energy into x-rays. The foam was held within a gold hohlraum. X-ray radiation was observed from the top of the target through a circular diagnostic aperture. On the bottom of the target was a gold-coated aluminum witness plate, which was a component of an active, shock-breakout diagnostic. Surrounding the outside of the hohlraum were five titanium pins which produced ion-induced inner-shell x-rays (4.5 keV) to diagnose the lithium beam. Several different manufacturing processes and characterization techniques were utilized to prepare these targets. Extensive documentation provided quality control on their preparation. This report summarizes the preparation, characterization, and documentation of targets for ion-beam driven hohlraum experiments.

A team of analysts designed and conducted a scoping evaluation to estimate the technical capabilities of fifteen Department of Energy sites for disposal of the hazardous metals in mixed low-level waste (i.e., waste that contains both low-level radioactive materials and hazardous constituents). Eight hazardous metals were evaluated: arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver. The analysis considered transport only through the groundwater pathway. The results are reported as site-specific estimates of maximum concentrations of each hazardous metal in treated mixed low-level waste that do not exceed the performance measures established for the analysis. Also reported are site-specific estimates of travel times of each hazardous metal to the point of compliance.

Central Europe has experienced environmental degradation for hundreds of years. The proximity of countries, their shared resources, and transboundary movement of environmental pollution, create the potential for regional environmental strife. The goal of this project was to identify the sources and sinks of environmental pollution in Central Europe and evaluate the possible impact of transboundary movement of pollution on the countries of Central Europe. In meeting the objectives of identifying sources of contaminants, determining transboundary movement of contaminants, and assessing socio-economic implications, large quantities of disparate data were examined. To facilitate use of the data, the authors refined mapping procedures that enable processing information from virtually any map or spreadsheet data that can be geo-referenced. Because the procedure is freed from a priori constraints of scale that confound most Geographical Information Systems, they have the capacity to generate new projections and apply sophisticated statistical analyses to the data. The analysis indicates substantial environmental problems. While transboundary pollution issues may spawn conflict among the Central European countries and their neighbors, it appears that common environmental problems facing the entire region have had the effect of bringing the countries together, even though opportunities for deteriorating relationships may still arise.

The goal of this work was to evaluate chemically-functionalized block copolymers as adhesion promoters for metal/thermoset resin interfaces. Novel block copolymers were synthesized which contain pendant functional groups reactive toward copper and epoxy resins. In particular, imidazole and triazole functionalities that chelate with copper were incorporated onto one block, while secondary amines were incorporated onto the second block. These copolymers were found to self-assemble from solution onto copper surfaces to form monolayers. The structure of the adsorbed monolayers were studied in detail by neutron reflection and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The monolayer structure was found to vary markedly with the solution conditions and adsorption protocol. Appropriate conditions were found for which the two blocks form separate layers on the surface with the amine functionalized block exposed at the air surface. Adhesion testing of block copolymer-coated copper with epoxy resins was performed in both lap shear and peel modes. Modest enhancements in bond strengths were observed with the block copolymer applied to the native oxide. However, it was discovered that the native oxide is the weak link, and that by simply removing the native oxide, and then applying an epoxy resin before the native oxide can reform, excellent bond strength in the as-prepared state as well as excellent retention of bond strength after exposure to solder in ambient conditions are obtained. It is recommended that long term aging studies be performed with and without the block copolymer. In addition, the functionalized block copolymer method should be evaluated for another system that has inherently poor bonding, such as the nickel/silicone interface, and for systems involving metals and alloys which form oxides very rapidly, such as aluminum and stainless steel, where bonding strategies involve stabilizing the native oxide.

In-pile experiments addressing late-phase processes in Light Water Reactors (LWRs) were performed in the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) at Sandia National Laboratories. Melt Progression (MP) experiments were designed to provide information to develop and verify computer models for analysis of LWR core damage in severe accidents. Experiments examine the formation and motion of ceramic molten pools in disrupted reactor core regions. The MP-2 experiment assembly consisted of: (1) a rubble bed of enriched UO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2} simulating severely disrupted reactor core regions, (2) a ceramic/metallic crust representing blockage formed by early phase melting, relocation, and refreezing of core components, and (3) an intact rod stub region that remained in place below the blockage region. The test assembly was fission heated in the central cavity of the ACRR at an average rate of about 0.2 KA, reaching a peak molten pool temperature around 3400 K. Melting of the debris bed ceramic components was initiated near the center of the bed. The molten material relocated downward, refreezing to form a ceramic crust near the bottom of the rubble bed. As power levels were increased, the crust gradually remelted and reformed at progressively lower positions in the bed until late in the experiment when it penetrated into and attacked the ceramic/metallic blockage. The metallic components of the blockage region melted and relocated to the bottom of the intact rod stub region before the ceramic melt penetrated the blockage region from above. The ceramic pool penetrated halfway into the blockage region by the end of the experiment. Measurements of thermal response and material relocation are compared to the results of the computer simulations. Postexperiment examination of the assembly with the associated material interactions and metallurgy are also discussed in detail with the analyses and interpretation of results. 16 refs., 206 figs., 24 tabs.

