The Chemical Waste Landfill (CWL) at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) is a 1.9-acre disposal site that was used for the disposal of chemical wastes generated by many of SNL/NM research laboratories from 1962 until 1985. These laboratories were primarily involved in the design, research and development of non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons and the waste generated by these labs included small quantities of a wide assortment of chemical products. A Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Closure Plan for the Chemical Waste Landfill was approved by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) in 1992. Subsequent site characterization activities identified the presence of significant amounts of chromium in the soil as far as 80 feet below ground surface (fbgs) and the delineation of a solvent plume in the vadose zone that extends to groundwater approximately 500 fbgs. Trichloroethylene (TCE) was detected in some groundwater samples at concentrations slightly above the drinking water limit of 5 parts per billion. In 1997 an active vapor extraction system reduced the size of the TCE vapor plume and for the last six quarterly sampling events groundwater samples have not detected TCE above the drinking water standard. A source term removal, being conducted as a Voluntary Corrective Measure (VCM), began in September 1998 and is expected to take up to two years. Four distinct disposal areas were identified from historical data and the contents of disposal pits and trenches in these areas, in addition to much of the highly contaminated soil surrounding the disposal cells, are currently being excavated. Buried waste and debris are expected to extend to a depth of 12 to 15 fbgs. Excavation will focus on the removal of buried debris and contaminated soil in a sequential, area by area manner and will proceed to whatever depth is required in order to remove all pit contents. Up to 50,000 cubic yards of soil and debris will be removed and managed during the excavation of the CWL. As part of the excavation process, soil is being separated from the buried debris using a 2-inch mechanical screen. After separation from the soil, debris items are further-segregated by matrix into the following categories: wood, scrap metal, concrete/aggregates, resins, compatible debris, intact chemical containers, radioactive and mixed waste, and high hazard items. One of the greatest sources of hazards throughout the excavation process is the removal of numerous intact chemical containers with unknown contents. A large portion of the excavated soil is contaminated with metals and/or solvents, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are also known to be present. Most of the contaminated soils being excavated will be taken to the nearby Corrective Action Management Unit (CAMU) for treatment and management while a majority of the containers will be taken to the Hazardous Waste Management Facility or the Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility for proper treatment and/or disposal at permitted offsite facilities.
A cryogenic, {beta}-layered NIF ignition capsule with a beryllium ablator that employs a BeO dopant (2% O) for opacity control is described. The design has an optimized yield of 12 MJ and uses a ''reduced drive'' hohlraum temperature pulse shape that peaks at {approx}250 eV. Shock timing sensitivity calculations have been performed for this capsule design. Individual uncertainties of (1) {approx}200 ps in the timing of the ''footpulse; (2) {approx}5% in the x-ray flux of the foot pulse and first step; (3) {approx}10% in the ablator EOS; or (4) {approx} 5 {micro}m in the DT ice layer thickness each have a significant impact on thermonuclear yield. Combined uncertainties have greater impact than isolated, individual issues. For example, a combination of uncertainties of: 200 ps in the foot + 2 eV in the foot + 5 pm in the DT thickness results in a calculation that produces only {approx}1% of the original design yield. A second, more speculative, capsule concept utilizing a liquid DT ablator is also discussed. This design produces a 5 MJ yield in a 250 eV peak drive calculation.
Pulsed power is a robust and inexpensive technology for obtaining high powers. Considerable progress has been made on developing light ion beams as a means of transporting this power to inertial fusion capsules. However, further progress is hampered by the lack of an adequate ion source. Alternatively, z-pinches can efficiently convert pulsed power into thermal radiation, which can be used to drive an inertial fusion capsule. However, a z-pinch driven fusion explosion will destroy a portion of the transmission line that delivers the electrical power to the z-pinch. They investigate several options for providing standoff for z-pinch driven fusion. Recyclable Transmission Lines (RTLs) appear to be the most promising approach.
This paper reports on significant advances in electrothermal bent beam actuators. Designs for long throw linear and rotary actuators are described. Silicon p++ devices showed 20--30 {mu}m displacements with 150 {micro}N loads at actuation levels of 6--8 V, and 250--300 mW. An electroplated version provided 15 {mu}m displacements at 0.8 V and 450 mW. Inchworm type devices are reported that had linear displacements of 100 {micro}m with 200 {micro}N loads. Refinements in the modeling to account for non-linear thermal expansion coefficients and buckling are also reported.
Controlled impact methodology has been used on a powdergun to obtain dynamic behavior properties of Tributyl Phosphate (TBP). A novel test methodology is used to provide extremely accurate equation of state data of the liquid. A thin aluminum plate used for confining the liquid also serves as a diagnostic to provide reshock states and subsequent release adiabats from the reshocked state. Polar polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) gauges and velocity interferometer system for any reflector (VISAR) provided redundant and precise data of temporal resolution to five nanoseconds and shock velocity measurements of better than 1%. The design and test methodologies are presented in this paper.
