High spatial resoslution x-ray microanalysis in the analytical electron microscope (AEM) can be used to determine chemical composition on spatial scales of < 50 nm. Simple scattering models have the drawback of being incapable of treating electron scattering in inhomogeneous specimens, such as at phase interfaces or grain boundary segregation. The best method for calculating electron scattering and x-ray generation function is by Mone Carlo methods. Two examples are discussed: a phase interface in an Fe-Ni-Cr alloy, and grain boundary segregation using a 0.3 nm Cu slab in a 25 nm Al film (the slab is parallel to incident electron beam). It is concluded that high spatial resolution x-ray microanalysis can achieve near atomic resolution, but that massively parallel Monte Carlo models for electron scattering and a well characterized electron beam are needed.
Under a Cooperative Agreement between the Commission of European Communities (CEC) and the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Joint Research Centre, (JRC) ISPRA, and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have been cooperating in the development of Containment and Surveillance equipment for a number of years. With recent technology advancements, this cooperation is expanding into the areas of Data Authentication, Safeguards Data Networks, Integrated Systems, and Image Processing. This paper will describe recently expanded efforts in connecting the Integrated Monitoring System designed by SNL to the Computer Aided Video Surveillance System designed by JRC. An SNL Modular Video Authentication System was furnished to test in the video circuitry of the Computer Aided Video Surveillance System. The two systems will remain at JRC for demonstrations, training, and future development activities.
Effective application of pan-tilt cameras in alarm assessment systems requires that the overall system design be such that any threat for which the system is designed will be within the field of view of the camera for a sufficiently long time for the assessment of the alarm to be performed. The assessment of alarms in large, unobstructed areas requires a different type of analysis than traditionally used for clear zones between fences along fixed perimeters where an intruder`s possible location is well defined. This paper presents a design methodology which integrates the threat characteristics, sensor detection pattern, system response time, and optics geometry considerations to identify all feasible locations for camera placement for effective assessment of large, unobstructed areas. The methodology also can be used to evaluate tradeoffs among these various considerations to improve candidate designs.
In this study we have developed the techniques to investigate the hydrodynamic response of high-strength ceramics by mixing these powders with copper powder, preparing compacts, and performing shock compression tests on these mixtures. Hydrodynamics properties of silicon carbide, titanium diboride, and boron carbide to 30 GPa were examined by this method, and hydrodynamic compression data for these ceramics have been determined. We have concluded, however, that the measurement method is sensitive to sample preparation and uncertainties in shock wave measurements. Application of the experimental technique is difficult and further efforts are needed.
Developments are reported in both experimental and numerical capabilities for characterizing the debris spray produced in penetration events. We have performed a series of high-velocity experiments specifically designed to examine the fragmentation of the projectile during impact. High-strength, well-characterized steel spheres (6.35 mm diameter) were launched with a two-stage light-gas gun to velocities in the range of 3 to 5 km/s. Normal impact with PMMA plates, thicknesses of 0.6 to 11 mm, applied impulsive loads of various amplitudes and durations to the steel sphere. Multiple flash radiography diagnostics and recovery techniques were used to assess size, velocity, trajectory and statistics of the impact-induced fragment debris. Damage modes to the primary target plate (plastic) and to a secondary target plate (aluminum) were also evaluated. Dynamic fragmentation theories, based on energy-balance principles, were used to evaluate local material deformation and fracture state information from CTH, a three-dimensional Eulerian solid dynamics shock wave propagation code. The local fragment characterization of the material defines a weighted fragment size distribution, and the sum of these distributions provides a composite particle size distribution for the steel sphere. The calculated axial and radial velocity changes agree well with experimental data, and the calculated fragment sizes are in qualitative agreement with the radiographic data. A secondary effort involved the experimental and computational analyses of normal and oblique copper ball impacts on steel target plates. High-resolution radiography and witness plate diagnostics provided impact motion and statistical fragment size data. CTH simulations were performed to test computational models and numerical methods.
