Publications

Hydroxylated alumina films have been synthesized by water oxidation of single crystal Al(110) surfaces. Thermal dehydroxylation results in anion vacancies which produce an Al(3s) defect state 3.5 eV below the conduction band edge. A maximum in the defect-DOS occurs for oxides heated to 350 to 400C, which is where the materials exhibit maximum Lewis acidity with respect to C{sub 2}H{sub 4}. Adsorbed C{sub 2}H{sub 4} produces thermally active C{sub 2} species which interact covalently with the defect-DOS and nonbonding O(2p) from the top of the valence band. C(1s) binding energies suggest significant charge transfer which is consistent with a carbenium ion. Ni evaporated onto the surface, however, transfers charge directly to Al species and does not interact with O atoms at the defect site. The defect-DOS is regenerated when the C{sub 2} species decomposes or when Ni migrates thermally through the oxide layer.

This is the first annual report since the Inauguration of the University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics Research and Development (UCEP) at Georgia Tech. The essential objective of the Center is to improve the fundamental understanding of the science and technology of advanced PV devices and materials, to provide training and enrich the educational experience of students in the field, and to increase US competitiveness by providing guidelines to industry and DOE for achieving cost-effective and high efficiency PV devices. These objectives are to be accomplished through a combination of research and education. This report summarizes the technical accomplishments, including modeling, processing, and characterization of cast multicrystalline silicon solar cells; use of modeling and PCD measurements to develop a road map for progressing toward 20% multicrystalline and 25% single crystalline cells; the development of a novel PECVD SiN/SiO{sub 2} AR coating that also provides good surface passivation; PECVD deposited SiO{sub 2} films with record low S and D{sub it} at the SiO{sub 2}/Si interface; and educational activities and accomplishments.

The International Energy Agency Fossil Fuel Multiphase Flow Sciences Agreement has been in effect since 1986. The traditional mechanism for the effort has been information exchange, effected by the inclusion of scientists in annual Executive committee meetings, by exchange of reports and papers, and by visits of scientists to one another`s institutions. In a sequence of informal meetings and at the 1993 Executive committee meeting, held in Pittsburgh, US in March 1994, it was decided that more intensive interactions could be productive. A candidate for such interactions would be specific projects. Each of these would be initiated through a meeting of scientists in which feasibility of the particular project was decided, followed by relatively intense international co-operation in which the work would be done. This is a report of the first of these meetings. Official or unofficial representatives from Canada, italy, japan, mexico, the United Kingdom, and the US met in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US, to consider the subject Flows of Granular Materials in Complex Geometries. Representatives of several other countries expressed interest but were unable to attend this meeting. Sixteen lectures were given on aspects of this topic. It was decided that a co-operative effort was desirable and possible. The most likely candidate for the area of study would be flows in bins and hoppers. Each of the countries wishing to co-operate will pursue funding for its effort. This report contains extended abstracts of the sixteen presentations and a transcription of the final discussion.

Sandia National Laboratories operates the Primary Standards Laboratory for the Department of Energy, Albuquerque Operations Office (DOE/AL). This report summarizes metrology activities that received emphasis in the first half of 1994 and provides information pertinent to the operation of the DOE/AL system-wide Standards and Calibration Program.

The finite difference flow and transport simulator VS2DT was benchmark tested against several other codes which solve the same equations (Richards equation for flow and the Advection-Dispersion equation for transport). The benchmark problems investigated transient two-dimensional flow in a heterogeneous soil profile with a localized water source at the ground surface. The VS2DT code performed as well as or better than all other codes when considering mass balance characteristics and computational speed. It was also rated highly relative to the other codes with regard to ease-of-use. Following the benchmark study, the code was verified against two analytical solutions, one for two-dimensional flow and one for two-dimensional transport. These independent verifications show reasonable agreement with the analytical solutions, and complement the one-dimensional verification problems published in the code`s original documentation.

Data are presented from the intermediate scale borehole test, an in situ test fielded in the pillar separating Rooms C1 and C2 at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The test was to provide data on the influence of scale, if any, on the structural behavior of underground openings in salt. These data include selected fielding information, test configuration, instrumentation activities, and comprehensive results from a large number of gages. Construction of the test began in December 1989, with the drilling of the intermediate scale borehole in December 1990. Gage data in this report cover the period from January 1989 through June 1993.

An optical technique for high-power radio-frequency (RF) signal generation is described. The technique uses a unique photodetector based on a traveling-wave design driven by an appropriately modulated light source. The traveling-wave photodetector (TWPD) exhibits simultaneously a theoretical quantum efficiency approaching 100 % and a very large electrical bandwidth. Additionally, it is capable of dissipating the high-power levels required for the RF generation technique. The modulated light source is formed by either the beating together of two lasers or by the direct modulation of a light source. A system example is given which predicts RF power levels of 100`s of mW`s at millimeter wave frequencies with a theoretical ``wall-plug`` efficiency approaching 34%.