We report a novel sol-gel dip-coating process to form dual-layer microporous silica membranes with improved membrane performance and reproducibility. First, we deposit a surfactant-templated silica (STS) intermediate layer on top of a commercial {gamma}-alumina support both to improve its ''surface finish'' and to prevent a subsequently deposited microporous overlayer from penetrating into the support. Second, membranes are processed under clean room conditions to avoid dust contamination and, third, membranes are vacuum-calcined to promote further pore shrinkage and impart surface hydrophobicity. The resulting asymmetric membrane exhibits a gradual change in pore diameter from 50{angstrom} ({gamma}-alumina support layer) to 10-12{angstrom} (STS intermediate layer), and then to 3-4{angstrom} (30nm thick, ultramicroporous silica top-layer). Compared to a single-layer process using only the microporous overlayer, the dual-layer process improves both flux and selectivity. For the industrially important problem of natural gas purification, the combined CO{sub 2} flux [(3{approx} 0.5) x 10{sup {minus}4} cm{sup 3}(STP)/(s{center_dot}cm{sup 2}{center_dot}cm-Hg)] and CO{sub 2}/CH{sub 4} separation factors [200{approx}600] are superior to all previously reported values for separation of a 50/50 (v/v) CO{sub 2}/CH{sub 4} gas mixture. In addition, the membrane selectively separated hydrogen from a simulated reformate from partial oxidation of methanol as evidenced by a high concentration of hydrogen recovery.
{sup 13}C-enriched polyethylene was subjected to {gamma}-irradiation in the presence of air at 25 and 80 C for total doses ranging from 71 to 355 kGy. Significant quantities of hydroperoxides were detected in the 25 C irradiated sample by {sup 13}C magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. This method of detection was performed on the solid polymer and required no chemical derivatization or addition of solvent. The chemical stability and subsequent products of the hydroperoxide species were studied by annealing the irradiated samples in air at temperatures ranging from 22 to 110 C. A time-temperature superposition analysis provided an activation energy of 108 kJ/mol for the hydroperoxide decomposition process. The primary products of hydroperoxide decomposition were ketones and secondary alcohols with lesser amounts of acids and esters. EPR measurements suggest that the reactive hydroperoxide species reside in the amorphous phase of polyethylene, consistent with degradation occurring in the amorphous phase.
Structure within thin epoxy films is investigated by neutron reflectivity (NR) as a function of resin/cross-linker composition and cure temperature. Variation in the cross-link density normal to the substrate surface is examined by swelling the films with the good solvent d-nitrobenzene (d-NB). The principal observation is a large excess of d-NB near the air surface. This is not a wetting layer, but rather indicates a lower cross-link density in the near-surface region. This effect is due to preferential segregation of the cross-linker to the air surface, driven by the lower surface tension of the cross-linker relative to the epoxide oligomers. The magnitude of the effect is a function of composition and cure temperature. Exclusion of d-NB from the region immediately adjacent to the substrate surface is also observed, possibly indicating a tightly bound layer of epoxy. Regarding swelling in the bulk of the films, the behavior is nonsymmetric with departure from the stoichiometric ratio. The films deficient in curing agent show greater equilibrium swelling and faster swelling kinetics than the films with an excess of curing agent.
The concept of building extremely small satellites which, either independently or as a collective, can perform missions which are comparable to their much larger cousins, has fascinated scientists and engineers for several years now. In addition to the now commonplace microelectronic integrated circuits, the more recent advent of technologies such as photonic integrated circuits (PIC's) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have placed such a goal within their grasp. Key to the acceptance of this technology will be the ability to manufacture these very small satellites in quantity without sacrificing their performance or versatility. In support of its nuclear treaty verification, proliferation monitoring and other remote sensing missions, Sandia National laboratories has had a 35-year history of providing highly capable systems, densely packaged for unintrusive piggyback missions on government satellites. As monitoring requirements have become more challenging and remote sensing technologies become more sophisticated, packaging greater capability into these systems has become a requirement. Likewise, dwindling budgets are pushing satellite programs toward smaller and smaller platforms, reinforcing the need for smaller, cheaper satellite systems. In the next step of its miniaturization plan, Sandia has begun development of technologies for a highly integrated miniature satellite. The focus of this development is to achieve nanosat or smaller dimensions while maintaining significant capability utilizing semiconductor wafer-level integration and, at the same time promoting affordability through modular generic construction.
A technique has been developed for producing calibrated metal hydride films for use in the measurement of high-energy (5--15 MeV) particle reaction cross sections for hydrogen and helium isotopes on hydrogen isotopes. Absolute concentrations of various hydrogen isotopes in the film is expected to be determined to better than {+-}2% leading to the capacity of accurately measuring various reaction cross sections. Hydrogen isotope concentrations from near 100% to 5% can be made accurately and reproducibly. This is accomplished with the use of high accuracy pressure measurements coupled with high accuracy mass spectrometric measurements of each constituent partial pressure of the gas mixture during loading of the metal occluder films. Various techniques are used to verify the amount of metal present as well as the amount of hydrogen isotopes; high energy ion scattering analysis, PV measurements before, during and after loading, and thermal desorption/mass spectrometry measurements. The most appropriate metal to use for the occluder film appears to be titanium but other occluder metals are also being considered. Calibrated gas ratio samples, previously prepared, are used for the loading gas. Deviations from this calibrated gas ratio are measured using mass spectrometry during and after the loading process thereby determining the loading of the various hydrogen isotopes. These techniques are discussed and pertinent issues presented.
