The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been conducting geothermal reservoir research and testing sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) since 1983. The INEL research program is primarily aimed at the development of reservoir engineering techniques for fractured geothermal reservoirs. Numerical methods have been developed which allow the simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in complex fractured reservoirs. Sensitivity studies have illustrated the importance of incorporating the influence of fractures in reservoir simulations. Related efforts include fracture characterization, geochemical reaction kinetics and field testing.
Some vapor-dominated geothermal reservoirs and low-permeability gas reservoirs exhibit anomalous behavior that may be caused by surface adsorption. For example, geothermal reservoirs in the Larderello area of Italy and reservoirs in the Geysers Geothermal...
As an integral part of DOE/GTD's Brine Injection Program, LBL is developing and demonstrating methods for: (1) designing and analyzing injection tests, (2) predicting and monitoring migration of injected fluids, and (3) optimizing field-wide injection and heat extraction operations in geothermal reservoirs. Computational and well test techniques are being developed (a) to detect and predict the movement of fluids of contrasting temperatures, phase compositions and chemistries in the injected formation, and (b) to characterize the associated physical and chemical processes occurring in the reservoir. LBL's theoretical and field-related brine injection activities in FY 1986 are described, and progress made during FY 1987 is discussed.
Radon-222 was shown to be useful in-situ tracer for studying thermodynamic, geologic, and transport properties of geothermal reservoirs. The relationships to reservoir properties are based on steady-state and non-steady-state models which incorporate the thermodynamic state and relative mobility of the fluids, and partitioning between the fluid phases. The steady-state thermodynamic models assume equilibrium between radon emanation from the reservoir rock and the geofluid concentration. The non-steady-state model solves the partial differential equations describing radon transport under transient two-phase geothermal flow conditions. Radon concentrations of fluids from nine geothermal reservoirs showed strong correlations to the specific volume of the reservoir fluid. Lowest values were associated with all-liquid wells at Cerro Prieto, Wairakei, and Los Azufres ...
Wireline well logs have three general uses in geothermal exploration and reservoir evaluation: reservoir parameter analysis, lithologic column determination, and reservoir size resolution. Reservoir flow testing data are acquired to understand the flow rate, life, and production potential of the geothermal reservoir. These data are a coarse subsurface measurement of the geothermal prospect. Wireline logs acquired from wells in a geothermal prospect are used to define in detail, or estimate the reservoir parameters of temperature, thickness, lateral size, amount of fracture and intergranular pore space, and the quantity and quality of fluid that might be produced. Laboratory measurements can be made on core samples and drill cuttings samples to define the intrinsic behavior of the materials and fluid that compose the geotheraml ...
The first objective is to utilize reservoircharacterization and advanced technologies to optimize the design of a carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) project for the South Cowden Unit (SCU) located in Ector County, Texas. The SCU is a mature, relatively small, shallow shelf carbonate unit nearing, waterflood depletion. The second objective is to demonstrate the performance and economic viability of the project in the field. This report includes work on the reservoircharacterization and project design objective and the demonstration project objective.
The objectives of this project are to detect and characterize fractures in a naturally fractured tight gas reservoir, using surface seismic methods, borehole imaging logs, and in-situ stress field data. Further, the project aims to evaluate the various seismic methods as to their effectiveness in characterizing the fractures, and to formulate the optimum employment of the seismic methods as regards fracture characterization.
A research program has been undertaken to characterize oil sand deposits. Studies include delination of reservoir architecture; petrophysical attributes; and petrography and core analysis.
Stochastic simulation has been employed in petroleum reservoircharacterization as a modeling tool able to reconcile information from several different sources. It has the ability to preserve the variability of the modeled phenomena and permits transference of geological knowledge to numerical models of flux, whose predictions on reservoir constitute the main basis for reservoir management decisions. Several stochastic models have been used and/or suggested, depending on the nature of the phenomena to be described. Markov Random Fields (MRFs) appear as an alternative for the modeling of discrete variables, mainly reservoirs with mosaic architecture of facies. In this dissertation, the reader is introduced to the stochastic modeling by MRFs in a generic sense. The main aspects of the technique are reviewed. MRF Conceptual Background is described: its ...
The presence of natural fractures in reservoir rock can significantly enhance gas production, especially in tight gas formations. Any general knowledge of the existence, location, orientation, spatial density, and connectivity of natural fractures, as well as general reservoir structure, that can be obtained prior to active seismic acquisition and drilling can be exploited to identify key areas for subsequent higher resolution active seismic imaging. Current practices for estimating fracture properties before the acquisition of surface seismic data are usually based on the assumed geology and tectonics of the region, and empirical or fracture mechanics-based relationships between stratigraphic curvature and fracturing. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential of multicomponent surface sensor arrays, and passive seismic sources in the form of local earthquakes to identify and characterize potential ...
The improvement of the ecological conditions at waste storing reservoirs is an important task of the restoration activity at Production Association (PA) ``Mayak`` (South Urals). The radionuclides mostly {sup 90}Sr, {sup 137}Cs, and chemical pollutants deposited in the reservoir water and in the bottom sediment are very dangerous sources for the contamination of Techa River below the reservoirs and the contamination of groundwater in the surrounding formations. The spreading of radioactive contaminants has both hydrogeological and the chemical features. The thermodynamic approach used to account for physical-chemical interactions between water and the bed rocks based on Gibbs free energy minimization of multicomponent system (H-O-Ca-Mg-K-Na-S-Cl-C-Sr) permitted the authors to calculate the corresponding ionic and complex species existing in the solutions, and to characterize the processes of ...
The thesis deals with methods of describing the reservoir rock in central oil and gas fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. Methods of enhancing the level of recovery are dealt with. Following topics are given: Sand body dimensions and infill sequences of stable, humid-climate delta plain channels; minipermeameter-based study of permeability trends in channel sand bodies; significance of tidal cyclicity for modelling of reservoir heterogeneities in the lower Jurassic Tilje Formation, mid-Norwegian shelf; geometry and facies of large-scale flow units in fluvial-dominated fan-delta-front sequences; quantified fluvial architecture in ephemeral stream deposits of the Esplugafreda Formation (Palaeocene), Tremp-Graus Basin, northern Spain; the Safari project - collection and storage of field analogue data for quantitative reservoir modelling; sedimentary architecture of field analogues for reservoir ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional and multi-component seismic area is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended-reach jetting lance and other ultra-short radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in Red River and Ratcliffe shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing three-dimensional and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended-reach jetting lance and other ultra-short-radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil in place will result in additional oil ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in Red River and Ratcliffe shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing three-dimensional and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended-reach jetting lance and other ultra-short-radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil in place will result in additional oil ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and multi- component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short- lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determination of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in- place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3-D) and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimate of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3-D) and multi- component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short- lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimate of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing three-dimensional is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
With regard to a fracture system in the Hijiori hot dry rock artificial reservoir, an attempt was made on an interpretation which integrates different data. Major factors that characterize development and performance of an artificial reservoir are composed of a fracture system in rocks, which acts as circulating water paths, a heat exchange face and a reservoir space. The system relates not only with crack density distribution, but also with cracks activated by water pressure fracturing, cracks generating acoustic emission (AE), and cracks working as major flow paths, all of which are characterized by having respective behaviors and roles. Characteristics are shown on AE cluster distribution, crack distribution, production zone and estimated stress fields. Mutual relationship among these elements was discussed based on the Coulomb`s theory. The most important paths are ...
The petroleum industry is increasing its focus on the exploration of reservoirs in turbidite systems. However, these sedimentary environments are often characterized by very complex sand distributions. Hence, reservoir description based on conventional seismic and well-log interpretation may be very uncertain. There is a need to employ more quantitative seismic techniques to reveal reservoirs units in these complex systems from seismic amplitude data. In this study we focus on North Sea turbidite systems. Our goal is to improve the ability to use 3D seismic data to map reservoirs in these systems. A cross-disciplinary methodology for seismic reservoircharacterization is presented that combines rock physics, sedimentology, and statistical techniques. We apply this methodology to two turbidite systems of Paleocene age located in the South ...
High-resolution sequence stratigraphy concepts are applied to Erema, a Miocene onshore field of the Niger delta. The field's production is decreasing and an up-to-date geological model is essential to monitor the production. We aim to show an approach, using subsurface data and sequence stratigraphic concepts, which results in a time-line (Maximum Flooding Surfaces) correlation scheme. This scheme is based upon a facies model and is destined to guide the study of the characterization of reservoir heterogeneities. Using the cored well as a reference point, the facies model consists of shoreface dunes (planar tabular cross-stratified sandstones) changing landward into fluvial distributary deposits (through cross-stratified sandstones) via a tide-influenced coastal plain facies. The stacking pattern of genetic units shows a seaward stepping phase at the reservoir scale (sixty metres thick) with an abrupt deepening at ...
This topical report is a compilation of characterizations by different disciplines of the Mississippian Ratcliffe in portions of Richland County, MT. Goals of the report are to increase understanding of the reservoir rocks, oil-in-place, heterogeneity and methods for improved recovery. The report covers investigations of geology, petrography, reservoir engineering and seismic. The Ratcliffe is a low permeability oil reservoir which appears to be developed across much of the study area and occurs across much of the Williston Basin. The reservoir has not been a primary drilling target in the study area because average reserves have been insufficient to payout the cost of drilling and completion despite the application of hydraulic fracture stimulation. Oil trapping does not appear to be structurally controlled. For the Ratcliffe to be a viable drilling objective, methods need to be ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. Field demonstrations are in progress to collect data for evaluation of horizontal completions in both the Red River and Ratcliffe. A vertical well in the Red River will test attribute analysis of 3D seismic data for prediction of porosity development. Additional seismic acquisitions and interpretation are in progress for both the Ratcliffe and Red River. A water-injectivity test in a new ...
The objectives of this project was to: (1) quantify the pore scale mechanisms that determine the wettability state of a reservoir, (2) study the effect of crude oil, brine and mineral compositions in the establishment of mixed wet states, (3) clarify the effect of mixed - wettability on oil displacement efficiency in waterfloods, (4) develop a new tracer technique to measure wettability, fluid distributions, residual saturation's and relative permeabilities, and (5) develop methods for properly incorporating wettability in up-scaling from pore to core to reservoir scales.
This topical report is a compilation of characterizations by different disciplines of the Red River Formation in the southwest portion of the Williston Basin and the oil reservoirs which it contains in an area which straddles the state line between North Dakota and South Dakota. Goals of the report are to increase understanding of the reservoir rocks, oil-in-place, heterogeneity, and methods for improved recovery. The report is divided by discipline into five major sections: (1) geology, (2) petrography-petrophysical, (3) engineering, (4) case studies and (5) geophysical. Interwoven in these sections are results from demonstration wells which were drilled or selected for special testing to evaluate important concepts for field development and enhanced recovery. The Red River study area has been successfully explored with two-dimensional (2D) seismic. Improved reservoir ...
The Buntsandstein facies outcrops along a 12 km long, 150 m thick cuesta near Ayllon (Central Spain). The outcrop study is based on vertical sedimentological sections and continuous photo paneling, and demonstrates the presence of two depositional systems: an alluvial fan system in the lower half of the outcrop, and a straight and braided river system in the upper part of the outcrop. This overall evolution is probably related to base-level fall to base-level rise cycle, in which the reservoir architecture is linked to genetic units stacking pattern: during the base-level fall, the alluvial fan is prograding over sand flat and sandy alluvial plain deposits. Coarse and pebbly proximal sandsheets are interbedded with finer reddish distal deposits. Reservoirs units are laterally continuous, but silty alluvial plain deposits constitute vertical permeability barriers, during base-level stillstand, erosive channels and sandsheets are vertically ...
The selection and design of an MEOR process for application in a specific field involves geological, reservoir, and biological characterization. Microbially mediated oil recovery mechanisms (bigenic gas, biopolymers, and biosurfactants) are defined by the types of microorganisms used. The engineering and biological character of a given reservoir must be understood to correctly select a microbial system to enhance oil recovery. This paper discusses the methods used to evaluate three fields with distinct characteristics and production problems for the applicability of MEOR would not be applicable in two of the three fields considered. The development of a microbial oil recovery process for the third field appeared promising. Development of a bacterial consortium capable of producing the desired metabolites was initiated, and field isolates were characterized.
The purpose of this project was to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, and methods for improved completion efficiency. The investigations and demonstrations were focussed on Red River and Ratcliffe reservoirs in the Williston Basin within portions of Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Both of these formations have been successfully explored with conventional 2-dimensional (2D) seismic. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) seismic was investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterizations were integrated with geological and engineering studies. The project tested lateral completion techniques, including high-pressure jetting lance technology and short-radius lateral drilling to enhance completion efficiency. Lateral ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoircharacterization utilizing 3-dimensional and multi-component seismic area is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended- reach jetting lance and other ultra-short radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacings better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by ...
This report documents site remediation at ORNL, including ORNL site characterization technologies, waste management and robotics and automation of the laboratory for waste processing and analysis.
Hydrocarbon recovery efficiency is controlled by reservoir heterogeneities resulting from geometric arrangements of strata, or {open_quotes}stratal architecture{close_quotes}. Traditional reservoircharacterization relates depositional systems to stratal architecture. High-resolution sequence stratigraphy of outcrop analogs provides a chronostratigraphic framework for evaluating accommodation conditions of depositional systems. Key stratigraphic surfaces and/or correlative strata define a hierarchy of chronostratigraphic units of different periodicities. The Upper Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone, an analog to high accommodation and sediment supply fluvial-deltaic reservoirs, comprises an intermediate-term stratigraphic sequence consisting of seven short-term stratigraphic cycles. Each short-term stratigraphic cycle contains fluvial- to storm-dominated shallow-marine deposits laterally replaced by ...
Hydrothermal systems typically consist of hot permeable rock which contains either liquid or liquid and saturated steam within the voids. These systems vent fluids at the surface through hot springs, fumaroles, mud pools, steaming ground and geysers. They are simultaneously recharged as meteoric water percolates through the surrounding rock or through the active injection of water at various geothermal reservoirs. In a number of geothermal reservoirs from which significant amounts of hot fluid have been extracted and passed through turbines, superheated regions of vapor have developed. As liquid migrates through a superheated region of a hydrothermal system, some of the liquid vaporizes at a migrating liquid-vapor interface. Using simple physical arguments, and analogue laboratory experiments we show that, under the influence of gravity, the liquid-vapor interface may become unstable and break up into fingers.
MINC stands for Multiple INteracting continua.'' It is an approximate method for modeling fluid and heat flow in fractured- porous media, developed by Pruess and Narasimhan (1982, 1985) at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The method is applicable to flow processes in which an important aspect is the exchange of fluid, heat, or chemical species between fractures and unfractured rock. Examples include production and injection operations in fractured geothermal reservoirs, water-flooding, steamflooding, and other methods for enhanced oil recovery from fractured reservoirs, as well as chemical transport and contaminant migration in fractured rock. MINC can only be applied to media in which the fractures are sufficiently well connected so that a continuum treatment of flow in the fracture network can be made.
During the phases of separation, treatment, conditioning and storage of radioactive waste, destructive and nondestructive methods for their characterization are needed. In order to satisfy this necessity, in the frame of the National Program of Research and Development, the 'Laboratory for characterization of spent nuclear fuel and high/medium level radioactive waste- LABORAD' was created. The purpose of the project was to accredit the analysis methods available in the laboratory, and also to develop new methods for the characterization of the radioactive waste. A special attention was paid to the high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel characterization that require special facilities for handling. These facilities (e.g. hot cells, remote handlers, transport container) are already available in our institute. Experimental results and performances ...
Gas hydrates are crystalline substances composed of water and gas, in which a solid-water-lattice accommodates gas molecules in a cage-like structure. Gas hydrates are globally widespread in permafrost regions and beneath the sea in sediment of outer continental margins. While methane, propane, and other gases can be included in the clathrate structure, methane hydrates appear to be the most common in nature. The amount of methane sequestered in gas hydrates is probably enormous, but estimates are speculative and range over three orders of magnitude from about 100,000 to 270,000,000 trillion cubic feet. The amount of gas in the hydrate reservoirs of the world greedy exceeds the volume of known conventional gas reserves. Gas hydrates also represent a significant drilling and production hazard. A fundamental question linking gas hydrate resource and hazard issues is: What is the volume of gas hydrates and included gas within a given gas hydrate occurrence Most ...
Gas hydrates are crystalline substances composed of water and gas, in which a solid-water-lattice accommodates gas molecules in a cage-like structure. Gas hydrates are globally widespread in permafrost regions and beneath the sea in sediment of outer continental margins. While methane, propane, and other gases can be included in the clathrate structure, methane hydrates appear to be the most common in nature. The amount of methane sequestered in gas hydrates is probably enormous, but estimates are speculative and range over three orders of magnitude from about 100,000 to 270,000,000 trillion cubic feet. The amount of gas in the hydrate reservoirs of the world greedy exceeds the volume of known conventional gas reserves. Gas hydrates also represent a significant drilling and production hazard. A fundamental question linking gas hydrate resource and hazard issues is: What is the volume of gas hydrates and included gas within a given gas hydrate occurrence? Most ...
This research is to provide improved strategies for enhanced oil recovery from the Tensleep Sandstone oil reservoirs in the Bighorn and Wind River basins, Wyoming. Because of the great range of API gravities of the oils produced from these reservoirs, the proposed study concentrates on understanding the spatial variation and anisotropy of relative permeability within the Tensleep Sandstone. This research will associate those spatial distributions and anisotropies with the depositional subfacies and zones of diagenetic alteration found within the sandstone. The associations of the above with pore geometry will link relative permeability with the dimensions of lithofacies and authigenic mineral facies. Hence, the study is to provide criteria for scaling this parameter on a range of scales, from the laboratory to the basin-wide scale of subfacies distribution. Effects of depositional processes and burial diagenesis will be ...
The objective of this work is to determine the ability of indigenous bacteria from a Venezuelan oil field to grow under reservoir conditions inside a porous media, and to produce metabolites capable of recovering residual crude oil. For this purpose, samples of formation waters from a central-eastern Venezuelan oil reservoir were enriched with different carbon sources and a mineral basal media. Formation water was used as a source of trace metals. The enrichments obtained were incubated at reservoir temperature (71{degrees}C), reservoir pressure (1,200 psi), and under anaerobic conditions for both outside and inside porous media (Berea core). Growth and metabolic activity was followed outside porous media by measuring absorbance at 660 nm, increases in pressure, and decreases in pH. Inside porous media bacterial activity was determined by visual examination of the produced waters (gas bubbles and ...
This report describes the results made in fulfillment of contract DE-FG26-02NT15451, ''Multicomponent Seismic Analysis and Calibration to Improve Recovery from Algal Mounds: Application to the Roadrunner/Towaoc Area of the Paradox Basin, Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, Colorado''. Optimizing development of highly heterogeneous reservoirs where porosity and permeability vary in unpredictable ways due to facies variations can be challenging. An important example of this is in the algal mounds of the Lower and Upper Ismay reservoirs of the Paradox Basin in Utah and Colorado. It is nearly impossible to develop a forward predictive model to delineate regions of better reservoir development, and so enhanced recovery processes must be selected and designed based upon data that can quantitatively or qualitatively distinguish regions of good or bad reservoir permeability and ...
This annual report describes the progress during the fifth year of the project which is targeted towards improving the reservoir performance of mature oil fields located in fluvially dominated deltaic geological environments. The project involves using an integrated approach to characterize the reservoir followed by proposing an appropriate reservoir management strategy to improve the field performance. In the first stage of the project, the type data the authors integrated include cross borehole seismic surveys, geological interpretation based on the logs and the cores, and the engineering information. In contrast, during the second stage of the project, they intend to use only conventional data to construct the reservoir description. This report covers the results of the implementation from the first stage of the project. It also discusses the work accomplished so far for the ...
A core preservation package was developed to maintain the reservoir characteristics of core samples and consequently to improve the quality of data obtained through laboratory core analyses. The package is a heat-sealable plastic-aluminum laminate similar to those common in the food-packaging industry. The laminated core preservation package acts as an impermeable barrier to water vapor and gases, and is resistant to chemical alteration and degradation by core fluids. These performance characteristics result in effective core preservation by maintaining the fluid content of the core. Other advantages of the laminated package are that it is fast and simple to use and eliminates the cumbersome dip-coat step used in some core preservation methods.
This study illustrates the way to perform protocols, collect samples, and conduct laboratory analyses in order to characterize the physical properties of wood used in the industrial sector of the Valle de Aburra metropalitan area and the gains obtained by characterizing the properties of the most frequently used woods. In this investigation some of the most important sampling parameters are presented, such as taking samples in piles or accumulations of waste, handling of these samples in the laboratory and others of great importance such as the ignition point. the proposed methodology is based upon some of the international astm coal norms, for the similarity it has with wood and for the lack of information on sampling this type in wood
An outcrop-based study combining detailed lithofacies analysis with high-resolution sequence stratigraphy in the Paradox Basin, southwestern United States. has shown that complex lateral and vertical facies variations occur in relatively consistent and predictable patterns. Large-scale facies shifts of several kilometers occur across major sequence boundaries whereas small-scale lateral and vertical variations develop from stacking of individual cycles. Understanding of vertical stacking patterns and lateral distribution of facies in outcrop can be directly applied to both three-dimensional distribution of reservoir facies in the subsurface as well as the evaluation of heterogeneity within individual reservoirs. The Desert Creek and Ismay intervals of the Paradox Formation (Pennsylvanian) exposed along the San Juan River in southeastern Utah are characterized by high-frequency cyclic repetition of carbonate and ...
The Measurements and Characterization Branch actively supports the advancement of DOE/NREL goals for the development and implementation of the solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The primary focus of the laboratories is to provide state-of-the-art analytical capabilities for materials and device characterization and fabrication. The branch houses a comprehensive facility that Is capable of providing information on the full range of PV components. A major objective of the branch is to aggressively pursue collaborative research with other government laboratories, universities, and industrial firms for the advancement of Pv technologies. Members of the branch disseminate research findings to the technical community in publications and presentations. The Measurements and Characterization Branch encompasses seven coordinated research groups, providing integrated research and development ...
Spectral absorption properties of total suspended matter (TSM) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) are important for the use of the bio-optical model to estimate water quality parameters. This study aims to investigate the variation in the absorption coefficients of TSM and CDOM of inland waters. A total of 92 water samples were collected from Shitoukoumen Reservoir and Songhua Lake in Northeast China, analyzed for TSM and Chl-a, and measured for the absorption coefficient of TSM, CDOM and total pigments using a laboratory spectrophotometer. The absorption coefficient of TSM has been decomposed for phytoplankton and inorganic sediments. The results show that for Shitoukoumen Reservoir, CDOM has strong absorptions with shallow absorption slopes (i.e., the coefficient S in a(?)=a(?0)exp[-S(?- ?0)]) and large absorption at 355 nm; and for Songhua Lake, CDOM follows similar spectral absorption curves but less variation ...
Qualitative interpretation of data of different nature and sources, based on segmentation techniques such as discriminant analysis, is useful to characterize and monitor hydrocarbon reservoirs. In order to make this interpretation more reliable, it is necessary to characterize uncertainties attached to data and then, to propagate them in the interpretation work-flow. In this thesis, uncertainties are represented by intervals, because usually, little is known about input data errors. The uncertainty characterization issue is dealt with specifically for each case study. The uncertainty propagation issue is treated by a new technique, based on interval analysis, which consists in extending to intervals various popular approaches (non parametric, quadratic and linear) to discriminant analysis: Firstly, a learning phase allows calibrating an imprecise classifying model on the basis of pre-interpreted data. ...
The work presented here demonstrates the ability of proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) to perform fast-response measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (including methanol, acetonitrile, acetaldehyde, acetone, PAN-type compounds, alpha- and beta-pinene, nopinone and pinonaldehyde) at the pptv level and its versatile applicability in the field of environmental trace gas analysis. Laboratory and field experiments including various calibration techniques and intercomparisons with other measurement techniques such as gas chromatography, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy were performed providing a first characterization of the PTR-MS instrument performance (sensitivity, detection limit, precision, accuracy). Typically a detection limit (S/N=2) of 50 pptv for a 10 s signal integration time, a precision of 5 % and an accuracy in the range between 10 and 25 % were ...
This annual report describes the progress during the fourth year of the project on {open_quotes}Integrated Approach Towards the Application of Horizontal Wells to Improve Waterflooding Performance{close_quotes}. The project involves using an integrated approach to characterize the reservoir followed by proposing an appropriate reservoir management strategy to improve the field performance. In the first stage of the project, the type of data we integrated include cross borehole seismic surveys, geological interpretation based on the logs and the cores, and the engineering information. In contrast, during the second stage of the project, we intend to use only conventional data to construct the reservoir description. This report covers the results of the implementation from the first stage of the project. It also discusses the work accomplished so far for the second stage of the project. The production ...
Continental facies of Scythian-early Anisian age (Buntsandstein) of East of the Paris Basin form the underground gas storage reservoir exploited by Gaz de France in the area of Nancy (east of France). An accurate sedimentological study and the application of Genetic Stratigraphy principles lead to the understanding of the deposition of fluvial, which form the reservoirs, and to the reconstruction of their geometries. The subsurface data are calibrated on outcrops. Three types of fluvial systems (braided, sinuous to straight and anastomosed) are defined. A special focus on anastomosed channels permits to differentiate a proximal and a distal facies. Study of laterally continuous outcrops induces recurrent cycles of thickness, velocity and time variations (few tens to hundred ka). These correspond to the highest frequence stratigraphic units, i.e. parasequences or genetic units. Maximum of channel and levee presentation occurs during base-level ...
This study was undertaken during 1991 - 1998 to identify the origin of plutonium uranium in northern New Mexico Rio Grande and tributary stream sediments. Isotopic fingerprinting techniques help distinguish radioactivity from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and from global fallout or natural sources. The geographic area covered by the study extended from the headwaters of the Rio Grande in southern Colorado to Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico. Over 100 samples of stream channel and reservoir bottom sediments were analyzed for the atom ratios of plutonium and uranium isotopes using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Comparison of these ratios against those for fallout or natural sources allowed for quantification of the Laboratory impact. Of the seven major drainages crossing LANL, movement of LANL plutonium into the Rio Grande can only be traced via Los Alamos Canyon. The ...
Supercoiled double-stranded DNA molecules (plasmids) were isolated from plants infected with three laboratory strains of western aster yellows mycoplasma-like organism (AY-MLO) by using cesium chloride-ethidium...Full Text Available
The authors' laboratory, using histochemicalmethods, previously identified two types of cholesterol-containing lipid particles in the extracellular spaces of human atherosclerotic lesions, one particle...Full Text Available
A geologic sequestration pilot in the Thornton gas field in Northern California, USA involves injection of up to 4000 tons of CO{sub 2} into a stacked gas and saline formation reservoir. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is leading the pilot test in collaboration with Rosetta Resources, Inc. and Calpine Corporation under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy and California Energy Commission's WESTCARB, Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership. The goals of the pilot include: (1) Demonstrate the feasibility of CO{sub 2} storage in saline formations representative of major geologic sinks in California; (2) Test the feasibility of Enhanced Gas Recovery associated with the early stages of a CO{sub 2} storage project in a depleting gas field; (3) Obtain site-specific information to improve capacity estimation, risk assessment, and performance prediction; (4) Demonstrate and test methods for monitoring CO{sub 2} storage ...
Geologic sequestration is currently being practiced and scientifically evaluated as a critical component in a broad strategy, comprising new practices and technologies, for mitigating global climate change due to anthropogenic emissions of CO2. Demonstrating that geologic sequestration of CO2 is safe and effective, and gaining public acceptance of sequestration technologies are critically important in meeting these global climate change challenges. Monitored field-scale demonstrations of geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide will contribute greatly toward growing trust and confidence in the technology; however, pilot demonstrations ultimately will not be the norm for new geological sequestration deployments. Instead, scientists, engineers, regulators, and ultimately the public will rely on numerical simulations to predict the performance of geologic repositories for carbon dioxide sequestration. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Environmental Technology ...
This report documents the evaluation of risks associated with environmental restoration activities at Brookhaven National Laboratory using two tools supplied by DOE to provide a consistent set of risk estimates across the DOE complex: Risk Data Sheets (RDS) and Relative Risk Ranking. The tools are described, the process taken characterized, results provided and discussed. The two approaches are compared and recommendations provided for continuing improvement of the process.
Mixed-convection phenomena can occur within liquid-dominated geothermal reservoirs due to interactions of injected flows, or ground-water flows, with the buoyancy-induced fluid motion. This problem was studied experimentally and numerically for the case of opposing flows about a vertical heat source in a liquid-saturated porous medium. The ratio of the Rayleigh number (Ra) to the Peclet number (Pe) was identified as the nondimensional parameter which characterizes the relative influence of buoyancy-driven to pressure-gradient-driven fluid motion. The transition from mixed to forced convection was numerically determined to be (Ra/Pe) approx. = -0.5, where the minus sign denotes superimposed downflow. Agreement between measured and predicted thermal-field results showed that the finite-element code of Gartling and Hickox (1982 a,b) can be used to model low-temperature (single-phase) geothermal reservoirs throughout the ...