Today`s integrated circuits are so complex that it is often necessary to have access to the layouts and schematics when performing voltage contrast, cross sectioning, light emission, mechanical probing, optical beam induced current, and even simple SEM and Optical Examination. To deal with these issues, Sandia National Laboratories is developing an advanced failure analysis laboratory networking scheme to provide computer control, layout navigation, schematic navigation, and report generation on each of the major pieces of failure analysis equipment. This concept is known as an Integrated Diagnostic Environment or IDE. An integrated diagnostic environment is an environment where failure analysis equipment is computer-controlled and linked by a high speed network. The network allows CAD databases to be shared between instruments, improving the failure analyst`s productivity on each analysis task. At Sandia, we are implementing this concept using SUN Sparcstation computers running Schlumberger`s IDE software. To date, we have incorporated our electron beam prober and light emission system into the environment. We will soon add our scanning optical microscope and focused ion beam system and eventually add our optical microscope and microprobe station into the network. There are a number of issues to consider when implementing an Integrated Diagnostic Environment; these are discussed in detail in this paper.
This paper describes the development and use of the Multi-Axis Seam racking (MAST) sensor for tracking seams or other features in real-time. Four independent, spatially-distributed electric fields are used to sense changes in the relative position of the sensor and the workpiece. The MAST sensor is very inexpensive compared with commercially available seam tracking sensors. It can be used in systems to perform cost-effective small-lot manufacturing operations in a faster, more consistent manner. The MAST sensor is used in an automated system for dispensing braze paste during a rocket nozzle fabrication process.
The ability for a communications network to realize arbitrary communications patterns can be expensive both in terms of hardware and in terms of system software. One might instead ask whether a system can be built which performs well for a given application program. In this paper we look at the question of when a set of communications patterns is suitable for fast realization on a given network. In particular we look at which patterns are realizable quickly on a mesh. Contrary to common wisdom, transpose is efficiently realizable on a mesh. However, some other important patterns such as shuffle are not.
The Milling Assistant (MA) programming system demonstrates the automated development of tool paths for Numerical Control (NC) machine tools. By integrating a Case-Based Reasoning decision processor with a commercial CAD/CAM software, intelligent tool path files for milled and point-to-point features can be created. The operational system is capable of reducing the time required to program a variety of parts and improving product quality by collecting and utilizing ``best of practice`` machining strategies.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring the Utility Battery Storage Systems Program at Sandia National Laboratories and its contractors. This program is specifically aimed at developing battery energy storage systems for electric utility applications commencing in the mid to late 1990s. One factory-integrated utility battery system and three battery technologies: sodium/sulfur, zinc/bromine, and lead-acid are being developed under this program. In the last few years the emphasis of this program has focused on battery system development. This emphasis has included greater interactions with utilities to define application requirements. Recent activities have identified specific applications of battery energy storage in certain utility systems and quantified the value of these applications to these utility companies. In part due to these activities, battery energy storage is no longer regarded by utilities as a load-leveling resource only, but as a multifunction, energy management resource.
The US Department of Energy is sponsoring the development of battery energy storage systems for electric utilities. An important part of this DOE program is the engineering of the battery subsystem. Because lower costs are possible and less space is required compared with conventional battery technologies, two advanced battery systems are being developed: sodium/sulfur and zinc/bromine. A brief description of the development approach being followed along with the current status of the sodium/sulfur technology is described in this paper. Of immediate relevance, a factory integrated modular sodium/sulfur system has been designed that incorporates many of the advantages of this technology. Each module (designated as NAS-P{sub AC}) combines a 600-kWh sodium/sulfur battery, a 300 kW power converter and a control system. In addition to the potential for low life-cycle cost, other specific benefits include excellent portability and an installed system-level footprint that is about 20% of an equivalent system using lead-acid batteries. The sodium/sulfur battery is designed to deliver its rated energy for 1500 cycles or 5 years of maintenance-free operation.
Sandia National Laboratories determined that the most effective method to address records management initiatives would be through a single, comprehensive facilities wide records inventory and retention schedule project. The logistic of such an undertaking (estimated at 425,000 linear feet) are demanding. The relatively short time frame required for completion and the project`s size called for sound, up front planning by Sandia and ultimately the support of an outside contractor for qualified resources to execute the plan.