Many aerospace structures must survive severe high frequency, hypersonic, random vibration during their flights. The random vibrations are generated by the turbulent boundary layer developed along the exterior of the structures during flight. These environments have not been simulated very well in the past using a fixed-based, single exciter input with an upper frequency range of 2 kHz. This study investigates the possibility of using acoustic ardor independently controlled multiple exciters to more accurately simulate hypersonic flight vibration. The test configuration, equipment, and methodology are described. Comparisons with actual flight measurements and previous single exciter simulations are also presented.
This study examines adhesion between silane-coated micromachined surfaces that are exposed to humid conditions. Our quantitative values for interfacial adhesion energies are determined from an in-situ optical measurement of deformations in partly-adhered cantilever beams. We coated micromachined cantilevers with either ODTS (C{sub 18}H{sub 37}SiCl{sub 3}) or FDTS (C{sub 8}F{sub 17}C{sub 2}H{sub 4}SiCl{sub 3}) with the objective of creating hydrophobic surfaces whose adhesion would be independent of humidity. In both cases, the adhesion energy is significantly lower than for uncoated, hydrophilic surfaces. For relative humidities (RH) less than 95% (ODTS) and 80% (FDTS) the adhesion energy was extremely low and constant. In fact, ODTS-coated beams exposed to saturated humidity conditions and long (48 hour) exposures showed only a factor of two increase in adhesion energy. Surprisingly, FDTS coated beams, which initially have a higher contact angle (115{degree}) with water than do ODTS coated beams (112{degree}), proved to be much more sensitive to humidity. The FDTS coated surfaces showed a factor of one hundred increase in adhesion energy after a seven hour exposure to 90% RH. Atomic force microscopy revealed agglomerated coating material after exposed to high RH, suggesting a redistribution of the monolayer film. This agglomeration was more prominent for FDTS than ODTS. These findings suggest a new mechanism for uptake of moisture under high humidity conditions. At high humidities, the silane coatings can reconfigure from a surface to a bulk phase leaving behind locally hydrophilic sites which increase the average measured adhesion energy. In order for the adhesion increase to be observed, a significant fraction of the monolayer must be converted from the surface to the bulk phase.
The connection is made between the normal-coordinate structural decomposition (NSD) and the vibronic molecular states and spectra of porphyrins. NSD is a procedure that provides a description of the distortion of a porphyrin from a D{sub 4h} symmetric reference structure in terms of equivalent displacements along the normal coordinates. Expressions for the optical absorption spectra with vibrational structure are developed with these NSD-determined deformations as parameters, and the expressions are applied to the UV-visible absorption spectra porphyrins.
We show that for general input sets linear feedback shift registers (LFSRS) do not provide compression comparable to current, standard algorithms, at least not on the current, standard input files. Rather, LFSRS provide performance on a par with simple, run-length encoding schemes. We exercised three different ways of using LFSRS on the Canterbury, Canterbury Oarge set, the Calgory Corpora, and on three, large graphics files of our own.
Wind-energy researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new, light-weight, modular data acquisition system capable of acquiring long-term, continuous, multi-channel time-series data from operating wind-turbines. New hardware features have been added to this system to make it more flexible and permit programming via telemetry. User-friendly Windows-based software has been developed for programming the hardware and acquiring, storing, analyzing, and archiving the data. This paper briefly reviews the major components of the system, summarizes the recent hardware enhancements and operating experiences, and discusses the features and capabilities of the software programs that have been developed.
Typical laboratory testing of Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) bits is performed on relatively rigid setups. Even in hard rock, PDC bits exhibit reasonable life using such testing schemes. Unfortunately, field experience indicates otherwise. In this paper, the authors show that introducing compliance in testing setups provides better simulation of actual field conditions. Using such a scheme, they show that chatter can be severe even in softer rock, such as sandstone, and very destructive to the cutters in hard rock, such as sierra white granite.
Al{sub 2}Cu thin films ({approximately}382 nm) are fabricated by melting and resolidifying Al/Cu bilayers in the presence of a {approximately}3 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} passivating layer. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measures a 1.0 eV shift of the Cu2p{sub 3/2} peak and a 1.6 eV shift of the valence band relative to metallic Cu upon Al{sub 2}Cu formation. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) show that the Al{sub 2}Cu film is composed of 30--70 {mu}m wide and 10--25 mm long cellular grains with (110) orientation. The atomic composition of the film as estimated by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) is 67{+-}2% Al and 33{+-}2% Cu. XPS scans of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Al{sub 2}Cu taken before and after air exposure indicate that the upper Al{sub 2}Cu layers undergo further oxidation to Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} even in the presence of {approximately}5 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The majority of Cu produced from oxidation is believed to migrate below the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layers, based upon the lack of evidence for metallic Cu in the XPS scans. In contrast to Al/Cu passivated with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, melting/resolidifying the Al/Cu bilayer without Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} results in phase-segregated dendritic film growth.
