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Evaluation of surface sampling method performance for Bacillus Spores on clean and dirty outdoor surfaces

Einfeld, Wayne E.; Wilson, Mollye

Recovery of Bacillus atrophaeous spores from grime-treated and clean surfaces was measured in a controlled chamber study to assess sampling method performance. Outdoor surfaces investigated by wipe and vacuum sampling methods included stainless steel, glass, marble and concrete. Bacillus atrophaeous spores were used as a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis spores in this study designed to assess whether grime-coated surfaces significantly affected surface sampling method performance when compared to clean surfaces. A series of chamber tests were carried out in which known amounts of spores were allowed to gravitationally settle onto both clean and dirty surfaces. Reference coupons were co-located with test coupons in all chamber experiments to provide a quantitative measure of initial surface concentrations of spores on all surfaces, thereby allowing sampling recovery calculations. Results from these tests, carried out under both low and high humidity conditions, show that spore recovery from grime-coated surfaces is the same as or better than spore recovery from clean surfaces. Statistically significant differences between method performance for grime-coated and clean surfaces were observed in only about half of the chamber tests conducted.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI

Best practices for system dynamics model design and construction with powersim studio

Malczynski, Leonard A.

This guide addresses software quality in the construction of Powersim{reg_sign} Studio 8 system dynamics simulation models. It is the result of almost ten years of experience with the Powersim suite of system dynamics modeling tools (Constructor and earlier Studio versions). It is a guide that proposes a common look and feel for the construction of Powersim Studio system dynamics models.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI

JAGUAR developer's manual

Chan, Ethan

JAGUAR (JAva GUi for Applied Research) is a Java software tool providing an advanced text editor and graphical user interface (GUI) to manipulate DAKOTA (Design Analysis Kit for Optimization and Terascale Applications) input specifications. This document focuses on the technical background necessary for a developer to understand JAGUAR.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI

Sodium fast reactor gaps analysis of computer codes and models for accident analysis and reactor safety

Schmidt, Rodney C.

This report summarizes the results of an expert-opinion elicitation activity designed to qualitatively assess the status and capabilities of currently available computer codes and models for accident analysis and reactor safety calculations of advanced sodium fast reactors, and identify important gaps. The twelve-member panel consisted of representatives from five U.S. National Laboratories (SNL, ANL, INL, ORNL, and BNL), the University of Wisconsin, the KAERI, the JAEA, and the CEA. The major portion of this elicitation activity occurred during a two-day meeting held on Aug. 10-11, 2010 at Argonne National Laboratory. There were two primary objectives of this work: (1) Identify computer codes currently available for SFR accident analysis and reactor safety calculations; and (2) Assess the status and capability of current US computer codes to adequately model the required accident scenarios and associated phenomena, and identify important gaps. During the review, panel members identified over 60 computer codes that are currently available in the international community to perform different aspects of SFR safety analysis for various event scenarios and accident categories. A brief description of each of these codes together with references (when available) is provided. An adaptation of the Predictive Capability Maturity Model (PCMM) for computational modeling and simulation is described for use in this work. The panel's assessment of the available US codes is presented in the form of nine tables, organized into groups of three for each of three risk categories considered: anticipated operational occurrences (AOOs), design basis accidents (DBA), and beyond design basis accidents (BDBA). A set of summary conclusions are drawn from the results obtained. At the highest level, the panel judged that current US code capabilities are adequate for licensing given reasonable margins, but expressed concern that US code development activities had stagnated and that the experienced user-base and the experimental validation base was decaying away quickly.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI

Optika : a GUI framework for parameterized applications

Nusbaum, Kurtis L.

In the field of scientific computing there are many specialized programs designed for specific applications in areas such as biology, chemistry, and physics. These applications are often very powerful and extraordinarily useful in their respective domains. However, some suffer from a common problem: a non-intuitive, poorly-designed user interface. The purpose of Optika is to address this problem and provide a simple, viable solution. Using only a list of parameters passed to it, Optika can dynamically generate a GUI. This allows the user to specify parameters values in a fashion that is much more intuitive than the traditional 'input decks' used by some parameterized scientific applications. By leveraging the power of Optika, these scientific applications will become more accessible and thus allow their designers to reach a much wider audience while requiring minimal extra development effort.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI

Mesoscale simulation of shocked poly-(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) foams

Haill, Thomas A.; Mattsson, Thomas; Root, Seth; Flicker, Dawn

Hydrocarbon foams are commonly used in HEDP experiments, and are subject to shock compression from tens to hundreds of GPa. Modeling foams is challenging due to the heterogeneous character of the foam. A quantitative understanding of foams under strong dynamic compression is sought. We use Sandia's ALEGRA-MHD code to simulate 3D mesoscale models of pure poly(4-methyl-1-petene) (PMP) foams. We employ two models of the initial polymer-void structure of the foam and analyze the statistical properties of the initial and shocked states. We compare the simulations to multi-Mbar shock experiments at various initial foam densities and flyer impact velocities. Scatter in the experimental data may be a consequence of the initial foam inhomogeneity. We compare the statistical properties the simulations with the scatter in the experimental data.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2011
OSTI

Creating dynamic equivalent PV circuit models with impedance spectroscopy for arc-fault modeling

Johnson, Jay; Schoenwald, David A.; Kuszmaul, Scott S.

