Subsurface barrier design alternatives for confinement and controlled advection flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, S.J.; Stewart, W.E.; Alexander, R.G.; Cantrell, K.J.; McLaughlin, T.J.

1994-02-01

Various technologies and designs are being considered to serve as subsurface barriers to confine or control contaminant migration from underground waste storage or disposal structures containing radioactive and hazardous wastes. Alternatives including direct-coupled flood and controlled advection designs are described as preconceptual examples. Prototype geotechnical equipment for testing and demonstration of these alternative designs tested at the Hanford Geotechnical Development and Test Facility and the Hanford Small-Tube Lysimeter Facility include mobile high-pressure injectors and pumps, mobile transport and pumping units, vibratory and impact pile drivers, and mobile batching systems. Preliminary laboratory testing of barrier materials and additive sequestering agents have been completed and are described

Functions and requirements for subsurface barriers used in support of single-shell tank waste retrieval

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowe, S.S.

1993-01-01

The mission of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Program is to store, treat, and immobilize highly radioactive Hanford waste in an environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective manner. The scope of the TWRS Program includes project and program activities for receiving, storing, maintaining, treating, and disposing onsite, or packaging for offsite disposal, all Hanford tank waste. Hanford tank waste includes the contents of 149 single-shell tanks (SSTs) and 28 double-shell tanks (DSTs), plus any new waste added to these facilities, and all encapsulated cesium and strontium stored onsite and returned from offsite users. A key element of the TWRS Program is retrieval of the waste in the SSTs. The waste stored in these underground tanks must be removed in order to minimize environmental, safety, and health risks associated with continuing waste storage. Subsurface barriers are being considered as a means to mitigate the effects of tank leaks including those occurring during SST waste retrieval. The functions to be performed by subsurface barriers based on their role in retrieving waste from the SSTs are described, and the requirements which constrain their application are identified. These functions and requirements together define the functional baseline for subsurface barriers

Summary report on close-coupled subsurface barrier technology: Initial field trials to full-scale demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiser, J.H.

1997-09-01

The primary objective of this project was to develop and demonstrate the installation and measure the performance of a close-coupled barrier for the containment of subsurface waste or contaminant migration. A close-coupled barrier is produced by first installing a conventional, low-cost, cement-grout containment barrier followed by a thin lining of a polymer grout. The resultant barrier is a cement-polymer composite that has economic benefits derived from the cement and performance benefits from the durable and resistant polymer layer. The technology has matured from a regulatory investigation of the issues concerning the use of polymers to laboratory compatibility and performance measurements of various polymer systems to a pilot-scale, single column injection at Sandia to full-scale demonstration. The feasibility of the close-coupled barrier concept was proven in a full-scale cold demonstration at Hanford, Washington and then moved to the final stage with a full-scale demonstration at an actual remediation site at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). At the Hanford demonstration the composite barrier was emplaced around and beneath a 20,000 liter tank. The secondary cement layer was constructed using conventional jet grouting techniques. Drilling was completed at a 45 degree angle to the ground, forming a cone-shaped barrier. The primary barrier was placed by panel jet-grouting with a dual-wall drill stem using a two part polymer grout. The polymer chosen was a high molecular weight acrylic. At the BNL demonstration a V-trough barrier was installed using a conventional cement grout for the secondary layer and an acrylic-gel polymer for the primary layer. Construction techniques were identical to the Hanford installation. This report summarizes the technology development from pilot- to full-scale demonstrations and presents some of the performance and quality achievements attained

A simulation study of moisture movement in proposed barriers for the subsurface disposal area, INEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnuson, S.O.

1993-09-01

This document presents a simulation study that was conducted to investigate moisture movement within two engineered barriers, which are proposed for use in eventual closure of the Subsurface Disposal Area. The results of the study are intended to guide the design and implementation of field test plots that will be constructed to test the barrier designs. Discussed are the sensitivity of barrier performance to changes in the conceptual model, which was used to simulate the barriers, and to changes in hydrologic parameters, which were used to describe the materials composing the barriers. In addition, estimates are presented concerning the time required for the moisture profile within the barriers to come into equilibrium with the meteorological conditions at the surface. In addition, the performance of the barriers under conditions of supplemental precipitation and ponding is presented

Subsurface barrier feasibility evaluation: External review meeting report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindberg, S.L.; Rouse, J.K.

1994-12-01

The Westinghouse Hanford Company -- Tank Waste Remediation System Division (TWRS) Program is evaluating subsurface barrier technologies for potential use in supporting remediation of the Hanford Tank Farms for the US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL). An External Review Team (ERT) was assembled to perform an independent technical review of the work performed to-date supporting the evaluation process. A set of draft documents was forwarded to the ERT for their review, and a meeting was held August 10 through 12, 1994, to facilitate comments and resolutions. This document summarizes the meeting, the comments provided by the ERT, and the ongoing work to resolve the comments and support a pending decision by The US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office; the Washington State Department of Ecology; and the US Environmental Protection Agency

Reactive Membrane Barriers for Containment of Subsurface Contamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

William A. Arnold; Edward L. Cussler

2007-02-26

The overall goal of this project was to develop reactive membrane barriers--a new and flexible technique to contain and stabilize subsurface contaminants. Polymer membranes will leak once a contaminant is able to diffuse through the membrane. By incorporating a reactive material in the polymer, however, the contaminant is degraded or immobilized within the membrane. These processes increase the time for contaminants to breakthrough the barrier (i.e. the lag time) and can dramatically extend barrier lifetimes. In this work, reactive barrier membranes containing zero-valent iron (Fe{sup 0}) or crystalline silicotitanate (CST) were developed to prevent the migration of chlorinated solvents and cesium-137, respectively. These studies were complemented by the development of models quantifying the leakage/kill time of reactive membranes and describing the behavior of products produced via the reactions within the membranes. First, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes containing Fe{sup 0} and CST were prepared and tested. Although PVA is not useful in practical applications, it allows experiments to be performed rapidly and the results to be compared to theory. For copper ions (Cu{sup 2+}) and carbon tetrachloride, the barrier was effective, increasing the time to breakthrough over 300 times. Even better performance was expected, and the percentage of the iron used in the reaction with the contaminants was determined. For cesium, the CST laden membranes increased lag times more than 30 times, and performed better than theoretical predictions. A modified theory was developed for ion exchangers in reactive membranes to explain this result. With the PVA membranes, the effect of a groundwater matrix on barrier performance was tested. Using Hanford groundwater, the performance of Fe{sup 0} barriers decreased compared to solutions containing a pH buffer and high levels of chloride (both of which promote iron reactivity). For the CST bearing membrane, performance improved by a

Reactive Membrane Barriers for Containment of Subsurface Contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

William A. Arnold; Edward L. Cussler

2007-01-01

The overall goal of this project was to develop reactive membrane barriers--a new and flexible technique to contain and stabilize subsurface contaminants. Polymer membranes will leak once a contaminant is able to diffuse through the membrane. By incorporating a reactive material in the polymer, however, the contaminant is degraded or immobilized within the membrane. These processes increase the time for contaminants to breakthrough the barrier (i.e. the lag time) and can dramatically extend barrier lifetimes. In this work, reactive barrier membranes containing zero-valent iron (Fe 0 ) or crystalline silicotitanate (CST) were developed to prevent the migration of chlorinated solvents and cesium-137, respectively. These studies were complemented by the development of models quantifying the leakage/kill time of reactive membranes and describing the behavior of products produced via the reactions within the membranes. First, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes containing Fe 0 and CST were prepared and tested. Although PVA is not useful in practical applications, it allows experiments to be performed rapidly and the results to be compared to theory. For copper ions (Cu 2+ ) and carbon tetrachloride, the barrier was effective, increasing the time to breakthrough over 300 times. Even better performance was expected, and the percentage of the iron used in the reaction with the contaminants was determined. For cesium, the CST laden membranes increased lag times more than 30 times, and performed better than theoretical predictions. A modified theory was developed for ion exchangers in reactive membranes to explain this result. With the PVA membranes, the effect of a groundwater matrix on barrier performance was tested. Using Hanford groundwater, the performance of Fe 0 barriers decreased compared to solutions containing a pH buffer and high levels of chloride (both of which promote iron reactivity). For the CST bearing membrane, performance improved by a factor of three when

Micro Mechanics and Microstructures of Major Subsurface Hydraulic Barriers: Shale Caprock vs Wellbore Cement

Science.gov (United States)

Radonjic, M.; Du, H.

2015-12-01

Shale caprocks and wellbore cements are two of the most common subsurface impermeable barriers in the oil and gas industry. More than 60% of effective seals for geologic hydrocarbon bearing formations as natural hydraulic barriers constitute of shale rocks. Wellbore cements provide zonal isolation as an engineered hydraulic barrier to ensure controlled fluid flow from the reservoir to the production facilities. Shale caprocks were deposited and formed by squeezing excess formation water and mineralogical transformations at different temperatures and pressures. In a similar process, wellbore cements are subjected to compression during expandable tubular operations, which lead to a rapid pore water propagation and secondary mineral precipitation within the cement. The focus of this research was to investigate the effect of wellbore cement compression on its microstructure and mechanical properties, as well as a preliminary comparison of shale caprocks and hydrated cement. The purpose of comparative evaluation of engineered vs natural hydraulic barrier materials is to further improve wellbore cement durability when in contact with geofluids. The micro-indentation was utilized to evaluate the change in cement mechanical properties caused by compression. Indentation experiments showed an overall increase in hardness and Young's modulus of compressed cement. Furthermore, SEM imaging and Electron Probe Microanalysis showed mineralogical alterations and decrease in porosity. These can be correlated with the cement rehydration caused by microstructure changes as a result of compression. The mechanical properties were also quantitatively compared to shale caprock samples in order to investigate the similarities of hydraulic barrier features that could help to improve the subsurface application of cement in zonal isolation. The comparison results showed that the poro-mechanical characteristics of wellbore cement appear to be improved when inherent pore sizes are shifted to

The in-situ vitrification of subsurface containment barriers: An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, M.; Stottlemyre, J.A.

1990-11-01

In situ vitrification (ISV) is an environmental engineering process in which soil or soil/waste mixtures are melted through the direct application of electrical current and subsequently cooled to a glassy solid. The technology was developed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in the 1980s and has been tested on transuranic, mixed-hazardous, and PCB/organic waste similar to that found at US Department of Energy (DOE) and other facilities nationwide. PNL is conducting a wide range of field tests, expanding the scientific basis of ISV, and assessing its extension into new applications. One such project is ISV--Selective Barriers, an investigation into the construction and performance of ISV--generated, vertical and/or horizontal subsurface barriers to ground-water flow and biogenic intrusion. In some situations, it may be impractical or unnecessary to either excavate or vitrify an entire waste site. Vitrified barriers could minimize the diffusive or fluid transport of hazardous components with either a ground-water diversion wall or an in situ, ''box-like'' structure. During the first year of this project, engineering-scale tests are being conducted between graphite electrodes within a 1.8-m-diameter, 2.4-m-high test cell. Several methods are being tested, including passive metal electrodes, electrode feeding systems, fluxed soil, and fluxed boreholes. In addition, basic data have been collected on the thermal and material properties of ISV melt and solidified glass. 7 refs., 6 figs

Laboratory evaluation of performance and durability of polymer grouts for subsurface hydraulic/diffusion barriers. Informal report, October 1993--May 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiser, J.H.; Milian, L.W.

1994-05-01

Contaminated soils, buried waste and leaking underground storage tanks pose a threat to the environment through contaminant transport. One of the options for control of contaminant migration from buried waste sites is the construction of a subsurface barrier. Subsurface barriers increase the performance of waste disposal sites by providing a low permeability layer that can reduce percolation water migration into the waste site, minimize surface transport of contaminants, and reduce migration of volatile species. Also, a barrier can be constructed to envelop the site or plume completely, there by containing the contaminants and the potential leakage. Portland cement grout curtains have been used for barriers around waste sites. However, large castings of hydraulic cements result invariably in cracking due to shrinkage, thermal stresses induced by the hydration reactions, and wet-dry cycling prevalent at and sites. Therefore, improved, low permeability, high integrity materials are under investigation by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Development, Integrated Demonstrations and Programs. The binders chosen for characterization include: an acrylic, a vinylester styrene, bitumen, a polyester styrene, furfuryl alcohol, and sulfur polymer cement. These materials cover broad ranges of chemical and physical durability, performance, viscosity, and cost. This report details the results of laboratory formulation, testing, and characterization of several innovative polymer grouts. An appendix containing a database of the barrier materials is at the end of this report

Homogeneous Reactor Experiment (HRE) Pond cryogenic barrier technology demonstration: Pre-barrier subsurface hydrology and contaminant transport investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moline, G.R.

1998-03-01

The Homogeneous Reactor Experiment (HRE) Pond is the site of a former impoundment for radioactive wastes that has since been drained, filled with soil, and covered with an asphalt cap. The site is bordered to the east and south by a tributary that empties into Melton Branch Creek and that contains significant concentrations of radioactive contaminants, primarily 90 Sr. Because of the proximity of the tributary to the HRE disposal site and the probable flow of groundwater from the site to the tributary, it is hypothesized that the HRE Pond is a source of contamination to he creek. As a means for temporary containment of contaminants within the impoundment, a cryogenic barrier technology demonstration was initiated in FY96 with a background hydrologic investigation that continued through FY97. Cryogenic equipment installation was completed in FY97, and freezing was initiated in September of 1997. This report documents the results of a hydrologic and geologic investigation of the HRE Pond/cryogenic barrier site. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the hydrologic conditions within and around the impoundment in order to meet the following objectives: (1) to provide a pre-barrier subsurface hydrologic baseline for post-barrier performance assessment; (2) to confirm that the impoundment is hydraulically connected to the surrounding sediments; and (3) to determine the likely contaminant exit pathways from the impoundment. The methods of investigation included water level and temperature monitoring in a network of wells and standpipes in and surrounding the impoundment, a helium tracer test conducted under ambient flow conditions, and geologic logging during the drilling of boreholes for installation of cryogenic probes and temperature monitoring wells

Double barrier system for an in situ conversion process

Science.gov (United States)

McKinzie, Billy John [Houston, TX; Vinegar, Harold J [Bellaire, TX; Cowan, Kenneth Michael [Sugar land, TX; Deeg, Wolfgang Friedrich Johann [Houston, TX; Wong, Sau-Wai [Rijswijk, NL

2009-05-05

A barrier system for a subsurface treatment area is described. The barrier system includes a first barrier formed around at least a portion of the subsurface treatment area. The first barrier is configured to inhibit fluid from exiting or entering the subsurface treatment area. A second barrier is formed around at least a portion of the first barrier. A separation space exists between the first barrier and the second barrier.

Subsurface injection of dissolved ferric chloride to form a chemical barrier: Laboratory investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, S.J.; Spangler, R.R.; Morris, S.A.

1996-01-01

A chemical barrier is a permeable zone of reactive materials emplaced in the subsurface to remove ground-water contaminants while allowing clean ground water to pass through. Because dissolved ferric chloride hydrolyzes to amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide when it contacts calcite (CaCO 3 ), it may be viable to emplace a zone of amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide (an absorbent for U, Mo, and other inorganic contaminants) into calcite-bearing geologic units by injecting ferric chloride through wells. For a chemical barrier to be successful, it must remain permeable and must be immobile. This investigation monitored chemical compositions, hydraulic conductivity, and iron mobility in laboratory columns and in a two-dimensional tank to determine the viability of injecting ferric chloride to form an amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide chemical barrier. The authors introduced a ferric chloride solution (1,345 mg/1[0.024 m] Fe) to calcite-bearing alluvial gravel to form a chemical barrier of amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide, followed by solutions contaminated with U and Mo. The simulated chemical barriers decreased U and Mo concentrations to less than 0.05 mg/l (2.1 x 10 -7 m) and 0.01 (1.0 x 10 -7 m), respectively; however, the breakthrough front is spread out with concentrations increasing to more than regulatory guideline values sooner than predicted. The hydraulic conductivity of calcite-bearing alluvial gravel decreased substantially during ferric chloride introduction because of the formation of carbon dioxide but increased to within factors of 1 to 5 of the original value as synthetic ground water flowed through the system. Amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide that formed in these experiments remained immobile at flow rates exceeding those typical of ground water. These laboratory results, in conjunction with site-specific characterization data, can be used to design chemical barriers emplaced by injection of ferric chloride

Groundwater Salinity Simulation of a Subsurface Reservoir in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, H. T.

2015-12-01

The subsurface reservoir is located in Chi-Ken Basin, Pescadores (a group islands located at western part of Taiwan). There is no river in these remote islands and thus the freshwater supply is relied on the subsurface reservoir. The basin area of the subsurface reservoir is 2.14 km2 , discharge of groundwater is 1.27×106m3 , annual planning water supplies is 7.9×105m3 , which include for domestic agricultural usage. The annual average temperature is 23.3oC, average moisture is 80~85%, annual average rainfall is 913 mm, but ET rate is 1975mm. As there is no single river in the basin; the major recharge of groundwater is by infiltration. Chi-Ken reservoir is the first subsurface reservoir in Taiwan. Originally, the water quality of the reservoir is good. The reservoir has had the salinity problem since 1991 and it became more and more serious from 1992 until 1994. Possible reason of the salinity problem was the shortage of rainfall or the leakage of the subsurface barrier which caused the seawater intrusion. The present study aimed to determine the leakage position of subsurface barrier that caused the salinity problem. In order to perform the simulation for different possible leakage position of the subsurface reservoir, a Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) is used to define soils layer data, hydro-geological parameters, initial conditions, boundary conditions and the generation of three dimension meshes. A three dimension FEMWATER(Yeh , 1996) numerical model was adopted to find the possible leakage position of the subsurface barrier and location of seawater intrusion by comparing the simulation of different possible leakage with the observations. 1.By assuming the leakage position in the bottom of barrier, the simulated numerical result matched the observation better than the other assumed leakage positions. It showed that the most possible leakage position was at the bottom of the barrier. 2.The research applied three dimension FEMWATER and GMS as an interface

The perceived barriers and facilitators in completing a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolette Comley-White

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Participating in postgraduate study is daunting and as yet there is a dearth of literature on what students’ experiences are when obtaining their Master’s degree in Physiotherapy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the perceived barriers and facilitators in completing a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy. Method: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 physiotherapists who had completed a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy from a university in South Africa, representative of coursework and dissertation Master’s degrees, completed within the stipulated time period as well as taking longer to complete the degree. The topics covered a range of speciality areas. The interviews were transcribed, sent for member checking and analysed thematically. Results: Within 10 interviews data saturation was reached. Two themes were identified: research environment and support, both of which were seen as either a facilitator or a barrier, depending on the participant. The theme of research environment was divided into categories of workplace and data collection. The second theme, support, was also seen as either a barrier or a facilitator. This theme encapsulated the categories of supervisor support, workplace support and a personal support network. Conclusion: The research environment and support are two major factors that can influence the experience of obtaining a master’s degree in physiotherapy, both positively and negatively. Clinical implications: With increasing numbers of physiotherapists obtaining postgraduate degrees, universities need to facilitate the process of obtaining the degree, which will ensure more physiotherapists with postgraduate degrees, thereby strengthening the profession.

Subsurface Facility System Description Document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eric Loros

2001-01-01

The Subsurface Facility System encompasses the location, arrangement, size, and spacing of the underground openings. This subsurface system includes accesses, alcoves, and drifts. This system provides access to the underground, provides for the emplacement of waste packages, provides openings to allow safe and secure work conditions, and interfaces with the natural barrier. This system includes what is now the Exploratory Studies Facility. The Subsurface Facility System physical location and general arrangement help support the long-term waste isolation objectives of the repository. The Subsurface Facility System locates the repository openings away from main traces of major faults, away from exposure to erosion, above the probable maximum flood elevation, and above the water table. The general arrangement, size, and spacing of the emplacement drifts support disposal of the entire inventory of waste packages based on the emplacement strategy. The Subsurface Facility System provides access ramps to safely facilitate development and emplacement operations. The Subsurface Facility System supports the development and emplacement operations by providing subsurface space for such systems as ventilation, utilities, safety, monitoring, and transportation

Technical considerations for the implementation of subsurface microbial barriers for restoration of groundwater at UMTRA sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tucker, M.D.

1996-01-01

The Uranium Mill Tailings Remediation Action (UMTRA) Program is responsible for the assessment and remedial action at the 24 former uranium mill tailings sites located in the United States. The surface remediation phase, which has primarily focused on containment and stabilization of the abandoned uranium mill tailings piles, is nearing completion. Attention has now turned to the groundwater restoration phase. One alternative under consideration for groundwater restoration at UMTRA sites is the use of in-situ permeable reactive subsurface barriers. In this type of a system, contaminated groundwater will be allowed to flow naturally through a barrier filled with material which will remove hazardous constituents from the water by physical, chemical or microbial processes while allowing passage of the pore water. The subject of this report is a reactive barrier which would remove uranium and other contaminants of concern from groundwater by microbial action (i.e., a microbial barrier). The purpose of this report is to assess the current state of this technology and to determine issues that must be addressed in order to use this technology at UMTRA sites. The report focuses on six contaminants of concern at UMTRA sites including uranium, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium and chromium. In the first section of this report, the fundamental chemical and biological processes that must occur in a microbial barrier to control the migration of contaminants are described. The second section contains a literature review of research which has been conducted on the use of microorganisms to immobilize heavy metals. The third section addresses areas which need further development before a microbial barrier can be implemented at an UMTRA site.

Technical considerations for the implementation of subsurface microbial barriers for restoration of groundwater at UMTRA sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tucker, M.D.

1996-01-01

The Uranium Mill Tailings Remediation Action (UMTRA) Program is responsible for the assessment and remedial action at the 24 former uranium mill tailings sites located in the United States. The surface remediation phase, which has primarily focused on containment and stabilization of the abandoned uranium mill tailings piles, is nearing completion. Attention has now turned to the groundwater restoration phase. One alternative under consideration for groundwater restoration at UMTRA sites is the use of in-situ permeable reactive subsurface barriers. In this type of a system, contaminated groundwater will be allowed to flow naturally through a barrier filled with material which will remove hazardous constituents from the water by physical, chemical or microbial processes while allowing passage of the pore water. The subject of this report is a reactive barrier which would remove uranium and other contaminants of concern from groundwater by microbial action (i.e., a microbial barrier). The purpose of this report is to assess the current state of this technology and to determine issues that must be addressed in order to use this technology at UMTRA sites. The report focuses on six contaminants of concern at UMTRA sites including uranium, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium and chromium. In the first section of this report, the fundamental chemical and biological processes that must occur in a microbial barrier to control the migration of contaminants are described. The second section contains a literature review of research which has been conducted on the use of microorganisms to immobilize heavy metals. The third section addresses areas which need further development before a microbial barrier can be implemented at an UMTRA site

Frozen soil barrier technology. Innovative technology summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-04-01

The technology of using refrigeration to freeze soils has been employed in large-scale engineering projects for a number of years. This technology bonds soils to give load-bearing strength during construction; to seal tunnels, mine shafts, and other subsurface structures against flooding from groundwater; and to stabilize soils during excavation. Examples of modern applications include several large subway, highway, and water supply tunnels. Ground freezing to form subsurface frozen soil barriers is an innovative technology designed to contain hazardous and radioactive contaminants in soils and groundwater. Frozen soil barriers that provide complete containment (open-quotes Vclose quotesconfiguration) are formed by drilling and installing refrigerant piping (on 8-ft centers) horizontally at approximately 45 degrees angles for sides and vertically for ends and then recirculating an environmentally safe refrigerant solution through the piping to freeze the soil porewater. Freeze plants are used to keep the containment structure at subfreezing temperatures. A full-scale containment structure was demonstrated from May 12 to October 10, 1994, at a nonhazardous site on SEG property on Gallaher Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Site Recommendation Subsurface Layout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

C.L. Linden

2000-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to develop a Subsurface Facility layout that is capable of accommodating the statutory capacity of 70,000 metric tons of uranium (MTU), as well as an option to expand the inventory capacity, if authorized, to 97,000 MTU. The layout configuration also requires a degree of flexibility to accommodate potential changes in site conditions or program requirements. The objective of this analysis is to provide a conceptual design of the Subsurface Facility sufficient to support the development of the Subsurface Facility System Description Document (CRWMS M andO 2000e) and the ''Emplacement Drift System Description Document'' (CRWMS M andO 2000i). As well, this analysis provides input to the Site Recommendation Consideration Report. The scope of this analysis includes: (1) Evaluation of the existing facilities and their integration into the Subsurface Facility design. (2) Identification and incorporation of factors influencing Subsurface Facility design, such as geological constraints, thermal loading, constructibility, subsurface ventilation, drainage control, radiological considerations, and the Test and Evaluation Facilities. (3) Development of a layout showing an available area in the primary area sufficient to support both the waste inventories and individual layouts showing the emplacement area required for 70,000 MTU and, if authorized, 97,000 MTU

Field study plan for alternate barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, H.D.; Gee, G.W.; Relyea, J.F.

1989-05-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is providing technical assistance in selecting, designing, evaluating, and demonstrating protective barriers. As part of this technical assistance effort, asphalt, clay, and chemical grout will be evaluated for use as alternate barriers. The purpose of the subsurface layer is to reduce the likelihood that extreme events (i.e., 100-year maximum storms, etc.) will cause significant drainage through the barrier. The tests on alternate barriers will include laboratory and field analysis of the subsurface layer performance. This field test plan outlines the activities required to test and design subsurface moisture barriers. The test plan covers activities completed in FY 1988 and planned through FY 1992 and includes a field-scale test of one or more of the alternate barriers to demonstrate full-scale application techniques and to provide performance data on a larger scale. Tests on asphalt, clay, and chemical grout were initiated in FY 1988 in small (30.5 cm diameter) tube-layer lysimeters. The parameters used for testing the materials were different for each one. The tests had to take into account the differences in material characteristics and response to change in conditions, as well as information provided by previous studies. 33 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab

USE OF PERFLUOROCARBON TRACER (PFT) TECHNOLOGY FOR SUBSURFACE BARRIER INTEGRITY VERIFICATION AT THE WALDO TEST SITE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SULLIVAN,T.; HEISER,J.; SENUM,G.; MILLIAN,L.

2000-02-27

Researchers from Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) tested perfluorocarbon (PFT) gas tracers on a subsurface barrier with known flaws at the Waldo test facility [operated by Science and Engineering Associates, Inc (SEA)]. The tests involved the use of five unique PFT tracers with a different tracer injected along the interior of each wall of the barrier. A fifth tracer was injected exterior to the barrier to examine the validity of diffusion controlled transport of the PFTs. The PFTs were injected for three days at a nominal flow rate of 15 cm{sup 3}/min and a concentrations in the range of a few hundred ppm. Approximately 65 liters of air laced with tracer was injected for each tracer. The tracers were able to accurately detect the presence of the engineered flaws. Two flaws were detected on the north and east walls and lane flaw was detected on the south and west walls. In addition, one non-engineered flaw at the seam between the north and east walls was also detected. The use of multiple tracers provided independent confirmation of the flaws and permitted a distinction between tracers arriving at a monitoring port after being released from a nearby flaw and non-engineered flaws. The PFTs detected the smallest flaw, 0.5 inches in diameter. Visual inspection of the data showed excellent agreement with the known flaw locations and the relative size of the flaws was accurately estimated.

Low temperature monitoring system for subsurface barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Vinegar, Harold J [Bellaire, TX; McKinzie, II Billy John [Houston, TX

2009-08-18

A system for monitoring temperature of a subsurface low temperature zone is described. The system includes a plurality of freeze wells configured to form the low temperature zone, one or more lasers, and a fiber optic cable coupled to at least one laser. A portion of the fiber optic cable is positioned in at least one freeze well. At least one laser is configured to transmit light pulses into a first end of the fiber optic cable. An analyzer is coupled to the fiber optic cable. The analyzer is configured to receive return signals from the light pulses.

Evaluation of Subsurface Engineered Barriers at Waste Sites

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1998-01-01

.... Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) waste programs with a national retrospective analysis of barrier field performance, and information that may be useful in developing guidance on the use and evaluation of barrier systems...

Feasibility of permeation grouting for constructing subsurface barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwyer, B.P.

1994-03-01

The technical feasibility of emplacing a barrier beneath a waste site using directionally drilled boreholes and permeation grouting was investigated. The benefits of this emplacement system are: (1) Directionally drilled boreholes provide access beneath a waste site without disturbing the waste; (2) interim containment of contaminants allows time for the development of remediation options; (3) in the interim, the volume of waste remains fixed; (4) barriers may enhance the effectiveness of in situ remediation actions; and (5) barrier systems may provide permanent waste containment

TECHNICAL BASIS FOR EVALUATING SURFACE BARRIERS TO PROTECT GROUNDWATER FROM DEEP VADOSE ZONE CONTAMINATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fayer, J.M.; Freedman, V.L.; Ward, A.L.; Chronister, G.B.

2010-01-01

The U.S. DOE and its predecessors released nearly 2 trillion liters (450 billion gallons) of contaminated liquid into the vadose zone at the Hanford Site. Some of the contaminants currently reside in the deeper parts of the vadose zone where they are much less accessible to characterization, monitoring, and typical remediation activities. The DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) prepared a treatability test plan in 2008 to examine remediation options for addressing contaminants in the deep vadose zone; one of the technologies identified was surface barriers (also known as engineered barriers, covers, and caps). In the typical configuration, the contaminants are located relatively close to the surface, generally within 15 m, and thus they are close to the base of the surface barrier. The proximity of the surface barrier under these conditions yielded few concerns about the effectiveness of the barrier at depth, particularly for cases in which the contaminants were in a lined facility. At Hanford, however, some unlined sites have contaminants located well below depths of 15 m. The issue raised about these sites is the degree of effectiveness of a surface barrier in isolating contaminants in the deep vadose zone. Previous studies by Hanford Site and PNNL researchers suggest that surface barriers have the potential to provide a significant degree of isolation of deep vadose zone contaminants. The studies show that the actual degree of isolation is site-specific and depends on many factors, including recharge rates, barrier size, depth of contaminants, geohydrologic properties ofthe sediments, and the geochemical interactions between the contaminants and the sediments. After the DOE-RL treatability test plan was published, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was contracted to review the information available to support surface barrier evaluation for the deep vadose zone, identify gaps in the information and outcomes necessary to fill the data gaps, and outline

HRE-Pond Cryogenic Barrier Technology Demonstration: Pre- and Post-Barrier Hydrologic Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moline, G.R.

1999-01-01

The Homogeneous Reactor Experiment (HRE) Pond is the site of a former impoundment for radioactive wastes on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) in east Tennessee. The pond received radioactive wastes from 1957 to 1962, and was subsequently drained, filled with soil, and covered with an asphalt cap. The site is bordered to the east and south by an unnamed stream that contains significant concentrations of radioactive contaminants, primarily 90 Sr. Because of the proximity of the stream to the HRE disposal site and the probable flow of groundwater from the site to the stream, it was hypothesized that the HRE Pond has been a source of contamination to the creek. The HRE-Pond was chosen as the site of a cryogenic barrier demonstration to evaluate this technology as a means for rapid, temporary isolation of contaminants in the type of subsurface environment that exists on the ORR. The cryogenic barrier is created by the circulation of liquid CO 2 through a system of thermoprobes installed in boreholes which are backfilled with sand. The probes cool the subsurface, creating a vertical ice wall by freezing adjacent groundwater, effectively surrounding the pond on four sides. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the hydrologic conditions within and around the pond prior to, during, and after the cryogenic barrier emplacement. The objectives were (1) to provide a hydrologic baseline for post-banner performance assessment, (2) to confirm that the pond is hydraulically connected to the surrounding sediments, (3) to determine the likely contaminant exit pathways from the pond, and (4) to measure changes in hydrologic conditions after barrier emplacement in order to assess the barrier performance. Because relatively little information about the subsurface hydrology and the actual configuration of the pond existed, data from multiple sources was required to reconstruct this complex system

Modeling subsurface stormflow initiation in low-relief landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Hopp, Luisa; Vaché, Kellie B.; Rhett Jackson, C.; McDonnell, Jeffrey J.

2015-04-01

Shallow lateral subsurface flow as a runoff generating mechanism at the hillslope scale has mostly been studied in steeper terrain with typical hillside angles of 10 - 45 degrees. These studies have shown that subsurface stormflow is often initiated at the interface between a permeable upper soil layer and a lower conductivity impeding layer, e.g. a B horizon or bedrock. Many studies have identified thresholds of event size and soil moisture states that need to be exceeded before subsurface stormflow is initiated. However, subsurface stormflow generation on low-relief hillslopes has been much less studied. Here we present a modeling study that investigates the initiation of subsurface stormflow on low-relief hillslopes in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. Hillslopes in this region typically have slope angles of 2-5 degrees. Topsoils are sandy, underlain by a low-conductivity sandy clay loam Bt horizon. Subsurface stormflow has only been intercepted occasionally in a 120 m long trench, and often subsurface flow was not well correlated with stream signals, suggesting a disconnect between subsurface flow on the hillslopes and stream flow. We therefore used a hydrologic model to better understand which conditions promote the initiation of subsurface flow in this landscape, addressing following questions: Is there a threshold event size and soil moisture state for producing lateral subsurface flow? What role does the spatial pattern of depth to the impeding clay layer play for subsurface stormflow dynamics? We reproduced a section of a hillslope, for which high-resolution topographic data and depth to clay measurements were available, in the hydrologic model HYDRUS-3D. Soil hydraulic parameters were based on experimentally-derived data. The threshold analysis was first performed using hourly climate data records for 2009-2010 from the study site to drive the simulation. For this period also trench measurements of subsurface flow were available. In addition

DEMONSTRATiON OF A SUBSURFACE CONTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR INSTALLATION AT DOE WASTE SITES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas J. Crocker; Verna M. Carpenter

2003-05-21

Between 1952 and 1970, DOE buried mixed waste in pits and trenches that now have special cleanup needs. The disposal practices used decades ago left these landfills and other trenches, pits, and disposal sites filled with three million cubic meters of buried waste. This waste is becoming harmful to human safety and health. Today's cleanup and waste removal is time-consuming and expensive with some sites scheduled to complete cleanup by 2006 or later. An interim solution to the DOE buried waste problem is to encapsulate and hydraulically isolate the waste with a geomembrane barrier and monitor the performance of the barrier over its 50-yr lifetime. The installed containment barriers would isolate the buried waste and protect groundwater from pollutants until final remediations are completed. The DOE has awarded a contract to RAHCO International, Inc.; of Spokane, Washington; to design, develop, and test a novel subsurface barrier installation system, referred to as a Subsurface Containment System (SCS). The installed containment barrier consists of commercially available geomembrane materials that isolates the underground waste, similar to the way a swimming pools hold water, without disrupting hazardous material that was buried decades ago. The barrier protects soil and groundwater from contamination and effectively meets environmental cleanup standards while reducing risks, schedules, and costs. Constructing the subsurface containment barrier uses a combination of conventional and specialized equipment and a unique continuous construction process. This innovative equipment and construction method can construct a 1000-ft-long X 34-ft-wide X 30-ft-deep barrier at construction rates to 12 Wday (8 hr/day operation). Life cycle costs including RCRA cover and long-term monitoring range from approximately $380 to $590/cu yd of waste contained or $100 to $160/sq ft of placed barrier based upon the subsurface geology surrounding the waste. Project objectives for Phase

Laboratory and field scale demonstration of reactive barrier systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwyer, B.P.; Marozas, D.C.; Cantrell, K.; Stewart, W.

1996-10-01

In an effort to devise a cost efficient technology for remediation of uranium contaminated groundwater, the Department of Energy's Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (DOE-UMTRA) Program through Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) fabricated a pilot scale research project utilizing reactive subsurface barriers at an UMTRA site in Durango, Colorado. A reactive subsurface barrier is produced by placing a reactant material (in this experiment, metallic iron) in the flow path of the contaminated groundwater. The reactive media then removes and/or transforms the contaminant(s) to regulatory acceptable levels. Experimental design and results are discussed with regard to other potential applications of reactive barrier remediation strategies at other sites with contaminated groundwater problems

Integrated Surface/subsurface flow modeling in PFLOTRAN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Painter, Scott L [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-10-01

Understanding soil water, groundwater, and shallow surface water dynamics as an integrated hydrological system is critical for understanding the Earth’s critical zone, the thin outer layer at our planet’s surface where vegetation, soil, rock, and gases interact to regulate the environment. Computational tools that take this view of soil moisture and shallow surface flows as a single integrated system are typically referred to as integrated surface/subsurface hydrology models. We extend the open-source, highly parallel, subsurface flow and reactive transport simulator PFLOTRAN to accommodate surface flows. In contrast to most previous implementations, we do not represent a distinct surface system. Instead, the vertical gradient in hydraulic head at the land surface is neglected, which allows the surface flow system to be eliminated and incorporated directly into the subsurface system. This tight coupling approach leads to a robust capability and also greatly simplifies implementation in existing subsurface simulators such as PFLOTRAN. Successful comparisons to independent numerical solutions build confidence in the approximation and implementation. Example simulations of the Walker Branch and East Fork Poplar Creek watersheds near Oak Ridge, Tennessee demonstrate the robustness of the approach in geometrically complex applications. The lack of a robust integrated surface/subsurface hydrology capability had been a barrier to PFLOTRAN’s use in critical zone studies. This work addresses that capability gap, thus enabling PFLOTRAN as a community platform for building integrated models of the critical zone.

Electrical Resistance Tomography for Subsurface Imaging. Innovative Technology Summary Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

None

2000-01-01

Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) noninvasively maps the 3-D resistivity field in the subsurface. It can be used on a scale from feet to kilometers. The 3-D resistivity field can be used to infer subsurface hydrogeological features and provides good resolution mapping of confining layers of various types. ERT imaging has been used for real-time monitoring and process control of remediation processes such as soil heating, pump and treat, steam injection, electrokinetics, Dynamic Underground Stripping (TechID 7), Hydrous Pyrolysis/Oxidation (TechID 1519) and more. ERT can be deployed via rapid and inexpensive installation of electrodes using a Cone Penetrometer (TechID 243). Additional applications are described under TechID 140 (Tanks) and TechID 2120 (Injected Subsurface Barriers); see also the related technology TechID 2121 (EIT)

Development of a design package for a viscous barrier at the Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moridis, G.J.; James, A.; Oldenburg, C.

1996-10-01

This paper describes elements of a design for a pilot-scale field demonstration of a new subsurface containment technology for waste isolation developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), which uses a new generation of barrier liquids for permeation grouting. The demonstration site was Retention Basin 281-3H, a shallow catchment basin at the Savannah River Site (SRS), originally built to control contaminated runoff for the H Reactor, and which has been contaminated mainly by radionuclides. The LBNL viscous barrier technology employs barrier liquids which, when injected into the subsurface, produce chemically benign nearly impermeable barriers through a very large increase in viscosity. The initially low-viscosity liquids are emplaced through multiple injection points in the subsurface and the intersecting plumes merge and completely surround the contaminant source and/or plume. Once in place, they gel or cure to form a nearly impermeable barrier. The barrier liquid to be used in this application is Colloidal Silica (CS), an aqueous suspension of silica microspheres in a stabilizing electrolyte. It has excellent durability characteristics, poses no health hazard, is practically unaffected by filtration, and is chemically and biologically benign

Distance and protective barrier effects on the composite resin degree of conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Coutinho, Margareth; Trevizam, Natália Carvalho; Takayassu, Renata Nakase; Leme, Ariene Arcas; Soares, Giulliana Panfiglio

2013-01-01

Context: The food wrap films are used to cover the tip of curing light units in order to avoid contamination and prevent damage to the light guide. However, their effects on resin polymerization are not fully known. Aims: We investigated the effects on restoration efficiency of a food wrap protective barrier used on the tip of curing light units. Materials and Methods: For each treatment, five replications were performed, a total of 60 bovine incisor. The degree of conversion (%DC) of restorations with the composite resin Opallis EA2 was evaluated using 3 curing light devices (Optilux 501, Optilight and Ultra LED) and 2 curing distances (0 and 5 mm). The composite resin was tested for restoration of cavities in bovine crowns. %DC values were measured by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance technique. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using 3-way ANOVA and Tukey's test. Results: Use of the protective film lowered %DC (F = 4.13; P = 0.05), and the effects of curing distance were associated to the curing light device (F = 3.61; P = 0.03). Conclusions: The distance from the light curing tip and use of a translucent protective barrier on the light-cure device can both impair composite resin %DC. PMID:24015001

Water and contaminant movement: migration barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lane, L.J.; Nyhan, J.W.

1984-11-01

Migration barriers are used in shallow land burial facilities to slow or stop the movement of water and contaminants and are discussed here as a single component embedded in a complex environmental system. Analytical solutions to solute transport equations are used to approximate the behavior of migration barriers and to derive design criteria for control of subsurface water and contaminant migration. Various types of migration barriers are compared and design recommendations are made for shallow land burial trench caps and liners. Needed improvements and suggested field experiments for future designs of migration barriers are then discussed relative to the management of low-level radioactive wastes

Frozen soil barriers for hazardous waste confinement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dash, J.G.; Leger, R.; Fu, H.Y.

1997-01-01

Laboratory and full field measurements have demonstrated the effectiveness of artificial ground freezing for the containment of subsurface hazardous and radioactive wastes. Bench tests and a field demonstration have shown that cryogenic barriers are impenetrable to aqueous and non aqueous liquids. As a result of the successful tests the US Department of Energy has designated frozen ground barriers as one of its top ten remediation technologies

Regulatory analysis for the use of underground barriers at the Hanford Site tank farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampsten, K.L.

1994-01-01

Sixty-seven of the single-shell tanks at the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington, are assumed to have leaked in the past. Some of the waste retrieval options being considered, such as past-practice sluicing (a process that uses hot water to dislodge waste for subsequent removal by pumping), have the potential for increasing releases of dangerous waste from these tanks. Underground barrier systems are being evaluated as a method to mitigate releases of tank waste to the soil and groundwater that may occur during retrieval activities. The following underground barrier system options are among those being evaluated to determine whether their construction at the Single-Shell Tank Farms is viable. (1) A desiccant barrier would be created by circulating air through the subsurface soil to lower and then maintain the water saturation below the levels required for liquids to flow. (2) An injected materials barrier would be created by injecting materials such as grout or silica into the subsurface soils to form a barrier around and under a given tank or tank farm. (3) A cryogenic barrier would be created by freezing subsurface soils in the vicinity of a tank or tank farm. An analysis is provided of the major regulatory requirements that may impact full scale construction and operation of an underground barrier system and a discussion of factors that should be considered throughout the barrier selection process, irrespective of the type of underground barrier system being considered. However, specific barrier systems will be identified when a given regulation will have significant impact on a particular type of barrier technology. Appendix A provides a matrix of requirements applicable to construction and operation of an underground barrier system

A design study for a medium-scale field demonstration of the viscous barrier technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moridis, G.; Yen, P.; Persoff, P.; Finsterle, S.; Williams, P.; Myer, L.; Pruess, K.

1996-09-01

This report is the design study for a medium-scale field demonstration of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's new subsurface containment technology for waste isolation using a new generation of barrier liquids. The test site is located in central California in a quarry owned by the Los Banos Gravel Company in Los Banos, California, in heterogeneous unsaturated deposits of sand, silt, and -ravel typical of many of the and DOE cleanup sites and particularly analogous to the Hanford site. The coals of the field demonstration are (a) to demonstrate the ability to create a continuous subsurface barrier isolating a medium-scale volume (30 ft long by 30 ft wide by 20 ft deep, i.e. 1/10th to 1/8th the size of a buried tank at the Hanford Reservation) in the subsurface, and (b) to demonstrate the continuity, performance, and integrity of the barrier

Applications of electrical resistance tomography to subsurface environmental restoration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez, A.L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Daily, W.D.

1994-11-15

We are developing a new imaging technique, Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT), to map subsurface liquids as flow occurs during natural or clean-up processes and to map geologic structure. Natural processes (such as surface water infiltrating the vadose zone) and man-induced processes (such as tank leaks and clean-up processes such as steam injection), can create changes in a soil`s electrical properties that are readily measured. We have conducted laboratory and a variety of field experiments to investigate the capabilities and limitations of ERT for imaging underground structures and processes. In the last four years we have used ERT to successfully monitor several field processes including: a subsurface steam injection process (for VOC removal), an air injection process (below the water table) for VOC removal, water infiltration through the vadose zone, radio-frequency heating, ohmic heating, and tank and pond leaks. The information derived from ERT can be used by remediation projects to: detect and locate leaks, determine the effectiveness of clean-up processes, select appropriate clean-up alternatives, and to verify the installation and performance of subsurface barriers.

Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-45-07A; complete evaluation of subsurface barrier feasibility: Summary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cox, G.E.; Peters, B.B.; Treat, R.L. [Enserch Environmental Corp., Richland, WA (United States); Bazinet, G.D.; Cruse, J.M.; Hampsten, K.L. [Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)

1994-09-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has established the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) program to safely manage and dispose the low-level and high-level radioactive and hazardous wastes currently held in 177 tanks and approximately 1,900 sealed capsules located on the Hanford Site. The remediation of the entire Hanford Site is being conducted under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, otherwise known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The three parties that concluded the agreement are the DOE, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). The purpose of the Tri-Party Agreement is to ensure that Hanford Site activities are performed in a manner that protects the public health, welfare, and the environment. The agreement provides a framework and structure for the many different agencies and regulations under which work is performed on the Site, listing responsibilities and attaching scheduled dates of completion for minimum performances (known as milestones). The Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-45-07A requires that an assessment of the feasibility of subsurface barriers to support retrieval of tank waste be performed. The activities to meet this milestone have been completed, and are documented herein.

Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-45-07A; complete evaluation of subsurface barrier feasibility: Summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, G.E.; Peters, B.B.; Treat, R.L.; Bazinet, G.D.; Cruse, J.M.; Hampsten, K.L.

1994-09-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has established the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) program to safely manage and dispose the low-level and high-level radioactive and hazardous wastes currently held in 177 tanks and approximately 1,900 sealed capsules located on the Hanford Site. The remediation of the entire Hanford Site is being conducted under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, otherwise known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The three parties that concluded the agreement are the DOE, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). The purpose of the Tri-Party Agreement is to ensure that Hanford Site activities are performed in a manner that protects the public health, welfare, and the environment. The agreement provides a framework and structure for the many different agencies and regulations under which work is performed on the Site, listing responsibilities and attaching scheduled dates of completion for minimum performances (known as milestones). The Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-45-07A requires that an assessment of the feasibility of subsurface barriers to support retrieval of tank waste be performed. The activities to meet this milestone have been completed, and are documented herein

SUBSURFACE VISUAL ALARM SYSTEM ANALYSIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D.W. Markman

2001-01-01

The ''Subsurface Fire Hazard Analysis'' (CRWMS M andO 1998, page 61), and the document, ''Title III Evaluation Report for the Surface and Subsurface Communication System'', (CRWMS M andO 1999a, pages 21 and 23), both indicate the installed communication system is adequate to support Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) activities with the exception of the mine phone system for emergency notification purposes. They recommend the installation of a visual alarm system to supplement the page/party phone system The purpose of this analysis is to identify data communication highway design approaches, and provide justification for the selected or recommended alternatives for the data communication of the subsurface visual alarm system. This analysis is being prepared to document a basis for the design selection of the data communication method. This analysis will briefly describe existing data or voice communication or monitoring systems within the ESF, and look at how these may be revised or adapted to support the needed data highway of the subsurface visual alarm. system. The existing PLC communication system installed in subsurface is providing data communication for alcove No.5 ventilation fans, south portal ventilation fans, bulkhead doors and generator monitoring system. It is given that the data communication of the subsurface visual alarm system will be a digital based system. It is also given that it is most feasible to take advantage of existing systems and equipment and not consider an entirely new data communication system design and installation. The scope and primary objectives of this analysis are to: (1) Briefly review and describe existing available data communication highways or systems within the ESF. (2) Examine technical characteristics of an existing system to disqualify a design alternative is paramount in minimizing the number of and depth of a system review. (3) Apply general engineering design practices or criteria such as relative cost, and degree

Barriers and post-closure monitoring (AL121125)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bostick, K.V.; Janecky, D.

1995-01-01

This project focuses on the rapid implementation of near-surface barriers, biotreatment, and post-closure monitoring technology. It uses water-permeable and biologic barriers that chemically capture and/or degrade contaminants without significantly altering the natural water flow regime. Barrier approaches are being tested for two different applications. The first is the use of barriers for confinement of chemical contaminants for in-trench treatments with leach systems or an in-place bioreactor. The second is an enhancement of the current practice of emplacing grout or clay slurry walls into direct horizontal surface and subsurface water flows around a contaminated area by integrating permeable reactive barriers and petroleum reservoir gel/foam/polymer technology

The development of surface barriers at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wing, N.R.; Gee, G.W.

1994-03-01

Engineered barriers are being developed to isolate wastes disposed of near the earth's surface at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. Much of the waste that would be disposed of by in-place stabilization currently is located in relatively shallow subsurface structures such as solid waste burial grounds, tanks, vaults, and cribs. Unless protected in some way, the wastes could be transported to the accessible environment via the following pathways: plant, animal, and human intrusion; water infiltration; erosion; and the exhalation of noxious gases. Permanent isolation surface barriers have been proposed to protect wastes disposed of ''in place'' from the transport pathways identified previously (Figure 1). The protective barrier consists of a variety of different materials (e.g., fine soil, sand, gravel, riprap, asphalt, etc.) placed in layers to form an above-grade mound directly over the waste zone. Surface markers are being considered for placement around the periphery of the waste sites to inform future generations of the nature and hazards of the buried wastes. In addition, throughout the protective barrier, subsurface markers could be placed to warn any inadvertent human intruders of the dangers of the buried wastes (Figure 2)

Evaluation of Subsurface Engineered Barriers at Waste Sites Volumes 1 and 2

Science.gov (United States)

This report provides the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) waste programs with a national retrospective analysis of barrier field performance, as well as information that useful in developing guidance on the use and evaluation of barrier systems

Energy and generating mechanism of a subsurface, cold core eddy in the Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

PrasannaKumar, S.; Babu, M.T.; Rao, D.P.

Computation of available potential energy (APE) of a recently observed cold core, subsurface eddy (centered at 17 degrees 40'N and 85 degrees 19'E) in the Bay of Bengal revealed that the energy maxima associated with the eddy was of the order of 1...

Monitoring the Vadose Zone Moisture Regime Below a Surface Barrier

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Z. F.; Strickland, C. E.; Field, J. G.

2009-12-01

A 6000 m2 interim surface barrier has been constructed over a portion of the T Tank Farm in the Depart of Energy’s Hanford site. The purpose of using a surface barrier was to reduce or eliminate the infiltration of meteoric precipitation into the contaminated soil zone due to past leaks from Tank T-106 and hence to reduce the rate of movement of the plume. As part of the demonstration effort, vadose zone moisture is being monitored to assess the effectiveness of the barrier on the reduction of soil moisture flow. A vadose zone monitoring system was installed to measure soil water conditions at four horizontal locations (i.e., instrument Nests A, B, C, and D) outside, near the edge of, and beneath the barrier. Each instrument nest consists of a capacitance probe with multiple sensors, multiple heat-dissipation units, and a neutron probe access tube used to measure soil-water content and soil-water pressure. Nest A serves as a control by providing subsurface conditions outside the influence of the surface barrier. Nest B provides subsurface measurements to assess barrier edge effects. Nests C and D are used to assess the impact of the surface barrier on soil-moisture conditions beneath it. Monitoring began in September 2006 and continues to the present. To date, the monitoring system has provided high-quality data. Results show that the soil beneath the barrier has been draining from the shallower depth. The lack of climate-caused seasonal variation of soil water condition beneath the barrier indicates that the surface barrier has minimized water exchange between the soil and the atmosphere.

Permanent isolation surface barrier: Functional performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wing, N.R.

1993-10-01

This document presents the functional performance parameters for permanent isolation surface barriers. Permanent isolation surface barriers have been proposed for use at the Hanford Site (and elsewhere) to isolate and dispose of certain types of waste in place. Much of the waste that would be disposed of using in-place isolation techniques is located in subsurface structures, such as solid waste burial grounds, tanks, vaults, and cribs. Unless protected in some way, the wastes could be transported to the accessible environment via transport pathways, such as water infiltration, biointrusion, wind and water erosion, human interference, and/or gaseous release

INFLUENCE OF GROUNDWATER GEOCHEMISTRY ON THE LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE OF IN-SITU PERMEABLE REACTIVE BARRIERS CONTAINING ZERO-VALENT IRON

Science.gov (United States)

Reactive barriers that couple subsurface fluid flow with a passive chemical treatment zone are emerging, cost effective approaches for in-situ remediation of contaminated groundwater. Factors such as the build-up of surface precipitates, bio-fouling, and changes in subsurface tr...

Theoretical and experimental investigations of ferrofluids for guiding and detecting liquids in the subsurface. FY 1997 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moridis, G.J.; Borglin, S.E.; Oldenburg, C.M.; Becker, A.

1998-03-01

Ferrofluids are stable colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles in various carrier liquids with high saturation magnetizations, which can be manipulated in virtually any fashion, defying gravitational or viscous forces in response to external magnetic fields. In this report, the authors review the results of their investigation of the potential of ferrofluids (1) to accurately and effectively guide reactants (for in-situ treatment) or barrier liquids (low-viscosity permeation grouts) to contaminated target zones in the subsurface using electromagnetic forces, and (2) to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. They investigate the use of ferrofluids to enhance the efficiency of in-situ treatment and waste containment through (a) accurate guidance and delivery of reagent liquids to the desired subsurface contamination targets and/or (b) effective sweeping of the contaminated zone as ferrofluids move from the application point to an attracting magnet/collection point. They also investigate exploiting the strong magnetic signature of ferrofluids to develop a method for monitoring of liquid movement and position during injection using electromagnetic methods. The authors demonstrated the ability to induce ferrofluid movement in response to a magnetic field, and measured the corresponding magnetopressure. They demonstrated the feasibility of using conventional magnetometry for detecting subsurface zones of various shapes containing ferrofluids for tracing liquids injected for remediation or barrier formation. Experiments involving spherical, cylindrical and horizontal slabs showed a very good agreement between predictions and measurements.

Theoretical and experimental investigations of ferrofluids for guiding and detecting liquids in the subsurface. FY 1997 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moridis, G.J.; Borglin, S.E.; Oldenburg, C.M.; Becker, A.

1998-03-01

Ferrofluids are stable colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles in various carrier liquids with high saturation magnetizations, which can be manipulated in virtually any fashion, defying gravitational or viscous forces in response to external magnetic fields. In this report, the authors review the results of their investigation of the potential of ferrofluids (1) to accurately and effectively guide reactants (for in-situ treatment) or barrier liquids (low-viscosity permeation grouts) to contaminated target zones in the subsurface using electromagnetic forces, and (2) to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. They investigate the use of ferrofluids to enhance the efficiency of in-situ treatment and waste containment through (a) accurate guidance and delivery of reagent liquids to the desired subsurface contamination targets and/or (b) effective sweeping of the contaminated zone as ferrofluids move from the application point to an attracting magnet/collection point. They also investigate exploiting the strong magnetic signature of ferrofluids to develop a method for monitoring of liquid movement and position during injection using electromagnetic methods. The authors demonstrated the ability to induce ferrofluid movement in response to a magnetic field, and measured the corresponding magnetopressure. They demonstrated the feasibility of using conventional magnetometry for detecting subsurface zones of various shapes containing ferrofluids for tracing liquids injected for remediation or barrier formation. Experiments involving spherical, cylindrical and horizontal slabs showed a very good agreement between predictions and measurements

Development of dry barriers for containment and remediation at waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomson, B.M.; Morris, C.E.; Ankeny, M.D.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a concept in which dry air is injected into an unsaturated formation to reduce the soil moisture content, referred to here as a dry (or sometimes tensiometric) barrier. The objective is to reduce the hydraulic conductivity of the unsaturated media to the point where liquid phase transport becomes negligible, thereby achieving containment. The concept could be applied in subsurface formations to provide containment from a leaking facility, or it could be incorporated into a cover design to provide redundancy for a capillary barrier. The air injection process could in principle be coupled with a vacuum extraction system to recover soil vapors, which would then provide a remediation process that would be appropriate if volatile organic compounds were present. Work to date has consisted of a combined theoretical, laboratory, and field research investigation. The objective of this research was to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the dry barrier concept by identifying the parameters which determine its effectiveness. Based on the results obtained for the experimental and theoretical studies, feasibility analyses were prepared for as a modification for a landfill cover design to prevent infiltration from atmospheric precipitation and for potential application of dry barriers to achieve subsurface containment and removal of volatile constituents. These analyses considered the technical as well as the economic aspects of the dry barrier concept

Subsurface Contamination Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Y. Yuan

2001-12-12

There are two objectives of this report, ''Subsurface Contamination Control''. The first is to provide a technical basis for recommending limiting radioactive contamination levels (LRCL) on the external surfaces of waste packages (WP) for acceptance into the subsurface repository. The second is to provide an evaluation of the magnitude of potential releases from a defective WP and the detectability of the released contents. The technical basis for deriving LRCL has been established in ''Retrieval Equipment and Strategy for Wp on Pallet'' (CRWMS M and O 2000g, 6.3.1). This report updates the derivation by incorporating the latest design information of the subsurface repository for site recommendation. The derived LRCL on the external surface of WPs, therefore, supercede that described in CRWMS M and O 2000g. The derived LRCL represent the average concentrations of contamination on the external surfaces of each WP that must not be exceeded before the WP is to be transported to the subsurface facility for emplacement. The evaluation of potential releases is necessary to control the potential contamination of the subsurface repository and to detect prematurely failed WPs. The detection of failed WPs is required in order to provide reasonable assurance that the integrity of each WP is intact prior to MGR closure. An emplaced WP may become breached due to manufacturing defects or improper weld combined with failure to detect the defect, by corrosion, or by mechanical penetration due to accidents or rockfall conditions. The breached WP may release its gaseous and volatile radionuclide content to the subsurface environment and result in contaminating the subsurface facility. The scope of this analysis is limited to radioactive contaminants resulting from breached WPs during the preclosure period of the subsurface repository. This report: (1) documents a method for deriving LRCL on the external surfaces of WP for acceptance into the

A neural network model for non invasive subsurface stratigraphic identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, John M. Jr.; Ludwig, Reinhold; Lai Qiang

2000-01-01

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GRP) is a powerful tool to examine the stratigraphy below ground surface for remote sensing. Increasingly GPR has also found applications in microwave NDE as an interrogation tool to assess dielectric layers. Unfortunately, GPR data is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty and natural physical ambiguity. Robust decomposition routines are sparse for this application. We have developed a hierarchical set of neural network modules which split the task of layer profiling into consecutive stages. Successful GPR profiling of the subsurface stratigraphy is of key importance for many remote sensing applications including microwave NDE. Neural network modules were designed to accomplish the two main processing goals of recognizing the 'subsurface pattern' followed by the identification of the depths of the subsurface layers like permafrost, groundwater table, and bedrock. We used an adaptive transform technique to transform raw GPR data into a small feature vector containing the most representative and discriminative features of the signal. This information formed the input for the neural network processing units. This strategy reduced the number of required training samples for the neural network by orders of magnitude. The entire processing system was trained using the adaptive transformed feature vector inputs and tested with real measured GPR data. The successful results of this system establishes the feasibility the feasibility of delineating subsurface layering nondestructively

Relations between Vegetation and Geologic Framework in Barrier Island

Science.gov (United States)

Smart, N. H.; Ferguson, J. B.; Lehner, J. D.; Taylor, D.; Tuttle, L. F., II; Wernette, P. A.

2017-12-01

Barrier islands provide valuable ecosystems and protective services to coastal communities. The longevity of barrier islands is threatened by sea-level rise, human impacts, and extreme storms. The purpose of this research is to evaluate how vegetation dynamics interact with the subsurface and offshore framework geology to influence the beach and dune morphology. Beach and dune morphology can be viewed as free and/or forced behavior, where free systems are stochastic and the morphology is dependent on variations in the storm surge run-up, aeolian sediment supply and transport potential, and vegetation dynamics and persistence. Forced systems are those where patterns in the coastal morphology are determined by some other structural control, such as the underlying and offshore framework geology. Previous studies have documented the effects of geologic framework or vegetation dynamics on the beach and dunes, although none have examined possible control by vegetation dynamics in context of the geologic framework (i.e. combined free and forced behavior). Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS) was used to examine the interaction of free and forced morphology because the subsurface framework geology and surface beach and dune morphology are variable along the island. Vegetation dynamics were assessed by classifying geographically referenced historical aerial imagery into areas with vegetation and areas without vegetation, as well as LiDAR data to verify this imagery. The subsurface geologic structure was assessed using a combination of geophysical surveys (i.e. electromagnetic induction, ground-penetrating radar, and offshore seismic surveys). Comparison of the observed vegetation patterns and geologic framework leads to a series of questions surrounding how mechanistically these two drivers of coastal morphology are related. Upcoming coring and geophysical surveys will enable us to validate new and existing geophysical data. Results of this paper will help us better

Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL) Subsurface Containment Berm Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

2015-10-01

Degree-Days CRREL Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory ERDC U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center FWENC Foster Wheeler ...contract with the Navy, Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation (FWENC) constructed a subsurface containment berm at the airfield of the Naval...659J91.61 ncURE 3- 3 NAVAl.. AACnC R(Sf.ARCH l,.ASORATORY POINT 9ARROW. AlASKA AS-BUILT CONTAINMENT BERM EXTENSION AND MONITORING WELLS FOSTER W

Development of tensiometric barriers for containment and remediation at waste sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomson, B.M.; Stormont, J.C.; Morris, C.E.

1996-01-01

This report describes a concept in which dry air is injected into an unsaturated formation to reduce the soil moisture content, referred to here as a tensiometric (or sometimes dry) barrier. The objective is to reduce the hydraulic conductivity of the unsaturated media to the point where liquid phase transport becomes negligible, thereby achieving containment. The concept could be applied in subsurface formations to provide containment from a leaking facility, or it could be incorporated into a cover design to provide redundancy for a capillary barrier. The air injection process could in principle be coupled with a vacuum extraction system to recover soil vapors, which would then provide a remediation process that would be appropriate if volatile organic compounds were present. Work to date has consisted of a combined theoretical, laboratory, and field research investigation. The objective of this research was to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the tensiometric barrier concept by identifying the parameters which determine its effectiveness. Based on the results obtained for the experimental and theoretical studies, feasibility analyses were prepared as a modification for a landfill cover design to prevent infiltration from atmospheric precipitation and for potential application of tensiometric barriers to achieve subsurface containment of mobile pollutants and removal of volatile constituents. These analyses considered the technical as well as the economic aspects of the tensiometric barrier concept, and found that a properly designed and operated tensiometric barrier is competitive with conventional containment methods. In addition, they benefit from being able to recover from failure by circulating additional dry air through the formation to re-establish the barrier phenomena. (author) 10 figs., 4 tabs., 17 refs

Subsurface Ventilation System Description Document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eric Loros

2001-07-25

The Subsurface Ventilation System supports the construction and operation of the subsurface repository by providing air for personnel and equipment and temperature control for the underground areas. Although the system is located underground, some equipment and features may be housed or located above ground. The system ventilates the underground by providing ambient air from the surface throughout the subsurface development and emplacement areas. The system provides fresh air for a safe work environment and supports potential retrieval operations by ventilating and cooling emplacement drifts. The system maintains compliance within the limits established for approved air quality standards. The system maintains separate ventilation between the development and waste emplacement areas. The system shall remove a portion of the heat generated by the waste packages during preclosure to support thermal goals. The system provides temperature control by reducing drift temperature to support potential retrieval operations. The ventilation system has the capability to ventilate selected drifts during emplacement and retrieval operations. The Subsurface Facility System is the main interface with the Subsurface Ventilation System. The location of the ducting, seals, filters, fans, emplacement doors, regulators, and electronic controls are within the envelope created by the Ground Control System in the Subsurface Facility System. The Subsurface Ventilation System also interfaces with the Subsurface Electrical System for power, the Monitored Geologic Repository Operations Monitoring and Control System to ensure proper and safe operation, the Safeguards and Security System for access to the emplacement drifts, the Subsurface Fire Protection System for fire safety, the Emplacement Drift System for repository performance, and the Backfill Emplacement and Subsurface Excavation Systems to support ventilation needs.

Subsurface Ventilation System Description Document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-10-12

The Subsurface Ventilation System supports the construction and operation of the subsurface repository by providing air for personnel and equipment and temperature control for the underground areas. Although the system is located underground, some equipment and features may be housed or located above ground. The system ventilates the underground by providing ambient air from the surface throughout the subsurface development and emplacement areas. The system provides fresh air for a safe work environment and supports potential retrieval operations by ventilating and cooling emplacement drifts. The system maintains compliance within the limits established for approved air quality standards. The system maintains separate ventilation between the development and waste emplacement areas. The system shall remove a portion of the heat generated by the waste packages during preclosure to support thermal goals. The system provides temperature control by reducing drift temperature to support potential retrieval operations. The ventilation system has the capability to ventilate selected drifts during emplacement and retrieval operations. The Subsurface Facility System is the main interface with the Subsurface Ventilation System. The location of the ducting, seals, filters, fans, emplacement doors, regulators, and electronic controls are within the envelope created by the Ground Control System in the Subsurface Facility System. The Subsurface Ventilation System also interfaces with the Subsurface Electrical System for power, the Monitored Geologic Repository Operations Monitoring and Control System to ensure proper and safe operation, the Safeguards and Security System for access to the emplacement drifts, the Subsurface Fire Protection System for fire safety, the Emplacement Drift System for repository performance, and the Backfill Emplacement and Subsurface Excavation Systems to support ventilation needs.

Performance of engineered barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajaram, V.; Dean, P.V.; McLellan, S.A.

1997-01-01

Engineered barriers, both vertical and horizontal, have been used to isolate hazardous wastes from contact, precipitation, surface water and groundwater. The primary objective of this study was to determine the performance of subsurface barriers installed throughout the U.S. over the past 20 years to contain hazardous wastes. Evaluation of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C or equivalent caps was a secondary objective. A nationwide search was launched to select hazardous waste sites at which vertical barrier walls and/or caps had been used as the containment method. None of the sites selected had an engineered floor. From an initial list of 130 sites, 34 sites were selected on the basis of availability of monitoring data for detailed analysis of actual field performance. This paper will briefly discuss preliminary findings regarding the design, construction quality assurance/construction quality control (CQA/CQC), and monitoring at the 34 sites. In addition, the short-term performance of these sites (less than 5 years) is presented since very little long-term performance data was available

Intelligent SUBsurface Quality : Intelligent use of subsurface infrastructure for surface quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hooimeijer, F.L.; Kuzniecow Bacchin, T.; Lafleur, F.; van de Ven, F.H.M.; Clemens, F.H.L.R.; Broere, W.; Laumann, S.J.; Klaassen, R.G.; Marinetti, C.

2016-01-01

This project focuses on the urban renewal of (delta) metropolises and concentrates on the question how to design resilient, durable (subsurface) infrastructure in urban renewal projects using parameters of the natural system – linking in an efficient way (a) water cycle, (b) soil and subsurface

Deep subsurface microbial processes

Science.gov (United States)

Lovley, D.R.; Chapelle, F.H.

1995-01-01

Information on the microbiology of the deep subsurface is necessary in order to understand the factors controlling the rate and extent of the microbially catalyzed redox reactions that influence the geophysical properties of these environments. Furthermore, there is an increasing threat that deep aquifers, an important drinking water resource, may be contaminated by man's activities, and there is a need to predict the extent to which microbial activity may remediate such contamination. Metabolically active microorganisms can be recovered from a diversity of deep subsurface environments. The available evidence suggests that these microorganisms are responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of organic matter coupled to a variety of electron acceptors just as microorganisms do in surface sediments, but at much slower rates. The technical difficulties in aseptically sampling deep subsurface sediments and the fact that microbial processes in laboratory incubations of deep subsurface material often do not mimic in situ processes frequently necessitate that microbial activity in the deep subsurface be inferred through nonmicrobiological analyses of ground water. These approaches include measurements of dissolved H2, which can predict the predominant microbially catalyzed redox reactions in aquifers, as well as geochemical and groundwater flow modeling, which can be used to estimate the rates of microbial processes. Microorganisms recovered from the deep subsurface have the potential to affect the fate of toxic organics and inorganic contaminants in groundwater. Microbial activity also greatly influences 1 the chemistry of many pristine groundwaters and contributes to such phenomena as porosity development in carbonate aquifers, accumulation of undesirably high concentrations of dissolved iron, and production of methane and hydrogen sulfide. Although the last decade has seen a dramatic increase in interest in deep subsurface microbiology, in comparison with the study of

Nondestructive Evaluation of Functionally Graded Subsurface Damage on Cylinders in Nuclear Installations Based on Circumferential SH Waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhen Qu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Subsurface damage could affect the service life of structures. In nuclear engineering, nondestructive evaluation and detection of the evaluation of the subsurface damage region are of great importance to ensure the safety of nuclear installations. In this paper, we propose the use of circumferential horizontal shear (SH waves to detect mechanical properties of subsurface regions of damage on cylindrical structures. The regions of surface damage are considered to be functionally graded material (FGM and the cylinder is considered to be a layered structure. The Bessel functions and the power series technique are employed to solve the governing equations. By analyzing the SH waves in the 12Cr-ODS ferritic steel cylinder, which is frequently applied in the nuclear installations, we discuss the relationship between the phase velocities of SH waves in the cylinder with subsurface layers of damage and the mechanical properties of the subsurface damaged regions. The results show that the subsurface damage could lead to decrease of the SH waves’ phase velocity. The gradient parameters, which represent the degree of subsurface damage, can be evaluated by the variation of the SH waves’ phase velocity. Research results of this study can provide theoretical guidance in nondestructive evaluation for use in the analysis of the reliability and durability of nuclear installations.

A design study for the isolation of the 281-3H retention basin at the Savannah River Site using the viscous liquid barrier technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moridis, G.J.; Persoff, P.; Apps, J.; James, A.; Oldenburg, C.; McGrath, A.; Myer, L.; Pellerin, L.; Pruess, K.

1996-11-01

This report is a description of the design study for a pilot-scale field demonstration of the Viscous Liquid Barrier (VLB) technology, a new subsurface containment technology for waste isolation using a new generation of barrier liquids. The demonstration site was Retention Basin 281-3H, a shallow catchment basin at the Savannah River Site, which is contaminated mainly by radionuclides ( 137 Cs, 90 Sr, and 238 Pu). The goals of the field demonstration were (a) to demonstrate the ability to create a continuous subsurface barrier in order to isolate the contaminants, and (b) to demonstrate the continuity, performance, and integrity of the barrier. The site was characterized, and preliminary hydraulic conductivity data were obtained from core samples. Based on the site characteristics and the functional requirements, a conceptual model was developed, the barrier specifications were defined, and lance injection was selected as the emplacement method. The injection strategy for the subsurface conditions at the site was determined using numerical simulations. An appropriate variant of Colloidal Silica (CS) was selected as the barrier liquid based on its relative insensitivity to interactions with the site soils, and the formulation for optimum site performance was determined. A barrier verification strategy, including hydraulic, pneumatic, tracer, and geophysical methods, was developed. A lance water injection test was conducted in order to obtain representative estimates of the hydraulic conductivity and its distribution for the design of the barrier emplacement. The water injection test demonstrated the lack of permeable zones for CS injection, and a decision not to proceed with the barrier emplacement was reached

An Assessment of Subsurface Intake Systems: Planning and Impact on Feed Water Quality for SWRO Facilities

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Abdullah

2017-01-01

Subsurface intake systems are known to improve the feed water quality for SWRO plants. However, a little is known about the feasibility of implementation in coastal settings, the degree of water quality improvements provided by these systems

Confocal examination of subsurface cracking in ceramic materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Etman, Maged K

2009-10-01

The original ceramic surface finish and its microstructure may have an effect on crack propagation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between crack propagation and ceramic microstructure following cyclic fatigue loading, and to qualitatively evaluate and quantitatively measure the surface and subsurface crack depths of three types of ceramic restorations with different microstructures using a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Twenty (8 x 4 x 2 mm(3)) blocks of AllCeram (AC), experimental ceramic (EC, IPS e.max Press), and Sensation SL (SSL) were prepared, ten glazed and ten polished of each material. Sixty antagonist enamel specimens were made from the labial surfaces of permanent incisors. The ceramic abraders were attached to a wear machine, so that each enamel specimen presented at 45 degrees to the vertical movement of the abraders, and immersed in artificial saliva. Wear was induced for 80K cycles at 60 cycles/min with a load of 40 N and 2-mm horizontal deflection. The specimens were examined for cracks at baseline, 5K, 10K, 20K, 40K, and 80K cycles. Twenty- to 30-microm deep subsurface cracking appeared in SSL, with 8 to 10 microm in AC, and 7 microm close to the margin of the wear facets in glazed EC after 5K cycles. The EC showed no cracks with increasing wear cycles. Seventy-microm deep subsurface cracks were detected in SSL and 45 microm in AC after 80K cycles. Statistically, there was significant difference among the three materials (p 0.05) in crack depth within the same ceramic material with different surface finishes. The ceramic materials with different microstructures showed different patterns of subsurface cracking.

Seismic Barrier Protection of Critical Infrastructure from Earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-01

We observe that such barrier structures reduce seismic wave powers by 10 – 40 dB that would otherwise reach the foundation location. Moreover, the... structure composed of opposing boreholes or trenches to mitigate seismic waves from diffracting and traveling in the vertical plane. Computational...seismic wave propagation models suggest that air or fluid filled subsurface V- shaped muffler structures are critical to the redirection and self

SUBSURFACE REPOSITORY INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Randle, D.C.

2000-01-01

The primary purpose of this document is to develop a preliminary high-level functional and physical control system architecture for the potential repository at Yucca Mountain. This document outlines an overall control system concept that encompasses and integrates the many diverse process and communication systems being developed for the subsurface repository design. This document presents integrated design concepts for monitoring and controlling the diverse set of subsurface operations. The Subsurface Repository Integrated Control System design will be composed of a series of diverse process systems and communication networks. The subsurface repository design contains many systems related to instrumentation and control (I andC) for both repository development and waste emplacement operations. These systems include waste emplacement, waste retrieval, ventilation, radiological and air monitoring, rail transportation, construction development, utility systems (electrical, lighting, water, compressed air, etc.), fire protection, backfill emplacement, and performance confirmation. Each of these systems involves some level of I andC and will typically be integrated over a data communications network throughout the subsurface facility. The subsurface I andC systems will also interface with multiple surface-based systems such as site operations, rail transportation, security and safeguards, and electrical/piped utilities. In addition to the I andC systems, the subsurface repository design also contains systems related to voice and video communications. The components for each of these systems will be distributed and linked over voice and video communication networks throughout the subsurface facility. The scope and primary objectives of this design analysis are to: (1) Identify preliminary system-level functions and interfaces (Section 6.2). (2) Examine the overall system complexity and determine how and on what levels the engineered process systems will be monitored

Vehicle barrier systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sena, P.A.

1986-01-01

The ground vehicle is one of the most effective tools available to an adversary force. Vehicles can be used to penetrate many types of perimeter barriers, transport equipment and personnel rapidly over long distances, and deliver large amounts of explosives directly to facilities in suicide missions. The function of a vehicle barrier system is to detain or disable a defined threat vehicle at a selected distance from a protected facility. Numerous facilities are installing, or planning to install, vehicle barrier systems and many of these facilities are requesting guidance to do so adequately. Therefore, vehicle barriers are being evaluated to determine their stopping capabilities so that systems can be designed that are both balanced and capable of providing a desired degree of protection. Equally important, many of the considerations that should be taken into account when establishing a vehicle barrier system have been identified. These considerations which pertain to site preparation, barrier selection, system integration and operation, and vehicle/barrier interaction, are discussed in this paper

Development of the SEAtrace{trademark} barrier verification and validation technology. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunn, S.D.; Lowry, W.; Walsh, R.; Rao, D.V. [Science and Engineering Associates, Santa Fe, NM (United States); Williams, C. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Underground Storage Technology Dept.

1998-08-01

In-situ barrier emplacement techniques and materials for the containment of high-risk contaminants in soils are currently being developed by the Department of Energy (DOE). Because of their relatively high cost, the barriers are intended to be used in cases where the risk is too great to remove the contaminants, the contaminants are too difficult to remove with current technologies, or the potential movement of the contaminants to the water table is so high that immediate action needs to be taken to reduce health risks. Assessing the integrity of the barrier once it is emplaced, and during its anticipated life, is a very difficult but necessary requirement. Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., (SEA) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have developed a quantitative subsurface barrier assessment system using gaseous tracers in support of the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area barrier technology program. Called SEAtrace{trademark}, this system integrates an autonomous, multi-point soil vapor sampling and analysis system with a global optimization modeling methodology to locate and size barrier breaches in real time. The methodology for the global optimization code was completed and a prototype code written using simplifying assumptions. Preliminary modeling work to validate the code assumptions were performed using the T2VOC numerical code. A multi-point field sampling system was built to take soil gas samples and analyze for tracer gas concentration. The tracer concentration histories were used in the global optimization code to locate and size barrier breaches. SEAtrace{trademark} was consistently able to detect and locate leaks, even under very adverse conditions. The system was able to locate the leak to within 0.75 m of the actual value, and was able to determine the size of the leak to within 0.15 m.

Development of the SEAtrace trademark barrier verification and validation technology. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunn, S.D.; Lowry, W.; Walsh, R.; Rao, D.V.; Williams, C.

1998-08-01

In-situ barrier emplacement techniques and materials for the containment of high-risk contaminants in soils are currently being developed by the Department of Energy (DOE). Because of their relatively high cost, the barriers are intended to be used in cases where the risk is too great to remove the contaminants, the contaminants are too difficult to remove with current technologies, or the potential movement of the contaminants to the water table is so high that immediate action needs to be taken to reduce health risks. Assessing the integrity of the barrier once it is emplaced, and during its anticipated life, is a very difficult but necessary requirement. Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., (SEA) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) have developed a quantitative subsurface barrier assessment system using gaseous tracers in support of the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area barrier technology program. Called SEAtrace trademark, this system integrates an autonomous, multi-point soil vapor sampling and analysis system with a global optimization modeling methodology to locate and size barrier breaches in real time. The methodology for the global optimization code was completed and a prototype code written using simplifying assumptions. Preliminary modeling work to validate the code assumptions were performed using the T2VOC numerical code. A multi-point field sampling system was built to take soil gas samples and analyze for tracer gas concentration. The tracer concentration histories were used in the global optimization code to locate and size barrier breaches. SEAtrace trademark was consistently able to detect and locate leaks, even under very adverse conditions. The system was able to locate the leak to within 0.75 m of the actual value, and was able to determine the size of the leak to within 0.15 m

Subsurface clade of Geobacteraceae that predominates in a diversity of Fe(III)-reducing subsurface environments

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Dawn E.; O'Neil, Regina A.; Vrionis, Helen A.; N'Guessan, Lucie A.; Ortiz-Bernad, Irene; Larrahondo, Maria J.; Adams, Lorrie A.; Ward, Joy A.; Nicoll , Julie S.; Nevin, Kelly P.; Chavan, Milind A.; Johnson, Jessica P.; Long, Philip E.; Lovely, Derek R.

2007-01-01

There are distinct differences in the physiology of Geobacter species available in pure culture. Therefore, to understand the ecology of Geobacter species in subsurface environments, it is important to know which species predominate. Clone libraries were assembled with 16S rRNA genes and transcripts amplified from three subsurface environments in which Geobacter species are known to be important members of the microbial community: (1) a uranium-contaminated aquifer located in Rifle, CO, USA undergoing in situ bioremediation; (2) an acetate-impacted aquifer that serves as an analog for the long-term acetate amendments proposed for in situ uranium bioremediation and (3) a petroleum-contaminated aquifer in which Geobacter species play a role in the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons coupled with the reduction of Fe(III). The majority of Geobacteraceae 16S rRNA sequences found in these environments clustered in a phylogenetically coherent subsurface clade, which also contains a number of Geobacter species isolated from subsurface environments. Concatamers constructed with 43 Geobacter genes amplified from these sites also clustered within this subsurface clade. 16S rRNA transcript and gene sequences in the sediments and groundwater at the Rifle site were highly similar, suggesting that sampling groundwater via monitoring wells can recover the most active Geobacter species. These results suggest that further study of Geobacter species in the subsurface clade is necessary to accurately model the behavior of Geobacter species during subsurface bioremediation of metal and organic contaminants.

The Serpentinite Subsurface Microbiome

Science.gov (United States)

Schrenk, M. O.; Nelson, B. Y.; Brazelton, W. J.

2011-12-01

Microbial habitats hosted in ultramafic rocks constitute substantial, globally-distributed portions of the subsurface biosphere, occurring both on the continents and beneath the seafloor. The aqueous alteration of ultramafics, in a process known as serpentinization, creates energy rich, high pH conditions, with low concentrations of inorganic carbon which place fundamental constraints upon microbial metabolism and physiology. Despite their importance, very few studies have attempted to directly access and quantify microbial activities and distributions in the serpentinite subsurface microbiome. We have initiated microbiological studies of subsurface seeps and rocks at three separate continental sites of serpentinization in Newfoundland, Italy, and California and compared these results to previous analyses of the Lost City field, near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In all cases, microbial cell densities in seep fluids are extremely low, ranging from approximately 100,000 to less than 1,000 cells per milliliter. Culture-independent analyses of 16S rRNA genes revealed low-diversity microbial communities related to Gram-positive Firmicutes and hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria. Interestingly, unlike Lost City, there has been little evidence for significant archaeal populations in the continental subsurface to date. Culturing studies at the sites yielded numerous alkaliphilic isolates on nutrient-rich agar and putative iron-reducing bacteria in anaerobic incubations, many of which are related to known alkaliphilic and subsurface isolates. Finally, metagenomic data reinforce the culturing results, indicating the presence of genes associated with organotrophy, hydrogen oxidation, and iron reduction in seep fluid samples. Our data provide insight into the lifestyles of serpentinite subsurface microbial populations and targets for future quantitative exploration using both biochemical and geochemical approaches.

Microbial activity in the terrestrial subsurface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, J.P.; Bollag, J.M.

1990-01-01

Little is known about the layers under the earth's crust. Only in recent years have techniques for sampling the deeper subsurface been developed to permit investigation of the subsurface environment. Prevailing conditions in the subsurface habitat such as nutrient availability, soil composition, redox potential, permeability and a variety of other factors can influence the microflora that flourish in a given environment. Microbial diversity varies between geological formations, but in general sandy soils support growth better than soils rich in clay. Bacteria predominate in subsurface sediments, while eukaryotes constitute only 1-2% of the microorganisms. Recent investigations revealed that most uncontaminated subsurface soils support the growth of aerobic heteroorganotrophic bacteria, but obviously anaerobic microorganisms also exist in the deeper subsurface habitat. The microorganisms residing below the surface of the earth are capable of degrading both natural and xenobiotic contaminants and can thereby adapt to growth under polluted conditions. (author) 4 tabs, 77 refs

Nitrogen patterns in subsurface waters of the Yzeron stream: effect of combined sewer overflows and subsurface-surface water mixing.

Science.gov (United States)

Aucour, A M; Bariac, T; Breil, P; Namour, P; Schmitt, L; Gnouma, R; Zuddas, P

2013-01-01

Urbanization subjects streams to increased nitrogen loads. Therefore studying nitrogen forms at the interface between urban stream and groundwater is important for water resource management. In this study we report results on water δ(18)O and nitrogen forms in subsurface waters of a stream (Yzeron, France). The sites studied were located upstream and downstream of combined sewer overflows (CSO) in a rural area and a periurban area, respectively. Water δ(18)O allowed us to follow the mixing of subsurface water with surface water. Dissolved organic nitrogen and organic carbon of fine sediment increased by 20-30% between rural and periurban subsurface waters in the cold season, under high flow. The highest nitrate levels were observed in rural subsurface waters in the cold season. The lowest nitrate levels were found in periurban subsurface waters in the warm season, under low flow. They corresponded to slow exchange of subsurface waters with channel water. Thus reduced exchange between surface and subsurface waters and organic-matter-rich input seemed to favor nitrate reduction in the downstream, periurban, subsurface waters impacted by CSO.

Identification of subsurface structures using electromagnetic data and shape priors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tveit, Svenn, E-mail: svenn.tveit@uni.no [Uni CIPR, Uni Research, Bergen 5020 (Norway); Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen 5020 (Norway); Bakr, Shaaban A., E-mail: shaaban.bakr1@gmail.com [Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516 (Egypt); Uni CIPR, Uni Research, Bergen 5020 (Norway); Lien, Martha, E-mail: martha.lien@octio.com [Uni CIPR, Uni Research, Bergen 5020 (Norway); Octio AS, Bøhmergaten 44, Bergen 5057 (Norway); Mannseth, Trond, E-mail: trond.mannseth@uni.no [Uni CIPR, Uni Research, Bergen 5020 (Norway); Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen 5020 (Norway)

2015-03-01

We consider the inverse problem of identifying large-scale subsurface structures using the controlled source electromagnetic method. To identify structures in the subsurface where the contrast in electric conductivity can be small, regularization is needed to bias the solution towards preserving structural information. We propose to combine two approaches for regularization of the inverse problem. In the first approach we utilize a model-based, reduced, composite representation of the electric conductivity that is highly flexible, even for a moderate number of degrees of freedom. With a low number of parameters, the inverse problem is efficiently solved using a standard, second-order gradient-based optimization algorithm. Further regularization is obtained using structural prior information, available, e.g., from interpreted seismic data. The reduced conductivity representation is suitable for incorporation of structural prior information. Such prior information cannot, however, be accurately modeled with a gaussian distribution. To alleviate this, we incorporate the structural information using shape priors. The shape prior technique requires the choice of kernel function, which is application dependent. We argue for using the conditionally positive definite kernel which is shown to have computational advantages over the commonly applied gaussian kernel for our problem. Numerical experiments on various test cases show that the methodology is able to identify fairly complex subsurface electric conductivity distributions while preserving structural prior information during the inversion.

Design and construction of a deep slurry trench barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deming, P.W.

1997-01-01

A 24 m (80 ft) deep slurry trench surrounding a former chromium manufacturing facility on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland was constructed in 1995 to contain groundwater and site Soils, and to reduce the volume of groundwater extracted to maintain an inward gradient. In 1992, an embankment made of crushed stone was constructed in the Patapsco River to make land for barrier construction outboard of the bulkheads, and to protect the barrier. Stability of the slurry-supported trench excavation in the embankment required construction from an elevated work platform. An extended reach backhoe was used to excavate the deep slurry trench and to clean the trench bottom. Soil-Bentonite backfill was prepared at a central mixing area and transported by truck to the perimeter barrier. A synthetic membrane was inserted partially into the backfill for connection to a multimedia cap, and for redundancy and erosion control in the tidal zone. Hydraulic testing of the aquitard contained by the barrier demonstrated excellent performance of the barrier and bottom closure. Detailed definition of subsurface conditions and the closure stratum was necessary for the design and successful construction of the barrier, and is recommended for comparable slurry trench construction projects

Demonstration of close-coupled barriers for subsurface containment of buried waste. Conceptual test plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heiser, J. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States); Dwyer, B. [Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1995-07-01

Over the past five decades, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Complex sites have experienced numerous loss of confinement failures from underground storage tanks (USTs), piping systems, vaults, landfills, and other structures containing hazardous and mixed wastes. Consequently, efforts are being made to devise technologies that provide interim containment of waste sites while final remediation alternatives are developed. Barrier materials consisting of cement and polymer which will be emplaced beneath a 7500 liter tank. The stresses around the tank shall be evaluated during barrier construction.

Barriers to Physical Activity in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roberton, Terri; Bucks, Romola S.; Skinner, Timothy C.

2011-01-01

This study examined barriers to physical activity reported individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the degree to which these barriers differed across varying degrees of independence. Participants were 65 individuals recruited from the Western Australian Spinal Cord Injury database. Data...... on physical activity participation and perceived barriers to physical activity participation were collected using a cross-sectional survey and analysed using independent samples t-tests. We found that, regardless of level of ambulation or ability to transfer, few participants reported being physically active....... While there were no significant differences in the amount of barriers reported by individuals with different levels of independence, the type of barriers reported varied across groups....

HYDRUS simulations of the effects of dual-drip subsurface irrigation and a physical barrier on water movement and solute transport in soils

OpenAIRE

El-Nesr, MN; Alazba, AA; Šimůnek, J

2014-01-01

Subsurface drip irrigation systems, compared to other irrigation systems, enhance the delivery of water and nutrients directly into the root zone. However, in light-textured soils, certain quantities of water may percolate below the root zone due to the subsurface position of drip lines and/or poor management of irrigation systems. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate three technologies to enhance a spatial distribution of water and solutes in the root zone and to limit downward le...

