This remote sensing science and exploitation work focused on exploitation algorithms and methods targeted at the analyst. SMART is a 'plug-in' to commercial remote sensing software that provides algorithms to enhance the utility of the Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) and other multispectral satellite data. This toolkit has been licensed to 22 government organizations.
This report documents the research into the application of hierarchical Bayesian methods for characterizing the population failure rate (i.e. probability of defect) of an electronic component based on test data from a number of different test modalities. Classical statistical methods, those based on a frequency approach permit the combination of point estimates but stumble when characterizing the resulting confidence limits. Classical Bayesian methods permit the logical combination of test data, but are not fully efficient in incorporating all available information. In particular, classical Bayesian methods assume that the articles under test are not related in any manner even though the articles may be identical. Alternatively, hierarchical Bayesian methods permit the relationship between test articles to be explicitly included in the analysis. Data from four different test modalities are considered in the analysis. Comparisons are made between the current analysis approach (using traditional statistical methods), classical Bayesian methods and a hierarchical Bayesian approach.
Three levels of fission product diffusional release models are solved exactly. First, the Booth model for a homogeneous uncoated spherical fuel particle is presented and an improved implementation is suggested. Second, the release from a fuel particle with a single barrier layer is derived as a simple alternative to account for a coating layer. Third, the general case of release from a multicoated fuel particle is derived and applied to a TRISO-coated fuel. Previous approaches required approximate numerical solutions for the case of an arbitrary number of coatings with arbitrary diffusivities and arbitrary coating interface conditions.
The technical and economic feasibility of applying used electric vehicle (EV) batteries in stationary applications was evaluated in this study. In addition to identifying possible barriers to EV battery reuse, steps needed to prepare the used EV batteries for a second application were also considered. Costs of acquiring, testing, and reconfiguring the used EV batteries were estimated. Eight potential stationary applications were identified and described in terms of power, energy, and duty cycle requirements. Costs for assembly and operation of battery energy storage systems to meet the requirements of these stationary applications were also estimated by extrapolating available data on existing systems. The calculated life cycle cost of a battery energy storage system designed for each application was then compared to the expected economic benefit to determine the economic feasibility. Four of the eight applications were found to be at least possible candidates for economically viable reuse of EV batteries. These were transmission support, light commercial load following, residential load following, and distributed node telecommunications backup power. There were no major technical barriers found, however further study is recommended to better characterize the performance and life of used EV batteries before design and testing of prototype battery systems.
The intrusion of gas into oils stored within the SPR has been examined. When oil is stored in domal salts, gases intrude into the stored oil from the surrounding salt. Aspects of the mechanism of gas intrusion have been examined. In all cases, this gas intrusion results in increases in the oil vapor pressure. Data that have been gathered from 1993 to August 2002 are presented to show the resultant increases in bubble-point pressure on a cavern-by-cavern as well as on a stream basis. The measurement techniques are presented with particular emphasis on the TVP 95. Data analysis methods are presented to show the methods required to obtain recombined cavern oil compositions. Gas-oil ratios are also computed from the data and are presented on a cavern-by-cavern and stream basis. The observed increases in bubble-point pressure and gas-oil ratio are further statistically analyzed to allow data interpretation. Emissions plume modeling is used to determine adherence to state air regulations. Gas intrusion is observed to be variable among the sites and within each dome. Gas intrusions at Bryan Mound and Big Hill have resulted in the largest increases in bubble-point pressure for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The streams at Bayou Choctaw and West Hackberry show minimal bubble-point pressure increases. Emissions plume modeling, using the state mandated ISCST code, of oil storage tanks showed that virtually no gas may be released when H2S standards are considered. DOE plans to scavenge H2S to comply with the very tight standards on this gas. With the assumption of scavenging, benzene releases become the next most controlling factor. Model results show that a GOR of 0.6 SCF/BBL may be emissions that are within standards. Employing the benzene gas release standard will significantly improve oil deliverability. New plume modeling using the computational fluid dynamics code, FLUENT, is addressing limitations of the state mandated ISCST model.
The development of precision pointing systems has been underway in Sandia's Electronic Systems Center for over thirty years. Important areas of emphasis are synthetic aperture radars and optical reconnaissance systems. Most applications are in the aerospace arena, with host vehicles including rockets, satellites, and manned and unmanned aircraft. Systems have been used on defense-related missions throughout the world. Presently in development are pointing systems with accuracy goals in the nanoradian regime. Future activity will include efforts to dramatically reduce system size and weight through measures such as the incorporation of advanced materials and MEMS inertial sensors.