On rare occasions, the coining of a new term brings new ideas to a field by virtue of a shift in viewpoint. A recent example is complexity, which collected together, from a core of deep results in mathematics and hydrodynamics, a clan of fields whose kinship had been revealed by the new term itself. More often such appellations merely follow fashionable trends. So it took courage on the part of the founders of SUPERMAT to promote their vision. Marcel Ausloos (Universite de Liege, Belgium) and Gilbert Vacquier (Universite de Marseille, France) have shown us a way to resonate as a new chord in materials science. As the first conference on supermaterials, SUPERMAT and its companion SMART 99 have begun to reveal new branches of research from the established pathways explored in superconductivity. At the conclusion of SUPERMAT in Giens, France, the participants were as energized by the exciting science that had been covered during the week as they were impressed by the French food, wine, scenery and hospitality. If the definition of a supermaterial is not obvious now-after the conference-it was certainly not obvious before it. Nevertheless, the conferees were drawn inexorably together by the conference theme. Perhaps it is not appropriate to try to understand this self organization, which surely is even more complex than the self organization of electrons in a high temperature superconductor, the theory for which still eludes us after 13 years! A clue to the working definition of a supermaterial can be derived empirically from the topics that were discussed at SUPERMAT and SMART 99. In addition to superconductors, they heard about magnetic effects of many kinds, including giant and even colossal ones that presumably trump super ones, organic conductors, photoconductors, and even four-hundred-year-old Japanese ceramics. Topics discussed were synthesis, processing, characterization and theory, and applications.
Typical Laboratory testing of Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) bits is performed on relatively rigid setups. Even in hard rock, PDC bits exhibit reasonable life using such testing schemes. Unfortunately, field experience indicates otherwise. In this paper, they show that introducing compliance in testing setups, provides better simulation of actual field conditions. Using such a scheme, they show that chatter can be severe even in softer rock, such as sandstone, and very destructive to the cutters in hard rock, such as sierra white granite.
Peak x-ray powers as high as 280 {+-} 40 TW have been generated from the implosion of tungsten wire arrays on the Z Accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories. The high x-ray powers radiated by these z-pinches provide an attractive new driver option for high yield inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The high x-ray powers appear to be a result of using a large number of wires in the array which decreases the perturbation seed to the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability and diminishes other 3-D effects. Simulations to confirm this hypothesis require a 3-D MHD code capability, and associated databases, to follow the evolution of the wires from cold solid through melt, vaporization, ionization, and finally to dense imploded plasma. Strong coupling plays a role in this process, the importance of which depends on the wire material and the current time history of the pulsed power driver. Strong coupling regimes are involved in the plasmas in the convolute and transmission line of the powerflow system. Strong coupling can also play a role in the physics of the z-pinch-driven high yield ICF target. Finally, strong coupling can occur in certain z-pinch-driven application experiments.
This work combines focused ion beam sputtering and ultra-precision machining as a first step in fabricating microstructure in metals and alloys. Specifically, {approx}25{micro}m diameter micro-end mills are made from cobalt M42 high-speed steel and C2 micrograin tungsten carbide tool blanks by ion beam sputtering. A 20 keV focused gallium beam defines tool cutting edges having radii of curvature < 0.1{micro}m. Micro-end mills having 2, 4 and 5 cutting edges successfully machine small trenches in 6061-T4 aluminum, brass, 4340 steel and polymethyl methacrylate. Machined trench widths are approximately equal to the tool diameters and surface roughnesses (rms) are {approx}150 nm or less. Microtools are robust and operate for more than 6 hours without fracture. Results from ultra-precision machining aluminum at feed rates as high as 50 mm/minute are included.
This paper presents techniques for fabricating microscopic, nonplanar features in a variety of materials. Micro-grooving and micro-threading tools having cutting dimensions of 10-30{micro}m are made by focused ion beam sputtering and used in ultra-precision machining. Tool fabrication involves directing a 20 keV gallium beam at polished cylindrical punches made of cobalt M42 high-speed steel or C2 tungsten carbide. This creates cutting edges having radii of curvature less than 0.4 {micro}m, and rake features similar to conventional lathe tools. Clearance for minimizing frictional drag of a tool results from the sputter yield dependence on ion herd target incidence angle. Numerically controlled, ultra-precision machining with micro-grooving tools results in a close matching between tool width and feature size. Microtools controllably machine 13 {micro}m wide, 4 {micro}m deep, helical grooves in polymethyl methacrylate and 6061-T6 Al cylindrical substrates. Micro-grooving tools also fabricate sinusoidal waveform features in polished metal substrates.