The standards mapping methods are limited by the lack of information between surface measures and wells profiles. The cross well seismic survey has proven being an effective high-resolution method for reservoirscharacterization due its high frequency band. In this work, a 2-D finite differences algorithm for numerical cross well seismic simulation was developed, based in the approach of 2nd order for the time derivatives and 4th order for the space derivatives. In relation to the imaging techniques, it was introduced a reverse time migration method based in the solutions of the wave equation in time for cross well seismic data by the method of the finite differences exclusively. The results of reverse time migration has showed that layers with 90 cm thickness for P-waves could be visualized in migrated sections with excellent resolution. The high frequency cross well seismic data combined with reverse time migration have the potential for ...
The primary objective of this project is to enhance domestic petroleum production by demonstration and technology transfer of an advanced oil recovery technology in the Paradox basin, southeastern Utah. If this project can demonstrate technical and economic feasibility, the technique can be applied to approximately 100 additional small fields in the Paradox basin alone, and result in increased recovery of 150 to 200 million barrels of oil. This project is designed to characterize five shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation and choose the best candidate for a pilot demonstration project for either a waterflood or carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}-)flood project. The field demonstration, monitoring of field performance, and associated validation activities will take place in the Paradox basin within the Navajo Nation. The results of this project will be transferred to industry and other researchers ...
This thesis studied the petrology and sequence stratigraphy of the Hoadley barrier, a Glauconitic member in the Westerose field in Alberta. The unit contains gas reserves in an extensive northeast-southwest trending marine complex. A high resolution sequence stratigraphic model was used to understand the facies development of the unit and the diagenetic pathway of the strata. Six high frequency sequences were identified within the Glauconitic member. Each are separated from one another by surfaces of incision or subaerial exposure which sometimes coincide with a flooding surface and erosion. This thesis provided a petrographic characterization and depositional history of each of the 6 sequences. Reservoir quality is developed within the relatively quartz-rich foreshore facies of the G2B sandstones. The G3 chert litharenite to sublitharenite sandstones are excellent gas producers because of their coarser grain size and secondary porosity. The ...
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) reactor characterization by the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) includes extensive neutronic measurements during startup and initial operation. To aid in the handling and counting of the thousands of passive dosimeters used as part of this effort, an automated dosimetry specimen handling, positioning, and counting system was designed and developed by Westinghouse Hanford for the Department of Energy.
Sandia National Laboratories manages the US Department of Energy program for slimhole drilling. The principal objective of this program is to expand proven geothermal reserves through increased exploration, made possible by lower-cost slimhole drilling. For this to be a valid exploration method, however, it is necessary to demonstrate that slimholes yield enough data to evaluate a geothermal reservoir, and that is the focus of Sandia`s current research. Sandia negotiated an agreement with Far West Capital, which operates the Steamboat Hills geothermal field, to drill and test an exploratory slimhole on their lease. The principal objectives for the slimhole were development of slimhole testing methods, comparison of slimhole data with that from adjacent production-size wells, and definition of possible higher-temperature production zones lying deeper than the existing wells.
Existing oil reservoirs might be more fully exploited if the properties of the flow of oil and water in porous media were better known. In laboratory experiments it is important to collect as much information as possible to make a descriptive model of the system, including position imaging and chemical binding information. This thesis develops nuclear methods for obtaining position image and chemical binding information from flow experiments of porous media. A combined positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography system to obtain position images, and a time-differential perturbed angular correlation system to obtain chemical binding information, have been built and thoroughly tested. 68 refs., 123 figs., 14 tabs.
Three enriched cultures (48, 15a, and 26a), selected from more than 80 soil and water samples, could grow anaerobically in the presence of crude oil at 30{degrees}C and could ferment molasses to gases and organic acids. Oil recovery by culture 48 in the laboratory model experiment was enhanced by 25.2% over the original reserves and by 53.7% over the residual reserves. Enriched culture 48 was composed of at least 4 species belonging to the genera Eubacterium, Fusobacterium, and Bacteroides. This enriched culture was used as inoculum for MEOR field trials at Jilin oil field with satisfactory results. The importance of the role of these isolates in EOR was confirmed by their presence and behavior in the fluids produced from the microbiologically treated reservoir.
This document presents a summary of the work performed in support of the Buried Waste Robotics Program Subsurface Mapping Project. The project objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of remotely characterizing buried waste sites. To fulfill this objective, a remotely-operated vehicle, equipped with several sensors, was deployed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Descriptions of the equipment and areas involved in the project are included in this report. Additionally, this document provides data that was obtained during characterization operations at the Cold Test Pit and the Subsurface Disposal Area, both at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory's Radioactive Waste Management Complex, and at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant. The knowledge gained from the experience, that can be applied to the next generation remote-characterization system, is extensive and is ...
The topics covered in this session include: slimhole testing and data acquisition, theoretical and numerical models for slimholes, and an overview of the analysis of slimhole data acquired by the Japanese. The fundamental issues discussed are concerned with assessing the efficacy of slimhole testing for the evaluation of geothermal reservoirs. the term reservoir evaluation is here taken to mean the assessment of the potential of the geothermal reservoir for the profitable production of electrical power. As an introduction to the subsequent presentations and discussions, a brief summary of the more important aspects of the use of slimholes in reservoir evaluation is given.
The need for alternative energy increases steadily???especially due to the climate change and the limited availability of fossil fuels. Geothermal power uses the intrinsic heat which is stored in the accessible part of the Earth???s crust. Its importance among the renewable energy resources originates from the almost unlimited energy supply of the Earth and its independence from external influences such as seasonal or even daily climatic variability. Nevertheless, there are risks which have to be assessed. From a mathematical point of view there are four building blocks of the characterization of deep geothermal systems: seismic exploration, gravimetry, modeling transport processes, and modeling the stress field. In particular, local depletion poses a significant risk during the industrial...
A brief description is given of the physico-chemical parameters characterized a hot water geothermal reservoir and of its exploitation by means of single or coupled (doublet) wells. The technical aspects of geothermal heat to the users is then discussed, beginning with corrosion of materials caused by seven main agents: oxygen, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen, sulphates and chlorides. A brief mention is made of scaling due to calcium carbonate, silica and calcium sulphates. The basic components of a geothermal plant for non-electric uses are then discussed: production pumps, surface pipelines, heat exchangers, heat pumps and reinjection pumps. The advantages and disadvantages of the different equipment and materials used in the geothermal sector are also presented. A list is also given of the criteria used in the energy and economic balance of a geothermal operation. (author). 24 refs, 13 figs, 2 tabs.
Many of the vertical hydrocarbon miscible floods in the Keg River carbonate reefs of the Rainbow Field are at a mature stage of reservoir depletion, and are characterized by thin oil sandwiches. Injection of a gas-blocking foam barrier into a gas cone had the potential to improve oil productivity. Experimental foam treatments were described for two wells, each in a different miscible flood well. One of the wells received foam in an aqueous solution to generate foam in-situ, and as a surface generated foam. These attempt were unsuccessful at improving well performance. The second well was injected with preformed foam only. This treatment reduced GOR and improved oil production over a 14 month period. Field experience from these field trials was expected to improve efficiency in planning, design, implementation and evaluation of future foam projects.
Simulation and experimental results on the transport of microbes and nutrients in one-dimensional cores are presented, and the development of a three-dimensional, three-phase, multiple-component numerical model to describe the microbial transport and oil recovery in porous media is described. The change of rock's wettability and associated relative permeability values after microbial treatments were accounted for in the model for additional oil recovery. Porosity and permeability reductions due to cell clogging have been considered and the production of gas by microbial metabolism has been incorporated. Governing equations for microbial and nutrient transport are coupled with continuity and flow equations under conditions appropriate for a black oil reservoir. The computer simulator has been used to determine the effects of various transport parameters on microbial transport phenomena. The model can accurately describe the observed transport of microbes, ...
Simulation and experimental results on the transport of microbes and nutrients in one-dimensional cores are presented, and the development of a three-dimensional, three-phase, multiple-component numerical model to describe the microbial transport and oil recovery in porous media is described. The change of rock`s wettability and associated relative permeability values after microbial treatments were accounted for in the model for additional oil recovery. Porosity and permeability reductions due to cell clogging have been considered and the production of gas by microbial metabolism has been incorporated. Governing equations for microbial and nutrient transport are coupled with continuity and flow equations under conditions appropriate for a black oil reservoir. The computer simulator has been used to determine the effects of various transport parameters on microbial transport phenomena. The model can accurately describe the observed transport of microbes, nutrients, ...
The depositional environments of the Mesaverde Group of the Piceance Creek basin in northwestern Colorado have determined the basic morphology and characteristics of the tight gas sands reservoirs in the three Multi-Well Experiment wells. The three morphologies, in ascending stratigraphic order, are a blanket type of reservoir (marine to shoreline environment), a lenticular type of reservoir (the paludal and coastal zones of the lower and upper delta plain), and an irregular tabular/elongate reservoir produced by meandering fluvial systems. Internal reservoir discontinuities vary among these types of reservoirs, but consist primarily of permeability barriers and conduits caused by shale breaks and fractures. 10 references, 5 figures.
The advantages of using heads of around 1000 m in conjunction with underground location of the lower reservoirs for pumped storage plants are described, and the possible layouts, equipment, and construction methods are discussed.
Acid mine drainage is probably the most important problem facing the mining industry. In this study, the authors evaluated different techniques for the remediation of mine tailings. An in situ characterization of the Aldermac mine tailings was conducted and the results were presented in this poster presentation. The site characterization was performed to determine the extent of the contamination, and sampling of soils was also performed for laboratory experiments in soil covers. The authors described the methodology followed in the laboratory experiments. Chemical analysis of the leaching water was performed to determine its composition in metals. Microbiological analysis was also conducted, as well as the determination of the water saturation index. The authors indicated that they will analyze the results further. tabs., 12 figs.
Several tight, naturally-fractured, gas-productive formations in the Greater Green River Basin (GGRB) in Wyoming have been exploited using conventional vertical well technology. Typically, hydraulic fracture treatments must be performed in completing these wells to increase gas production rates to economic levels. However, with the maturation of horizontal drilling technology hydraulic fracture treatments may not be the most effective method for improving gas production from these tight reservoirs. Two of the most prolific tight gas reservoirs in the Green River Basin, the Frontier and the Mesaverde, are candidates for the application of horizontal well completion technology. The objective of the proposed project is to apply the DOE`s technical concept to the Second Frontier Formation on the western flank of the Rock Springs Uplift. Previous industry attempts to produce in commercial quantities from the Second Frontier Formation have been ...
This document defines the services the Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility (WSCF) shall provide Effluent Monitoring (EM) throughout the calendar year for analysis. The internal memo contained in Appendix A identifies the samples Em plans to submit for analysis in CY-1995. Analysis of effluent (liquid and air discharges) and environmental (air, liquid, animal, and vegetative) samples is required using standard laboratory procedures, in accordance with regulatory and control requirements. This report describes regulatory reporting requirements and WSCF services and data quality objectives.
This technical memorandum (TM) documents the 1995 characterization of eight underground radioactive waste tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). These tanks belong to the Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT) operable unit, and the characterization is part of the ongoing GAAT remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process. This TM reports both field observations and analytical results; analytical results are also available from the Oak Ridge Environmental Information System (OREIS) data base under the project name GAAT (PROJ-NAME = GAAT). This characterization effort (Phase II) was a follow-up to the {open_quotes}Phase I{close_quotes} sampling campaign reported in Results of Fall 1994 Sampling of Gunite and Associated Tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, ORNL/ER/Sub/87-99053/74, June 1995. The information contained here should be used in ...
The Underground Hydroelectric Pumped Storage (UHPS) Program Plan describes in detail the planned activities and expected accomplishments in the conduct of UHPS technology development and validation envisioned in the 1976 to 1990 time frame. This document describes the program objectives, implementation strategy, and management methodology. The concept of underground hydroelectric pumped storage is fully directed to application in the electric utility industry. This technology involves using electrical energy generated by base-load plants during off-peak load periods to drive a high-head pump/turbine which pumps water from a lower reservoir to a substantially elevated (upper) reservoir corresponding to a head of 1000 m or so. The upper reservoir is at ground level and the lower reservoir is below ground. Then, during peak-load periods, water in the upper reservoir is allowed to flow ...
Typhoons Aere (2004) and Matsa (2005) caused high nephelometric turbidity in the Shihmen reservoir in northern Taiwan, jeopardizing the operation of the reservoir for several days, and ultimately impacting the living conditions and economy of the downstream residents. The torrential rains caused landslides and debris flows in upland areas, and flowed into riverbeds, likely contributing significantly to the suspended sediment yields in the reservoir. This investigation elucidates how upland landslides affect sediment attributes in the reservoir basin. Study methods including field observations, spatial analysis in GIS and aerial photo interpretation are adopted to trace the sediment sources and contributing factors to the landslide. Torrential rains induced landslides and debris-flows uplan...
Porous flow occurs in a wide range of materials and applies to many commercially relevant applications such as oil recovery, chemical reactors and contaminant transport in soils. Typically, breakthrough and pressure curves of column floods are used in the laboratorycharacterization of these materials. These characterization methods lack the detail to easily and unambiguously resolve flow mechanisms with similar effects at the core scale that can dominate at the aquifer or oil field scale, as well as the effects of geometry that control the flow at interfaces as in a perforated well or the inlet of an improperly designed column. Non-invasive imaging techniques such as MRI have been shown to provide a far more detailed characterization of the properties of the solid matrix and flow, but usu...
This report summarizes the activities and major accomplishments for the Idaho National Laboratory Advanced Radiotherapy Research Program for calendar year 2004. Topics covered include boron analysis in biological samples, computational dosimetry and treatment planning software development, medical neutron source development and characterization, and collaborative dosimetry studies at the RA-1 facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This report summarizes the activities and major accomplishments for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Advanced Radiotherapy Research Program for calendar year 2002. Topics covered include computational dosimetry and treatment planning software development, medical neutron source development and characterization, and boron analytical chemistry.
This report summarizes the activities and major accomplishments for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Advanced Radiotherapy Research Program for calendar year 2002. Topics covered include computational dosimetry and treatment planning software development, medical neutron source development and characterization, and boron analytical chemistry.
The results of Sandia National Laboratories' participation in the NASA Planetary Definition and Design Program are summarized. Areas reported include the characterization of large area cadmium zinc telluride spectrometers and the application of simulation techniques to the prediction of device performance. Also investigated was the response of mercuric iodide devices in the region from 1 to 100 KeV. A literature study to determine the status or radiation damage measurements in room temperature semiconductor devices is also reported.
A geological study was conducted to better understand the nature of cleat development and degree of mineralization in coal seams of the Scollard and Coalspur Formations in western Alberta. The results can be applied to equivalent formations. The source and reservoir rocks of a coalbed methane (CBM) system were described. Coal seams are basically fractured reservoirs with 7 types of cleats. The field work involved cleat minerals sampling and determining cleat attributes such as type, strike and spacing from open-cut mines and outcrops. The laboratory work involved X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive microscopy, stable isotope analysis, and fluid inclusions analysis. The study showed that coal seams of the Scollard and Coalspur Formations are widespread and cleated to various degrees. The face and butt cleats strike northeast-southwest and northwest southeast respectively along the structural ...
CEA-Valduc produces some radioactive waste (mainly alpha emitters). Legislation requires producers to sort their waste by activity and type of isotopes, and to package them in order to forward them to the appropriate reprocessing or storage facility. Our lab LMDE (laboratory for measurements on nuclear wastes and valuation) is in charge of the characterization of the majority of waste produced by CEA-Valduc. Among non-destructive methods to characterize a radioactive object, gamma-spectroscopy is one of the most efficient. We present to this conference the method we use to characterize nuclear waste and the system we developed to characterize our germanium detectors. The goal of this system is to obtain reliable numerical models of our detectors and calculate their efficiency curves. Measurements are necessary to checks models and improve them. These measurements are made on a bench ...
The characterization data obtained to date are described for Approved Testing Material (ATM)-106 spent fuel from Assembly BT03 of pressurized-water reactor Calvert Cliffs No. 1. This report is one in a series being prepared by the Materials Characterization Center at Pacific Northwest Laboratory on spent fuel ATMs. The ATMs are receiving extensive examinations to provide a source of well- characterized spent fuel for testing in the US Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCWRM) program. ATM-106 consists of 20 full-length irradiated fuel rods with rod-average burnups of about 3700 GJ/kgM (43 MWd/kgM) and expected fission gas release of /approximately/10%. Characterization data include (1) as-fabricated fuel design, irradiation history, and subsequent storage and handling; (2) isotopic gamma scans; (3) fission gas analyses; (4) ceramography of the fuel ...
The characterization data obtained to date are described for Approved Testing Material (ATM)-103, which is spent fuel from Assembly D101 of pressurized-water reactor Calvert Cliffs, No. 1. This report is one in a series being written by the Materials Characterization Center (MCC) at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) on spent fuel ATMs. The ATMs are receiving extensive examinations to provide a source of well-characterized spent fuel for testing in the US nuclear waste repository program. ATM-103 consists of 176 full-length irradiated fuel rods with rod-average burnups of about 2600 GJ/kgM (30 MWd/kgM) and less than 1% fission gas release. Characterization data include 1) as-fabricated fuel design, irradiation history, and subsequent storage and handling; 2) isotopic gamma scans; 3) fission gas analyses; 4) ceramography of the fuel and metallography of the cladding; 5) special fuels ...
The characterization data obtained to date are described for Approved Testing Material 104 (ATM-104), which is spent fuel from Assembly DO47 of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 1), a pressurized-water reactor. This report is one in a series being prepared by the Materials Characterization Center at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) on spent fuel ATMs. The ATMs are receiving extensive examinations to provide a source of well-characterized spent fuel for testing in the US Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) Program. ATM-104 consists of 128 full-length irradiated fuel rods with rod-average burnups of about 42 MWd/kgM and expected fission gas release of about 1%. A variety of analyses were performed to investigate cladding characteristics, radionuclide inventory, and redistribution of fission products. Characterization data include ...
The characterization data obtained to data are described for Approved Testing Material 105 (ATM-105), which is spent fuel from Bundles CZ346 and CZ348 of the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant, a boiling-water reactor. This report is one in a series being prepared by the Materials Characterization Center at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) on spent fuel ATMs. The ATMs are receiving extensive examinations to provide a source of well-characterized spent fuel for testing in the US Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) Program. ATM-105 consists of 88 full-length irradiated fuel rods with rod-average burnups of about 2400 GJ/kgM (28 MWd/kgM) and expected fission gas release of about 1%. Characterization data include (1) descriptions of as-fabricated fuel design, irradiation history, and subsequent storage and handling; (2) isotopic gamma scans; (3) ...
Many problems in physics necessitate the solution of equations which develop sharp gradients, such as shocks. These include atmospheric shocks near the earth's surface, plasma physics phenomena, both in the laboratory and in space, combustion, petroleum reservoir modelling, and light propagation in glass fibers. To deal with this situation, methods are needed which place a high density of nodes in the neighborhoods of the steep gradients. One of the most promising of these methods is the moving finite element method which was first invented by Miller. This approach, in which the nodes are moved so as to minimize the residual error, has been used successfully by Gelinas, Doss, and co-workers to study several different one-dimensional problems and shows great promise as well in dealing with two dimensions. A paper describing the one-dimensional results has already been published, and a paper describing the two-dimensional results is in ...
The mission of the Emerging Technologies thrust area at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is to help individuals establish technology areas that have national and commercial impact, and are outside the scope of the existing thrust areas. We continue to encourage innovative ideas that bring quality results to existing programs. We also take as our mission the encouragement of investment in new technology areas that are important to the economic competitiveness of this nation. In fiscal year 1992, we have focused on nine projects, summarized in this report: (1) Tire, Accident, Handling, and Roadway Safety; (2) EXTRANSYT: An Expert System for Advanced Traffic Management; (3) Odin: A High-Power, Underwater, Acoustic Transmitter for Surveillance Applications; (4) Passive Seismic Reservoir Monitoring: Signal Processing Innovations; (5) Paste Extrudable Explosive Aft Charge for Multi-Stage Munitions; (6) A Continuum Model for Reinforced Concrete ...
A new three-dimensional (3D) acoustic modelling method was developed using a first-order hyperbolic wave system which was solved with explicit finite dfferences. The numerical solution of the 3D wave system provides a useful method for simulating evolution of a pressure field corresponding to compressional type waves. Existing two-dimensional (2D) elastic modelling algorithms were modified and fine-tuned for computationally efficient and realistic wave propagation simulations in complex structures. An original formulation of the 3D reverse time migration method was developed which is very accurate, does not suffer from unwanted evenescent energy, can image dips beyond 90{degree}, and does not generate multiple energy. Two case studies were performed that involved steam stimulation projects in the Cold Lake deposit. Simulations were performed during different phases of the steam stimulation process to examine the relation between reservoir properties and conditions ...
The Ordos Basin, the second largest sedimentary basin in China, contains the broad distribution of natural gas types. So far, several giant gas fields have been discovered in the Upper and Lower Paleozoic in this basin, each having over 1000x10{sup 8}m{sup 3} of proven gas reserves, and several gas pools have also been discovered in the Mesozoic. This paper collected the data of natural gases and elucidated the geochemical characteristics of gases from different reservoirs, and then discussed their origin. For hydrocarbons preserved in the Upper Paleozoic, the elevated {delta}{sup 13}C values of methane, ethane and propane indicate that the gases would be mainly coal-formed gases; the singular reversal in the stable carbon isotopes of gaseous alkanes suggests the mixed gases from humic sources with different maturity. In the Lower Paleozoic, the {delta} {sup 13}C{sub 1} values are mostly similar with those in the Upper Paleozoic, but the {delta}{sup 13}C{sub 2} and ...
This publication provides a broad overview of the research programs and efforts being conducted, built, designed, and planned at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This work covers a broad range of scientific disciplines. Major facilities include the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS), with its newly completed booster, the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR), and the RHIC, which is under construction. Departments within the laboratory include the AGS department, accelerator development, physics, chemistry, biology, NSLS, medical, nuclear energy, and interdepartmental research efforts. Research ranges from the pure sciences, in nuclear physics and high energy physics as one example, to environmental work in applied science to study climatic effects, from efforts in biology which are a component of the human genome project to the study, production, and characterization of new ...
This publication provides a broad overview of the research programs and efforts being conducted, built, designed, and planned at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This work covers a broad range of scientific disciplines. Major facilities include the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS), with its newly completed booster, the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR), and the RHIC, which is under construction. Departments within the laboratory include the AGS department, accelerator development, physics, chemistry, biology, NSLS, medical, nuclear energy, and interdepartmental research efforts. Research ranges from the pure sciences, in nuclear physics and high energy physics as one example, to environmental work in applied science to study climatic effects, from efforts in biology which are a component of the human genome project to the study, production, and characterization of new ...
This report consists of appendices A-F containing the biological data which were collected from Lake Roosevelt, Washington. The data are to be used in the design of a computer model that would predict biological responses of reservoir operations as part of the System Operation Review program. Major components of the model included: Quantification of impacts to phytoplankton, zooplanktons, benthic invertebrates, and fish caused by reservoir drawdowns and low water retention times; quantification of number, distribution, and use of fish food organisms in the reservoir by season; determination of seasonal growth of fish species as related to reservoir operations, prey abundance and utilization; and quantification of entrainment levels of zooplankton and fish as related to reservoir operations and water retention times.
The Sulige gas field and the Yulin gas field are located in the north of the Ordos Basin. Reservoir pressure in the Sulige area is subnormal, whereas reservoirs in the Yulin area have normal hydrostatic pressure. This paper provides an explanation of this difference. The characteristics of reservoir sediment and formation water chemistry in the gas reservoirs of these two areas were analyzed. The results showed that both reservoirs have good sealing ability. Data of numerical simulation showed that tectonic uplift resulted in a great reduction in formation pressure in the northern Ordos Basin during the late Cretaceous period, and the decrease was greater in the Yulin gas field than in the Sulige gas field. However, because the total hydrocarbon-generating intensity of the Sulige area (<24...
Geothermal energy appears as a viable economic alternative among the different renewable energy sources. The French bureau of geological and mining researches (BRGM) is involved in several research and development programs in the domain of geothermal energy and underground reservoirs. This document presents the content of 5 programs: the deep hot dry rock system of Soultz-sous-Forets (construction and testing of the scientific pilot, modeling of the reservoir structure), the development of low and high enthalpy geothermal energy in the French West Indies, the comparison of the geothermal development success of Bouillante (Guadeloupe, French West Indies) with the check of the geothermal development of Nyssiros (Greece) and Pantelleria (Italy), the development of the high enthalpy geothermal potentialities of Reunion Island, and the underground storage of CO{sub 2} emissions in geologic formations (deep aquifers, geothermal ...
Abstract Bartonella are arthropod-borne, fastidious, Gram-negative, and aerobic bacilli distributed by fleas, lice, sand flies, and, possibly, ticks. The zoonotic Bartonella species, Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, which are the causes of cat scratch disease and endocarditis in humans, have been reported from cats, cat fleas, and humans in Australia. However, to date, there has been no report of B. henselae or B. clarridgeiae in Australian wild animals and their ectoparasites. B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae were detected in fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), an introduced pest animal species in Australia, and only B. clarridgeiae was detected in blood from one red fox. Phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal intergenic spacer region revealed that the B. henselae detected in the current study were related to B. henselae strain Houston-1, a major pathogenic strain in humans in Australia, and confirmed the genetic distinctness of B. ...
Conoco`s Crosswell ReservoirCharacterization (CRC) team is using Decision and Risk Analysis (D and RA) to evaluate the potential economic impact of the authors` projects. D and RA can be a useful tool for refining the direction of a project and communicating the value of information in economic terms. Initial studies show that CRC has high potential economic value. Three steps were used to analyze the value of the CRC project. A high-level, industry-wide model was developed to look at the technical, application, and commercialization success of the technology. The team considered an infill drilling decision in shallow shelf carbonates as a detailed case. For that case, fully integrating crosswell information with supporting data (well logs, cores, production information, etc.) leads to a three-fold increase in expected value. The third step, a portfolio analysis of all crosswell applications, was initiated, but not completed. Given the ...
Conoco's Crosswell ReservoirCharacterization (CRC) team is using Decision and Risk Analysis (D and RA) to evaluate the potential economic impact of the authors' projects. D and RA can be a useful tool for refining the direction of a project and communicating the value of information in economic terms. Initial studies show that CRC has high potential economic value. Three steps were used to analyze the value of the CRC project. A high-level, industry-wide model was developed to look at the technical, application, and commercialization success of the technology. The team considered an infill drilling decision in shallow shelf carbonates as a detailed case. For that case, fully integrating crosswell information with supporting data (well logs, cores, production information, etc.) leads to a three-fold increase in expected value. The third step, a portfolio analysis of all crosswell applications, was initiated, but not completed. Given the ...
This conference and trade show provided a forum to present new, emerging and existing technologies that will play a key role in ensuring that hydrocarbon exploitation occurs in a sustainable manner, where costs and resource recovery are optimized while minimizing environmental impacts. The challenge of developing maturing basins, frontier lands and unconventional resources was discussed. In particular, the application of thermal recovery methods such as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for the in-situ recovery of heavy oils and bitumens was reviewed and compared with the performance of alternative enhanced energy recovery technologies such as vapor extraction (VAPEX). The conference was attended by local and international participants in the petroleum sector, including managers, engineers, technologists, geologists, and other petroleum industry specialists. The conference featured 132 presentations addressing topics such as improved recovery of conventional oil and gas; heavy oil ...
The thermal regime immediately downstream from bottom release reservoirs is often characterized by reduced diel and seasonal (winter warm/summer cool) conditions. These unusual thermal patterns have often been implicated as a primary factor underlying observed downstream changes in the species composition of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. The potential mechanisms for selective elimination of benthic species by unusual thermal regimes has been reviewed. Although the effects of temperature on the rate and magnitude of larval growth and development has been included in the list of potential mechanisms, only recently have field studies below dams focused on this interrelationship. This study investigates the overall community structure as well as the seasonal pattern of larval growth and development for several univoltine species of insects in the Delaware River below or near the hypolimnetic discharge of the Cannonsville and Pepeacton ...
Some results and experimental procedures of laboratory are reported in the frame of researches conducted for the development of new nanostructured composite materials. These new materials, which are constituted by an organic phase: the polymer and an inorganic phase: the silicate, are being strongly investigated nowadays so it is expected that they could provide, among other, better electrical insulation properties and flame-delay in electrical and electronic applications. The laboratory experimental work has been developed from two families of polymers, thermoplastics and thermosets and clays silicates providing lamellar type. There are now some preliminary results, such as obtaining thin films of these nanocomposite materials, their complete characterization by X-ray diffraction, scanning microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, they do well to wait for future research activities. (author)
The Consortium for Fossil Fuel Liquefaction Science (CFFLS) is a research consortium that includes five universities and a state energy laboratory. The membership is comprised of Auburn University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Utah, West Virginia University, and the Kentucky Energy Cabinet Laboratory. The Consortium was formed in 1984 in response to the concern of the faculty and scientists at these institutions over the decline of coal liquefaction research in the United States, particularly long-range, basic research. Significant progress towards these goals was made in the current contract period. Major research accomplishments are presented on coal desulfurization, coprocessing, pyrolysis, enhanced reactivity, characterization, resource evaluation and database development. 108 refs., 90 figs., 38 tabs.