Bentonite engineered barrier building method for radioactive waste on sub-surface disposal test project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Takuo; Takahashi, Shinichi; Takeuchi, Kunifumi; Namiki, Kazuto

2008-01-01

The engineering barriers such as clay and concrete materials are planned to use for covering radioactive waste in cavern-type disposal facility. The requirement to clay barrier is very low permeability, which could be satisfied by high density Bentonite, and such a compaction method will be needed. Two methods, compaction and air shot, were tested in engineering scale for constructing a high-density clay barrier. Two types of compaction equipments, 'Teasel plate' and 'Plate compacter', were developed and engineering scale experiments were performed for compacting Bentonite only and Bentonite-sand-aggregate mixture. As a result, the Teasel plate can reach higher density Bentonite in relatively short time in comparison to other equipments. While, regarding air shot method, an air-shot machine in a tunnel construction site was tested by different water adding methods (wet, dry, and half wet). It is concluded that the dry and half wet constructing methods will achieve reasonable workability. As a result, the best construction option can be chosen according to the locations of radioactive waste facility. (author)

Persistence of Women in Online Degree-Completion Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terry Müller

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Although online courses at postsecondary institutions promise adults access, flexibility, and convenience, many barriers to online learning remain. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study, which explored the phenomenon of undergraduate and graduate women learners’ persistence in online degree-completion programs at a college in the Northeast of the United States. Research questions asked why women learners persisted or failed to persist, and how factors supporting or hindering persistence influenced learners. Interviews with a purposeful sample of 20 participants revealed the complexity of variables affecting learners’ persistence to graduation. Findings suggested that multiple responsibilities, insufficient interaction with faculty, technology, and coursework ranked highest as barriers to women’s persistence. Strong motivation to complete degrees, engagement in the learning community, and appreciation for the convenience of an online degree-completion option facilitated persistence.

Physiotherapy postgraduate studies in South Africa: Facilitators and barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saul Cobbing

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Aim: To investigate the facilitators and barriers to attaining a postgraduate physiotherapy degree in South Africa. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional design using an internet-based survey was employed. The population of the study included all qualified physiotherapists who had completed community service and who were on the South African Society of Physiotherapy e-mailing list at the time of the study. Results: In all, 425 valid responses were received. The study participants were predominantly white women with a mean age of 36.9 and the majority were working in private practice. A total of 20.5% of respondents had completed a master’s or doctoral degree in physiotherapy, while a further 13% of respondents were registered for a postgraduate degree in physiotherapy at the time of the study. Study participants who had obtained a postgraduate degree identified the same main barriers (namely cost/lack of financial support, family commitments and lack of time and the same main facilitators (namely gaining of expertise, fulfilment of a personal goal and improvement of patient care as participants who had not obtained a postgraduate degree. Participants who had not obtained a postgraduate degree were significantly more likely (p < 0.05 to report concerns regarding their own ability and a lack of motivation as barriers to further study. Conclusion: South African physiotherapists with and without a postgraduate degree reported common facilitators and barriers to pursuing postgraduate studies. In order to ensure that a greater number and diversity of physiotherapists see postgraduate studies as a worthwhile career option, stakeholders in health and education in both the South African public and private sectors need to be engaged to limit the barriers to postgraduate study and seek novel methods of making postgraduate study a more attractive option from a personal development and career perspective.

Integrated geomechanical modelling for deep subsurface damage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wees, J.D. van; Orlic, B.; Zijl, W.; Jongerius, P.; Schreppers, G.J.; Hendriks, M.

2001-01-01

Government, E&P and mining industry increasingly demand fundamental insight and accurate predictions on subsurface and surface deformation and damage due to exploitation of subsurface natural resources, and subsurface storage of energy residues (e.g. CO2). At this moment deformation is difficult to

State of R and D of radioactive waste disposal (5). R and D of low level radioactive waste disposal. Engineered barrier: evaluation of barrier materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hironaga, Michihiko

2008-01-01

The Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) has researched and developed the long-term durability evaluation of engineered barrier materials for the facility of sub-surface disposal at intermediate depth. The important functions of engineered barrier are mechanical stability of construction, low hydraulic conductivity and diffusivity, and absorption of nuclide. A natural barrier plays an important part in nuclide transfer. Some examples of researches on the engineered barrier with cement and bentonite are reported. They contained the leaching test of hardened cement paste using X-ray microanalysis, relation between the dissociation rate of montmorillonite and pH from 15 to 70 deg C, and the mechanism of gas permeability of dense bentonite. The results of leaching test showed that the modified underground water leached smaller amount of ions than the ion exchanged water. The sediment was found on the surface of hardened paste. The dissociation rate of smectite under alkaline conditions showed almost the same values as neutral conditions at 15 deg C. (S.Y.)

Program overview: Subsurface science program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-03-01

The OHER Subsurface Science Program is DOE's core basic research program concerned with subsoils and groundwater. These practices have resulted in contamination by mixtures of organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, and radionuclides. A primary long-term goal is to provide a foundation of knowledge that will lead to the reduction of environmental risks and to cost-effective cleanup strategies. Since the Program was initiated in 1985, a substantial amount of research in hydrogeology, subsurface microbiology, and the geochemistry of organically complexed radionuclides has been completed, leading to a better understanding of contaminant transport in groundwater and to new insights into microbial distribution and function in the subsurface environments. The Subsurface Science Program focuses on achieving long-term scientific advances that will assist DOE in the following key areas: providing the scientific basis for innovative in situ remediation technologies that are based on a concept of decontamination through benign manipulation of natural systems; understanding the complex mechanisms and process interactions that occur in the subsurface; determining the influence of chemical and geochemical-microbial processes on co-contaminant mobility to reduce environmental risks; improving predictions of contaminant transport that draw on fundamental knowledge of contaminant behavior in the presence of physical and chemical heterogeneities to improve cleanup effectiveness and to predict environmental risks

The circulating air barrier: Effective prevention of liquid contaminant movement through soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gill, R.; Towers, T.; Johnson, H.; Overbey, W.

1995-01-01

The environmental cleanup task facing the United States Department of Energy (DOE) presents enormous technical, planning and institutional challenges, including the need to develop new technologies that are faster, better, safer, and cheaper, in order to expedite site cleanup. Characterization of contaminated sediments resulting from past tank leaks, continued safe operations of the tanks, total confinement of leaking materials, secondary waste minimization, and final closure of the single shell tanks are five of the many facets of the storage tank issue at Hanford and elsewhere in the nation. Each of these issues are considered in the development of the Circulating Air Barrier (CAB). The Circulating Air Barrier system is a desiccant-type barrier designed to prevent the movement of liquid contaminants toward the groundwater by using an air circulation and processing system to lower the water saturation in a targeted subsurface zone below the saturation level required for liquid flow. Vertical or horizontal wells can be installed to create a matrix of air injection and production so that air flows across the target barrier zone to the production wells. In the event of a tank leak, the system serves as a tool for early detection and provides a means to withdraw volatile contaminants to the surface for treatment. Demonstration and full-scale CAB systems have been designed for the Hanford Site. This includes chemical and geological characterization; model development, sensitivity analysis and performance optimization; subsurface configuration and surface processing equipment design; and development of a test program with associated cost estimates

Dental hygienists' perceptions of barriers to graduate education.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, Linda D; Bailey, Angela

2011-08-01

To advance the profession of dental hygiene, graduate education is necessary to support growth in research, education, administration, and practice in the discipline and to sustain credibility in a climate in which other health professions require entry-level master's and doctoral degrees. The purpose of this study was to explore what dental hygienists perceive as barriers to pursuing a graduate degree. A survey was developed based on the literature and other national surveys. Data were collected from 160 respondents to the survey: 50 percent held an entry-level baccalaureate degree in dental hygiene, while the rest held an entry-level associate degree (48 percent) or certificate (2 percent) in dental hygiene. All respondents had completed a bachelor's degree. The top five barriers these respondents identified in pursuing graduate education were as follows: 1) cost of graduate education, 2) family responsibilities are too great, 3) concerns about personal funding to pay for graduate education, 4) finding time for graduate school while working, and 5) fear of thesis research. Dental hygiene is one of the few health professions that still have entry-level degrees at the associate and baccalaureate levels. The profession needs to reduce such barriers to enable dental hygienists to pursue graduate education and thus ensure an adequate supply of future leaders, educators, and researchers.

SUBSURFACE REPOSITORY INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

C.J. Fernado

1998-01-01

The purpose of this document is to develop preliminary high-level functional and physical control system architectures for the proposed subsurface repository at Yucca Mountain. This document outlines overall control system concepts that encompass and integrate the many diverse systems being considered for use within the subsurface repository. This document presents integrated design concepts for monitoring and controlling the diverse set of subsurface operations. The subsurface repository design will be composed of a series of diverse systems that will be integrated to accomplish a set of overall functions and objectives. The subsurface repository contains several Instrumentation and Control (I andC) related systems including: waste emplacement systems, ventilation systems, communication systems, radiation monitoring systems, rail transportation systems, ground control monitoring systems, utility monitoring systems (electrical, lighting, water, compressed air, etc.), fire detection and protection systems, retrieval systems, and performance confirmation systems. Each of these systems involve some level of I andC and will typically be integrated over a data communication network. The subsurface I andC systems will also integrate with multiple surface-based site-wide systems such as emergency response, health physics, security and safeguards, communications, utilities and others. The scope and primary objectives of this analysis are to: (1) Identify preliminary system level functions and interface needs (Presented in the functional diagrams in Section 7.2). (2) Examine the overall system complexity and determine how and on what levels these control systems will be controlled and integrated (Presented in Section 7.2). (3) Develop a preliminary subsurface facility-wide design for an overall control system architecture, and depict this design by a series of control system functional block diagrams (Presented in Section 7.2). (4) Develop a series of physical architectures

SUBSURFACE REPOSITORY INTEGRATED CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

C.J. Fernado

1998-09-17

The purpose of this document is to develop preliminary high-level functional and physical control system architectures for the proposed subsurface repository at Yucca Mountain. This document outlines overall control system concepts that encompass and integrate the many diverse systems being considered for use within the subsurface repository. This document presents integrated design concepts for monitoring and controlling the diverse set of subsurface operations. The subsurface repository design will be composed of a series of diverse systems that will be integrated to accomplish a set of overall functions and objectives. The subsurface repository contains several Instrumentation and Control (I&C) related systems including: waste emplacement systems, ventilation systems, communication systems, radiation monitoring systems, rail transportation systems, ground control monitoring systems, utility monitoring systems (electrical, lighting, water, compressed air, etc.), fire detection and protection systems, retrieval systems, and performance confirmation systems. Each of these systems involve some level of I&C and will typically be integrated over a data communication network. The subsurface I&C systems will also integrate with multiple surface-based site-wide systems such as emergency response, health physics, security and safeguards, communications, utilities and others. The scope and primary objectives of this analysis are to: (1) Identify preliminary system level functions and interface needs (Presented in the functional diagrams in Section 7.2). (2) Examine the overall system complexity and determine how and on what levels these control systems will be controlled and integrated (Presented in Section 7.2). (3) Develop a preliminary subsurface facility-wide design for an overall control system architecture, and depict this design by a series of control system functional block diagrams (Presented in Section 7.2). (4) Develop a series of physical architectures that

Geoelectrical monitoring of simulated subsurface leakage to support high-hazard nuclear decommissioning at the Sellafield Site, UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuras, Oliver; Wilkinson, Paul B; Meldrum, Philip I; Oxby, Lucy S; Uhlemann, Sebastian; Chambers, Jonathan E; Binley, Andrew; Graham, James; Smith, Nicholas T; Atherton, Nick

2016-10-01

A full-scale field experiment applying 4D (3D time-lapse) cross-borehole Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to the monitoring of simulated subsurface leakage was undertaken at a legacy nuclear waste silo at the Sellafield Site, UK. The experiment constituted the first application of geoelectrical monitoring in support of decommissioning work at a UK nuclear licensed site. Images of resistivity changes occurring since a baseline date prior to the simulated leaks revealed likely preferential pathways of silo liquor simulant flow in the vadose zone and upper groundwater system. Geophysical evidence was found to be compatible with historic contamination detected in permeable facies in sediment cores retrieved from the ERT boreholes. Results indicate that laterally discontinuous till units forming localized hydraulic barriers substantially affect flow patterns and contaminant transport in the shallow subsurface at Sellafield. We conclude that only geophysical imaging of the kind presented here has the potential to provide the detailed spatial and temporal information at the (sub-)meter scale needed to reduce the uncertainty in models of subsurface processes at nuclear sites. Copyright © 2016 British Geological Survey, NERC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SUBSURFACE CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

N.E. Kramer

1998-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to identify appropriate construction methods and develop a feasible approach for construction and development of the repository subsurface facilities. The objective of this analysis is to support development of the subsurface repository layout for License Application (LA) design. The scope of the analysis for construction and development of the subsurface Repository facilities covers: (1) Excavation methods, including application of knowledge gained from construction of the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF). (2) Muck removal from excavation headings to the surface. This task will examine ways of preventing interference with other subsurface construction activities. (3) The logistics and equipment for the construction and development rail haulage systems. (4) Impact of ground support installation on excavation and other construction activities. (5) Examination of how drift mapping will be accomplished. (6) Men and materials handling. (7) Installation and removal of construction utilities and ventilation systems. (8) Equipping and finishing of the emplacement drift mains and access ramps to fulfill waste emplacement operational needs. (9) Emplacement drift and access mains and ramps commissioning prior to handover for emplacement operations. (10) Examination of ways to structure the contracts for construction of the repository. (11) Discussion of different construction schemes and how to minimize the schedule risks implicit in those schemes. (12) Surface facilities needed for subsurface construction activities

Richards Barrier LA Reference Design Feature Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

N.E. Kramer

1999-01-01

The Richards Barrier is one of the design features of the repository to be considered for the License Application (LA), Richards was a soil scientist who first described the diversion of moisture between two materials with different hydrologic properties. In this report, a Richards Barrier is a special type of backfill with a fine-grained material (such as sand) overlaying a coarse-grained material (such as gravel). Water that enters an emplacement drift will first encounter the fine-grained material and be transported around the coarse-grained material covering the waste package, thus protecting the waste package from contact with most of the groundwater. The objective of this report is to discuss the benefits and liabilities to the repository by the inclusion of a Richards Barrier type backfill in emplacement drifts. The Richards Barrier can act as a barrier to water flow, can reduce the waste package material dissolution rate, limit mobilization of the radionuclides, and can provide structural protection for the waste package. The scope of this report is to: (1) Analyze the behavior of barrier materials following the intrusion of groundwater for influxes of 1 to 300 mm per year. The report will demonstrate diversion of groundwater intrusions into the barrier over an extended time period when seismic activity and consolidation may cause the potential for liquefaction and settlement of the Richards Barrier. (2) Review the thermal effects of the Richards Barrier on material behavior. (3) Analyze the effect of rockfall on the performance of the Richards Barrier and the depth of the barrier required to protect waste packages under the barrier. (4) Review radiological and heating conditions on placement of multiple layers of the barrier. Subsurface Nuclear Safety personnel will perform calculations to determine the radiation reduction-time relationship and shielding capacity of the barrier. (5) Evaluate the effects of ventilation on cooling of emplacement drifts and

SUBSURFACE EMPLACEMENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, T.; Novotny, R.

1999-01-01

The objective of this analysis is to identify issues and criteria that apply to the design of the Subsurface Emplacement Transportation System (SET). The SET consists of the track used by the waste package handling equipment, the conductors and related equipment used to supply electrical power to that equipment, and the instrumentation and controls used to monitor and operate those track and power supply systems. Major considerations of this analysis include: (1) Operational life of the SET; (2) Geometric constraints on the track layout; (3) Operating loads on the track; (4) Environmentally induced loads on the track; (5) Power supply (electrification) requirements; and (6) Instrumentation and control requirements. This analysis will provide the basis for development of the system description document (SDD) for the SET. This analysis also defines the interfaces that need to be considered in the design of the SET. These interfaces include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Waste handling building; (2) Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) surface site layout; (3) Waste Emplacement System (WES); (4) Waste Retrieval System (WRS); (5) Ground Control System (GCS); (6) Ex-Container System (XCS); (7) Subsurface Electrical Distribution System (SED); (8) MGR Operations Monitoring and Control System (OMC); (9) Subsurface Facility System (SFS); (10) Subsurface Fire Protection System (SFR); (11) Performance Confirmation Emplacement Drift Monitoring System (PCM); and (12) Backfill Emplacement System (BES)

CONTRIBUTION OF QUADRATIC RESIDUE DIFFUSERS TO EFFICIENCY OF TILTED PROFILE PARALLEL HIGHWAY NOISE BARRIERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. R. Monazzam ، P. Nassiri

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an investigation on the acoustic performance of tilted profile parallel barriers with quadratic residue diffuser (QRD tops and faces. A 2D boundary element method (BEM is used to predict the barrier insertion loss. The results of rigid and with absorptive coverage are also calculated for comparisons. Using QRD on the top surface and faces of all tilted profile parallel barrier models introduced here is found to improve the efficiency of barriers compared with rigid equivalent parallel barrier at the examined receiver positions. Applying a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz on 5 degrees tilted parallel barrier improves the overall performance of its equivalent rigid barrier by 1.8 dB(A. Increase in the treated surfaces with reactive elements shifts the effective performance toward lower frequencies. It is found that by tilting the barriers from 0 to 10 degrees in parallel set up, the degradation effects in parallel barriers is reduced but the absorption effect of fibrous materials and also diffusivity of the quadratic residue diffuser is reduced significantly. In this case all the designed barriers have better performance with 10 degrees tilting in parallel set up. The most economic traffic noise parallel barrier which produces significantly high performance, is achieved by covering the top surface of the barrier closed to the receiver by just a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz and tilting angle of 10 degrees. The average A-weighted insertion loss in this barrier is predicted to be 16.3 dB (A.

Subsurface Shielding Source Term Specification Calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

S.Su

2001-01-01

The purpose of this calculation is to establish appropriate and defensible waste-package radiation source terms for use in repository subsurface shielding design. This calculation supports the shielding design for the waste emplacement and retrieval system, and subsurface facility system. The objective is to identify the limiting waste package and specify its associated source terms including source strengths and energy spectra. Consistent with the Technical Work Plan for Subsurface Design Section FY 01 Work Activities (CRWMS M and O 2001, p. 15), the scope of work includes the following: (1) Review source terms generated by the Waste Package Department (WPD) for various waste forms and waste package types, and compile them for shielding-specific applications. (2) Determine acceptable waste package specific source terms for use in subsurface shielding design, using a reasonable and defensible methodology that is not unduly conservative. This calculation is associated with the engineering and design activity for the waste emplacement and retrieval system, and subsurface facility system. The technical work plan for this calculation is provided in CRWMS M and O 2001. Development and performance of this calculation conforms to the procedure, AP-3.12Q, Calculations

Meeting the challenge of constructing a uniquely difficult barrier wall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamnes, R.L.; Orlean, H.M.; Thompson, N.E.

1997-01-01

A soil-bentonite vertical barrier wall with intersecting and round corners was constructed in complex geology and steep terrain to enclose and dewater a 1.4 hectare (3.5 acre) area once used for hazardous waste lagoons and landfills at the Queen City Farms (QCF) Superfund site in Maple Valley, Washington. The barrier system, including cap and barrier wall, was designed to contain light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), in addition to subsurface soil and ground water contaminated with chromium, polychlorinated biphenyls, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride in the dissolved-phase. These contaminants threaten a drinking water aquifer beneath the site. Constructing the vertical barrier was a challenge due to steep slopes of 20 percent along the alignment (19.2 meter elevation change in the top of the wall), a 22.5 meter (75 foot) design wall depth, heavily consolidated clays and silts, open works gravels (gravel without finer soils), and geologic discontinuity. The barrier wall is keyed into either a glacial till or thin clayey-silt aquitard. Extensive earth moving, stepped walls and many construction techniques were used to enable construction of this barrier wall. Commonly accepted constructability criteria would have discouraged the construction of this wall

Regulatory issues and assumptions associated with barriers in the vadose zone surrounding buried waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siskind, B.; Heiser, J.

1993-02-01

One of the options for control of contaminant migration from buried waste sites is the construction of a subsurface barrier that consists of a wall of low permeability material. The barrier material should be compatible with soil and waste conditions specific to the site and have as low an effective diffusivity as is reasonably achievable to minimize or inhibit transport of moisture and contaminants. This report addresses the regulatory issues associated with the use of non-traditional organic polymer barriers as well as the use of soil-bentonite or cement-bentonite mixtures for such barriers, considering barriers constructed from these latter materials to be a regulatory baseline. The regulatory issues fall into two categories. The first category consists of issues associated with the acceptability of such barriers to the EPA as a method for achieving site or performanceimprovement. The second category encompasses those regulatory issues concerning health, safety and the environment which must be addressed regarding barrier installation and performance, especially if non-traditional materials are to be used

Perceived Career Barriers for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Individuals

Science.gov (United States)

Parnell, Martha Keeton; Lease, Suzanne H.; Green, Michael L.

2012-01-01

This study examined career-related barriers that gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) individuals had encountered in the past and anticipated in the future and the degree of hindrance associated with future barriers. Two hundred forty-one GLB participants (126 women and 115 men) completed the Career Barriers Inventory-Revised and 11 additional items…

Component-based framework for subsurface simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, B J; Fang, Yilin; Hammond, Glenn; Gurumoorthi, Vidhya

2007-01-01

Simulations in the subsurface environment represent a broad range of phenomena covering an equally broad range of scales. Developing modelling capabilities that can integrate models representing different phenomena acting at different scales present formidable challenges both from the algorithmic and computer science perspective. This paper will describe the development of an integrated framework that will be used to combine different models into a single simulation. Initial work has focused on creating two frameworks, one for performing smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of fluid systems, the other for performing grid-based continuum simulations of reactive subsurface flow. The SPH framework is based on a parallel code developed for doing pore scale simulations, the continuum grid-based framework is based on the STOMP (Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases) code developed at PNNL Future work will focus on combining the frameworks together to perform multiscale, multiphysics simulations of reactive subsurface flow

Contribution of diffuser surfaces to efficiency of tilted T shape parallel highway noise barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Javid Rouzi

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Background and aimsThe paper presents the results of an investigation on the acoustic  performance of tilted profile parallel barriers with quadratic residue diffuser tops and faces.MethodsA2D boundary element method (BEM is used to predict the barrier insertion loss. The results of rigid and with absorptive coverage are also calculated for comparisons. Using QRD on the top surface and faces of all tilted profile parallel barrier models introduced here is found to  improve the efficiency of barriers compared with rigid equivalent parallel barrier at the examined  receiver positions.Results Applying a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz on 5 degrees tilted parallel barrier  improves the overall performance of its equivalent rigid barrier by 1.8 dB(A. Increase the treated surfaces with reactive elements shifts the effective performance toward lower frequencies. It is  found that by tilting the barriers from 0 to 10 degrees in parallel set up, the degradation effects in  parallel barriers is reduced but the absorption effect of fibrous materials and also diffusivity of thequadratic residue diffuser is reduced significantly. In this case all the designed barriers have better  performance with 10 degrees tilting in parallel set up.ConclusionThe most economic traffic noise parallel barrier, which produces significantly  high performance, is achieved by covering the top surface of the barrier closed to the receiver by  just a QRD with frequency design of 400 Hz and tilting angle of 10 degrees. The average Aweighted  insertion loss in this barrier is predicted to be 16.3 dB (A.

Women Engineers: Factors and Obstacles Related to the Pursuit of a Degree in Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Wentling, Rose Mary; Camacho, Cristina

Research on women in engineering confirms the presence of gender barriers that affect the recruitment and retention of women in engineering. These barriers stop some women from choosing engineering as a field of study, and impede some women from completing a degree in engineering. However, there are some young female students who complete their engineering education despite the presence of obstacles throughout their college years. This study addressed the factors that have hindered, motivated, and assisted women who graduated with a degree in engineering. By studying and understanding the barriers that hinder women in deciding to pursue and in completing a degree in engineering, as well as the factors that assist and encourage them, we can learn how to break down the barriers and how to facilitate the educational journey of female engineering students. This study provides valuable insights and created a framework from which high schools, universities, researchers, and female students can directly benefit.

Subsurface microbial habitats on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Boston, P. J.; Mckay, C. P.

1991-01-01

We developed scenarios for shallow and deep subsurface cryptic niches for microbial life on Mars. Such habitats could have considerably prolonged the persistence of life on Mars as surface conditions became increasingly inhospitable. The scenarios rely on geothermal hot spots existing below the near or deep subsurface of Mars. Recent advances in the comparatively new field of deep subsurface microbiology have revealed previously unsuspected rich aerobic and anaerobic microbal communities far below the surface of the Earth. Such habitats, protected from the grim surface conditions on Mars, could receive warmth from below and maintain water in its liquid state. In addition, geothermally or volcanically reduced gases percolating from below through a microbiologically active zone could provide the reducing power needed for a closed or semi-closed microbial ecosystem to thrive.

Geoelectrical monitoring of simulated subsurface leakage to support high-hazard nuclear decommissioning at the Sellafield Site, UK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuras, Oliver, E-mail: oku@bgs.ac.uk [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom); Wilkinson, Paul B.; Meldrum, Philip I.; Oxby, Lucy S. [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom); Uhlemann, Sebastian [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom); ETH-Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Institute of Geophysics, Sonneggstr. 5, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland); Chambers, Jonathan E. [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG (United Kingdom); Binley, Andrew [Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ (United Kingdom); Graham, James [National Nuclear Laboratory, Central Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1PG (United Kingdom); Smith, Nicholas T. [National Nuclear Laboratory, Central Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1PG (United Kingdom); School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Williamson Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Atherton, Nick [Sellafield Ltd, Albion Square, Swingpump Lane, Whitehaven CA28 7NE (United Kingdom)

2016-10-01

A full-scale field experiment applying 4D (3D time-lapse) cross-borehole Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to the monitoring of simulated subsurface leakage was undertaken at a legacy nuclear waste silo at the Sellafield Site, UK. The experiment constituted the first application of geoelectrical monitoring in support of decommissioning work at a UK nuclear licensed site. Images of resistivity changes occurring since a baseline date prior to the simulated leaks revealed likely preferential pathways of silo liquor simulant flow in the vadose zone and upper groundwater system. Geophysical evidence was found to be compatible with historic contamination detected in permeable facies in sediment cores retrieved from the ERT boreholes. Results indicate that laterally discontinuous till units forming localized hydraulic barriers substantially affect flow patterns and contaminant transport in the shallow subsurface at Sellafield. We conclude that only geophysical imaging of the kind presented here has the potential to provide the detailed spatial and temporal information at the (sub-)meter scale needed to reduce the uncertainty in models of subsurface processes at nuclear sites. - Graphical abstract: 3D fractional resistivity change (resistivity change Δρ divided by baseline resistivity ρ{sub 0}) image showing results of Stage 1 silo liquor simulant injection. The black line delineates the preferential flow path; green cylinders show regions of historic contamination found in sediment cores from ERT boreholes. - Highlights: • 4D geoelectrical monitoring at Sellafield detected and tracked simulated silo leaks. • ERT revealed likely pathways of silo liquor simulant flow in the subsurface. • The method can reduce uncertainty in subsurface process models at nuclear sites. • Has been applied in this form at a UK nuclear licensed site for the first time • Study demonstrates value of 4D geophysics for nuclear decommissioning.

Near-barrier heavy-ion fusion (panel discussion)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandenbosch, R.

1991-01-01

We are approaching a semi-quantitative understanding of the role of the coupling of shape and transfer degrees of freedom in the enhancement of near and sub-barrier fusion cross sections, although there remains some debate about the relative importance of the different degrees of freedom. The information content in fusion excitation functions is limited and it is therefore important to obtain additional information such as higher moments of the partial wave distribution. The present status of information obtained with difference probes will be critically discussed. Among the open problems in sub-barrier fusion is the importance of a neck degree of freedom and a concomitant departure of the inertial mass from the reduced mass. A coupled channels description in terms of the asymptotic exit channels may only converge slowly. (author)

Valuing the subsurface pathogen treatment barrier in water recycling via aquifers for drinking supplies

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Page, D

2010-03-01

Full Text Available , using the same risk-based approach that is used for public water supplies. For each of the sites, the aquifer treatment barrier was assessed for its log10 removal capacity much like for other water treatment technologies. This information...

Creation of a subsurface permeable treatment barrier using in situ redox manipulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fruchter, J.S.; Cole, C.R.; Williams, M.D.

1997-01-01

The goal of in situ redox manipulation is to create a permeable treatment zone in the subsurface for remediating redox-sensitive contaminants in groundwater. The permeable treatment zone is created just downstream of the contaminant plume or contaminant source through the injection of reagents and/or microbial nutrients to alter the redox potential of the aquifer fluids and sediments. Contaminant plumes migrating through this manipulated zone can then be destroyed or immobilized. In a field test at the Hanford Site, ∼77,000 L of buffered sodium dithionite solution were successfully injected into the unconfined aquifer at the 100-H Area in September 1995. The target contaminant was chromate. No significant plugging of the well screen or the formation was detected during any phase of the test. Dithionite was detected in monitoring wells at least 7.5 m from the injection point. Data were obtained from all three phases of the test (i.e., injection, reaction, withdrawal). Preliminary core data show that from 60% to 100% of the available reactive iron in the targeted aquifer sediments was reduced by the injected dithionite. One year after the injection, groundwater in the treatment zone remains anoxic. Total and hexavalent chromium levels in groundwater have been reduced from a preexperiment concentration of ∼60 μg/L to below the detection limit of the analytical methods

Lower-Temperature Subsurface Layout and Ventilation Concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christine L. Linden; Edward G. Thomas

2001-01-01

This analysis combines work scope identified as subsurface facility (SSF) low temperature (LT) Facilities System and SSF LT Ventilation System in the Technical Work Plan for Subsurface Design Section FY 01 Work Activities (CRWMS M and O 2001b, pp. 6 and 7, and pp. 13 and 14). In accordance with this technical work plan (TWP), this analysis is performed using AP-3.10Q, Analyses and Models. It also incorporates the procedure AP-SI.1Q, Software Management. The purpose of this analysis is to develop an overall subsurface layout system and the overall ventilation system concepts that address a lower-temperature operating mode for the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). The objective of this analysis is to provide a technical design product that supports the lower-temperature operating mode concept for the revision of the system description documents and to provide a basis for the system description document design descriptions. The overall subsurface layout analysis develops and describes the overall subsurface layout, including performance confirmation facilities (also referred to as Test and Evaluation Facilities) for the Site Recommendation design. This analysis also incorporates current program directives for thermal management

Biogenic Carbon on Mars: A Subsurface Chauvinistic Viewpoint

Science.gov (United States)

Onstott, T. C.; Lau, C. Y. M.; Magnabosco, C.; Harris, R.; Chen, Y.; Slater, G.; Sherwood Lollar, B.; Kieft, T. L.; van Heerden, E.; Borgonie, G.; Dong, H.

2015-12-01

A review of 150 publications on the subsurface microbiology of the continental subsurface provides ~1,400 measurements of cellular abundances down to 4,800 meter depth. These data suggest that the continental subsurface biomass is comprised of ~1016-17 grams of carbon, which is higher than the most recent estimates of ~1015 grams of carbon (1 Gt) for the marine deep biosphere. If life developed early in Martian history and Mars sustained an active hydrological cycle during its first 500 million years, then is it possible that Mars could have developed a subsurface biomass of comparable size to that of Earth? Such a biomass would comprise a much larger fraction of the total known Martian carbon budget than does the subsurface biomass on Earth. More importantly could a remnant of this subsurface biosphere survive to the present day? To determine how sustainable subsurface life could be in isolation from the surface we have been studying subsurface fracture fluids from the Precambrian Shields in South Africa and Canada. In these environments the energetically efficient and deeply rooted acetyl-CoA pathway for carbon fixation plays a central role for chemolithoautotrophic primary producers that form the base of the biomass pyramid. These primary producers appear to be sustained indefinitely by H2 generated through serpentinization and radiolytic reactions. Carbon isotope data suggest that in some subsurface locations a much larger population of secondary consumers are sustained by the primary production of biogenic CH4 from a much smaller population of methanogens. These inverted biomass and energy pyramids sustained by the cycling of CH4 could have been and could still be active on Mars. The C and H isotopic signatures of Martian CH4 remain key tools in identifying potential signatures of an extant Martian biosphere. Based upon our results to date cavity ring-down spectroscopic technologies provide an option for making these measurements on future rover missions.

Subsurface contaminants focus area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-08-01

The US Department of Enregy (DOE) Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is developing technologies to address environmental problems associated with hazardous and radioactive contaminants in soil and groundwater that exist throughout the DOE complex, including radionuclides, heavy metals; and dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). More than 5,700 known DOE groundwater plumes have contaminated over 600 billion gallons of water and 200 million cubic meters of soil. Migration of these plumes threatens local and regional water sources, and in some cases has already adversely impacted off-site rsources. In addition, the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is responsible for supplying technologies for the remediation of numerous landfills at DOE facilities. These landfills are estimated to contain over 3 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous buried Technology developed within this specialty area will provide efective methods to contain contaminant plumes and new or alternative technologies for development of in situ technologies to minimize waste disposal costs and potential worker exposure by treating plumes in place. While addressing contaminant plumes emanating from DOE landfills, the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is also working to develop new or alternative technologies for the in situ stabilization, and nonintrusive characterization of these disposal sites

Subsurface contaminants focus area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-08-01

The US Department of Enregy (DOE) Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is developing technologies to address environmental problems associated with hazardous and radioactive contaminants in soil and groundwater that exist throughout the DOE complex, including radionuclides, heavy metals; and dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). More than 5,700 known DOE groundwater plumes have contaminated over 600 billion gallons of water and 200 million cubic meters of soil. Migration of these plumes threatens local and regional water sources, and in some cases has already adversely impacted off-site rsources. In addition, the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is responsible for supplying technologies for the remediation of numerous landfills at DOE facilities. These landfills are estimated to contain over 3 million cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous buried Technology developed within this specialty area will provide efective methods to contain contaminant plumes and new or alternative technologies for development of in situ technologies to minimize waste disposal costs and potential worker exposure by treating plumes in place. While addressing contaminant plumes emanating from DOE landfills, the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is also working to develop new or alternative technologies for the in situ stabilization, and nonintrusive characterization of these disposal sites.

Subsurface Science Program Bibliography, 1985--1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

The Subsurface Science Program sponsors long-term basic research on (1) the fundamental physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms that control the reactivity, mobilization, stability, and transport of chemical mixtures in subsoils and ground water; (2) hydrogeology, including the hydraulic, microbiological, and geochemical properties of the vadose and saturated zones that control contaminant mobility and stability, including predictive modeling of coupled hydraulic-geochemical-microbial processes; and (3) the microbiology of deep sediments and ground water. TWs research, focused as it is on the natural subsurface environments that are most significantly affected by the more than 40 years of waste generation and disposal at DOE sites, is making important contributions to cleanup of DOE sites. Past DOE waste-disposal practices have resulted in subsurface contamination at DOE sites by unique combinations of radioactive materials and organic and inorganic chemicals (including heavy metals), which make site cleanup particularly difficult. The long- term (10- to 30-year) goal of the Subsurface Science Program is to provide a foundation of fundamental knowledge that can be used to reduce environmental risks and to provide a sound scientific basis for cost-effective cleanup strategies. The Subsurface Science Program is organized into nine interdisciplinary subprograms, or areas of basic research emphasis. The subprograms currently cover the areas of Co-Contaminant Chemistry, Colloids/Biocolloids, Multiphase Fluid Flow, Biodegradation/ Microbial Physiology, Deep Microbiology, Coupled Processes, Field-Scale (Natural Heterogeneity and Scale), and Environmental Science Research Center

The effects of three techniques that change the wetting patterns over subsurface drip-irrigated potatoes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elnesr, M.N.; Alazba, A.A.

2015-07-01

Wetting pattern enhancement is one of the goals of irrigation designers and researchers. In this study, we addressed three techniques (dual-lateral drip, intermittent flow and physical barrier methods) that change the wetting pattern of subsurface drip irrigation. To study their effect on the yield and water-use efficiency (WUE) of potatoes, field experiments were conducted for four seasons, during which the soil-water balance was continuously monitored using a set of capacitance probes. The results of the soil water patterns showed that both the dual-lateral and intermittent techniques increased lateral water movement and eliminated deep percolation, whereas the physical barrier had a limited effect on the top soil layer. The crop results indicated that the yield and WUE increased significantly in response to the application of the dual-lateral drip (up to 30%); the intermittent application also positively affected the yield (~10%) and the WUE (~14%), but these effects were not statistically significant according to the statistical model. The physical barrier showed a non-significant negative effect on the yield and WUE. These findings suggest the following recommended practices: the use of dual-lateral drip technique due to its beneficial results and its potential for increasing yields and reducing water consumption; the application of intermittent flow with more than three surges; and restricting the use of physical barriers to soils with high permeability. (Author)

PEBS: an international challenge for improve understanding of the natural barriers to isolate long-term radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaus, I.

2015-01-01

The radioactive materials have a wide range of applications ranging from nuclear reactors to the use of isotopes in industries, medicine or research centres. These technologies generate waste whose disposal systems are becoming more sophisticated, to the point of using artificial barriers able to isolate them from contact with other materials, precipitation, surface water and groundwater subsurface. In this context, the European project long term Performance of the engineered Barrier Systems (PeBS), funded by the seventh framework (Fp7) Euratom and has counted with the participation of ENRESA, reviewed the evolution of the performance of sealing and barrier systems of artificial barriers in relevant time scales through the development of a comprehensive method that includes experiments, models, and a consideration of the potential impacts of long-term security functions. (Author)

Subsurface probing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lytle, R.J.

1978-01-01

Imaging techniques that can be used to translate seismic and electromagnetic wave signals into visual representation are briefly discussed. The application of these techniques is illustrated on the example of determining the subsurface structure of a proposed power plant. Imaging makes the wave signals intelligible to the non-geologists. R and D work needed in this area are tabulated

Subsurface transport program: Research summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

DOE's research program in subsurface transport is designed to provide a base of fundamental scientific information so that the geochemical, hydrological, and biological mechanisms that contribute to the transport and long term fate of energy related contaminants in subsurface ecosystems can be understood. Understanding the physical and chemical mechanisms that control the transport of single and co-contaminants is the underlying concern of the program. Particular attention is given to interdisciplinary research and to geosphere-biosphere interactions. The scientific results of the program will contribute to resolving Departmental questions related to the disposal of energy-producing and defense wastes. The background papers prepared in support of this document contain additional information on the relevance of the research in the long term to energy-producing technologies. Detailed scientific plans and other research documents are available for high priority research areas, for example, in subsurface transport of organic chemicals and mixtures and in the microbiology of deep aquifers. 5 figs., 1 tab

MSTS - Multiphase Subsurface Transport Simulator theory manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.D.; Nichols, W.E.

1993-05-01

The US Department of Energy, through the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office, has designated the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada for detailed study as the candidate US geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Site characterization will determine the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site for the potential waste repository. If the site is determined suitable, subsequent studies and characterization will be conducted to obtain authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct the potential waste repository. A principal component of the characterization and licensing processes involves numerically predicting the thermal and hydrologic response of the subsurface environment of the Yucca Mountain site to the potential repository over a 10,000-year period. The thermal and hydrologic response of the subsurface environment to the repository is anticipated to include complex processes of countercurrent vapor and liquid migration, multiple-phase heat transfer, multiple-phase transport, and geochemical reactions. Numerical simulators based on mathematical descriptions of these subsurface phenomena are required to make numerical predictions of the thermal and hydrologic response of the Yucca Mountain subsurface environment The engineering simulator called the Multiphase Subsurface Transport Simulator (MSTS) was developed at the request of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office to produce numerical predictions of subsurface flow and transport phenomena at the potential Yucca Mountain site. This document delineates the design architecture and describes the specific computational algorithms that compose MSTS. Details for using MSTS and sample problems are given in the open-quotes User's Guide and Referenceclose quotes companion document

Subsurface Fire Hazards Technical Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logan, R.C.

1999-01-01

The results from this report are preliminary and cannot be used as input into documents supporting procurement, fabrication, or construction. This technical report identifies fire hazards and proposes their mitigation for the subsurface repository fire protection system. The proposed mitigation establishes the minimum level of fire protection to meet NRC regulations, DOE fire protection orders, that ensure fire containment, adequate life safety provisions, and minimize property loss. Equipment requiring automatic fire suppression systems is identified. The subsurface fire hazards that are identified can be adequately mitigated

Viscous liquid barrier demonstration at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Linac Isotope Producer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiser, J.H.; Sullivan, T.; Ludewig, H.; Brower, J.; North-Abbott, M.; Manchester, K.; Zaluski, M.; Penny, G.

2000-01-01

Groundwater monitoring has detected tritium ( 3 H) and 22 Na contamination down gradient from the Brookhaven LINAC Isotope Producer (BLIP), located at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Site characterization studies indicate that the BLIP is the source of contamination. The highest measured values for 3 H were 52,400 pCi/L recorded less than 100 feet south (down gradient) of the BLIP facility. The BLIP produces radioisotopes that are crucial in nuclear medicine for both research and clinical use. The BLIP also supports research on diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. During operation a proton beam impinges a target (typically salts encapsulated in stainless steel) to produce the required radioisotopes. The proton beam is completely absorbed prior to reaching the soils surrounding the target shaft. However, secondary neutrons are produced that reach the soil causing activation products to form. Among the longer-lived isotopes of concern are tritium and 22 Na. Both of these isotopes have the potential to negatively impact the groundwater below the BLIP. Several corrective actions have been implemented at the BLIP facility in response to tritium detection in the groundwater. The first actions were to improve surface water management (e.g. storm water down spouts) and the installation of a gunite cap around the BLIP facility. These measures are designed to minimize water flow through the activated soils in the vicinity of BLIP. In conjunction with these improvements, BNL is installing a close-proximity subsurface barrier in the activated soils beneath the BLIP facility. The barrier will prevent water migration through the activated soil zone as well as prevent activation product migration out of the zone. To minimize impacts on the operation of the BLIP requires in-situ barrier installation using low energy techniques that will not disturb the alignment of the BLIP or nearby accelerator beams. BNL chose an innovative barrier technology termed Viscous

Diploma to degree 1976 to 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, Richard

2009-01-01

The debate on degree education for radiographers began in earnest in the mid-1970s. Initially the debate hinged around whether a degree education was necessary for radiographers. One argument was that it was felt that a degree would separate academic and clinical training but eventually when degrees were introduced practical skills were assessed formally for the first time; something that had not been achieved with the Diploma of the College of Radiographers (DCR). The DCR itself became a barrier to degree education as the College of Radiographers (CoR) insisted that it was the only qualification recognised for state registration and as such would have to remain embedded as a distinct qualification within a degree. A major breakthrough came when the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) recognised the DCR at the same level as an ordinary degree. Around the same time the CoR published its Degree Rationale which announced a change in policy by not insisting that the DCR was sacrosanct. Developments followed rapidly and the first honours degree in radiography was validated in 1989 despite opposition from scientific officers at the Department of Health. Degrees were approved for state registration and radiography became a graduate profession by 1993 following years of debate and after overcoming opposition from both within and external to the profession.

Feasibility of a subsurface storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-11-01

This report analyses the notion of subsurface storage under the scientifical, technical and legal aspects. This reflection belongs to the studies about long duration storage carried out in the framework of the axis 3 of the December 30, 1991 law. The report comprises 3 parts. The first part is a synthesis of the complete subsurface storage study: definitions, aim of the report, very long duration storage paradigm, description files of concepts, thematic synthesis (legal aspects, safety, monitoring, sites, seismicity, heat transfers, corrosion, concretes, R and works, handling, tailings and dismantlement, economy..), multi-criteria/multi-concept cross-analysis. The second part deals with the technical aspects of the subsurface storage: safety approach (long duration impact, radiation protection, mastery of effluents), monitoring strategy, macroscopic inventory of B-type waste packages, inventory of spent fuels, glasses, hulls and nozzles, geological contexts in the French territory (sites selection and characterization), on-site activities, hydrogeological and geochemical aspects, geo-technical works and infrastructures organization, subsurface seismic effects, cooling modes (ventilation, heat transfer with the geologic environment), heat transfer research programs (convection, poly-phase cooling in porous media), handling constraints, concretes (use, behaviour, durability), corrosion of metallic materials, technical-economical analysis, international context (experience feedback from Sweden (CLAB) and the USA (Yucca Mountain), other European and French facilities). The last part of the report is a graphical appendix with 3-D views and schemes of the different concepts. (J.S.)