Recent success on the Saturn and Z accelerators at Sandia National Laboratories have demonstrated the ability to scale z-pinch parameters to increasingly larger current pulsed power facilities. Next generation machines will require even larger currents (>20 MA), placing further demands on pulsed power technology. To this end, experiments have been carried out on Saturn operating in a long pulse mode, investigating the potential of lower voltages and longer implosion times while still maintaining pinch fidelity. High wire number, 25 mm diameter tungsten arrays were imploded with implosion times ranging from 130 to 240 ns. The results were comparable to those observed in the Saturn short pulse mode, with risetimes on the order of 4.5 to 6.5 ns. Experimental data will be presented, along with two dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations used to explain and reproduce the experiment.
Motivated by the problem of determining stress distributions in granular materials, we study the effect of finite transport correlation times on the propagation of nonlinear wavefronts in reaction diffusion systems. We obtain new results such as the possibility of spatial oscillations in the wavefront shape for certain values of the system parameters and high enough wavefront speeds. We also generalize earlier known results concerning the minimum wavefront speed and shape-speed relationships stemming from the finiteness of the correlation times. Analytic investigations are made possible by a piece-wise linear representation of the nonlinearity.
On Nov. 1, 1999, Sandia National Laboratories celebrates its 50th birthday. Although Sandia has its roots in the World War II-era Manhattan Project, Sandia began operating as a separate nuclear weapons engineering laboratory under the management of AT&T on Nov. 1, 1949. Today the lab employs more than 7,000 people at its two sites in Albuquerque and Livermore, California, and has research and development missions in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and U.S. economic competitiveness. Lockheed Martin Corporation operates Sandia for the US. Department of Energy.
The authors have demonstrated a functional Pnp heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) using InGaAsN. The metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOCVD) grown Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As/In{sub 0.03}Ga{sub 0.97}As{sub 0.99}N{sub 0.01} HBT takes advantage of the narrower bandgap energy (E{sub g} = 1.25eV) of In{sub 0.03}Ga{sub 0.97}As{sub 0.99}N{sub 0.01}, which is lattice matched to GaAs. Compared with the Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As/GaAs material system, the Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As/In{sub 0.03}Ga{sub 0.97}As{sub 0.99}N{sub 0.01} material system has a larger conduction band offset, while the valence band offset remains comparable. This characteristic band alignment is very suitable for Pnp HBT applications. The device's peak current gain is 23 and it has a turn on voltage of 0.77V, which is 0.25V lower than in a comparable Pnp Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As/GaAs HBT.
Plasma-induced etch damage can degrade the electrical and optical performance of III-V nitride electronic and photonic devices. We have investigated the etch-induced damage of an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) etch system on the electrical performance of mesa-isolated GaN pn-junction diodes. GaN p-i-n mesa diodes were formed by Cl{sub 2}/BCl{sub 3}/Ar ICP etching under different plasma conditions. The reverse leakage current in the mesa diodes showed a strong relationship to chamber pressure, ion energy, and plasma flux. Plasma induced damage was minimized at moderate flux conditions ({le} 500 W), pressures {ge}2 mTorr, and at ion energies below approximately -275 V.
Numerous sites in the United States and around the world are contaminated with depleted uranium (DU) in various forms. A prevalent form is fragmented DU originating from various scientific tests involving high explosives and DU during weapon-development programs, at firing practice ranges, or in war theaters where DU was used in armor-piercing projectiles. The contamination at these sites is typically very heterogeneous, with discrete, visually identifiable DU fragments mixed with native soil. The bulk-averaged DU activity is quite low, whereas DU fragments, which are distinct from the soil matrix, have much higher specific activity. DU is best known as a dark metal that is nearly twice as dense as lead, but DU in the environment readily weathers (oxidizes) to a distinctive bright yellow color that is quite visible. While the specific activity (amount of radioactivity per mass of soil) of DU is relatively low and presents only a minor radiological hazard, the fact that DU is radioactive and visually identifiable makes it desirable to remove the DU ''contamination'' from the environment. The typical approach to conducting this DU remediation is to use radiation-detection instruments to identify the contaminant and then to separate it from the adjacent soil, packaging it for disposal as radioactive waste. This process can be performed manually or by specialized, automated equipment. Alternatively, a more cost-effective approach might be simple mechanical or gravimetric separation of the DU fragments from the host soil matrix. At SNL/NM, both the automated and simple mechanical approaches have recently been employed. This paper discusses the pros/cons of the two approaches.
This paper discusses the development and application of process knowledge (PK) to the characterization of radioactive wastes generated during the excavation of buried materials at the Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) Classified Waste Landfill (CWLF). The CWLF, located in SNL/NM Technical Area II, is a 1.5-acre site that received nuclear weapon components and related materials from about 1950 through 1987. These materials were used in the development and testing of nuclear weapon designs. The CWLF is being remediated by the SNL/NM Environmental Restoration (ER) Project pursuant to regulations of the New Mexico Environment Department. A goal of the CWLF project is to maximize the amount of excavated materials that can be demilitarized and recycled. However, some of these materials are radioactively contaminated and, if they cannot be decontaminated, are destined to require disposal as radioactive waste. Five major radioactive waste streams have been designated on the CWLF project, including: unclassified soft radioactive waste--consists of soft, compatible trash such as paper, plastic, and plywood; unclassified solid radioactive waste--includes scrap metal, other unclassified hardware items, and soil; unclassified mixed waste--contains the same materials as unclassified soft or solid radioactive waste, but also contains one or more Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) constituents; classified radioactive waste--consists of classified artifacts, usually weapons components, that contain only radioactive contaminants; and classified mixed waste--comprises radioactive classified material that also contains RCRA constituents. These waste streams contain a variety of radionuclides that exist both as surface contamination and as sealed sources. To characterize these wastes, the CWLF project's waste management team is relying on data obtained from direct measurement of radionuclide activity content to the maximum extent possible and, in cases where direct measurement is not technically feasible, from accumulated PK of the excavated materials.