Researchers at the Laboratory of Nuclear Microanalysis in Besancon (France) are developing and improving radon measurements in order to detect and analyse, more precisely radon emanation anomalies in both fields of Earth Sciences and Radioprotection. In order to characterize radon emanation, two complementary techniques are developed; continuous measurement through a portable proportional counter and passive measurements by nuclear track detectors for both fieldwork and laboratory analysis. A mathematical model is being devised to interpret the nuclear track detector response. This model is performed according to the device characteristics: type of detectors, shape and size of cells and whether a membrane is used or not. In addition to the theoritical study, experimental radon concentration measurements will be reported. (author).
Researchers at the Laboratory of Nuclear Microanalysis in Besancon (France) are developing and improving radon measurements in order to detect and analyse, more precisely radon emanation anomalies in both fields of Earth Sciences and Radioprotection. In order to characterize radon emanation, two complementary techniques are developed; continuous measurement through a portable proportional counter and passive measurements by nuclear track detectors for both fieldwork and laboratory analysis. A mathematical model is being devised to interpret the nuclear track detector response. This model is performed according to the device characteristics: type of detectors, shape and size of cells and whether a membrane is used or not. In addition to the theoritical study, experimental radon concentration measurements will be reported. (author).
Anti-reflective coatings made with Teflon AF2400 had the highest damage thresholds recorded for physical vapor deposited coatings at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory damage facility. Physical vapor deposited layers of Teflon AF2400, a perfluorinated amorphous polymer, maintained the bulk optical properties of a high transmittance from 200 nm to 1600 nm, and a low refractive index. In addition, the refractive index can be intentionally reduced by control of two common deposition parameters, deposition rate and substrate temperature. Scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance observations indicated that morphological changes caused the variations in the refractive index rather than compositional changes. The coatings adhered to fused silica and silicon wafers under normal laboratory handling conditions.
The original plan for support of research in geothermal reservoir engineering, GREMP, is reviewed and compared with accomplishments to date. A commentary on the comparison and an updated plan are presented. Also included are a justification of the updated plan and a revised management plan. (MHR)
Production of dissolved macromolecules by ambient autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial populations was measured in a eutrophic Florida reservoir by in situ labeling with various radioactive substrates....Full Text Available
General balance laws and constitutive relations are developed for convective hydrothermal geothermal reservoirs. A fully interacting rock-fluid system is considered; typical rock-fluid interactions involve momentum and energy transfer, and the dependence ...
Architecture of hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone reservoirs of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Wind River basin, Wyoming, was studied using lithofacies, grain size, bounding surfaces, sedimentary structures, internal organization, and geometry. Two principal groups of reservoirs, both erosionally based and fining upward, consist of either conglomeratic sandstone or sandstone lithofacies. Two types of architecture were recognized in conglomeratic sandstone reservoirs: (1) heterogeneous, multistacked, lenticular and (2) homogeneous, multiscoured, wedge-sheet bodies. Three types of architecture were recognized in sandstone reservoirs: (3) heterogeneous, multistacked, elongate; (4) homogeneous, multilateral, lenticular; and (5) homogeneous, ribbon-lensoid bodies. Conglomeratic sandstone reservoirs in the southern and southwestern parts of the basin suggest deposition in ...
Two hot dry rock geothermal energy reservoirs were created by hydraulic fracturing of Precambrian granitic rock on the west flank of the Valles Caldera, a dormant volcanic complex, in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. Heat was extracted in a closed-loop mode of operation, injecting water into one well and extracting the heated water from a separate production well. The first reservoir was produced by fracturing the injection well at a depth of 2.75 km (9020 ft) where the indigenous rock temperature was 185/sup 0/C. The relatively rapid thermal drawdown of the water produced from the first reservoir, 100/sup 0/C in 74 days, indicated that its effective fracture radius was about 60 m (200 ft). Average thermal power extracted was 4 MW. A second, larger reservoir was created by refracturing the injection well 180 m (600 ft) deeper. Downhole measurements of the water temperature at the ...
Clastic sediments of Albian age provide hydrocarbon source rocks, reservoirs and seals. Major reservoirs occur in sandstones to the north, and have a limited reservoir potential in offshore Qatar. Distal shales are a major seal in offshore Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Local source-rock potential exists in the northern part of the Arabian Gulf and in the extreme SE of Saudi Arabia (in the Rub Al Khali Basin). (author)
Dust particles in a plasma are charged negatively and are subject to various types of forces, including a drag force by plasma particles and a force due to the collective nature of a plasma. Dust particles are found in a sheath in laboratories balanced by the gravitational force and the electric force, while dust particles in space are ubiquitous, including planetary magnetospheres and interstellar space. Because of the novel nature of a complex system involving plasma particles and dust particles in a collective way, the dusty plasma is often called a complex plasma. The complex plasma is characterized by two distinctly different scales in time and in space. The plasma with electrons, ions and neutrals is characterized by the collective motion with a fast time scale and a short wavelength, while the dust particles move in a slow time scale and a long spatial scale. Some fundamental aspects of a complex plasma are reviewed ...
X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and particle size analysis were used to characterize the product of the thiosulfate process. It was found to consist of a mixture of a solid solution of calcium sulfate in calcium sulfite hemihydrate, calcium sulfate dihydrate, and calcium carbonate. Reactions taking place on heating the byproduct were identified in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. Pure calcium sulfite hemihydrate as well as solid solutions of CaSO[sub 4] in CaSO[sub 3] [center dot] (1/2)H[sub 2]O with different sulfate concentrations were synthesized in the laboratory. Thermal analyses of pure solid solutions proved that the higher the sulfate content, the higher is the dehydration temperature. Accordingly, taking SO[sub 4][sup 2[minus
This paper deals with surface defects of automobile outer panels, which alter significantly the vehicle quality. Such defects occur during springback, after forming or flanging steps, and are characterized by concave depression of small amplitude over the convex shape of the part. The aim of this work is to reproduce at the laboratory scale a surface defect that occurs after flanging on a geometry similar to a door upper corner. A dedicated device has been designed in order to generate small size surface defects during flanging of metallic thin sheets. The outer surface of the sample was digitalized and the spatial geometry of the defect was evaluated from curvature change along 2D profiles. This study shows that the flanging height does not influence significantly the surface defect geome...
The Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility (WSCF) complex consists of the main structure (WSCF) and four support structures located in the 600 Area of the Hanford site east of the 200 West area and south of the Hanford Meterology Station. WSCF is to be used for low level sample analysis, less than 2 mRem. The Laboratory features state-of-the-art analytical and low level radiological counting equipment for gaseous, soil, and liquid sample analysis. In particular, this facility is to be used to perform Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 sample analysis in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Protocols, room air and stack monitoring sample analysis, waste water treatment process support, and contractor laboratory quality assurance checks. The samples to be analyzed contain very low concentrations ...
The paper is concerned with the simulation of practical testing situations which are too difficult and/or expensive to replicate in a laboratory environment. Numerical experiments are described which simulate the differential eddy current probe response to the build-up and chemical flushing of magnetite in the crevice gap of a PWR steam generator unit. The simulation results agree well with the only experimental data available to the authors and lead to the conclusion that conventional differential eddy current probes should be capable of characterizing crevice gap conditions with respect to the presence of magnetite. (author).
Theft, illegal possession, smuggling, or attempted unauthorized sale of nuclear and radiological materials remains a worldwide problem. The Nuclear Smuggling International Technical Working Group (ITWG) has adopted a model action plan to guide investigation of these cases through a systematic approach to nuclear forensics. The model action plan was recently documented and provides recommendations concerning incident response, collection of evidence in conformance with required legal standards, laboratory sampling and distribution of samples, radioactive materials analysis, including categorization and characterization of samples, forensics analysis of conventional evidence, and case development including interpretation of forensic signatures. (author)
The results of an investigation of the effects of several parameters on the reactivity instability of a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) calculational model are summarized. Calculations were performed for a typical BWR operated at low flow conditions, where reactivity instabilities are more likely to occur. The parameters investigated include the axial power shape (characterized by two separate parameters), the core pressure, and operating flow. All calculations were performed using the LAPUR code which was developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the dynamic modeling of large BWR's. 4 refs., 8 figs.
In this work, amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) film deposition on metallic mirrors was studied during working shots in tokamak T-10 and at exposure in Ar/CHD3/D2 dc magnetron discharge in a special laboratory high vacuum setup. Analysis of film composition (including hydrogen content) was carried out using nuclear physical methods. Thickness and optical parameters (refractive and extinction coefficients) of the films were estimated by ellipsometry. Laboratory films can be characterized as soft a-C:H films in comparison with hard tokamak films (? = 1.2 and 1.8 g/cm3, respectively). For the first one, a linear dependence of deposition rate on mirror temperature was observed in a wide temperature range. The addition of methane into initial Ar/D2 magnetron gas mixture leads to an increase of deposition rate. The data obtained should be taken into account to prevent hydrocarbon film formation on the surface of first mirrors in ...
The LANL Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Office, established in October 1989, is faced with the challenge of assessing and cleaning up nearly 1,8000 potentially hazardous waste sites according to an aggressive corrective action schedule that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated on May 23, 1990, in a Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B Permit. To maximize program efficiency, the ER Program Office will implement a unique management approach designed to maximize the use of laboratory technical expertise. The Installation Work Plan, which provides a blueprint for the program, has been submitted to EPA for review and approval. A work plan for characterization of Technical Area 21, an early plutonium processing facility, is also nearing completion. The feasibility of an expedited cleanup of the Laboratory's worst hazardous waste release has been modelled using a computer code ...
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) operates a number of research and development (R and D) facilities for the Department of Energy on the Hanford Site. According to DOE Order 5400.1, a Facility Effluent Monitoring Plan is required for each site, facility, or process that uses, generates, releases, or manages significant pollutants or hazardous materials. Three of the R and D facilities: the 325, 331, and 3720 Buildings, are considered major emission points for radionuclide air sampling and thus individual Facility Effluent Monitoring Plans (FEMPs) have been developed for them. Because no definition of ''significant'' is provided in DOE Order 5400.1 or the accompanying regulatory guide DOE/EH-0173T, this FEMP was developed to describe monitoring requirements in the DOE-owned, PNNL-operated facilities that do not have individual FEMPs. The remainder of the DOE-owned, PNNL-operated facilities are referred to as ...
This paper provides an overview of environmental cleanup at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and some of the unique aspects and challenges. Cleanup of the 65-year old Department of Energy Laboratory is being conducted under a RCRA Consent Order with the State of New Mexico. This agreement is one of the most recent cleanup agreements signed in the DOE complex and was based on lessons learned at other DOE sites. A number of attributes create unique challenges for LANL cleanup -- the proximity to the community and pueblos, the site's topography and geology, and the nature of LANL's on-going missions. This overview paper will set the stage for other papers in this session, including papers that present: Plans to retrieve buried waste at Material Disposal Area B, across the street from oen of Los Alamos' commercial districts and the local newspaper; Progress to date and joint plans with WIPP for disposal of the ...
The design of high level radioactive waste (HLW) repositories in deep geological media in which bentonite clay is proposed as a sealing material leads to the need of further studying the behaviour of highly compacted expansive soils when subjected to mechanical, hydraulic and thermal changes. Laboratory tests may help to understand the processes that take place in the clay barrier under simple and controlled conditions and to develop the governing equations. The laboratory tests enable to isolate the different processes, making their interpretation easier, and provide with fundamental data concerning the parameters to be used in the models. The extremely low permeability of these materials, their avidity for water (high suction) and their high swelling capacity make necessary the modification of the conventional laboratory techniques and procedures to determine basic physical parameters. The main hydraulic properties of the ...
The understanding of transport processes that occur in naturally fractured geothermal systems is far from being complete. Often, evaluation and numerical simulations of fractured geothermal reservoirs, are carried out by assuming equivalent porous media and homogeneous petrophysical properties within big matrix blocks. The purpose of this paper, is to present a comparison between results obtained from numerical studies of a naturally fractured reservoir treated as a simple porous medium and the simulation of some real aspects of the fractured reservoir. A general conclusion outlines the great practical importance of considering even approximately, the true nature of such systems. Our results show that the homogeneous simplified evaluation of the energy resource in a fractured system, could result in unrealistic estimates of the reservoir capacity to generate electricity.
The understanding of transport processes that occur in naturally fractured geothermal systems is far from being complete. Often, evaluation and numerical simulations of fractured geothermal reservoirs, are carried out by assuming equivalent porous media and homogeneous petrophysical properties within big matrix blocks. The purpose of this paper, is to present a comparison between results obtained from numerical studies of a naturally fractured reservoir treated as a simple porous medium and the simulation of some real aspects of the fractured reservoir. A general conclusion outlines the great practical importance of considering even approximately, the true nature of such systems. Our results show that the homogeneous simplified evaluation of the energy resource in a fractured system, could result in unrealistic estimates of the reservoir capacity to generate electricity.
A core competency is a distinguishing integration of capabilities which enables an organization to deliver mission results. Core competencies represent the collective learning of an organization and provide the capacity to perform present and future missions. Core competencies are distinguishing characteristics which offer comparative advantage and are difficult to reproduce. They exhibit customer focus, mission relevance, and vertical integration from research through applications. They are demonstrable by metrics such as level of investment, uniqueness of facilities and expertise, and national impact. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has identified four core competencies which satisfy the above criteria. Each core competency represents an annual investment of at least $100M and is characterized by an integration of Laboratory technical foundations in physical, chemical, and materials sciences; biological, ...
Most of the petroleum fields in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea are sandstone reservoirs; the oil and gas are trapped in different species of sandstone. But the Ekofisk Field is a chalk reservoir, which really challenges the operator companies. When oil is produced from chalk reservoirs, water usually gets in and the reservoir subsides. The subsidence may be expensive for the oil companies or be used to advantage by increasing the recovery rate. Since 60 per cent of the world's petroleum reserves are located in carbonate reservoirs, it is important to understand what happens as oil and gas are pumped out. Comprehensive studies at the Department of Petroleum Technology and Applied Geophysics at Stavanger University College in Norway show that the mechanical properties of chalk are considerably altered when the pores in the rock become saturated with oil/gas or water under ...
The overall goal of the proposed project is to explore the use of partitioning tracers to characterize dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in aquifer systems. Bulk-phase partitioning tracers will be investigated to detect and determine DNAPL saturation, while interface partitioning tracers will be investigated to measure the area of the DNAPL-water interface. The specific objectives that will be addressed to accomplish this goal are: (1) Investigate the use of partitioning tracers to detect and determine both the saturation and interfacial area of DNAPLs in saturated porous media. (2) Investigate the effect of rate-limited mass transfer on the transport behavior of partitioning tracers. (3) Investigate the effect of porous-media heterogeneity on the transport behavior of partitioning tracers. (4) Develop and evaluate mathematical models capable of simulating the transport of partitioning tracers in complex systems. This proposal outlines an integrated approach ...
Data which have been collected by Los Alamos National Laboratory waste management for the hydrologic characterization of the subsurface at the low level radioactive waste disposal facility, Area G, are reported and discussed briefly. The data includes Unsaturated Flow Apparatus measurements of the unsaturated conductivity in samples from borehole G-5. Analysis compares these values to the predictions from van Genuchten estimates, and the implications for transport and data matching are discussed, especially at the location of the Vapor Phase Notch (VPN). There, evaporation drives a significant vapor flux and the liquid flux cannot be measured accurately by the UFA device. Data also include hydrologic characterization of samples from borehole G-5, Area G surface soils, Los Alamos (Cerros de Rio) basalt, Tsankawi and Cerro-Toledo layers, the Vapor Phase Notch (VPN), and additional new samples from the uppermost tuff layer at ...
The objective of this study was to determine if any fluids or materials used in the Exploratory Shaft Facility (ESF) of Yucca Mountain will make the mountain unsuitable for future construction of a nuclear waste repository. Yucca Mountain, an area on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site in southern Nevada, USA, is a candidate site for permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste from commercial nuclear power and defense nuclear activities. To properly characterize Yucca Mountain, it will be necessary to construct an underground test facility, in which in situ site characterization tests can be conducted. The candidate repository horizon at Yucca Mountain, however, could potentially be compromised by fluids and materials used in the site characterization tests. To minimize this possibility, Los Alamos National Laboratory was directed to evaluate the kinds of fluids and materials that will be used ...
We are attempting to characterize and model the micromechanical response of highly-filled polymers. In this class of materials, the continuous plastic binder used to bond the highly-filled material dominates the observed viscoelastic response. As a result, realistic lifetime analysis of these materials will require a thorough understanding of the contribution of the plastic binder. Laboratory applications of these materials include plastic bonded explosives, propellants, a variety of specialized filled organic materials for stockpile systems, and highly filled epoxy dielectric materials for the National Ignition Facility. We have explored numerous techniques to characterize the local microstructure of plastic bonded explosives. However, insufficient funding was obtained to bring these technologies to maturity, nevertheless our present tool set is significantly better than 2 years ago. We have also made some progress in ...
This document describes the geology and hydrogeology at the former Advanced Coal Liquefaction Research and Development (ACLR&D) facility in Wilsonville, Alabama. The work was conducted by personnel from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Grand Junction office (ORNL/GJ) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC). Characterization information was requested by PETC to provide baseline environmental information for use in evaluating needs and in subsequent decision-making for further actions associated with the closeout of facility operations. The hydrogeologic conceptual model presented in this report provides significant insight regarding the potential for contaminant migration from the ACLR&D facility and may be useful during other characterization work in the region. The ACLR&D facility is no longer operational and has been dismantled. The site was ...
The objective of this task was to obtain powder property data on candidate glass former materials, sufficient to guide conceptual design and estimate the cost of glass former handling facilities as requested under Part B1 of BNFL Technical and Development Support. Twenty-nine glass forming materials were selected and obtained from vendors for the characterization of their physical properties, durability in caustic solution, and powder flow characteristics. A glass former was selected based on the characterization for each of the ten oxide classes required for Envelope A, B, and C mixtures. Three blends (A, B, and C) were prepared based on formulations provided by Vitreous State Laboratory and evaluated with the same methods employed for the glass formers. The properties obtained are presented in a series of attached Tables. It was determined that five of the ten glass formers, (kyanite, iron oxide, titania, zircon, and zinc ...
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate has two primary discretionary avenues for its investment in technologies: the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program and the ''Tech Base'' program. This volume summarizes progress on the projects funded for technology-base efforts in FY2004. The Engineering Technical Reports exemplify Engineering's more than 50-year history of researching and developing (LDRD), and reducing to practice (technology-base) the engineering technologies needed to support the Laboratory's missions. Engineering has been a partner in every major program and project at the Laboratory throughout its existence, and has prepared for this role with a skilled workforce and technical resources. This accomplishment is well summarized by Engineering's mission: ...
The poster illustrates how the recent developments in genetic stratigraphy have contributed to constrain reservoir layering and to improve prediction of reservoir quality in the oil-bearing reservoir of N`KOSSA. The mixed lithology deposits formed during Albian times. Thanks to the excellent core coverage of the reservoir (4 cored wells over the entire reservoir interval), continuous sedimentological examination and interpretation of the facies succession have been carried out. The reservoir can be subdivided into composite sequences (50 to 150 in thick) which are made up of stacked metre-scale genetic units. Three different stacking patterns of genetic units have been identified; retrogradation, aggradation and progradation. These patterns reflect a gradual change of depositional regimes through time. Facies variations (texture, bio-association, geometry, ...
The strategy for management of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s (ORNL) radioactively contaminated liquid waste was reviewed in 1991. The latest information available through the end of 1990 on waste characterization, regulations, US Department of Energy (DOE) budget guidance, and research and development programs was evaluated to determine how the strategy should be revised. Few changes are needed to update the strategy to reflect new waste characterization, research, and regulatory information. However, recent budget guidance from DOE indicates that minimum funding will not be sufficient to accomplish original objectives to upgrade the liquid low-level waste (LLLW) system to comply with the Federal Facilities Agreement, provide long-term LLLW treatment capability, and minimize environmental, safety, and health risks. Options are presented that might allow the ORNL LLLW system to continue operations temporarily, but they ...
Given sufficient time, the extraction of heat from geothermal reservoirs formed by the hydraulic fracturing of competent rock will eventually result in the formation of thermal stress cracks in the reservoir. These cracks penetrate the rock in a manner such that the penetration-to-spacing ratio is approximately one. The penetration depends upon the extent of cooling and the square root of time. Initially then, the cracks are closely spaced and penetrate but little, so that a crazing pattern is apparent; but with increasing time some of these cracks, now more widely spaced, grow deeper. Eventually these larger cracks attain a critical aperture such that significant rates of water flow can be established within them and thus the newly created heat transfer area becomes useful for heat extraction. At the same time that cracks are forming within the main reservoir, thermal cracking also occurs in the wellbores that communicate ...
Hot dry rock (HDR) contains insufficient permeability and fluid for natural hydrothermal development, but water pumped in a circulation loop through a HDR reservoir (hydraulically fractured between two drill holes) is being tested and evaluated. The formation of such in situ heat transfer systems, and subsequent testing of the man-made geothermal reservoirs in the Jemez volcanic field, New Mexico have already indicated the technical feasibility of the hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal concept. Documented production history and heat-extraction data obtained during the period from 1978 to 1980 have confirmed heat transfer, low water loss, and predictable thermal drawdown models for the HDR systems. During a nine month test of closed-loop heat extraction operations, 15 x 10/sup 6/ kWh of thermal energy were produced. The effective heat-transfer area and volume of the reservoir increased due to secondary fracturing caused by ...
A two-dimensional mathematical model of a fault controlled geothermal reservoir has been developed. Heated water rising in a fault is assumed to charge a reservoir which is overlain by a thin impermeable, thermally conducting cap rock. The mass flow rate or the pressure associated with the charging process at the fault inlet is unknown and can only be estimated. Thus, the pressure in the fault at the bottom of the reservoir is assumed to be prescribed. Quasi-analytic solutions for the distributions of velocity, pressure, and temperature are obtained in the fault-reservoir system for high Rayleigh number flow. In this approximation, the upwelling fluid does not cool off appreciably until it reaches the cold upper boundary of the reservoir and encounters conductive heat loss. The thermal boundary layer, which is thin at the top of the fault, grows outward laterally and occupies the ...
The ORNL high temperature isopiestic apparatus was adapted for adsorption measurements. The quantity of water retained by rock samples taken from three different wells of The Geysers was measured at 150 °C and at 200 °C as a function of pressure in the range 0.00 ≤ p/p0 ≤ 0.98, where p0 is the saturated water vapor pressure. The rocks were crushed and sieved into three fractions of different grain sizes (with different specific surface areas). Both adsorption (increasing pressure) and desorption (decreasing pressure) runs were made in order to investigate the nature and extent of the hysteresis. Additionally, BET surface area analyses were performed by Porous Materials Inc. on the same rock samples using nitrogen or krypton adsorption measurements at 77 K. Specific surface areas and pore volumes were determined. These parameters are important in estimating water retention capability of a porous material. The ...
The evaluation of radon concentration measurements in newly developing geothermal reservoirs with the objective of determining the ability of measured changes in noncondensible gas components, such as radon, to predict changes in the thermodynamic properties of the reservoir is described. This ability would be especially useful in liquid-dominated resources, where changes in steam fraction are sensitive to changes in reservoir temperature and fluid enthalpy. Radon measurements were made in samples separated by phase at the outlets of a prototype rotary separator turbine. The data were examined in relation to the thermodynamic properties of the geofluids supplied by the test well.
Acid fluids in geothermal reservoirs are rare. Their occurrence in geothermal systems associated with recent volcanism (Tatun Sumikawa, Miravalles) probably indicates that the geotherml reservoir fluid was derived from volcanic fluid incompletely neutralized by reaction with feldspars and micas. Superheated steam containing HCl (Larderello, The Geysers) forms acid where it condenses or mixes with liquid at moderate temperatures (325 deg. C). Cryptoacidity occurs at Los Humeros where HCl acidity is formed and neutralized without reaching the surface. (author). 28 refs, 9 figs, 2 tabs.
Mineral deposition or alteration is commonly found at fracture-block interfaces is fissured, geothermal reservoirs. In response to pressure reduction in the fissures such mineralization, if less permeable than the matrix rock, will retard the flow of fluid from the blocks to the fissures and is termed fracture skin in this paper. The problem of fluid flow to a production well in a double-porosity reservoir with fracture skin was analyzed theoretically. One of the findings of the analysis was that fully transient block-to-fissure flow can be approximated by pseudo-steady state flow if fracture skin permeability is sufficiently low. Type curves generated by numerical inversion of Laplace transform solutions are used to cooroborate the results of a finite-difference model of steam transport to a well in a naturally fissured, geothermal reservoir with fracture skin.
The US Department of the Army, Baltimore District Corps of Engineers, oversees a long-term monitoring study to assess and evaluate effects of the Jennings-Randolph reservoir on biota in the North Branch Potomac River. The reservoir was intended, in part, to mitigate effects of acid mine drainage originating in upstream and headwater area. The present study assessed recovery of benthos and fish in this system, six years after completion of the reservoir. Higher pH and lower iron and sulfate concentrations were observed upstream of the reservoir compared to preimpoundment conditions, suggesting better overall water quality in the upper North Branch. Water quality improved slightly directly downstream of the reservoir. However, the reservoir itself was poorly colonized by macrophytes and benthic organisms, and plankton composition suggested either metal toxicity ...
Mar 30, 2007 ... Tropical forests are home to half the Earth's species, and their trees are an immense standing reservoir of carbon. Deforestation will have ...
This paper discusses the use of tracers as a reservoir engineering tool in fractured geothermal reservoirs. The principle concern in injecting cooler spent fluids into a fractured reservoir is that the fluids may move through high permeability channels and return to the production wells after contacting a relatively small volume of rock. As a consequence of this rapid transport, the fluids will be only partially reheated and after a short period time will effectively mine the heat from the limited volume of rock. The production wells will then experience a rapid and premature reduction in thermal output. Tracers can be used to infer the existence of high mobility conduits between injection and production wells and to monitor chemical changes of an injected fluid. Since tracer arrival precedes thermal breakthrough, tracer tests are a very useful forecasting tool.
The main objective of this dissertation is to build a numerical 3D geological model of a turbidite reservoir using well and seismic data. For the, the first step was to elaborate a depositional model using a high-resolution genetic stratigraphy approach. Simultaneously, the stratigraphic inversion over the seismic data resulted in an optimal acoustic impedance model. Both models, were used to build, by geostatistical methods, a 3-D geological model, which represents the spatial distribution of the reservoir facies. The studied case is the late Cretaceous Namorado turbidite system in the Campos basin, which is the reservoir of the Namorado oil field, located 80 km from the Brazilian coast, under a bathymetry between 110 and 250 m. The reservoir is a turbidite succession with 90 to 180 m thickness. It is composed by sand-supported conglomerates, matrix-supported conglomerate, massive sandstones, shales, ...
We present a numerical model of vapor-dominated reservoirs which is based on the well-known conceptual model of White, Muffler, and Truesdell. Computer simulations show that upon heat recharge at the base, a single phase liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir in fractured rock with low matrix permeability will evolve into a two-phase reservoir with B.P.D. (boiling point-for-depth) pressure and temperature profiles. A rather limited discharge event through cracks in the caprock, involving loss of only a few percent of fluids in place, is sufficient to set the system off to evolve a vapor-dominated state. The attributes of this state are discussed, and some features requiring further clarification are identified. 26 refs., 5 figs.
Erythrocytes serve as reservoirs for cis- and trans-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). Incubation of rat red blood cells (RBCs) with cis- and...Full Text Available
Studies relative to some formation evaluation aspects of geothermal reservoirs are reported. The particular reservoirs considered were the liquid dominated type with a lithology of the sedimentary nature. Specific problems of interest included the resistivity behavior of brines and rocks at elevated temperatures and studies on the feasibility of using the well log resistivity data to obtain estimates of reservoir permeability. Several papers summarizing the results of these studies were presented at various technical meetings for rapid dissemination of the results to potential users. These papers together with a summary of data most recently generated are included. A brief review of the research findings precedes the technical papers. Separate abstracts were prepared for four papers. Five papers were abstracted previously for EDB.
Shaped charges were first used more than 30 years ago to perforate casing, cement sheath and reservoir to provide selective communication between the reservoir and well bore. Since then, advances have been made in design of shaped charge sand ancillary equipment. Penetration has increased considerably. Miniaturization of equipment allows passing through relatively small restrictions and effectively communicating with reservoirs. Gun debris has been drastically reduced and in some designs eliminated. Deep reservoirs can be effectively penetrated under down-hole environments exceeding 500 F and 20,000 psi. This work covers the problems encountered and reviews successful devices employing shaped charge and explosive technology.