The capabilities of Interfacial Force Microscopy (IFM) are illustrated utilizing the following examples: the bonding interaction between chemically distinct end groups on self-assembling molecules adsorbed on the sample and and probe tip; and a study of the effect of morphological defects on the nanomechanical properties of gold single crystal surfaces.

Different applications have different security requirements for data privacy, data integrity, and authentication. Encryption is one technique that addresses these requirements. Encryption hardware, designed for use in high-speed communications networks, can satisfy a wide variety of security requirements if that hardware is key-agile, robustness-agile and algorithm-agile. Hence, multiply-agile encryption provides enhanced solutions to the secrecy, interoperability and quality of service issues in high-speed networks. This paper defines these three types of agile encryption. Next, implementation issues are discussed. While single-algorithm, key-agile encryptors exist, robustness-agile and algorithm-agile encryptors are still research topics.

The Korean Peninsula is one of the world`s most tense military confrontational sites. Nearly 2 million North Korean, South Korean, and U.S. troops face each other along the 255-km long military demarcation line. Confidence building measures (CBMs), particularly military ones, that address the security needs of both countries could decrease the danger of conflict and help create an environment where a peace regime might be negotiated. In spite of the present high level of mutual distrust, steps can still be taken to prepare for future development and implementation of CBMs. This paper defines some simple and specific first steps toward CBMs that might be useful on the Korean Peninsula.

Under the sponsorship of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Utility Technologies, the Energy Storage Systems Analysis and Development Department at Sandia National Laboratories contracted Sentech, Inc., to assess the impact of power quality problems on the electricity supply system. This report contains the results of several studies that have identified the cost of power quality events for electricity users and providers. The large annual cost of poor power quality represents a national inefficiency and is reflected in the cost of goods sold, reducing US competitiveness. The Energy Storage Systems (ESS) Program takes the position that mitigation merits the attention of not only the DOE but affected industries as well as businesses capable of assisting in developing solutions to these problems. This study represents the preliminary stages of an overall strategy by the ESS Program to understand the magnitude of these problems so as to begin the process of engaging industry partners in developing solutions.

End-to-end encryption can protect proprietary information as it passes through a complex inter-city computer network, even if the intermediate systems are untrusted. This technique involves encrypting the body of computer messages while leaving network addressing and control information unencrypted for processing by intermediate network nodes. Because high speed implementations of end-to-end encryption with easy key management for standard network protocols are unavailable, this technique is not widely used today. Specifically, no end-to-end encryptors exist to protect Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) traffic, nor to protect Switched Multi-megabit Data Service (SMDS), which is the first ``Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network`` (BISDN) service now being used by long distance telephone companies. This encryption technology is required for the protection of data in transit between industrial sites and central Massively Parallel Supercomputing Centers over high bandwidth, variable bit rate (BISDN) services. This research effort investigated techniques to scale end-to-end encryption technology from today`s state of the art ({approximately} 0.001 Gb/s) to 2.4 Gb/s and higher. A cryptosystem design has been developed which scales for implementation beyond SONET OC-48 (2.4Gb/s) data rates. A prototype for use with OC-3 (0.155 Gb/s) ATM variable bit rate services was developed.

Nanometer sized metal particles were encapsulated in the micropores of xerogels and aerogels. The synthesis involves the sequential reduction of a metal salt followed by sol-gel processing in an inverse micelle solution. The inverse micelle solution solubilizes the metal salt and provides a micro-reactor for the nucleation, growth, and stabilization of the nanometer sized clusters. Hydrolysis and condensation of an added siloxane precursor produces a wet gel embedding the particles. Characterization of the particle size and composition and the particle growth process was completed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and UV-visible absorption spectrometry. Characterization of the gel surface areas was completed with N{sub 2} porosimetry. Material properties determined as a function of the gel precursor (TEOS vs. a pre-hydrolyzed form of TEOS), the water to gel precursor reaction stoichiometry, and surfactant concentration are discussed in terms of the unique solution chemistry occurring in the micro-heterogeneous inverse micelle solutions. Finally, catalyst development and catalyst activity of the materials are discussed. 1-hexene hydrogenation was chosen as a model reaction.