Since the mid-1980's, there have been a number of commercially available parallel computers with hundreds or thousands of processors. These machines have provided a new capability to the scientific community, and they been used successfully by scientists and engineers although with varying degrees of success. One of the reasons for the limited success is the difficulty, or perceived difficulty, in developing code for these machines. In this paper we discuss many of the issues and challenges in developing scalable hardware, system software and algorithms for machines comprising hundreds or thousands of processors.
The history of high consequence accidents is rich with events wherein the actions, or inaction, of humans was critical to the sequence of events preceding the accident. Moreover, it has been reported that human error may contribute to 80% of accidents, if not more (dougherty and Fragola, 1988). Within the safety community, this reality is widely recognized and there is a substantially greater awareness of the human contribution to system safety today than has ever existed in the past. Despite these facts, and some measurable reduction in accident rates, when accidents do occur, there is a common lament. No matter how hard we try, we continue to have accidents. Accompanying this lament, there is often bewilderment expressed in statements such as, ''There's no explanation for why he/she did what they did''. It is believed that these statements are a symptom of inadequacies in how they think about humans and their role within technological systems. In particular, while there has never been a greater awareness of human factors, conceptual models of human involvement in engineered systems are often incomplete and in some cases, inaccurate.
We estimate the total in-vessel deuterium retention in Alcator C-Mod from a run campaign of about 1090 plasmas. The estimate is based on measurements of deuterium retained on 22 molybdenum tiles from the inner wall and divertor. The areal density of deuterium on the tiles was measured by nuclear reaction analysis. From these data, the in-vessel deuterium inventory is estimated to be about 0.1 gram, assuming the deuterium coverage is toroidally symmetric. Most of the retained deuterium is on the walls of the main plasma chamber, only about 2.5% of the deuterium is in the divertor. The D coverage is consistent with a layer saturated by implantation with ions and charge-exchange neutrals from the plasma. This contrasts with tokamaks with carbon plasma-facing components (PFC's) where long-term retention of tritium and deuterium is large and mainly in the divertor due to codeposition with carbon eroded by the plasma. The low deuterium retention in the C-Mod divertor is mainly due to the absence of carbon PFC's in C-Mod and the low erosion rate of Mo.
This paper reviews the technology options for a fission-based electric propulsion system for interstellar precursor missions. To achieve a total {Delta}V of more than 100 km/s in less than a decade of thrusting with an electric propulsion system of 10,000s Isp requires a specific mass for the power system of less than 35 kg/kWe. Three possible configurations are described: (1) a UZrH-fueled,NaK-cooled reactor with a steam Rankine conversion system,(2) a UN-fueled gas-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system, and (3) a UN-fueled heat pipe-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system. All three of these systems have the potential to meet the specific mass requirements for interstellar precursor missions in the near term. Advanced versions of a fission-based electric propulsion system might travel as much as several light years in 200 years.
Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) are a recently-discovered set of solar system bodies which lie at about the orbit of Pluto (40 AU) out to about 100 astronomical units (AU). There are estimated to be about 100,000 KBOS with a diameter greater than 100 km. KBOS are postulated to be composed of the pristine material which formed our solar system and may even have organic materials in them. A detailed study of KBO size, orbit distribution, structure, and surface composition could shed light on the origins of the solar system and perhaps even on the origin of life in our solar system. A rendezvous mission including a lander would be needed to perform chemical analysis of the surface and sub-surface composition of KBOS. These requirements set the size of the science probe at around a ton. Mission analyses show that a fission-powered system with an electric thruster could rendezvous at 40 AU in about 13.0 years with a total {Delta}V of 46 krnk. It would deliver a 1000-kg science payload while providing ample onboard power for relaying data back to earth. The launch mass of the entire system (power, thrusters, propellant, navigation, communication, structure, science payload, etc.) would be 7984 kg if it were placed into an earth-escape trajectory (C=O). Alternatively, the system could be placed into a 700-km earth orbit with more propellant,yielding a total mass in LEO of 8618 kg, and then spiral out of earth orbit to arrive at the KBO in 14.3 years. To achieve this performance, a fission power system with 100 kW of electrical power and a total mass (reactor, shield, conversion, and radiator) of about 2350 kg. Three possible configurations are proposed: (1) a UZrH-fueled, NaK-cooled reactor with a steam Rankine conversion system, (2) a UN-fueled gas-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system, and (3) a UN-fueled heatpipe-cooled reactor with a recuperated Brayton conversion system. (Boiling and condensation in the Rankine system is a technical risk at present.) All three of these systems have the potential to meet the weight requirement for the trip and to be built in the near term.