The carbonate rocks of the Lower Ordovician Majiagou Formation represent important hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Ordos basin in the western part of the North China plate. Cores and thin sections from more than 60 wells were examined. The main reservoir in the Majiagou Formation consists of fine crystalline dolomite, which was altered by meteoric water during an extended subaerial exposure. Three phreatic zones have been identified in the Majiagou Formation in the northern part of the basin. Oxygen isotopes and fluid inclusion microthermometry data indicates that the porosity developed during the early karst event was considerably reduced by the late-stage, coarse crystalline calcite cements that appear to be related to hydrothermal fluids during deep burial. It was concluded that the main factors that determine the porosity and permeability of these carbonate reservoirs are dolomitization, karstification, and calcite ...
A process has been proposed to increase the efficiency of an ideal Otto cycle via a quantum heat engine that has no cooler reservoir. We show that such a process is not feasible.
The next generation of synchrotrons and free electron laser facilities requires x-ray optical systems with extremely high performance, generally of diffraction limited quality. Fabrication and use of such optics requires adequate, highly accurate metrology and dedicated instrumentation. Previously, we suggested ways to improve the performance of the Long Trace Profiler (LTP), a slope measuring instrument widely used to characterize x-ray optics at long spatial wavelengths. The main way is use of a CCD detector and corresponding technique for calibration of photo-response non-uniformity [J. L. Kirschman, et al., Proceedings of SPIE 6704, 67040J (2007)]. The present work focuses on the performance and characteristics of the upgraded LTP-II at the ALS Optical Metrology Laboratory. This includes a review of the overall aspects of the design, control system, the movement and measurement regimes for the stage, and analysis of the performance by a ...
This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Nature uses chlorophyll and other porphyrinic pigments to capture and transfer light energy as a preliminary step in photosynthesis. The design of synthetic assemblies of light harvesting and energy directing pigments has been explored through synthesis and characterization of porphyrin oligomers. In this project, pigment electronic and vibrational structures have been explored by electrochemistry and dynamic and static optical measurements. Transient absorption data reveal energy transfer between pigments with lifetimes on the order of 20--200 picoseconds, while Raman data reveal that the basic porphyrin core structure is unperturbed relative to the individual monomer units. These two findings, along with an extensive series of experiments on the oxidized oligomers, reveal that ...
Molecular genetic markers can be used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for thermal resistance and this has allowed characterization of a major QTL for knockdown resistance to high temperature in Drosophila melanogaster. The QTL showed trade-off associations with cold resistance under laboratory conditions. However, assays of thermal tolerance conducted in the laboratory may not necessarily reflect performance at varying temperatures in the field. Here we tested if lines with different genotypes in this QTL show different thermal performance under high and low temperatures in the field using a release recapture assay. We found that lines carrying the QTL genotype for high thermal tolerance were significantly better at locating resources in the field releases under hot temperatures while the QTL line carrying the contrasting genotype were superior at cold temperatures. Further, we studied copulatory success between ...
This quarterly report for the period July through September 1984 summarizes activities in Sandia National Laboratories' continuing program of coal liquefaction research. The primary goals are to: explore novel catalytic concepts and materials for conversion of coal to liquid fuels; determine the effects of process variables on catalyst deactivation; determine the effects of coal structure and solvent properties on low temperature dissolution; study the kinetics and catalysis of hydrogen transfer reactions; develop an understanding of slurry gelling phenomena; and provide a technical assessment of coal liquefaction processes. During this period, work was performed on: the rheology of Illinois No. 6 coal in hydrogenated creosote oil; dissolution chemistry of subbituminous coal; pyrite catalysis; liquefaction of Illinois No. 6 coal in indole; characterization and activity testing of catalyst samples from Wilsonville Run 246; catalyst ...
Model construction of the laboratory scale superconducting fault current limiter circuit (SFCL) has been performed. The SFCL is fault current limiter and used as electric network security. It mainly consists of a copper coil, a superconducting ring and an iron core that are concentrically arranged. The SFCL circuit is essentially a transformer where the secondary windings are being replaced by the ring of YBa_2Cu_3O_7_-_x superconductor (HTS). The ring has critical transition temperature Tc = 92 K and critical current Ic = 3.61 A. Characterization of the SFCL circuit is simulated by ANSYS version 5.4 software. The SFCL circuit consists of load and transformer impedances. The results show that the inductions of magnet field flux in the iron core of primer windings and ring disappear to one other before fault state. It means that impedance of the transformer is zero. After the condition a superconductivity behavior of the ring is disappear so ...
ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory during FY94 to characterize possible contaminant movement out of Area G through surface-water and sediment runoff. These samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. Ten metals were also analyzed on selected soils using analytical laboratory techniques. All radiochemical data are compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and reported in LA-12986. Baseline concentrations for future disposal operations were established for metals and radionuclides by a sampling program in the proposed Area G Expansion Area. Considering the amount of radioactive waste that has been disposed at Area G, there is evidence of only low concentrations of radionuclides on perimeter surface soils. Consequently, little radioactivity is leaving the confines of ...
There are clearly identified scientific requirements for continuous profiling of atmospheric water vapor at the Department of Energy, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program, Southern Great Plains CART (Cloud and Radiation Testbed) site in northern Oklahoma. Research conducted at several laboratories has demonstrated the suitability of Raman lidar for providing measurements that are an excellent match to those requirements. We have developed and installed a ruggedized Raman lidar system that resides permanently at the CART site, and that is computer automated to eliminate the requirements for operator interaction. In addition to the design goal of profiling water vapor through most of the troposphere during nighttime and through the boundary layer during daytime, the lidar provides quantitative characterizations of aerosols and clouds, including depolarization measurements for particle phase studies.
Different types of radioactive liquid waste are being generated at Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (AFFF), Tarapur during the quality control analysis of the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel pellets. A laboratory scale study was performed for treatment of such waste. Some of the waste streams originating from U and Pu analysis contain components like sulphate and phosphate which interfere during chemical precipitation of alpha activity from the waste. Various chemical co-precipitation experiments were conducted based on alkaline precipitation. Reductive precipitation using sodium sulphite and Fe(II) was found to be promising and the same was suggested for plant scale treatment. (author)
As part of the general QC/QA management of the k_0-standardization, three types of 'SMELS' (synthetic multi-element standards) are being developed to check the performance of k_0-NAA when implemented in a laboratory. Phenol-formaldehyde resin is proposed in this paper as the matrix of choice. Based on previous work, this material could be prepared with sufficient purity so as to make interferences with the spiking elements negligible. The matrix was found to be adequately resistant towards high neutron flux irradiation. A selection was made of compounds, soluble in ethyl alcohol, for spiking the prepolymer ethanolic solution with the elements of interest. Finally, some prototypes were prepared and a satisfactory homogeneity of the spiked elements was found for 50 mg sample intake.
This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for vapor samples obtained during the operation of mixer pumps in tank 241-AZ-101. The primary purpose of the mixer pump test (MPT) is to demonstrate that the two 300 horsepower mixer pumps installed in tank 241-AZ-101 can mobilize the settled sludge so that it can be retrieved for treatment and vitrification. Sampling will be performed in accordance with Tank 241-AZ-101 Mixer Pump Test Data Quality Objective (Banning 1999) and Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis (Mulkey 1999). The sampling will verify if current air emission estimates used in the permit application are correct and provide information for future air permit applications.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has nearly a 40 year history of research and development in the field of nondestructive evaluation (NDE). One area of NDE expertise at PNNL is electromagnetic testing which includes a field of eddy current testing (ET). One benefit is that ET can typically be performed at high speeds, and as a result has found many applications in process monitoring and poduction lines. ET has been used in the nuclear, aerospace, and automotive industries for many years. Et technology lends itself well to the detection of near-surface or surface breaking defects such as surface scratches. This paper provides an overview of theory regarding the usage of ET, selected application studies performed by PNNL, a safety analysis, and a wrtie up pertaining to the operations of ET to detect surface scratches.
Information about current and projected waste generation as well as available treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) capabilities and needs is crucial for effective, efficient, and safe waste management. This is especially true for large corporations that are responsible for multisite operations involving diverse and complex industrial processes. Such information is necessary not only for day-to-day operations, but also for strategic planning to ensure safe future performance. This paper reports on some methods developed and successfully applied to obtain requisite information and to assist waste management planning at the corporate level in a nationwide system of laboratories and industries. Waste generation and TSD capabilities at selected US Department of Energy (DOE) sites were studied. 1 ref., 2 tabs.
The release of {sup 222}Radon to the atmosphere is controlled by the rate of its gas transport through earthen materials. Of the many soil-related parameters, radon diffusion coefficient is the key parameter that characterizes this transport. We compared the radon diffusion coefficients measured at the laboratories for the UMTRA Project with simple empirical correlations developed by others. The empirical correlations predict the radon diffusion coefficient based on the fraction of moisture saturation and porosity. One of the more recent correlations agrees reasonably well with the measurements. In addition, by using a series of correlation curves, we studied the empirical relationships of the. radon diffusion coefficient with the saturated hydraulic conductivity, the fines content, and the moisture saturation in soil. The results reveal that a reliable determination of the long-term moisture and porosity is essential in the design of an ...
This report is the result of field work performed at the former White Point Nike Missile Site, San Pedro, California. The Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program tasked the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Pollutant Assessments Group in Grand Junction, Colo., with this project. The objective was to determine whether or not radioisotopes possibly associated with past Department of Defense (DOD) operations were present and within accepted background levels. The radiation survey was accomplished by performing three independent radiation surveys, both outdoors and indoors, and random soil sampling. Initially, the site was land surveyed to develop a grid block system. A background radiation investigation was performed out in the San Pedro area.
A collaborative experimental research program has been established between industry and university partners to evaluate the subcritical behavior of fresh and spent highly enriched fuel assemblies at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). This proposed program will involve a series of subcritical measurements using the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) developed {sup 252}Cf source-driven noise technique. Measurements evaluating the subcritical behavior of simple arrays of fresh MURR assemblies will be performed for evaluating the spectral effects of materials typically found in shipping casks such as lead, steel, aluminum, and boron. Also, measurements will be performed on spent assemblies to characterize physics parameters which may be useful in determining the subcritical behavior of fuels for reactivity credit of actinide burnup and fission product poisoning.
Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that certain N-substituted phthalimides (NSPs) exhibit GA-like activity in a range of specific bioassays and that bioactive NSPs compete with ({sup 3}H)-GA{sub 4} for soluble binding sites in cucumber homogenates. As such, these compounds may prove useful in the purification and characterization of GA receptor proteins. To this end, five azido-NSPs have been synthesized and are currently being screened for biological activity and photochemical stability. Three azido-NSPs elicit {alpha}-amylase production in barley half-seeds and stimulate tissue elongation in d{sub 5} maize, lettuce, sunflower, and soybean. Further evaluations are in progress and these data as well as the utility of these compounds as photo-affinity ligands will be discussed.
The original objective of our EMSP research was to design, develop, and test new in situ field permeameters for use in spatial variability studies of unsaturated hydraulic properties. We initially focused on activities related to development and testing of techniques for inverting permeameter data, development of numerical tools for data inversion, error evaluation for permeameter design, and permeameter component design. However, the results of error evaluations for permeameter design caused us to redirect our research, and reformulate our research objectives. We discovered that small, simple measurement errors lead to significant bias in the estimated hydraulic properties and their spatial statistics. Our reformulated research objective became the evaluation of the origin, impact and relevance of spatial bias in field-and laboratory-estimated unsaturate hydraulic properties, with an emphasis on spatial statistics and the resulting predictions of stochastic models ...
In order to quantify the biomass burning emissions, the main atmospheric pollution source of tropical and subtropical regions, we carried out the analysis of ashes that are also formed during these fires. To this end, we developed analytical methods to characterize the composition of savannah grass burning ashes by using X-ray fluorescence for mineral elements and microanalysis for C, H, O and N. Samples used in this work have been collected during laboratory combustion experiments, with chemically well-defined natural savannah grasses from Ivory Coasts and South Africa. The reproducibility and efficiency of different developed procedures have been studies. The analytical relative precision is generally better than 5%. This development has allowed to establish, for the first time, the global mass balance of ashes resulting from savannah grass burning. (authors). 16 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.
Three electronic personal dosimeters (EPD-N) manufactured by Siemens, serial numbers 0635, 0658, and 0683, were tested at the Radiation Calibration Laboratory for an evaluation of their response to neutron, gamma and x-ray radiation. Designed to provide real-time neutron and photon dosimetry, the EPD-N is capable of estimating and displaying neutron and gamma dose components separately for a range of energies from 50 keV to 7 MeV for photon and 0.025 eV to > 10 MeV for neutron. All tests were conducted using the factory calibrations. A technical representative of the manufacturer indicated that site-specific calibrations are required as factory settings are calibrated for the lowest neutron energy limit of 0.025 eV. This raises concerns about the reliability of these devices in measuring neutrons when calibrations are made for a specific site radiological characterization then used at another site.
Realization of the scale of spectral responsivity of the detectors in the Directorate of Measures and Precious Metals (DMDM) is based on silicon detectors traceable to LNE-INM. In order to realize the unit of spectral irradiance in the laboratory for photometry and radiometry of the Bureau of Measures and Precious Metals, the new method based on the calibration of the spectroradiometer by comparison with standard detector has been established. The development of the method included realization of the System of Spectral Comparisons (SSC), together with the detector spectral responsivity calibrations by means of a primary spectrophotometric system. The linearity testing and stray light analysis were preformed to characterize the spectroradiometer. Measurement of aperture diameter and calibration of transimpedance amplifier were part of the overall experiment. In this paper, the developed method is presented and measurement results with the ...
Realization of the scale of spectral responsivity of the detectors in the Directorate of Measures and Precious Metals (DMDM) is based on silicon detectors traceable to LNE-INM. In order to realize the unit of spectral irradiance in the laboratory for photometry and radiometry of the Bureau of Measures and Precious Metals, the new method based on the calibration of the spectroradiometer by comparison with standard detector has been established. The development of the method included realization of the System of Spectral Comparisons (SSC), together with the detector spectral responsivity calibrations by means of a primary spectrophotometric system. The linearity testing and stray light analysis were preformed to characterize the spectroradiometer. Measurement of aperture diameter and calibration of transimpedance amplifier were part of the overall experiment. In this paper, the developed method is presented and measurement results with the ...
Results from a numerical model of axisymmetric solar cavity receivers are compared with experimental data for tests of a novel test bed receiver in the Saudi National Laboratories solar furnace. The computed energy transfer rates and temperatures are compared with the experimental data for different receiver geometries, aperture sizes, and operating conditions. In general, the agreement between the numerical model and the experimental data is better for the small-to-midsized apertures than for the large apertures. The analysis indicates that for the larger apertures, the convective heat losses are overpredicted. It also suggests that these losses could be better characterized. Sensitivity analyses show that both the total solar energy input rate and the convective heat-loss coefficient significantly affect the receiver thermal performance and that the distribution of the input solar flux significantly affects the temperature distribution in the ...
The final report for a Laboratory Directed Research and Development project entitled, ``Capturing Recrystallization of Metals in a Multiscale Materials Model'' is presented. In this project, deformation and recrystallization processes have been followed experimentally and theoretically in order to incorporate essential mechanisms from the defect (dislocation) and grain size length scales. A nonlinear rotational gradient theory has been developed which enables the incorporation of microstructural parameters. The evolution of these parameters during deformation and recrystallization has been characterized qualitatively and quantitatively, applying various electron optic techniques ranging over several length scales. The theoretical and experimental framework developed is general. It has been exemplified by an application to recrystallization in single crystals and bicrystals of aluminum. The recrystallization process has been ...
The facilities in the Institute for Nuclear Research at Pitesti allow the testing, handling and examination of nuclear fuel and irradiated materials. The most important facilities are the TRIGA Steady State Research and Material Test Reactor and the Post-Irradiation Examination Laboratory (PIEL). The purpose of this work is to determine by post-irradiation examination, the behavior of CANDU fuel, irradiated in 14 MW TRIGA reactor. The fuel was irradiated in power ramp conditions. The results of post-irradiation examination are: - Visual inspection and photography of the outer appearance of sheath; - Profilometry (diameter, bending, ovality) and length measuring; - Determination of axial and radial distribution of the fusion products activity by gamma scanning and tomography; - Microstructural characterization by metallographic and ceramographic analyzes; - Mechanical properties determination. The data obtained from the post-irradiation ...
Bioremediation technology is being evaluated for use on the Kwajalein Atoll, which is located in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The study was undertaken by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on behalf of the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA). During February of 1991, a team from ORNL and The University of Tennessee (UT) visited the USAKA. In addition to making on-site observations regarding microbial abundance and distribution of petroleum contaminants, they brought back to Oak Ridge various soil and water samples for detailed analyses. This report documents the biological studies of these samples and presents observations made during the period from February to April of 1991 by investigators at ORNL, UT, and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
The Lower Cretaceous Falher Member (Spirit River Formation) in the Deep Basin of Alberta is composed of 5 units (A-E) comprising the reservoir of the giant Elmworth gas field. Using high resolution sequence stratigraphy, 333 well logs and 65 cores were integrated to understand the evolution of Falher C and D in the study area. Five major faces associations were defined in each unit. The basal surface of Falher D overlies nonmarine deposits (Falher E) and is defined by a marine flooding surface (transgressive surface of erosion) partially modified by a subsequent regressive surface of erosion. Southward, all the facies become more continental and the marine flooding surface passes into a lagoon-on-nonmarine contact. Falher D contains a series of shingled marine sandstone lenses separated by erosional surfaces interpreted as seaward-dipping ravinement surfaces indicating different phases of marine transgression-regression. The Falher C basal surface is a marine ...
Reinterpretation of the South Florida basin reveals that it was a keep-up carbonate shelf during the Lower Cretaceous. Until the Cenomanian, it was connected to the Bahamas and the Cay Sal Bank north of Cuba. The Cenomanian sea level rise was at least partially responsible for the formation of the Florida Straits, isolating the platform. The combination of an abrupt worldwide rise in sea level and subsidence caused the South Florida platform to founder, ending shallow-water and evaporitic sedimentation over the majority of the shelf. The Cay Sal and Bahamian platforms remained as active shallow shelves separated by the Old Bahamas Channel. The Lower Cretaceous sediments are characterized by shallow shelf limestones, dolomites, and evaporites (mostly anhydrite). The evaporite-rich sections, originally thought to represent basinal facies, are reinterpreted as supratidal to shallow subtidal evaporites, based on examination of core and cuttings. Influx of normal marine ...
Ordos basin lies in the north-central China, in a compression tectonic regime, with an area of approximately 250,000 km{sup 2}, including several pay zones ranging from Cambrian to Jurassic. It is one of the earliest-formed marine to continental-superimposed basin in China, characterized by Proterozoic basin-marginal rifling and Lower-Paleozoic carbonate platform development followed by western thrusting and foreland depression during Mesozoic. It underwent several tectonic movements and is covered by several structural layers, with many play types developed, primarily thrust and anticlinal plays in the west, and differential compaction (river-channel sand lens) or drape as well as buried hill plays in the basin center and east. Ordos basin is a prolific gas basin with an estimated resource potential of gas 656,091 billion m{sup 3} in the Paleozoic strata and oil 2.0474 billion tons in the Mesozoic strata. In 1986, in the western part of the basin, the well Tian-1 ...
The Jurua gas field is the first important hydrocarbon accumulation found in the jungle-covered Solimoes basin. The tectonic framework in this area is characterized by a right-lateral transpressional zone (Jurua structural trend). Hydrocarbon traps are anticlines developed along the upthrown block of a reverse fault. The prospective 2,200-m-thick Paleozoic section is unconformably covered by a 2,800-m-thick pile of Mesozoic and Cenozoic continental sediments. Anomalous concentrations of hydrocarbons (C{sub 2}-C{sub 4}) in soil samples are concordantly aligned with the trace of the reverse fault crossing the gas field, indicating that this feature acted as a conduit for hydrocarbon microseepage. Gas-producing wells are located over a tabular watershed which coincides with the northeast-southwest Jurua structural trend. An unsupervised classification of Landsat MSS data over the gas field area reveals that one spectral class of vegetation is aligned with the Jurua ...
This paper gives an overview of a multiyear joint research program being conducted at the University of New Mexico (UNM) with support from Sandia National Laboratories and GA Technologies. This research focuses on heat removal and fluid dynamics in flow regimes characterized by low pressure and low Reynolds number. The program was motivated by a desire to characterize and analyze cooling in a broad class of TRIGA-type reactors under: (a) typical operating conditions, (b) anticipated, new operating regimes, and (c) postulated accident conditions. It has also provided experimental verification of analytical tools used in design analysis. The paper includes descriptions of the UNM thermal-hydraulics test facility and the experimental test sections. During the first two years experiments were conducted using single, electrically heated rod in water and air annuli. This configuration provides an observable and serviceable ...
Nanocomposites containing polyethylene (PE) and montmorillonite clay organically modified (OMMT) with quaternary ammonium salts were obtained via direct melt intercalation. A montmorillonite sample from the Brazilian state of Paraiba was treated with four different types of quaternary ammonium salts. After the treatment, the powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The dispersion and morphologies of OMMT within PE were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed the formation of intercalated montmorillonite layers in the PE matrix. The thermal stability and flammability of the PE/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites were measured by thermogravimetry and horizontal burning tests for HB classification, Underwrites Laboratories (UL 94), respectively. It was shown that the samples do not degrade at the processing temperature. By adding only 3 wt.% ...
Sandia National Laboratories is currently involved in the optimization of a Plane Shock Generator Explosive Lens (PSGEL). The PSGEL component consists of a detonator, explosive, brass cone and tamper housing. The purpose of the PSGEL component is to transmit a plane shock wave through the 4340 steel bulkhead (wave separator) which has a ferro-electric (PZT)ceramic disk attached to the opposite surface of the steel bulkhead. The planar shock wave depolarizes the PZT 65/35 ferro-electric ceramic to produce an electrical output. One aspect of the optimization program involves the possible replacement of 4340 steel with PH13-8Mo steel for the bulkhead. These materials, as well as the PZT 65/35 ferro-electric ceramic and the brass for the cone, required the stock characterization with respect to Hugoniot parameters. The work presented here gives the shock Hugoniot values for these four materials and documents their measurements.
An International Workshop on Metrology for X-ray and Neutron Optics has been held March 16-17, 2000, at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, near Chicago, Illinois (USA). The workshop gathered engineers and scientists from both the U.S. and around the world to evaluate metrology instrumentation and methods used to characterize surface figure and finish for long grazing incidence optics used in beamlines at synchrotrons radiation sources. This two-day workshop was motivated by the rapid evolution in the performance of x-ray and neutron sources along with requirements in optics figure and finish. More specifically, the performance of future light sources, such as free-electron laser (FEL)-based x-ray sources, is being pushed to new limits in term of both brilliance and coherence. As a consequence, tolerances on surface figure and finish of the next generation of optics are expected to become tighter. The timing of the workshop ...
Expedited site characterization (ESC), developed by Argonne National Laboratory, is an interactive, integrated process emphasizing the use of existing data of sufficient quality, multiple complementary characterization methods, and on-site decision making to optimize environmental site investigations. The Argonne ESC is the basis for the provisional ESC standard guide of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). QuickSite{sup SM} is the implementation package developed by Argonne to facilitate ESC of sites contaminated with hazardous wastes. At various sites, Argonne has successfully implemented QuickSite{sup SM} and demonstrated the technical superiority of the ESC process over traditional methodologies guided by statistics and random-sampling approaches. A key feature in the success of QuickSite{sup SM} investigations is achieving an understanding of the subsurface geologic and hydrogeologic controls and ...
Laboratorycharacterization of Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs) collected in the lower stratosphere represents a concrete analysis of cosmic dust properties which played a fundamental role in the origin and evolution of Solar System. The IDPs were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) analyses and by InfraRed (IR) micro-spectroscopy. We present the FESEM images of six IDPs: three smooth grains, two porous and one a compact sphere. We also show the results of micro-IR transmission measurements on four IDPs that allowed us to identify their spectral class according to the criteria defined by Sandford and Walker. Only three of the analyzed particles show IR transmission spectra with a dominant "silicate absorption feature" so that they could be assigned to the three IR spectral classes: one has been classified as "amorphous olivine", one appears to be a mixture of "olivines" and "pyroxenes" ...
The physical properties of polymer blends consisting of one or more crystallizable components are affected by the microstructure of these materials. In particular, the degree of crystallinity can be influenced by processing parameters, and the crystallinity, as well as the phase distribution, may vary as a function of depth through an injection molded part Conventional x-ray diffraction techniques can provide information regarding both phase composition and degree of crystallinity, but, because of the relative transparency of these materials to wavelengths generally available in the laboratory, these techniques provide information representative of only the bulk. By employing parallel beam optics at varying grazing incidence angles, the x-ray sampling depth can be varied without loss of resolution. This technique can be used to vary the effective analysis depth from the top several hundred angstroms for low razing incidence to centimeters for transmission ...
The physical properties of polymer blends consisting of one or more crystallizable components are affected by the microstructure of these materials. In particular, the degree of crystallinity can be influenced by processing parameters, and the crystallinity, as well as the phase distribution, may vary as a function of depth through an injection molded part Conventional x-ray diffraction techniques can provide information regarding both phase composition and degree of crystallinity, but, because of the relative transparency of these materials to wavelengths generally available in the laboratory, these techniques provide information representative of only the bulk. By employing parallel beam optics at varying grazing incidence angles, the x-ray sampling depth can be varied without loss of resolution. This technique can be used to vary the effective analysis depth from the top several hundred angstroms for low razing incidence to centimeters for transmission ...
A new package for the air transport of hazardous materials is currently being developed in the Transportation Systems Department at Sandia National Laboratories. The baseline design has a unique impact limiter which uses layers of aluminum screen wire and aramid cloth fabric. A primary motivation for selecting this unusual combination of materials is the need for the impact limiter to not only limit the amount of load transmitted to the primary container but also remain in place during impact events so that it provides a thermal barrier during a subsequent fire. A series of uniaxial and confined compression tests indicated that the layered material does not behave like other well characterized materials. No existing constitutive models were able to satisfactorily capture the behavior of the layered material; thus, a new plasticity model was developed. The new material model was then used to characterize the response of air ...
A non-invasive, wide-band electromagnetic (EM) impedance difference system for shallow subsurface electrical structure characterization in environmental and engineering problems has been developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Electrical parameters of interest are electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity that are deduced from the impedance difference data. The prototype system includes a magnetic loop transmitter, which operates between 0.1 MHz and 100 MHz, an electrical dipole antenna for observing the electric field, and a loop antenna for measuring the magnetic field.All antennas are mounted on a cart made of non-metallic material for easy movement of the whole array for profiling. Surface EM impedance difference is obtained by taking the difference of the ratios of the electric fields to the magnetic fields at selected frequencies at two different levels. Numerical simulations will be presented to verify ...
This report discusses the following: (1) improving models of vapor-dominated geothermal fields: the effects of adsorption; (2) adsorption characteristics of rocks from vapor-dominated geothermal reservoir at the Geysers, CA; (3) optimizing reinjection strategy at Palinpinon, Philippines based on chloride data; (4) optimization of water injection into vapor-dominated geothermal reservoirs; and (5) steam-water relative permeability.
The effects of non-Darcy flow laws are investigated for two geothermal reservoir types: multiphase and Hot Dry Rock (HDR). Long-term thermal behavior is emphasized as short-term pressure transient behavior is addressed in the oil field literature. Comparisons of Darcy and non-Darcy flow laws are made.
The proceedings contain 21 papers arranged under the following topical sections: Exploration technology (4 papers); Reservoir technology (5 papers); Energy conversion technology (8 papers); Drilling technology (2 papers); and Direct use and geothermal heat pump technology (2 papers). An additional section contains a report on a workshop on dual-use technologies for hydrothermal and advanced geothermal reservoirs.
Dams and reservoirs are among one of the most sensitive of all development Project, in terms of pervasiveness of their influence in altering the environmental conditions and resources. In the present study, major dams and reservoir projects are reviewed, from the environmental point of view. Dams and Reservoir projects bring about major changes in the immediate environment, thus affecting public health, settlements, farmlands, roads and historical sites. Impacts on human population and wildlife may be profound. Tropical diseases, involving fresh-water hosts or vectors in their transmission, are often common around new reservoirs. Large lakes create limnological changes, excessive evaporation, seepage, disturbance in water-table and increased tendencies of landslides and earthquakes. Micro climatic changes are possible, such as fog formation, increased cloudiness and modified rainfall-patterns. Retention ...
Interaction of drilling fluids with a geothermal reservoir formation can result in significant permeability impairment and therefore reduced well productivity. This interaction is studied under simulated in situ geothermal conditions of overburden stress, pore fluid pressure, temperature, and pore fluid chemistry. Permeability impairment of an East Mesa KGRA reservoir material is evaluated as a function of stagnation time, drilling fluid, and temperature. Results indicate that all of these parameters contribute significantly to the magnitude and the reversibility of the impairment.
A total of nine papers were presented at the course with the following titles: peat accumulation and coal basins; coal composition; coal quality; sedimentary environments of coal; generation, storage and migration of natural gas in coal bed reservoirs; geophysical log interpretation; the Ardley coal zone of central Alberta; stratigraphy and sedimentary environment of the Coalspur Formation; and the coal-bearing Luscar Group of western Alberta. All of these papers have been abstracted separately.