US industry produces about 12 billion tons of waste a year, or two-thirds of the waste generated in the US. The costs of handling and disposing of these wastes are significant, estimated to be between $25 and $43 billion in 1991, and represent an increase of 66% since 1986. US industry also uses about one-third of all energy consumed in the nation, which adds to the environmental burden. Industrial wastes affect the environmental well-being of the nation and, because of their growing costs, the competitive abilities of US industry. As part of a national effort to reduce industrial wastes, the US Congress passed the Energy Policy Act (EPAct, P.L. 102-486). Section 2108, subsections (b) and (c), of EPAct requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to identify opportunities to demonstrate energy efficient pollution prevention technologies and processes; to assess their availability and the energy, environmental, and cost effects of such technologies; and to report the results. Work for this report clearly pointed to two things, that there is insufficient data on wastes and that there is great breadth and diversity in the US industrial sector. This report identifies: information currently available on industrial sector waste streams, opportunities for demonstration of energy efficient pollution prevention technologies in two industries that produce significant amounts of waste--chemicals and petroleum, characteristics of waste reducing and energy saving technologies identifiable in the public literature, and potential barriers to adoption of waste reducing technologies by industry.

On October 24, 1992, the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct, Public Law 102-486). Section 2108, subsections (b) and (c), of EPAct requires the Department of Energy to identify opportunities to demonstrate energy efficient pollution prevention technologies and processes; to assess the availability and the energy, environmental, and cost effects of such technologies; and to report the results within one year. This report is in response to that requirement. National waste reduction efforts in both the private and public sectors encompass a variety of activities to decrease the amount of wastes that ultimately enter their air, water, and land. DOE`s Office of Industrial Technologies (DOE/OIT) recognized the importance of these efforts and confirmed the federal government`s commitment to waste reduction by establishing the Industrial Waste Program (IWP) in 1990. The program is driven by industry and national needs, and is working on new technologies and information dissemination that industry identifies as vital. The national benefits of new technologies do not accrue to the economy until transferred to industry and incorporated into commercially available processes or products.

FAROW is a Computer program that assists in the probabilistic analysis of the Fatigue and Reliability of wind turbines. The fatigue lifetime of wind turbine components is calculated using functional forms for important input quantities. Parameters of these functions are defined in an input file as either constants or random variables. The user can select from a library of random variable distribution functions. FAROW uses structural reliability techniques to calculate the mean time to failure, probability of failure before a target lifetime, relative importance of each of the random inputs, and the sensitivity of the reliability to all input parameters. Monte Carlo simulation is also available. This user`s manual is intended to provide sufficient information to knowledgeably run the program and meaningfully interpret the results. The first chapter provides an overview of the approach and the results. Chapter 2 describes the formulation and assumptions used in the fatigue life calculations. Each of the input parameters is described in detail in Chapter 3 along with hints and warnings on usage. An explanation of the outputs is provided in Chapter 4. Two example problems are described and solved in Chapter 5, one for the case where extensive data are available and the other with limited data where the uncertainty is higher. A typical input file and the output files for the example problems are included in the appendices.

Concern for the environment and cost reduction are driving forces for a broad effort in government and the private sector to develop new, more cost-effective technologies for characterizing, monitoring and remediating environmental sites. Secondary goals of the characterization, monitoring and remediation (CMR) activity are: minimize secondary waste generation, minimize site impact, protect water tables, and develop methods/strategies to apply new technologies. The Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) project in directional boring for CMR of waste sites with enhanced machinery from the underground utility installation industry was initiated in 1990. The project has tested a variety of prototype machinery and hardware built by the industrial partner, Charles Machine Works (CMW), and SNL at several sites (Savannah River Site (SRS), Hanford, SNL, Kirtland AFB (KAFB), CMW), successfully installed usable horizontal environmental test wells at SRS and SNL/KAFB, and functioned as a clearing house for information regarding application of existing commercial machinery to a variety of governmental and commercial sites. The project has continued to test and develop machinery in FY 94. The original goal of cost-effectiveness is being met through innovation, adaptation, and application of fundamental concepts. Secondary goals are being met via a basic philosophy of {open_quotes}cut/thrust and compact cuttings without adding large quantities of fluid{close_quotes} to an environmental problem site. This technology will be very cost-effective where applicable. Technology transfer and commercialization by CMW is ongoing and will continue into FY 95. Technology transfer to the private sector is ongoing and reflected in increasing machinery sales to environmental contractors. Education of regulatory agencies resulting in restructuring of appropriate regulatory standards for specification of the horizontal drilling techniques continues to be a long-range goal.