Presto is a Lagrangian, three-dimensional explicit, transient dynamics code for the analysis of solids subjected to large, suddenly applied loads. Presto is designed for problems with large deformations, nonlinear material behavior, and contact.
Sandia National Laboratories has developed a unique method for a hyper-velocity launch (HVL), the three-stage gun. The three-stage gun is a modified two-stage light-gas gun, consisting of a piston used in the first stage, an impactor in the second stage, and a flyer plate in the third stage. The impactor is made up of different material layers that are increasing in shock impedance. The graded or pillowed layers allow the flyer to be launched at velocities up to 16 km/s without the formation of a single shock wave in the flyer plate and without it melting. Under certain experimental conditions the flyer velocity cannot be measured by standard means, X-rays and VISAR. Also, there is a need to know the flyer velocity prior to a launch in order to calibrate instruments and determine the appropriate shot configuration. The objective of HVL{_}CTH is to produce an accurate forecast of the flyer plate velocity under different launch conditions. CTH is a Eulerian shock physics computational analysis package developed at Sandia National Laboratories. Using CTH requires knowledge of its syntax and capabilities. HVL{_}CTH allows the user to easily interface with CTH, through the use of Fortran programs and batch files, in order to simulate the three-stage launch of a flyer plate. The program, HVL{_}CTH, requires little to no knowledge of the CTH program and greatly reduces the time needed to calculate the flyer velocity. Users of HVL{_}CTH are assumed to have no experience with CTH. The results from HVL{_}CTH were compared to results of X-ray and VISAR measurements obtained from HVL experiments. The comparisons show that HVL{_}CTH was within 1-2% of the X-Ray and VISAR results most of the time.
Rotation sensors (gyros) and accelerometers are essential components for all precision-guided weapons and autonomous mobile surveillance platforms. MEMS gyro development has been based primarily on the properties of moving mass to sense rotation and has failed to keep pace with the concurrent development of MEMS accelerometers because the reduction of size and therefore mass is substantially more detrimental to the performance of gyros than to accelerometers. A small ({approx}0.2 cu in), robust ({approx}20,000g), inexpensive ({approx}$500), tactical grade performance ({approx}10-20 deg/hr.) gyro is vital for the successful implementation of the next generation of ''smart'' weapons and surveillance apparatus. The range of applications (relevant to Sandia's mission) that are substantially enhanced in capability or enabled by the availability of a gyro possessing the above attributes includes nuclear weapon guidance, fuzing, and safing; synthetic aperture radar (SAR) motion compensation; autonomous air and ground vehicles; gun-launched munitions; satellite control; and personnel tracking. For example, a gyro of this capability would open for consideration more fuzing options for earth-penetration weapons. The MEMS gyros currently available are lacking in one or more of the aforementioned attributes. An integrated optical gyro, however, possesses the potential of achieving all desired attributes. Optical gyros use the properties of light to sense rotation and require no moving mass. Only the individual optical elements required for the generation, detection, and control of light are susceptible to shock. Integrating these elements immensely enhances the gyro's robustness while achieving size and cost reduction. This project's goal, a joint effort between organizations 2300 and 1700, was to demonstrate an RMOG produced from a monolithic photonic integrated circuit coupled with a SiON waveguide resonator. During this LDRD program, we have developed the photonic elements necessary for a resonant micro-optical gyro. We individually designed an AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflector laser; GaAs phase modulator and GaAs photodiode detector. Furthermore, we have fabricated a breadboard gyroscope, which was used to confirm modeling and evaluate signal processing and control circuits.
Many MEMS-based components require optical monitoring techniques using optoelectronic devices for converting mechanical position information into useful electronic signals. While the constituent piece-parts of such hybrid opto-MEMS components can be separately optimized, the resulting component performance, size, ruggedness and cost are substantially compromised due to assembly and packaging limitations. GaAs MOEMS offers the possibility of monolithically integrating high-performance optoelectronics with simple mechanical structures built in very low-stress epitaxial layers with a resulting component performance determined only by GaAs microfabrication technology limitations. GaAs MOEMS implicitly integrates the capability for radiation-hardened optical communications into the MEMS sensor or actuator component, a vital step towards rugged integrated autonomous microsystems that sense, act, and communicate. This project establishes a new foundational technology that monolithically combines GaAs optoelectronics with simple mechanics. Critical process issues addressed include selectivity, electrochemical characteristics, and anisotropy of the release chemistry, and post-release drying and coating processes. Several types of devices incorporating this novel technology are demonstrated.
Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is a lypopolysaccharide found on the surface of the parasite Leishmania donovani that is thought to play an essential role in the infection of humans with leishamniasis. LPG acts as an adhesion point for the parasite to the gut of the sand fly, whose bite is responsible for transmitting the disease. In addition, LPG acts to inhibit protein kinase C (PKC) in the human macrophage, possibly by structural changes in the membrane. The Ca{sup 2+} ion is believed to play a role in the infection cycle, acting both as a crosslinker between LPG molecules and by playing a part in modulating PKC activity. To gain insight into the structure of LPG within a supported lipid membrane and into the structural changes that occur due to Ca{sup 2+} ions, we have employed the atomic force microscope (AFM). We have observed that the LPG molecules inhibit bilayer fusion, resulting in bilayer islands on the mica surface. One experiment suggests that the LPG molecules are parallel to the mica surface and that the structure of the LPG changes upon addition of Ca{sup 2+}, with an increase in the height of the LPG molecules from the bilayer surface and an almost complete coverage of LPG on the bilayer island.
Crucial to low-level detection of biowarfare agents in aqueous environments is the mass sensitivity optimization of Love-wave acoustic sensors. The present work is an experimental study of 36{sup o} YX cut LiTaO{sub 3} based Love-wave devices for detection of pathogenic spores in aqueous conditions. Given that the detection limit (DL) of Love-wave based sensors is a strong function of the overlying waveguide, two waveguide materials have been investigated, which are polyimide and polystyrene. To determine the mass sensitivity of Love-wave sensor, bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein was injected into the Love-wave test cell while recording magnitude and phase shift across each sensor. Polyimide had the lowest mass detection limit with an estimated value of 1-2 ng/cm{sup 2}, as compared to polystyrene where DL = 2.0 ng/cm{sup 2}. Suitable chemistries were used to orient antibodies on the Love-wave sensor using adsorbed protein G. The thickness of each biofilm was measured using ellipsometry from which the surface concentrations were calculated. The monoclonal antibody BD8 with a high degree of selectivity for anthrax spores was used to capture the non-pathogenic simulant B. thuringiensis B8 spores. Bacillus Subtilis spores were used as a negative control to determine whether significant non-specific binding would occur. Spore aliquots were prepared using an optical counting method, which permitted removal of background particles for consistent sample preparation. This work demonstrates that Love-wave devices can be used to detect B. anthracis simulant below reported infectious levels.
A conceptual model of the MIU site in central Japan, was developed to predict the groundwater system response to pumping. The study area consisted of a fairly large three-dimensional domain, having the size 4.24 x 6 x 3 km{sup 3} with three different geological units, upper and lower fractured zones and a single fault unit. The resulting computational model comprised of 702,204 finite difference cells with variable grid spacing. Both steady-state and transient simulations were completed to evaluate the influence of two different surface boundary conditions: fixed head and no flow. Steady state results were used for particle tracking and also serving as the initial conditions (i.e., starting heads) for the transient simulations. Results of the steady state simulations indicate the significance of the choice of surface (i.e., upper) boundary conditions and its effect on the groundwater flow patterns along the base of the upper fractured zone. Steady state particle tracking results illustrate that all particles exit the top of the model in areas where groundwater discharges to the Hiyoshi and Toki rivers. Particle travel times range from 3.6 x 10{sup 7} sec (i.e., {approx}1.1 years) to 4.4 x 10{sup 10} sec (i.e., {approx}1394 years). For the transient simulations, two pumping zones one above and another one below the fault are considered. For both cases, the pumping period extends for 14 days followed by an additional 36 days of recovery. For the pumping rates used, the maximum drawdown is quite small (ranging from a few centimeters to a few meters) and thus, pumping does not severely impact the groundwater flow system. The range of drawdown values produced by pumping below the fault are generally much less sensitive to the choice of the boundary condition than are the drawdowns resulted from the pumping zone above the fault.