While hydropower industry finds great profit opportunities in increased effective production, the host municipals have anxiety for great environmental damages. Regulations of water reservoirs. Differences between highest and lowest planned water level are specified in regulations for water reservoirs. The background for these regulations are both esthetic and environmental. (AG)
A description is given of an automatic liquid nitrogen pumping system. Pamping of liquid nitrogen iato cooling traps up to a predetermined level is achieved by an automatically controlled compressed air system. An impontant feature of the equipment is the ability to switch automatically from an empty liquid nitrogen reservoir to a full one. This allows for a much more flexible operation than in conventional systems where the reservoir has to be replaced manually when empty. (auth)
Water injection into a vapor-dominated geothermal reservoir is an effective method of sustaining steam production from the field. Injection puts additional water to the reservoir and raises the prevailing reservoir pressure. This process improves the field`s productivity. However, the increased pressure also increases the water retention capacity of the reservoir rocks through the effects of adsorption and capillary condensation. Due to the significant costs associated with water injection programs, optimizing injection not only involves maximizing the energy yield from the resource but also the present worth of the project. Two crucial parameters that need to be established are: (1) how much to inject; and, (2) when to inject it. This study investigated the optimal design of these parameters. It was found that comparable energy yield can be attained for injection programs that are initiated at various ...
The Girassol field is located in Angolan deep water of Block 17 and consists of large vertically stacked turbidities complexes. The reservoir extends over approximately 200 km{sup 2} and water depth ranges between 1300 and 1400 meters. In that context High Resolution 3D seismic became the most valuable tool to describe and monitor the reservoir. The field development plan took into account, through re-injection of the gas into the reservoir, Total environmental policy imposing the recycling of production gas. Monitoring of this injection was the main reason to shoot the first High Resolution 4D extremely early in the life of field. Despite the complexity of interpretation due to complex fluid situation and pressure effect, the results went way beyond expectations as the 4D images are of very high quality. Data has also been used to update and refine the reservoir flow model as well as to help deciding ...
The strategy for management of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory`s (ORNL`s) radioactively contaminated liquid waste was reviewed. The latest information on waste characterization, regulations, US Department of Energy (DOE) budget guidance, and research and development programs was evaluated to determine how the strategy should be revised. Few changes are needed to update the strategy to reflect new waste characterization, research, and regulatory information. However, recent budget guidance from DOE indicates that minimum funding will not be sufficient to accomplish original objectives to upgrade the liquid low-level waste (LLLW) system to be in compliance with the Federal Facilities Agreement compliance, provide long-term LLLW treatment capability, and minimize Environmental Safety & Health risks. Options are presented that might allow the ORNL LLLW system to continue operations temporarily but significantly reduce its ...
The Department of Energy (DOE) Subsurface Contamination Focus Area (SCFA) sponsored a technology demonstration of non-traditional in situ vitrification (NTISV) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The project team for this demonstration included MSE Technology Applications, Inc., Geosafe Corporation, and LANL. The technology demonstration involved the performance of two large-scale test melts. The first, referred to as the ''cold'' test, was performed on a simulated absorption bed that contained surrogate contaminants. The cold test was conducted in April 1999. The second demonstration, referred to as the ''hot'' test, took place at LANL's Material Disposal Area (MDA) V in April 2000. The hot test was conducted on a portion of an absorption bed that received radionuclide and metal-contaminated wastewater from a laundry facility and a research laboratory from ...
This document is the third annual revision of the plans and schedules for implementing the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) compliance program, originally submitted in 1992 as ES/ER-17&D1, Federal Facility Agreement Plans and Schedules for Liquid Low-Level Radioactive Waste Tank Systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This document summarizes the progress that has been made to date in implementing the plans and schedules for meeting the FFA commitments for the Liquid Low-Level Waste (LLLW) System at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Information presented in this document provides a comprehensive summary to facilitate understanding of the FFA compliance program for LLLW tank systems and to present plans and schedules associated with remediation, through the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process, of LLLW tank systems that have been removed from service. ORNL has a ...
The chemical composition and evolution of produced waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley gas field, Northern Territory, has important implications for issues such as gas reserve calculations, reservoir management and saline water disposal. The occurrence of saline formation water in the Palm Valley field has been the subject of considerable debate. There were no occurrences of mobile water early in the development of the field and only after gas production had reduced the reservoir pressure, was saline formation water produced. Initially this was in small quantities but has increased dramatically with time, particularly after the initiation of compression in November 1996. The produced waters range from highly saline (up to 300,000 mg/L TDS), with unusual enrichments in Ca, Ba and Sr, to low salinity fluids that may represent condensate waters. The Sr isotopic compositions of the waters ({sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr = 0.7041-0.7172) ...
The chemical composition and evolution of produced waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley gas field, Northern Territory, has important implications for issues such as gas reserve calculations, reservoir management and saline water disposal. The occurrence of saline formation water in the Palm Valley field has been the subject of considerable debate. There were no occurrences of mobile water early in the development of the field and only after gas production had reduced the reservoir pressure, was saline formation water produced. Initially this was in small quantities but has increased dramatically with time, particularly after the initiation of compression in November 1996. The produced waters range from highly saline (up to 300,000 mg/L TDS), with unusual enrichments in Ca, Ba and Sr, to low salinity fluids that may represent condensate waters. The Sr isotopic compositions of the waters ("8"7Sr/"8"6Sr = 0.7041-0.7172) are ...
Sustainable development of geothermal resources is the key to prolong the commercial life of geothermal fields. This paper uses two well-known geothermal fields in China, with long histories of production, to demonstrate how sustainability can be quantitatively evaluated, and to highlight the essential differences between sustainable and non-sustainable development schemes. After examining the complex nature of sustainability evaluation, fuzzy synthetic evaluation is applied as a tool for the quantitative sustainability rating of geothermal reservoirs. The evaluation procedures include systemic criteria selection, weighing, individual criterion evaluation and finally final multi-criterion decision analysis evaluation. The sustainability of a limestone reservoir in the urban sector of Tianj...
Natural fractures and in situ stresses commonly dictate subsurface reservoir permeability and permeability anisotropy, as well as the effectiveness of stimulation techniques in low-permeability, natural gas reservoirs. This paper offers an initial prediction for the orientations of the fracture and stress systems in the tight gas reservoirs of the Frontier Formation, in the Green River basin of southwestern Wyoming. It builds on a previous report that addressed fractures and stresses in the western part of the basin and on ideas developed for the rest of the basin, using the principle that thrust faults are capable of affecting the stress magnitudes and orientations in little-deformed strata several hundreds of kilometers in front of a thrust. The prediction of subsurface stresses and natural fracture orientations is an undertaking that requires the willingness to revise models as definitive data are acquired during ...
The tests reported were part of the DOE Geothermal Reservoir Well Stimulation Program. This East Mesa (Imperial Valley, CA) well was successfully stimulated with two fracture treatments, a dendritic fracture and a planar fracture. The natural flow production of the well increased 114 percent, to 197,900 lb/hr. These tests were among the few successful attempts of this program to increase flow from geothermal production wells. The general belief is that these tests worked OK primarily because the formation was sedimentary rock (similar to rock in most oil and gas wells that have been stimulated successfully. Similar tests in geothermal hard rock reservoirs did not work very well. (DJE 2005)
A model is developed to represent mechanical strain, stress-enhanced dissolution, and shear dilation as innately hysteretic and interlinked processes in rough contacting fractures. The model is incorporated into a numerical simulator designed to examine permeability change and thermal exchange in chemically active and deformable fractured reservoirs. A candidate engineered geothermal reservoir system (EGS) is targeted. The mechanistic model is able to distinguish differences between the evolution of fluid transmission characteristics of (1) small scale, closely spaced fractures, and (2) large-scale, more widely spaced fractures. Alternate realizations of fracture frequency and scale, exhibiting identical initial bulk permeability, lead to significantly different conclusions regarding perme...
The effects of reservoir layering and gravity segregation on nonisothermal injection and falloff tests are investigated. Results show that layering does not affect injection or falloff data if all the layers are permeable and accept fluids from the wellbore. In such cases, the average permeability, skin factor, and distance to the thermal front can be calculated using the techniques developed for homogeneous reservoirs. Special considerations have to be taken for cases where several layers are impermeable or are permeable but do not accept fluids of the well face. In the first case (impermeable layers), knowledge of the total thickness of the permeable layers is required for the existing techniques to be applied successfully. In the second case, the existing techniques cannot be applied, but characteristic responses from injection and falloff test are seen; therefore, this case can be identified easily. 13 refs., 8 figs.
The residing fracture system and the prevailing in situ stresses have a significant impact on fluid flow and heat transfer in crystalline rocks. The long term response of fracture systems to changes in effective stresses, in particular the long term geo-mechanical effects of thermal stresses on reservoir characteristics is of particular interest to the geothermal industry.In this paper, a geothermal reservoir model is presented, in which a thermo-poroelastic finite element module is coupled to a fracture geomechanical module. This describes fracture closure as a function of effective stress and the changes in parameters, such as effective permeability, porosity and discrete fracture apertures. The novelty of this approach lies in its dynamic treatment of the characteristic properties of in...
In this work, we use lasers to enhance possibilities of laser desorption methods and to optimize coating procedure for capillary electrophoresis (CE). We use several different instrumental arrangements to characterize matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALD) at atmospheric pressure and in vacuum. In imaging mode, 488-nm argon-ion laser beam is deflected by two acousto-optic deflectors to scan plumes desorbed at atmospheric pressure via absorption. All absorbing species, including neutral molecules, are monitored. Interesting features, e.g. differences between the initial plume and subsequent plumes desorbed from the same spot, or the formation of two plumes from one laser shot are observed. Total plume absorbance can be correlated with the acoustic signal generated by the desorption event. A model equation for the plume velocity as a function of time is proposed. Alternatively, the use of a static laser beam for observation enables reliable determination of plume ...
This study was undertaken to determine which rodent species serve as primary reservoirs for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in commonly occurring woodland types...Full Text Available
BackgroundFree nitric oxide (NO) reacts with sulphydryl residues to form S-nitrosothiols, which act as NO reservoirs. We sought to determine whether thiol-preserving...Full Text Available
Pumped storage plants 20 are a relatively common type.They use a dam to create an upper reservoir ...Some pumped storage plants use the same water turbine and electric generator for both operating periods.That is,
Pumped storage plants are a relatively common type.They use a dam to create an upper reservoir ...Some pumped storage plants use the same water turbine and electric generator for both operating periods.
This is an internal DOE Geothermal Program document. This document contains summaries of projects related to exploration technology, reservoir technology, drilling technology, conversion technology, materials, biochemical processes, and direct heat applications. [DJE-2005
This paper overviews the general features of computer program 'HEC-5, Simulation of Flood Control and Conservation Systems', with emphasis on the capabilities of the most recent release of HEC-5, Version 7.2, dated March 1991. HEC-5 can simulate the essential features and operation goals and constraints of simple or complex systems with simulation intervals ranging from minutes to one month. Single event flood analysis and period of record conservation analysis may be accomplished with the model. Flood control analysis includes balanced system operation for downstream damage centers with consideration of forecasted local flows and hydrologic routing. In addition, induced surcharge operation based on spillway gate regulation schedules can be simulated. Hydropower analysis may include run-of-river, peaking, and pumped storage plants as well as system power operation. Water supply simulation can include reservoir and downstream flow requirements in ...
Deformation in the overburden proves useful in deducing spatial and temporal changes in the volume of a producing reservoir. Based upon these changes we estimate diffusive travel times associated with the transient flow due to production, and then, as the solution of a linear inverse problem, the effective permeability of the reservoir. An advantage an approach based upon travel times, as opposed to one based upon the amplitude of surface deformation, is that it is much less sensitive to the exact geomechanical properties of the reservoir and overburden. Inequalities constrain the inversion, under the assumption that the fluid production only results in pore volume decreases within the reservoir. We apply the formulation to satellite-based estimates of deformation in the material overlying a thin gas production zone at the Krechba field in Algeria. The peak displacement after three years of gas ...
To evaluate the risk for emerging human infections caused by zoonotic Bartonella spp. from exotic small mammals, we investigated the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in...Full Text Available
In the period November 1, 1985 to January 31, 1986, 703 cases of giardiasis were reported in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (population 50,265). The community obtained its water from two main reservoirs...Full Text Available
To determine the presence of European bat lyssavirus type 1 in southern Spain, we studied 19 colonies of serotine bats (Eptesicus isabellinus), its main reservoir, during 1998–2003....Full Text Available
Dogs are domestic reservoir hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. We evaluated the effect of deltamethrin-treated dog collars (DTDCs) over time...Full Text Available
BackgroundTrypanosomosis is a major impediment to livestock farming in sub-Saharan Africa and limits the full potential of agricultural development in the 36 countries where it is...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe rate of emergence of human pathogens is steadily increasing; most of these novel agents originate in wildlife. Bats, remarkably, are the natural reservoirs of many...Full Text Available
The pharynx is the primary reservoir for strains of group A Streptococcus (GAS) associated both with pharyngitis (streptococcal sore throat) and with invasive or “flesh-eating”...Full Text Available
We have used a sintered glass bead core to simulate the spaces and surfaces of reservoir rock in studies of the bacterial plugging phenomenon that affects waterflood oil recovery operations. The passage...Full Text Available
New habitat-based models for spread of hantavirus are developed which account for interspecies interaction. Existing habitat-based models do not consider interspecies pathogen transmission,...Full Text Available
Volume 2 of the water resources data for the 1992 water year for Oklahoma consists of record of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes or reservoirs; and water levels of ground-water well. The report contains discharge records for 136 gaging stations; stage and contents for 31 lakes or reservoirs; water quality for 50 gaging stations. Also included are 61 partial-record or miscellaneous streamflow stations and 28 ground-water sites.
The river Saale cascade consists of seven reservoirs with a total capacity of approx. 415 Mio. m[sup 3]. The entire reservoir system covers a catchment area of 1665 km[sup 2]. The water management tasks extend to the following main fields: flood protection upkeep of minimum water stock, salt load control and power generation. The energy supply capacity of the cascade is mainly used by pumped storage plants. The last of these plants, Hohenwarte II, was put into service in 1963. (orig.)
A stochastic analysis is presented of the probability of overtopping of a dam. The discussion is based on the case of a dam for a small water storage reservoir which has recently been constructed in the Saar district in the FRG. The problem is first solved by means of a simulation method. However, it is possible to describe the result of the sumulation method by means of a much simpler model which is based on a solution of the failure integral of Freudenthal for uncorrelated resistances and loads. It is shown that the actual safety of this dam against overtopping is extremely sensitive to both the operation rule for the reservoir, and the freeboard allowance. Some general conclusions are derived from this study for assisting in the ongoing discussion of dam safety. (6 figs, 1 tab, 7 refs)
Radon-222 has been measured in natural gas produced from experimental geopressured-geothermal test wells. Comparison with published data suggests that while radon activity of this unconventional natural gas resource is higher than conventional gas produced in the gulf coast, it is within the range found for conventional gas produced throughout the US. A method of predicting the likely radon activity of this unconventional gas is described on the basis of the data presented, methane solubility, and known or assumed reservoir conditions of temperature, fluid pressure, and formation water salinity.
Recent industry advances in formation evaluation measurement-while-drilling (FEMWD) have been achieved in well log data acquisition quality and in geosteering drilling applications. This paper presents new technology as applied by Baker Hughes INTEQ which includes: geosteering techniques which help navigate through horizontally drilled reservoirs including improved quality dual propagation resistivity, neutron-porosity and formation-density measurements; predictive modeling of tool responses in reservoir geosteering applications; environmental computer modeling which aids interpretation, including tool eccentering; and new measurement enhancements.
A scaled physical model was operated to simulate steam drive operations in five-spot patterns with reservoir and operational parameters similar to those encountered in California reservoirs. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of two important controllable parameters, viz., steam injection rate and steam quality and to explore the role of two important factors, oil viscosity and reservoir permeability on the performance of the steam drive. In addition, the influence of bottom water and a basal permeable layer were investigated. The experiments demonstrated that there is an optimum injection rate; that in the vicinity of this optimum an increased quantity results in improved oil steam ratios; that the viscosity of the oil at steam temperature, raised to a fractional power, 0.5, appears to correlate with oil production; that permeabilities in the darcy range have little effect on performance, but an increasing ...
Recent work on the St. Louis Limestone in southwestern Kansas has demonstrated that these units contain a significant eolian facies component (up to 80-90% of total unit thickness). Reservoir intervals within the St. Louis are confined to relatively thin subtidal grainstones that, in turn, are capped by a muddy carbonate and shale facies. Critical to exploration and development of these grain-shoal reservoirs is an understanding of their spatial and stratigraphic distribution. Core through the St. Louis and St. Genevieve limestones has been examined and features have been recognized at the top of the eolianites. These surfaces are interpreted as long-term exposure surfaces. The contact between the subtidal grainstone shoals and the overlying muddy carbonate and shale facies is relatively sharp and is interpreted as representing a flooding surface separating shoal from muddy-open shelf facies. In the St. Louis Limestone, the subtidal carbonate ...
The Sulige gas field and the Yulin gas field are located in the north of the Ordos Basin. Reservoir pressure in the Sulige area is subnormal, whereas reservoirs in the Yulin area have normal hydrostatic pressure. This paper provides an explanation of this difference. The characteristics of reservoir sediment and formation water chemistry in the gas reservoirs of these two areas were analyzed. The results showed that both reservoirs have good sealing ability. Data of numerical simulation showed that tectonic uplift resulted in a great reduction in formation pressure in the northern Ordos Basin during the late Cretaceous period, and the decrease was greater in the Yulin gas field than in the Sulige gas field. However, because the total hydrocarbon-generating intensity of the Sulige area (< 24 x 10{sup 8} m{sup 3}/km{sup 2}) was less than that of the Yulin area (> 32 x ...
The chemical composition and evolution of formation waters associated with gas production in the Palm Valley field, Northern Territory, has important implications for reservoir management, saline water disposal, and gas reserve calculations. Historically, the occurrence of saline formation water in gas fields has been the subject of considerable debate. A better understanding of the origin, chemical evolution and movement of the formation water at Palm Valley has important implications for future reservoir management, disposal of highly saline water and accurate gas reserves estimation. Major and trace element abundance data suggest that a significant component of the highly saline water from Palm Valley has characteristics that may have been derived from a modified evaporated seawater source such as an evaporite horizon. The most dilute waters probably represent condensate and the variation in the chemistry of the intermediate waters suggests ...
This paper discussed the lithological characteristics of tight gas reservoirs, including the diagenetic characteristics, diagenetic environment and diagenetic sequence. The link between porosity, the sedimentary environment, lithology, diagenesis and basin tectonics was examined in order to determine how tight reservoirs were formed. The study focused on the Changbei gas field located in Yishan Slope of the Ordos Basin in China. The main pay zone reservoir is the Upper Paleozoic Lower Permian Shanxi sandstone which lies at a depth of 2700-2950 m. This low porosity, low permeability tight gas reservoir was deposited in a coal bearing acid environment which controlled the diagenesis sequence. The early carbonate cement was not well developed because the original pore water was acidic with non saturated calcium carbonate. However, compaction has significantly reduced the original pore and pore volume. The ...
An updated listing of the vascular plants of the Hanford Site is provided, along with discussions of how humans may interact with local plants and have influenced the regional flora. Based on examinations of herbarium collections at the Westinghouse Hanford Company, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Washington State University, and Brigham Young University, 590 vascular plant species have been identified on or near the Hanford Site. This is more than twice the number of species on previously published lists of Hanford Site vascular plants. A review of the plant species that are currently listed as endangered, threatened, sensitive, or otherwise of concern to the Washington State Natural Heritage Program and the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service is included. Color photographs of selected species are included to aid identification. Lists are provided of the Hanford Site plant species that could be used as food and medicinal sources and of those introduced to the region ...
The study was directed towards determining the usability of clay and fine wastes (CW and FW) of boron from the concentrator plant in Kirka (Turkey) as a fluxing agent in production of red mud (RM) brick. Both laboratory studies on the characterization of materials and industrial-scale tests for production of bricks were carried out. CW and FW, which have similar chemical composition but include different types and amounts of oxides, were added in amounts of 5, 10 and 15wt% to RM, which consists of high amounts of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, SiO{sub 2} and alkalies. Six different sets of samples have been produced and fired at 700, 800 and 900{sup o}C. Dry shrinkage of green body, bending and compressive strength, firing shrinkage, water absorption, frost resistance and harmful magnesia and lime tests on heat-treated bodies have been performed. The mineralogical and mechanical tests showed that usability of boron wastes as a fluxing ...
The Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 12 is a statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory under contract with the Office of Transportation Technologies in the Department of Energy. Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the data book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, and presents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use. The purpose of this document is to present relevant statistical data in the form of tables and graphs. Each of the major transportation modes--highway, air, water, rail, pipeline--is treated in separate chapters or sections. Chapter 1 compares US transportation data with data from seven other countries. Aggregate energy use and energy supply data for all modes are presented in Chapter 2. The highway mode, which accounts for over three-fourths of total transportation energy consumption, is ...
Heating during frictional sliding is a major component of the energy budget of earthquakes and represents a potential weakening mechanism. It is therefore important to investigate how heat dissipates during sliding on simulated faults. We present results from laboratory friction experiments where a halite (NaCl) slider held under constant load is dragged across a coarse substrate. Surface evolution and frictional resistance are recorded. Heat emission at the sliding surface is monitored using an infra-red camera. We demonstrate a link between plastic deformations of halite and enhanced heating characterized by transient localized heat spots. When sand 'gouge' is added to the interface, heating is more diffuse. Importantly, when strong asperities concentrate deformation, significantly more heat is produced locally. In natural faults such regions could be nucleation patches for melt production and hence potentially initiate weakening during ...
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a group of expert collaborators are using the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site 300 Area uranium plume within the footprint of the 300-FF-5 groundwater operable unit as a site for an Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFRC). The IFRC is entitled Multi-Scale Mass Transfer Processes Controlling Natural Attenuation and Engineered Remediation: An IFRC Focused on the Hanford Site 300 Area Uranium Plume Project. The theme is investigation of multi-scale mass transfer processes. A series of forefront science questions on mass transfer are posed for research that relate to the effect of spatial heterogeneities; the importance of scale; coupled interactions between biogeochemical, hydrologic, and mass transfer processes; and measurements/approaches needed to characterize and model a mass transfer-dominated system. This Quality Assurance Project Plan provides the quality assurance ...
When liquids are confined in nano-scopic dimensions, their properties differ from the corresponding bulk liquid, due to their reduced dimensionality and surface effects. Phase transition temperatures and pressures are often shifted from the bulk values and new phases can appear due to the strong interactions of the molecules with the confining walls. We have studied the structural and dynamical properties of aromatic liquids such as benzene, toluene, and ortho-terphenyl confined in nano-porous materials, MCM-41 and SBA-15, synthesized and characterized in our laboratory. A non-trivial dependence of the glass transition temperature, Tg, on the pore size and surface treatment of nano-porous materials is confirmed and interpreted as resulting from a competition between the fluid-wall and fluid-fluid intermolecular interactions. An increase of Tg is observed for small pore sizes and attractive surface while Tg decreases for non attractive surface, ...
The millimeter microwave source of gyrotron-traveling-wave amplifier (gyro-TWT) is capable of generating high power coherent radiation in a broad bandwidth, while its performance is severely deteriorated by the stability problems. This paper focuses on modeling and the stability analysis of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Ka-band TE{sub 01} mode gyro-TWT based on an interaction circuit alternately loaded with lossy ceramic shells and metal rings. The propagation characteristics of the interaction circuit is analyzed first, based on which the boundary impedance method is employed to build an equivalent uniform lossy circuit. Then the stability of the interaction system is studied using linear and nonlinear theories. The analysis reveals that, due to the special waveguide structure and the dielectric loss, the propagation characteristics of the complex waveguide are similar to that of a uniform lossy circuit. The analysis of the absolute instabilities ...
The millimeter microwave source of gyrotron-traveling-wave amplifier (gyro-TWT) is capable of generating high power coherent radiation in a broad bandwidth, while its performance is severely deteriorated by the stability problems. This paper focuses on modeling and the stability analysis of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Ka-band TE01 mode gyro-TWT based on an interaction circuit alternately loaded with lossy ceramic shells and metal rings. The propagation characteristics of the interaction circuit is analyzed first, based on which the boundary impedance method is employed to build an equivalent uniform lossy circuit. Then the stability of the interaction system is studied using linear and nonlinear theories. The analysis reveals that, due to the special waveguide structure and the dielectric loss, the propagation characteristics of the complex waveguide are similar to that of a uniform lossy circuit. The analysis of the absolute instabilities ...
The solid-pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is a rare type of exocrine pancreatic neoplasm. SPT predominantly affects young women and female children, and is usually discovered incidentally. This tumor is generally benign with a low incidence of malignancy. A 13-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital with a few weeks' history of mild abdominal pain and jaundice. On physical examination, there was no palpable mass. The laboratory tests showed increased SR, CRP, high bilirubin, amylase and lipase serum levels. Ultrasound imaging revealed a solid lesion in the region of the pancreatic head. On MRI, precise tumor localization in the head of the pancreas with pancreatic duct dilatation and compression of the common bile duct were visualized. Pancreaticoduodenectomy and cholecystectomy was performed with good clinical outcome. Microscopic and immunohistochemical studies indicated that tumor cells were typical of SPT without any signs of malignancy. After ...
Sandia National Laboratories has recently developed two major field test capabilities for unattended ground sensor systems at the Department of energy`s Nevada Test Site (NTS). The first capability utilizes the NTS large area, varied terrain, and intrasite communications systems for testing sensors for detecting and tracking vehicular traffic. Sensor and ground truth data can be collected at either of two secure control centers. This system also includes an automated ground truth capability that consists of differential Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receivers on test vehicles and live TV coverage of critical road sections. Finally there is a high-speed, secure computer network link between the control centers and the Air Force`s Theater Air Command and Control Simulation Facility in Albuquerque NM. The second capability is Bunker 2-300. It is a facility for evaluating advanced sensor systems for monitoring activities in underground cut-and-cover facilities. ...
In a scenario of aqueous transport from a high-level radioactive waste repository, the concentration of radionuclides in water in contact with the waste constitutes the source term for transport models, and as such represents a fundamental component of all performance assessment models. Many laboratory experiments have been done to characterize release rates and understand processes influencing radionuclide release rates from irradiated nuclear fuel. Natural analogues of these waste forms have been studied to obtain information regarding the long-term stability of potential waste forms in complex natural systems. This information from diverse sources must be brought together to develop and defend methods used to define source terms for performance assessment models. In this manuscript examples of measures of radionuclide release rates from spent nuclear fuel or analogues of nuclear fuel are presented. Each example represents a very different ...
A new industrial process allowing to reach very high cooling rates in the cooling section after soaking of a continuous annealing line for steel sheets is presented. This process constitutes the successful conclusion of a long term research programme, jointly carried out at CRM and Arcelor Cockerill-Sambre for three years, including laboratory experiments, pilot scale trials and several industrial campaigns. It is running on from developments performed in the framework of the HOWAQ (Hot Water Quench) process. The process successively combines a moderate cooling step (600 deg C/s for 0.8 mm thick strips), in boiling water, and a faster cooling step (above 700 deg C/s), by impinging turbulent cold water in a box. Its main features are simplicity, resulting from advanced developments, soundness, flexibility and cooling homogeneity. As treated steel products are characterized by improved mechanical properties, outstanding surface quality (corrosion ...
This report presents the results of the preliminary assessment (PA) conducted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Georgia Army National Guard (GAARNG) facility near Hinesville, Georgia, known as the National Guard Training Center (NGTC). Preliminary assessments of federal facilities are being conducted to compile the information necessary for completing preremedial activities and to provide a priority basis for completing corrective actions (where necessary) in response to releases of hazardous substances. The principal objective of the PA is to characterize the site accurately and determine the need for further action by examining previous site activities, types and quantities of hazardous substances utilized, and potential pathways by which contamination could affect public health and the environment. The scope of this assessment is limited to the facilities and past activities contained within the NGTC. Preliminary assessment site score ...
A permeable reactive mixture has been developed using low cost, readily available materials that is capable of providing effective, long-term phosphorous treatment in areas impacted by on-land wastewater disposal. The reactive mixture creates a geochemical environment suitable for P-attenuation by both adsorption and precipitation reactions. Potential benefits include significant reductions in phosphorous loading to receiving groundwater and surface water systems, and the accumulation of P-mass in a finite and accessible volume of material. The mixture may be applied as a component within surface treatment systems or in subsurface applications such as horizontal or vertical permeable reactive walls. The mixture averaged > 90% treatment efficiency over 3.6 years of continuous-flow laboratory column experiments. The mixture was further evaluated at the pilot-scale to treat municipal wastewater, and the field-scale to treat a well-characterized ...
Measurements were carried out for calibration and performance testing of a set of 10 electronic personal dosimeters (EPDs) at the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory of Sudan. Calibrations were carried out at three X-ray beam qualities described in ISO standard 4037 in addition to 137Cs and 60Co gamma ray beams. The experimental was performed with EPDs mounted on ICRU Slab phantom. X-ray and ?-ray beams were characterized in terms of air kerma free-in-air which were converted to the known delivered personal dose equivalent, Hp(10) using appropriate the air kerma to personal dose equivalent conversion coefficients. Dosimeters tested showed excellent energy and angular response and relative error of indication within the recommended limit for photon energies from 65 keV to 1.25 MeV. The study showed encouraging results for using electronic dosimeters in personal dosimetry.