The paper describes a methodology for designing a web site for human factor engineers that is applicable for designing a web site for a group of people. Many web pages on the World Wide Web are not organized in a format that allows a user to efficiently find information. Often the information and hypertext links on web pages are not organized into intuitive groups. Intuition implies that a person is able to use their knowledge of a paradigm to solve a problem. Intuitive groups are categories that allow web page users to find information by using their intuition or mental models of categories. In order to improve the human factors engineers efficiency for finding information on the World Wide Web, research was performed to develop a web site that serves as a tool for finding information effectively. The paper describes a methodology for designing a web site for a group of people who perform similar task in an organization.
We report spurious-free dynamic-range measurements of 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers in short multimode links for radio frequency communication. For a 27-m fiber link, the dynamic range at optimal bias was greater than 95 dB·Hz2/3 for modulation frequencies between 1 and 5.5 GHz, which exceeds the requirements for antenna remoting in microcellular networks. In a free-space link, we have measured the highest dynamic range in an 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser of 113 dB·Hz2/3 at 900 MHz. We have also investigated the effects of modal noise and differential mode delay on the dynamic range for longer lengths of fiber.
Over the last decade, multi-axis machine tools and robots based on parallel kinematic mechanisms (PKMs) have been developed and marketed worldwide. Positional accuracy in these machines is controlled by accurate knowledge of the kinematic parameters which consists of the joint center locations and distances between joint pairs. Since these machines tend to be rather large in size, the kinematic parameters (joint center locations, and initial strut lengths) are difficult to determine when these machines are in their fully assembled state. Work recently completed by the University of Florida and Sandia National Laboratories has yielded a method for determining all of the kinematic parameters of an assembled parallel kinematic device. This paper contains a brief synopsis of the calibration method created, an error budget, an uncertainty analysis for the recovered kinematic parameters and the propagation of these uncertainties to the tool tip.
Defects in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) buried oxides are normally considered deleterious to device operation. Similarly, exposing devices to hydrogen at elevated temperatures often can lead to radiation-induced charge buildup. However, in this work, we take advantage of as-processed defects in SOI buried oxides and moderate temperature hydrogen anneals to generate mobile protons in the buried oxide to form the basis of a ''protonic'' nonvolatile memory. Capacitors and fully-processed transistors were fabricated. SOI buried oxides are exposed to hydrogen at moderate temperatures using a variety of anneal conditions to optimize the density of mobile protons. A fast ramp cool down anneal was found to yield the maximum number of mobile protons. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain uniform mobile proton concentrations across a wafer. Capacitors were irradiated to investigate the potential use of protonic memories for space and weapon applications. Irradiating under a negative top-gate bias or with no applied bias was observed to cause little degradation in the number of mobile protons. However, irradiating to a total dose of 100 krad(SiO{sub 2}) under a positive top-gate bias caused approximately a 100% reduction in the number of mobile protons. Cycling capacitors up to 10{sup 4} cycles had little effect on the switching characteristics. No change in the retention characteristics were observed for times up to 3 x 10{sup 4} s for capacitors stored unbiased at 200 C. These results show the proof-of-concept for a protonic nonvolatile memory. Two memory architectures are proposed for a protonic non-destructive, nonvolatile memory.
Salinas provides a massively parallel implementation of structural dynamics finite element analysis, required for high fidelity, validated models used in modal, vibration, static and shock analysis of weapons systems. This document provides a users guide to the input for Salinas. Details of input specifications for the different solution types, output options, element types and parameters are included. The appendices contain detailed examples, and instructions for running the software on parallel platforms.
The desire to provide a measure of computer network availability at Sandia National Laboratories has existed for along time. Several attempts were made to build this measure by accurately recording network failures, identifying the type of network element involved, the root cause of the problem, and the time to repair the fault. Recognizing the limitations of available methods, it became obvious that another approach of determining network availability had to be defined. The chosen concept involved the periodic sampling of network services and applications from various network locations. A measure of ''network'' availability was then calculated based on the ratio of polling success to failure. The effort required to gather the information and produce a useful metric is not prohibitive and the information gained has verified long held feelings regarding network performance with real data.
This document describes the implementation of periodic boundary conditions in the ALEGRA finite element code. ALEGRA is an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian multi-physics code with both explicit and implicit numerical algorithms. The periodic boundary implementation requires a consistent set of boundary input sets which are used to describe virtual periodic regions. The implementation is noninvasive to the majority of the ALEGRA coding and is based on the distributed memory parallel framework in ALEGRA. The technique involves extending the ghost element concept for interprocessor boundary communications in ALEGRA to additionally support on- and off-processor periodic boundary communications. The user interface, algorithmic details and sample computations are given.