This 1993 report contains monitoring data from routine radiological and nonradiological environmental surveillance activities. Summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress, such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, environmental permits, environmental restoration, and various waste management programs for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are included. The maximum offsite dose impact was calculated to be 0.0016 millirem. The total population within a 50-mile (80 kilometer) radius of Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico received an estimated collective dose of 0.027 person-rem during 1993 from the laboratories operations, As in the previous year, the 1993 operations at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico had no discernible impact on the general public or on the environment. This report is prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy in compliance with DOE Order 5400.1.

Results of recent studies of the electronic properties of polysilanes are reviewed. The electronic states can be described by the Hueckel model if coulomb interactions are included using the Pariser-Parr-Pople approximation. The long polymer chains appear to be divided into random length, short, ordered segments by conformational defects, with the energy of the excited states depending on the length of the segments. In isolated polymer chains energy is transferred from high-energy, short segments to longer, lower energy segments but the distance and time during which transfer take place is very limited. In solid films the excitons become highly mobile and remain mobile throughout their lifetime, even at low temperatures. Holes are quite mobile in solid films and the characteristics of transport are the same as those of charge carrier transport in molecularly doped polymer films.

A series of tests to evaluate several types of environmental well casings have been conducted by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and it`s industrial partner, The Charles Machine Works, Inc. (CMW). A test bed was constructed at the CMW test range to model a typical shallow, horizontal, directionally drilled wellbore. Four different types of casings were pulled through this test bed. The loads required to pull the casings through the test bed and the condition of the casing material were documented during the pulling operations. An additional test was conducted to make a comparison of test bed vs actual wellbore casing pull loads. A directionally drilled well was emplaced by CMW to closely match the test bed. An instrumented casing was installed in the well and the pull loads recorded. The completed tests are reviewed and the results reported.

The disposal of liquid organic solvents in unlined pits at the Sandia National Laboratories Chemical Waste Landfill (CWL) has created an organic solvent vapor plume in the subsurface soils. The groundwater, at a depth of 485 feet below ground surface, shows contamination by the vapor plume. The primary strategy to remove the volatile organic constituents from the soil include methods based on vacuum vapor extraction technologies. These technologies utilize the physical process of inducing air flow through the soils, into an extraction well, and to the surface for collection and/or treatment. The ability of the soils to be ventilated by a vacuum vapor extraction system is primarily dependent on the permeability of the soil. However, soil stratigraphic layers can have different permeabilities due to the differences in soil texture (percentages of sand, silt, and clay) and soil structure (bulk density and pore size distribution). These differences can create local soil horizons that are preferentially ventilated. The less ventilated zones will prolong the removal of vapor phase contaminants. This will increase the time needed to reach the remediation cleanup levels. Air permeability estimates at sequential depth horizons would provide valuable design input for segmented well screen completion zones that may improve removal efficiency of vacuum vapor extraction systems. Soil permeability characterization can be accomplished in many ways including laboratory tests, field scale tests, and reference to analogous soil texture properties. The work presented here represents an evaluation of soil permeability test methods at selected locations of the CWL.

The results of the numerical simulations reveal that horizontal air flow through the coarse with reasonable pressure gradients can remove large quantities of water from the cover system. Initially, the water removal from the cover system is dominated by the evaporation and advection of water vapor out of the coarse layer. Once the coarse layer is dry, removal of water by evaporation near the fine/coarse layer interface reduces the local water content and water potential, and water moves toward the fine-coarse layer interface and becomes available for evaporation. This result is important in that it suggests the fine layer water content may be moderated by air flow in the coarse layer. Incorporating diffusion of water vapor from the fine layer into the coarse layer substantially increases the water movement out of the fine layer.

Soil heating technologies have been proposed as a method to accelerate contaminant removal from subsurface soils. These methods include the use of hot air, steam, conductive heaters, in-situ resistive heating and in-situ radiofrequency heating (Buettner et.al., EPA, Dev et.al., Heath et.al.). Criteria for selection of a particular soil heating technology is a complex function of contaminant and soil properties, and efficiency in energy delivery and contaminant removal technologies. The work presented here seeks to expand the understanding of the interactions of subsurface water, contaminant, heat and vacuum extraction through model predictions and field data collection. Field demonstration will involve the combination of two soil heating technologies (resistive and dielectric) with a vacuum vapor extraction system and will occur during the summer of 1994.

Abstract not provided.

Physical Optical Corporation has introduced a Light Shaping Diffuser{trademark} (LSD) for the specialized illumination requirements of aircraft inspection. Attached to a handheld, battery-powered flashlight, this light-weight, holographic diffuser element provides bright, even illumination as aircraft inspectors perform the important task of visually examining aircraft for possible structural defects. Field trials conducted by the Aging Aircraft Program at Sandia National Laboratories confirm that the LSD-equipped flashlights are preferred by visual inspectors over stock flashlights.