Subsurface quality assurance practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-08-01

This report addresses only the concept of applying Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA) practices to repository shaft and subsurface design and construction; how NQA will be applied; and the level of detail required in the documentation for construction of a shaft and subsurface repository in contrast to the level of detail required in the documentation for construction of a traditional mine. This study determined that NQA practices are viable, attainable, as well as required. The study identified the appropriate NQA criteria and the repository's major structures, systems, items, and activities to which the criteria are applicable. A QA plan, for design and construction, and a list of documentation, for construction, are presented. 7 refs., 1 fig., 18 tabs

Characterization of accumulated precipitates during subsurface iron removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halem, Doris van; Vet, Weren de; Verberk, Jasper; Amy, Gary; Dijk, Hans van

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Accumulated iron was not found to clog the well or aquifer after 12 years of subsurface iron removal. → 56-100% of accumulated iron hydroxides were found to be crystalline. → Subsurface iron removal favoured certain soil layers, either due to hydraulics or mineralogy. → Other groundwater constituents, such as manganese and arsenic were found to co-accumulate with iron. - Abstract: The principle of subsurface iron removal for drinking water supply is that aerated water is periodically injected into the aquifer through a tube well. On its way into the aquifer, the injected O 2 -rich water oxidizes adsorbed Fe 2+ , creating a subsurface oxidation zone. When groundwater abstraction is resumed, the soluble Fe 2+ is adsorbed and water with reduced Fe concentrations is abstracted for multiple volumes of the injection water. In this article, Fe accumulation deposits in the aquifer near subsurface treatment wells were identified and characterized to assess the sustainability of subsurface iron removal regarding clogging of the aquifer and the potential co-accumulation of other groundwater constituents, such as As. Chemical extraction of soil samples, with Acid-Oxalate and HNO 3 , showed that Fe had accumulated at specific depths near subsurface iron removal wells after 12 years of operation. Whether it was due to preferred flow paths or geochemical mineralogy conditions; subsurface iron removal clearly favoured certain soil layers. The total Fe content increased between 11.5 and 390.8 mmol/kg ds in the affected soil layers, and the accumulated Fe was found to be 56-100% crystalline. These results suggest that precipitated amorphous Fe hydroxides have transformed to Fe hydroxides of higher crystallinity. These crystalline, compact Fe hydroxides have not noticeably clogged the investigated well and/or aquifer between 1996 and 2008. The subsurface iron removal wells even need less frequent rehabilitation, as drawdown increases more slowly than in

Drawing the subsurface : an integrative design approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hooimeijer, F.L.; Lafleur, F.; Trinh, T.T.; Gogu, Constantin Radu; Campbell, Diarmad; de Beer, Johannes

2017-01-01

The sub-surface, with its man-made and natural components, plays an important, if not crucial, role in the urban climate and global energy transition. On the one hand, the sub-surface is associated with a variety of challenges such as subsidence, pollution, damage to infrastructure and shortages of

Improving the biodegradative capacity of subsurface bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romine, M.F.; Brockman, F.J.

1993-04-01

The continual release of large volumes of synthetic materials into the environment by agricultural and industrial sources over the last few decades has resulted in pollution of the subsurface environment. Cleanup has been difficult because of the relative inaccessibility of the contaminants caused by their wide dispersal in the deep subsurface, often at low concentrations and in large volumes. As a possible solution for these problems, interest in the introduction of biodegradative bacteria for in situ remediation of these sites has increased greatly in recent years (Timmis et al. 1988). Selection of biodegradative microbes to apply in such cleanup is limited to those strains that can survive among the native bacterial and predator community members at the particular pH, temperature, and moisture status of the site (Alexander, 1984). The use of microorganisms isolated from subsurface environments would be advantageous because the organisms are already adapted to the subsurface conditions. The options are further narrowed to strains that are able to degrade the contaminant rapidly, even in the presence of highly recalcitrant anthropogenic waste mixtures, and in conditions that do not require addition of further toxic compounds for the expression of the biodegradative capacity (Sayler et al. 1990). These obstacles can be overcome by placing the genes of well-characterized biodegradative enzymes under the control of promoters that can be regulated by inexpensive and nontoxic external factors and then moving the new genetic constructs into diverse groups of subsurface microbes. ne objective of this research is to test this hypothesis by comparing expression of two different toluene biodegradative enzymatic pathways from two different regulatable promoters in a variety of subsurface isolates

Temperature and pressure adaptation of a sulfate reducer from the deep subsurface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katja eFichtel

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Microbial life in deep marine subsurface faces increasing temperatures and hydrostatic pressure with depth. In this study, we have examined growth characteristics and temperature-related adaptation of the Desulfovibrio indonesiensis strain P23 to the in situ pressure of 30 MPa. The strain originates from the deep subsurface of the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (IODP Site U1301. The organism was isolated at 20 °C and atmospheric pressure from ~61 °C-warm sediments approximately five meters above the sediment-basement interface. In comparison to standard laboratory conditions (20 °C and 0.1 MPa, faster growth was recorded when incubated at in situ pressure and high temperature (45 °C, while cell filamentation was induced by further compression. The maximum growth temperature shifted from 48°C at atmospheric pressure to 50°C under high-pressure conditions. Complementary cellular lipid analyses revealed a two-step response of membrane viscosity to increasing temperature with an exchange of unsaturated by saturated fatty acids and subsequent change from branched to unbranched alkyl moieties. While temperature had a stronger effect on the degree of fatty acid saturation and restructuring of main phospholipids, pressure mainly affected branching and length of side chains. The simultaneous decrease of temperature and pressure to ambient laboratory conditions allowed the cultivation of our moderately thermophilic strain. This may in turn be one key to a successful isolation of microorganisms from the deep subsurface adapted to high temperature and pressure.

Contaminant geochemistry. Interactions and transport in the subsurface environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkowitz, Brian; Dror, Ishai; Yaron, Bruno [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

2008-07-01

This book combines earth science, subsurface hydrology and environmental geochemistry, providing a comprehensive background for specialists interested in the protection and sustainable management of the subsurface environment. The reader is introduced to the chemistry of contaminants, which usually disturb the natural equilibrium in the subsurface as a result of human activity. The major focus of the book is on contaminant reactions in soil solutions, groundwater and porous media solid phases, accounting for their persistence and transformation in the subsurface, as they are transported from the land surface into groundwater. Discussions on selected case studies are provided. (orig.)

Barriers to Participation in Tourism in the Disabled

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaganek Krzysztof

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Physical activity is critical to effective rehabilitation in people with disabilities and, consequently, is of high importance in their lives. However, participation of the disabled in physical activity, including tourism, is a much more complex issue than in the case in able-bodied individuals. Material and methods. This paper aims to fill the gap and familiarise the reader with barriers faced by the disabled who engage in tourism. The study group consisted of randomly selected 460 participants with certificates specifying the degree of their disability. The group included 55 (12% individuals with visual impairments, 203 (44.1% individuals with hearing impairments, and 202 (43.9% individuals with locomotor system disabilities. Results. The data derived from interviews made with people with physical dysfunctions, designed with a view to achieving the aims of the study, were used to develop logistic regression models. Conclusions. On average, the greatest and smallest numbers of barriers were reported by individuals with severe disabilities and those who had large families, respectively. Younger disabled people most often complained about the equipment barriers to participation in tourism. Older respondents were mostly challenged with social barriers. Of all the determinants analysed in the study, the perception of barriers to participation in tourism most often depended on the subjects’ degree of disability.

Extracting subsurface fingerprints using optical coherence tomography

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Akhoury, SS

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Subsurface Fingerprints using Optical Coherence Tomography Sharat Saurabh Akhoury, Luke Nicholas Darlow Modelling and Digital Science, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa Abstract Physiologists have found... approach to extract the subsurface fingerprint representation using a high-resolution imaging technology known as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). ...

Defining the Post-Machined Sub-surface in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, N.; Sunil Kumar, B.; Kain, V.; Birbilis, N.; Joshi, S. S.; Sivaprasad, P. V.; Chai, G.; Durgaprasad, A.; Bhattacharya, S.; Samajdar, I.

2018-06-01

Austenitic stainless steels grades, with differences in chemistry, stacking fault energy, and thermal conductivity, were subjected to vertical milling. Anodic potentiodynamic polarization was able to differentiate (with machining speed/strain rate) between different post-machined sub-surfaces in SS 316L and Alloy A (a Cu containing austenitic stainless steel: Sanicroe 28™), but not in SS 304L. However, such differences (in the post-machined sub-surfaces) were revealed in surface roughness, sub-surface residual stresses and misorientations, and in the relative presence of sub-surface Cr2O3 films. It was shown, quantitatively, that higher machining speed reduced surface roughness and also reduced the effective depths of the affected sub-surface layers. A qualitative explanation on the sub-surface microstructural developments was provided based on the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity values. The results herein represent a mechanistic understanding to rationalize the corrosion performance of widely adopted engineering alloys.

Defining the Post-Machined Sub-surface in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, N.; Sunil Kumar, B.; Kain, V.; Birbilis, N.; Joshi, S. S.; Sivaprasad, P. V.; Chai, G.; Durgaprasad, A.; Bhattacharya, S.; Samajdar, I.

2018-04-01

Austenitic stainless steels grades, with differences in chemistry, stacking fault energy, and thermal conductivity, were subjected to vertical milling. Anodic potentiodynamic polarization was able to differentiate (with machining speed/strain rate) between different post-machined sub-surfaces in SS 316L and Alloy A (a Cu containing austenitic stainless steel: Sanicroe 28™), but not in SS 304L. However, such differences (in the post-machined sub-surfaces) were revealed in surface roughness, sub-surface residual stresses and misorientations, and in the relative presence of sub-surface Cr2O3 films. It was shown, quantitatively, that higher machining speed reduced surface roughness and also reduced the effective depths of the affected sub-surface layers. A qualitative explanation on the sub-surface microstructural developments was provided based on the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity values. The results herein represent a mechanistic understanding to rationalize the corrosion performance of widely adopted engineering alloys.

Fundamentals of the double-humped fission barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brack, M.

1980-01-01

We review the development of the theory of the fission barrier over the past forty years. Special emphasis is put on the shell-correction method of Strutinsky and its foundation and numerical verification from microscopical Hartree-Fock calculations. The different practical realisations of the method and its applications to the calculation of deformation energy surfaces are reviewed. The influence of the different shape degrees of freedom of the nucleus on the form of the fission barrier is discussed. Finally, we summarize some more recent developments concerning both experimental and theoretical aspects of the double-humped fission barrier. (author)

Characterization of accumulated precipitates during subsurface iron removal

KAUST Repository

Van Halem, Doris

2011-01-01

The principle of subsurface iron removal for drinking water supply is that aerated water is periodically injected into the aquifer through a tube well. On its way into the aquifer, the injected O2-rich water oxidizes adsorbed Fe 2+, creating a subsurface oxidation zone. When groundwater abstraction is resumed, the soluble Fe 2+ is adsorbed and water with reduced Fe concentrations is abstracted for multiple volumes of the injection water. In this article, Fe accumulation deposits in the aquifer near subsurface treatment wells were identified and characterized to assess the sustainability of subsurface iron removal regarding clogging of the aquifer and the potential co-accumulation of other groundwater constituents, such as As. Chemical extraction of soil samples, with Acid-Oxalate and HNO3, showed that Fe had accumulated at specific depths near subsurface iron removal wells after 12 years of operation. Whether it was due to preferred flow paths or geochemical mineralogy conditions; subsurface iron removal clearly favoured certain soil layers. The total Fe content increased between 11.5 and 390.8 mmol/kg ds in the affected soil layers, and the accumulated Fe was found to be 56-100% crystalline. These results suggest that precipitated amorphous Fe hydroxides have transformed to Fe hydroxides of higher crystallinity. These crystalline, compact Fe hydroxides have not noticeably clogged the investigated well and/or aquifer between 1996 and 2008. The subsurface iron removal wells even need less frequent rehabilitation, as drawdown increases more slowly than in normal production wells. Other groundwater constituents, such as Mn, As and Sr were found to co-accumulate with Fe. Acid extraction and ESEM-EDX showed that Ca occurred together with Fe and by X-ray Powder Diffraction it was identified as calcite. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaching of 14-Carbofuran into sub-surface water in vegetable agroecosystem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nashriyah Mat; Misman Sumin; Maizatul Akmam Mohd Nasir; Kubiak, R.

2000-01-01

An experimental setup was constructed to investigate leaching of 14C C arbofuran into sub-surface water through Bungor series sandy loam soil. The indoor lysimeter was constructed using homogenous and packed disturbed soil column. The outdoor lysimeter was constructed using undisturbed soil column. In the field, leachate production was influenced by rainfall intensity but tracer transport was independent of water transport to a certain degree. A high rainfall intensity at 39 DAA has not enhanced tracer leaching into sub-surface water in vegetable agroecosystem whereas a lower rainfall intensity at 21 DAA has enhanced its leaching. Indoor lysimeter behaved incoherently and showed non-parallel relationship between applied water and also volume of leachate produced with tracer transport. In both types of lysimeter, tracer transport and carbofuran transport generally correlated. Carbofuran and tracer were leached at a lower magnitude in outdoor lysimeter compared to the indoor lysimeter. The maximum total radioactivities leached were 1.1% and 0.4% of applied radio activities from indoor lysimeter and outdoor lysimeter at 35 and 21 DAA respectively. The maximum total carbofuran equivalent leached were 193.9 μg/L and 39.3 μg/L at 35 DAA and 21 DAA from indoor lysimeter and outdoor lysimeter respectively. (author)

Seismoelectric Effects based on Spectral-Element Method for Subsurface Fluid Characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Morency, C.

2017-12-01

Present approaches for subsurface imaging rely predominantly on seismic techniques, which alone do not capture fluid properties and related mechanisms. On the other hand, electromagnetic (EM) measurements add constraints on the fluid phase through electrical conductivity and permeability, but EM signals alone do not offer information of the solid structural properties. In the recent years, there have been many efforts to combine both seismic and EM data for exploration geophysics. The most popular approach is based on joint inversion of seismic and EM data, as decoupled phenomena, missing out the coupled nature of seismic and EM phenomena such as seismoeletric effects. Seismoelectric effects are related to pore fluid movements with respect to the solid grains. By analyzing coupled poroelastic seismic and EM signals, one can capture a pore scale behavior and access both structural and fluid properties.Here, we model the seismoelectric response by solving the governing equations derived by Pride and Garambois (1994), which correspond to Biot's poroelastic wave equations and Maxwell's electromagnetic wave equations coupled electrokinetically. We will show that these coupled wave equations can be numerically implemented by taking advantage of viscoelastic-electromagnetic mathematical equivalences. These equations will be solved using a spectral-element method (SEM). The SEM, in contrast to finite-element methods (FEM) uses high degree Lagrange polynomials. Not only does this allow the technique to handle complex geometries similarly to FEM, but it also retains exponential convergence and accuracy due to the use of high degree polynomials. Finally, we will discuss how this is a first step toward full coupled seismic-EM inversion to improve subsurface fluid characterization. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Effect of the grain size of the soil on the measured activity and variation in activity in surface and subsurface soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulaiti, H.A.; Rega, P.H.; Bradley, D.; Dahan, N.A.; Mugren, K.A.; Dosari, M.A.

2014-01-01

Correlation between grain size and activity concentrations of soils and concentrations of various radionuclides in surface and subsurface soils has been measured for samples taken in the State of Qatar by gamma-spectroscopy using a high purity germanium detector. From the obtained gamma-ray spectra, the activity concentrations of the 238U (226Ra) and /sup 232/ Th (/sup 228/ Ac) natural decay series, the long-lived naturally occurring radionuclide 40 K and the fission product radionuclide 137CS have been determined. Gamma dose rate, radium equivalent, radiation hazard index and annual effective dose rates have also been estimated from these data. In order to observe the effect of grain size on the radioactivity of soil, three grain sizes were used i.e., smaller than 0.5 mm; smaller than 1 mm and greater than 0.5 mm; and smaller than 2 mm and greater than 1 mm. The weighted activity concentrations of the 238U series nuclides in 0.5-2 mm grain size of sample numbers was found to vary from 2.5:f:0.2 to 28.5+-0.5 Bq/kg, whereas, the weighted activity concentration of 4 degree K varied from 21+-4 to 188+-10 Bq/kg. The weighted activity concentrations of 238U series and 4 degree K have been found to be higher in the finest grain size. However, for the 232Th series, the activity concentrations in the 1-2 mm grain size of one sample were found to be higher than in the 0.5-1 mm grain size. In the study of surface and subsurface soil samples, the activity concentration levels of 238 U series have been found to range from 15.9+-0.3 to 24.1+-0.9 Bq/kg, in the surface soil samples (0-5 cm) and 14.5+-0.3 to 23.6+-0.5 Bq/kg in the subsurface soil samples (5-25 cm). The activity concentrations of 232Th series have been found to lie in the range 5.7+-0.2 to 13.7+-0.5 Bq/kg, in the surface soil samples (0-5 cm)and 4.1+-0.2 to 15.6+-0.3 Bq/kg in the subsurface soil samples (5-25 cm). The activity concentrations of 4 degree K were in the range 150+-8 to 290+-17 Bq/kg, in the surface

An electrical resistivity-based method for investigation of subsurface structure

Science.gov (United States)

Alves Meira Neto, A.; Litwin, D.; Troch, P. A. A.; Ferre, T. P. A.

2017-12-01

Resolving the spatial distribution of soil porosity within the subsurface is of great importance for understanding flow and transport within heterogeneous media. Additionally, porosity patterns can be associated with the availability of water and carbon dioxide that will drive geochemical reactions and constrain microbiological growth. The use of controlled experimentation has the potential to circumvent problems related to the external and internal variability of natural systems, while also allowing a higher degree of observability. In this study, we suggest an ERT-based method of retrieving porosity fields based on the application of Archie's law associated with an experimental procedure that can be used in laboratory-scale studies. We used a 2 cubic meter soil lysimeter, equipped with 238 electrodes distributed along its walls for testing the method. The lysimeter serves as a scaled-down version of the highly monitored artificial hillslopes at the Landscape Evolution Observatory (LEO) located at Biosphere 2 - University of Arizona. The capability of the ERT system in deriving spatially distributed patterns of porosity with respect to its several sources of uncertainty was numerically evaluated. The results will be used to produce an optimal experimental design and for assessing the reliability of experimental results. This novel approach has the potential to further resolve subsurface heterogeneity within the LEO project, and highlight the use of ERT-derived results for hydro-bio-geochemical studies.

Contaminated environments in the subsurface and bioremediation: organic contaminants

OpenAIRE

Holliger, Christof; Gaspard, Sarra; Glod, Guy; Heijman, Cornelis; Schumacher, Wolfram; Schwarzenbach, René P.; Vazquez, Francisco

2017-01-01

Due to leakages, spills, improper disposal and accidents during transport, organic compounds have become subsurface contaminants that threaten important drinking water resources. One strategy to remediate such polluted subsurface environments is to make use of the degradative capacity of bacteria. It is often sufficient to supply the subsurface with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and aerobic treatments are still dominating. However, anaerobic processes have advantages such as low ...

Modular evaluation method for subsurface activities (MEMSA). A novel approach for integrating social acceptance in a permit decision-making process for subsurface activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Os, Herman W.A. van; Herber, Rien; Scholtens, Bert

2017-01-01

We investigate how the decision support system ‘Modular Evaluation Method Subsurface Activities’ (MEMSA) can help facilitate an informed decision-making process for permit applications of subsurface activities. To this end, we analyze the extent the MEMSA approach allows for a dialogue between stakeholders in a transparent manner. We use the exploration permit for the underground gas storage facility at the Pieterburen salt dome (Netherlands) as a case study. The results suggest that the MEMSA approach is flexible enough to adjust to changing conditions. Furthermore, MEMSA provides a novel way for identifying structural problems and possible solutions in permit decision-making processes for subsurface activities, on the basis of the sensitivity analysis of intermediate rankings. We suggest that the planned size of an activity should already be specified in the exploration phase, because this would allow for a more efficient use of the subsurface as a whole. We conclude that the host community should be involved to a greater extent and in an early phase of the permit decision-making process, for example, already during the initial analysis of the project area of a subsurface activity. We suggest that strategic national policy goals are to be re-evaluated on a regular basis, in the form of a strategic vision for the subsurface, to account for timing discrepancies between the realization of activities and policy deadlines, because this discrepancy can have a large impact on the necessity and therefore acceptance of a subsurface activity.

Modular evaluation method for subsurface activities (MEMSA). A novel approach for integrating social acceptance in a permit decision-making process for subsurface activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Os, Herman W.A. van, E-mail: h.w.a.van.os@rug.nl [University of Groningen, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Geo-Energy, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Herber, Rien, E-mail: rien.herber@rug.nl [University of Groningen, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Geo-Energy, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands); Scholtens, Bert, E-mail: l.j.r.scholtens@rug.nl [University of Groningen, Faculty of Economics and Business, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands)

2017-05-15

We investigate how the decision support system ‘Modular Evaluation Method Subsurface Activities’ (MEMSA) can help facilitate an informed decision-making process for permit applications of subsurface activities. To this end, we analyze the extent the MEMSA approach allows for a dialogue between stakeholders in a transparent manner. We use the exploration permit for the underground gas storage facility at the Pieterburen salt dome (Netherlands) as a case study. The results suggest that the MEMSA approach is flexible enough to adjust to changing conditions. Furthermore, MEMSA provides a novel way for identifying structural problems and possible solutions in permit decision-making processes for subsurface activities, on the basis of the sensitivity analysis of intermediate rankings. We suggest that the planned size of an activity should already be specified in the exploration phase, because this would allow for a more efficient use of the subsurface as a whole. We conclude that the host community should be involved to a greater extent and in an early phase of the permit decision-making process, for example, already during the initial analysis of the project area of a subsurface activity. We suggest that strategic national policy goals are to be re-evaluated on a regular basis, in the form of a strategic vision for the subsurface, to account for timing discrepancies between the realization of activities and policy deadlines, because this discrepancy can have a large impact on the necessity and therefore acceptance of a subsurface activity.

Electrode Cultivation and Interfacial Electron Transport in Subsurface Microorganisms

Science.gov (United States)

Karbelkar, A. A.; Jangir, Y.; Reese, B. K.; Wanger, G.; Anderson, C.; El-Naggar, M.; Amend, J.

2016-12-01

Continental subsurface environments can present significant energetic challenges to the resident microorganisms. While these environments are geologically diverse, potentially allowing energy harvesting by microorganisms that catalyze redox reactions, many of the abundant electron donors and acceptors are insoluble and therefore not directly bioavailable. Microbes can use extracellular electron transfer (EET) as a metabolic strategy to interact with redox active surfaces. This process can be mimicked on electrode surfaces and hence can lead to enrichment and quantification of subsurface microorganisms A primary bioelectrochemical enrichment with different oxidizing and reducing potentials set up in a single bioreactor was applied in situ to subsurface microorganisms residing in iron oxide rich deposits in the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Secondary enrichment revealed a plethora of classified and unclassified subsurface microbiota on both oxidizing and reducing potentials. From this enrichment, we have isolated a Gram-positive Bacillus along with Gram-negative Cupriavidus and Anaerospora strains (as electrode reducers) and Comamonas (as an electrode oxidizer). The Bacillus and Comamonas isolates were subjected to a detailed electrochemical characterization in half-reactors at anodic and cathodic potentials, respectively. An increase in cathodic current upon inoculation and cyclic voltammetry measurements confirm the hypothesis that Comamonas is capable of electron uptake from electrodes. In addition, measurements of Bacillus on anodes hint towards novel mechanisms that allow EET from Gram-positive bacteria. This study suggests that electrochemical approaches are well positioned to dissect such extracellular interactions that may be prevalent in the subsurface, while using physical electrodes to emulate the microhabitats, redox and geochemical gradients, and the spatially dependent interspecies interactions encountered in the subsurface. Electrochemical

30 CFR 250.119 - Will MMS approve subsurface gas storage?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Will MMS approve subsurface gas storage? 250....119 Will MMS approve subsurface gas storage? The Regional Supervisor may authorize subsurface storage of gas on the OCS, on and off-lease, for later commercial benefit. To receive MMS approval you must...

Abnormal growth kinetics of h-BN epitaxial monolayer on Ru(0001) enhanced by subsurface Ar species

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Wei; Meng, Jie; Meng, Caixia; Ning, Yanxiao; Li, Qunxiang; Fu, Qiang; Bao, Xinhe

2018-04-01

Growth kinetics of epitaxial films often follows the diffusion-limited aggregation mechanism, which shows a "fractal-to-compact" morphological transition with increasing growth temperature or decreasing deposition flux. Here, we observe an abnormal "compact-to-fractal" morphological transition with increasing growth temperature for hexagonal boron nitride growth on the Ru(0001) surface. The unusual growth process can be explained by a reaction-limited aggregation (RLA) mechanism. Moreover, introduction of the subsurface Ar atoms has enhanced this RLA growth behavior by decreasing both reaction and diffusion barriers. Our work may shed light on the epitaxial growth of two-dimensional atomic crystals and help to control their morphology.

Method of imaging the electrical conductivity distribution of a subsurface

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Timothy C.

2017-09-26

A method of imaging electrical conductivity distribution of a subsurface containing metallic structures with known locations and dimensions is disclosed. Current is injected into the subsurface to measure electrical potentials using multiple sets of electrodes, thus generating electrical resistivity tomography measurements. A numeric code is applied to simulate the measured potentials in the presence of the metallic structures. An inversion code is applied that utilizes the electrical resistivity tomography measurements and the simulated measured potentials to image the subsurface electrical conductivity distribution and remove effects of the subsurface metallic structures with known locations and dimensions.

Effect of gold subsurface layer on the surface activity and segregation in Pt/Au/Pt3M (where M = 3d transition metals) alloy catalyst from first-principles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chang-Eun; Lim, Dong-Hee; Jang, Jong Hyun; Kim, Hyoung Juhn; Yoon, Sung Pil; Han, Jonghee; Nam, Suk Woo; Hong, Seong-Ahn; Soon, Aloysius; Ham, Hyung Chul

2015-01-21

The effect of a subsurface hetero layer (thin gold) on the activity and stability of Pt skin surface in Pt3M system (M = 3d transition metals) is investigated using the spin-polarized density functional theory calculation. First, we find that the heterometallic interaction between the Pt skin surface and the gold subsurface in Pt/Au/Pt3M system can significantly modify the electronic structure of the Pt skin surface. In particular, the local density of states projected onto the d states of Pt skin surface near the Fermi level is drastically decreased compared to the Pt/Pt/Pt3M case, leading to the reduction of the oxygen binding strength of the Pt skin surface. This modification is related to the increase of surface charge polarization of outmost Pt skin atoms by the electron transfer from the gold subsurface atoms. Furthermore, a subsurface gold layer is found to cast the energetic barrier to the segregation loss of metal atoms from the bulk (inside) region, which can enhance the durability of Pt3M based catalytic system in oxygen reduction condition at fuel cell devices. This study highlights that a gold subsurface hetero layer can provide an additional mean to tune the surface activity toward oxygen species and in turn the oxygen reduction reaction, where the utilization of geometric strain already reaches its practical limit.

Geochemical characterization of subsurface sediments in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huisman, D.J.

1998-01-01

Traditionally, the Netherlands' subsurface is mainly used to obtain good quality drinking and industrial waters from the different aquifers. Due to the lack of space on the surface, increasing environmental problems and demand for energy, the subsurface will be used increasingly for other

Electrical Subsurface Grounding Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J.M. Calle

2000-01-01

The purpose and objective of this analysis is to determine the present grounding requirements of the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) subsurface electrical system and to verify that the actual grounding system and devices satisfy the requirements

Tracking snowmelt in the subsurface: time-lapse electrical resistivity imaging on an alpine hill slope.

Science.gov (United States)

Thayer, D.; Parsekian, A.; Hyde, K.; Beverly, D.; Speckman, H. N.; Ewers, B. E.

2015-12-01

In the mountain West region the winter snowpack provides more than 70% of our annual water supply. Modeling and predicting the timing and magnitude of snowmelt-driven water yield is difficult due to the complexities of hydrologic systems that move meltwater from snow to rivers. Particular challenges are understanding the temporal and spatial domain of subsurface hydraulic processes at relevant scales, which range from points to catchments. Subsurface characterization often requires borehole instrumentation, which is expensive and extremely difficult to install in remote, rugged terrain. Advancements in non-invasive geophysical methods allow us to monitor changes in geophysical parameters over time and infer changes in hydraulic processes. In the No-Name experimental catchment in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming, we are conducting a multi-season, time-lapse electrical resistivity imaging survey on a sub-alpine hill slope. This south-facing, partially forested slope ranges from 5 degrees to 35 degrees in steepness and consists of a soil mantle covering buried glacial talus deposits of unknown depth. A permanent grid of down-slope and cross-slope electrode arrays is monitored up to four times a day. The arrays span the entire vertical distance of the slope, from an exposed bedrock ridge to a seasonal drainage below, and cover treed and non-treed areas. Geophysical measurements are augmented by temperature and moisture time-series instrumented below the surface in a contiguous 3 meter borehole. A time-series of multiple resistivity models each day from May to July shows the changing distribution of subsurface moisture during a seasonal drying sequence punctuated by isolated rain events. Spatial patterns of changing moisture indicate that soil and gravel in the top two meters drain into a saturated layer parallel to the slope which overlies less saturated material. These results suggest that water from snowmelt and rain events tends to move down-slope beneath

Scenario simulation based assessment of subsurface energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Beyer, C.; Bauer, S.; Dahmke, A.

2014-12-01

Energy production from renewable sources such as solar or wind power is characterized by temporally varying power supply. The politically intended transition towards renewable energies in Germany („Energiewende") hence requires the installation of energy storage technologies to compensate for the fluctuating production. In this context, subsurface energy storage represents a viable option due to large potential storage capacities and the wide prevalence of suited geological formations. Technologies for subsurface energy storage comprise cavern or deep porous media storage of synthetic hydrogen or methane from electrolysis and methanization, or compressed air, as well as heat storage in shallow or moderately deep porous formations. Pressure build-up, fluid displacement or temperature changes induced by such operations may affect local and regional groundwater flow, geomechanical behavior, groundwater geochemistry and microbiology. Moreover, subsurface energy storage may interact and possibly be in conflict with other "uses" like drinking water abstraction or ecological goods and functions. An utilization of the subsurface for energy storage therefore requires an adequate system and process understanding for the evaluation and assessment of possible impacts of specific storage operations on other types of subsurface use, the affected environment and protected entities. This contribution presents the framework of the ANGUS+ project, in which tools and methods are developed for these types of assessments. Synthetic but still realistic scenarios of geological energy storage are derived and parameterized for representative North German storage sites by data acquisition and evaluation, and experimental work. Coupled numerical hydraulic, thermal, mechanical and reactive transport (THMC) simulation tools are developed and applied to simulate the energy storage and subsurface usage scenarios, which are analyzed for an assessment and generalization of the imposed THMC

Open problems in sub-barrier fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandenbosch, R.

1992-01-01

Two aspects of sub-barrier fusion are discussed. A challenge to the use of fission fragment angular distributions to probe the spin distribution in fusion is addressed. Evidence from excitation functions for the importance of neutron transfer and the neck degree of freedom is examined

Effect of gold subsurface layer on the surface activity and segregation in Pt/Au/Pt{sub 3}M (where M = 3d transition metals) alloy catalyst from first-principles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Chang-Eun [Fuel Cell Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 39-1 Hawolgok, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Global E3 Institute and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 120-749 Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Dong-Hee [Fuel Cell Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 39-1 Hawolgok, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk 362-763 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Jong Hyun; Kim, Hyoung Juhn; Yoon, Sung Pil; Han, Jonghee; Nam, Suk Woo [Fuel Cell Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 39-1 Hawolgok, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Seong-Ahn [Fuel Cell Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 39-1 Hawolgok, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Advanced Materials Chemistry, Korea University, Sejong-city 339-700 (Korea, Republic of); Soon, Aloysius, E-mail: aloysius.soon@yonsei.ac.kr, E-mail: hchahm@kist.re.kr [Global E3 Institute and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 120-749 Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ham, Hyung Chul, E-mail: aloysius.soon@yonsei.ac.kr, E-mail: hchahm@kist.re.kr [Fuel Cell Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 39-1 Hawolgok, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Clean Energy and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajungro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-01-21

The effect of a subsurface hetero layer (thin gold) on the activity and stability of Pt skin surface in Pt{sub 3}M system (M = 3d transition metals) is investigated using the spin-polarized density functional theory calculation. First, we find that the heterometallic interaction between the Pt skin surface and the gold subsurface in Pt/Au/Pt{sub 3}M system can significantly modify the electronic structure of the Pt skin surface. In particular, the local density of states projected onto the d states of Pt skin surface near the Fermi level is drastically decreased compared to the Pt/Pt/Pt{sub 3}M case, leading to the reduction of the oxygen binding strength of the Pt skin surface. This modification is related to the increase of surface charge polarization of outmost Pt skin atoms by the electron transfer from the gold subsurface atoms. Furthermore, a subsurface gold layer is found to cast the energetic barrier to the segregation loss of metal atoms from the bulk (inside) region, which can enhance the durability of Pt{sub 3}M based catalytic system in oxygen reduction condition at fuel cell devices. This study highlights that a gold subsurface hetero layer can provide an additional mean to tune the surface activity toward oxygen species and in turn the oxygen reduction reaction, where the utilization of geometric strain already reaches its practical limit.

Radiological aspects of choice of a system of cultivation of sod-podzolic sandy loam soils with different degree of humidity on lands of Mogilev region contaminated with 137Cs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazarevich, S.S.; Ermolenko, A.V.; Shapsheeva, T.P.

2010-01-01

In the conditions of the Republic of Belarus there were presented data about the influence of technological factors on entry of 137Cs into plant products (grain and green mass). In course of the study there were analyzed the following variants of soil cultivation: moldboard plowing; subsurface chisel soil tillage; subsurface surface soil tillage; minimal tillage. There were presented data on specific activity of 137Cs in plant product samples of oat (Avena sativa) grain; field pea (Pisum arvense L.) and oat mixture grain and green mass; wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain. There were determined the main principles of influence of cultivation systems of sod-podzolic sandy loam soil with different degree of humidity on transition of 137Cs into plants depending on the degree of soil and crop humidity. On the automorphic soil there was revealed a tendency of increased transition of 137Cs into grain and green mass after application of subsurface surface soil tillage system

Heating systems for heating subsurface formations

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Scott Vinh [Houston, TX; Vinegar, Harold J [Bellaire, TX

2011-04-26

Methods and systems for heating a subsurface formation are described herein. A heating system for a subsurface formation includes a sealed conduit positioned in an opening in the formation and a heat source. The sealed conduit includes a heat transfer fluid. The heat source provides heat to a portion of the sealed conduit to change phase of the heat transfer fluid from a liquid to a vapor. The vapor in the sealed conduit rises in the sealed conduit, condenses to transfer heat to the formation and returns to the conduit portion as a liquid.

Integrated geomechanical modelling at TNO for assessement of deep subsurface risks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Orlic, B.; Fokker, P.; Zijl, W.; Scheffers, B.

2001-01-01

Public authorities, E & P and the mining industry increasingly demand fundamental insight and accurate predictions on subsurface and surface deformation and damage due to exploitation of subsurface natural resources, and subsurface storage of energy residues (e.g. CO2). At this moment deformation is

Snowmelt-induced subsurface and overland flows in a hillslope in Noname Watershed, Laramie River Basin, Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, T.; Ohara, N.

2015-12-01

Only few field observations have been implemented using surface and sub-surface trenches to investigate snowmelt-induced hillslope runoffs in mountainous regions. Hillslope trenches may be one of the most direct ways to measure subsurface and overland flow during winter and spring seasons. In July 2014, a 10 meter long trench was constructed with hand tools through glacial till on a south facing hillslope in the Noname Watershed, Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming, where heavy equipment and motorized vehicles were restricted. This trench measures subsurface and overland flow for a 610 square meters catchment which has an average slope of 25 degrees. This water-collecting trench is equipped with 4 soil-moisture and temperature sensors to detect the presence of unsaturated flow. Field observations from the trench showed that diurnal oscillation of snowmelt seemed to control the overland flow between the snow and soil surface. The water inputs to the hillslope, including rainfall, evaporation, and snowmelt rates, were estimated from the energy balance computations using the observed meteorological data at the site. Using the water input data, the lateral flow component through the deeper soil or weathered bedrock layer was also quantified by the mass balance in the catchment. This study provides one of key field activities for Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) project.

Integrating ground-penetrating radar and borehole data from a Wadden Sea barrier island

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lars; Møller, I.; Nielsen, L. H.

2009-01-01

Sea level rise may have large implications for low-gradient barrier coastal systems. This problem motivated an integrated ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and sedimentological study of the Rømø Wadden Sea barrier island. Crossing W-E and N-S-oriented 100 MHz GPR reflection profiles with a total...... island. We document different standard processing steps which lead to increased signal-to-noise ratio, improved resolution and trustworthy GPR-to-borehole correlation. The GPR signals image the subsurface layering with a vertical resolution of ~ 0.2-0.3 m. The penetration depth of the GPR reflection...... conversion of the reflection profiles. The GPR reflections are correlated with sedimentological facies logs, and we test to which extent it is possible to map the architecture of different sedimentary units of the Rømø barrier island based on joint interpretation of the GPR and core data. Detailed...

3D Geological Mapping - uncovering the subsurface to increase environmental understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, H.; Mathers, S.; Peach, D.

2012-12-01

Geological understanding is required for many disciplines studying natural processes from hydrology to landscape evolution. The subsurface structure of rocks and soils and their properties occupies three-dimensional (3D) space and geological processes operate in time. Traditionally geologists have captured their spatial and temporal knowledge in 2 dimensional maps and cross-sections and through narrative, because paper maps and later two dimensional geographical information systems (GIS) were the only tools available to them. Another major constraint on using more explicit and numerical systems to express geological knowledge is the fact that a geologist only ever observes and measures a fraction of the system they study. Only on rare occasions does the geologist have access to enough real data to generate meaningful predictions of the subsurface without the input of conceptual understanding developed from and knowledge of the geological processes responsible for the deposition, emplacement and diagenesis of the rocks. This in turn has led to geology becoming an increasingly marginalised science as other disciplines have embraced the digital world and have increasingly turned to implicit numerical modelling to understand environmental processes and interactions. Recent developments in geoscience methodology and technology have gone some way to overcoming these barriers and geologists across the world are beginning to routinely capture their knowledge and combine it with all available subsurface data (of often highly varying spatial distribution and quality) to create regional and national geological three dimensional geological maps. This is re-defining the way geologists interact with other science disciplines, as their concepts and knowledge are now expressed in an explicit form that can be used downstream to design process models structure. For example, groundwater modellers can refine their understanding of groundwater flow in three dimensions or even directly

Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area annual report 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

In support of its vision for technological excellence, the Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area (SCFA) has identified three strategic goals. The three goals of the SCFA are: Contain and/or stabilize contamination sources that pose an imminent threat to surface and ground waters; Delineate DNAPL contamination in the subsurface and remediate DNAPL-contaminated soils and ground water; and Remove a full range of metal and radionuclide contamination in soils and ground water. To meet the challenges of remediating subsurface contaminants in soils and ground water, SCFA funded more than 40 technologies in fiscal year 1997. These technologies are grouped according to the following product lines: Dense Nonaqueous-Phase Liquids; Metals and Radionuclides; Source Term Containment; and Source Term Remediation. This report briefly describes the SCFA 1997 technologies and showcases a few key technologies in each product line

Complete Subsurface Elemental Composition Measurements With PING

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, A. M.

2012-01-01

The Probing In situ with Neutrons and Gamma rays (PING) instrument will measure the complete bulk elemental composition of the subsurface of Mars as well as any other solid planetary body. PING can thus be a highly effective tool for both detailed local geochemistry science investigations and precision measurements of Mars subsurface reSOurces in preparation for future human exploration. As such, PING is thus fully capable of meeting a majority of both ncar and far term elements in Challenge #1 presented for this conference. Measuring the ncar subsurface composition of Mars will enable many of the MEPAG science goals and will be key to filling an important Strategic Knowledge Gap with regard to In situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) needs for human exploration. [1, 2] PING will thus fill an important niche in the Mars Exploration Program.

Surfactant-modified zeolites as permeable barriers to organic and inorganic groundwater contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, R.S.; Sullivan, E.J.

1995-01-01

We have shown in laboratory experiments that natural zeolites treated with hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) are effective sorbents for nonpolar organics, inorganic cations, and inorganic anions. Due to their low cost (∼$0.75/kg) and granular nature, HDTMA-zeolites appear ideal candidates for reactive, permeable subsurface barriers. The HDTMA-zeolites are stable over a wide range of pH (3-13), ionic strength (1 M Cs + or Ca 2+ ), and in organic solvents. Surfactant-modified zeolites sorb nonpolar organics (benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorinated aliphatics) via a partitioning mechanism, inorganic cations (Pb 2+ ) via ion exchange and surface complexation, and inorganic anions (CrO 4 2- , SeO 4 2- , SO 4 2- ) via surface precipitation.The goal of this work is to demonstrate the use of surfactant-modified zeolite as a permeable barrier to ground water contaminants

Translucent Radiosity: Efficiently Combining Diffuse Inter-Reflection and Subsurface Scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Yu; Shi, Yulong; Wang, Lili; Narasimhan, Srinivasa G

2014-07-01

It is hard to efficiently model the light transport in scenes with translucent objects for interactive applications. The inter-reflection between objects and their environments and the subsurface scattering through the materials intertwine to produce visual effects like color bleeding, light glows, and soft shading. Monte-Carlo based approaches have demonstrated impressive results but are computationally expensive, and faster approaches model either only inter-reflection or only subsurface scattering. In this paper, we present a simple analytic model that combines diffuse inter-reflection and isotropic subsurface scattering. Our approach extends the classical work in radiosity by including a subsurface scattering matrix that operates in conjunction with the traditional form factor matrix. This subsurface scattering matrix can be constructed using analytic, measurement-based or simulation-based models and can capture both homogeneous and heterogeneous translucencies. Using a fast iterative solution to radiosity, we demonstrate scene relighting and dynamically varying object translucencies at near interactive rates.

Controlling Subsurface Fractures and Fluid Flow: A Basic Research Agenda

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States); DePaolo, Donald J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Pietraß, Tanja [USDOE Office of Science, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-05-22

From beneath the surface of the earth, we currently obtain about 80-percent of the energy our nation consumes each year. In the future we have the potential to generate billions of watts of electrical power from clean, green, geothermal energy sources. Our planet’s subsurface can also serve as a reservoir for storing energy produced from intermittent sources such as wind and solar, and it could provide safe, long-term storage of excess carbon dioxide, energy waste products and other hazardous materials. However, it is impossible to underestimate the complexities of the subsurface world. These complexities challenge our ability to acquire the scientific knowledge needed for the efficient and safe exploitation of its resources. To more effectively harness subsurface resources while mitigating the impacts of developing and using these resources, the U.S. Department of Energy established SubTER – the Subsurface Technology and Engineering RD&D Crosscut team. This DOE multi-office team engaged scientists and engineers from the national laboratories to assess and make recommendations for improving energy-related subsurface engineering. The SubTER team produced a plan with the overall objective of “adaptive control of subsurface fractures and fluid flow.”This plan revolved around four core technological pillars—Intelligent Wellbore Systems that sustain the integrity of the wellbore environment; Subsurface Stress and Induced Seismicity programs that guide and optimize sustainable energy strategies while reducing the risks associated with subsurface injections; Permeability Manipulation studies that improve methods of enhancing, impeding and eliminating fluid flow; and New Subsurface Signals that transform our ability to see into and characterize subsurface systems. The SubTER team developed an extensive R&D plan for advancing technologies within these four core pillars and also identified several areas where new technologies would require additional basic research

The influence of subsurface porosity and bedrock composition on ecosystem productivity and drought resilience in the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

Science.gov (United States)

Riebe, C. S.; Callahan, R. P.; Goulden, M.; Pasquet, S.; Flinchum, B. A.; Taylor, N. J.; Holbrook, W. S.