The end of the Cold War finds the international community no longer divided into two opposing blocks. The concerns that the community now faces are becoming more fluid, less focused, and, in many ways, much less predictable. Issues of religion, ethnicity, and nationalism; the possible proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; and the diffusion of technology and information processing throughout the world community have greatly changed the international security landscape in the last decade. Although our challenges appear formidable, the United Nations, State Parties, nongovernmental organizations, and the arms control community are moving to address and lessen these concerns through both formal and informal efforts. Many of the multilateral agreements (e.g., NPT, BWC, CWC, CTBT, MTCR), as well as the bilateral efforts that are taking place between Washington and Moscow employ confidence-building and transparency measures. These measures along with on-site inspection and other verification procedures lessen suspicion and distrust and reduce uncertainty, thus enhancing stability, confidence, and cooperation.
In October 1996, an interdisciplinary team began a three-year LDRD project to study the plasma processes of reactive ion etching and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on large-area silicon devices. The goal was to develop numerical models that could be used in a variety of applications for surface cleaning, selective etching, and thin-film deposition. Silicon solar cells were chosen as the experimental vehicle for this project because an innovative device design was identified that would benefit from immediate performance improvement using a combination of plasma etching and deposition processes. This report presents a summary of the technical accomplishments and conclusions of the team.
The System of Labs Direct Fabrication Technology program was intended to foster cooperation and development in a cooperative effort between Sandia National Labs, Idaho National Energy and Environment Lab and Oak Ridge National Lab. The goal of this program was to bring together LENS (Laser Engineered Net Shaping) from Sandia, INEEL's spray forming process and the alloy development expertise of ORNL. This program investigated the feasibility of combining the LENS and spray forming processes to exploit the best features of both approaches. Further, since both processes were thought to result in a rapidly solidified structure, the alloy design expertise of ORNL offered the opportunity for alloy design or processing options which could more fully utilize the unique capabilities of the processes.
In an attempt to automatically produce high-quality all-hex meshes, we investigated a mesh improvement strategy: given an initial poor-quality all-hex mesh, we iteratively changed the element connectivity, adding and deleting elements and nodes, and optimized the node positions. We found a set of hex reconnection primitives. We improved the optimization algorithms so they can untangle a negative-Jacobian mesh, even considering Jacobians on the boundary, and subsequently optimize the condition number of elements in an untangled mesh. However, even after applying both the primitives and optimization we were unable to produce high-quality meshes in certain regions. Our experiences suggest that many boundary configurations of quadrilaterals admit no hexahedral mesh with positive Jacobians, although we have no proof of this.
Predicting the behavior of ion channel proteins is important for understanding biological effects of drugs and toxins. These problems involve steady state transport of ions through very small (1-2 atoms wide) pores. FY99 LDRD funding was used to begin investigations of ion channel proteins using a molecular theory approach. Much of our efforts involved establishing the soundness of the approach by direct comparison with grand canonical molecular dynamics simulations of simple model systems. In addition, several dimensional ion channel models have been implemented to demonstrate the viability of the approach, The seed funding provided by this LDRD grant resulted in 50K of DOWOBER funds for FY99, an invitation to submit a full length 0(500K) proposal for consideration to DOWOBER, and start a larger LDRD effort in computational biophysics beginning in FY00.
Estimation of the potential radiological risks associated with highway transport of radioactive materials (RAM) requires input data describing population densities adjacent to all portions of the route to be traveled. Previously, aggregated risks for entire multi-state routes were adequately estimated from population data with low geographic resolution. Current demands for geographically-specific risk estimates require similar increases in resolution of population density adjacent to route segments. With the advent of commercial geographic information systems (GISs) and databases describing highways, U.S. Census Blocks, and other information that is geographically distributed, it became feasible to determine and tabulate population characteristics along transportation routes with 1-kilometer resolution. This report describes an automated method of collecting population data adjacent to route segments (for calculation of incident-free doses) based on a commercial GIS. It also describes a statistical method of resolving remaining resolution issues, and an adaptation of the automation method to collection of data on population under a hypothetical plume of contamination resulting from a potential transportation accident.
Polarimetry is the method of recording the state of polarization of light. Imaging polarimetry extends this method to recording the spatially resolved state of polarization within a scene. Imaging-polarimetry data have the potential to improve the detection of manmade objects in natural backgrounds. We have constructed a midwave infrared complete imaging polarimeter consisting of a fixed wire-grid polarizer and rotating form-birefringent retarder. The retardance and the orientation angles of the retarder were optimized to minimize the sensitivity of the instrument to noise in the measurements. The optimal retardance was found to be 132{degree} rather than the typical 90{degree}. The complete imaging polarimeter utilized a liquid-nitrogen cooled PtSi camera. The fixed wire-grid polarizer was located at the cold stop inside the camera dewar. The complete imaging polarimeter was operated in the 4.42-5 {micro}m spectral range. A series of imaging experiments was performed using as targets a surface of water, an automobile, and an aircraft. Further analysis of the polarization measurements revealed that in all three cases the magnitude of circular polarization was comparable to the noise in the calculated Stokes-vector components.