Development of a high-temperature, superconducting, synchronous motor for large applications (>1000 HP) could offer significant electrical power savings for industrial users. Presently 60% of all electric power generated in the United States is converted by electric motors. A large part of two power is utilized by motors 1000 HP or larger. The use of high-temperature superconducting materials with critical temperatures above that of liquid nitrogen (77 K) in the field winding would reduce the losses in these motors significantly, and therefore, would have a definite impact on the electrical power usage in the US. These motors will be 1/3 to 1/2 the size of conventional motors of similar power and, thus, offer potential savings in materials and floor space. The cooling of the superconducting materials in the field windings of the rotor presents a unique application of cryogenic engineering. The rotational velocity results in significant radial pressure gradients that affect the flow distribution of the cryogen. The internal pressure fields can result in significant nonuniformities in the two-phase flow of the coolant. Due to the variable speed design, the flow distribution has the potential to change during operation. A multiphase-flow computer model of the cryogenic cooling is developed to calculate the boiling heat transfer and phase distribution of the nitrogen coolant in the motor. The model accounts for unequal phase velocities and nonuniform cooling requirements of the rotor. The unequal radial pressure gradients in the inlet and outlet headers result in a larger driving force for flow in the outer cooling channels. The effect of this must be accounted for in the design of the motor. Continuing improvements of the model will allow the investigation of the transient thermal issues associated with localized quenching of the superconducting components of the motor.
The deliverability of a reservoir depends primarily on its permeability, which, in many reservoirs, is controlled by a combination of natural fractures and the in situ stresses. Therefore it is important to be able to predict which parts of a basin are most likely to contain naturally fractured strata, what the characteristics of those fractures might be, and what the most likely in situ stresses are at a given location. This paper presents a set of geologic criteria that can be superimposed onto factors, such as levels of maturation and porosity development, in order to predict whether fractures are present once the likelihood of petroleum presence and reservoir development have been determined. Stress causes fracturing, but stresses are not permanent. A natural-fracture permeability pathway opened by one system of stresses may be held open by those stresses, or narrowed or even closed by changes of the stress to an oblique or normal orientation. The origin of stresses and stress anisotropies in a basin, the potential for stress to create natural fractures, and the causes of stress reorientation are examined in this paper. The appendices to this paper present specific techniques for exploiting and characterizing natural fractures, for measuring the present-day in situ stresses, and for reconstructing a computerized stress history for a basin.
By extracting and analyzing measurement (variables) data from portal metal detectors whenever possible instead of the more typical ``alarm``/``no-alarm`` (attributes or binomial) data, we can be more informed about metal detector health with fewer tests. This testing methodology discussed in this report is an alternative to the typical binomial testing and in many ways is far superior.
Varistor material is currently supplied by a single commercial source. The chem-prep varistor process was developed as a backup/replacement. With the transfer of the process to the production facility, studies were made to verify that the process is stable in manufacturing. Process variables are the precursors oxalic acid, NaOH, and ZnCl{sub 2}. Process stability was determined by comparing assay uncertainty region with precipitant/ZnCl{sub 2} compositional region meeting electrical and physical property specifications. Assay variability was assessed by conducting a round robin; standard deviations of repeated assays of the same sample was 0.1 wt% by the same labs; 0.1-0.4 wt% among laboratories. A mixture experiment was then conducted to assess the effects of the precipitants/ZnCl{sub 2} on breakdown field, nonlinearity coefficient, and bulk density. Results indicate that the chem-prep process can be stable; however the nominal target composition was on the edge of the composition region, and it was moved to the center of the large region with acceptable electrical and physical properties. Tests of unpotted component rods made from the new composition met all specifications. 8 refs, 10 figs, 10 tabs.