2017-12-01

The availability of water and nutrients in soil and weathered rock influences the distribution of Earth's terrestrial life and regulates ecosystem vulnerability to land use and climate change. We explored these relationships by combining geochemical and geophysical measurements at three mid-elevation sites in the Sierra Nevada, California. Forest cover correlates strongly with bedrock composition across the sites, implying strong lithologic control on the ecosystem. We evaluated two hypotheses about bedrock-ecosystem connections: 1) that bedrock composition influences vegetation by moderating plant-essential nutrient supply; and 2) that bedrock composition influences the degree of subsurface weathering, which influences vegetation by controlling subsurface water-storage capacity. To quantify subsurface water-holding capacity, we used seismic refraction surveys to infer gradients in P and S-wave velocity structure, which reveal variations in porosity when coupled together in a Hertz-Mindlin rock-physics model. We combined the geophysical data on porosity with bedrock bulk geochemistry measured in previous work to evaluate the influence of water-holding capacity and nutrient supply on ecosystem productivity, which we quantified using remote sensing. Our results show that more than 80% of the variance in ecosystem productivity can be explained by differences in bedrock phosphorus concentration and subsurface porosity, with phosphorus content being the dominant explanatory variable. This suggests that bedrock composition exerts a strong bottom-up control on ecosystem productivity through its influence on nutrient supply and weathering susceptibility, which in turn influences porosity. We show that vegetation vulnerability to drought stress and mortality can be explained in part by variations in subsurface water-holding capacity and rock-derived nutrient supply.

Bacterial communities associated with subsurface geochemical processes in continental serpentinite springs.

Science.gov (United States)

Brazelton, William J; Morrill, Penny L; Szponar, Natalie; Schrenk, Matthew O

2013-07-01

Reactions associated with the geochemical process of serpentinization can generate copious quantities of hydrogen and low-molecular-weight organic carbon compounds, which may provide energy and nutrients to sustain subsurface microbial communities independently of the photosynthetically supported surface biosphere. Previous microbial ecology studies have tested this hypothesis in deep sea hydrothermal vents, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field. This study applied similar methods, including molecular fingerprinting and tag sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, to ultrabasic continental springs emanating from serpentinizing ultramafic rocks. These molecular surveys were linked with geochemical measurements of the fluids in an interdisciplinary approach designed to distinguish potential subsurface organisms from those derived from surface habitats. The betaproteobacterial genus Hydrogenophaga was identified as a likely inhabitant of transition zones where hydrogen-enriched subsurface fluids mix with oxygenated surface water. The Firmicutes genus Erysipelothrix was most strongly correlated with geochemical factors indicative of subsurface fluids and was identified as the most likely inhabitant of a serpentinization-powered subsurface biosphere. Both of these taxa have been identified in multiple hydrogen-enriched subsurface habitats worldwide, and the results of this study contribute to an emerging biogeographic pattern in which Betaproteobacteria occur in near-surface mixing zones and Firmicutes are present in deeper, anoxic subsurface habitats.

Subsurface event detection and classification using Wireless Signal Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Suk-Un; Ghazanfari, Ehsan; Cheng, Liang; Pamukcu, Sibel; Suleiman, Muhannad T

2012-11-05

Subsurface environment sensing and monitoring applications such as detection of water intrusion or a landslide, which could significantly change the physical properties of the host soil, can be accomplished using a novel concept, Wireless Signal Networks (WSiNs). The wireless signal networks take advantage of the variations of radio signal strength on the distributed underground sensor nodes of WSiNs to monitor and characterize the sensed area. To characterize subsurface environments for event detection and classification, this paper provides a detailed list and experimental data of soil properties on how radio propagation is affected by soil properties in subsurface communication environments. Experiments demonstrated that calibrated wireless signal strength variations can be used as indicators to sense changes in the subsurface environment. The concept of WSiNs for the subsurface event detection is evaluated with applications such as detection of water intrusion, relative density change, and relative motion using actual underground sensor nodes. To classify geo-events using the measured signal strength as a main indicator of geo-events, we propose a window-based minimum distance classifier based on Bayesian decision theory. The window-based classifier for wireless signal networks has two steps: event detection and event classification. With the event detection, the window-based classifier classifies geo-events on the event occurring regions that are called a classification window. The proposed window-based classification method is evaluated with a water leakage experiment in which the data has been measured in laboratory experiments. In these experiments, the proposed detection and classification method based on wireless signal network can detect and classify subsurface events.

Advanced hydraulic fracturing methods to create in situ reactive barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murdoch, L.; Siegrist, B.; Vesper, S.

1997-01-01

Many contaminated areas consist of a source area and a plume. In the source area, the contaminant moves vertically downward from a release point through the vadose zone to an underlying saturated region. Where contaminants are organic liquids, NAPL may accumulate on the water table, or it may continue to migrate downward through the saturated region. Early developments of permeable barrier technology have focused on intercepting horizontally moving plumes with vertical structures, such as trenches, filled with reactive material capable of immobilizing or degrading dissolved contaminants. This focus resulted in part from a need to economically treat the potentially large volumes of contaminated water in a plume, and in part from the availability of construction technology to create the vertical structures that could house reactive compounds. Contaminant source areas, however, have thus far remained largely excluded from the application of permeable barrier technology. One reason for this is the lack of conventional construction methods for creating suitable horizontal structures that would place reactive materials in the path of downward-moving contaminants. Methods of hydraulic fracturing have been widely used to create flat-lying to gently dipping layers of granular material in unconsolidated sediments. Most applications thus far have involved filling fractures with coarse-grained sand to create permeable layers that will increase the discharge of wells recovering contaminated water or vapor. However, it is possible to fill fractures with other compounds that alter the chemical composition of the subsurface. One early application involved development and field testing micro-encapsulated sodium percarbonate, a solid compound that releases oxygen and can create aerobic conditions suitable for biodegradation in the subsurface for several months

The Mojave Subsurface Bio-Geochemistry Explorer (MOSBE)

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, J.; Beegle, L.; Abbey, W.; Bhartia, R.; Kounaves, S.; Russell, M.; Towles, D.

2012-01-01

The MOSBE Team has developed a terrestrial field campaign to explore two subsurface biological habitats under the Mojave Desert. This field campaign will not only help us understand terrestrial desert biology, but also will develop methodologies and strategies for potential future Mars missions that would seek to explore the Martian subsurface. We have proposed to the ASTEP program to integrate a suite of field demonstrated instruments with a 20 m subsurface drill as a coherent unit, the Mojave Subsurface Bio-geochemistry Explorer. The ATK Space Modular Planetary Drill System (MPDS) requires no drilling fluid, which allows aseptic sampling, can penetrate lithic ground up to 20 meters of depth, and utilizes less than 100 Watts throughout the entire depth. The drill has been developed and demonstrated in field testing to a depth of 10 meters in Arizona, December 2002. In addition to caching a continuous core throughout the drilling depth, it also generates and caches cuttings and fines that are strata-graphically correlated with the core. As a core segment is brought to the surface, it will be analyzed for texture and structure by a color microscopic imager and for relevant chemistry and mineralogy with a UV fluorescence/Raman spectrometer. Organic and soluble ionic species will be identified through two instruments -- a microcapillary electrophoresis, and an ion trap mass spectrometer that have been developed under PIDDP, ASTID and MIDP funding.

Geosystem services:A concept in support of sustainable development of the subsurface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ree, C.C.D.F.; van Beukering, P.J.H.

2016-01-01

Because functions of the subsurface are hidden from view, its important role in society is often taken for granted. Underground use in cities and subsurface resource extraction rapidly increase. Ensuring sustainability of the subsurface role requires balancing between exploitation and conservation,

Peeking Beneath the Caldera: Communicating Subsurface Knowledge of Newberry Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Mark-Moser, M.; Rose, K.; Schultz, J.; Cameron, E.

2016-12-01

"Imaging the Subsurface: Enhanced Geothermal Systems and Exploring Beneath Newberry Volcano" is an interactive website that presents a three-dimensional subsurface model of Newberry Volcano developed at National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Created using the Story Maps application by ArcGIS Online, this format's dynamic capabilities provide the user the opportunity for multimedia engagement with the datasets and information used to build the subsurface model. This website allows for an interactive experience that the user dictates, including interactive maps, instructive videos and video capture of the subsurface model, and linked information throughout the text. This Story Map offers a general background on the technology of enhanced geothermal systems and the geologic and development history of Newberry Volcano before presenting NETL's modeling efforts that support the installation of enhanced geothermal systems. The model is driven by multiple geologic and geophysical datasets to compare and contrast results which allow for the targeting of potential EGS sites and the reduction of subsurface uncertainty. This Story Map aims to communicate to a broad audience, and provides a platform to effectively introduce the model to researchers and stakeholders.

Martian sub-surface ionising radiation: biosignatures and geology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Ward

2007-07-01

Full Text Available The surface of Mars, unshielded by thick atmosphere or global magnetic field, is exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation. This ionising radiation field is deleterious to the survival of dormant cells or spores and the persistence of molecular biomarkers in the subsurface, and so its characterisation is of prime astrobiological interest. Here, we present modelling results of the absorbed radiation dose as a function of depth through the Martian subsurface, suitable for calculation of biomarker persistence. A second major implementation of this dose accumulation rate data is in application of the optically stimulated luminescence technique for dating Martian sediments.

We present calculations of the dose-depth profile in the Martian subsurface for various scenarios: variations of surface composition (dry regolith, ice, layered permafrost, solar minimum and maximum conditions, locations of different elevation (Olympus Mons, Hellas basin, datum altitude, and increasing atmospheric thickness over geological history. We also model the changing composition of the subsurface radiation field with depth compared between Martian locations with different shielding material, determine the relative dose contributions from primaries of different energies, and discuss particle deflection by the crustal magnetic fields.

Cultivation Of Deep Subsurface Microbial Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Obrzut, Natalia; Casar, Caitlin; Osburn, Magdalena R.

2018-01-01

The potential habitability of surface environments on other planets in our solar system is limited by exposure to extreme radiation and desiccation. In contrast, subsurface environments may offer protection from these stressors and are potential reservoirs for liquid water and energy that support microbial life (Michalski et al., 2013) and are thus of interest to the astrobiology community. The samples used in this project were extracted from the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory (DeMMO) in the former Homestake Mine at depths of 800 to 2000 feet underground (Osburn et al., 2014). Phylogenetic data from these sites indicates the lack of cultured representatives within the community. We used geochemical data to guide media design to cultivate and isolate organisms from the DeMMO communities. Media used for cultivation varied from heterotrophic with oxygen, nitrate or sulfate to autotrophic media with ammonia or ferrous iron. Environmental fluid was used as inoculum in batch cultivation and strains were isolated via serial transfers or dilution to extinction. These methods resulted in isolating aerobic heterotrophs, nitrate reducers, sulfate reducers, ammonia oxidizers, and ferric iron reducers. DNA sequencing of these strains is underway to confirm which species they belong to. This project is part of the NASA Astrobiology Institute Life Underground initiative to detect and characterize subsurface microbial life; by characterizing the intraterrestrials, the life living deep within Earth’s crust, we aim to understand the controls on how and where life survives in subsurface settings. Cultivation of terrestrial deep subsurface microbes will provide insight into the survival mechanisms of intraterrestrials guiding the search for these life forms on other planets.

Agile software development and the barriers to transfer of knowledge: An interpretive case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Nielsen, Peter Axel

2013-01-01

Agile practices to systems development are believed to depend largely on the developers’ competences, experience and knowledge and to a lesser degree on formal development processes and methods. In this paper we investigate the knowledge transfer and barriers to the transfer of agile development ...... to explain knowledge transfer and barriers, and (2) specifically explicate potential barriers hindering knowledge transfer of agile practices. This has implications for the implementation of agile development practices.......Agile practices to systems development are believed to depend largely on the developers’ competences, experience and knowledge and to a lesser degree on formal development processes and methods. In this paper we investigate the knowledge transfer and barriers to the transfer of agile development...... practices in an interpretive case study. The case company is a pharmaceutical firm where we studied how they develop software and how they transfer their own experience. Based on the literature we develop an initial framework of barriers to knowledge transfer and apply it to interpret the case study. From...

Change in ocean subsurface environment to suppress tropical cyclone intensification under global warming

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ping; Lin, I. -I; Chou, Chia; Huang, Rong-Hui

2015-01-01

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are hazardous natural disasters. Because TC intensification is significantly controlled by atmosphere and ocean environments, changes in these environments may cause changes in TC intensity. Changes in surface and subsurface ocean conditions can both influence a TC's intensification. Regarding global warming, minimal exploration of the subsurface ocean has been undertaken. Here we investigate future subsurface ocean environment changes projected by 22 state-of-the-art climate models and suggest a suppressive effect of subsurface oceans on the intensification of future TCs. Under global warming, the subsurface vertical temperature profile can be sharpened in important TC regions, which may contribute to a stronger ocean coupling (cooling) effect during the intensification of future TCs. Regarding a TC, future subsurface ocean environments may be more suppressive than the existing subsurface ocean environments. This suppressive effect is not spatially uniform and may be weak in certain local areas. PMID:25982028

Molecular analysis of deep subsurface bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jimenez Baez, L.E.

1989-09-01

Deep sediments samples from site C10a, in Appleton, and sites, P24, P28, and P29, at the Savannah River Site (SRS), near Aiken, South Carolina were studied to determine their microbial community composition, DNA homology and mol %G+C. Different geological formations with great variability in hydrogeological parameters were found across the depth profile. Phenotypic identification of deep subsurface bacteria underestimated the bacterial diversity at the three SRS sites, since bacteria with the same phenotype have different DNA composition and less than 70% DNA homology. Total DNA hybridization and mol %G+C analysis of deep sediment bacterial isolates suggested that each formation is comprised of different microbial communities. Depositional environment was more important than site and geological formation on the DNA relatedness between deep subsurface bacteria, since more 70% of bacteria with 20% or more of DNA homology came from the same depositional environments. Based on phenotypic and genotypic tests Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp.-like bacteria were identified in 85 million years old sediments. This suggests that these microbial communities might have been adapted during a long period of time to the environmental conditions of the deep subsurface

Agriculture and wildlife: ecological implications of subsurface irrigation drainage

Science.gov (United States)

A. Dennis Lemly

1994-01-01

Subsurface agricultural irrigation drainage is a wastewater with the potential to severely impact wetlands and wildlife populations. Widespread poisoning of migratory birds by drainwater contaminants has occurred in the western United States and waterfowl populations are threatened in the Pacific and Central flyways. Irrigated agriculture could produce subsurface...

Enamel subsurface damage due to tooth preparation with diamonds.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, H H; Kelly, J R; Jahanmir, S; Thompson, V P; Rekow, E D

1997-10-01

In clinical tooth preparation with diamond burs, sharp diamond particles indent and scratch the enamel, causing material removal. Such operations may produce subsurface damage in enamel. However, little information is available on the mechanisms and the extent of subsurface damage in enamel produced during clinical tooth preparation. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the mechanisms of subsurface damage produced in enamel during tooth preparation by means of diamond burs, and to examine the dependence of such damage on enamel rod orientation, diamond particle size, and removal rate. Subsurface damage was evaluated by a bonded-interface technique. Tooth preparation was carried out on two enamel rod orientations, with four clinical diamond burs (coarse, medium, fine, and superfine) used in a dental handpiece. The results of this study showed that subsurface damage in enamel took the form of median-type cracks and distributed microcracks, extending preferentially along the boundaries between the enamel rods. Microcracks within individual enamel rods were also observed. The median-type cracks were significantly longer in the direction parallel to the enamel rods than perpendicular to the rods. Preparation with the coarse diamond bur produced cracks as deep as 84 +/- 30 microns in enamel. Finishing with fine diamond burs was effective in crack removal. The crack lengths in enamel were not significantly different when the removal rate was varied. Based on these results, it is concluded that subsurface damage in enamel induced by tooth preparation takes the form of median-type cracks as well as inter- and intra-rod microcracks, and that the lengths of these cracks are sensitive to diamond particle size and enamel rod orientation, but insensitive to removal rate.

Subsurface Event Detection and Classification Using Wireless Signal Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhannad T. Suleiman

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Subsurface environment sensing and monitoring applications such as detection of water intrusion or a landslide, which could significantly change the physical properties of the host soil, can be accomplished using a novel concept, Wireless Signal Networks (WSiNs. The wireless signal networks take advantage of the variations of radio signal strength on the distributed underground sensor nodes of WSiNs to monitor and characterize the sensed area. To characterize subsurface environments for event detection and classification, this paper provides a detailed list and experimental data of soil properties on how radio propagation is affected by soil properties in subsurface communication environments. Experiments demonstrated that calibrated wireless signal strength variations can be used as indicators to sense changes in the subsurface environment. The concept of WSiNs for the subsurface event detection is evaluated with applications such as detection of water intrusion, relative density change, and relative motion using actual underground sensor nodes. To classify geo-events using the measured signal strength as a main indicator of geo-events, we propose a window-based minimum distance classifier based on Bayesian decision theory. The window-based classifier for wireless signal networks has two steps: event detection and event classification. With the event detection, the window-based classifier classifies geo-events on the event occurring regions that are called a classification window. The proposed window-based classification method is evaluated with a water leakage experiment in which the data has been measured in laboratory experiments. In these experiments, the proposed detection and classification method based on wireless signal network can detect and classify subsurface events.

Reactive barrier technologies for treatment of contaminated groundwater at Rocky Flats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marozas, D.C.; Bujewski, G.E.; Castaneda, N.

1997-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and Technology Subsurface Contaminants Focus Area is supporting the investigation of reactive barrier technologies to mitigate the risks associated with mixed organic/radioactive waste at several DOE sites. Groundwater from a small contaminated plume at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) is being used to evaluate passive reactive material treatment. Permeable reactive barriers which intercept contaminants and destroy the VOC component while containing radionuclides are attractive for a number of reasons relating to public and regulatory acceptance. In situ treatment keeps contaminants away from the earth's surface, there is no above-ground treatment equipment that could expose workers and the public and operational costs are expected to be lower than currently used technologies. This paper will present results from preliminary site characterization and in-field small-scale column testing of reactive materials at RFETS. Successful demonstration is expected to lead to full-scale implementation of the technology at several DOE sites, including Rocky Flats

Coastal barrier stratigraphy for Holocene high-resolution sea-level reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Costas, Susana; Ferreira, Óscar; Plomaritis, Theocharis A; Leorri, Eduardo

2016-12-08

The uncertainties surrounding present and future sea-level rise have revived the debate around sea-level changes through the deglaciation and mid- to late Holocene, from which arises a need for high-quality reconstructions of regional sea level. Here, we explore the stratigraphy of a sandy barrier to identify the best sea-level indicators and provide a new sea-level reconstruction for the central Portuguese coast over the past 6.5 ka. The selected indicators represent morphological features extracted from coastal barrier stratigraphy, beach berm and dune-beach contact. These features were mapped from high-resolution ground penetrating radar images of the subsurface and transformed into sea-level indicators through comparison with modern analogs and a chronology based on optically stimulated luminescence ages. Our reconstructions document a continuous but slow sea-level rise after 6.5 ka with an accumulated change in elevation of about 2 m. In the context of SW Europe, our results show good agreement with previous studies, including the Tagus isostatic model, with minor discrepancies that demand further improvement of regional models. This work reinforces the potential of barrier indicators to accurately reconstruct high-resolution mid- to late Holocene sea-level changes through simple approaches.

Imaging subsurface geology and volatile organic compound plumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qualheim, B.J.; Daley, P.F.; Johnson, V.; McPherrin, R.V.; Laguna, G.

1992-03-01

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) (Fig. 1) is in the final stages of the Superfund decisionmaking process for site remediation and restoration. In the process of characterizing the subsurface of the LLNL site, we have developed unique methods of collecting, storing, retrieving, and imaging geologic and chemical data from more than 350 drill holes. The lateral and vertical continuity of subsurface paleostream channels were mapped for the entire LLNL site using geologic descriptions from core samples, cuttings, and interpretations from geophysical logs. A computer-aided design and drafting program, SLICE, written at LLNL, was used to create two-dimensional maps of subsurface sediments, and state-of-the-art software produced three-dimensional images of the volatile organic compound (VOC) plumes using data from water and core fluid analyses

Water and nitrogen requirements of subsurface drip irrigated pomegranate

Science.gov (United States)

Surface drip irrigation is a well-developed practice for both annual and perennial crops. The use of subsurface drip is a well-established practice in many annual row crops, e.g. tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce. However, the use of subsurface drip on perennial crops has been slow to develop. With th...

Subsurface chlorophyll maxima in the north-western Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sarma, V.V.; Aswanikumar, V.

of thermocline suggests that the formation of the subsurface maximum is influencEd. by the presence of seasonal thermocline. Further the subsurface chlorophyll maximum is noticed within the depth ranges of ammonium maximum and nitracline, suggesting...

Damage and recovery of skin barrier function after glycolic acid chemical peeling and crystal microdermabrasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Ji Youn; Kang, Hyun A; Kim, Mi-Yeon; Park, Young Min; Kim, Hyung Ok

2004-03-01

Superficial chemical peeling and microdermabrasion have become increasingly popular methods for producing facial rejuvenation. However, there are few studies reporting the skin barrier function changes after these procedures. To evaluate objectively the degree of damage visually and the time needed for the skin barrier function to recover after glycolic acid peeling and aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion using noninvasive bioengineering methods. Superficial chemical peeling using 30%, 50%, and 70% glycolic acid and aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion were used on the volar forearm of 13 healthy women. The skin response was measured by a visual observation and using an evaporimeter, corneometer, and colorimeter before and after peeling at set time intervals. Both glycolic acid peeling and aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion induced significant damage to the skin barrier function immediately after the procedure, and the degree of damage was less severe after the aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion compared with glycolic acid peeling. The damaged skin barrier function had recovered within 24 hours after both procedures. The degree of erythema induction was less severe after the aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion compared with the glycolic acid peeling procedure. The degree of erythema induced after the glycolic acid peeling procedure was not proportional to the peeling solution concentration used. The erythema subsided within 1 day after the aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion procedure and within 4 days after the glycolic acid peeling procedure. These results suggest that the skin barrier function is damaged after the glycolic acid peeling and aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion procedure but recovers within 1 to 4 days. Therefore, repeating the superficial peeling procedure at 2-week intervals will allow sufficient time for the damaged skin to recover its barrier function.

Ma_MISS on ExoMars: Mineralogical Characterization of the Martian Subsurface

Science.gov (United States)

De Sanctis, Maria Cristina; Altieri, Francesca; Ammannito, Eleonora; Biondi, David; De Angelis, Simone; Meini, Marco; Mondello, Giuseppe; Novi, Samuele; Paolinetti, Riccardo; Soldani, Massimo; Mugnuolo, Raffaele; Pirrotta, Simone; Vago, Jorge L.; Ma_MISS Team

2017-07-01

The Ma_MISS (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies) experiment is the visible and near infrared (VNIR) miniaturized spectrometer hosted by the drill system of the ExoMars 2020 rover. Ma_MISS will perform IR spectral reflectance investigations in the 0.4-2.2 μm range to characterize the mineralogy of excavated borehole walls at different depths (between 0 and 2 m). The spectral sampling is about 20 nm, whereas the spatial resolution over the target is 120 μm. Making use of the drill's movement, the instrument slit can scan a ring and build up hyperspectral images of a borehole. The main goal of the Ma_MISS instrument is to study the martian subsurface environment. Access to the martian subsurface is crucial to our ability to constrain the nature, timing, and duration of alteration and sedimentation processes on Mars, as well as habitability conditions. Subsurface deposits likely host and preserve H2O ice and hydrated materials that will contribute to our understanding of the H2O geochemical environment (both in the liquid and in the solid state) at the ExoMars 2020 landing site. The Ma_MISS spectral range and sampling capabilities have been carefully selected to allow the study of minerals and ices in situ before the collection of samples. Ma_MISS will be implemented to accomplish the following scientific objectives: (1) determine the composition of subsurface materials, (2) map the distribution of subsurface H2O and volatiles, (3) characterize important optical and physical properties of materials (e.g., grain size), and (4) produce a stratigraphic column that will inform with regard to subsurface geological processes. The Ma_MISS findings will help to refine essential criteria that will aid in our selection of the most interesting subsurface formations from which to collect samples.

Transport of Chemical Vapors from Subsurface Sources to Atmosphere as Affected by Shallow Subsurface and Atmospheric Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, A. K.; Smits, K. M.; Hosken, K.; Schulte, P.; Illangasekare, T. H.

2012-12-01

Understanding the movement and modeling of chemical vapor through unsaturated soil in the shallow subsurface when subjected to natural atmospheric thermal and mass flux boundary conditions at the land surface is of importance to applications such as landmine detection and vapor intrusion into subsurface structures. New, advanced technologies exist to sense chemical signatures at the land/atmosphere interface, but interpretation of these sensor signals to make assessment of source conditions remains a challenge. Chemical signatures are subject to numerous interactions while migrating through the unsaturated soil environment, attenuating signal strength and masking contaminant source conditions. The dominant process governing movement of gases through porous media is often assumed to be Fickian diffusion through the air phase with minimal or no quantification of other processes contributing to vapor migration, such as thermal diffusion, convective gas flow due to the displacement of air, expansion/contraction of air due to temperature changes, temporal and spatial variations of soil moisture and fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. Soil water evaporation and interfacial mass transfer add to the complexity of the system. The goal of this work is to perform controlled experiments under transient conditions of soil moisture, temperature and wind at the land/atmosphere interface and use the resulting dataset to test existing theories on subsurface gas flow and iterate between numerical modeling efforts and experimental data. Ultimately, we aim to update conceptual models of shallow subsurface vapor transport to include conditionally significant transport processes and inform placement of mobile sensors and/or networks. We have developed a two-dimensional tank apparatus equipped with a network of sensors and a flow-through head space for simulation of the atmospheric interface. A detailed matrix of realistic atmospheric boundary conditions was applied in a series of

Subsurface Noble Gas Sampling Manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carrigan, C. R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Sun, Y. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-09-18

The intent of this document is to provide information about best available approaches for performing subsurface soil gas sampling during an On Site Inspection or OSI. This information is based on field sampling experiments, computer simulations and data from the NA-22 Noble Gas Signature Experiment Test Bed at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site (NNSS). The approaches should optimize the gas concentration from the subsurface cavity or chimney regime while simultaneously minimizing the potential for atmospheric radioxenon and near-surface Argon-37 contamination. Where possible, we quantitatively assess differences in sampling practices for the same sets of environmental conditions. We recognize that all sampling scenarios cannot be addressed. However, if this document helps to inform the intuition of the reader about addressing the challenges resulting from the inevitable deviations from the scenario assumed here, it will have achieved its goal.

Yucca Mountain Project Subsurface Facilities Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linden, A.; Saunders, R.S.; Boutin, R.J.; Harrington, P.G.; Lachman, K.D.; Trautner, L.J.

2002-01-01

Four units of the Topopah Springs formation (volcanic tuff) are considered for the proposed repository: the upper lithophysal, the middle non-lithophysal, the lower lithophysal, and the lower non-lithophysal. Yucca Mountain was recently designated the site for a proposed repository to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Work is proceeding to advance the design of subsurface facilities to accommodate emplacing waste packages in the proposed repository. This paper summarized recent progress in the design of subsurface layout of the proposed repository. The original Site Recommendation (SR) concept for the subsurface design located the repository largely within the lower lithophysal zone (approximately 73%) of the Topopah The Site Recommendation characterized area suitable for emplacement consisted of the primary upper block, the lower block and the southern upper block extension. The primary upper block accommodated the mandated 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) at a 1.45 kW/m hear heat load. Based on further study of the Site Recommendation concept, the proposed repository siting area footprint was modified to make maximum use of available site characterization data, and thus, reduce uncertainties associated with performance assessment. As a result of this study, a modified repository footprint has been proposed and is presently being review for acceptance by the DOE. A panel design concept was developed to reduce overall costs and reduce the overall emplacement schedule. This concept provides flexibility to adjust the proposed repository subsurface layout with time, as it makes it unnecessary to ''commit'' to development of a large single panel at the earliest stages of construction. A description of the underground layout configuration and influencing factors that affect the layout configuration are discussed in the report

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: SUBSURFACE VOLATILIZATION AND VENTILATION SYSTEM - BROWN & ROOT ENVIRONMENTAL

Science.gov (United States)

The Subsurface Volatilization and Ventilation System (SVVS*) is an in-situ vacuum extraction/air sparging and bioremediation technology for the treatment of subsurface organic contamination in soil and groundwater. The technology, developed by Billings and Associates, Inc., and o...

Diffusion and aggregation of subsurface radiation defects in lithium fluoride nanocrystals

Science.gov (United States)

Voitovich, A. P.; Kalinov, V. S.; Martynovich, E. F.; Stupak, A. P.; Runets, L. P.

2015-09-01

Lithium fluoride nanocrystals were irradiated by gamma rays at a temperature below the temperature corresponding to the mobility of anion vacancies. The kinetics of the aggregation of radiation-induced defects in subsurface layers of nanocrystals during annealing after irradiation was elucidated. The processes that could be used to determine the activation energy of the diffusion of anion vacancies were revealed. The value of this energy in subsurface layers was obtained. For subsurface layers, the concentrations ratio of vacancies and defects consisting of one vacancy and two electrons was found. The factors responsible for the differences in the values of the activation energies and concentration ratios in subsurface layers and in the bulk of the crystals were discussed.

Quantitative subsurface analysis using frequency modulated thermal wave imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Subhani, S. K.; Suresh, B.; Ghali, V. S.

2018-01-01

Quantitative depth analysis of the anomaly with an enhanced depth resolution is a challenging task towards the estimation of depth of the subsurface anomaly using thermography. Frequency modulated thermal wave imaging introduced earlier provides a complete depth scanning of the object by stimulating it with a suitable band of frequencies and further analyzing the subsequent thermal response using a suitable post processing approach to resolve subsurface details. But conventional Fourier transform based methods used for post processing unscramble the frequencies with a limited frequency resolution and contribute for a finite depth resolution. Spectral zooming provided by chirp z transform facilitates enhanced frequency resolution which can further improves the depth resolution to axially explore finest subsurface features. Quantitative depth analysis with this augmented depth resolution is proposed to provide a closest estimate to the actual depth of subsurface anomaly. This manuscript experimentally validates this enhanced depth resolution using non stationary thermal wave imaging and offers an ever first and unique solution for quantitative depth estimation in frequency modulated thermal wave imaging.

Subsurface defects structural evolution in nano-cutting of single crystal copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Quanlong; Bai, Qingshun; Chen, Jiaxuan; Sun, Yazhou; Guo, Yongbo; Liang, Yingchun

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An innovative analysis method is adopted to analyze nano-cutting process accurately. • A characteristic SFT and stair-rod dislocation are found in subsurface defect layer. • The formation mechanism of stair-rod dislocation is investigated. • The local atomic structure of subsurface defects is introduced. - Abstract: In this work, molecular dynamics simulation is performed to study the subsurface defects structural distribution and its evolution during nano-cutting process of single crystal copper. The formation mechanism of chip and machined surface is interviewed by analyzing the dislocation evolution and atomic migration. The centro-symmetry parameter and spherical harmonics method are adopted to characterize the distribution and evolution of the subsurface defect structures and local atomic structures. The results show that stacking faults, dislocation loops, “V-shaped” dislocation loops, and plenty of point defects are formed during the machined surface being formed in shear-slip zone. In subsurface damage layers, stair-rod dislocation, stacking fault tetrahedra, atomic cluster defect, and vacancy defect are formed. And the formation mechanism of stair-rod dislocation is investigated by atomic-scale structure evolution. The local atomic structures of subsurface defects are icosahedrons, hexagonal close packed, body-centered cubic, and defect face center cubic, and the variations of local atomic structures are investigated

Subsurface defects structural evolution in nano-cutting of single crystal copper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Quanlong [School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Bai, Qingshun [School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Chen, Jiaxuan, E-mail: wangquanlong0@hit.edu.cn [Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Sun, Yazhou [School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Guo, Yongbo [Center for Precision Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Liang, Yingchun [School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China)

2015-07-30

Highlights: • An innovative analysis method is adopted to analyze nano-cutting process accurately. • A characteristic SFT and stair-rod dislocation are found in subsurface defect layer. • The formation mechanism of stair-rod dislocation is investigated. • The local atomic structure of subsurface defects is introduced. - Abstract: In this work, molecular dynamics simulation is performed to study the subsurface defects structural distribution and its evolution during nano-cutting process of single crystal copper. The formation mechanism of chip and machined surface is interviewed by analyzing the dislocation evolution and atomic migration. The centro-symmetry parameter and spherical harmonics method are adopted to characterize the distribution and evolution of the subsurface defect structures and local atomic structures. The results show that stacking faults, dislocation loops, “V-shaped” dislocation loops, and plenty of point defects are formed during the machined surface being formed in shear-slip zone. In subsurface damage layers, stair-rod dislocation, stacking fault tetrahedra, atomic cluster defect, and vacancy defect are formed. And the formation mechanism of stair-rod dislocation is investigated by atomic-scale structure evolution. The local atomic structures of subsurface defects are icosahedrons, hexagonal close packed, body-centered cubic, and defect face center cubic, and the variations of local atomic structures are investigated.

Dissipation, fluctuations and the fusion of heavy ions near the Coulomb barrier

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canto, L F

1989-01-09

We study the role of internal degrees of freedom in the transmission of a classical particle over a potential barrier. The internal degrees of freedom are represented by harmonic oscillators and a linear approximation is adopted for the coupling. The frequency spectrum of the oscillators and the coupling strength are assumed to be such as to give rise to a weak friction in the particle coordinate. We show that the interaction with the oscillators leads to an effective increase epsilon/sub 0/ in the height of the potential barrier and to an energy-spread sigma in the transmission factor. We show also that epsilon/sub 0/ and sigma satisfy a dissipation-fluctuation relation. The theory is applied to the fusion of heavy ions at energies near the Coulomb barrier and the results are shown to be in agreement with the data.

Fusion and quasi-elastic processes near the Coulomb barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abriola, D.

1987-01-01

An overview of the fusion phenomenon below Coulomb barrier is presented. The current theoretical descriptions, emphasizing the relations with direct reactions are discussed. The definition and systematic behaviour of the fusion enhancement below the Coulomb barrier are also presented. The role of coupling to surface degrees of freedom, namely permanent deformations of nuclei, inelastic and transfer channels is shown. The importance of studies describing simultaneously quase-elastic processes and fusion are also shown. (M.C.K.) [pt

Field experiments with subsurface releases of oil and and dyed water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rye, H.; Brandvik, P.J.; Strom, T.

1998-01-01

A field experiment with a subsurface release of oil and air was carried out in June 1996 close to the Frigg Field in the North Sea area. One of the purposes of this sea trial was to increase the knowledge concerning the behaviour of the oil and gas during a subsurface blowout. This was done by releasing oil and air at 106 meters depth with a realistic gas oil ratio (GOR=67) and release velocity of the oil. In addition to the oil release, several releases with dyed water and gas (GOR=7 - 65) were performed. Important and unique data were collected during these subsurface releases. In particular, the experiments with the dyed water releases combined with air turned out to be an efficient way of obtaining field data for the behaviour of subsurface plumes. The main conclusions from analysis for the data collected are: the field methodology used to study blowout releases in the field appears to be appropriate. The use of dyed water to determine the performance of the subsurface plume proved out to be an efficient way to obtain reliable and useful data. The behaviour of the subsurface plume is very sensitive to gas flow rates. For low gas flow rates, the plume did not reach the sea surface at all due to the presence of stratification in the ambient water. Some discrepancies were found between a numerical model for subsurface releases and field results. These discrepancies are pointed out, and recommendations for possible model improvements are given. (author)

Aseptically Sampled Organics in Subsurface Rocks From the Mars Analog Rio Tinto Experiment: An Analog For The Search for Deep Subsurface Life on Mars.}

Science.gov (United States)

Bonaccorsi, R.; Stoker, C. R.

2005-12-01

The subsurface is the key environment for searching for life on planets lacking surface life. Subsurface ecosystems are of great relevance to astrobiology including the search for past/present life on Mars. The surface of Mars has conditions preventing current life but the subsurface might preserve organics and even host some life [1]. The Mars-Analog-Rio-Tinto-Experiment (MARTE) is performing a simulation of a Mars drilling experiment. This comprises conventional and robotic drilling of cores in a volcanically-hosted-massive-pyrite deposit [2] from the Iberian Pyritic Belt (IBP) and life detection experiments applying anti-contamination protocols (e.g., ATP Luminometry assay). The RT is considered an important analog of the Sinus Meridiani site on Mars and an ideal model analog for a deep subsurface Martian environment. Former results from MARTE suggest the existence of a relatively complex subsurface life including aerobic and anaerobic chemoautotrophs and strict anaerobic methanogens sustained by Fe and S minerals in anoxic conditions. A key requirement for the analysis of a subsurface sample on Mars is a set of simple tests that can help determine if the sample contains organic material of biological origin, and its potential for retaining definitive biosignatures. We report here on the presence of bulk organic matter Corg (0.03-0.05 Wt%), and Ntot (0.01-0.04 Wt%) and amount of measured ATP (Lightning MVP, Biocontrol) in weathered rocks (tuffs, gossan, pyrite stockwork from Borehole #8; >166m). This provides key insight on the type of trophic system sustaining the subsurface biosphere (i.e., heterotrophs vs. autotrophs) at RT. ATP data (Relative-Luminosity-Units, RLU) provide information on possible contamination and distribution of viable biomass with core depth (BH#8, and BH#7, ~3m). Avg. 153 RLU, i.e., surface vs. center of core, suggest that cleaness/sterility can be maintained when using a simple sterile protocol under field conditions. Results from this

Spin-polarized inelastic tunneling through insulating barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Y; Tran, M; Jaffrès, H; Seneor, P; Deranlot, C; Petroff, F; George, J-M; Lépine, B; Ababou, S; Jézéquel, G

2009-05-01

Spin-conserving hopping transport through chains of localized states has been evidenced by taking benefit of the high degree of spin-polarization of CoFeB-MgO-CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions. In particular, our data show that relatively thick MgO barriers doped with boron favor the activation of spin-conserving inelastic channels through a chain of three localized states and leading to reduced magnetoresistance effects. We propose an extension of the Glazman-Matveev theory to the case of ferromagnetic reservoirs to account for spin-polarized inelastic tunneling through nonmagnetic localized states embedded in an insulating barrier.

Selection of organic chemicals for subsurface transport. Subsurface transport program interaction seminar series. Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zachara, J.M.; Wobber, F.J.

1984-11-01

Model compounds are finding increasing use in environmental research. These individual compounds are selected as surrogates of important contaminants present in energy/defense wastes and their leachates and are used separately or as mixtures in research to define the anticipated or ''model'' environmental behavior of key waste components and to probe important physicochemical mechanisms involved in transport and fate. A seminar was held in Germantown, Maryland, April 24-25, 1984 to discuss the nature of model organic compounds being used for subsurface transport research. The seminar included participants experienced in the fields of environmental chemistry, microbiology, geohydrology, biology, and analytic chemistry. The objectives of the seminar were two-fold: (1) to review the rationale for the selection of organic compounds adopted by research groups working on the subsurface transport of organics, and (2) to evaluate the use of individual compounds to bracket the behavior of compound classes and compound constructs to approximate the behavior of complex organic mixtures

AquaDiva: Understanding the Link between the Surface and Subsurface Biogeosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Trumbore, S.; Küsel, K.; Totsche, K. U.; Schwab, V.; Herrmann, M.; Nowak, M. E.; Gleixner, G.

2017-12-01

In the collaborative research project AquaDiva, we combine hydrogeochemical, metagemonic and biogeochemical tools to understand how the complex interactions between geologic setting and surface land use influence the function and biodiversity of the subsurface, especially ground water ecosystems. At the Hainich Critical Zone Exploratory in central Germany, we investigate soil and seepage waters in recharge areas and aquifers in a fractured limestone setting characterized by a dynamic water infiltration regime. Within the Exploratory, we have so far identified three distinct biogeochemical zones in which land use and lithologic differences combine to give rise to surprisingly different biotic communities and hydrogeochemical properties with different degrees of connection to the surface. Here we will focus on how we have combined carbon isotopic, organic biomarkers such as phospholipid fatty acids, and `omics' approaches to determine (i) how deep soil-borne microorganisms can be traced into the subsurface, and (ii) which energy sources sustain microbial life in oligotrophic limestone aquifers. With increasing travel distance to the surface, there is a decline in the abundance of microbes, with less than 5% of the taxa identified overlapping with those identified in the soils. Dissolved organic matter also is altered as it passes through soils, demonstrating an overall increase in molecular weight and a change in molecular makeup as well as radiocarbon content. Using the radiocarbon signature (corrected for the influence of carbonate dissolution), as a way to identify if organic C is being supplied recently by plants, atmosphere sources of energy for communities within the aquifer differ for the identified biogeochemical zones and include (i) dominance of inputs of fresh organic carbon from the surface feeding heterotrophy in oxygenic environments; (ii) CO2 fixation linked to nitrogen and sulfur cycling in anoxic environments and (iii) rock-derived organic matter

Corrective measures technology for shallow land burial at arid sites: field studies of biointrusion barriers and erosion control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyhan, J.W.; Hakonson, T.E.; Lopez, E.A.

1986-03-01

The field research program involving corrective measures technologies for arid shallow land burial (SLB) sites is described. Results of field testing of a biointrusion barrier installed at a close-out waste disposal site (Area B) at Los Alamos are presented. Soil erosion and infiltration of water into a simulated trench cap with various surface treatments were measured, and the interaction between erosion control and subsurface water dynamics is discussed relative to waste management

Near-field geologic environment as an effective barrier against radionuclide transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umeki, H.; Sakuma, H.; Ishiguro, K.; Hatanaka, K.; Naito, M.

1993-01-01

A generic performance assessment of the geologic disposal system of HLW in Japan has been carried out by the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) in accordance with the overall HLW management program defined by the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission. A massive engineered barrier system, consisting of vitrified waste, carbon-steel overpack and thick bentonite buffer, is introduced to ensure a long-term performance of the disposal system considering a wide range of geologic environment. A major part of the total performance of the disposal system is borne by the engineered barrier system given a geologic environment that assures and complements the performance of such engineered barrier system. The performance of the natural barrier system coupled with the strong engineered barrier system was investigated by sensitivity analyses. Two types of conceptual model were considered for the analysis to describe radionuclide transport in geologic media and the range of relevant parameters was given by taking the variation of the geologic environment in Japan into account. The results show that the degree of retardation of radionuclide transport chosen in the geologic media varies significantly depending on the parameter values chosen. However, it is indicated that there are realistic combinations of those geologic parameter values which could provide a sufficient degree of retardation within a range of only a few tens of meters from the engineered barrier system. The relative importance of the near-field geologic environment is also discussed

Subsurface Scattering-Based Object Rendering Techniques for Real-Time Smartphone Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Won-Sun Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Subsurface scattering that simulates the path of a light through the material in a scene is one of the advanced rendering techniques in the field of computer graphics society. Since it takes a number of long operations, it cannot be easily implemented in real-time smartphone games. In this paper, we propose a subsurface scattering-based object rendering technique that is optimized for smartphone games. We employ our subsurface scattering method that is utilized for a real-time smartphone game. And an example game is designed to validate how the proposed method can be operated seamlessly in real time. Finally, we show the comparison results between bidirectional reflectance distribution function, bidirectional scattering distribution function, and our proposed subsurface scattering method on a smartphone game.

Soil Carbon Dioxide Production and Surface Fluxes: Subsurface Physical Controls

Science.gov (United States)

Risk, D.; Kellman, L.; Beltrami, H.

Soil respiration is a critical determinant of landscape carbon balance. Variations in soil temperature and moisture patterns are important physical processes controlling soil respiration which need to be better understood. Relationships between soil respi- ration and physical controls are typically addressed using only surface flux data but other methods also exist which permit more rigorous interpretation of soil respira- tion processes. Here we use a combination of subsurface CO_{2} concentrations, surface CO_{2} fluxes and detailed physical monitoring of the subsurface envi- ronment to examine physical controls on soil CO_{2} production at four climate observatories in Eastern Canada. Results indicate that subsurface CO_{2} produc- tion is more strongly correlated to the subsurface thermal environment than the surface CO_{2} flux. Soil moisture was also found to have an important influence on sub- surface CO_{2} production, particularly in relation to the soil moisture - soil profile diffusivity relationship. Non-diffusive profile CO_{2} transport appears to be im- portant at these sites, resulting in a de-coupling of summertime surface fluxes from subsurface processes and violating assumptions that surface CO_{2} emissions are the result solely of diffusion. These results have implications for the study of soil respiration across a broad range of terrestrial environments.

