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Task 6.3/6.7.4 - Silicon Carbide Joining
No full textFuture energy systems will be required to fire low-grade fuels and meet higher energy conversion efficiencies than today's systems. The steam cycle used at present is limited to a maximum temperature of 550 "C, because above that the stainless steel tubes deform and corrode excessively. To boost efficiency significantly, much higher working fluid temperatures are required. Although high-temperature alloys will suffice for the construction of these components in the near-term, the greatest efficiency increases can only be reached with the use of advanced structural ceramics such as silicon carbide (SiC). However, SiC does not melt, but instead sublimes at temperatures over 2000 "C. Therefore, it is not possible to join pieces of it through welding, and most brazing compounds have much lower melting points so the joints lose strength at temperatures much lower than the maximum use temperature of the SiC. Since larger objects, such as heat exchangers, cannot be easily created from smaller ceramic pieces, the size of the SiC structures that can presently be manufactured are limited by the size of the sintering furnaces (approximately 10 feet for sintered alpha silicon carbide). In addition, repair of the objects will require the use of field joining techniques. Some success has been made by causing silicon and carbon to react at 1400 0-1 500 "C to form SiC in a joint (Rabin, 1995) but these joints contain continuous channels of unreacted silicon which cause the joints to corrode and creep excessively at temperatures below 1260 "C (Breder, 1996). At present, no joining techniques are available that allow sintered alpha SiC to be used to its full potential
Quantitative Sub-Angstrom Imaging Through ADF STEM
No full textORNL/CP-100163 Annular dark-field (ADF) imaging in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) at atomic resolution provides an incoherent image that can be described as the convolution between the intensity of the illuminating STEM probe and an object function consisting of localised sources at the atomic-column positions. It has been shown that the resolution limit of the microscope limits the accuracy to which the object function can be reconstructed [1]. Here we demonstrate how a number of images recorded at various degrees of underfocus can be reconstructed to give sub- angstrom information, and discuss how quantitative physical measurements may be deduced from these images. The conventionally used optimum probe intensity profile for the VG Microscopes HB603U STEM (300 kV, C{sub 5}=l mm), shown in Fig. la, requires an objective aperture radius of 9 mrad and 40 nm of underfocus. However, using a larger aperture and a greater degree of underfocus can give a probe with a much narrower central maximum (Fig 1b), but at the expense of creating side-lobes with increased intensity. Since this probe contains sharper features than the conventionally optimum probe, information at much higher spatial frequencies can be recorded. Figure 2 shows information transfer down to a resolution of 0.78 A. Although the images recorded using such a probe are not as intuitively interpretable as those recorded using the optimum probe, the lack of a phase problem in incoherent imaging means that the probe maybe immediately deconvolved from the image intensity data, and phase retrieval techniques are not required [1]. The geometry of ADF imaging makes this method robust to chromatic defocus spread, unlike focal-series reconstruction methods in conventional, coherent transmission electron microscopy
Electrostatic Beneficiation of Coal
No full textIt was suggested in the proposal that small particles, due to low inertia, may not impact on the surfaces of the tribocharger. They would, thus, not receive charge and would not be beneficiated in the electrostatic separation. A milling process was proposed in which the small particles are stirred together with larger carrier beads producing the desired contact charge exchange. A force is necessary for removing the coal particles from the carrier beads. In copying machines electrostatic force is used to pull toner particles away horn iron carrier particles which are held back by magnetic force. Aerodynamic force is used in test instruments for measuring the charge to mass ratio on toners. A similar system of milling and removal is desired for use with the small coal particles. The carrier beads need to be made of copper rather than iron. This complicates the separation process since copper is non-magnetic. We are working on coating of iron beads with a layer of copper. Dr. Robert Engleken of Arkansas State University has supplied us with several test batches of copper-coated iron in the size range of -40 +70 mesh. ` We are currently testing whether the milling process used with the copper coated iron beads produces the desired charge on the coal particles
Harness: The Next Generation Beyond PVM
No full textAbstract. Harness is the next generation heterogeneous distributed computing package being developed by the PVM team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee, and Emory University. This paper describes the changing trends in cluster computing and how Harness is being designed to address the future needs of PVM and MPI application developers. Harness (which will support both PVM and MPI) will allow users to dynamically customize, adapt, and extend a virtual machine's features to more closely match the needs of their application and to optimize for the underlying computer resources. This paper will describe the architecture and core services of this new virtual machine paradgm, our progress on this project, and our experiences with early prototypes of Harness
Midland Core Repository
No full textA new water well will be drilled to supply water to the facility. The existing well no longer produces enough water for operations. We continue to repatriate core to various states. The next big shipment will be to Oklahoma
Application of Advanced Reservoir Characterization, Simulation, and Production Optimization Strategies to Maximize Recovery in Slope, and Basin Clastic Reservoirs, West Texas (Delaware Basin)
No full textThe objective of this project is to demonstrate that detailed reservoir characterization of slope and basin clastic reservoirs in sandstones of the Delaware Mountain Group in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and New Mexico is a cost effective way to recover a higher percentage of the original oil in place through strategic placement of infill wells and geologically based field development. Project objectives are divided into two major phases. The objectives of the reservoir characterization phase of the project are to provide a detailed understanding of the architecture and heterogeneity of two fields, the Ford Geraldine unit and Ford West field, which produce from the Bell Canyon and Cherry Canyon Formations, respectively, of the Delaware Mountain Group and to compare Bell Canyon and Cherry Canyon reservoirs. Reservoir characterization will utilize 3-D seismic data, high-resolution sequence stratigraphy, subsurface field studies, outcrop characterization, and other techniques. Once the reservoir-characterization study of both fields is completed, a pilot area of approximately 1 mi 2 in one of the fields will be chosen for reservoir simulation. The objectives of the implementation phase of the project are to (1) apply the knowledge gained from reservoir characterization and simulation studies to increase recovery from the pilot area, (2) demonstrate that economically significant unrecovered oil remains in geologically resolvable untapped compartments, and (3) test the accuracy of reservoir characterization and flow simulation as predictive tools in resource preservation of mature fields. A geologically designed, enhanced-recovery program (CO 2 flood, waterflood, or polymer flood) and well-completion program will be developed, and one to three infill wells will be drilled and cored. Through technology transfer workshops and other presentations, the knowledge gained in the comparative study of these two fields can then be applied to increase production from the more than 100 other Delaware Mountain Group reservoirs