Dispensable materials, such as sticky foams and rigid polyurethane foams, have been used as access deterrent systems by DOE security since the 1970`s. While these have been very effective systems, they also have some intrinsic problems such as toxicity, flammability and a limited range of temperature in which they remain functional. Current trends to use less-than-lethal methods to gain advantage in military and civilian conflict scenarios demand that new and better deterrent materials be designed. The most effective sticky foam is a hydrocarbon-based material which is composed of high molecular weight polymers, low molecular weight tackifying agents, fire retardants and foam stabilizing surfactants. In order to expand and fully utilize sticky foam technology, a truly nonflammable analog is required. To this end, this work involves first generation development of silicone-based deterrent systems. Two basic types of silicone systems were evaluated. First, systems based on commercial resins were prepared using a variety of thixotropic materials, plasticizers and formulation strategies. Second, systems were prepared using in situ sol-gel techniques to rapidly promote gelation in blends of functionalized silicone polymers. The resulting materials were evaluated for their foamability using non-CFC foaming agents and found to be suitable for foam formation. The properties of these sticky materials can be tailored by virtue of the formulation flexibility; thus, they represent a new class of nontoxic, nonflammable deterrents with a wide temperature range of use.

Two new and related true-triaxial apparatus are described that make use of conventional triaxial pressure vessles in combination with specially configured, high-pressure hydraulic jacks inside these vessels. The development combines advantages not found in existing facilities, including a compact design, pore-pressure and flow-through capabilities, the ability to attain high principal stresses and principal stress differences, direct access to parts of the sample, and provisions to go to relatively large deformations without developing serious stress field inhomogeneities.

The first sinkhole at the Weeks Island Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) site was initially observed in May 1992. Concurrent with the increasing dissolution of salt over the mined oil storage area below, it has gradually enlarged and deepened. Beginning in 1994 and continuing to the present, the injection of saturated brine directly into the sinkhole throat some 76 m beneath the ground surface essentially arrested further dissolution, providing time to make adequate preparation for the safe and orderly transfer of crude oil to other storage facilities. This mitigation measure marked the first time that such a control procedure has been used in salt mining; previously all control has been achieved by either in-mine or from-surface grouting. A second and much smaller sinkhole was noticed in early 1995 on an opposite edge of the SPR mine, but with a very similar geological and mine mechanics setting. Both sinkholes occur where the edges of upper 152 m and lower 213 m mined storage levels are nearly vertically aligned. Such coincidence maximizes the tensional stress development, leading to fracturing in the salt. This cracking takes 20 or more years to develop. The cracks then become flow paths for brine incursion, which after time progress into the mined openings. Undersaturated ground water gradually enlarges the cracks in salt through dissolution, leading to eventual collapse of the overlying sand to form sinkholes. Other geologic conditions may also be secondary factors in controlling both mining extent and sinkhole location.

This paper discusses the design and testing results of a resonant accelerometer developed for integrated surface-micromachining processes.First- and second-generation designs are presented. The sensors use leverage mechanisms to transfer force from a proof mass to double-ended tuning fork (DETF) resonators, used as force transducers. Each fork forms the basis of an integrated oscillator to provide the output waveforms. The DETF`s on the first-generation device have a nominal frequency of 175 kHz, and the sensor has a measured scale factor of 2.4 Hz/g. The oscillators on this device exhibit a root Allan variance floor of 38 mHz (220 ppb). The second-generation, higher-sensitivity sensor uses DETF`s with a nominal frequency of 68 kHz and has measured a scale factor of 45 Hz/g.

Transient power supply voltage (V{sub DDT}) analysis is a new testing technique demonstrated as a powerful alternative and complement to I{sub DDQ} testing. V{sub DDT} takes advantage of the limited response time of a voltage supply to the changing power demands of an IC during operation. Changes in the V{sub DD} response time are used to detect increases in power demand with resolutions of 100 nA at 100 kHz, 1 {mu}A at 1 MHz, and 2.5 {mu}A at 1.5 MHz. These current sensitivities have been shown for ICs with quiescent currents < 0.1 {mu}A and > 300 {mu}A. The V{sub DDT} signal acquisition protocols, frequency versus sensitivity tradeoffs, hardware considerations and limitations, data examples, and areas for future research are described.

A historical perspective is given for Sandia National Laboratories from its beginnings as a small engineering group at an offshoot of Los Alamos Laboratory to a facility of 7000 people at its main facility in Albuquerque, another 1000 people in Livermore, California and test ranges in Tonopah, Nevada and Kauai, Hawaii. The Sandia army base became the Z division of Los Alamos and $25 million construction program began the structures that would carry out a test program for nuclear weapons during the cold war. Bell System/AT&T stewardship of the site continued from 1949 to 1993, when Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) was chosen as the new contractor. Management decisions, personnel, and political aspects of the Laboratory are presented up to 1997 and forecasts are given for future policy and programs of Sandia.