Perspectives of Nurses Pursuing Doctoral Degrees in Georgia: Implications for Recruitment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Rebecca McCombs; Eichelberger, Lisa Wright

2017-08-01

Increasing the number of nurses with doctorates is a goal of the nursing profession. The Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition developed a survey to understand the perspectives of nurses pursuing doctoral degrees in Georgia to improve recruitment and retention strategies. A 26-item online survey was distributed to all students enrolled in Georgia-based doctoral programs in nursing in spring 2014. One hundred fifty responses were received (54% response rate). Most students first seriously considered doctoral education during their master's programs or more than 5 years into practice. For most, obtaining a doctoral degree was a personal life goal. Work-life balance was the most significant barrier. Recruitment of nurses to doctoral programs should focus on messaging, timing, and highlighting the unique aspects of programs. Schools should work to reduce barriers. Understanding students' perspectives of doctoral education in nursing can improve recruitment strategies and increase the number of nurses graduating with doctorates in Georgia. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(8):466-470.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Motivators and barriers to returning to school: RN to BSN.

Science.gov (United States)

Romp, Celeste R; Kiehl, Ermalynn M; Bickett, Anette; Bledsoe, Sarah F; Brown, Debbie S; Eitel, Stephanie B; Wall, Mary Patricia

2014-01-01

With national emphasis on increasing baccalaureate-prepared nurses, the role of the staff development educator of promoting lifelong learning is ideal for advising and mentoring non-bachelor's-prepared nurses to return to school. However, an understanding of the motivators and barriers for nurses to return to school is essential for success. A descriptive correlational research study was completed to determine the motivators and barriers of returning to school for registered nurses without a bachelor's degree.

Generalization of Kramer's formula: Fission over a multidimensional potential barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jing-Shang, Z.; Weidenmueller, H.A.

1983-01-01

We generalize Kramers's rate expression for diffusion over a potential barrier to the case of a diffusion problem for n degrees of freedom. These can be thought of as the shape degrees of freedom of a fissioning nucleus. We present our formula for the fission width and discuss its dependence on the parameters: the mass tensor, the friction tensor, and the shape of the potential landscape

Evaluation and analysis of polished fused silica subsurface quality by the nanoindenter technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Bin; Shen Zhengxiang; He Pengfei; Sha Fei; Wang Chunliang; Wang Bin; Ji Yiqin; Liu Huasong; Li Weihao; Wang Zhanshan

2011-01-01

We evaluate the subsurface quality of polished fused silica samples using the nanoindenter technique. Two kinds of samples, consisting of hundreds of nanometers and micrometers of subsurface damage layers, are fabricated by controlling the grinding and polishing processes, and the subsurface quality has been verified by the chemical etching method. Then several nanoindentation experiments are performed using the Berkovich tip to investigate the subsurface quality. Some differences are found by relative measurements in terms of the relationship between the total penetration and the peak load on the surfaces, the modulus calculated over the defined depths and from unload, and the indented morphology at a constant load near the surface collapse threshold. Finally, the capabilities of such a mechanical method for detecting subsurface flaws are discussed and analyzed.

Hydrogen utilization potential in subsurface sediments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rishi Ram Adhikari

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Subsurface microbial communities undertake many terminal electron-accepting processes, often simultaneously. Using a tritium-based assay, we measured the potential hydrogen oxidation catalyzed by hydrogenase enzymes in several subsurface sedimentary environments (Lake Van, Barents Sea, Equatorial Pacific and Gulf of Mexico with different predominant electron-acceptors. Hydrogenases constitute a diverse family of enzymes expressed by microorganisms that utilize molecular hydrogen as a metabolic substrate, product or intermediate. The assay reveals the potential for utilizing molecular hydrogen and allows qualitative detection of microbial activity irrespective of the predominant electron-accepting process. Because the method only requires samples frozen immediately after recovery, the assay can be used for identifying microbial activity in subsurface ecosystems without the need to preserve live material.We measured potential hydrogen oxidation rates in all samples from multiple depths at several sites that collectively span a wide range of environmental conditions and biogeochemical zones. Potential activity normalized to total cell abundance ranges over five orders of magnitude and varies, dependent upon the predominant terminal electron acceptor. Lowest per-cell potential rates characterize the zone of nitrate reduction and highest per-cell potential rates occur in the methanogenic zone. Possible reasons for this relationship to predominant electron acceptor include (i increasing importance of fermentation in successively deeper biogeochemical zones and (ii adaptation of H2ases to successively higher concentrations of H2 in successively deeper zones.

Influence of Si wafer thinning processes on (sub)surface defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inoue, Fumihiro, E-mail: fumihiro.inoue@imec.be [Imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Jourdain, Anne; Peng, Lan; Phommahaxay, Alain; De Vos, Joeri; Rebibis, Kenneth June; Miller, Andy; Sleeckx, Erik; Beyne, Eric [Imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Uedono, Akira [Division of Applied Physics, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573 (Japan)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • Mono-vacancy free Si-thinning can be accomplished by combining several thinning techniques. • The grinding damage needs to be removed prior to dry etching, otherwise vacancies remain in the Si at a depth around 0.5 to 2 μm after Si wafer thickness below 5 μm. • The surface of grinding + CMP + dry etching is equivalent mono vacancy level as that of grinding + CMP. - Abstract: Wafer-to-wafer three-dimensional (3D) integration with minimal Si thickness can produce interacting multiple devices with significantly scaled vertical interconnections. Realizing such a thin 3D structure, however, depends critically on the surface and subsurface of the remaining backside Si after the thinning processes. The Si (sub)surface after mechanical grinding has already been characterized fruitfully for a range of few dozen of μm. Here, we expand the characterization of Si (sub)surface to 5 μm thickness after thinning process on dielectric bonded wafers. The subsurface defects and damage layer were investigated after grinding, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), wet etching and plasma dry etching. The (sub)surface defects were characterized using transmission microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and positron annihilation spectroscopy. Although grinding provides the fastest removal rate of Si, the surface roughness was not compatible with subsequent processing. Furthermore, mechanical damage such as dislocations and amorphous Si cannot be reduced regardless of Si thickness and thin wafer handling systems. The CMP after grinding showed excellent performance to remove this grinding damage, even though the removal amount is 1 μm. For the case of Si thinning towards 5 μm using grinding and CMP, the (sub)surface is atomic scale of roughness without vacancy. For the case of grinding + dry etch, vacancy defects were detected in subsurface around 0.5–2 μm. The finished surface after wet etch remains in the nm scale in the strain region. By inserting a CMP step in

Review of Constructed Subsurface Flow vs. Surface Flow Wetlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HALVERSON, NANCY

2004-01-01

The purpose of this document is to use existing documentation to review the effectiveness of subsurface flow and surface flow constructed wetlands in treating wastewater and to demonstrate the viability of treating effluent from Savannah River Site outfalls H-02 and H-04 with a subsurface flow constructed wetland to lower copper, lead and zinc concentrations to within National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit limits. Constructed treatment wetlands are engineered systems that have been designed and constructed to use the natural functions of wetlands for wastewater treatment. Constructed wetlands have significantly lower total lifetime costs and often lower capital costs than conventional treatment systems. The two main types of constructed wetlands are surface flow and subsurface flow. In surface flow constructed wetlands, water flows above ground. Subsurface flow constructed wetlands are designed to keep the water level below the top of the rock or gravel media, thus minimizing human and ecological exposure. Subsurface flow wetlands demonstrate higher rates of contaminant removal per unit of land than surface flow (free water surface) wetlands, therefore subsurface flow wetlands can be smaller while achieving the same level of contaminant removal. Wetlands remove metals using a variety of processes including filtration of solids, sorption onto organic matter, oxidation and hydrolysis, formation of carbonates, formation of insoluble sulfides, binding to iron and manganese oxides, reduction to immobile forms by bacterial activity, and uptake by plants and bacteria. Metal removal rates in both subsurface flow and surface flow wetlands can be high, but can vary greatly depending upon the influent concentrations and the mass loading rate. Removal rates of greater than 90 per cent for copper, lead and zinc have been demonstrated in operating surface flow and subsurface flow wetlands. The constituents that exceed NPDES limits at outfalls H-02 a nd H

Linking Chaotic Advection with Subsurface Biogeochemical Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Mays, D. C.; Freedman, V. L.; White, S. K.; Fang, Y.; Neupauer, R.

2017-12-01

This work investigates the extent to which groundwater flow kinematics drive subsurface biogeochemical processes. In terms of groundwater flow kinematics, we consider chaotic advection, whose essential ingredient is stretching and folding of plumes. Chaotic advection is appealing within the context of groundwater remediation because it has been shown to optimize plume spreading in the laminar flows characteristic of aquifers. In terms of subsurface biogeochemical processes, we consider an existing model for microbially-mediated reduction of relatively mobile uranium(VI) to relatively immobile uranium(IV) following injection of acetate into a floodplain aquifer beneath a former uranium mill in Rifle, Colorado. This model has been implemented in the reactive transport code eSTOMP, the massively parallel version of STOMP (Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases). This presentation will report preliminary numerical simulations in which the hydraulic boundary conditions in the eSTOMP model are manipulated to simulate chaotic advection resulting from engineered injection and extraction of water through a manifold of wells surrounding the plume of injected acetate. This approach provides an avenue to simulate the impact of chaotic advection within the existing framework of the eSTOMP code.

Subsurface urban heat islands in German cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Menberg, Kathrin; Bayer, Peter; Zosseder, Kai; Rumohr, Sven; Blum, Philipp

2013-01-01

Little is known about the intensity and extension of subsurface urban heat islands (UHI), and the individual role of the driving factors has not been revealed either. In this study, we compare groundwater temperatures in shallow aquifers beneath six German cities of different size (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Darmstadt). It is revealed that hotspots of up to +20K often exist, which stem from very local heat sources, such as insufficiently insulated power plants, landfills or open geothermal systems. When visualizing the regional conditions in isotherm maps, mostly a concentric picture is found with the highest temperatures in the city centers. This reflects the long-term accumulation of thermal energy over several centuries and the interplay of various factors, particularly in heat loss from basements, elevated ground surface temperatures (GST) and subsurface infrastructure. As a primary indicator to quantify and compare large-scale UHI intensity the 10-90%-quantile range UHII(10-90) of the temperature distribution is introduced. The latter reveals, in comparison to annual atmospheric UHI intensities, an even more pronounced heating of the shallow subsurface. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In-situ Planetary Subsurface Imaging System

Science.gov (United States)

Song, W.; Weber, R. C.; Dimech, J. L.; Kedar, S.; Neal, C. R.; Siegler, M.

2017-12-01

Geophysical and seismic instruments are considered the most effective tools for studying the detailed global structures of planetary interiors. A planet's interior bears the geochemical markers of its evolutionary history, as well as its present state of activity, which has direct implications to habitability. On Earth, subsurface imaging often involves massive data collection from hundreds to thousands of geophysical sensors (seismic, acoustic, etc) followed by transfer by hard links or wirelessly to a central location for post processing and computing, which will not be possible in planetary environments due to imposed mission constraints on mass, power, and bandwidth. Emerging opportunities for geophysical exploration of the solar system from Venus to the icy Ocean Worlds of Jupiter and Saturn dictate that subsurface imaging of the deep interior will require substantial data reduction and processing in-situ. The Real-time In-situ Subsurface Imaging (RISI) technology is a mesh network that senses and processes geophysical signals. Instead of data collection then post processing, the mesh network performs the distributed data processing and computing in-situ, and generates an evolving 3D subsurface image in real-time that can be transmitted under bandwidth and resource constraints. Seismic imaging algorithms (including traveltime tomography, ambient noise imaging, and microseismic imaging) have been successfully developed and validated using both synthetic and real-world terrestrial seismic data sets. The prototype hardware system has been implemented and can be extended as a general field instrumentation platform tailored specifically for a wide variety of planetary uses, including crustal mapping, ice and ocean structure, and geothermal systems. The team is applying the RISI technology to real off-world seismic datasets. For example, the Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment (LSPE) deployed during the Apollo 17 Moon mission consisted of four geophone instruments

Surface/subsurface observation and removal mechanisms of ground reaction bonded silicon carbide

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Wang; Zhang, Yu-Min; Han, Jie-cai; Zhang, Yun-long; Zhang, Jian-han; Zhou, Yu-feng; Han, Yuan-yuan

2006-01-01

Reaction Bonded Silicon Carbide (RBSiC) has long been recognized as a promising material for optical applications because of its unique combination of favorable properties and low-cost fabrication. Grinding of silicon carbide is difficult because of its high hardness and brittleness. Grinding often induces surface and subsurface damage, residual stress and other types of damage, which have great influence on the ceramic components for optical application. In this paper, surface integrity, subsurface damage and material removal mechanisms of RBSiC ground using diamond grinding wheel on creep-feed surface grinding machine are investigated. The surface and subsurface are studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. The effects of grinding conditions on surface and subsurface damage are discussed. This research links the surface roughness, surface and subsurface cracks to grinding parameters and provides valuable insights into the material removal mechanism and the dependence of grind induced damage on grinding conditions.

Kinematics of reflections in subsurface offset and angle-domain image gathers

Science.gov (United States)

Dafni, Raanan; Symes, William W.

2018-05-01

Seismic migration in the angle-domain generates multiple images of the earth's interior in which reflection takes place at different scattering-angles. Mechanically, the angle-dependent reflection is restricted to happen instantaneously and at a fixed point in space: Incident wave hits a discontinuity in the subsurface media and instantly generates a scattered wave at the same common point of interaction. Alternatively, the angle-domain image may be associated with space-shift (regarded as subsurface offset) extended migration that artificially splits the reflection geometry. Meaning that, incident and scattered waves interact at some offset distance. The geometric differences between the two approaches amount to a contradictory angle-domain behaviour, and unlike kinematic description. We present a phase space depiction of migration methods extended by the peculiar subsurface offset split and stress its profound dissimilarity. In spite of being in radical contradiction with the general physics, the subsurface offset reveals a link to some valuable angle-domain quantities, via post-migration transformations. The angle quantities are indicated by the direction normal to the subsurface offset extended image. They specifically define the local dip and scattering angles if the velocity at the split reflection coordinates is the same for incident and scattered wave pairs. Otherwise, the reflector normal is not a bisector of the opening angle, but of the corresponding slowness vectors. This evidence, together with the distinguished geometry configuration, fundamentally differentiates the angle-domain decomposition based on the subsurface offset split from the conventional decomposition at a common reflection point. An asymptotic simulation of angle-domain moveout curves in layered media exposes the notion of split versus common reflection point geometry. Traveltime inversion methods that involve the subsurface offset extended migration must accommodate the split geometry

Joint inversion of geophysical and hydrological data for improved subsurface characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowalsky, Michael B.; Chen, Jinsong; Hubbard, Susan S.

2006-01-01

Understanding fluid distribution and movement in the subsurface is critical for a variety of subsurface applications, such as remediation of environmental contaminants, sequestration of nuclear waste and CO2, intrusion of saline water into fresh water aquifers, and the production of oil and gas. It is well recognized that characterizing the properties that control fluids in the subsurface with the accuracy and spatial coverage needed to parameterize flow and transport models is challenging using conventional borehole data alone. Integration of conventional borehole data with more spatially extensive geophysical data (obtained from the surface, between boreholes, and from surface to boreholes) shows promise for providing quantitative information about subsurface properties and processes. Typically, estimation of subsurface properties involves a two-step procedure in which geophysical data are first inverted and then integrated with direct measurements and petrophysical relationship information to estimate hydrological parameters. However, errors inherent to geophysical data acquisition and inversion approaches and errors associated with petrophysical relationships can decrease the value of geophysical data in the estimation procedure. In this paper, we illustrate using two examples how joint inversion approaches, or simultaneous inversion of geophysical and hydrological data, offer great potential for overcoming some of these limitations

Active infrared thermography for visualizing subsurface micro voids in an epoxy molding compound

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Ji Yeol [Test and Package Center, Samsung Electronics, Asan(Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Soon Kyu; Choi, Jae Mook; Sohn, Hoon [Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-04-15

This paper presents an automated subsurface micro void detection technique based on pulsed infrared thermography for inspecting epoxy molding compounds (EMC) used in electronic device packaging. Subsurface micro voids are first detected and visualized by extracting a lock-in amplitude image from raw thermal images. Binary imaging follows to achieve better visualization of subsurface micro voids. A median filter is then applied for removing sparse noise components. The performance of the proposed technique is tested using 36 EMC samples, which have subsurface (below 150 μm ~ 300 μm from the inspection surface) micro voids (150 μm ~ 300 μm in diameter). The experimental results show that the subsurface micro voids can be successfully detected without causing any damage to the EMC samples, making it suitable for automated online inspection.

On the porosity of barrier layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Mignot

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Barrier layers are defined as the layer between the pycnocline and the thermocline when the latter are different as a result of salinity stratification. We present a revisited 2-degree resolution global climatology of monthly mean oceanic Barrier Layer (BL thickness first proposed by de Boyer Montégut et al. (2007. In addition to using an extended data set, we present a modified computation method that addresses the observed porosity of BLs. We name porosity the fact that barrier layers distribution can, in some areas, be very uneven regarding the space and time scales that are considered. This implies an intermittent alteration of air-sea exchanges by the BL. Therefore, it may have important consequences for the climatic impact of BLs. Differences between the two computation methods are small for robust BLs that are formed by large-scale processes. However, the former approach can significantly underestimate the thickness of short and/or localized barrier layers. This is especially the case for barrier layers formed by mesoscale mechanisms (under the intertropical convergence zone for example and along western boundary currents and equatorward of the sea surface salinity subtropical maxima. Complete characterisation of regional BL dynamics therefore requires a description of the robustness of BL distribution to assess the overall impact of BLs on the process of heat exchange between the ocean interior and the atmosphere.

Concept of subsurface micro-sensing; Chika joho no micro sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niitsuma, H [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1997-05-27

This paper describes concept of subsurface micro-sensing. It is intended to achieve an epoch-making development of subsurface engineerings by developing such technologies as micro measurement of well interior, micro measurement while drilling (MWD), and micro intelligent logging. These technologies are supported by development of micro sensors and micro drilling techniques using micro machine technologies. Micronizing the subsurface sensors makes mass production of sensors with equivalent performance possible, and the production cost can be reduced largely. The sensors can be embedded or used disposably, resulting in increased mobility in measurement and higher performance. Installing multiple number of sensors makes high-accuracy measurement possible, such as array measurement. The sensors can be linked easily with photo-electronics components, realizing remote measurement at low price and high accuracy. Control in micro-drilling and MWD also become possible. Such advantages may also be expected as installing the sensors on the outer side of wells in use and monitoring subsurface information during production. Expectation on them is large as a new paradigm of underground exploration and measurement. 1 fig.

Subsurface Profile Mapping using 3-D Compressive Wave Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hazreek Z A M

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Geotechnical site investigation related to subsurface profile mapping was commonly performed to provide valuable data for design and construction stage based on conventional drilling techniques. From past experience, drilling techniques particularly using borehole method suffer from limitations related to expensive, time consuming and limited data coverage. Hence, this study performs subsurface profile mapping using 3-D compressive wave imaging in order to minimize those conventional method constraints. Field measurement and data analysis of compressive wave (p-wave, vp was performed using seismic refraction survey (ABEM Terraloc MK 8, 7 kg of sledgehammer and 24 units of vertical geophone and OPTIM (SeisOpt@Picker & SeisOpt@2D software respectively. Then, 3-D compressive wave distribution of subsurface studied was obtained using analysis of SURFER software. Based on 3-D compressive wave image analyzed, it was found that subsurface profile studied consist of three main layers representing top soil (vp = 376 – 600 m/s, weathered material (vp = 900 – 2600 m/s and bedrock (vp > 3000 m/s. Thickness of each layer was varied from 0 – 2 m (first layer, 2 – 20 m (second layer and 20 m and over (third layer. Moreover, groundwater (vp = 1400 – 1600 m/s starts to be detected at 2.0 m depth from ground surface. This study has demonstrated that geotechnical site investigation data related to subsurface profiling was applicable to be obtained using 3-D compressive wave imaging. Furthermore, 3-D compressive wave imaging was performed based on non destructive principle in ground exploration thus consider economic, less time, large data coverage and sustainable to our environment.

Cone Penetrometer for Subsurface Heavy Metals Detection. Semiannual report, November 1, 1996--March 31, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grisanti, Ames A.; Timpe, Ronald C.; Foster, H.J.; Eylands, Kurt E.; Crocker, Charlene R.

1997-01-01

Surface and subsurface contamination of soils by heavy metals, including Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Cd, has become an area of concern for many industrial and government organizations (1). Conventional sampling and analysis techniques for soil provide a high degree of sensitivity and selectivity for individual analytes. However, obtaining a representative sampling and analysis from a particular site using conventional techniques is time consuming and costly (2). Additionally, conventional methods are difficult to implement in the field for in situ and/or real-time applications. Therefore, there is a need for characterization and monitoring techniques for heavy metals in soils which allow cost-effective, rapid, in situ measurements. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been used to successfully measure metals content in a variety of matrices (3-15) including soil (16,17). Under the Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) Industry Program, Science ampersand Engineering Associates (SEA) is developing a subsurface cone penetrometer (CPT) probe for heavy metals detection that employs LIBS (18). The LIES-CPT unit is to be applied to in situ, real-time sampling and analysis of heavy metals in soil. As part of its contract with DOE FETC, SEA is scheduled to field test its LIBS-CPT system in September 1997

Cone Penetrometer for Subsurface Heavy Metals Detection. Semiannual report, November 1, 1996--March 31, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grisanti, Ames A.; Timpe, Ronald C.; Foster, H.J.; Eylands, Kurt E.; Crocker, Charlene R.

1997-12-31

Surface and subsurface contamination of soils by heavy metals, including Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Cd, has become an area of concern for many industrial and government organizations (1). Conventional sampling and analysis techniques for soil provide a high degree of sensitivity and selectivity for individual analytes. However, obtaining a representative sampling and analysis from a particular site using conventional techniques is time consuming and costly (2). Additionally, conventional methods are difficult to implement in the field for in situ and/or real-time applications. Therefore, there is a need for characterization and monitoring techniques for heavy metals in soils which allow cost-effective, rapid, in situ measurements. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been used to successfully measure metals content in a variety of matrices (3-15) including soil (16,17). Under the Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) Industry Program, Science {ampersand} Engineering Associates (SEA) is developing a subsurface cone penetrometer (CPT) probe for heavy metals detection that employs LIBS (18). The LIES-CPT unit is to be applied to in situ, real-time sampling and analysis of heavy metals in soil. As part of its contract with DOE FETC, SEA is scheduled to field test its LIBS-CPT system in September 1997.

Contaminated environments in the subsurface and bioremediation: organic contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Holliger, C; Gaspard, S; Glod, G; Heijman, C; Schumacher, W; Schwarzenbach, R P; Vazquez, F

1997-07-01

Due to leakages, spills, improper disposal and accidents during transport, organic compounds have become subsurface contaminants that threaten important drinking water resources. One strategy to remediate such polluted subsurface environments is to make use of the degradative capacity of bacteria. It is often sufficient to supply the subsurface with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and aerobic treatments are still dominating. However, anaerobic processes have advantages such as low biomass production and good electron acceptor availability, and they are sometimes the only possible solution. This review will focus on three important groups of environmental organic contaminants: hydrocarbons, chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds. Whereas hydrocarbons are oxidized and completely mineralized under anaerobic conditions in the presence of electron acceptors such as nitrate, iron, sulfate and carbon dioxide, chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds are reductively transformed. For the aerobic often persistent polychlorinated compounds, reductive dechlorination leads to harmless products or to compounds that are aerobically degradable. The nitroaromatic compounds are first reductively transformed to the corresponding amines and can subsequently be bound to the humic fraction in an aerobic process. Such new findings and developments give hope that in the near future contaminated aquifers can efficiently be remediated, a prerequisite for a sustainable use of the precious-subsurface drinking water resources.

A subsurface add-on for standard atomic force microscopes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verbiest, G. J., E-mail: Verbiest@physik.rwth-aachen.de [JARA-FIT and II. Institute of Physics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Zalm, D. J. van der; Oosterkamp, T. H.; Rost, M. J., E-mail: Rost@physics.leidenuniv.nl [Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)

2015-03-15

The application of ultrasound in an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) gives access to subsurface information. However, no commercially AFM exists that is equipped with this technique. The main problems are the electronic crosstalk in the AFM setup and the insufficiently strong excitation of the cantilever at ultrasonic (MHz) frequencies. In this paper, we describe the development of an add-on that provides a solution to these problems by using a special piezo element with a lowest resonance frequency of 2.5 MHz and by separating the electronic connection for this high frequency piezo element from all other connections. In this sense, we support researches with the possibility to perform subsurface measurements with their existing AFMs and hopefully pave also the way for the development of a commercial AFM that is capable of imaging subsurface features with nanometer resolution.

Flexible barrier film, method of forming same, and organic electronic device including same

Science.gov (United States)

Blizzard, John; Tonge, James Steven; Weidner, William Kenneth

2013-03-26

A flexible barrier film has a thickness of from greater than zero to less than 5,000 nanometers and a water vapor transmission rate of no more than 1.times.10.sup.-2 g/m.sup.2/day at 22.degree. C. and 47% relative humidity. The flexible barrier film is formed from a composition, which comprises a multi-functional acrylate. The composition further comprises the reaction product of an alkoxy-functional organometallic compound and an alkoxy-functional organosilicon compound. A method of forming the flexible barrier film includes the steps of disposing the composition on a substrate and curing the composition to form the flexible barrier film. The flexible barrier film may be utilized in organic electronic devices.

Subsurface temperature of the onshore Netherlands: new temperature dataset and modelling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bonté, D.; Wees, J.-D. van; Verweij, J.M.

2012-01-01

Subsurface temperature is a key parameter for geothermal energy prospection in sedimentary basins. Here, we present the results of a 3D temperature modelling using a thermal-tectonic forward modelling method, calibrated with subsurface temperature measurements in the Netherlands. The first step

Time-Lapse Electrical Resistivity Investigations for Imaging the Grouting Injection in Shallow Subsurface Cavities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Farooq

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The highway of Yongweol-ri, Muan-gun, south-western part of the South Korean Peninsula, is underlain by the abandoned of subsurface cavities, which were discovered in 2005. These cavities lie at shallow depths with the range of 5∼15 meters below the ground surface. Numerous subsidence events have repeatedly occurred in the past few years, damaging infrastructure and highway. As a result of continuing subsidence issues, the Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM was requested by local administration to resolve the issue. The KIGAM used geophysical methods to delineate subsurface cavities and improve more refined understanding of the cavities network in the study area. Cement based grouting has been widely employed in the construction industry to reinforce subsurface ground. In this research work, time-lapse electrical resistivity surveys were accomplished to monitor the grouting injection in the subsurface cavities beneath the highway, which have provided a quasi-real-time monitoring for modifying the subsurface cavities related to ground reinforcement, which would be difficult with direct methods. The results obtained from time-lapse electrical resistivity technique have satisfactory imaged the grouting injection experiment in the subsurface cavities beneath the highway. Furthermore, the borehole camera confirmed the presence of grouting material in the subsurface cavities, and hence this procedure increases the mechanical resistance of subsurface cavities below the highway.

Techniques for assessing the performance of in situ bioreduction and immobilization of metals and radionuclides in contaminated subsurface environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jardine, P.M.; Watson, D.B.; Blake, D.A.; Beard, L.P.; Brooks, S.C.; Carley, J.M.; Criddle, C.S.; Doll, W.E.; Fields, M.W.; Fendorf, S.E.; Geesey, G.G.; Ginder-Vogel, M.; Hubbard, S.S.; Istok, J.D.; Kelly, S.; Kemner, K.M.; Peacock, A.D.; Spalding, B.P.; White, D.C.; Wolf, A.; Wu, W.; Zhou, J.

2004-11-14

Department of Energy (DOE) facilities within the weapons complex face a daunting challenge of remediating huge below inventories of legacy radioactive and toxic metal waste. More often than not, the scope of the problem is massive, particularly in the high recharge, humid regions east of the Mississippi river, where the off-site migration of contaminants continues to plague soil water, groundwater, and surface water sources. As of 2002, contaminated sites are closing rapidly and many remediation strategies have chosen to leave contaminants in-place. In situ barriers, surface caps, and bioremediation are often the remedial strategies of chose. By choosing to leave contaminants in-place, we must accept the fact that the contaminants will continue to interact with subsurface and surface media. Contaminant interactions with the geosphere are complex and investigating long term changes and interactive processes is imperative to verifying risks. We must be able to understand the consequences of our action or inaction. The focus of this manuscript is to describe recent technical developments for assessing the performance of in situ bioremediation and immobilization of subsurface metals and radionuclides. Research within DOE's NABIR and EMSP programs has been investigating the possibility of using subsurface microorganisms to convert redox sensitive toxic metals and radionuclides (e.g. Cr, U, Tc, Co) into a less soluble, less mobile forms. Much of the research is motivated by the likelihood that subsurface metal-reducing bacteria can be stimulated to effectively alter the redox state of metals and radionuclides so that they are immobilized in situ for long time periods. The approach is difficult, however, since subsurface media and waste constituents are complex with competing electron acceptors and hydrogeological conditions making biostimulation a challenge. Performance assessment of in situ biostimulation strategies is also difficult and typically requires detailed

Government regulation of business in a changing institutional barrier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novikova I.

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The article examines the domestic experience in government regulation of business in a changing institutional barrier.Compared the degree of economic freedom in Ukraine. The emphasis is on the need to develop a national strategy of institutional development of domestic entrepreneurship.

Subsurface Contaminant Focus Area: Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA)--Programmatic, Technical, and Regulatory Issues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krupka, Kenneth M.; Martin, Wayne J.

2001-07-23

Natural attenuation processes are commonly used for remediation of contaminated sites. A variety of natural processes occur without human intervention at all sites to varying rates and degrees of effectiveness to attenuate (decrease) the mass, toxicity, mobility, volume, or concentration of organic and inorganic contaminants in soil, groundwater, and surface water systems. The objective of this review is to identify potential technical investments to be incorporated in the Subsurface Contaminant Focus Area Strategic Plan for monitored natural attenuation. When implemented, the technical investments will help evaluate and implement monitored natural attenuation as a remediation option at DOE sites. The outcome of this review is a set of conclusions and general recommendations regarding research needs, programmatic guidance, and stakeholder issues pertaining to monitored natural attenuation for the DOE complex.

Estimate of electrical potential difference between plasmas with different degrees of ionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Chong [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-01-12

The electrical potential difference has been estimated across the mixing region of two plasmas with different degrees of ionization. The estimation has been carried out in two different contexts of a charge neutral mixing region and a charge non-neutral sheath. Ion energy gained due to the potential difference has also been estimated. In both analyses, ion energy gain is proportional to the degree of ionization, and a fairly large ionization appears to be needed for overcoming the potential energy barrier of strongly coupled plasmas.

3D modelling of the shallow subsurface of Zeeland, the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stafleu, J.; Busschers, F.S.; Maljers, D.; Menkovic, A.

2011-01-01

The Geological Survey of the Netherlands aims at building a 3D geological voxel model of the upper 30 m of the subsurface of the Netherlands in order to provide a sound basis for subsurface related questions on, amongst others, groundwater extraction and management, land subsidence studies,

Safety analysis in subsurface repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-06-01

The development of mathematical models to represent the repository-geosphere-biosphere system, and the development of a structure for data acquisition, processing, and use to analyse the safety of subsurface repositories, are presented. To study the behavior of radionuclides in geosphere a laboratory to determine the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient was constructed. (M.C.K.) [pt

Manipulation of natural subsurface processes: Field research and validation. Interim report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fruchter, J.S.; Spane, F.A.; Amonette, J.E.

1994-11-01

Often the only alternative for treating deep subsurface contamination is in situ manipulation of natural processes to change the mobility or form of contaminants. However, the complex interactions of natural subsurface physical, chemical, and microbial processes limit the predictability of the system-wide impact of manipulation based on current knowledge. This report is a summary of research conducted to examine the feasibility of controlling the oxidation-reduction (redox) potential of the unconfined aquifer at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State by introducing chemical reagents and microbial nutrients. The experiment would allow the testing of concepts and hypotheses developed from fundamental research in the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Subsurface Science Program. Furthermore, the achievement of such control is expected to have implications for in situ remediation of dispersed aqueous contaminants in the subsurface environment at DOE sites nationwide, and particularly at the Hanford Site. This interim report summarizes initial research that was conducted between July 1990 and October 1991

Urban heat islands in the subsurface of German cities

Science.gov (United States)

Menberg, K.; Blum, P.; Zhu, K.; Bayer, P.

2012-04-01

In the subsurface of many cities there are widespread and persistent thermal anomalies (subsurface urban heat islands) that result in a warming of urban aquifers. The reasons for this heating are manifold. Possible heat sources are basements of buildings, leakage of sewage systems, buried district heating networks, re-injection of cooling water and solar irradiation on paved surfaces. In the current study, the reported groundwater temperatures in several German cities, such as Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Karlsruhe, are compared. Available data sets are supplemented by temperature measurements and depth profiles in observation wells. Trend analyses are conducted with time series of groundwater temperatures, and three-dimensional groundwater temperature maps are provided. In all investigated cities, pronounced positive temperature anomalies are present. The distribution of groundwater temperatures appears to be spatially and temporally highly variable. Apparently, the increased heat input into the urban subsurface is controlled by very local and site-specific parameters. In the long-run, the superposition of various heat sources results in an extensive temperature increase. In many cases, the maximum temperature elevation is found close to the city centre. Regional groundwater temperature differences between the city centre and the rural background are up to 5 °C, with local hot spots of even more pronounced anomalies. Particular heat sources, like cooling water injections or case-specific underground constructions, can cause local temperatures > 20°C in the subsurface. Examination of the long-term variations in isotherm maps shows that temperatures have increased by about 1°C in the city, as well as in the rural background areas over the last decades. This increase could be reproduced with trend analysis of temperature data gathered from several groundwater wells. Comparison between groundwater and air temperatures in Karlsruhe, for example, also indicates a

Subsurface arrangement constraints and selection criteria SOW, 4.5.1.2.1: Technical report, Revision 0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-12-01

The United States Department of Energy has the responsibility to develop an underground geological repository for the storage and isolation of nuclear waste. This report identifies design constraints and subsurface arrangement selection criteria for the subsurface portion of a repository in salt. These criteria provide a base from which subsurface layout will be selected for approval by the Department of Energy. This document provides the basic criteria for the architect/engineer to select the subsurface layout. While this document does not address site-specific criteria, it does act as a guideline for subsurface design allowing for exploration of any reasonable option of that design. The criteria developed in this report address specific areas and concerns within a subsurface layout plan. The subsurface layout selection criteria were developed from industry standards, federal regulations, and quality assurance standards. 18 refs., 7 figs., 5 tabs

Barriers to green supply chain management in the automotive industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávia Cristina da Silva

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This study identified the barriers to and analyzed their degree of influence on Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM from the perspective of a first tier supplier in the Brazilian automotive industry. There are 43 barriers in the literature of which 13 were validated: support and involvement (five, operational performance (three, economic performance (two, environmental performance (two, and knowledge and information (one. The validation occurred through the perception of technical and academic specialists familiar with environmental management and supply chains in several sectors. The hierarchy of barriers priorities was obtained through the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, with decision makers representing an industry in the automotive sector. The research showed that the cost implications represent the most influential barrier to GCSV, from the perspective of a first tier supplier in the sector.

Subsurface Prospecting by Planetary Drones, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed program innovates subsurface prospecting by planetary drones to seek a solution to the difficulty of robotic prospecting, sample acquisition, and sample...

Thermal healing of the sub-surface damage layer in sapphire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinkas, Malki; Lotem, Haim; Golan, Yuval; Einav, Yeheskel; Golan, Roxana; Chakotay, Elad; Haim, Avivit; Sinai, Ela; Vaknin, Moshe; Hershkovitz, Yasmin; Horowitz, Atara

2010-01-01

The sub-surface damage layer formed by mechanical polishing of sapphire is known to reduce the mechanical strength of the processed sapphire and to degrade the performance of sapphire based components. Thermal annealing is one of the methods to eliminate the sub-surface damage layer. This study focuses on the mechanism of thermal healing by studying its effect on surface topography of a- and c-plane surfaces, on the residual stresses in surface layers and on the thickness of the sub-surface damage layer. An atomically flat surface was developed on thermally annealed c-plane surfaces while a faceted roof-top topography was formed on a-plane surfaces. The annealing resulted in an improved crystallographic perfection close to the sample surface as was indicated by a noticeable decrease in X-ray rocking curve peak width. Etching experiments and surface roughness measurements using white light interferometry with sub-nanometer resolution on specimens annealed to different extents indicate that the sub-surface damage layer of the optically polished sapphire is less than 3 μm thick and it is totally healed after thermal treatment at 1450 deg. C for 72 h.

The role of barriers in the final storage of alpha-contaminated waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sousselier, Y.

1981-01-01

The long-term safety of the final storage of waste, for which durations of the order of 10 4 -10 5 years may reasonably be foreseen, is based on the use of various barriers. The first barrier, which is essential in intermediate storage, should have the lowest possible leaching rate in order to play its part in final storage. The role of the second barrier is to provide protection to the first or to serve as a constituent of the overall protection system. The third barrier is expected to be the artificial barrier with the longest lifetime, and should be combined with the fourth so as to add to its effectiveness. The safety analysis should thus study the overall behaviour of the barriers as a whole, which should ensure a very high degree of safety, and also take into account the hazard of intrusion, intentional or otherwise, by future generations. (author)

Quasibound states in graphene quantum-dot nanostructures generated by concentric potential barrier rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Zhao-Tan; Yu Cheng-Long; Dong Quan-Li

2012-01-01

We study the quasibound states in a graphene quantum-dot structure generated by the single-, double-, and triple-barrier electrostatic potentials. It is shown that the strongest quasibound states are mainly determined by the innermost barrier. Specifically, the positions of the quasibound states are determined by the barrier height, the number of the quasibound states is determined by the quantum-dot radius and the angular momentum, and the localization degree of the quasibound states is influenced by the width of the innermost barrier, as well as the outside barriers. Furthermore, according to the study on the double- and triple-barrier quantum dots, we find that an effective way to generate more quasibound states with even larger energy level spacings is to design a quantum dot defined by many concentric barriers with larger barrier-height differences. Last, we extend our results into the quantum dot of many barriers, which gives a complete picture about the formation of the quasibound states in the kind of graphene quantum dot created by many concentric potential barrier rings. (rapid communication)

Molten salt as a heat transfer fluid for heating a subsurface formation

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Scott Vinh; Vinegar, Harold J.

2010-11-16

A heating system for a subsurface formation includes a conduit located in an opening in the subsurface formation. An insulated conductor is located in the conduit. A material is in the conduit between a portion of the insulated conductor and a portion of the conduit. The material may be a salt. The material is a fluid at operating temperature of the heating system. Heat transfers from the insulated conductor to the fluid, from the fluid to the conduit, and from the conduit to the subsurface formation.

Biodegradation of crude oil in Arctic subsurface water from the Disko Bay (Greenland) is limited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scheibye, Katrine; Christensen, Jan H.; Johnsen, Anders R.

2017-01-01

Biological degradation is the main process for oil degradation in a subsurface oil plume. There is, however, little information on the biodegradation potential of Arctic, marine subsurface environments. We therefore investigated oil biodegradation in microcosms at 2 °C containing Arctic subsurfac...... for the C1-naphthalenes. To conclude, the marine subsurface microorganisms from the Disko Bay had the potential for biodegradation of n-alkanes and isoprenoids while the metabolically complex and toxic PACs and their alkylated homologs remained almost unchanged.......Biological degradation is the main process for oil degradation in a subsurface oil plume. There is, however, little information on the biodegradation potential of Arctic, marine subsurface environments. We therefore investigated oil biodegradation in microcosms at 2 °C containing Arctic subsurface...... seawater from the Disko Bay (Greenland) and crude oil at three concentrations of 2.5-10 mg/L. Within 71 days, the total petroleum hydrocarbon concentration decreased only by 18 ± 18% for an initial concentration of 5 mg/L. The saturated alkanes nC13-nC30 and the isoprenoids iC18-iC21 were biodegraded...

Measuring the degree of economic opening in the German electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, C.; Wienken, W.

2004-01-01

Barriers to entry can cause differences between ''legal'' and ''economic'' degrees of market openness. The German electricity market is legally 100% open. The industrial segment is also close to being economically 100% open. The general pattern indicates a mature market. However, the domestic segment is economically only 61% open. Possible explanations of this difference from its legal openness are mismatch of regulation and market strategies of incumbents. For the total market, the economic degree of market openness is 89% based on volumes. It is 61% based on customer numbers, reflecting the fact that the vast majority of customers are domestic. (author)

On the Orientation Barrier Distribution of the interacting spherical- Deformed Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, M.; Seif, W.M.

2009-01-01

The effect of different multipole deformations on the Coulomb barrier distribution in the orientation degrees of freedom is studied. The demonstrated Coulomb barriers are calculated microscopically using the double folding model which is based on realistic density dependent nucleon nucleon interaction. A simple straight forward method, presented in recent work, has been used to predict the distribution of barriers at arbitrary orientations in presence of different deformations far away the complicated numerical calculations. The proposed interpretation is related to the half density radius change of the deformed nucleus involved in interaction where the orientation Coulomb barrier parameters distributions show similar patterns to that of orientation deformed nucleus one. The orientation Coulomb barrier radius distribution follows the same variation of the deformed nucleus radius, while the barrier height distribution is directly proportional to it. This correlation allows a simple evaluation of the orientation barrier distribution which greatly helps us to estimate when the barrier parameters will increase or decrease and at which orientations they will be independent of the deformation. It helps also to estimate the optimum orientations for hot and cold fusion of colliding nuclei.

Method of solution mining subsurface orebodies to reduce restoration activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartman, G.J.

1984-01-24

A method of solution mining is claimed wherein a lixiviant containing both leaching and oxidizing agents is injected into the subsurface orebody. The composition of the lixiviant is changed by reducing the level of oxidizing agent to zero so that soluble species continue to be removed from the subsurface environment. This reduces the uranium level of the ground water aquifer after termination of the lixiviant injection.

DETERMINATION OF IMPORTANCE EVALUATION FOR THE SUBSURFACE EXPLORATORY STUDIES FACILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, W.J.

1999-01-01

This Determination of Importance Evaluation (DIE) applies to the Subsurface Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), encompassing the Topopah Spring (TS) Loop from Station 0+00 meters (m) at the North Portal to breakthrough at the South Portal (approximately 78+77 m), the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) East-West Cross Drift Starter Tunnel (to approximate ECRB Station 0+26 m), and ancillary test and operation support areas in the TS Loop. This evaluation applies to the construction, operation, and maintenance of these excavations. A more detailed description of these items is provided in Section 6.0. Testing activities are not evaluated in this DIE. Certain construction activities with respect to testing activities are evaluated; but the testing activities themselves are not evaluated. The DIE for ESF Subsurface Testing Activities (BAJ3000000-01717-2200-000111) (CRWMS M and O 1998a) evaluates Subsurface ESF Testing activities. The construction, operation, and maintenance of the TS Loop niches and alcove slot cuts is evaluated herein and is also discussed in CRWMS M and O 1998a. The construction, operation, and maintenance of the Busted Butte subsurface test area in support of the Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Transport Test is evaluated in CRWMS M and O 1998a. Potential test-to-test interference and the waste isolation impacts of testing activities are evaluated in the ESF Subsurface Testing Activities DIE and other applicable evaluation(s) for the Job Package (JP), Test Planning Package (TPP), and/or Field Work Package (FWP). The objectives of this DIE are to determine whether the Subsurface ESF TS Loop and associated excavations, including activities associated with their construction and operation, potentially impact site characterization testing or the waste isolation capabilities of the site. Controls needed to limit any potential impacts are identified. The validity and veracity of the individual tests, including data collection, are the

DETERMINATION OF IMPORTANCE EVALUATION FOR THE SUBSURFACE EXPORATORY STUDIES FACILITY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

W.J. Clark

1999-06-28

This Determination of Importance Evaluation (DIE) applies to the Subsurface Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), encompassing the Topopah Spring (TS) Loop from Station 0+00 meters (m) at the North Portal to breakthrough at the South Portal (approximately 78+77 m), the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) East-West Cross Drift Starter Tunnel (to approximate ECRB Station 0+26 m), and ancillary test and operation support areas in the TS Loop. This evaluation applies to the construction, operation, and maintenance of these excavations. A more detailed description of these items is provided in Section 6.0. Testing activities are not evaluated in this DIE. Certain construction activities with respect to testing activities are evaluated; but the testing activities themselves are not evaluated. The DIE for ESF Subsurface Testing Activities (BAJ3000000-01717-2200-00011 Rev 01) (CRWMS M&O 1998a) evaluates Subsurface ESF Testing activities. The construction, operation, and maintenance of the TS Loop niches and alcove slot cuts is evaluated herein and is also discussed in CRWMS M&O 1998a. The construction, operation, and maintenance of the Busted Butte subsurface test area in support of the Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Transport Test is evaluated in CRWMS M&O 1998a. Potential test-to-test interference and the waste isolation impacts of testing activities are evaluated in the ESF Subsurface Testing Activities DIE and other applicable evaluation(s) for the Job Package (JP), Test Planning Package (TPP), and/or Field Work Package (FWP). The objectives of this DIE are to determine whether the Subsurface ESF TS Loop and associated excavations, including activities associated with their construction and operation, potentially impact site characterization testing or the waste isolation capabilities of the site. Controls needed to limit any potential impacts are identified. The validity and veracity of the individual tests, including data collection, are the responsibility

Reductive immobilization of U(VI) in Fe(III) oxide-reducing subsurface sediments: Analysis of coupled microbial-geochemical processes in experimental reactive transport systems. Final Scientific/Technical Report-EMSP 73914

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eric E. Roden Matilde M. Urrutia Mark O. Barnett Clifford R. Lange

2005-01-01

The purpose of this research was to provide information to DOE on microbiological and geochemical processes underlying the potential use of dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) to create subsurface redox barriers for immobilization of uranium and other redox-sensitive metal/radionuclide contaminants that were released to the environment in large quantities during Cold War nuclear weapons manufacturing operations. Several fundamental scientific questions were addressed in order to understand and predict how such treatment procedures would function under in situ conditions in the subsurface. These questions revolved the coupled microbial-geochemical phenomena which are likely to occur within a redox barrier treatment zone, and on the dynamic interactions between hydrologic flux and biogeochemical process rates. First, we assembled a robust conceptual understanding and numerical framework for modeling the kinetics of microbial Fe(III) oxide reduction and associated DMRB growth in sediments. Development of this framework is a critical prerequisite for predicting the potential effectiveness of DMRB-promoted subsurface bioremediation, since Fe(III) oxides are expected to be the primary source of electron-accepting capacity for growth and maintenance of DMRB in subsurface environments. We also defined in detail the kinetics of microbial (enzymatic) versus abiotic, ferrous iron-promoted reduction of U(VI) in the presence and absence of synthetic and natural Fe(III) oxide materials. The results of these studies suggest that (i) the efficiency of dissolved U(VI) scavenging may be influenced by the kinetics of enzymatic U(VI) reduction in systems with relative short fluid residence times; (2) association of U(VI) with diverse surface sites in natural soils and sediments has the potential to limit the rate and extent of microbial U(VI) reduction, and in turn modulate the effectiveness of in situ U(VI) bioremediation; and (3) abiotic, ferrous iron (Fe(II)) drive n U

Information barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, J.L.; Wolford, J.