Several major issues associated with model validation are addressed here. First, we extend the application-based, model validation metric presented in Hills and Trucano (2001) to the Maximum Likelihood approach introduced in Hills and Trucano (2002). This method allows us to use the target application of the code to weigh the measurements made from a validation experiment so that those measurements that are most important for the application are more heavily weighted. Secondly, we further develop the linkage between suites of validation experiments and the target application so that we can (1) provide some measure of coverage of the target application and, (2) evaluate the effect of uncertainty in the measurements and model parameters on application level validation. We provide several examples of this approach based on steady and transient heat conduction, and shock physics applications.
The primary goal of the WindPACT Blade System Design Study (BSDS) was investigation and evaluation of design and manufacturing issues for wind turbine blades in the one to ten megawatt size range. The initial project task was to assess the fundamental physical and manufacturing issues that govern and constrain large blades and entails three basic elements: (1) a parametric scaling study to assess blade structure using current technology, (2) an economic study of the cost to manufacture, transport, and install large blades, and (3) identification of promising innovative design approaches that show potential for overcoming fundamental physical and manufacturing constraints. This report discusses several innovative design approaches and their potential for blade cost reduction. During this effort we reviewed methods for optimizing the blade cross-section to improve structural and manufacturing characteristics. We also analyzed and compared a number of composite materials and evaluated their relative merits for use in large wind turbine blades in the range from 30 meters to 70 meters. The results have been summarized in dimensional and non-dimensional format to aid in interpretation. These results build upon earlier parametric and blade cost studies, which were used as a guide for the innovative design approaches explored here.
This report describes the activities on the ''Ultra Miniaturization of RF'' project conducted as part of Sandia's Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. The objective was to evaluate a multichip module technology known as Microwave Chip on Flex (MCOF) [1], which is a newer form of the standard high density interconnect (HDI) technology originally developed by General Electric and Lockheed Martin [2,3]. The program was a three-year effort. In the first year, the team focused on understanding the technology and developing a basic design library. In the second year, devices and interconnects used at L, X, and Ku frequency bands were evaluated via a test coupon (with no application specific circuit design). In the third year, we designed, fabricated, and evaluated a specific Ku-band circuit. The circuit design and layout was performed by Sandia, and the module fabrication was performed by Lockheed Martin Government Electronic Systems. In MCOF technology [1], bare die are placed face down on an adhesive backed flex circuit. The first level of the circuit is a pre-patterned titanium copper thin film metal system on a polyimide dielectric material. The complete module is then framed and filled with an epoxy encapsulant. The module is flipped and via holes are laser drilled through subsequent interconnect layers. Each addition layer is adhered to the top of the module and laser drilling repeated. The baseline design consisted of the original pre-patterned layer plus two additional metal layers. The base of the module is then machined so the heat spreader and frame are planar for a good thermal and electrical connection to the next assembly. This report describes the efforts conducted to evaluate the technology and its applicability to Sandia RF systems.
Water shortages affect 88 developing countries that are home to half of the world's population. In these places, 80-90% of all diseases and 30% of all deaths result from poor water quality. Furthermore, over the next 25 years, the number of people affected by severe water shortages is expected to increase fourfold. Low cost methods to desalinate brackish water and sea water can help reverse this destabilizing trend. Desalination has now been practiced on a large scale for more than 50 years. During this time continual improvements have been made, and the major technologies are now remarkably efficient, reliable, and inexpensive. For many years, thermal technologies were the only viable option, and multi-stage flash (MSF) was established as the baseline technology. Multi-effect evaporation (MEE) is now the state-of-the-art thermal technology, but has not been widely implemented. With the growth of membrane science, reverse osmosis (RO) overtook MSF as the leading desalination technology, and should be considered the baseline technology. Presently, RO of seawater can be accomplished with an energy expenditure in the range of 11-60 kJ/kg at a cost of $2 to $4 per 1000 gallons. The theoretical minimum energy expenditure is 3-7 kJ/kg. Since RO is a fairly mature technology, further improvements are likely to be incremental in nature, unless design improvements allow major savings in capital costs. Therefore, the best hope to dramatically decrease desalination costs is to develop ''out of the box'' technologies. These ''out of the box'' approaches must offer a significant advantage over RO (or MEE, if waste heat is available) if they are to be viable. When making these comparisons, it is crucial that the specifics of the calculation are understood so that the comparison is made on a fair and equivalent basis.