This is the first volume of a two-volume report. Volume 2 will be published at a later date. This report presents the results of a research project conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. The purpose of the project was to develop a general methodology to be use in the assessment of the organizational factors which affect performance reliability (safety) in a nuclear power plant. The research described in this report includes the development of the Nuclear Organization and Management Analysis Concept (GNOMIC). This concept characterizes the organizational factors that impact safety performance in a nuclear power plant and identifies some methods for systematically measuring and analyzing the influence of these factors on safety performance. This report is divided into two parts; Part 1 presents an overview of the development of the methodology, while ...
The report summarizes the evaluation and recommendations regarding an approach to wetland sampling and characterization developed by the Wetlands Research Program (WRP) at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR. Between trials, team members discussed at length the methodology and field protocols and modified them to reflect the conditions and difficulties encountered in sampling herbaceous wetlands in urban areas of Florida. Major emphasis is placed on the appropriateness of measured variables for determining successful wetland re-creation. Numerous physical and biological parameters were measured and compared in the nine created and nine natural wetlands. Analysis of these data has shown some important similarities and differences between created and natural wetlands and lends insight into the complex questions surrounding wetland creation and the equivalency of created wetlands to naturally ...
The photoelectric absorption index, I/sub Pe/, is accepted as an accurate measurement for the description of formation lithology. The measured I/sub Pe/ has been shown to deviate slightly for a given lithology because of the effects of porosity. Properly calibrated and measured I/sub Pe/'s, however, have been observed to deviate from predicted values in practice, even considering the influence of porosity. Such departures were traced to variations in borehole size and tool standoff. The nature of the physical method of recording an I/sub Pe/ does not ensure independence from the influence of the borehole environment. A series of laboratory experiments has been conducted in test formations to verify and to characterize the influence of borehole size, mudcake, and standoff on I/sub Pe/ measurement. A set of nomographs has been constructed that allows correction of I/sub Pe/ measurements for the influence of the borehole environment. With ...
Research was conducted at Pacific Northwest Laboratory to develop high photosensitivity adaptive optical elements utilizing ion implanted lanthanum-doped lead-zirconate-titanate (PLZT). One centimeter square samples were prepared by implanting ferroelectric and anti-ferroelectric PLZT with a variety of species or combinations of species. These included Ne, O, Ni, Ne/Cr, Ne/Al, Ne/Ni, Ne/O, and Ni/O, at a variety of energies and fluences. An indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode coating was designed to give a balance of high conductivity and optical transmission at near uv to near ir wavelengths. Samples were characterized for photosensitivity; implanted layer thickness, index of refraction, and density; electrode (ITO) conductivity; and in some cases, residual stress curvature. Thin film anti-ferroelectric PLZT was deposited in a preliminary experiment. The structure was amorphous with x-ray diffraction showing the beginnings of a structure at ...
The consistency of different instruments and methods for measuring two-dimensional (2D) power spectral density (PSD) distributions are investigated. The instruments are an interferometric microscope, an atomic force microscope (AFM) and the X-ray Reflectivity and Scattering experimental facility, all available at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The measurements were performed with a gold-coated mirror with a highly polished stainless steel substrate. It was shown that these three techniques provide essentially consistent results. For the stainless steel mirror, an envelope over all measured PSD distributions can be described with an inverse power-law PSD function. It is also shown that the measurements can be corrected for the specific spatial frequency dependent systematic errors of the instruments. The AFM and the X-ray scattering measurements were used to determine the modulation transfer function of the interferometric microscope. The corresponding ...
The consistency of different instruments and methods for measuring two-dimensional (2D) power spectral density (PSD) distributions are investigated. The instruments are an interferometric microscope, an atomic force microscope (AFM) and the X-ray Reflectivity and Scattering experimental facility, all available at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The measurements were performed with a gold-coated mirror with a highly polished stainless steel substrate. It was shown that these three techniques provide essentially consistent results. For the stainless steel mirror, an envelope over all measured PSD distributions can be described with an inverse power-law PSD function. It is also shown that the measurements can be corrected for the specific spatial frequency dependent systematic errors of the instruments. The AFM and the X-ray scattering measurements were used to determine the modulation transfer function of the interferometric microscope. The corresponding ...
This report summarizes the work on high field superconducting materials and processes performed at the Materials and Molecular Research Division of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Two major interrelated focal points characterize this research. One was the decision to restrict the effort to A-15 compounds because of their superior critical temperatures and critical fields. The inherent brittleness of these compounds along with the requirement for a filamentary morphology led to the second focal point: a heavy reliance on a powder approach for the fabrication of superconducting tapes and wires. There have been exceptions to the use of powder techniques where special circumstances such as the nature of a particular alloy system suggested on alternative approach. The quench-age technique described herein is an example of a non-powder approach. Here the niobium-aluminum system is involved and the methodology is based on the fact that in a certain ...
ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during FY 95 to characterize possible radionuclide movement out of Area G through surface water and entrained sediment runoff. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The single-stage water samples were analyzed for tritium and plutonium isotopes. All radiochemical data was compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and 94 and reported in LA-12986 and LA-13165-PR. Six surface soils were also submitted for metal analyses. These data were included with similar data generated for soil samples collected during FY 94 and compared with metals in background samples collected at the Area G expansion area.
Utah oil fields have produced over 1.2 billion barrels (191 million m{sup 3}). However, the 13.7 million barrels (2.2 million m{sup 3}) of production in 2002 was the lowest level in over 40 years and continued the steady decline that began in the mid-1980s. The Utah Geological Survey believes this trend can be reversed by providing play portfolios for the major oil-producing provinces (Paradox Basin, Uinta Basin, and thrust belt) in Utah and adjacent areas in Colorado and Wyoming. Oil plays are geographic areas with petroleum potential caused by favorable combinations of source rock, migration paths, reservoir rock characteristics, and other factors. The play portfolios will include: descriptions and maps of the major oil plays by reservoir; production and reservoir data; case-study field evaluations; summaries of the state-of-the-art drilling, completion, and secondary/tertiary techniques for each play; locations of major ...
The presence of water in export coals increases transport and handling costs. Coarse (+0.5 mm) coal constitutes the majority of the product, and small changes in its final moisture content will have a significant effect on overall product moisture. An on-line moisture monitor was installed on a product belt immediately after a coarse coal centrifuge to continuously measure the moisture content of the coal from a single centrifuge. Basic studies were also conducted with a laboratory centrifuge specifically designed to characterize various coarse coal samples in terms of their water retention capacity. The moisture of the coarse coal (typically 6 to 9%) was found to vary by at least 1% at a particular plant, and by a number of percentage points between plants. An empirical model has been developed which can explain about 80% of the moisture variation from the 25 samples investigated. The rank of the coals ranged from 0.7 to 1.65% mean ...
Protecting Earth and planets against the invasion of 'alien life forms' is not military science fiction, but it is the peaceful daily job of engineers and scientists of space agencies. 'Planetary Protection' is preventing microbial contamination of both the target planet and the Earth when sending robots on interplanetary space mission. It is important to preserve the 'natural' conditions of other planets and to not bring with robots 'earthly microbes' (forward contamination) when looking for 'spores of extra terrestrial life'. The Earth and its biosphere must be protected from potential extraterrestrial biological contamination when returning samples of other planets to the Earth (backward contamination). The NASA-Caltech Laboratory for Planetary Protection of Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (California, USA) routinely monitors and characterizes the microbes of NASA spacecraft assembly ...
Studies conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington have focused on developing and evaluating the reliability of nondestructive testing (NDT) approaches for coarse-grained stainless steel reactor components. The objective of this work is to provide information to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the utility, effectiveness and limitation of NDT techniques as related to inservice testing of primary system piping components in pressurized water reactors. We examined cast stainless steel pipe specimens containing thermal and mechanical fatigue cracks located close to the weld roots and having inner and outer diameter surface geometrical conditions that simulate several water reactor primary piping configurations. In addition, segments of vintage centrifugally cast piping were examined to characterize the inherent acoustic noise and scattering caused by grain structures and to ...
A laboratory model of a TPV generator in the kilowatt range was developed and tested. It was based on methane/oxygen combustion and a spectrally matched selective emitter/collector pair (ytterbia emitter-silicon PV cell). The system demonstrated a power output of 2.4 kilowatts at an overall efficiency of 4.5{percent} without recuperation of heat from the exhaust gases. Key aspects of the effort include: (1) process development and fabrication of mechanically strong selective emitter ceramic textile materials; (2) design of a stirred reactor emitter/burner capable of handling up to 175,000 Btu/hr fuel flows; (3) support to the developer of the production silicon concentrator cells capable of withstanding TPV environments; (4) assessing the apparent temperature exponent of selective emitters; and (5) determining that the remaining generator efficiency improvements are readily defined combustion engineering problems that do not necessitate breakthrough technology. The ...
The finite-volume based commercial CFD-code Fluent was used to simulate the reacting flow in a heavy fuel oil fired laboratory furnace. Both the standard {kappa}-{epsilon} turbulence model and the Reynolds stress model (RSM) were tested. The combustion model was based on the conserved scalar (mixture fraction) and prescribed probability density function approach. The heavy fuel oil droplet trajectories were predicted by solving the momentum equations for the droplets using the Lagrangian treatment. The soot distribution in the furnace was calculated by solving a transport equation for the soot mass fraction. Simple expressions for the soot formation and oxidation rates were employed. The radiation heat transfer equation was solved using the finite volume method. The formation of thermal NO from molecular nitrogen was modeled according to the extended Zeldovich mechanism. Fuel-based NO was modeled assuming that all the nitrogen in the fuel is released as hydrogen ...
The electrochemical capacitor devices described in this report were deliverables from the US Department of Energy--Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) Contract No. DE-AC07-92ID13404 as part of the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) High Power Energy Storage Program. The Idaho national Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has responsibility for technical management, testing, and evaluation of high-power batteries and electrochemical capacitors under this Program. The DOE has developed various electrochemical capacitors as candidate power assist devices for the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) fast response engine requirement. This contract with Maxwell Energy Products, Inc. (Maxwell) was intended to develop a high-energy-density, high-power-density ultracapacitor that is capable of load leveling batteries in electric vehicles. The performance criteria for this device are delivery of 5 W {center_dot} h/kg of useful energy that can be used by ...
This document is the final report for Cooperative Agreement DE-FC26-04NT42314, 'Kinetics Study of Mercury Reactions in FGD Liquors'. The project was co-funded by the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory and EPRI. The objective of the project has been to determine the mechanisms and kinetics of the aqueous reactions of mercury absorbed by wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, and develop a kinetics model to predict mercury reactions in wet FGD systems. The model may be used to determine optimum wet FGD design and operating conditions to maximize mercury capture in wet FGD systems. Initially, a series of bench-top, liquid-phase reactor tests were conducted and mercury species concentrations were measured by UV/visible light spectroscopy to determine reactant and byproduct concentrations over time. Other measurement methods, such as atomic absorption, were used to measure concentrations of vapor-phase elemental mercury, that cannot be ...
Description of courses, curriculum and degree program. "Ceramic and materials engineers design, develop, and participate in the manufacture of both standard and new materials intended for use in a wide variety of industries with diverse applications. These range from the semi-conductor to the aerospace and finally to the traditional ceramics industry. The broad scope of industrial responsibilities handled by ceramic and materials engineers requires knowledge in mathematics, science, engineering, and the social sciences, skills in problem solving, engineering analysis, design, and written and oral communication. The baccalaureate program integrates laboratory with classroom experiences to prepare students for life-long learning. Courses covering thermodynamics, kinetics, mechanical behavior, processing and characterization of materials prepare students for careers in industry and/or for graduate school. Clemson University baccalaureate graduates ...
In the summer of 1990, an accidental spill from the TA-3 Power Plant Environment Tank released more than 3,785 liters of sulfuric acid into upper Sandia Canyon. The Biological Resource Evaluation Team (BRET) of EM-8 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has collected aquatic samples from the stream within Sandia Canyon since then. These field studies gather water quality measurements and collect macroinvertebrates from permanent sampling sites. An earlier report by Bennett (1994) discusses previous BRET aquatic studies in Sandia Canyon. This report updates and expands Bennett's initial findings. During 1993, BRET collected water quality data and aquatic macroinvertebrates at five permanent stations within the canyon. The substrates of the upper three stations are largely sands and silts while the substrates of the two lower stations are largely rock and cobbles. The two upstream stations are located near outfalls that discharge industrial and sanitary waste ...
Ophir Corporation was awarded a contract by the U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory under the Project Title ''Airborne, Optical Remote Sensing of Methane and Ethane for Natural Gas Pipeline Leak Detection'' on October 14, 2002. This second six-month technical report summarizes the progress made towards defining, designing, and developing the hardware and software segments of the airborne, optical remote methane and ethane sensor. The most challenging task to date has been to identify a vendor capable of designing and developing a light source with the appropriate output wavelength and power. This report will document the work that has been done to identify design requirements, and potential vendors for the light source. Significant progress has also been made in characterizing the amount of light return available from a remote target at various distances from the light source. A ...
The effective remediation of contaminated sites requires accurate identification of chemical distributions. A rapid sampling method using passive sampling devices (PSDs) can provide a thorough site assessment. We have been pursuing their application in terrestrial systems and have found that they increase the ease and speed of analysis, decrease solvent usage and overall cost, and minimize the transport of contaminated soils. Time and cost savings allow a higher sampling frequency than is generally the case using traditional methods. PSDs have been used in the field in soils of varying physical properties and have been successful in estimating soil concentrations ranging from 1 {mu}g/kg (parts per billion) to greater than 200 mg/kg (parts per million). They were also helpful in identifying hot spots within the sites. Passive sampling devices show extreme promise as an analytical tool to rapidly characterize contaminant distributions in soil. There are substantial ...
The Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) requested that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluate the treatment process currently employed at the Department's Stringfellow Superfund Site Pretreatment Plant (PTP) site to determine if wastes originating from the site were properly managed with regards to their radioactivity. In order to evaluate the current management strategy, LLNL suggested that DTSC characterize the effluents from the waste treatment system for radionuclide content. A sampling plan was developed; samples were collected and analyzed for radioactive constituents. Following is brief summary of those results and what implications for waste characterization may be made. (1) The sampling and analysis provides strong evidence that the radionuclides present are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (2) The greatest source of radioactivity in the samples was naturally ...
The Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) requested that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluate the treatment process currently employed at the Department's Stringfellow Superfund Site Pretreatment Plant (PTP) site to determine if wastes originating from the site were properly managed with regards to their radioactivity. In order to evaluate the current management strategy, LLNL suggested that DTSC characterize the effluents from the waste treatment system for radionuclide content. A sampling plan was developed; samples were collected and analyzed for radioactive constituents. Following is brief summary of those results and what implications for waste characterization may be made. (1) The sampling and analysis provides strong evidence that the radionuclides present are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (2) The greatest source of radioactivity in the samples was naturally occurring ...
This phase report summarizes the results of field investigations conducted in 1992 at Technical Area 21 of Los Alamos National Laboratory, as prescribed by the RCRA Facility Investigation work plan for the Technical Area 21 operable unit (also known as OU 1106). This phase report is the last part of a three-part phase report describing the results of field work conducted in 1992 at this operable unit. Phase Report lA, issued on l4 June l993, summarized site geologic characterization activities. Phase report 1B, issued on 28 January 1994, included an assessment of site-wide surface soil background, airborne emissions deposition, and contamination in the locations of two former air filtration buildings. The investigations assessed in Phase Report 1C include field radiation surveys and surface and near-surface sampling to characterize potential contamination at 25 outfalls and septic systems listed as SWMUs in the RFI work ...
Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: The application spectrum of X-ray and Gamma radiation is increasing exponentially in the area of diagnostic, nuclear medicine, food preservation, nuclear power plants and strategic utilities. To prevent the harmful effects of these radiations, shielding materials based on lead metal and its compounds are being used historically, which are toxic in nature. To protect environment it has become necessary to develop non-toxic lead free shielding materials. The use of titanium metal and its compounds as synthetic rock i.e. SYNROC are reported to be very effective non-toxic shielding materials for various applications. Red mud waste generated in aluminum producing industries possesses a unique mineralogical compositions containing fairly high quantity of titanium oxide and iron oxide useful for making non toxic shielding compositions and therefore red mud has been utilized for the first time in the world for making radiation ...
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 ...
Six safety initiatives have been identified for accelerating the resolution of waste tank safety issues and closure of unreviewed safety questions. Safety Initiative 5 is to reduce safety and environmental risk from tank leaks. Item d of Safety Initiative 5 is to complete corrosion studies of single-shell tanks to determine failure mechanisms and corrosion control options to minimize further degradation by June 1994. This report has been prepared to fulfill Safety Initiative 5, Item d. The corrosion mechanisms that apply to Hanford Site single-shell tanks are stress corrosion cracking, pitting/crevice corrosion, uniform corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and microbiologically influenced corrosion. The corrosion data relevant to the single-shell tanks dates back three decades, when results were obtained from in-situ corrosion coupons in a few single-shell tanks. Since that time there have been intertank transfers, evaporation, and chemical alterations of the waste. These activities have ...
Beach rocks are observed frequently on the tropical and subtropical sandy beaches where they express thin beds dipping seaward at less than 15 degrees. They consist of beach sediments including fossil shells, fragments of corals, diatoms and other biocarbonates, and are well cemented within the inter-tidal zone with calcium carbonate originated in sea water. Therefore, they are not only good indicators which show the past sea level, but also provide good sample material for radiocarbon dating. The locations of beach rocks give us an optimum condition studying a carbon cycle between land and marine environment by analyzing their isotope fractionations. In order to estimate the origin of calcium carbonate which worked as an adhesive when beach rocks were formed and to estimate the formative ages of beach rocks, a total of 330 fossil corals, fossil shells and calcarenite or calcirdite samples were collected from 128 sites of 16 islands consisting of the Nansei Islands, southwest of Japan. ...
Over the past 10 years, the Peruvian National Tuberculosis (TB) Program, the National Reference Laboratory (NRL), Socios en Salud, and US partners have worked to strengthen the national TB laboratory...Full Text Available
Coryneform isolates from clinical specimens frequently cannot be identified by either reference laboratories or research laboratories. Many of these organisms are skin flora that belong to a large number...Full Text Available
Tidally dominated sections from the Middle Jurassic Beryl Formation of the Beryl Field, Viking Graben (UKCS) were deposited during rapid changes in relative sea level. High density well coverage in this key producing interval has allowed the construction of an integrated high resolution sequence stratigraphic scheme based on sedimentological, ichnofaunal, wireline, biostratigraphic and engineering data. From this database a number of high resolution sequences in the Bajocian-Bathonian Beryl Formation have been identified composed of interbedded sandstones, siltstones and mudstones. These sediments formed tidally-influenced deltas and estuaries deposited in actively subsiding half-grabens during regionally extensive base-level changes. For reservoir management purposes, the formation has been split into 5 units. The thickest interval, Unit 3, is considered here. In the northern part of the Beryl Field, Unit 3 is bounded above and below by regionally extensive, ...
Success in geothermal development can be defined as the ability to produce geothermal energy at compatible energy prices to other energy sources. Drilling comprises usually the largest cost in geothermal development, and the results of drilling is largely influencing the final price of geothermal energy. For 20 geothermal fields with operating power plants, the ratio between installed capacity and the total number of well in the field is 1.9 MWe/well. The drilling history in 30 geothermal fields are analyzed by plotting the average cumulative well outputs as function of the number of wells drilled in the field. The range of the average well output is 1-10 MWe/well with the mean value 4.2 MWe/well for the 30 geothermal fields studied. A leaning curve is defined as the number of wells drilled in each field before the average output per well reaches a fairly constant value, which is characteristic for the geothermal reservoir. The range for this learning time is 4-36 ...
Detailed quantitative sequence stratigraphic analysis and three-dimensional (3-D) modeling of the fluvio-deltaic Pikeville, Hyden, and four Corners formations of the Breathitt Group, eastern Kentucky, indicate that it is possible to make confident deterministic correlations of sand bodies at offshore development well spacings. The key to high-confidence correlation is the delineation of the 3-D architecture of third-order composite sequences, which are seismically mappable, and the recognition of internal fourth-order sequences, which are stacked into lowstand, transgressive, and highstand sequence sets. Volumetric partitioning of reservoir sand bodies between systems tracts and sequences allows prediction of channel sandstone geometries and channel: crevasse splay ratios. Furthermore, channel-fill type is predictable from the sequence stratigraphy. Within 13 studied fourth-order sequences, incised valley fills represent the main reservoirs, ...
A fully implicit compositional simulator was written to predict the drawdown and buildup responses for a single well in a gas condensate reservoir. The model uses the Redlich-Kwong equation of state to compute fluid properties and to determine phase equilibrium. The accuracy of the model predictions in the two-phase flow regime is tested using the results of a steady-state theory developed here. Two new correlating functions for transient flow - the reservoir integral and the sandface integral - are presented. The reservoir integral is shown to be a good liquid analogue during transient flow (drawdown). The sandface integral correlates with the liquid solution only in the slope. These two theoretical functions are shown to reduce to a computable pseudopressure function by using the results of the steady-state theory. The usefulness of this pseudopressure function for computing the permeability-thickness product and the skin ...
There is increasing pressure to operate laboratory facilities in environmentally and financially sustainable ways. A key factor in achieving this goal is careful consideration of how energy is used by the buildings' ventilation system, both for conditioning air supplied to the laboratories and the energy used moving air through the building. Traditionally, laboratory energy use is treated as an engineering concern within the scope of the building's overall design and operation. However, this approach limits the involvement of key stakeholders in many important decisions and can lead to unexpected safety concerns for the laboratory's users. We believe that a broad view of the parties affected by a laboratory building's operations is necessary to avoid having the various stakeholders working...
BackgroundDuplications of stretches of the genome are an important source of individual genetic variation, but their unrecognized presence in laboratory organisms would be a confounding...Full Text Available
as manufacturing plants and laboratories, including the Chemical Laboratory at the House of David in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Built in America: Historic Building Buildings Survey/...
as one of the first Materials Research Laboratories to be funded by the forerunner of DARPA. In 1972 funding was taken over by the National Science Foundation's Division of...
The purpose of this statement of work (SOW) is to establish laboratory analytical criteria and requirements for radioactive airborne emissions measurement sample and/or analysis activities.
This document details monthly activities at the Savannah River Laboratory. Topics addressed are reactor operation; tritium facilities and production; separation operations; environmental concerns; and waste management. (FI)
This document details monthly activities at the Savannah River Laboratory. Topics addressed are reactor operation; tritium facilities and production; separation operations; environmental concerns; and waste management. (FI)
Oct 30, 2006 ... Pigment Analysis by HPLC at Horn Point Laboratory. Laurie Van Heukelem. Crystal Thomas. Meg Maddox. University of Maryland Center for ...
Publications Science Highlights Researcher Profiles Internship Funding to push battery technology from Argonne Laboratory to marketplace Bookmark and Share (Download...
Low-permeability reservoirs are currently being propped with sand, resin-coated sand, intermediate-density proppants, and bauxite. This wide range of proppant cost and performance has resulted in the proliferation of proppant selection models. Initially, a rather vague relationship between well depth and proppant strength dictated the choice of proppant. More recently, computerized models of varying complexity that use net-present-value (NPV) calculations have become available. The input is based on the operator's performance goals for each well and specific reservoir properties. Simpler, noncomputerized approaches include cost/performance comparisons and nomographs. Each type of model, including several of the computerized models, is examined here. By use of these models and NPV calculations, optimum fracturing treatment designs have been developed for such low-permeability reservoirs as the Prue in Oklahoma. ...
The deep water parts of the Moere and Southern Voering Basins are large frontier areas, which are considered to contain significant undiscovered hydrocarbon resources, within Cretaceous and Paleogene reservoirs. PGS Reservoir AS have evaluated the Cretaceous and Paleogene successions of the shallow and deep water areas offshore Mid-Norway using high-resolution sequence stratigraphic techniques. The successions have been subdivided into about 20 stratigraphic sequences. The results are: (1) A more acurate and higher resolution stratigraphy, (2) Greater constraints on basin palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographic reconstructions, (4) Fully integrated sandstone fairway models, with increased ability to reservoir and seal quality and continuity, (5) In addition to several obvious giant domal traps, subtler yet significant structural and stratigraphic leads and prospects can be identified, (6) The timing, volume and phase of ...
The hydromechanical effect of hydroelectric stations on zooplankton is customarily regarded as a constantly acting and comparatively harmless factor, since its destruction is inevitable when water masses are passed through hydroelectric stations, but its capacity for restoration is high (i.e., destruction of the zooplankton of the forebay is compensated by its production in the after bay). It is not known how correct such an opinion is, or what is the true balance of losses and reproduction of zooplankton in the forebays and after bays of hydroelectric stations. However, hydroelectric plants of a new type, pumped-storage plants, have been constructed in recent years and others are planned for the Dnieper reservoirs. The operational principle and purpose of these plants is that they employ special vertical turbine-electric pumps that pump water at night from the reservoirs into pumped-storage facilities at high levels, and then release this ...
The Greater Green River Basin (GGRB) of Wyoming has produced abundant oil and gas out of multiple reservoirs for over 60 years, and large quantities of gas remain untapped in tight gas sandstone reservoirs. Even though GGRB production has been established in formations from the Paleozoic to the Tertiary, recent activity has focused on several Cretaceous reservoirs. Two of these formations, the Ahnond and the Frontier Formations, have been classified as tight sands and are prolific producers in the GGRB. The formations typically naturally fractured and have been exploited using conventional well technology. In most cases, hydraulic fracture treatments must be performed when completing these wells to to increase gas production rates to economic levels. The objectives of the GGRB production improvement project were to apply the concept of horizontal and directional drilling to the Second Frontier Formation on the western flank ...
Live cores were obtained from five reservoirs using special precautions to prevent contamination by exogenous microorganisms and minimize exposure to oxygen. The depths from which the cores were obtained ranged from 2,705 ft to 6,568 ft. Core plugs were cut radially from live cores, encased in heat-shrink plastic tubes, placed in core holders, and fitted with inlets and outlets. Nutrient additions stimulated the in-situ microbial population to increase, dissolve stratal material, produce gases, and release oil. Reduction in flow through the core plugs was observed in some cases, while in other cases flow was increased, probably due to the dissolution of carbonates in the formation. A field demonstration of the ability of the in-situ microbial population to increase oil recovery by blocking the more permeable zones of the reservoir is currently underway. This demonstration is being conducted in the North Blowhorn Creek Unit situated in Lamar ...
North Slope of Alaska has huge oil deposits in heavy oil reservoirs such as Ugnu, West Sak and Shrader Bluff etc. The viscosity of the last two reservoir oils vary from {approx}30 cp to {approx}3000 cp and the amount in the range of 10-20 billion barrels. High oil viscosity and low formation strength impose problems to high recovery and well productivity. Water-alternate-gas injection processes can be effective for the lower viscosity end of these deposits in West Sak and Shrader Bluff. Several gas streams are available in the North Slope containing NGL and CO{sub 2} (a greenhouse gas). The goal of this research is to develop tools to find optimum solvent, injection schedule and well-architecture for a WAG process in North Slope shallow sand viscous oil reservoirs. In the last quarter, we have developed streamline generation and convection subroutines for miscible gas injection. The WAG injection algorithms are being ...
The necessary conditions to design the methanol-fueled direct injection diesel engine with a reservoir type glow plug were cleared up from the points of view to prevent the air contamination and to use as an alternative oil for automotives, and as a result the good engine performance and emission characteristics could be obtained under the wide operating condition. The following facts were clarified: It is necessary to arrange the glow plug on the line of atomizing axis near the nozzle hole to ensure the ignitability under a wide operating condition. The reservoir type glow plug which reserves the premixed gas around the glow plug can shorten the ignition delay time and improve the combustion stability and the net thermal efficiency in the light load region. The combustion in the light load region was accelerated, NO{sub x} emission rate was suppressed and moreover, the net thermal efficiency and catalyst conversion rate were improved by ...
Mathematical tools are needed to screen out sites where Joule-Thomson cooling is a prohibitive factor for CO{sub 2} geo-sequestration and to design approaches to mitigate the effect. In this paper, a simple analytical solution is developed by invoking steady-state flow and constant thermophysical properties. The analytical solution allows fast evaluation of spatiotemporal temperature fields, resulting from constant-rate CO{sub 2} injection. The applicability of the analytical solution is demonstrated by comparison with non-isothermal simulation results from the reservoir simulator TOUGH2. Analysis confirms that for an injection rate of 3 kg s{sup -1} (0.1 MT yr{sup -1}) into moderately warm (>40 C) and permeable formations (>10{sup -14} m{sup 2} (10 mD)), JTC is unlikely to be a problem for initial reservoir pressures as low as 2 MPa (290 psi).