2001-01-01

measurement equipment, that the system is functioning properly and does not incorporate any hidden features (or 'switches') that allows the host to pass out-of-spec items. Authentication of information barrier systems is an extremely important concept to consider in designing and assembling these types of inspection systems. There are a limited set of straightforward approaches to authenticate such systems, when applied in conjunction with open and cooperative system design and fabrication, that will provide a high degree of confidence to both host and inspector that the system will prevent the release of classified information and yet still inspect items in a manner consistent with the objectives of an inspection agreement. These principles have been outlined in this paper, along with areas where additional studies would be helpful. (author)

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF SUBSURFACE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AFFECTING RADIONUCLIDE TRANSPORT AND BIOIMMOBILIZATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joel E. Kostka; Lee Kerkhof; Kuk-Jeong Chin; Martin Keller; Joseph W. Stucki

2011-06-15

The objectives of this project were to: (1) isolate and characterize novel anaerobic prokaryotes from subsurface environments exposed to high levels of mixed contaminants (U(VI), nitrate, sulfate), (2) elucidate the diversity and distribution of metabolically active metal- and nitrate-reducing prokaryotes in subsurface sediments, and (3) determine the biotic and abiotic mechanisms linking electron transport processes (nitrate, Fe(III), and sulfate reduction) to radionuclide reduction and immobilization. Mechanisms of electron transport and U(VI) transformation were examined under near in situ conditions in sediment microcosms and in field investigations at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center (ORFRC), in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the subsurface is exposed to mixed contamination predominated by uranium and nitrate. A total of 20 publications (16 published or 'in press' and 4 in review), 10 invited talks, and 43 contributed seminars/ meeting presentations were completed during the past four years of the project. PI Kostka served on one proposal review panel each year for the U.S. DOE Office of Science during the four year project period. The PI leveraged funds from the state of Florida to purchase new instrumentation that aided the project. Support was also leveraged by the PI from the Joint Genome Institute in the form of two successful proposals for genome sequencing. Draft genomes are now available for two novel species isolated during our studies and 5 more genomes are in the pipeline. We effectively addressed each of the three project objectives and research highlights are provided. Task I - Isolation and characterization of novel anaerobes: (1) A wide range of pure cultures of metal-reducing bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and denitrifying bacteria (32 strains) were isolated from subsurface sediments of the Oak Ridge Field Research Center (ORFRC), where the subsurface is exposed to mixed contamination of uranium and nitrate. These isolates which

AN EVALUATION OF HANFORD SITE TANK FARM SUBSURFACE CONTAMINATION FY2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MANN, F.M.

2007-07-10

residual wastes that will remain in the tanks and tank-farm infrastructure after closure and potential losses from leaks during waste retrieval. Recharge addresses the impacts of current conditions in the tank farms (i.e. gravel covers that affect infiltration and recharge) as well as the impacts of surface barriers. The geohydrology and geochemistry components address the extent of the existing subsurface contaminant inventory and drivers and pathways for contaminants to be transported through the vadose zone and groundwater. Geochemistry addresses the mobility of key reactive contaminants such as uranium. Modeling addresses conceptual models and how they are simulated in computers. The data gaps will be used to provide input to planning (including the upcoming C Farm Data Quality Objective meetings scheduled this year).

AN EVALUATION OF HANFORD SITE TANK FARM SUBSURFACE CONTAMINATION FY 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MANN, F.M.

2007-01-01

remain in the tanks and tank-farm infrastructure after closure and potential losses from leaks during waste retrieval. Recharge addresses the impacts of current conditions in the tank farms (i.e. gravel covers that affect infiltration and recharge) as well as the impacts of surface barriers. The geohydrology and geochemistry components address the extent of the existing subsurface contaminant inventory and drivers and pathways for contaminants to be transported through the vadose zone and groundwater. Geochemistry addresses the mobility of key reactive contaminants such as uranium. Modeling addresses conceptual models and how they are simulated in computers. The data gaps will be used to provide input to planning (including the upcoming C Farm Data Quality Objective meetings scheduled this year)

Shallow Aquifer Vulnerability From Subsurface Fluid Injection at a Proposed Shale Gas Hydraulic Fracturing Site

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, M. P.; Worrall, F.; Davies, R. J.; Hart, A.

2017-11-01

Groundwater flow resulting from a proposed hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operation was numerically modeled using 91 scenarios. Scenarios were chosen to be a combination of hydrogeological factors that a priori would control the long-term migration of fracking fluids to the shallow subsurface. These factors were induced fracture extent, cross-basin groundwater flow, deep low hydraulic conductivity strata, deep high hydraulic conductivity strata, fault hydraulic conductivity, and overpressure. The study considered the Bowland Basin, northwest England, with fracking of the Bowland Shale at ˜2,000 m depth and the shallow aquifer being the Sherwood Sandstone at ˜300-500 m depth. Of the 91 scenarios, 73 scenarios resulted in tracked particles not reaching the shallow aquifer within 10,000 years and 18 resulted in travel times less than 10,000 years. Four factors proved to have a statistically significant impact on reducing travel time to the aquifer: increased induced fracture extent, absence of deep high hydraulic conductivity strata, relatively low fault hydraulic conductivity, and magnitude of overpressure. Modeling suggests that high hydraulic conductivity formations can be more effective barriers to vertical flow than low hydraulic conductivity formations. Furthermore, low hydraulic conductivity faults can result in subsurface pressure compartmentalization, reducing horizontal groundwater flow, and encouraging vertical fluid migration. The modeled worst-case scenario, using unlikely geology and induced fracture lengths, maximum values for strata hydraulic conductivity and with conservative tracer behavior had a particle travel time of 130 years to the base of the shallow aquifer. This study has identified hydrogeological factors which lead to aquifer vulnerability from shale exploitation.

Need to improve SWMM's subsurface flow routing algorithm for green infrastructure modeling

Science.gov (United States)

SWMM can simulate various subsurface flows, including groundwater (GW) release from a subcatchment to a node, percolation out of storage units and low impact development (LID) controls, and rainfall derived inflow and infiltration (RDII) at a node. Originally, the subsurface flow...

Drilling Automation Demonstrations in Subsurface Exploration for Astrobiology

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Brian; Cannon, H.; Lee, P.; Hanagud, S.; Davis, K.

2006-01-01

This project proposes to study subsurface permafrost microbial habitats at a relevant Arctic Mars-analog site (Haughton Crater, Devon Island, Canada) while developing and maturing the subsurface drilling and drilling automation technologies that will be required by post-2010 missions. It builds on earlier drilling technology projects to add permafrost and ice-drilling capabilities to 5m with a lightweight drill that will be automatically monitored and controlled in-situ. Frozen cores obtained with this drill under sterilized protocols will be used in testing three hypotheses pertaining to near-surface physical geology and ground H2O ice distribution, viewed as a habitat for microbial life in subsurface ice and ice-consolidated sediments. Automation technologies employed will demonstrate hands-off diagnostics and drill control, using novel vibrational dynamical analysis methods and model-based reasoning to monitor and identify drilling fault states before and during faults. Three field deployments, to a Mars-analog site with frozen impact crater fallback breccia, will support science goals, provide a rigorous test of drilling automation and lightweight permafrost drilling, and leverage past experience with the field site s particular logistics.

Degree-degree correlations in random graphs with heavy-tailed degrees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofstad, van der R.W.; Litvak, N.

2014-01-01

Mixing patterns in large self-organizing networks, such as the Internet, the World Wide Web, social, and biological networks are often characterized by degree-degree dependencies between neighboring nodes. In assortative networks, the degree-degree dependencies are positive (nodes with similar

Degree-Degree Dependencies in Random Graphs with Heavy-Tailed Degrees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hofstad, Remco; Litvak, Nelly

2014-01-01

Mixing patterns in large self-organizing networks, such as the Internet, the World Wide Web, social, and biological networks are often characterized by degree-degree dependencies between neighboring nodes. In assortative networks, the degree-degree dependencies are positive (nodes with similar

Contaminant geochemistry. Interactions and transport in the subsurface environment. 2. ed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkowitz, Brian; Dror, Ishai; Yaron, Bruno [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences

2014-07-01

In this updated and expanded second edition, new literature has been added on contaminant fate in the soil-subsurface environment. In particular, more data on the behavior of inorganic contaminants and on engineered nanomaterials were included, the latter comprising a group of ''emerging contaminants'' that may reach the soil and subsurface zones. New chapters are devoted to a new perspective of contaminant geochemistry, namely irreversible changes in pristine land and subsurface systems following chemical contamination. Two chapters were added on this topic, focusing attention on the impact of chemical contaminants on the matrix and properties of both liquid and solid phases of soil and subsurface domains. Contaminant impacts on irreversible changes occurring in groundwater are discussed and their irreversible changes on the porous medium solid phase are surveyed. In contrast to the geological time scale controlling natural changes of porous media liquid and solid phases, the time scale associated with chemical pollutant induced changes is far shorter and extends over a ''human lifetime scale''.

Automatic WEMVA by Focusing Subsurface Offset Virtual Sources

KAUST Repository

Sun, Bingbing

2017-05-26

Macro velocity building is important for subsequent prestack depth migration and full waveform inversion. Wave equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) utilizes band-limited waveform to invert the velocity in an automatic manner. Normally, inversion would be implemented by focusing the subsurface offset common image gathers(SOCIGs). We re-examine it with a different perspective and propose to view the SOCIGs and the background wavefield together as subsurface offset virtual sources(SOVS). A linear system connecting the perturbation of the position of those SOVS and velocity is derived and solved subsequently using a conjugate gradient method. Both synthetic and real dataset examples verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Prediction of future subsurface temperatures in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Y.; Kim, S. K.; Jeong, J.; SHIN, E.

2017-12-01

The importance of climate change has been increasingly recognized because it has had the huge amount of impact on social, economic, and environmental aspect. For the reason, paleoclimate change has been studied intensively using different geological tools including borehole temperatures and future surface air temperatures (SATs) have been predicted for the local areas and the globe. Future subsurface temperatures can have also enormous impact on various areas and be predicted by an analytical method or a numerical simulation using measured and predicted SATs, and thermal diffusivity data of rocks. SATs have been measured at 73 meteorological observatories since 1907 in Korea and predicted at same locations up to the year of 2100. Measured SATs at the Seoul meteorological observatory increased by about 3.0 K from the year of 1907 to the present. Predicted SATs have 4 different scenarios depending on mainly CO2 concentration and national action plan on climate change in the future. The hottest scenario shows that SATs in Korea will increase by about 5.0 K from the present to the year of 2100. In addition, thermal diffusivity values have been measured on 2,903 rock samples collected from entire Korea. Data pretreatment based on autocorrelation analysis was conducted to control high frequency noise in thermal diffusivity data. Finally, future subsurface temperatures in Korea were predicted up to the year of 2100 by a FEM simulation code (COMSOL Multiphysics) using measured and predicted SATs, and thermal diffusivity data in Korea. At Seoul, the results of predictions show that subsurface temperatures will increase by about 5.4 K, 3.0 K, 1.5 K, and 0.2 K from the present to 2050 and then by about 7.9 K, 4.8 K, 2.5 K, and 0.5 K to 2100 at the depths of 10 m, 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m, respectively. We are now proceeding numerical simulations for subsurface temperature predictions for 73 locations in Korea.

Symmetric fusion of heavy ions around the Coulomb barrier energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Royer, G.; Remaud, B.

1983-01-01

Using the liquid drop model, we have performed a systematic study of the symmetric fusion with a neck degree of freedom and tunnelling effects, the nuclear potential being calculated with the proximity approach. Barrier heights and positions are in very good agreement with experimental data when they are known (light-medium systems); the recent experimental data of the reactions 58 Ni + 58 Ni and 64 Ni + 64 Ni are particularly investigated. For heavier systems double-humped fusion barriers and isomeric states are predicted which strongly limit the complete fusion probability

Characterization for capillary barriers effects in a sand box test using time-lapsed GPR measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, S.; Ishii, N.; Morii, T.

2017-12-01

Capillary barriers have been known as the method to protect subsurface regions against infiltration from soil surface. It is caused by essentially heterogeneous structure in permeability or soil physical property and produce non-uniform infiltration process then, in order to estimate the actual situation of the capillary barrier effect, the site-characterization with imaging technique like geophysical prospecting is effective. In this study, we examine the applicability of GPR to characterization for capillary barriers. We built a sand box with 90x340x90cm in which a thin high-permeable gravel layer was embedded as a capillary barrier. We conducted an infiltration test in the sand box using porous tube array for irrigation. It is expected to lead to non-uniform flow of soil water induced by capillary barrier effects. We monitored this process by various types of GPR measurements, including time-lapsed common offset profiling (COP) with multi- frequency antenna and transmission measurements like cross-borehole radar. At first, we conducted GPR common-offset survey. It could show the depth of capillary barrier in sand box. After that we conducted the infiltration test and GPR monitoring for infiltration process. GPR profiles can detect the wetting front and estimate water content change in the soil layer above the capillary barrier. From spatial change in these results we can estimate the effect of capillary barrier and the zone where the break through occur or not. Based on these results, we will discuss the applicability of GPR for monitoring the phenomena around the capillary barrier of soil. At first, we conducted GPR common-offset survey. It could show the depth of capillary barrier in sand box. After that we conducted the infiltration test and GPR monitoring for infiltration process. GPR profiles can detect the wetting front and estimate water content change in the soil layer above the capillary barrier. From spatial change in these results we can estimate the

Geophysical data fusion for subsurface imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blohm, M.; Hatch, W.E.; Hoekstra, P.; Porter, D.W.

1994-01-01

Effective site characterization requires that many relevant geologic, hydrogeologic and biological properties of the subsurface be evaluated. A parameter that often directly influences chemical processes, ground water flow, contaminant transport, and biological activities is the lateral and vertical distribution of clays. The objective of the research an development under this contract is to improve non-invasive methods for detecting clay lenses. The percentage of clays in soils influences most physical properties that have an impact on environmental restoration and waste management. For example, the percentage of clays determine hydraulic permeability and the rate of contaminant migration, absorption of radioactive elements, and interaction with organic compounds. Therefore, improvements in non-invasive mapping of clays in the subsurface will result in better: characterization of contaminated sites, prediction of pathways of contaminant migration, assessment of risk of contaminants to public health if contaminants reach water supplies, design of remedial action and evaluation of alternative action

Dislocation model of a subsurface crack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, F.; Li, J.C.

1997-01-01

A dislocation model of a subsurface crack parallel to the surface is presented. For tensile loading, the results agree with those of previous workers except that we studied the crack very close to the surface and found that K II (mode II stress intensity factor) approaches K I (mode I stress intensity factor) to within about 22% (K II =0.78K I ). (Note that K II is zero when the crack is far away from the surface). Using bending theory for such situations, it is found that both stress intensity factors are inversely proportional to the 3/2 power of the distance between the subsurface crack and the free surface. For shear loading, the crack faces overlap each other for the free traction condition. This indicates the failure of the model. However, there was no overlap for tensile loading even though the stresses in front of the crack oscillate somewhat when the crack is very close to the surface. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

The Development of 3d Sub-Surface Mapping Scheme and its Application to Martian Lobate Debris Aprons

Science.gov (United States)

Baik, H.; Kim, J.

2017-07-01

The Shallow Subsurface Radar (SHARAD), a sounding radar equipped on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), has produced highly valuable information about the Martian subsurface. In particular, the complicated substructures of Mars such as polar deposit, pedestal crater and the other geomorphic features involving possible subsurface ice body has been successfully investigated by SHARAD. In this study, we established a 3D subsurface mapping strategy employing the multiple SHARAD profiles. A number of interpretation components of SHARAD signals were integrated into a subsurface mapping scheme using radargram information and topographic data, then applied over a few mid latitude Lobate Debris Aprons (LDAs). From the identified subsurface layers of LDA, and the GIS data base incorporating the other interpretation outcomes, we are expecting to trace the origin of LDAs. Also, the subsurface mapping scheme developed in this study will be further applied to other interesting Martian geological features such as inter crater structures, aeolian deposits and fluvial sediments. To achieve higher precision sub-surface mapping, the clutter simulation employing the high resolution topographic data and the upgraded clustering algorithms assuming multiple sub-surface layers will be also developed.

Design and maintenance of subsurface gravel wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-02-01

This report summarizes the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center (UNHSC) evaluation of : a review of Subsurface Gravel Wetlands design and specifications used by the New Hampshire : Department of Transportation (NHDOT or Department). : Subsur...

Surface and subsurface cracks characteristics of single crystal SiC wafer in surface machining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiusheng, Y., E-mail: qsyan@gdut.edu.cn; Senkai, C., E-mail: senkite@sina.com; Jisheng, P., E-mail: panjisheng@gdut.edu.cn [School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006 (China)

2015-03-30

Different machining processes were used in the single crystal SiC wafer machining. SEM was used to observe the surface morphology and a cross-sectional cleavages microscopy method was used for subsurface cracks detection. Surface and subsurface cracks characteristics of single crystal SiC wafer in abrasive machining were analysed. The results show that the surface and subsurface cracks system of single crystal SiC wafer in abrasive machining including radial crack, lateral crack and the median crack. In lapping process, material removal is dominated by brittle removal. Lots of chipping pits were found on the lapping surface. With the particle size becomes smaller, the surface roughness and subsurface crack depth decreases. When the particle size was changed to 1.5µm, the surface roughness Ra was reduced to 24.0nm and the maximum subsurface crack was 1.2µm. The efficiency of grinding is higher than lapping. Plastic removal can be achieved by changing the process parameters. Material removal was mostly in brittle fracture when grinding with 325# diamond wheel. Plow scratches and chipping pits were found on the ground surface. The surface roughness Ra was 17.7nm and maximum subsurface crack depth was 5.8 µm. When grinding with 8000# diamond wheel, the material removal was in plastic flow. Plastic scratches were found on the surface. A smooth surface of roughness Ra 2.5nm without any subsurface cracks was obtained. Atomic scale removal was possible in cluster magnetorheological finishing with diamond abrasive size of 0.5 µm. A super smooth surface eventually obtained with a roughness of Ra 0.4nm without any subsurface crack.

Barrier properties of lipid bilayers composed of lecithins with odd chain fatty acids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salvati, S.; Serlupi-Crescenzi, G.; Gier, J. de

Lecithins with fatty acid chain length of 17 carbon atoms and different degrees of unsaturation were synthesized. The thermotropic behaviour and barrier function of derived liposomal bilayers were studied.

Effects of intracarotid ioxaglate on the normal blood-brain barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilcox, J.; Sage, M.R.

1985-01-01

Using two different models, the effect on the blood-brain barrier of intracarotid injections of sodium/meglumine ioxaglate at similar iodine concentrations (280 mgI/ml) was investigated. In both models the degree of blood-brain barrier damage was assessed visually using Evans' Blue stain. Quantitative assessment of blood-brain barrier disruption was made by contrast enhancement as measured by CT of the dog brain, and by 99m Tc-pertechnetate uptake by the brain in the rabbit model. No Evans' Blue staining was observed in any study using the canine/CT model. Slight staining was observed in two studies with ioxaglate using the rabbit/pertechnetate model. Statistical analysis of results from the canine/CT model did not detect any damage to the blood-brain barrier with either ioxaglate or saline control studies (P>0.1). However, in the rabbit/pertechnetate model a slight increase in disruption of the blood-brain barrier was observed with ioxaglate compared with control studies, but this was only significant at the 0.1 level. The results suggest that the rabbit/pertechnetate model is a more sensitive measure of blood-brain barrier disruption than the canine/CT model. This study also demonstrates that blood-brain barrier disruption following intracarotid injection of ioxaglate is minimal. (orig.)

Interactive directional subsurface scattering and transport of emergent light

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dal Corso, Alessandro; Frisvad, Jeppe Revall; Mosegaard, Jesper

2016-01-01

need to store elements of irradiance from specific directions. To include changes in subsurface scattering due to changes in the direction of the incident light, we instead sample incident radiance and store scattered radiosity. This enables us to accommodate not only the common distance....... To build our maps of scattered radiosity, we progressively render the model from different directions using an importance sampling pattern based on the optical properties of the material. We obtain interactive frame rates, our subsurface scattering results are close to ground truth, and our technique...

Dual-gas tracers for subsurface characterization and NAPL detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauglitz, P.A.; Peurrung, L.M.; Mendoza, D.P.; Pillay, G.

1994-11-01

Effective design of in situ remediation technologies often requires an understanding of the mass transfer limitations that control the removal of contaminants from the soil. In addition, the presence of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in soils will affect the ultimate success or failure of remediation processes. Knowing the location of NAPLs within the subsurface is critical to designing the most effective remediation approach. This work focuses on demonstrating that gas tracers can detect the location of the NAPLs in the subsurface and elucidating the mass transfer limitations associated with the removal of contaminants from soils

Trajectory-based understanding of the quantum-classical transition for barrier scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Chia-Chun

2018-06-01

The quantum-classical transition of wave packet barrier scattering is investigated using a hydrodynamic description in the framework of a nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The nonlinear equation provides a continuous description for the quantum-classical transition of physical systems by introducing a degree of quantumness. Based on the transition equation, the transition trajectory formalism is developed to establish the connection between classical and quantum trajectories. The quantum-classical transition is then analyzed for the scattering of a Gaussian wave packet from an Eckart barrier and the decay of a metastable state. Computational results for the evolution of the wave packet and the transmission probabilities indicate that classical results are recovered when the degree of quantumness tends to zero. Classical trajectories are in excellent agreement with the transition trajectories in the classical limit, except in some regions where transition trajectories cannot cross because of the single-valuedness of the transition wave function. As the computational results demonstrate, the process that the Planck constant tends to zero is equivalent to the gradual removal of quantum effects originating from the quantum potential. This study provides an insightful trajectory interpretation for the quantum-classical transition of wave packet barrier scattering.

Assessing the effectiveness of slab flooring as a barrier to soil gas and radon infiltration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williamson, A.D.; Fowler, C.S.; McDonough, S.E.

1995-01-01

Experimental studies on the entry of soil gas and radon into slab-on-grade buildings have been carried out in instrumented, single-zone test structures. This work, as part of the Florida Radon Research Program, focused on the effectiveness of slab flooring variants as barriers to soil gas/radon entry. A second objective was the study of the role of subslab fill soil as both a potential source of and barrier to radon entry. Studies were made in well-sealed (∼ 600 mm 2 ELA) unoccupied test buildings placed on well-characterized, radium-bearing sandy fill soil. The buildings were instrumented with data acquisition systems to continuously monitor indoor radon concentrations, differential pressures at several subsurface locations, weather conditions, and soil moisture. The response of the structures to mechanical depressurization as well as natural driving forces was measured. Limited measurements were made regarding direct diffusive transport of radon through apparently intact concrete slabs, as well as transport through cracks in the floor structure

Tracer verification and monitoring of containment systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowry, W.; Dunn, S.D.; Williams, C.

1996-01-01

In-situ barrier emplacement techniques and materials for the containment of high-risk contaminants in soils are currently being developed by the Department of Energy (DOE). Because of their relatively high cost, the barriers are intended to be used in cases where the risk is too great to remove the contaminants, the contaminants are too difficult to remove with current technologies, or the potential for movement of the contaminants to the water table is so high that immediate action needs to be taken to reduce health risks. Consequently, barriers are primarily intended for use in high-risk sites where few viable alternatives exist to stop the movement of contaminants in the near term. Assessing the integrity of the barrier once it is emplaced, and during its anticipated life, is a very difficult but necessary requirement. Existing surface-based and borehole geophysical techniques do not provide the degree of resolution required to assure the formation of an integral in-situ barrier. Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., (SEA) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) are developing a quantitative subsurface barrier assessment system using gaseous tracers. Called SEAtrace trademark, this system integrates an autonomous, multipoint soil vapor sampling and analysis system with a global optimization modeling methodology to pinpoint leak sources and sizes in real time. SEAtrace trademark is applicable to impermeable barrier emplacements above the water table, providing a conservative assessment of barrier integrity after emplacement, as well as a long term integrity monitoring function. The SEAtrace trademark system is being developed under funding by the DOE-EM Subsurface Contaminant Focus Area

Colloid formation in groundwater by subsurface aeration: characterisation of the geo-colloids and their counterparts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolthoorn, A.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.; Riemsdijk, van W.H.

2004-01-01

Subsurface aeration is used to oxidise Fe in situ in groundwater to make the water potable. In a groundwater system with pH > 7, subsurface aeration results in a non-mobile Fe precipitate and mobile Fe colloids. Since originally the goal of subsurface aeration is to remove Fe in situ, the

The thermal impact of subsurface building structures on urban groundwater resources - A paradigmatic example.

Science.gov (United States)

Epting, Jannis; Scheidler, Stefan; Affolter, Annette; Borer, Paul; Mueller, Matthias H; Egli, Lukas; García-Gil, Alejandro; Huggenberger, Peter

2017-10-15

Shallow subsurface thermal regimes in urban areas are increasingly impacted by anthropogenic activities, which include infrastructure development like underground traffic lines as well as industrial and residential subsurface buildings. In combination with the progressive use of shallow geothermal energy systems, this results in the so-called subsurface urban heat island effect. This article emphasizes the importance of considering the thermal impact of subsurface structures, which commonly is underestimated due to missing information and of reliable subsurface temperature data. Based on synthetic heat-transport models different settings of the urban environment were investigated, including: (1) hydraulic gradients and conductivities, which result in different groundwater flow velocities; (2) aquifer properties like groundwater thickness to aquitard and depth to water table; and (3) constructional features, such as building depths and thermal properties of building structures. Our results demonstrate that with rising groundwater flow velocities, the heat-load from building structures increase, whereas down-gradient groundwater temperatures decrease. Thermal impacts on subsurface resources therefore have to be related to the permeability of aquifers and hydraulic boundary conditions. In regard to the urban settings of Basel, Switzerland, flow velocities of around 1 md -1 delineate a marker where either down-gradient temperature deviations or heat-loads into the subsurface are more relevant. Furthermore, no direct thermal influence on groundwater resources should be expected for aquifers with groundwater thicknesses larger 10m and when the distance of the building structure to the groundwater table is higher than around 10m. We demonstrate that measuring temperature changes down-gradient of subsurface structures is insufficient overall to assess thermal impacts, particularly in urban areas. Moreover, in areas which are densely urbanized, and where groundwater flow

Structure, vibrational spectrum, and ring puckering barrier of cyclobutane.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Thomas A; Xantheas, Sotiris S

2006-09-07

We present the results of high level ab initio calculations for the structure, harmonic and anharmonic spectroscopic constants, and ring puckering barrier of cyclobutane (C4H8) in an effort to establish the minimum theoretical requirements needed for their accurate description. We have found that accurate estimates for the barrier between the minimum (D(2d)) and transition state (D(4h)) configurations require both higher levels of electron correlation [MP4, CCSD(T)] and orbital basis sets of quadruple-zeta quality or larger. By performing CCSD(T) calculations with basis sets as large as cc-pV5Z, we were able to obtain, for the first time, a value for the puckering barrier that lies within 10 cm(-1) (or 2%) from experiment, whereas the best previously calculated values were in errors exceeding 40% of experiment. Our best estimate of 498 cm(-1) for the puckering barrier is within 10 cm(-1) of the experimental value proposed originally, but it lies approximately 50 cm(-1) higher than the revisited value, which was obtained more recently using different assumptions regarding the coupling between the various modes. It is therefore suggested that revisiting the analysis of the experimental data might be warranted. Our best computed values (at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory) for the equilibrium structural parameters of C4H8 are r(C-C) = 1.554 A, r(C-H(alpha)) = 1.093 A, r(C-H(beta)) = 1.091 A, phi(C-C-C) = 88.1 degrees , alpha(H(alpha)-C-H(beta)) = 109.15 degrees , and theta = 29.68 degrees for the puckering angle. We have found that the puckering angle theta is more sensitive to the level of electron correlation than to the size of the basis set for a given method. We furthermore present anharmonic calculations that are based on a second-order perturbative evaluation of rovibrational parameters and their effects on the vibrational spectra and average structure. We have found that the anharmonic calculations predict the experimentally measured fundamental band

Investigation of a natural geochemical barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

Groundwater data from lysimeters and monitor wells in the vicinity of the Bowman, North Dakota, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project site indicated that there is a mechanism in the subsurface which cleans up downward-percolating fluids. It was hypothesized that clays and organic materials in the sediments sequestered hazardous constituents from infiltrating fluids. A program was designed to collect sediment cores from various locations on and around the site and to analyze the sediments to determine whether there has been a build up of hazardous constituents in any specific type of sedimentary material. Materials that concentrate the hazardous constituents would be potential candidates to be used in constructed geochemical barriers. The water quality of the groundwater contained within the sedimentary section indicates that there is a transport of contaminants down through the sediments and that these contaminants are removed from solution by the iron-bearing minerals in the organic-rich lignite beds. The data gathered during the course of this investigation indicate that the lignite ashing operations have added very little of the hazardous constituents of concern--arsenic, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, or uranium--to the sediments beneath the UMTRA Project site. At both locations, the hazardous constituents are concentrated in the upper most lignite bed. These data offer a natural analog for laboratory tests in which sphagnum peat was used to sequester hazardous constituents. Constructed geochemical barriers are a viable mechanism for the clean-up of the majority of hazardous constituents from uranium mill tailings in groundwater

Use of deep soil mixing as an alternate verticle barrier to slurry walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, A.D.

1997-01-01

Slurry walls have become an accepted subsurface remediation technique to contain contaminated zones. However, situations develop where conventional slurry wall excavation techniques are not suitable. The use of conventional containment wall construction methods may involve removal and disposal of contaminated soils, stability concerns and the risk of open excavations. For these reasons, other installation techniques have received further consideration. Deep Soil Mixing (DSM) has emerged as a viable alternative to conventional slurry wall techniques. In situations dictating limited soil removal for contamination or stability concerns, or where space is a limitation, DSM can be used for installation of the barrier. Proper installation of a DSM wall requires sufficient monitoring and sampling to evaluate the continuity, mixing effectiveness, permeability and key into the confining layer. This paper describes a case study where DSM was used to cross major highways to avoid open excavation, and along slopes to reduce stability concerns. The DSM barrier was tied to an existing conventional slurry wall that had been installed in more stable areas without highway traffic

The long-term climate change task of the Hanford permanent isolation barrier development program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Hanford Site Permanent Isolation Barrier Development Program is developing an in-place disposal capability for low-level nuclear waste for the US Department of Energy at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. Layered earthen and engineered barriers are being developed that will function in what is currently a semiarid environment (mean annual precipitation and temperature of 16 cm and 11.8 degrees C, respectively) for at least 1,000 yr by limiting the infiltration of water through the waste. The Long-Term Climate Change Task has specific goals of (1) obtaining defensible probabilistic projections of the long-term climate variability in the Hanford Site region at many different time scales into the future; (2) developing several test-case climate scenarios that bracket the range of potential future climate, including both greenhouse warming and cycling into another ice age; and (3) using the climate scenarios both to test and to model protective barrier performance. Results from the Carp Lake Pollen Coring Project indicate that for the last approximately 100,000 yr the Columbia River Basin's long-term range of mean annual precipitation ranged from 25%--50% below to 28% above modern levels, while temperature has ranged from 7 degrees C--10 degrees C below to 2 degrees C above modern levels. This long record provides confidence that such a range should bracket potential natural climate change even if the earth cycles back into another Ice Age in the next few millennia

Subsurface metals fatigue cracking without and with crack tip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey Shanyavskiy

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Very-High-Cycle-Fatigue regime for metals was considered and mechanisms of the subsurface crack origination were introduced. In many metals first step of crack origination takes place with specific area formation because of material pressing and rotation that directed to transition in any volume to material ultra-high-plasticity with nano-structure appearing. Then by the border of the nano-structure takes place volume rotation and fracture surface creates with spherical particles which usually named Fine-Granular-Area. In another case there takes place First-Smooth-Facet occurring in area of origin due to whirls appearing by the one of the slip systems under discussed the same stress-state conditions. Around Fine-Granular-Area or First-Smooth-Facet there plastic zone appeared and, then, subsurface cracking develops by the same manner as for through cracks. In was discussed quantum-mechanical nature of fatigue crack growth in accordance with Yang’s modulus quantization for low level of deformations. New simply equation was considered for describing subsurface cracking in metals out of Fine-Granular-Area or Fist-Smooth-Facet.

Advanced Algebraic Multigrid Solvers for Subsurface Flow Simulation

KAUST Repository

Chen, Meng-Huo

2015-09-13

In this research we are particularly interested in extending the robustness of multigrid solvers to encounter complex systems related to subsurface reservoir applications for flow problems in porous media. In many cases, the step for solving the pressure filed in subsurface flow simulation becomes a bottleneck for the performance of the simulator. For solving large sparse linear system arising from MPFA discretization, we choose multigrid methods as the linear solver. The possible difficulties and issues will be addressed and the corresponding remedies will be studied. As the multigrid methods are used as the linear solver, the simulator can be parallelized (although not trivial) and the high-resolution simulation become feasible, the ultimately goal which we desire to achieve.

Image-based overlay measurement using subsurface ultrasonic resonance force microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Tamer, M. S.; van der Lans, M. J.; Sadeghian, H.

2018-03-01

Image Based Overlay (IBO) measurement is one of the most common techniques used in Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing to extract the overlay error values. The overlay error is measured using dedicated overlay targets which are optimized to increase the accuracy and the resolution, but these features are much larger than the IC feature size. IBO measurements are realized on the dedicated targets instead of product features, because the current overlay metrology solutions, mainly based on optics, cannot provide sufficient resolution on product features. However, considering the fact that the overlay error tolerance is approaching 2 nm, the overlay error measurement on product features becomes a need for the industry. For sub-nanometer resolution metrology, Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) is widely used, though at the cost of very low throughput. The semiconductor industry is interested in non-destructive imaging of buried structures under one or more layers for the application of overlay and wafer alignment, specifically through optically opaque media. Recently an SPM technique has been developed for imaging subsurface features which can be potentially considered as a solution for overlay metrology. In this paper we present the use of Subsurface Ultrasonic Resonance Force Microscopy (SSURFM) used for IBO measurement. We used SSURFM for imaging the most commonly used overlay targets on a silicon substrate and photoresist. As a proof of concept we have imaged surface and subsurface structures simultaneously. The surface and subsurface features of the overlay targets are fabricated with programmed overlay errors of +/-40 nm, +/-20 nm, and 0 nm. The top layer thickness changes between 30 nm and 80 nm. Using SSURFM the surface and subsurface features were successfully imaged and the overlay errors were extracted, via a rudimentary image processing algorithm. The measurement results are in agreement with the nominal values of the programmed overlay errors.

Subsurface Controls on Stream Intermittency in a Semi-Arid Landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Dohman, J.; Godsey, S.; Thackray, G. D.; Hale, R. L.; Wright, K.; Martinez, D.

2017-12-01

Intermittent streams currently constitute 30% to greater than 50% of the global river network. In addition, the number of intermittent streams is expected to increase due to changes in land use and climate. These streams provide important ecosystem services, such as water for irrigation, increased biodiversity, and high rates of nutrient cycling. Many hydrological studies have focused on mapping current intermittent flow regimes or evaluating long-term flow records, but very few have investigated the underlying causes of stream intermittency. The disconnection and reconnection of surface flow reflects the capacity of the subsurface to accommodate flow, so characterizing subsurface flow is key to understanding stream drying. We assess how subsurface flow paths control local surface flows during low-flow periods, including intermittency. Water table dynamics were monitored in an intermittent reach of Gibson Jack Creek in southeastern Idaho. Four transects were delineated with a groundwater well located in the hillslope, riparian zone, and in the stream, for a total of 12 groundwater wells. The presence or absence of surface flow was determined by frequent visual observations as well as in situ loggers every 30m along the 200m study reach. The rate of surface water drying was measured in conjunction with temperature, precipitation, subsurface hydraulic conductivity, hillslope-riparian-stream connectivity and subsurface travel time. Initial results during an unusually wet year suggest different responses in reaches that were previously observed to occasionally cease flowing. Flows in the intermittent reaches had less coherent and lower amplitude diel variations during base flow periods than reaches that had never been observed to dry out. Our findings will help contribute to our understanding of mechanisms driving expansion and contraction cycles in intermittent streams, increase our ability to predict how land use and climate change will affect flow regimes, and

Sub-surface defect detection using transient thermography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Zaki Umar; Huda Abdullah; Abdul Razak Hamzah; Wan Saffiey Wan Abdullah; Ibrahim Ahmad; Vavilov, Vladimir

2009-04-01

An experimental research had been carried out to study the potential of transient thermography in detecting sub-surface defect of non-metal material. In this research, eight pieces of bakelite material were used as samples. Each samples had a sub-surface defect in the circular shape with different diameters and depths. Experiment was conducted using one-sided Pulsed Thermal technique. Heating of samples were done using 30 k Watt adjustable quartz lamp while infra red (IR) images of samples were recorded using THV 550 IR camera. These IR images were then analysed with thermo fit TM Pro software to obtain the Maximum Absolute Differential Temperature Signal value, ΔT max and the time of its appearance, τ max (ΔT). Result showed that all defects were able to be detected even for the smallest and deepest defect (diameter = 5 mm and depth = 4 mm). However the highest value of Differential Temperature Signal (ΔT max ), were obtained at defect with the largest diameter, 20 mm and at the shallowest depth, 1 mm. As a conclusion, the sensitivity of the pulsed thermography technique to detect sub-surface defects of bakelite material is proportionately related with the size of defect diameter if the defect area at the same depth. On the contrary, the sensitivity of the pulsed thermography technique inversely related with the depth of defect if the defects have similar diameter size. (author)

A multi-scale experimental and simulation approach for fractured subsurface systems

Science.gov (United States)

Viswanathan, H. S.; Carey, J. W.; Frash, L.; Karra, S.; Hyman, J.; Kang, Q.; Rougier, E.; Srinivasan, G.

2017-12-01

Fractured systems play an important role in numerous subsurface applications including hydraulic fracturing, carbon sequestration, geothermal energy and underground nuclear test detection. Fractures that range in scale from microns to meters and their structure control the behavior of these systems which provide over 85% of our energy and 50% of US drinking water. Determining the key mechanisms in subsurface fractured systems has been impeded due to the lack of sophisticated experimental methods to measure fracture aperture and connectivity, multiphase permeability, and chemical exchange capacities at the high temperature, pressure, and stresses present in the subsurface. In this study, we developed and use microfluidic and triaxial core flood experiments required to reveal the fundamental dynamics of fracture-fluid interactions. In addition we have developed high fidelity fracture propagation and discrete fracture network flow models to simulate these fractured systems. We also have developed reduced order models of these fracture simulators in order to conduct uncertainty quantification for these systems. We demonstrate an integrated experimental/modeling approach that allows for a comprehensive characterization of fractured systems and develop models that can be used to optimize the reservoir operating conditions over a range of subsurface conditions.

A 70th Degree Lunar Gravity Model (GLGM-2) from Clementine and other tracking data

Science.gov (United States)

Lemonie, Frank G. R.; Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.; Neumann, Gregory A.

1997-01-01

A spherical harmonic model of the lunar gravity field complete to degree and order 70 has been developed from S band Doppler tracking data from the Clementine mission, as well as historical tracking data from Lunar Orbiters 1-5 and the Apollo 15 and 16 subsatellites. The model combines 361,000 Doppler observations from Clementine with 347,000 historical observations. The historical data consist of mostly 60-s Doppler with a noise of 0.25 to several mm/s. The Clementine data consist of mostly 10-s Doppler data, with a data noise of 0.25 mm/s for the observations from the Deep Space Network, and 2.5 mm/s for the data from a naval tracking station at Pomonkey, Maryland. Observations provided Clementine, provide the strongest satellite constraint on the Moon's low-degree field. In contrast the historical data, collected by spacecraft that had lower periapsis altitudes, provide distributed regions of high-resolution coverage within +/- 29 deg of the nearside lunar equator. To obtain the solution for a high-degree field in the absence of a uniform distribution of observations, we applied an a priori power law constraint of the form 15 x 10(exp -5)/sq l which had the effect of limiting the gravitational power and noise at short wavelengths. Coefficients through degree and order 18 are not significantly affected by the constraint, and so the model permits geophysical analysis of effects of the major basins at degrees 10-12. The GLGM-2 model confirms major features of the lunar gravity field shown in previous gravitational field models but also reveals significantly more detail, particularly at intermediate wavelengths (10(exp 3) km). Free-air gravity anomaly maps derived from the new model show the nearside and farside highlands to be gravitationally smooth, reflecting a state of isostatic compensation. Mascon basins (including Imbrium, Serenitatis, Crisium, Smythii, and Humorum) are denoted by gravity highs first recognized from Lunar Orbiter tracking. All of the major

Subsurface damage mechanism of high speed grinding process in single crystal silicon revealed by atomistic simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jia; Fang, Qihong; Zhang, Liangchi; Liu, Youwen

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Molecular dynamic model of nanoscale high speed grinding of silicon workpiece has been established. • The effect of grinding speed on subsurface damage and grinding surface integrity by analyzing the chip, dislocation movement, and phase transformation during high speed grinding process are thoroughly investigated. • Subsurface damage is studied by the evolution of surface area at first time for more obvious observation on transition from ductile to brittle. • The hydrostatic stress and von Mises stress by the established analytical model are studied subsurface damage mechanism during nanoscale grinding. - Abstract: Three-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate the nanoscale grinding process of single crystal silicon using diamond tool. The effect of grinding speed on subsurface damage and grinding surface integrity by analyzing the chip, dislocation movement, and phase transformation are studied. We also establish an analytical model to calculate several important stress fields including hydrostatic stress and von Mises stress for studying subsurface damage mechanism, and obtain the dislocation density on the grinding subsurface. The results show that a higher grinding velocity in machining brittle material silicon causes a larger chip and a higher temperature, and reduces subsurface damage. However, when grinding velocity is above 180 m s −1 , subsurface damage thickness slightly increases because a higher grinding speed leads to the increase in grinding force and temperature, which accelerate dislocation nucleation and motion. Subsurface damage is studied by the evolution of surface area at first time for more obvious observation on transition from ductile to brittle, that provides valuable reference for machining nanometer devices. The von Mises stress and the hydrostatic stress play an important role in the grinding process, and explain the subsurface damage though dislocation mechanism under high

A novel anisotropic inversion approach for magnetotelluric data from subsurfaces with orthogonal geoelectric strike directions

Science.gov (United States)

Schmoldt, Jan-Philipp; Jones, Alan G.