Application of Advanced Reservoir Characterization, Simulation, and Production Optimization Strategies to Maximize Recovery in Slope and Basin Clastic Reservoirs, West Texas (Delaware Basin)
No full textThe objective of this project is to demonstrate that detailed reservoir characterization of slope and basin clastic reservoirs in sandstones of the Delaware Mountain Group in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and New Mexico is a cost effective way to recover a higher percentage of the original oil in place through strategic placement of infill wells and geologically based field development. Project objectives are divided into two major phases. The objectives of the reservoir characterization phase of the project were to provide a detailed understanding of the architecture and heterogeneity of two fields, the Ford Geraldine unit and Ford West field, which produce from the Bell Canyon and Cherry Canyon Formations, respectively, of the Delaware Mountain Group and to compare Bell Canyon and Cherry Canyon reservoirs. Reservoir characterization utilized 3-D seismic data, high-resolution sequence stratigraphy, subsurface field studies, outcrop characterization, and other techniques. Once the reservoir-characterization study of both fields was completed, a pilot area of approximately 1 mi 2 in one of the fields was chosen for reservoir simulation. The objectives of the implementation phase of the project are to (1) apply the knowledge gained from reservoir characterization and simulation studies to increase recovery from the demonstration area, (2) demonstrate that economically significant unrecovered oil can be recovered by a CO 2 flood of the demonstration area, and (3) test the accuracy of reservoir characterization and flow simulation as predictive tools in resource preservation of mature fields. A geologically designed, enhanced-recovery CO 2 flood and well-completion program will be developed. Through technology transfer workshops and other presentations, the knowledge gained in this study can then be applied to increase production from the more than 100 other Delaware Mountain Group reservoirs
Reduction of Nitrogen Oxide Emissions for lean Burn Engine Technology
No full textLean-burn engines offer the potential for significant fuel economy improvements in cars and trucks, perhaps the next great breakthrough in automotive technology that will enable greater savings in imported petroleum. The development of lean-burn engines, however, has been an elusive goal among automakers because of the emissions challenges associated with lead-burn engine technology. Presently, cars operate with sophisticated emissions control systems that require the engine's air-fuel ratio to be carefully controlled around the stoichiometric point (chemically correct mixture). Catalysts in these systems are called "three-way" catalysts because they can reduce hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions simultaneously, but only because of the tight control of the air-fuel ratio. The purpose of this cooperative effort is to develop advanced catalyst systems, materials, and necessary engine control algorithms for reducing NOX emissions in oxygen-rich automotive exhaust (as with lean-burn engine technology) to meet current and near-future mandated Clean Air Act standards. These developments will represent a breakthrough in both emission control technology and automobile efficiency. The total project is a joint effort among five national laboratories, together with US CAR. The role of Lockheed-Martin Energy Systems in the total project is two fold: characterization of catalyst performance through laboratory evaluations from bench-scale flow reactor tests to engine laboratory tests of full-scale prototype catalysts, and microstructural characterization of catalyst material before and after test stand and/or engine testing
Efficient Control Law Simulation for Multiple Mobile Robots
No full textIn this paper we consider the problem of simulating simple control laws involving large numbers of mobile robots. Such simulation can be computationally prohibitive if the number of robots is large enough, say 1 million, due to the 0(N2 ) cost of each time step. This work therefore uses hierarchical tree-based methods for calculating the control law. These tree-based approaches have O(NlogN) cost per time step, thus allowing for efficient simulation involving a large number of robots. For concreteness, a decentralized control law which involves only the distance and bearing to the closest neighbor robot will be considered. The time to calculate the control law for each robot at each time step is demonstrated to be O(logN)
Valey-Fill Sandstones in the Kootenai Formation on the Crow Indian Reservation, South-Central Montana
No full textSubsurface data is being collected, organized, and a digital database is being prepared for the project. An ACCESS database and PC-Arcview is being used to manage and interpret the data. Well data and base map data have been successfully imported into Arcview and customized to meet the needs of this project. Log tops and other data from about ½ of the exploration wells in the area have been incorporated into the data base. All of the four 30" X 60" geologic quadrangles have been scanned to produce a digital surface geologic data base for the Crow Reservation and all are nearing completion. Formal technical review prior to publication has been completed for the Billings and Bridger Quadrangles; and are underway for the Hardin and Lodge Grass Quadrangles. Field investigations were completed during the last quarter. With the help of a student field assistant from the Crow Tribe, the entire project area was inventoried for the presence of valley-fill deposits in the Kootenai Formation. Field inventory has resulted in the identification of nine exposures of thick valley-fill deposits. These appear to represent at least four major westward-trending valley systems. All the channel localities have been measured and described in detail and paleocurrent data has been collected from all but one locality. In addition, two stratigraphic sections were measured in areas where channels are absent. One channel has bee traced over a distance of about 60 miles and exhibits definite paleostructural control. An abstract describing this channel has been submitted and accepted for presentation at the Williston Basin Symposium in October, 1998