A summary is presented of the results of a number of studies conducted prior to March 1992 that have led to a conceptual model describing how the porosity (and therefore the permeability) of waste and backfill in a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal room changes with time and also describes how results from calculations involving mathematical models of these processes are used to provide input into performance assessment of the repository. Included in the report are descriptions of essential material response or constitutive models that include the influence of gas generation and the response of simple gas-pressurized cracks and fractures in salt, marker beds, and clay seams. Two-dimensional versus three-dimensional disposal room configurations and descriptions of the differences between numerical codes are also discussed. Calculational results using the mathematical models for disposal room response are described, beginning with closure of empty rooms and becoming progressively more complex. More recent results address some of the effects of gas generation in a room containing waste and backfill and intersected by a gas permeable marker bed. Developments currently in progress to improve the evaluation of the disposal room performance are addressing the coupling between brine flow and closure and the two-dimensional capability for analyzing a complete panel of rooms. Next, a method is described for including disposal room closure results into performance assessment analyses that determine if the repository is in compliance with regulatory standards. The coupling is accomplished using closure surfaces that describe the relationship among porosity, total amount of gas in the repository, and time. A number of conclusions about room response and recommendations for further work are included throughout the report.
The transverse motion of a projectile in an electromagnetic induction launcher is considered. The equations of motion for translation and rotation are derived assuming a rigid projectile and a flyway restoring force per unit length that is proportional to the local displacement. Transverse forces and torques due to energized coils are derived for displaced or tilted projectile elements based on a first order perturbation method. The resulting equations of motion for a rigid projectile composed of multiple elements in a multi-coil launcher are analyzed as a coupled oscillator system of equations and a simple stability condition is derived. The equations of motion are incorporated into the 2-D Slingshot code and numerical solutions for the transverse motion are obtained. For the 20 meter navy launcher parameters we find that stability is achieved with a flyway spring constant of k {approx} 1{times} 10{sup 8} N/m{sup 2}. For k {approx} 1.5 {times} 10{sup 8} N/m{sup 2} and sample coil misalignment modeled as a sine wave of I mm amplitude at wavelengths of one or two meters, the projectile displacement grows to a maximum of 4 mm. This growth is due to resonance between the natural frequency of the Projectile transverse motion and the coil displacement wavelength. This resonance does not persist because of the changing axial velocity. Random coil displacement is also found to cause roughly the same projectile displacement. For the maximum displacement a rough estimate of the transverse pressure is 50 bars.
Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis techniques based on Latin hypercube sampling, partial correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis and examination of scatterplots are used in conjunction with the BRAGFLO model to examine two phase flow (i.e., gas and brine) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is being developed by the US Department of Energy as a disposal facility for transuranic waste. The analyses consider either a single waste panel or the entire repository in conjunction with the following cases: (1) fully consolidated shaft, (2) system of shaft seals with panel seals, and (3) single shaft seal without panel seals. The purpose of this analysis is to develop insights on factors that are potentially important in showing compliance with applicable regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency (i.e., 40 CFR 191, Subpart B; 40 CFR 268). The primary topics investigated are (1) gas production due to corrosion of steel, (2) gas production due to microbial degradation of cellulosics, (3) gas migration into anhydrite marker beds in the Salado Formation, (4) gas migration through a system of shaft seals to overlying strata, and (5) gas migration through a single shaft seal to overlying strata. Important variables identified in the analyses include initial brine saturation of the waste, stoichiometric terms for corrosion of steel and microbial degradation of cellulosics, gas barrier pressure in the anhydrite marker beds, shaft seal permeability, and panel seal permeability.
Satellite servicing is in many ways analogous to subsea robotic servicing in the late 1970`s. A cost effective, reliable, telerobotic capability had to be demonstrated before the oil companies invested money in deep water robot serviceable production facilities. In the same sense, aeronautic engineers will not design satellites for telerobotic servicing until such a quantifiable capability has been demonstrated. New space servicing systems will be markedly different than existing space robot systems. Past space manipulator systems, including the Space Shuttle`s robot arm, have used master/slave technologies with poor fidelity, slow operating speeds and most importantly, in-orbit human operators. In contrast, new systems will be capable of precision operations, conducted at higher rates of speed, and be commanded via ground-control communication links. Challenges presented by this environment include achieving a mandated level of robustness and dependability, radiation hardening, minimum weight and power consumption, and a system which accommodates the inherent communication delay between the ground station and the satellite. There is also a need for a user interface which is easy to use, ensures collision free motions, and is capable of adjusting to an unknown workcell (for repair operations the condition of the satellite may not be known in advance). This paper describes the novel technologies required to deliver such a capability.