This paper presents the construction of the smart pixel arrays which perform AND and XOR functions with three-input and one-output optical signals for the application of an optical database filter. The device is based on oxide confined VCSELs bump bonded to GaAs MESFET pixels. The MSM photodetectors are monolithically integrated with MESFETs.

The need for collision detection arises in several robotics areas, including motion-planning, online collision avoidance, and simulation. At the heart of most current methods are algorithms for interference detection and/or distance computation. A few recent algorithms and implementations are very fast, but to use them for accurate collision detection, very small step sizes can be necessary, reducing their effective efficiency. We present a fast, implemented technique for doing exact distance computation and interference detection for translationally-swept bodies. For rotationally swept bodies, we adapt this technique to improve accuracy, for any given step size, in distance computation and interference detection. We present preliminary experiments that show that the combination of basic and swept-body calculations holds much promise for faster accurate collision detection.

This paper describes the initial results of one portion of a project to develop effective analytical tools for predicting the effect of atmospheric corrosion on the reliability of electronic devices. The specific objectives of this work were to experimentally characterize the atmospheric corrosion of aluminum-gold wirebonds and to develop a statistical-based model that describes the effect of the resulting stochastic process on the reliability of a selected electronic assembly. The experimental characterization included an attempt at accelerated aging. Modeling involved: (1) the development and validation of empirical models that describe the effects of environmental parameters on corrosion rate, and (2) the formulation and validation of a reliability-prediction model using the accelerated aging data and long-term field information as it becomes available. A preliminary assessment of the effect of three environmental factors on wirebond failure rate was performed and an empirical rate model defined. Subsequently, a statistical treatment of the rate information was used in a Monte Carlo simulation technique to determine the service life of a hypothetical electronic assembly. This work demonstrated that stochastic, corrosion-induced degradation can be successfully incorporated in classical techniques to analyze component reliability. 19 figs., 3 tabs.

A 3-D non-linear electromagnetic inversion scheme has been developed to produce images of subsurface conductivity structure from electromagnetic geophysical data. The solution is obtained by successive linearized model updates where full forward modeling is employed at each iteration to compute model sensitivities and predicted data. Regularization is applied to the problem to provide stability. Because the inverse part of the problem requires the solution of 10`s to 100`s of thousands of unknowns, and because each inverse iteration requires many forward models to be computed, the code has been implemented on massively parallel computer platforms. The use of the inversion code to image environmental sites is demonstrated on a data set collected with the Apex Parametrics {open_quote}MaxMin I-8S{close_quote} over a section of stacked barrels and metal filled boxes at the Idaho National Laboratory`s {open_quote}Cold Test Pit{close_quote}. The MaxMin is a loop-loop frequency domain system which operates from 440 Hz up to 56 kHz using various coil separations; for this survey coil separations of 15, 30 and 60 feet were employed. The out-of phase data are shown to be of very good quality while the in-phase are rather noisy due to slight mispositioning errors, which cause improper cancellation of the primary free space field in the receiver. Weighting the data appropriately by the estimated noise and applying the inversion scheme is demonstrated to better define the structure of the pit. In addition, comparisons are given for single coil separations and multiple separations to show the benefits of using multiple offset data.

A doped-channel heterostructure field effect transistor (H-FET) technology has been developed with self-aligned refractory gate processing and using both enhancement- and depletion-mode transistors. D-HFET devices are obtained with a threshold voltage adjust implant into material designed for E-HFET operation. Both E- and D-HFETs utilize W/WSi bilayer gates, sidewall spacers, and rapid thermal annealing for controlling short channel effects. The 0.5 {mu}m E- HFETs (D-HFETs) have been demonstrated with transconductance of 425 mS/mm (265-310 mS/mm) and f{sub t} of 45-50 GHz. Ring oscillator gate delays of 19 ps with a power of 0.6 mW have been demonstrated using direct coupled FET logic. These results are comparable to previous doped-channel HFET devices and circuits fabricated by selective reactive ion etching rather than ion implantation for threshold voltage adjustment.

The Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Assurance Nondestructive Inspection Validation Center (FAA-AANC) and Boeing Commercial Airplane Group are currently developing a study pertaining to the detection of cracks in multi-layered aluminum sheets. The specimen panels model pertinent aspects of the lap splice joints for Boeing 737 aircraft, Line Numbers 292 - 2565. Upon initial characterization of the specimen panels, it became clear that signals produced from a sliding probe at fastener sites were not representative of an in-service lap splice, and therefore, could not be used in a probability of detection experiment. This paper discusses specimen characterization and steps taken to make the specimens useful for nondestructive technology assessment.