A conceptual design for an air-launched interceptor missile to defend against theater ballistic missiles is presented. The missile is designed to intercept the target while ascending, during Or just after the boost phase, before it reaches exo-atmospheric flight. The interceptor consists of a two-stage booster and a shrouded kinetic-kill vehicle. This report concentrates on the booster design required to achieve reasonable standoff ranges. The kinetic-kill vehicle and shroud (the payload) is assumed to weigh 80 lb{sub m} (36 kg) and assumed to contain guidance computers for both the kill vehicle and the booster. The interceptor missile is about 6 m long, .48 m in diameter and weighs about 900 kg. Allowing 25 sec for target detection, trajectory estimation, and interceptor launch, it can intercept 90 sec after target launch from a 220 km stand-off range at an altitude of 60 km. Trade-off studies show that the interceptor performance is most sensitive to the stage mass fractions (with the first-stage mass fraction the most important), the first-stage burn time and the payload weight.

The torque loads on two classes of wind turbine gearboxes are analyzed using a time-at-torque technique and a rainflow counting technique to determine the cyclic loads on the gear teeth. The two techniques are compared and contrasted to one another using representative samples of the time histograms from a Micon 65 and the Sandia/DOE Test Bed wind turbines. To place these differences in perspective, Miner’s Rule is used to determine the damage produced by each of the distributions. The damage analyses illustrate that the differences in the distributions are minimal.

Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) has established a formal facility assessment, decontamination and demolition oversight process with the goal of ensuring that excess or contaminated facilities are managed in a cost-effective manner that is protective of human health and the environment. The decontamination and demolition process is designed so that all disciplines are consulted and have input from the initiation of a project. The committee consists of all essential Environmental, Safety and Health (ES and H) and Facilities disciplines. The interdisciplinary-team approach has provided a mechanism that verifies adequate building and site assessment activities are conducted. This approach ensures that wastes generated during decontamination and demolition activities are handled and disposed according to Department of Energy (DOE), Federal, state, and local requirements. Because of the comprehensive nature of the SNL decontamination and demolition process, the strategy can be followed for demolition, renovation and new construction projects, regardless of funding source. An overview of the SNL/NM decontamination and demolition process is presented through a case study which demonstrates the practical importance of the formal process.

Sandia National Labs has been investigating concepts for high power lasers pumped directly by fission energy. The direct pumping of laser media with fission fragments offers the potential advantages of scaling to high powers and very long run times in a compact, self powered system. To investigate the potential of this concept, extensive experiments have been conducted in the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) and the Sandia Pulsed Reactor (SPR-III). These experiments include laser physics tests, radiation effects tests on optical materials, and experiments to examine the scaling of reactor pumped lasers to high powers. The SPR-III is a U-10%Mo fast burst reactor which is used for laser physics experiments. SPR-III is capable of 70 to 1500 {mu}s FWHM pulses generating up to several kW/cc excitation in a liter size laser cavity. The pulse widths greater than a few hundred microseconds are achieved using a pulse stretcher consisting of gram amounts of fissile material surrounded by moderator. The ACRR is a UO{sub 2}BeO fueled epithermal reactor which is used for larger volume scaling and beam quality experiments. ACRR operates in both steady state and pulsed modes with pulse widths of 7 to 250 ms resulting in excitation rates of {approximately}2 to 100 W/cc in excitation volumes of up to 50 1. Experimental configurations on both reactors have included central cavity and external cavity locations. The experiments on SPR-III have defined optimum conditions for efficient reactor pumping of rare gas lasers. This information has been used to define scaling experiments now in progress in the ACRR.

The safety and security of foreign nuclear facilities is an important topic for intelligence services. This has been made more important by the breakup of the Former Soviet Union. The major requirement of intelligence analysts is rapid information retrieval after the report of an incident at a foreign facility. Sandia National Laboratories is developing a GIS-based Energy Intelligence Information System (EIIS) to help analysts at The Office of Energy Intelligence of the Department of Energy formulate a response to a nuclear incident. The Vital Issues process was used to determine which information might be the most important to collect. Joint Applications Design and prototyping sessions were held to establish EIIS requirements and refine the user interface. EIIS was built to access any point on the globe or to move directly to a site, facility, or city. The EIIS version 1.0 concentrates on commercial reactors, version 2.0 will include other nuclear fuel cycle sites and release 3.0 will include waste and disposal information. The system runs on a SUN workstation using ARC/INFO{trademark} and Informix as the RDBMS. The map system relies upon the Digital Chart of the World from the Defense Mapping Agency.

Abstract not provided.