Water-resources data for the 1993 water year for Minnesota consists of records of stage, discharge and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells and springs. This volume contains discharge records for 58 gaging stations; stage and contents for 9 lakes and reservoirs; water quality 15 stream stations, 1 lakes station, 1 precipitation station, and water levels for 15 observation wells. Also included are 61 high-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program and are pulished as miscellaneous measurements.
Water-resources data for the 1991 water year for Minnesota consist of records of stage, discharge and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells and springs. The volume contains discharge records for 60 gaging stations; stage and contents for 9 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 18 stream stations, 1 lake station, 22 partial-record sites, 1 precipitation station, 108 wells; and water levels for 119 observation wells. Also included are 59 high-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements or low-flow investigations.
Ground thermal energy storage is a means of storing thermal energy underground during the summer and utilizing it during the winter. The main use of such a technology is in the heating, ventilating and air conditioning sector where the ground provides a stable temperature reservoir for a heat pump system. Heat pumps are mechanical systems that provide heating to a space in the winter, and cooling in the summer. They are increasingly popular because the same system provides both heating modes, depending on the direction of the cycle upon which they operate. The stable temperature reservoir allows the heat pump system to run at a higher efficiency. Thermal energy is transmitted to and from the ground by circulation of water through standing column geothermal wells. In commercial applications...
This study presents monthly estimates of groundwater anomalies in a large river basin dominated by extensive floodplains, the Negro River Basin, based on the synergistic analysis using multisatellite observations and hydrological models. For the period 2003-2004, changes in water stored in the aquifer is isolated from the total water storage measured by GRACE by removing contributions of both the surface reservoir, derived from satellite imagery and radar altimetry, and the root zone reservoir simulated by WGHM and LaD hydrological models. The groundwater anomalies show a realistic spatial pattern compared with the hydrogeological map of the basin, and similar temporal variations to local in situ groundwater observations and altimetry-derived level height measurements. Results highlight th...
The kWh model finds the kWh outputs of each plant and reservoir capacities of hydro and pumped storage plants and minimizes the sum of fixed charges for constructing the reservoirs and generating facilities, also the fuel costs of thermal and nuclear plants. It is a linear programming problem whose constants are represented by nonlinear functions of kW running capacity of each plant. The optimal pattern of nuclear and thermal units is found by solving the linear programming problem derived for the pumped storage and hydroplants. Excluding the upper bound constraints, the number of constraint equations are few and do not increase with the number of units, although the number of variables increases. The computing time increases only in proportion to the number of groupings of generating units. Sensitivity analysis can be done easily. The detailed operational behavior of each generating unit can be taken into account.
The Alpine Foreland Basin is a minor oil and moderate gas province in central Europe. In the Austrian part of the Alpine Foreland Basin, oil and minor thermal gas are thought to be predominantly sourced from Lower Oligocene horizons (Schoneck and Eggerding formations). The source rocks are immature where the oil fields are located and enter the oil window at ca. 4 km depth beneath the Alpine nappes indicating long-distance lateral migration. Most important reservoirs are Upper Cretaceous and Eocene basal sandstones.Stable carbon isotope and biomarker ratios of oils from different reservoirs indicate compositional trends in W-E direction which reflect differences in source, depositional environment (facies), and maturity of potential source rocks. Thermal maturity parameters from oils of di...
This paper presents a numerical study on the formation history of coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir in the southeast edge of Ordos Basin, China. The coal seams studied belong to the Late Palaeozoic coal-bearing series. These coal seams have a burial history and experienced the process of subsidence, rapid subsidence alternated with uplift and then uplift, sequentially, and underwent the geothermal actions at normal, extremely high, and then normal temperatures, respectively. Coal organic matter of the coal seams matured in the Triassic Period and in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Period. The results from numerical simulation reveal that CBM reservoir evolution history can be classified into five stages, namely primary, initial, stagnant, active and dissipative stages. In the first (pr...
During this quarter, work began on the regional structural and geologic analysis of the greater Green River basin (GGRB) in southwestern Wyoming, northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah. The ultimate objective of the regional analysis is to apply the techniques developed and demonstrated during earlier phases of the project to sweet-spot delineation in a relatively new and underexplored play: tight gas from continuous-type Upper Cretaceous reservoirs of the GGRB. The primary goal of this work is to partition and high-grade the greater Green River basin for exploration efforts in the Cretaceous tight gas play. The work plan for the quarter of January 1, 1998--March 31, 1998 consisted of three tasks: (1) Acquire necessary data and develop base map of study area; (2) Process data for analysis; and (3) Initiate structural study. The first task and second tasks were completed during this reporting period. The third task was initiated and work continues.
The goal of the work this quarter has been to partition and high-grade the Greater Green River basin for exploration efforts in the Upper Cretaceous tight gas play and to initiate resource assessment of the basin. The work plan for the quarter of July 1-September 30, 1998 comprised three tasks: (1) Refining the exploration process for deep, naturally fractured gas reservoirs; (2) Partitioning of the basin based on structure and areas of overpressure; (3) Examination of the Kinney and Canyon Creek fields with respect to the Cretaceous tight gas play and initiation of the resource assessment of the Vermilion sub-basin partition (which contains these two fields); and (4) Initiation analysis of the Deep Green River Partition with respect to the Stratos well and assessment of the resource in the partition.
The Mississippi Office of Geology has conducted field trials using the surface exploration techniques of geomicrobial, radiometrics, and free soil gas. The objective of these trials is to determine if Mississippi oil and gas fields have surface hydrocarbon expression resulting from vertical microseepage migration. Six fields have been surveyed ranging in depth from 3,330 ft to 18,500 ft. The fields differ in trapping styles and hydrocarbon type. The results so far indicate that these fields do have a surface expression and that geomicrobial analysis as well as radiometrics and free soil gas can detect hydrocarbon microseepage from pressurized reservoirs. All three exploration techniques located the reservoirs independent of depth, hydrocarbon type, or trapping style.
Analytical and numerical methods have been used in this investigation to model the behavior of geothermal systems under exploitation. The work is divided into three parts: (1) development of a numerical code, (2) theoretical studies of geothermal systems, and (3) field applications. A new single-phase three-dimensional simulator, capable of solving heat and mass flow problems in a saturated, heterogeneous porous or fractured medium has been developed. The simulator uses the integrated finite difference method for formulating the governing equations and an efficient sparse solver for the solution of the linearized equations. In the theoretical studies, various reservoir engineering problems have been examined. These include (a) well-test analysis, (b) exploitation strategies, (c) injection into fractured rocks, and (d) fault-charged geothermal reservoirs.
Geothermal budget actual amounts are shown for FY 1989 -1992, broken down by about 15 categories. Here, the main Program categories are: Exploration Technology, Drilling Technology, Reservoir Technology, Conversion Technology (power plants and materials), Industry-Coupled Drilling, Drilling Applications, Reservoir Engineering Applications, Direct Heat, Geopressured Wells Operation, and Hot Dry Rock Research. Here the title--Industry-Coupled Drilling--covered case studies of the Coso, CA, and Dixie Valley, NV, fields, and the Long Valley Exploratory Well (which had started as a magma energy exploration project, but reported here as a hydrothermal prospect evaluation well). (DJE 2005)
New technologies are needed to reduce the current high rate of well abandonment. Improved sweep efficiency, reservoir conformance, and permeability modification can have a significant impact on oil recovery processes. Microorganisms can be used to selectively plug high-permeability zones to improve sweep efficiency and impart conformance control. Studies of a promising microbial system for polymer production were conducted to evaluate reservoir conditions in which this system would be effective. Factors which can affect microbial growth and polymer production include salinity, pH, temperature, divalent ions, presence of residual oil, and rock matrix. Flask tests and coreflooding experiments were conducted to optimize and evaluate the effectiveness of this system. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) was used to visualize microbial polymer production in porous media. Changes in fluid distribution within the pore system of the core were ...
This paper discusses a database of information collected and organized during the past eight years from 2,000 producing oil wells in the United States, all of which have been treated with special applications techniques developed to improve the effectiveness of MEOR technology. The database, believed to be the first of its kind, has been generated for the purpose of statistically evaluating the effectiveness and economics of the MEOR process in a wide variety of oil reservoir environments, and is a tool that can be used to improve the predictability of treatment response. The information in the database has also been evaluated to determine which, if any, reservoir characteristics are dominant factors in determining the applicability of MEOR.
We provide a detailed overview of an ongoing, multinational test program that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolized materials plus volatilized fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high energy density device, HEDD. The program participants in the U.S. plus Germany, France, and the U.K., part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks, WGSTSC have strongly supported and coordinated this research program. Sandia National Laboratories, SNL, has the lead role for conducting this research program; test program support is provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. WGSTSC partners need this research to better understand potential radiological impacts from sabotage of nuclear material shipments and ...
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a multiprogram, multipurpose laboratory that conducts research in the physical, chemical, and life sciences; in fusion, fission, and fossil energy; and in energy conservation and other energy-related technologies. This review outlines some current endeavors of the lab. A state of the laboratory presentation is given by director, Alvin Trivelpiece. Research of single crystals for welding is described. The Science Alliance, a partnership between ORNL and the University of Tennessee, is chronicled. And several incites into distinguished personnel at the laboratory are given. (GHH)
To encourage the application of robotics technology for routine radiobench applications, a laboratory dedicated to the research and development of contained robotic systems is being constructed. The facility will have several robots located in laminar flow hoods, and the hoods are being designed to allow the possibility for multiple robots to work together. This paper presents both the design features of the hoods and the general layout of the laboratory, and also discusses an application of a robotic system for the routine nuclear counting of gamma tube samples. The gamma tube system is presently operating in one of the routine analysis laboratories. 5 figs.
In order to understand not only the mechanisms of earthquakes, but also the origin of diverse behavior of faults and plate boundaries, one must integrate (1) field studies on faults to understand deep intrafault processes, (2) laboratory work to reproduce those processes and determine mechanical and transport properties of fault zones, (3) theoretical and numerical studies analyzing fault motion, including earthquake generation processes, based on the constitutive properties determined by laboratory studies, and (4) seismological and geodetic studies revealing dynamic fault motion during earthquakes and diverse aseismic fault behavior. Ideally, such integrated studies should be carried out for a selected fault that produced an earthquake with good seismic/geodetic records so the prediction from (1) to (3) can be fully tested with (4), rather than selecting favorite data in the literature. Present session is organized to promote such integrated ...
We study a kinetic model for a system of two species of particles interacting via a repulsive long range potential and with a reservoir at fixed temperature. The interaction between the particles is modeled by a Vlasov term and the thermal bath by a Fokker-Planck term. We show that in the diffusive and sharp interface limit the motion of the interfaces at low temperature is described by a Stefan problem or a Mullins-Sekerka motion, depending on the time scale.
This paper examines why ship shaped floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) systems have been selected for the first two developments on Foinaven and Schiehallion fields in West of Shetland operated by BP Exploration. An overview of the concepts considered for the deepwater harsh environment is made against the business objectives and reservoir conditions which are the primary drivers behind development concept selection. Discussion of technical issues for a range of concepts are held on schedule, construction, installation, safety, flexibility to production throughput, capital and operating costs.
In 1996, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Washington completed the fourth year of a multi-year study to estimate survival of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) passing through dams and reservoirs on the Snake River. Actively migrating smolts were collected near the head of Lower Granite Reservoir and at Lower Granite Dam, tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and released to continue their downstream migration. Individual smolts were subsequently detected at PIT-tag detection facilities at Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, McNary, John Day and Bonneville Dams. Survival estimates were calculated using the Single-Release (SR) and Paired-Release (PR) Models. Timing of releases of tagged hatchery steelhead (O. mykiss) from the head of Lower Granite Reservoir and yearling chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) from Lower Granite Dam in 1996 spanned the major portion of their ...
An atlas series about the offshore northern Gulf of Mexico will group gas and oil reservoirs into subregional plays and will display reservoir data on a computerized geographical information system. The atlas series will provide critically compiled reservoir engineering data to help the private sector explore and develop hydrocarbons and to help the public sector analyze the hydrocarbon endowment in this basin. In this report, we cover aspects of the play-analysis procedure and provide specific examples of lower Miocene plays from the upper Texas coast and Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Play analysis emphasizes using broad classes of structural style, depositional style and environments, and defining attributes to group reservoirs into plays. To date, we have identified 4 Oligocene and 25 Miocene plays in Texas State offshore waters and 115 plays in the Federal OCS. Texas State offshore plays ...
This document is the combined Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study Report for the Lower Watts Bar Reservoir (LWBR) Operable Unit (OU). The LWBR is located in Roane, Rhea, and Meigs counties, Tennessee, and consists of Watts Bar Reservoir downstream of the Clinch River. This area has received hazardous substances released over a period of 50 years from the U.S. Department of Energy`s Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), a National Priority List site established under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). As required by this law, the ORR and all off-site areas that have received containments, including LWBR, must be investigated to determine the risk to human health and the environment resulting from these releases, the need for any remedial action to reduce these risks, and the remedial actions that are most feasible for implementation in this OU. Contaminants from the ORR are primarily transported ...
Previous models and evaluation techniques based on the Monte Carlo simulation for the reliability assessment of mixed hydrothermal generation systems are extended. Models for reservoirs on multiple rivers and pumped storage plants are developed. Operating and water management policies are extended to include the relative economical effects of operating alternative sources of generation. These effects and the benefits are described and discussed using an extended IEEE reliability test system. (Author).
This report summarizes preliminary 2-D reactive-transport simulations on the injection, storage and transport of supercritical CO{sub 2} in dolostone formations in the Ordos Basin in China. The purpose of the simulations was to evaluate the role that basin heterogeneity, permeability, CO{sub 2} flux, and geochemical reactions between the carbonate geology and the CO{sub 2} equilibrated brines have on the evolution of porosity and permeability in the storage reservoir. The 2-D simulation of CO{sub 2} injection at 10{sup 3} ton/year corresponds to CO{sub 2} injection at a rate of 3 x 10{sup 5} ton/year in a 3-D, low permeable rock. An average permeability of 10 md was used in the simulation and reflects the upper range of permeability reported for the Ordos Basin Majiagou Group. Transport and distribution of CO{sub 2} between in the gas, aqueous, and solid phases were followed during a 10-year injection phase and a 10-year post injection phase. Our results show that ...
In the aim to fight against tubes corrosion of geothermal wells which exploit the aquifer of Dogger reservoir in the Parisian basin, injection of corrosion inhibitors in the geothermal fluid has been generalized since 1989 by using an additive injection tube in the bottom of the well, allowing the protection of the two wells from the geothermal doublet. 3 annexes. 46 refs. 13 tabs. 9 figs.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Results of seismic surveys are presented.
The 66 fields discovered since the 1960s in the northern West Siberian basin contain at least 22 trillion m/sup 3/ (777 tcf) of proved gas, almost one-third of the world's reserves. Half of these fields are giants (> 85 billion m/sup 3/ or 3000 bcf of reserves). These include the largest and second-largest gas fields in the world-Urengoy (8.099 trillion m/sup 3/ or 286 tcf of gas) and Yamburg (4.81 trillion m/sup 3/ or 170 tcf of gas)-as well as most of the other ten largest gas fields in the world. The West Siberian basin occupies a 3.4-million km/sup 2/ (1.31-million mi/sup 2/) arctic lowland immediately east of the Ural Mountains, extending north under the Kara Sea. It is a composite basin, with Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin fill on top of a Paleozoic basin that overlies a crystalline Archean-Proterozoic framework. The productive zones in the northern basin are principally in the Neocomian section (at an average depth of 2800m or 9200 ft) and the Cenomanian section (at an ...
Electro Energy, Inc. conducted a research project to develop an energy efficient and environmentally friendly bipolar Ni-MH battery for distributed energy storage applications. Rechargeable batteries with long life and low cost potentially play a significant role by reducing electricity cost and pollution. A rechargeable battery functions as a reservoir for storage for electrical energy, carries energy for portable applications, or can provide peaking energy when a demand for electrical power exceeds primary generating capabilities.
To determine if white-tailed deer may serve as a reservoir host for Borrelia lonestari, we used a nested PCR for the Borrelia flagellin gene to evaluate blood samples...Full Text Available
Biological marker maturity parameters were used to estimate the minimum HC generation temperatures of crude oils from Eastern Hungary. More than 50 oils and oil shows were analysed. Molecular- and homologous-ratios of biological marker compounds (triterpanes, steranes, mono- and triaromatic steroid hydrocarbons) were used as maturation parameters. The oils have at least five maturity stages, i.e. they have been generated under different thermal conditions. The highest reservoir temperature in each group was chosen as the best estimate of the groups' temperature just below the generation temperature, i.e. reservoirs of the group might be expected to be at shallower depths (lower temperatures) than those of the generation zone due to vertical migration into pools. For each maturation level, a threshold temperature range for genesis was inferred from reservoir temperatures; they are from 130-135{sup o}C for the least ...
This paper presents a numerical study on the formation history of coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir in the southeast edge of Ordos Basin, China. The coal seams studied belong to the Late Palaeozoic coal-bearing series. These coal seams have a burial history and experienced the process of subsidence, rapid subsidence alternated with uplift and then uplift, sequentially, and underwent the geothermal actions at normal, extremely high, and then normal temperatures, respectively. Coal organic matter of the coal seams matured in the Triassic Period and in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Period. The results from numerical simulation reveal that CBM reservoir evolution history can be classified into five stages, namely primary, initial, stagnant, active and dissipative stages. In the first (primary) stage, coal rank was very low and there was little methane generated and stored in the coal seams. In the second (initial) stage, the coal was ...
The objective of this project is to increase oil recovery from fractured reservoirs through improved fundamental understanding of the process of spontaneous imbibition by which oil is displaced from the rock matrix into the fractures. Spontaneous imbibition is fundamentally dependent on the reservoir surface free energy but this has never been investigated for rocks. In this project, the surface free energy of rocks will be determined by using liquids that can be solidified within the rock pore space at selected saturations. Thin sections of the rock then provide a two-dimensional view of the rock minerals and the occupant phases. Saturations and oil/rock, water/rock, and oil/water surface areas will be determined by advanced petrographic analysis and the surface free energy which drives spontaneous imbibition will be determined as a function of increase in wetting phase saturation. The inherent loss in surface free energy resulting from ...
Reserve appreciation, also called reserve growth, is the increase in the estimated ultimate recovery (the sum of year end reserves and cumulative production) from fields subsequent to discovery from extensions, infield drilling, improved recovery of in-place resources, new pools, and intrapool completions. In recent years, reserve appreciation has become a major component of total U.S. annual natural gas reserve additions. Over the past 15 years, reserve appreciation has accounted for more than 80 percent of all annual natural gas reserve additions in the U.S. lower 48 states (Figure 1). The rise of natural gas reserve appreciation basically came with the judgment that reservoirs were much more geologically complex than generally thought, and they hold substantial quantities of natural gas in conventionally movable states that are not recovered by typical well spacing and vertical completion practices. Considerable evidence indicates that many ...
Venomous mammals are rare, and their venoms have not been characterized. We have purified and characterized the blarina toxin (BLTX), a lethal mammalian venom with a tissue kallikrein-like activity...Full Text Available
This handbook provides guidance in the application of quality assurance to measurement activities. It is intended to help those persons making measurements in applying quality assurance to their work activities by showing how laboratory practices and quality assurance requirements are integrated to provide control within those activities. The use of the guidance found in this handbook should help provide consistency in the interpretation of quality assurance requirements across all types of measurement laboratories. This handbook also can assist quality assurance personnel in understanding the relationships between laboratory practices and quality assurance requirements. The handbook is composed of three chapters and several appendices. Basic guidance is provided by the three chapters. In Chapter 1, the role of quality assurance in obtaining quality data and the importance of such data are discussed. Chapter 2 presents the ...
The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program FY 1996 report is compiled from annual reports submitted by principal investigators following the close of the fiscal year. This report describes the projects supported and summarizes their accomplishments. It constitutes a part of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program planning and documentation process that includes an annual planning cycle, projection selection, implementation, and review. The Berkeley Lab LDRD program is a critical tool for directing the Laboratory`s forefront scientific research capabilities toward vital, excellent, and emerging scientific challenges. The program provides the resources for Berkeley Lab scientists to make rapid and significant contributions to critical national science and technology problems. The LDRD program also ...
During cleanup of contaminated sites, Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) frequently encounters soils with low-level radioactive contamination. The contamination is not uniformly distributed, but occurs within areas of clean soil. Because it is difficult to characterize heterogeneously contaminated soils in detail and to excavate such soils precisely using heavy equipment, it is common for large quantities of uncontaminated soil to be removed during excavation of contaminated sites. This practice results in the commingling and disposal of clean and contaminated material as low-level waste (LLW), or possibly low-level mixed waste (LLMW). Until recently, volume reduction of radioactively contaminated soil depended on manual screening and analysis of samples, which is a costly and impractical approach and does not uphold As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principles. To reduce the amount of LLW and LLMW generated during the ...
To ensure safe and reliable power production nuclear power plants must be operated at high level. Non destructive in-service inspections are inseparable part of the effort. Non destructive in-service inspections are essential on the ground of degradation mechanisms existence in nuclear power components. Degradation processes are constituent of operation of each industrial installation including nuclear power plants. Mission of non-destructive testing is degradation detection, closer characterization of its parameters (dimensions) and to supply as much information as possible to nuclear power plant operator. Eddy current testing method can be assigned to surface - volumetric methods. Method enables inspection of electrically conductive materials. It is particularly suitable for inspection of non-ferromagnetic materials like austenitic stainless steel and brass. The method is used for detection of stress corrosion cracking, pitting corrosion or surface corrosion. The ...
Author.Field, laboratory and market studies are a must for proper evaluation of natural resources for the mineral industry of lebanon. Sites selectively convenient to the existing major Lebanese ceramics industry centered in the Beqa'a region, were investigated as to their geology, geography and economic character. The raw materials are shales, mud stones, siltstones and other argillaceous rocks of Jurassic to Cretaceous age coming from selective sites in south and central Lebanon. The finished products include wall, floor, roofing tiles, pipes, sanitary ware, pottery and brick specimens. Differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, firing and physico-chemical tests and analyses characterized the raw materials into two major groups: the suitable are siliceous argillaceous rocks and unsuitable calcareous argillaceous rocks. The suitable group is divided into two varieties. The first is dominantly a disordered Kaolinite with low ...
For the construction of underground facilities comprising access tunnels, connecting tunnels, main tunnels and disposal tunnels, a large number of tunnels will be excavated in deep rock formations. These excavations will extend hundreds kilometers in total length. Therefore, special attention must be paid, to transporting large volume of debris, ventilation, emergency escape routes in case of accident, and other factors. In addition, special attention must also paid to potential accidents which might in underground excavations, including unstable facing phenomena (such as collapse and swelling of facing at weak layer sections), spring water flow resulting collapse of rock, gas eruption, and rock burst. While considering these factors to be emphasized during the construction of geological disposal facilities, the investigation reviewed the existing working methods on individual construction technologies of access tunnels, main tunnels, connecting tunnels, disposal tunnels, and disposal ...
For the construction of underground facilities comprising access tunnels, connecting tunnels, main tunnels and disposal tunnels, a large number of tunnels will be excavated in deep rock formations. These excavations will extend hundreds kilometers in total length. Therefore, special attention must be paid, to transporting large volume of debris, ventilation, emergency escape routes in case of accident, and other factors. In addition, special attention must also paid to potential accidents which might in underground excavations, including unstable facing phenomena (such as collapse and swelling of facing at weak layer sections), spring water flow resulting collapse of rock, gas eruption, and rock burst. While considering these factors to be emphasized during the construction of geological disposal facilities, the investigation reviewed the existing working methods on individual construction technologies of access tunnels, main tunnels, connecting tunnels, disposal tunnels, and disposal ...
When liquids are confined in nano-scopic dimensions, their properties differ from the corresponding bulk liquid, due to their reduced dimensionality and surface effects. Phase transition temperatures and pressures are often shifted from the bulk values and new phases can appear due to the strong interactions of the molecules with the confining walls. We have studied the structural and dynamical properties of aromatic liquids such as benzene, toluene, and ortho-terphenyl confined in nano-porous materials, MCM-41 and SBA-15, synthesized and characterized in our laboratory. A non-trivial dependence of the glass transition temperature, T{sub g}, on the pore size and surface treatment of nano-porous materials is confirmed and interpreted as resulting from a competition between the fluid-wall and fluid-fluid intermolecular interactions. An increase of T{sub g} is observed for small pore sizes and attractive surface while T{sub g} decreases for non ...
The oxide colloidal route, developed in the laboratory for mono-metallic catalysts, consists in preparing a metallic oxide hydro-sol which leads to the supported catalyst after deposition onto a support and an activation stage. In this work, this method has been adapted to the preparation of alumina supported bimetallic Pd-Sn catalysts to determine its interest for the control of the properties of the bimetallic phase (size, composition and structure). In the preliminary study concerning tin oxide sols, SnO{sub 2} (size=2,3 nm) and Sn{sub 6}O{sub 4}(OH){sub 4} (size = 25 nm) nano-particles were synthesized by neutralization respectively for tin(IV) and tin(H). The control through the pH of the aggregation of the PdO and SnO{sub 2} particles revealed that increasing oxide solubility promotes integral re-dispersion of the oxide particles. To synthesize oxide bimetallic sols, three strategies were defined. Copolymerization (formation of a mixed oxide nano-sol by cross ...
Consolidation of spent fuel is under active consideration as the US Department of Energy plans to dispose of spent fuel. During consolidation, the fuel pins are removed from an intact fuel assembly and repackaged into a more compact configuration. After repackaging, approximately 30 kg of residual spent fuel assembly hardware per assembly remains that is also radioactive and requires disposal. Understanding the nature of this secondary waste stream is critical to designing a system that will properly handle, package, store, and dispose of the waste. This report presents a methodology for estimating the radionuclide inventory in irradiated spent fuel hardware. Ratios are developed that allow the use of ORIGEN2 computer code calculations to be applied to regions that are outside the fueled region. The ratios are based on the analysis of samples of irradiated hardware from spent fuel assemblies. The results of this research are presented in three volumes. In Volume 1, the development of ...
Improvements in electric submersible pumping systems have resulted in a demonstrated downhole running life of one year for low horsepower units operating in 180 C brine. The implementation of a prototype pressurized lubrication system to prevent brine intrusion and loss of lubricating oil from the motor and protector sections has been successfully tested. Second generation pressurized lubrication systems have been designed and fabricated and will be utilized in downhole production pumping tests during FY84. Pumping system lifetime is currently limited by available power cable designs that are degraded by high-temperature brine. A prototype metal-sheathed power cable has been designed and fabricated and is currently undergoing destructive and nondestructive laboratory testing. This cable design has the potential for eliminating brine intrusion into the power delivery system through the use of a hermatically sealed cable from the surface to the downhole motor. The ...
The US DOE manages the safe storage of approximately 650,000 tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride remaining from the Cold War. This slightly radioactive, but chemically active, material is contained in more than 46,000 steel storage cylinders that are located at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Portsmouth, Ohio. Some of the cylinders are more than 40 years old, and approximately 17,500 are considered problem cylinders because their physical integrity is questionable. These cylinders require an annual visual inspection. The remainder of the 46,000-plus cylinders must be visually inspected every four years. Currently, the cylinder inspection program is extremely labor intensive. Because these inspections are accomplished visually, they may not be effective in the early detection of leaking cylinders. The inspection program requires approximately 12--14 full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees. At the cost of approximately $125K per FTE, this translates to $1,500K per annum just ...
Numerous laboratory investigations have shown that sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/) induces bronchoconstriction and respiratory symptoms in exercising asthmatics. These effects appear to depend on dose rate (the product of exposure concentration and ventilation rate), and may occur at dose rates attainable during outdoor exercise in SO/sub 2/-polluted communities. Effects are rapid in onset, requiring no more than 5 min of exercise during exposure. Thus they may be induced by transient elevations of SO/sub 2/ levels, which may occur near large pollution sources even when longer-term average concentrations meet existing air quality standards. Even very mild asthmatics typically are far more sensitive to SO/sub 2/ than healthy volunteers. The authors discuss an investigation designed to expand and improve the dose-response information on SO/sub 2/. In comparison to earlier work it employed a larger, clinically more diverse population of volunteer subjects. Comparatively ...
The operation of nuclear processing facilities and defense-related nuclear activities has resulted in contamination of near-surface and deep-subsurface sediments with both radionuclides and metals. The presence of mixed inorganic contaminants may result in undetectable microbial populations or microbial populations that are different from those present in uncontaminated sediments. To determine the impact of mixed radionuclide and metal contaminants on sediment microbial communities, we sampled a processing pond that was used from 1948 to 1975 for the disposal of radioactive and metal-contaminated wastewaters from laboratories and nuclear fuel fabrication facilities on the Hanford Site in Washington State. Because the Hanford Site is located in a semiarid environment with average rainfall of 159 mm/year, the pond dried and a settling basin remained after wastewater input into the pond ceased in 1975. This processing pond basin offered a unique opportunity to obtain ...