Article 690.11 in the 2011 National Electrical Code{reg_sign} (NEC{reg_sign}) requires new photovoltaic (PV) systems on or penetrating a building to include a listed arc fault protection device. Currently there is little experimental or empirical research into the behavior of the arcing frequencies through PV components despite the potential for modules and other PV components to filter or attenuate arcing signatures that could render the arc detector ineffective. To model AC arcing signal propagation along PV strings, the well-studied DC diode models were found to inadequately capture the behavior of high frequency arcing signals. Instead dynamic equivalent circuit models of PV modules were required to describe the impedance for alternating currents in modules. The nonlinearities present in PV cells resulting from irradiance, temperature, frequency, and bias voltage variations make modeling these systems challenging. Linearized dynamic equivalent circuits were created for multiple PV module manufacturers and module technologies. The equivalent resistances and capacitances for the modules were determined using impedance spectroscopy with no bias voltage and no irradiance. The equivalent circuit model was employed to evaluate modules having irradiance conditions that could not be measured directly with the instrumentation. Although there was a wide range of circuit component values, the complex impedance model does not predict filtering of arc fault frequencies in PV strings for any irradiance level. Experimental results with no irradiance agree with the model and show nearly no attenuation for 1 Hz to 100 kHz input frequencies.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI

Simulation and analysis of Magnetically-Applied Pressure-Shear (MAPS) experiments

Haill, Thomas A.; Alexander, Charles S.

A new experimental technique to measure material shear strength at high pressures has been developed for use on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) drive pulsed power platforms. The technique is referred to as Magnetically-Applied Pressure-Shear (MAPS). By applying an external static magnetic field to the sample region, the MHD drive directly induces a shear stress wave in addition to the usual longitudinal stress wave. Strength is probed by passing this shear wave through a sample material where the transmissible shear stress is limited to the sample strength. The magnitude of the transmitted shear wave is measured via a transverse velocity interferometry system (VISAR) from which the sample strength is determined. The strength of materials is defined as the ability of a material to sustain deviatoric (shear) stresses. Strength is an important aspect of the response of materials subjected to compression to high pressure. Beyond the elastic response, material strength will govern at what pressure and to what extent a material will plastically deform. The MAPS technique cleverly exploits the property that, for a von Mises yield criterion at a given longitudinal stress, the maximum amplitude shear wave that can be transmitted is limited by the strength at that stress level. Successful fielding of MAPS experiments to measure shear stresses relies upon correct numerical simulation of the experiment. Complex wave interactions among forward and reflected longitudinal and shear waves, as well as the advancing magnetic diffusion front of the MHD drive, can make the design of the experiment complicated. Careful consideration must be given to driver, sample, and anvil materials; to the thicknesses of the driver, sample and anvil layers; as well as to the timing of the interacting waves. This paper will present and analyze the 2D MHD simulations used to design the MAPS experiments. The MAPS experiments are modeled using Sandia's ALEGRA-MHD simulation code. ALEGRA-MHD is an operator-split, multi-physics, multi-material, arbitrary lagrangian-eulerian code developed to model magnetic implosion, ceramic fracture, and electromagnetic launch. We will detail the numerical investigations into MHD shear generation, longitudinal and shear stress coupling, timing of wave interactions, and transmission of shear at material interfaces.

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TYPE Conference YEAR 2011
OSTI

Neutron counting and gamma spectroscopy with PVT detectors

Mitchell, Dean J.; Brusseau, Charles A.

Radiation portals normally incorporate a dedicated neutron counter and a gamma-ray detector with at least some spectroscopic capability. This paper describes the design and presents characterization data for a detection system called PVT-NG, which uses large polyvinyl toluene (PVT) detectors to monitor both types of radiation. The detector material is surrounded by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which emits high-energy gamma rays following neutron capture reactions. Assessments based on high-energy gamma rays are well suited for the detection of neutron sources, particularly in border security applications, because few isotopes in the normal stream of commerce have significant gamma ray yields above 3 MeV. Therefore, an increased count rate for high-energy gamma rays is a strong indicator for the presence of a neutron source. The sensitivity of the PVT-NG sensor to bare {sup 252}Cf is 1.9 counts per second per nanogram (cps/ng) and the sensitivity for {sup 252}Cf surrounded by 2.5 cm of polyethylene is 2.3 cps/ng. The PVT-NG sensor is a proof-of-principal sensor that was not fully optimized. The neutron detector sensitivity could be improved, for instance, by using additional moderator. The PVT-NG detectors and associated electronics are designed to provide improved resolution, gain stability, and performance at high-count rates relative to PVT detectors in typical radiation portals. As well as addressing the needs for neutron detection, these characteristics are also desirable for analysis of the gamma-ray spectra. Accurate isotope identification results were obtained despite the common impression that the absence of photopeaks makes data collected by PVT detectors unsuitable for spectroscopic analysis. The PVT detectors in the PVT-NG unit are used for both gamma-ray and neutron detection, so the sensitive volume exceeds the volume of the detection elements in portals that use dedicated components to detect each type of radiation.

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TYPE SAND Report YEAR 2011
DOIOSTI
Results 68401–68600 of 99,299
Results 68401–68600 of 99,299