A numerical method to simulate viscous diffusion of vorticity using vortex blobs (i.e., without a grid) is presented. The method consists of casting the effects of viscous diffusion into an effective ``diffusion velocity`` at which vortex blobs convect. The diffusion velocity was proposed previously by Ogami and Akamatsu, but they did not consider the effects of the divergence of the diffusion velocity. In fact, the diffusion velocity is highly non-solenoidal, which significantly affects the area over which a vortex blob diffuses. A formulation is presented that relates the area expansion to the diffusion velocity divergence. By taking into account the area expansion, more accurate simulations of diffusion are obtained, as demonstrated by a comparison of numerical and analytical diffusion solutions. Results from simulations show that vortex areas expand significantly in regions of large vorticity gradients. As a result of the area expansion, adjacent vortices remain overlapped, thereby maintaining smooth solution fields. The non-solenoidal diffusion velocity method is easily implemented in vortex blob algorithms, thus facilitating the development of vortex methods to simulate flows with finite Reynolds numbers.
Designed experiments were employed to characterize a process for etching phosphorus doped polycrystalline silicon with HBr in a close-coupled ECR plasma reactor configured for 200 mm wafers. A fractional factorial screening experiment was employed to determine the principal input factors and the main etch effects. Linear models of the process responses indicate RF power, O{sub 2} flow rate, and the position of the resonance zone (with respect to the wafer) as the three strongest factors influencing process performance. Response surfaces generated using data from a follow-on response surface methodology (RSM) experiment predicted an optimum operating region characterized by relatively low RF power, a small O{sub 2} flow, and a resonance zone position close to the wafer. The optimized process demonstrated a polysilicon etch rate of 270 nm/min, an etch rate non-uniformity of 2.2% (1s), an etch selectivity to oxide greater than 100:1, and anisotropic profiles. Particle test results for the optimized process indicated that careful selection of the O{sub 2} fraction is required to avoid polymer deposition and particle formation.
Before disposing of transuranic radioactive waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments (PAs) of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for a final compliance evaluation. This volume of the 1992 PA contains results of uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to the EPA`s Environmental Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Additional information about the 1992 PA is provided in other volumes. Results of the 1992 uncertainty and sensitivity analyses indicate that, conditional on the modeling assumptions, the choice of parameters selected for sampling, and the assigned parameter-value distributions, the most important parameters for which uncertainty has the potential to affect compliance with 40 CFR 191B are: drilling intensity, intrusion borehole permeability, halite and anhydrite permeabilities, radionuclide solubilities and distribution coefficients, fracture spacing in the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation, porosity of the Culebra, and spatial variability of Culebra transmissivity. Performance with respect to 40 CFR 191B is insensitive to uncertainty in other parameters; however, additional data are needed to confirm that reality lies within the assigned distributions.
Experiment results are presented for unconfined compressive strength and elastic moduli of tuffaceous rocks from Busted Butte near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The data have been compiled for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Site and Engineering Properties Data Base. Experiments were conducted on water-saturated specimens of the potential nuclear waste repository horizon Topopah Spring Member tuff (thermal/mechanical unit TSw2). The influence of strain rate on mechanical properties of the tuff was examined by loading six specimens in uniaxial compression at a strain rate of 10{sup {minus}9} s{sup {minus}1}. The experiments performed under ambient pressure and temperature conditions and conformed to Technical Procedure 91, titled ``Unconfined Compression Experiments at 22{degrees}C and a Strain Rate of 10{sup {minus}9} s{sup {minus}1}.`` The mean and standard deviation values of ultimate strength, Young`s modulus and Poisson`s ratio determined from these experiments are 85.4{plus_minus}21.7 MPa, 33.9{plus_minus}4.6 GPa, and 0.09{plus_minus}0.07, respectively.