Lubricating Oil Analysis (LOA) has become an important part of a comprehensive Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program. However, knowing the condition of the lubricant alone does not provide a complete description of equipment reliability. Condition monitoring for equipment can be accomplished through Wear Particle Analysis (WPA). This usually involves separating suspended materials and wear products from the lubricant by magnetic (ferrographic) means. This paper will present a simple, low-cost, alternate method of particle acquisition called Filter Patch Extraction (FPE). This method removes solids, regardless of their composition, from the lubricant by vacuum filtration and deposits them onto a filter for microscopic examination similar to that of analytical ferrography. A large filter pore size retains suspended materials and permits rapid filtration of large volumes of lubricant thereby increasing the accuracy of the wear and cleanliness profile that can be established for a ...
A technique has been developed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory to sum high resolution gamma-ray pulse spectra from systems with multiple Ge detectors. Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company operates a multi-detector spectrometer configuration at the Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant facility which is used to characterize the radio nuclide contents in waste drums destined for shipment to Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. This summing technique was developed to increase the sensitivity of the system, reduce the count times required to properly quantify the radionuclides and provide a more consistent methodology for combining data collected from multiple detectors. In spectrometer systems with multiple detectors looking at non homogenous waste forms it is often difficult to combine individual spectrum analysis results from each detector to obtain a meaningful result for the total waste container. This is particularly true when the ...
A new generation of transmit-receive single-pass probes, denoted as C6 or X probe, was field tested during the Gentilly II, 2000 steam generator tube inspection. This probe has a performance equivalent to rotating probes and can be used for tubesheet and full-length inspection at an inspection speed equivalent to that of bobbin probes. Existing C3 transmit-receive probes have been demonstrated to be effective in detecting circumferential cracks. The C5 probe can detect both circumferential and axial cracks and volumetric defects but cannot discriminate between them. The C6 probe expands on the capabilities of both probes in a single probe head. It can simultaneously detect and discriminate between circumferential and axial cracks to satisfy different plugging criteria. It has excellent coverage, good defect detectability, and improved sizing and characterization. Probe data is displayed in C-scan format so that the amount of data to be analyzed is similar to ...
Due to a leakage from a 12-inch pressurized diesel steel pipe four years ago, an area of approximately 30,000 square meters was contaminated. A pilot study applying the technology of in-situ enhanced bioremediation was conducted. In the study, a field test kit and on-site monitoring equipment were applied for site characterization and treatment verification. Physically, the enhanced bioremediation study consisted of an air extraction and air supply system, and a nutrition supply network. Certain consistent sampling methodology was employed. Progress was verified by daily monitoring and monthly verification. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capabilities of indigenous microorganisms to biodegrade the petroleum hydrocarbons with provision of oxygen and nutrients. Nine extraction wells and eight air sparging wells were installed. The air sparging wells injected the air into geoformation and the extraction wells provided the underground air circulation. ...
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is a 400-MW(t) sodium-cooled fast reactor operating at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory in Richland, Washington, to conduct fuels and materials testing in support of the US liquid-metal fast breeder reactor program. Startup and initial power testing included a comprehensive series of nuclear and nonnuclear tests to verify the thermal and neutronic characteristics of the plant and to demonstrate its inherent safety features. Extensive reactor core characterization measurements were completed to provide the neutron and gamma spectra, fission rates, and other physics data needed to design and evaluate tests irradiated in the FFTF. A specially designed series of natural-circulation tests was performed to demonstrate the inherent safety features of the plant. Early in 1982 the FFTF began its first 100-d irradiation cycle. Since that time the plant has operated beyond expectations; it achieved a cycle ...
The pathway to hydrogen generation entirely from renewable energy and material sources probably goes by a transitional period with the utilization of hybrid fossil/renewable integrated systems. Solar steam reforming of methane is set in this context, specifically suited for a country like Italy whose actual energy policy is mainly based on the imported NG, but also characterized by convenient solar radiation levels in the Southern Regions. A new solar SMR process is being developed by ENEA, using molten nitrates as solar heat carriers and storage medium at about 550 C. The potential of this process have been proved theoretically by process simulation studies. Engineering and experimental activities aimed to the development of a prototype apparatus are now in progress in ENEA's laboratories. It is remarkable that the developed technology (MS powered SMR) can find interesting impact in the in industrial chemistry wherever it is ...
A vendor glass formulation study was carried out at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), supporting the Phase I and Phase II melter vendor testing activities for Westinghouse Hanford Company. This study is built upon the LLW glass optimization effort that will be described in a separate report. For Phase I vendor melter testing, six glass formulations were developed at PNL and additional were developed by Phase I vendors. All the doses were characterized in terms of viscosity and chemical durability by the 7-day Product Consistency Test. Twelve Phase II glass formulations (see Tables 3.5 and 3.6) were developed to accommodate 2.5 wt% P{sub 2}O{sub 5} and 1.0 wt% S0{sub 3} without significant processing problems. These levels of P{sub 2}O{sub 5} and SO{sub 3} are expected to be the highest possible concentrations from Hanford Site LLW streams at 25 wt% waste loading in glass. The Phase H compositions formulated were 6 to 23 times more durable ...
In FY-2000, Engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory faced significant pressures to meet critical project milestones, and immediate demands to facilitate the reassignment of employees as the National Ignition Facility (the 600-TW laser facility being designed and built at Livermore, and one of the largest R&D construction projects in the world) was in the process of re-baselining its plan while executing full-speed its technology development efforts. This drive for change occurred as an unprecedented level of management and program changes were occurring within LLNL. I am pleased to report that we met many key milestones and achieved numerous technological breakthroughs. This report summarizes our efforts to perform feasibility and reduce-to-practice studies, demonstrations, and/or techniques--as structured through our technology centers. Whether using computational engineering to predict how giant structures like suspension bridges will ...
This report is the 1992 annual progress report for the Energy Conversion and Storage Program, a part of the Energy and Environment Division of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Work described falls into three broad areas: electrochemistry; chemical applications; and materials applications. The Energy Conversion and Storage Program applies principles of chemistry and materials science to solve problems in several areas: (1) production of new synthetic fuels, (2) development of high-performance rechargeable batteries and fuel cells, (3) development of advanced thermochemical processes for energy conversion, (4) characterization of complex chemical processes and chemical species, and (5) study and application of novel materials for energy conversion and transmission. Projects focus on transport-process principles, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, separation processes, organic and physical chemistry, novel materials, and advanced methods of ...
Abstract in english Type II reaction in leprosy, or erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), is often characterized by severe clinical symptoms together with nerve function impairment leading to permanent disabilities. Thalidomide has been shown to be a highly effective drug for the treatment of ENL. It is, however, contraindicated for women of childbearing age due to its teratogenicity. On the other hand, pentoxifylline, used to treat hypercoagulable states, is not teratogenic and, like thalidomide (more) , can inhibit the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-a and other cytokines. In the present randomized double-blind clinical study we compared the effectiveness of orally administered pentoxifylline vs thalidomide in treating type II reaction in 44 patients. Daily doses of 300 mg thalidomide or 1.2 g pentoxifylline were administered for 30 days to multibacillary leprosy patients undergoing type II reaction. Randomly chosen patients were included in the study before, ...
The Lake Superior region (Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Minnesota) contains 41 Precambrian crystalline rock complexes comprising 64 individual but related rock bodies with known surface exposures. Each complex has a map area greater than 78 km/sup 2/. About 54% of the rock complexes have areas of up to 500 km/sup 2/, 15% fall between 500 km/sup 2/ and 1000 km/sup 2/, 19% lie between 1000 km/sup 2/ and 2500 km/sup 2/, and 12% are over 2500 km/sup 2/. Crystalline rocks of the region vary widely in composition, but they are predominantly granitic. Repeated thermo-tectonic events have produced early Archean gneisses, migmatites, and amphibolites with highly tectonized fabrics that impart a heterogeneous and anisotropic character to the rocks. Late Archean rocks are usually but not invariably gneissose and migmatitic. Proterozoic rocks of the region include synorogenic (foliated) granitic rocks, anorogenic (non-foliated) granites, and the layered ...
Aluminum, due to its low density and low cost, is a key material for future lightweight applications. However, like other structural materials, aluminum is subject to various forms of corrosion damage that annually costs the United States approximately 5% of its GNP [1]. The main goal is to investigate the effects of various solution anions on aluminum surfaces, and specifically probe pit initiation and inhibition. Using surface analysis techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, results have been correlated with those obtained from electrochemical methods and a radiolabeling technique developed in the Wieckowski laboratory. Analysis of data has indicated that important variables include type of anion, solution pH, and applied electrode potential. While aggressive anions such as chloride are usually studied to elucidate corrosion processes to work ultimately toward inhibition, its corrosive ...
The dominant fracture parameters used in fracture mechanics analyses of pipelines are related to the asymptotic crack-tip stress and strain fields at the crack tip. This paper reviewed new developments in constraint-sensitive fracture mechanics for the assessment of pipeline girth weld integrity. Constraint theories and experimental studies were evaluated. Constraint models included brittle fracture models and ductile fracture models. Constraint models for brittle fracture are based on weakest link statistics and Weibull distribution. Specifically designed experimental tests are often necessary to derive the damage parameters of ductile fracture models. Experimental test data must then be calibrated with finite element analyses (FEA) to ensure that the correct damage parameters are chosen. The effects of specimen geometry and loading condition are characterized by the T stress, while Q stress is the hydrostatic stress defined by the difference between stress ...
A one-year study was conducted to determine the impacts of acid min drainage (AMD) on the Black Creek watershed in Wise County, Virginia. Water quality, metal content of sediment and water column, soil pH, macroinvertebrate assemblages, habitat assessment and toxicity testing were used to assess the impact in the watershed. A total of 22 sites in the creek and surrounding watershed were actively monitored. This included six primary sources of AMD. Conductivity measurements > 1,000 microhmos/cm were found at eight sites and pH was consistently below 6.0 at seven. Of six metals analyzed, magnesium was highest in the water column, ranging from 16.5 mg/L to 130 mg/L. Aluminum and iron were both elevated in the sediment with iron concentrations as high as 176,000 mg/kg. An increase in sediment metal concentrations was noted when progressing downstream in the creek. Of nine high wall and spoils areas sampled, soil pH was acidic in eight sites, ranging from 5.5 to 3.1. Macroinvertebrate ...
Evidence for the presence of undecaprenol in the unsaponifiable lipid of Lactobacillus plantarum (N.C.I.B. 6376) is presented. Characterization of the compound was based mainly on...Full Text Available
Robert A. Martock. Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio. Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a. Novel Indium Mercapto Derivative. [Clln(SCH. 2 ...
Recent molecular characterizations of Cryptosporidium parasites make it possible to differentiate the human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium parasites from those that do...Full Text Available
This paper describes attempts to isolate and characterize glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding molecules on the surface of lymphocytes and lymphoma cell lines and relate their expression to splenic and lymph...Full Text Available
BackgroundA mycovirus previously identified in brown discolored fruiting bodies of the cultivated mushroom Flammulina velutipes was characterized. We tentatively...Full Text Available
The OSHA's chemical occupational exposure standard for laboratories is an outgrowth of the previously issued Hazard Communication Standard. The standard relieves laboratories from complying with general industry standards but does not require compliance with specific guidelines. The heart of the standard is the creation of a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) in every laboratory. The CHP addresses major issues such as safety equipment and procedures, work practices and training, the designation of a chemical hygiene officer, and the provision of medical consultation and examination for affected employees. This new standard, in effect as of 31 January, 1991, presents yet another regulatory challenge to laboratory managers but also will ensure a safer work environment for laboratory workers.
Major advances in 'Energy and Materials Cycles' have been achieved in the removal of heavy metals from the solid residues of municipal waste incineration. It has been conclusively shown that the oxidation/reduction conditions established during the thermal treatment of filter ash have a decisive influence on the evaporation of groups of heavy metals. With respect to biomass gasification, studies have been carried out with respect to the best way of extracting pure hydrogen from the low calorific value gas that is typically obtained from a biomass gasifier. The overarching goal of the laboratory 'High Temperature Solar Technology' is the use of solar energy for the production of solar fuels, or for the reduction of CO{sub 2} emissions in large scale industrial processes that are conventionally carried out with the use of fossil fuels. In a short-term project targeted at the solar production of lime, highly encouraging results (98% ...
Surge capacity is the ability to rapidly mobilize to meet an increased demand. While large amounts of federal funding have been allocated to public health laboratories, little federal funding has been...Full Text Available
A description of the FEL experiment underway at the 10 kA, 5 MeV Experimental Test Accelerator (ETA) is described. The facility has been designed to investigate the high-gain operation of an FEL.
A retrospective study of the relationship of season to the absorption of radiolead in laboratory rats was performed using data representing 305 animals from 36 experiments over 6 calendar years. Male...Full Text Available
...broad range of experience in designing and building research and development laboratories for products such as vaccines, blood and sera, biological products, medical devices, solid dosage forms , highly potent products and cytotoxic material. We also have experience in a range of modular laboratories for TSE research, ...
The CWDD injector has been shipped to Argonne National Laboratory, installed, and recommissioned. Commissioning progress, operational status, and future plans are reported. Operational experience at ANL is compared with that obtained at Culham.
Plasmid transfer between strains of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis was studied under a range of environmentally relevant laboratory conditions in vitro,...Full Text Available
The Subseabed Disposal Program has recently completed a 30-day, 0.286-scale laboratory simulation of an In Situ Heat Transfer Experiment (ISHTE), scheduled for eventual deployment in the deep ocean 600 nautical miles north of Hawaii. 10 figures.
The Subseabed Disposal Program has recently completed a 30-day, 0.286-scale laboratory simulation of an In Situ Heat Transfer Experiment (ISHTE), scheduled for eventual deployment in the deep ocean 600 nautical miles north of Hawaii. 10 figures.
Laboratory studies were performed to support field-testing of base injection into the F-Area Seepage Basins groundwater. The general purpose of these experiments is to provide information to guide the test of base injection and to identify potential adverse effects.
1. Interactions of pyrazole and ethanol were studied in three laboratory test procedures. They included sleeping time in mice, rotor rod balance in rats and lever pressing behaviour of rats. 2....Full Text Available
NIST logo NIST Time NIST Home About NIST Contact Us A-Z Site Index Search Information Technology Laboratory About ITL What ITL does Organization ITL Functional Statement Standards...
This volume described in detail the Department's research and technology development activities and their funding at the Department's laboratories. It includes 166 Mission Activity Profiles, organized by major mission area, with each representing a discrete budget function called a Budget and Reporting (B ampersand R) Code. The activities profiled here encompass the total research and technology development funding of the laboratories from the Department. Each profile includes a description of the activity and shows how the funding for that activity is distributed among the DOE laboratories as well as universities and industry. The profiles also indicate the principal laboratories for each activity, as well as which other laboratories are involved. The information in this volume is at the core of the Strategic Laboratory Mission Plan. It enables a reader to ...
This article describes a new set of revised standards for the medical laboratory, which have been produced by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd (CPA). The original standards have been in use...Full Text Available
In a combined clinical, radiological, and laboratory study of 77 patients throughout the leprosy spectrum, 10 patients had an enthesitis which has not been described previously as far as is known and...Full Text Available
BackgroundKinematic and kinetic measurements used in laboratory settings can quantify upper extremity movement impairment following stroke, but their relationship...Full Text Available
This Maintenance Improvement Plan has been developed for maintenance functions associated with the 222-S Laboratory. This plan is developed from the guidelines presented by Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4B, Maintenance Management Program (DOE 1994), Chapter 11. The objective of this plan is to provide information for establishing and identifying WMH conformance programs and policies applicable to implementation of DOE Order 4330.4B guidelines. In addition, this maintenance plan identifies the actions necessary to develop a cost effective and efficient maintenance program at 222-S Laboratory. Maintenance activities are mainly going to be performed by existing maintenance organizations within Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford (WMH). Most maintenance performed at 222-S Laboratory is performed by the 222-S Laboratory maintenance organization. This 222-S Laboratory ...
A laboratory stream consisting of two stream sections interrupted by two pools was filled with a mixture of tap water and organically enriched water from rivers nearby. Bottom sediment material, Potamogeton pectinatus, macro-invertebrate organisms, as well as the mosquito fish, Aplocheilichthys johnstonii were collected from rivers around Johannesburg and introduced into the laboratory stream. After initial acclimatization, the distribution of the isotope "3"2P through this laboratory stream was followed. Absorption of this isotope by benthic algae, Potamogeton pectinatus, several macro-invertebrate organisms as well as Aplocheilichthys johnstonii was recorded.
... negative diplooocci, to determine the type of pneumococi, to study staphylococa proteas, ehigla, sallmnefla, pasteurella, brucela, linters, leptosp ,s ...
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. California Institute of Technology. Pasadena, California. Energy and Water Conservation. Steve Rigdon. Facilities Energy Manager ...
Information is presented concerning reactor research activities; isotope geology; NERC radiocarbon laboratory; teaching activities; and reactor operation.
Fiber optic metrology developed at the CEA LIST laboratories involves fiber Bragg grating sensors, distributed Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry and optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry. Recent activities in optical fiber sensing are reviewed from laboratory experiments to field trials.
This statement summarizes Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory`s committment to making important scientific, technological, and business contributions to global sustainability. The quest has many aspects, some socio-political or economic and some technological, and some in which the soft and hard sciences become indistinguishable, as in visionary national strategies, like Holland`s, and futuristic regional and city development plans, like those of Kagoshima and Chattanooga.
A diverse set of digital image-processing applications exists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. While many of these include some sort of image analysis or restoration, virtually all of them require image-enhancement procedures. In this paper we describe the principal image-processing facility at the Laboratory, followed by a discussion of several of the major image-processing application areas.
This is a progress report from the Health and Safety Research Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Information is presented in the following sections: Assessment Technology, Biological and Radiation Physics, Chemical Physics, Biomedical and Environmental Information Analysis, Risk Analysis, Center for Risk Management, Associate Laboratories for Excellence in Radiation Technology (ALERT), and Contributions to National and Lead Laboratory Programs and Assignments--Environmental Restoration.
Water-resources data for the 1993 water year for Texas are presented in four volumes, and consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and canals; and stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality of ground-water wells. Volume 3 contains records for water discharge at 134 gaging stations; stage only at 1 gaging stations; stage and contents at 13 lakes and reservoirs; water quality at 81 gaging stations; and data for 30 partial-record and 4 flood-hydrograph partial-record stations. Also included are lists of discontinued surface-water discharge or stage-only stations and discontinued surface-water-quality stations; crest-stage and flood-hydrograph partial-record stations, reconnaissance partial-record stations, and low-flow partial-record stations.
The microbial transport simulator (MTS) is a three-dimensional, three-phase, multiple-component numerical model that permits the study of the transport of microorganisms and nutrients in porous media. Microbial parameters incorporated into MTS include: Microbial growth and decay, microbial deposition, chemotaxis, diffusion, convective dispersion, tumbling, and nutrient consumption. Governing equations for microbial and nutrient transport are coupled with continuity and flow equations under conditions appropriate for a black oil reservoir. The model`s mathematical formulations and preparation procedures of data files for conducting simulations using MTS are described. A general background of microbial transport simulation is given in Section I and the governing equations, mechanisms, and numerical solutions of MTS are given in Section II. Explanations for preparing an input data file with reservoir and microbial transport data are described in ...
The 3-D model program was developed to apply a mise-a-la-masse method to linear current sources with optional shapes. Mise-a-la-masse method is a bipolar mapping survey method using current sources installed in wells, and recently has been widely used for direct exploration of geothermal reservoirs. This method is also used for monitoring underground fluid as electrode arrangement of fluid flow tomography for surveying underground fluid (geothermal fluid, underground water, petroleum). In the geothermal reservoir exploration, the casing pipes of wells are used as linear current sources, and measured data are processed as those based on vertical current source. In the largely inclined well, the inclination of current sources should be considered. The 3-D modeling program was developed by difference calculus using the theoretical potential equation and apparent resistivity based on linear current sources with optional 3-D shapes. The numerical ...
The results of the liquid CO/sub 2/ injection pilots in the Granny's Creek field permit the following findings and conclusions: The pilots demonstrated that CO/sub 2/ can be used for tertiary recovery, and it will displace oil and form a high oil-cut bank in a watered-out reservoir. Oil production response in every case was almost immediate; and after CO/sub 2/ injection was stopped and water injection was started, the oil production declined rapidly over a period of 2-3 months to very low rates. Confinement of CO/sub 2/ to the pilot area was the principal problem. CO/sub 2/ spread rapidly to virtually all of the southern part of the reservoir of about 350 acres. Except for weather, there were practically no operational problems. Corrosion from the CO/sub 2/ was not observed. Pilot results did not demonstrate economic feasibility. The ratio of CO/sub 2/ to additional oil of 19,357 cu ft (14.696 psia and 60/sup 0/ F.) indicated the ...
Water quality of the Citarum River and the Jatiluhur Reservoir in Indonesia was evaluated using C-14 radioisotope. A close relationship between the abiotic (physical and chemical) and the biotic (algal growth potential, primary productivity, chlorophylla and diversity index of planktonic and benthic macroinvertebrate) parameters was obtained. Algal growth potential to abiotic parameters relationship has the highest correlation coefficient and can be used as a pollution indicator. The other biotic parameters do not show clear relationship with the abiotic parameters. The Citarum water quality is the lowest in those locations which receive human and industrial waste from Bandung and its environment. This water cannot be used for drinking purposes and fishery. The water quality in other locations of the river, however, meets the criteria for agriculture. Agricultural waste does not show any drastic effect on the water quality profile due to non-polluted ...
The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) has historically released radionuclide chemicals of potential concern into the surrounding environment. The off-site environment was evaluated for Pu"2"3"9"/"2"4"0 and Am"2"4"1 occurrence. An evaluation of exposure and effects to the aquatic ecology within off-site areas including: Standley Lake, Great Western Reservoir, Mower Reservoir and portions of Big Dry Creek, Walnut Creek, and Woman Creek was performed for the completion of an Ecological Risk Assessment. Collocated sampling activities were performed for surface water, sediment, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Results of the analytical data were used to assess ongoing exposure and effects. Data collected to determine effects (chemical content of fish tissue, diversity and density of macroinvertebrate populations) provided some of the necessary information needed to evaluate risk. However, due to conditions of interfering stressor ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Cores from five Red River wells in the Bowman-Harding study area have been examined and described in detail; contracts have been awarded for a 3-D survey in Bowman Co., ND and a 2D, multi-component survey in Richland Co.; extended-time pressure buildup data have been analyzed from two wells which are candidates for jetting-lance completion workovers; a 20-day injectivity test has been completed in the Red River (upper member); a jetting-lance completion program has commenced with one job completed and three more scheduled during April; and reservoir data from three key Red River fields in the Bowman-Harding study area has ...
Due to severe drought conditions in Pakistan over the past several years, most of the areas are facing extinction of its potable water reserves and inadequate replenishment of groundwater aquifers. Due to over exploitation, the groundwater flow dynamics is changing and water quality is degrading due to induced infiltration from polluted surface sources. Isotope hydrology is relatively a new discipline having great potential for studying various water-related problems. RIAD, PINSTECH has established analytical facilities for commonly used environmental isotopes and applied to investigate various hydrological problems. This paper briefly describes practical examples on recharge mechanism and dating of groundwater in Lahore and Ziarat areas using isotopes like deuterium (/sup 2/H), Oxygen-18 (/sup 18/O), Tritium (/sup 3/H) and CFCs in water. In Lahore, the areas having different contribution of the river Ravi in groundwater recharge have been marked and on the basis of tritium values, ...
The results of an extensive, detailed geologic and geophysical evaluation of the offshore South Florida basin show this area to have considerable hydrocarbon exploration potential. Geophysical mapping on six key horizons identified numerous structural closures at Dollar Bay through Bone Island mapping levels. Geologic evaluation indicated at least four viable potential reservoir horizons, including the Sunniland formation - the main producing unit onshore in what is called the Sunniland trend. Mature, organic rich carbonate source rocks are found in several stratigraphic intervals throughout the basin, and extensively developed seals consisting of micritic limestones and anhydrites are also common in the stratigraphic section. All the critical factors for hydrocarbon accumulation - source, reservoir, trap, and seal - appear to be present in the offshore Pulley ridge area of the South Florida basin. Using high-resolution seismic data, additional ...
Recent organic geochemical studies differ radically in their interpretation of the origin of the Gulf coast oils. However all studies since (and including) Thompson, et al. 1989, emphasize the considerable geographic variation in genetic oil types and are in generalized agreement as to the genetic oil types present and their spatial and stratigraphic relationships. In particular it is accepted that the Gulf rim (both north and south) is encircled by a ring of Mesozoic carbonate-sourced oils and that there is also at least one major deep water trend of carbonate-sourced oils in the northern Gulf. It is also generally agreed that many of the Gulf rim oils are of Oxfordian-Kimmeridgian age, though some, like the Sunniland oils of Florida, are of lower Cretaceous origin. Major disagreement still occurs over the sources of the Louisiana offshore oils and onshore Wilcox reservoired oils. One {open_quotes}school of thought{close_quotes} assigns all these oils to Mesozoic ...
The governing equations for heat and mass transfer were derived for hydraulically fractured geothermal reservoirs. When converted to nondimensional form it was shown that the equations can be considerably simplified. The resulting equations can be strongly influenced by the effects of buoyancy; the magnitude of the effect is measured by the ratio of the Grashof and Reynolds numbers, and the ratio of the actual permeability of the fracture and the square of the fracture gap width. Significant quantities of energy can be extracted from hydraulic fractures--even without thermal stress fracturing. The amount is limited by the size of the fracture and the low thermal conductivity of rock. The viscous pressure drop in open fractures is insignificant, and depending upon losses in piping and surface equipment, the entire system could be ''self-pumped'' due to buoyancy. Thermal contraction of the rock tends to increase the fracture gap ...
Phillips Petroleum Company recently completed a microbial selective plugging (MSP) pilot at the North Burbank Unit (NBU), Shidler, Oklahoma. Nutrients were selected for the pilot that could stimulate indigenous microflora in the reservoir brine to grow and produce exopolymer. It was found that soluble corn starch polymers (e.g., maltodextrins) stimulated the indigenous bacteria to produce exopolymer, whereas simple sugars (e.g., glucose and sucrose), as well as complex media (e.g., molasses and Nutrient Broth), did not. Injection of maltodextrin into rock cores in the presence of indigenous NBU bacteria resulted in stable permeability reductions (> 90%) across the entire length, while injection of glucose resulted only in face plugging. In addition, it was found that organic phosphate esters (OPE) served as a preferable source of phosphorus for the indigenous bacteria, since orthophosphates and condensed phosphates precipitated in NBU brine at ...
The concept of relative permeability is the key concept in extending Darcy's law for single phase flow through porous media to the two-phase flow regime. Relative permeability functions are needed for simulation studies of two-phase geothermal reservoirs. These are poorly known inspite of considerable theoretical and experimental investigations during the last decade. Since no conclusive results exist, many investigators use ad hoc parametrization, or adopt results obtined from flow of oil and gas (Corey, 1954). It has been shown by Reda and Eaton (1980) that this can lead to serious deficiencies. Sensitivity of the relative permeability curves for prediction of mass flow rate and flowing enthalpy into geothermal wells has been studied by many investigators (e.g. Eaton and Reda (1980), Bodvarsson et al (1980), Sun and Ershagi (1979) etc.). It can be concluded from these studies that the beehavior of a two-phase steam/water reservoir ...
Pumped storage plants (PSP) enable the storage of energy with rated capacities of order of GW at a single site. Reservoirs allow charging and discharging times of at least hours, sometimes days or even up to several weeks. Short ramp-up times permit the participation in the secondary reserve market as a standing reserve. For bulk energy storage, PSP reach the lowest, specific costs. In the EU27 countries, Norway and Switzerland, a total of 44 GW of pumped storage capacity is installed. The utilisation of PSP strongly correlates with the amount of conventional generation capacity, rather than with topographical options. (orig.)
This report illustrates how, thanks to the development of a new algorithm for the probabilistic evaluation in a given period (e.g. one week) of the operating costs and risk indices (reliability) of a generation system with energy-constrained units, it has been possible to significantly improve the WAT program, used for many years by ENEL for generation expansion planning studies. In particular, it describes how the annual simulation of the system operation is accomplished, so as to calculate the mean expected values of the yearly operating costs (fuel) and the risk indices, at the same time optimizing the use of hydro resources and pumped-storage plants. (author).
A fast production scheduling algorithm suitable for generation expansion studies is described in this paper. It can handle several independent rivers, thermal plants, pumped storage plants, import, export, and internal non-firm markets. Inflows and load are deterministic and a one-reservoir limit is imposed on each river. The scheduling problem is formulated as a generalized network problem which is efficiently solved by an adaption of the simplex method. The algorithm is part of a program developed by Hydro-Quebec to conduct preliminary evaluations of alternative expansion plans. The program and the scheduling algorithm are presented.
A fast production scheduling algorithm suitable for generation expansion studies is described in this paper. It can handle several independent rivers, thermal plants, pumped storage plants, import, export, and internal non-firm markets. Inflows and load are deterministic and a one-reservoir limit is imposed on each river. The scheduling problem is formulated as a generalized network problem which is efficiently solved by an adaption of the simplex method. The algorithm is part of a program developed by Hydro-Quebec to conduct preliminary evaluations of alternative expansion plans. The program and the scheduling algorithm are presented.