2013-12-01

mantle region), indicating applicability of the novel approach for basic subsurface cases. For the more complex subsurface cases, however, the anisotropic 1-D inversion approach is likely to yield implausible models of the electric resistivity distribution due to inapplicability of the 1-D approximation. Owing to the higher number of degrees of freedom, the anisotropic 2-D inversion approach can cope with more complex subsurface cases and is the recommended tool for real data sets recorded in regions with orthogonal geoelectric strike directions.

A technical investigation on tools and concepts for sustainable management of the subsurface in The Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffioen, Jasper; van Wensem, Joke; Oomes, Justine L M; Barends, Frans; Breunese, Jaap; Bruining, Hans; Olsthoorn, Theo; Stams, Alfons J M; van der Stoel, Almer E C

2014-07-01

In response to increasing use of the subsurface, there is a need to modernise policies on sustainable use of the subsurface. This holds in particular for the densely populated Netherlands. We aimed to analyse current practice of subsurface management and the associated pressure points and to establish a conceptual overview of the technical issues related to sustainable management of the subsurface. Case studies on the exploitation of subsurface resources (including spatial use of the subsurface) were analysed, examining social relevance, environmental impact, pressure points and management solutions. The case studies ranged from constructing underground garages to geothermal exploitation. The following issues were identified for the technological/scientific aspects: site investigation, suitability, risk assessment, monitoring and measures in the event of failure. Additionally, the following general issues were identified for the administrative aspects: spatial planning, option assessment, precaution, transparency, responsibility and liability. These issues were explored on their technological implications within the framework of sustainable management of the subsurface. This resulted into the following key aspects: (1) sustainability assessment, (2) dealing with uncertainty and (3) policy instruments and governance. For all three aspects, different options were identified which might have a legal, economic or ethical background. The technological implications of these backgrounds have been identified. A set of recommendations for sustainable management of the subsurface resources (incl. space) was established: (1) management should be driven by scarcity, (2) always implement closed loop monitoring when the subsurface activities are high-risk, (3) when dealing with unknown features and heterogeneity, apply the precautionary principle, (4) responsibility and liability for damage must be set out in legislation and (5) sustainability should be incorporated in all

Chemical and structural analyses of subsurface crevices formed during spontaneous deposition of cerium-based conversion coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heller, Daimon K, E-mail: dkheller@mmm.com; Fahrenholtz, William G., E-mail: billf@mst.edu; O' Keefe, Matthew J., E-mail: mjokeefe@mst.edu

2011-11-15

Subsurface crevices formed during the deposition of cerium-based conversion coatings were analyzed in cross-section to assess the effect of deposition and post-treatment on the structure and chemistry of phases present. An Al-O containing phase, believed to be amorphous Al(OH){sub 3}, was formed in crevices during coating deposition. Analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed the presence of up to 1.6 at.% chlorine within the Al-O phase, which was likely a product of soluble chlorides that were present in the coating solution. Cerium was not detected within crevices. After post-treatment in an 85 deg. C aqueous phosphate solution, the chloride concentration was reduced to {<=} 0.30 at.% and electron diffraction of the Al-O phase produced ring patterns, indicating it had crystallized. Some diffraction patterns could be indexed to gibbsite (Al(OH){sub 3}), but others are believed to be a combination of hydrated aluminum hydroxides and/or oxides. Aluminum phosphate was not identified. Separately from its effect on cerium-based conversion coatings, phosphate post-treatment improved the corrosion resistance of Al 2024-T3 substrates by acting to crystallize Al(OH){sub 3} present on interior surfaces of crevices and by reducing the chloride concentration in this phase. - Highlights: {yields} Analysis of subsurface crevices formed during deposition of Ce-based conversion coatings. {yields} Phosphate post-treatment improved corrosion protection in salt spray testing. {yields} Post-treatment affected the composition and structure of regions within crevices. {yields} Crystallized Al(OH){sub 3} within crevices acted as a more effective barrier to chloride ions.

Composition and structure of the shallow subsurface of Ceres revealed by crater morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Bland, Michael T.; Carol A. Raymond,; Schenk, Paul M.; Roger R. Fu,; Thomas Kneisl,; Hendrick Pasckert, Jan; Hiesinger, Harald; Frank Preusker,; Ryan S. Park,; Simone Marchi,; Scott King,; Castillo-Rogez, Julie C.; Christopher T. Russell,

2016-01-01

Before NASA’s Dawn mission, the dwarf planet Ceres was widely believed to contain a substantial ice-rich layer below its rocky surface. The existence of such a layer has significant implications for Ceres’s formation, evolution, and astrobiological potential. Ceres is warmer than icy worlds in the outer Solar System and, if its shallow subsurface is ice-rich, large impact craters are expected to be erased by viscous flow on short geologic timescales. Here we use digital terrain models derived from Dawn Framing Camera images to show that most of Ceres’s largest craters are several kilometres deep, and are therefore inconsistent with the existence of an ice-rich subsurface. We further show from numerical simulations that the absence of viscous relaxation over billion-year timescales implies a subsurface viscosity that is at least one thousand times greater than that of pure water ice. We conclude that Ceres’s shallow subsurface is no more than 30% to 40% ice by volume, with a mixture of rock, salts and/or clathrates accounting for the other 60% to 70%. However, several anomalously shallow craters are consistent with limited viscous relaxation and may indicate spatial variations in subsurface ice content.

Uranium Biomineralization by Natural Microbial Phosphatase Activities in the Subsurface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobecky, Patricia A. [Univ. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (United States)

2015-04-06

In this project, inter-disciplinary research activities were conducted in collaboration among investigators at The University of Alabama (UA), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light source (SSRL) to: (i) confirm that phosphatase activities of subsurface bacteria in Area 2 and 3 from the Oak Ridge Field Research Center result in solid U-phosphate precipitation in aerobic and anaerobic conditions; (ii) investigate the eventual competition between uranium biomineralization via U-phosphate precipitation and uranium bioreduction; (iii) determine subsurface microbial community structure changes of Area 2 soils following organophosphate amendments; (iv) obtain the complete genome sequences of the Rahnella sp. Y9-602 and the type-strain Rahnella aquatilis ATCC 33071 isolated from these soils; (v) determine if polyphosphate accumulation and phytate hydrolysis can be used to promote U(VI) biomineralization in subsurface sediments; (vi) characterize the effect of uranium on phytate hydrolysis by a new microorganism isolated from uranium-contaminated sediments; (vii) utilize positron-emission tomography to label and track metabolically-active bacteria in soil columns, and (viii) study the stability of the uranium phosphate mineral product. Microarray analyses and mineral precipitation characterizations were conducted in collaboration with DOE SBR-funded investigators at LBNL. Thus, microbial phosphorus metabolism has been shown to have a contributing role to uranium immobilization in the subsurface.

Uranium Biomineralization by Natural Microbial Phosphatase Activities in the Subsurface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobecky, Patricia A.

2015-01-01

In this project, inter-disciplinary research activities were conducted in collaboration among investigators at The University of Alabama (UA), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light source (SSRL) to: (i) confirm that phosphatase activities of subsurface bacteria in Area 2 and 3 from the Oak Ridge Field Research Center result in solid U-phosphate precipitation in aerobic and anaerobic conditions; (ii) investigate the eventual competition between uranium biomineralization via U-phosphate precipitation and uranium bioreduction; (iii) determine subsurface microbial community structure changes of Area 2 soils following organophosphate amendments; (iv) obtain the complete genome sequences of the Rahnella sp. Y9-602 and the type-strain Rahnella aquatilis ATCC 33071 isolated from these soils; (v) determine if polyphosphate accumulation and phytate hydrolysis can be used to promote U(VI) biomineralization in subsurface sediments; (vi) characterize the effect of uranium on phytate hydrolysis by a new microorganism isolated from uranium-contaminated sediments; (vii) utilize positron-emission tomography to label and track metabolically-active bacteria in soil columns, and (viii) study the stability of the uranium phosphate mineral product. Microarray analyses and mineral precipitation characterizations were conducted in collaboration with DOE SBR-funded investigators at LBNL. Thus, microbial phosphorus metabolism has been shown to have a contributing role to uranium immobilization in the subsurface.

Some Ecological Mechanisms to Generate Habitability in Planetary Subsurface Areas by Chemolithotrophic Communities: The Ro Tinto Subsurface Ecosystem as a Model System

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Remolar, David C.; Gómez, Felipe; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Schelble, Rachel T.; Rodríguez, Nuria; Amiols, Ricardo

2008-02-01

Chemolithotrophic communities that colonize subsurface habitats have great relevance for the astrobiological exploration of our Solar System. We hypothesize that the chemical and thermal stabilization of an environment through microbial activity could make a given planetary region habitable. The MARTE project ground-truth drilling campaigns that sampled cryptic subsurface microbial communities in the basement of the Ro Tinto headwaters have shown that acidic surficial habitats are the result of the microbial oxidation of pyritic ores. The oxidation process is exothermic and releases heat under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These microbial communities can maintain the subsurface habitat temperature through storage heat if the subsurface temperature does not exceed their maximum growth temperature. In the acidic solutions of the Ro Tinto, ferric iron acts as an effective buffer for controlling water pH. Under anaerobic conditions, ferric iron is the oxidant used by microbes to decompose pyrite through the production of sulfate, ferrous iron, and protons. The integration between the physical and chemical processes mediated by microorganisms with those driven by the local geology and hydrology have led us to hypothesize that thermal and chemical regulation mechanisms exist in this environment and that these homeostatic mechanisms could play an essential role in creating habitable areas for other types of microorganisms. Therefore, searching for the physicochemical expression of extinct and extant homeostatic mechanisms through physical and chemical anomalies in the Mars crust (i.e., local thermal gradient or high concentration of unusual products such as ferric sulfates precipitated out from acidic solutions produced by hypothetical microbial communities) could be a first step in the search for biological traces of a putative extant or extinct Mars biosphere.

Subsurface Biogeochemistry of Actinides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kersting, Annie B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Univ. Relations and Science Education; Zavarin, Mavrik [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Glenn T. Seaborg Inst.

2016-06-29

A major scientific challenge in environmental sciences is to identify the dominant processes controlling actinide transport in the environment. It is estimated that currently, over 2200 metric tons of plutonium (Pu) have been deposited in the subsurface worldwide, a number that increases yearly with additional spent nuclear fuel (Ewing et al., 2010). Plutonium has been shown to migrate on the scale of kilometers, giving way to a critical concern that the fundamental biogeochemical processes that control its behavior in the subsurface are not well understood (Kersting et al., 1999; Novikov et al., 2006; Santschi et al., 2002). Neptunium (Np) is less prevalent in the environment; however, it is predicted to be a significant long-term dose contributor in high-level nuclear waste. Our focus on Np chemistry in this Science Plan is intended to help formulate a better understanding of Pu redox transformations in the environment and clarify the differences between the two long-lived actinides. The research approach of our Science Plan combines (1) Fundamental Mechanistic Studies that identify and quantify biogeochemical processes that control actinide behavior in solution and on solids, (2) Field Integration Studies that investigate the transport characteristics of Pu and test our conceptual understanding of actinide transport, and (3) Actinide Research Capabilities that allow us to achieve the objectives of this Scientific Focus Area (SFA and provide new opportunities for advancing actinide environmental chemistry. These three Research Thrusts form the basis of our SFA Science Program (Figure 1).

Is the genetic landscape of the deep subsurface biosphere affected by viruses?

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Rika E; Brazelton, William J; Baross, John A

2011-01-01

Viruses are powerful manipulators of microbial diversity, biogeochemistry, and evolution in the marine environment. Viruses can directly influence the genetic capabilities and the fitness of their hosts through the use of fitness factors and through horizontal gene transfer. However, the impact of viruses on microbial ecology and evolution is often overlooked in studies of the deep subsurface biosphere. Subsurface habitats connected to hydrothermal vent systems are characterized by constant fluid flux, dynamic environmental variability, and high microbial diversity. In such conditions, high adaptability would be an evolutionary asset, and the potential for frequent host-virus interactions would be high, increasing the likelihood that cellular hosts could acquire novel functions. Here, we review evidence supporting this hypothesis, including data indicating that microbial communities in subsurface hydrothermal fluids are exposed to a high rate of viral infection, as well as viral metagenomic data suggesting that the vent viral assemblage is particularly enriched in genes that facilitate horizontal gene transfer and host adaptability. Therefore, viruses are likely to play a crucial role in facilitating adaptability to the extreme conditions of these regions of the deep subsurface biosphere. We also discuss how these results might apply to other regions of the deep subsurface, where the nature of virus-host interactions would be altered, but possibly no less important, compared to more energetic hydrothermal systems.

Subsurface structures of buried features in the lunar Procellarum region

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wenrui; Heki, Kosuke

2017-07-01

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission unraveled numbers of features showing strong gravity anomalies without prominent topographic signatures in the lunar Procellarum region. These features, located in different geologic units, are considered to have complex subsurface structures reflecting different evolution processes. By using the GRAIL level-1 data, we estimated the free-air and Bouguer gravity anomalies in several selected regions including such intriguing features. With the three-dimensional inversion technique, we recovered subsurface density structures in these regions.

Characterization of DNA-repair potential in deep subsurface bacteria challenged by UV light, hydrogen peroxide, and gamma radiation

OpenAIRE

Arrage, Andrew Anthony

1991-01-01

Subsurface bacterial isolates obtained through the DOE Subsurface Science Program were tested for resistance to UV light, gamma radiation and H202. Some deep subsurface bacteria were resistant to UV light, demonstrating â ¥1.0% survival at fluences which resulted in a 0.0001% survival level of E. coli B. The percentage of UV resistant aerobic subsurface bacteria and surface soil bacteria were similar; 30.8% and 25.8% respectively. All of the microaerophilic subsurface isolates ...

Determination of Importance Evaluation for Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) Subsurface Testing Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodin, S.

2002-01-01

This Determination of Importance Evaluation (DIE) applies to the Subsurface Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), encompassing the Topopah Spring (TS) Loop from Station 0+00 meters (m) at the North Portal to breakthrough at the South Portal (approximately 78+77 m), and ancillary test and operation support areas including the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) Cross Drift. This evaluation applies specifically to site characterization testing activities ongoing and planned in the Subsurface ESF. ESF site characterization activities are being performed to obtain the information necessary to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Site is suitable as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. A more detailed description of these testing activities is provided in Section 6 of this DIE. Generally, the construction and operation of excavations associated with these testing activities are evaluated in the DIE for the Subsurface ESF (CRWMS M andO 1999a) and the DIE for the ESF ECRB Cross Drift (CRWMS M andO 2000a). The scope of this DIE also entails the proposed Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Transport Test at Busted Butte. Although, not a part of the TS Loop or ECRB Cross Drift, the associated testing activities are Subsurface testing activities. Busted Butte is located to the south south-east of the TS Loop and is outside the Conceptual Controlled Area Boundary (CCAB). These activities provide access to the Calico Hills (CH) geologic structure. In the case of Busted Butte, construction and operation of excavations are evaluated herein (since this activity was not previously evaluated in CRWMS M andO 1999a). The objectives of this DIE are to determine whether Subsurface ESF testing, and associated activities, could potentially impact site characterization testing and/or the waste isolation capabilities of the site. Controls needed to limit any potential impacts are identified in Section 13. The validity and veracity of the

A technical investigation on tools and concepts for sustainable management of the subsurface in The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Griffioen, Jasper; van Wensem, Joke; Oomes, Justine L.M.; Barends, Frans; Breunese, Jaap; Bruining, Hans; Olsthoorn, Theo; Stams, Alfons J.M.; van der Stoel, Almer E.C.

2014-01-01

In response to increasing use of the subsurface, there is a need to modernise policies on sustainable use of the subsurface. This holds in particular for the densely populated Netherlands. We aimed to analyse current practice of subsurface management and the associated pressure points and to

A technical investigation on tools and concepts for sustainable management of the subsurface in The Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Griffioen, J.; Wensem, van J.; Oomes, J.L.; Barends, F.; Breunese, J.; Bruining, H.; Olsthoorn, T.; Stams, A.J.M.; Stoel, van der A.E.

2014-01-01

In response to increasing use of the subsurface, there is a need to modernise policies on sustainable use of the subsurface. This holds in particular for the densely populated Netherlands. We aimed to analyse current practice of subsurface management and the associated pressure points and to

Using Muons to Image the Subsurface.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonal, Nedra [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Cashion, Avery Ted [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Cieslewski, Grzegorz [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Dorsey, Daniel J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Foris, Adam [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Miller, Timothy J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Roberts, Barry L [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Su, Jiann-Cherng [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Dreesen, Wendi [NSTec, Livermore, CA (United States); Green, J. Andrew [NSTec, Livermore, CA (United States); Schwellenbach, David [NSTec, Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-11-01

Muons are subatomic particles that can penetrate the earth 's crust several kilometers and may be useful for subsurface characterization . The absorption rate of muons depends on the density of the materials through which they pass. Muons are more sensitive to density variation than other phenomena, including gravity, making them beneficial for subsurface investigation . Measurements of muon flux rate at differing directions provide density variations of the materials between the muon source (cosmic rays and neutrino interactions) and the detector, much like a CAT scan. Currently, muon tomography can resolve features to the sub-meter scale. This work consists of three parts to address the use of muons for subsurface characterization : 1) assess the use of muon scattering for estimating density differences of common rock types, 2 ) using muon flux to detect a void in rock, 3) measure muon direction by designing a new detector. Results from this project lay the groundwork for future directions in this field. Low-density objects can be detected by muons even when enclosed in high-density material like lead, and even small changes in density (e.g. changes due to fracturing of material) can be detected. Rock density has a linear relationship with muon scattering density per rock volume when this ratio is greater than 0.10 . Limitations on using muon scattering to assess density changes among common rock types have been identified. However, other analysis methods may show improved results for these relatively low density materials. Simulations show that muons can be used to image void space (e.g. tunnels) within rock but experimental results have been ambiguous. Improvements are suggested to improve imaging voids such as tunnels through rocks. Finally, a muon detector has been designed and tested to measure muon direction, which will improve signal-to-noise ratio and help address fundamental questions about the source of upgoing muons .

Prediction of Geological Subsurfaces Based on Gaussian Random Field Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abrahamsen, Petter

1997-12-31

During the sixties, random functions became practical tools for predicting ore reserves with associated precision measures in the mining industry. This was the start of the geostatistical methods called kriging. These methods are used, for example, in petroleum exploration. This thesis reviews the possibilities for using Gaussian random functions in modelling of geological subsurfaces. It develops methods for including many sources of information and observations for precise prediction of the depth of geological subsurfaces. The simple properties of Gaussian distributions make it possible to calculate optimal predictors in the mean square sense. This is done in a discussion of kriging predictors. These predictors are then extended to deal with several subsurfaces simultaneously. It is shown how additional velocity observations can be used to improve predictions. The use of gradient data and even higher order derivatives are also considered and gradient data are used in an example. 130 refs., 44 figs., 12 tabs.

The Mojave vadose zone: a subsurface biosphere analogue for Mars.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbey, William; Salas, Everett; Bhartia, Rohit; Beegle, Luther W

2013-07-01

If life ever evolved on the surface of Mars, it is unlikely that it would still survive there today, but as Mars evolved from a wet planet to an arid one, the subsurface environment may have presented a refuge from increasingly hostile surface conditions. Since the last glacial maximum, the Mojave Desert has experienced a similar shift from a wet to a dry environment, giving us the opportunity to study here on Earth how subsurface ecosystems in an arid environment adapt to increasingly barren surface conditions. In this paper, we advocate studying the vadose zone ecosystem of the Mojave Desert as an analogue for possible subsurface biospheres on Mars. We also describe several examples of Mars-like terrain found in the Mojave region and discuss ecological insights that might be gained by a thorough examination of the vadose zone in these specific terrains. Examples described include distributary fans (deltas, alluvial fans, etc.), paleosols overlain by basaltic lava flows, and evaporite deposits.

Determination of Importance Evaluation for Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) Subsurface Testing Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

C.J. Byrne

2001-01-01

This Determination of Importance Evaluation (DIE) applies to the Subsurface Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), encompassing the Topopah Spring (TS) Loop from Station 0+00 meters (m) at the North Portal to breakthrough at the South Portal (approximately 78+77 m), and ancillary test and operation support areas including the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) Cross Drift. This evaluation applies specifically to site characterization testing activities ongoing and planned in the Subsurface ESF. ESF site characterization activities are being performed to obtain the information necessary to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Site is suitable as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. A more detailed description of these testing activities is provided in Section 6 of this DIE. Generally, the construction and operation of excavations associated with these testing activities are evaluated in the DIE for the Subsurface ESF (CRWMS M and O 1999a) and the DIE for the ESF ECRB Cross Drift (CRWMS M and O 2000a). The scope of this DIE also entails the proposed Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Transport Test at Busted Butte. Although, not a part of the TS Loop or ECRB Cross Drift, the associated testing activities are Subsurface testing activities. Busted Butte is located to the south south-east of the TS Loop and is outside the Conceptual Controlled Area Boundary (CCAB). These activities provide access to the Calico Hills (CH) geologic structure. In the case of Busted Butte, construction and operation of excavations are evaluated herein (since this activity was not previously evaluated in CRWMS M and O 1999a). The objectives of this DIE are to determine whether Subsurface ESF testing, and associated activities, could potentially impact site characterization testing and/or the waste isolation capabilities of the site. Controls needed to limit any potential impacts are identified in Section 13. The validity and veracity of the

Determination of Importance Evaluation for Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) Subsurface Testing Activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

C.J. Byrne

2001-02-20

This Determination of Importance Evaluation (DIE) applies to the Subsurface Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), encompassing the Topopah Spring (TS) Loop from Station 0+00 meters (m) at the North Portal to breakthrough at the South Portal (approximately 78+77 m), and ancillary test and operation support areas including the Enhanced Characterization of the Repository Block (ECRB) Cross Drift. This evaluation applies specifically to site characterization testing activities ongoing and planned in the Subsurface ESF. ESF site characterization activities are being performed to obtain the information necessary to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Site is suitable as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. A more detailed description of these testing activities is provided in Section 6 of this DIE. Generally, the construction and operation of excavations associated with these testing activities are evaluated in the DIE for the Subsurface ESF (CRWMS M&O 1999a) and the DIE for the ESF ECRB Cross Drift (CRWMS M&O 2000a). The scope of this DIE also entails the proposed Unsaturated Zone (UZ) Transport Test at Busted Butte. Although, not a part of the TS Loop or ECRB Cross Drift, the associated testing activities are Subsurface testing activities. Busted Butte is located to the south south-east of the TS Loop and is outside the Conceptual Controlled Area Boundary (CCAB). These activities provide access to the Calico Hills (CH) geologic structure. In the case of Busted Butte, construction and operation of excavations are evaluated herein (since this activity was not previously evaluated in CRWMS M&O 1999a). The objectives of this DIE are to determine whether Subsurface ESF testing, and associated activities, could potentially impact site characterization testing and/or the waste isolation capabilities of the site. Controls needed to limit any potential impacts are identified in Section 13. The validity and veracity of the individual

Residues of endosulfan in surface and subsurface agricultural soil and its bioremediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Odukkathil, Greeshma; Vasudevan, Namasivayam

2016-01-01

The persistence of many hydrophobic pesticides has been reported by various workers in various soil environments and its bioremediation is a major concern due to less bioavailability. In the present study, the pesticide residues in the surface and subsurface soil in an area of intense agricultural activity in Pakkam Village of Thiruvallur District, Tamilnadu, India, and its bioremediation using a novel bacterial consortium was investigated. Surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface soils (15-30 cm and 30-40 cm) were sampled, and pesticides in different layers of the soil were analyzed. Alpha endosulfan and beta endosulfan concentrations ranged from 1.42 to 3.4 mg/g and 1.28-3.1 mg/g in the surface soil, 0.6-1.4 mg/g and 0.3-0.6 mg/g in the subsurface soil (15-30 cm), and 0.9-1.5 mg/g and 0.34-1.3 mg/g in the subsurface soil (30-40 cm) respectively. Residues of other persistent pesticides were also detected in minor concentrations. These soil layers were subjected to bioremediation using a novel bacterial consortium under a simulated soil profile condition in a soil reactor. The complete removal of alpha and beta endosulfan was observed over 25 days. Residues of endosulfate were also detected during bioremediation, which was subsequently degraded on the 30th day. This study revealed the existence of endosulfan in the surface and subsurface soils and also proved that the removal of such a ubiquitous pesticide in the surface and subsurface environment can be achieved in the field by bioaugumenting a biosurfactant-producing bacterial consortium that degrades pesticides. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association between mean and interannual equatorial Indian Ocean subsurface temperature bias in a coupled model

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivas, G.; Chowdary, Jasti S.; Gnanaseelan, C.; Prasad, K. V. S. R.; Karmakar, Ananya; Parekh, Anant

2018-03-01

In the present study the association between mean and interannual subsurface temperature bias over the equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) is investigated during boreal summer (June through September; JJAS) in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) hindcast. Anomalously high subsurface warm bias (greater than 3 °C) over the eastern EIO (EEIO) region is noted in CFSv2 during summer, which is higher compared to other parts of the tropical Indian Ocean. Prominent eastward current bias in the upper 100 m over the EIO region induced by anomalous westerly winds is primarily responsible for subsurface temperature bias. The eastward currents transport warm water to the EEIO and is pushed down to subsurface due to downwelling. Thus biases in both horizontal and vertical currents over the EIO region support subsurface warm bias. The evolution of systematic subsurface warm bias in the model shows strong interannual variability. These maximum subsurface warming episodes over the EEIO are mainly associated with La Niña like forcing. Strong convergence of low level winds over the EEIO and Maritime continent enhanced the westerly wind bias over the EIO during maximum warming years. This low level convergence of wind is induced by the bias in the gradient in the mean sea level pressure with positive bias over western EIO and negative bias over EEIO and parts of western Pacific. Consequently, changes in the atmospheric circulation associated with La Niña like conditions affected the ocean dynamics by modulating the current bias thereby enhancing the subsurface warm bias over the EEIO. It is identified that EEIO subsurface warming is stronger when La Niña co-occurred with negative Indian Ocean Dipole events as compared to La Niña only years in the model. Ocean general circulation model (OGCM) experiments forced with CFSv2 winds clearly support our hypothesis that ocean dynamics influenced by westerly winds bias is primarily

Structure and function of subsurface microbial communities affecting radionuclide transport and bioimmobilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kostka, Joel E. [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States); Prakash, Om [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States); Green, Stefan J. [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States); Akob, Denise [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States); Jasrotia, Puja [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States); Kerkhof, Lee [Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States); Chin, Kuk-Jeong [Georgia State Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States); Sheth, Mili [Georgia State Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States); Keller, Martin [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Venkateswaran, Amudhan [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Elkins, James G. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States); Stucki, Joseph W. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)

2012-05-01

Our objectives were to: 1) isolate and characterize novel anaerobic prokaryotes from subsurface environments exposed to high levels of mixed contaminants (U(VI), nitrate, sulfate), 2) elucidate the diversity and distribution of metabolically active metal- and nitrate-reducing prokaryotes in subsurface sediments, and 3) determine the biotic and abiotic mechanisms linking electron transport processes (nitrate, Fe(III), and sulfate reduction) to radionuclide reduction and immobilization. Mechanisms of electron transport and U(VI) transformation were examined under near in situ conditions in sediment microcosms and in field investigations. Field sampling was conducted at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center (ORFRC), in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The ORFRC subsurface is exposed to mixed contamination predominated by uranium and nitrate. In short, we effectively addressed all 3 stated objectives of the project. In particular, we isolated and characterized a large number of novel anaerobes with a high bioremediation potential that can be used as model organisms, and we are now able to quantify the function of subsurface sedimentary microbial communities in situ using state-of-the-art gene expression methods (molecular proxies).

Simulation for ground penetrating radar (GPR) study of the subsurface structure of the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Fa, Wenzhe

2013-12-01

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is currently within the scope of China's Chang-E 3 lunar mission, to study the shallow subsurface of the Moon. In this study, key factors that could affect a lunar GPR performance, such as frequency, range resolution, and antenna directivity, are discussed firstly. Geometrical optics and ray tracing techniques are used to model GPR echoes, considering the transmission, attenuation, reflection, geometrical spreading of radar waves, and the antenna directivity. The influence on A-scope GPR echoes and on the simulated radargrams for the Sinus Iridum region by surface and subsurface roughness, dielectric loss of the lunar regolith, radar frequency and bandwidth, and the distance between the transmit and receive antennas are discussed. Finally, potential scientific return about lunar subsurface properties from GPR echoes is also discussed. Simulation results suggest that subsurface structure from several to hundreds of meters can be studied from GPR echoes at P and VHF bands, and information about dielectric permittivity and thickness of subsurface layers can be estimated from GPR echoes in combination with regolith composition data.

Pollutant removal in subsurface wastewater infiltration systems with ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pollutant removal in subsurface wastewater infiltration systems with/without intermittent ... Water SA. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search ... wastewater infiltration systems (SWISs) with and without intermittent aeration, ...

Containment analysis of the 9975 transportation package with multiple barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinson, D.W.

2000-01-01

A containment analysis has been performed for the scenario of non-routine transfer of a damaged 9975 package containing plutonium metal from K-area monitored storage to F-area on the Savannah River Site. A multiple barrier system with each barrier having a defined leakage rate of less than 1times10 -3 cm 3 /sec of air at Standard Temperature and Pressure was analyzed to determine the number of barriers needed to transport the package under normal transportation conditions to meet transportation requirements for containment. The barrier system was analyzed parametrically to achieve a composite system that met the federal requirements for the maximum permissible release rate given in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 71. The multiple barrier system acts to retard the release of radioactivity. That is, a build-up in the radioactivity release rate occurs with time. For example, a system with three barriers (e.g., sealed plastic barrier) with a total free volume of 4,500 cm 3 could be transported for a total time of up to approximately 10 days with a release rate within the permissible rate. Additional number of barriers, or volume of the barriers, or both, would extend to this period of time. For example, a system with seven barriers with a total free volume of 4,500 cm 3 could be transported for up to 100 days. Plastic bags are one type of barrier used in movement of radioactive materials and capable of achieving a leak rate of 1times10 -3 cm 3 /sec of air at STP. Low-density polyethylene bags can withstand high temperature (up to 180 degrees C); a barrier thickness of 10 mils should be suitable for the barrier system. Additional requirements for barriers are listed in Section 4.2 of this report. Container testing per ANSI N14.5 is required to demonstrate leak rates for the individual barriers of less than 1times10 -3 cm 3 /sec

Microbial controls on metal mobility under the low nutrient fluxes found throughout the subsurface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boult, Stephen; Hand, Victoria L.; Vaughan, David J.

2006-01-01

Laboratory simulations and field studies of the shallow subsurface have shown that microbes and their extracellular products can influence the mobility of toxic metals from waste disposal sites. Modelling the transport of contaminants in groundwater may, therefore, require the input of microbial ecology data in addition to geochemical data, thus increasing the costs and the uncertainty of predictions. However, whether microbial effects on contaminant mobility occur extensively in the natural subsurface is unknown because the conditions under which they have been observed hitherto are generally unrepresentative of the average subsurface environment. Here, we show that microbial activity affects the mobility of a toxic trace metal (Cu) under the relatively low nutrient fluxes that dominate subsurface systems. More particularly, we show that under these low nutrient conditions, microbes and microbial products can immobilize metal but may themselves be subject to subsequent mobilization, thus complicating the pattern of metal storage and release. Our results show that the capability of microbes in the subsurface to change both the capacity of porous media to store metal, and the behaviour of metal that is released, is not restricted to the well researched environments close to sites of waste disposal. We anticipate our simulations will be a starting point for generating input data for transport models, and specifying the mechanism of metal remobilisation in environments more representative of the subsurface generally

Impact of Subsurface Heterogeneities on nano-Scale Zero Valent Iron Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Krol, M. M.; Sleep, B. E.; O'Carroll, D. M.

2011-12-01

Nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI) has been applied as a remediation technology at sites contaminated with chlorinated compounds and heavy metals. Although laboratory studies have demonstrated high reactivity for the degradation of target contaminants, the success of nZVI in the field has been limited due to poor subsurface mobility. When injected into the subsurface, nZVI tends to aggregate and be retained by subsurface soils. As such nZVI suspensions need to be stabilized for increased mobility. However, even with stabilization, soil heterogeneities can still lead to non-uniform nZVI transport, resulting in poor distribution and consequently decreased degradation of target compounds. Understanding how nZVI transport can be affected by subsurface heterogeneities can aid in improving the technology. This can be done with the use of a numerical model which can simulate nZVI transport. In this study CompSim, a finite difference groundwater model, is used to simulate the movement of nZVI in a two-dimensional domain. CompSim has been shown in previous studies to accurately predict nZVI movement in the subsurface, and is used in this study to examine the impact of soil heterogeneity on nZVI transport. This work also explores the impact of different viscosities of the injected nZVI suspensions (corresponding to different stabilizing polymers) and injection rates on nZVI mobility. Analysis metrics include travel time, travel distance, and average nZVI concentrations. Improving our understanding of the influence of soil heterogeneity on nZVI transport will lead to improved field scale implementation and, potentially, to more effective remediation of contaminated sites.

Subsurface Ocean Tides in Enceladus and Other Icy Moons

Science.gov (United States)

Beuthe, M.

2016-12-01

Could tidal dissipation within Enceladus' subsurface ocean account for the observed heat flow? Earthlike models of dynamical tides give no definitive answer because they neglect the influence of the crust. I propose here the first model of dissipative tides in a subsurface ocean, by combining the Laplace Tidal Equations with the membrane approach. For the first time, it is possible to compute tidal dissipation rates within the crust, ocean, and mantle in one go. I show that oceanic dissipation is strongly reduced by the crustal constraint, and thus contributes little to Enceladus' present heat budget. Tidal resonances could have played a role in a forming or freezing ocean less than 100 meters deep. The model is general: it applies to all icy satellites with a thin crust and a shallow or stratified ocean. Scaling rules relate the resonances and dissipation rate of a subsurface ocean to the ones of a surface ocean. If the ocean has low viscosity, the westward obliquity tide does not move the crust. Therefore, crustal dissipation due to dynamical obliquity tides can differ from the static prediction by up to a factor of two.

Ecology, physiology, and phylogeny of deep subsurface Sphingomonas sp.

Science.gov (United States)

Fredrickson, J K; Balkwill, D L; Romine, M F; Shi, T

1999-10-01

Several new species of the genus Sphingomonas including S. aromaticivorans, S. stygia, and S. subterranea that have the capacity for degrading a broad range of aromatic compounds including toluene, naphthalene, xylenes, p-cresol, fluorene, biphenyl, and dibenzothiophene, were isolated from deeply-buried (>200 m) sediments of the US Atlantic coastal plain (ACP). In S. aromaticivorans F199, many of the genes involved in the catabolism of these aromatic compounds are encoded on a 184-kb conjugative plasmid; some of the genes involved in aromatic catabolism are plasmid-encoded in the other strains as well. Members of the genus Sphingomonas were common among aerobic heterotrophic bacteria cultured from ACP sediments and have been detected in deep subsurface environments elsewhere. The major source of organic carbon for heterotrophic metabolism in ACP deep aquifers is lignite that originated from plant material buried with the sediments. We speculate that the ability of the subsurface Sphingomonas strains to degrade a wide array of aromatic compounds represents an adaptation for utilization of sedimentary lignite. These and related subsurface Sphingomonas spp may play an important role in the transformation of sedimentary organic carbon in the aerobic and microaerobic regions of the deep aquifers of the ACP.

Subsurface Biogeochemical Research FY11 Second Quarter Performance Measure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheibe, Timothy D.

2011-03-31

The Subsurface Biogeochemical Research (SBR) Long Term Measure for 2011 under the Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART) measure is to "Refine subsurface transport models by developing computational methods to link important processes impacting contaminant transport at smaller scales to the field scale." The second quarter performance measure is to "Provide a report on computational methods linking genome-enabled understanding of microbial metabolism with reactive transport models to describe processes impacting contaminant transport in the subsurface." Microorganisms such as bacteria are by definition small (typically on the order of a micron in size), and their behavior is controlled by their local biogeochemical environment (typically within a single pore or a biofilm on a grain surface, on the order of tens of microns in size). However, their metabolic activity exerts strong influence on the transport and fate of groundwater contaminants of significant concern at DOE sites, in contaminant plumes with spatial extents of meters to kilometers. This report describes progress and key findings from research aimed at integrating models of microbial metabolism based on genomic information (small scale) with models of contaminant fate and transport in aquifers (field scale).

Molecular Basis of Clay Mineral Structure and Dynamics in Subsurface Engineering Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Cygan, R. T.

2015-12-01

Clay minerals and their interfaces play an essential role in many geochemical, environmental, and subsurface engineering applications. Adsorption, dissolution, precipitation, nucleation, and growth mechanisms, in particular, are controlled by the interplay of structure, thermodynamics, kinetics, and transport at clay mineral-water interfaces. Molecular details of these processes are typically beyond the sensitivity of experimental and analytical methods, and therefore require accurate models and simulations. Also, basal surfaces and interlayers of clay minerals provide constrained interfacial environments to facilitate the evaluation of these complex processes. We have developed and used classical molecular and quantum methods to examine the complex behavior of clay mineral-water interfaces and dynamics of interlayer species. Bulk structures, swelling behavior, diffusion, and adsorption processes are evaluated and compared to experimental and spectroscopic findings. Analysis of adsorption mechanisms of radionuclides on clay minerals provides a scientific basis for predicting the suitability of engineered barriers associated with nuclear waste repositories and the fate of contaminants in the environment. Similarly, the injection of supercritical carbon dioxide into geological reservoirs—to mitigate the impact of climate change—is evaluated by molecular models of multi-fluid interactions with clay minerals. Molecular dynamics simulations provide insights into the wettability of different fluids—water, electrolyte solutions, and supercritical carbon dioxide—on clay surfaces, and which ultimately affects capillary fluid flow and the integrity of shale caprocks. This work is supported as part of Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science and by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Geosciences Research Program

Evaluation of engineered barriers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatt, R.N.; Porro, I.

1998-03-01

Subsurface Disposal (SDA) of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex serves as the low level waste burial ground at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The low level wastes are buried in trenches, pits, and soil vaults in surficial sediments. A closure/post-closure plan must be written prior to closure of the SDA. The closure plan for the facility must include a design for an engineered barrier closure cover that will meet all applicable regulatory requirements. This paper describes the approach being followed at the INEEL to choose an appropriate cover design for the SDA closure. Regulatory requirements and performance objectives potentially applicable to closure of the SDA were identified. Technical issues related to SDA closure were identified from a literature search of previous arid site engineered barrier studies and from previous SDA closure cover evaluations. Five engineered barrier conceptual design alternatives were identified: (1) a bio/capillary barrier cover, (2) a thin soil cover, (3) a thick soil cover, (4) a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act cover, and (5) a concrete sealed surface cover. Two of these designs were chosen for in situ hydraulic testing, rather than all five, in order to maximize the amount of information generated relative to projected project costs. Testing of these two cover designs provides data to quantify hydrologic model input parameters and for verification of site specific hydrologic models for long term closure cover performance evaluation and detailed analysis of closure cover alternatives. The specific objectives of the field tests are to determine the water balance for the two covers over several years and to determine cover soil physical and hydraulic properties

A Mobile Acoustic Subsurface Sensing (MASS) system for rapid roadway assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yifeng; Zhang, Yi; Cao, Yinghong; McDaniel, J Gregory; Wang, Ming L

2013-05-08

Surface waves are commonly used for vibration-based nondestructive testing for infrastructure. Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) has been used to detect subsurface properties for geologic inspections. Recently, efforts were made to scale down these subsurface detection approaches to see how they perform on small-scale structures such as concrete slabs and pavements. Additional efforts have been made to replace the traditional surface-mounted transducers with non-contact acoustic transducers. Though some success has been achieved, most of these new approaches are inefficient because they require point-to-point measurements or off-line signal analysis. This article introduces a Mobile Acoustic Subsurface Sensing system as MASS, which is an improved surface wave based implementation for measuring the subsurface profile of roadways. The compact MASS system is a 3-wheeled cart outfitted with an electromagnetic impact source, distance register, non-contact acoustic sensors and data acquisition/ processing equipment. The key advantage of the MASS system is the capability to collect measurements continuously at walking speed in an automatic way. The fast scan and real-time analysis advantages are based upon the non-contact acoustic sensing and fast air-coupled surface wave analysis program. This integration of hardware and software makes the MASS system an efficient mobile prototype for the field test.

A Mobile Acoustic Subsurface Sensing (MASS System for Rapid Roadway Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming L. Wang

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Surface waves are commonly used for vibration-based nondestructive testing for infrastructure. Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW has been used to detect subsurface properties for geologic inspections. Recently, efforts were made to scale down these subsurface detection approaches to see how they perform on small-scale structures such as concrete slabs and pavements. Additional efforts have been made to replace the traditional surface-mounted transducers with non-contact acoustic transducers. Though some success has been achieved, most of these new approaches are inefficient because they require point-to-point measurements or off-line signal analysis. This article introduces a Mobile Acoustic Subsurface Sensing system as MASS, which is an improved surface wave based implementation for measuring the subsurface profile of roadways. The compact MASS system is a 3-wheeled cart outfitted with an electromagnetic impact source, distance register, non-contact acoustic sensors and data acquisition/ processing equipment. The key advantage of the MASS system is the capability to collect measurements continuously at walking speed in an automatic way. The fast scan and real-time analysis advantages are based upon the non-contact acoustic sensing and fast air-coupled surface wave analysis program. This integration of hardware and software makes the MASS system an efficient mobile prototype for the field test.

Modeling Phosphorus Losses through Surface Runoff and Subsurface Drainage Using ICECREAM.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Hongkai; Qi, Zhiming; Zhang, T Q; Tan, C S; Sadhukhan, Debasis

2018-03-01

Modeling soil phosphorus (P) losses by surface and subsurface flow pathways is essential in developing successful strategies for P pollution control. We used the ICECREAM model to simultaneously simulate P losses in surface and subsurface flow, as well as to assess effectiveness of field practices in reducing P losses. Monitoring data from a mineral-P-fertilized clay loam field in southwestern Ontario, Canada, were used for calibration and validation. After careful adjustment of model parameters, ICECREAM was shown to satisfactorily simulate all major processes of surface and subsurface P losses. When the calibrated model was used to assess tillage and fertilizer management scenarios, results point to a 10% reduction in total P losses by shifting autumn tillage to spring, and a 25.4% reduction in total P losses by injecting fertilizer rather than broadcasting. Although the ICECREAM model was effective in simulating surface and subsurface P losses when thoroughly calibrated, further testing is needed to confirm these results with manure P application. As illustrated here, successful use of simulation models requires careful verification of model routines and comprehensive calibration to ensure that site-specific processes are accurately represented. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

How to achieve optimal and sustainable use of the subsurface for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bloemendal, Martin; Olsthoorn, Theo; Boons, Frank

2014-01-01

A heat pump combined with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) has high potential in efficiently and sustainably providing thermal energy for space heating and cooling. This makes the subsurface, including its groundwater, of crucial importance for primary energy savings. The regulation of ATES systems is similar in many countries around the world. This paper seeks solutions for the institutional hindrances to the diffusion of ATES. The use of aquifers by individual ATES systems can be optimized to maximize their efficiency on the one hand, and to optimize the performance of the regional subsurface for energy storage on the other. The application of ATES in an aquifer has similar properties as other common resource pool problems. Only with detailed information and feedback about the actual subsurface status, a network of ATES systems can work towards an optimum for both the subsurface and buildings, instead of striving for a local optimum for individual buildings. Future governance of the subsurface may include the self-organization or self-governance. For that the ATES systems need a complementary framework; interpretation of interaction, feedback and adaptable and dynamic control interpretations are the key elements for the optimal and sustainable use of the subsurface. - Highlights: • We show that ATES systems are not using the subsurface optimally and sustainably. • We elaborate how current legislation will not be able to overcome this problem. • We present self-organization as a perspective for governance of ATES systems

Dual states estimation of a subsurface flow-transport coupled model using ensemble Kalman filtering

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Valstar, Johan R.

2013-01-01

Modeling the spread of subsurface contaminants requires coupling a groundwater flow model with a contaminant transport model. Such coupling may provide accurate estimates of future subsurface hydrologic states if essential flow and contaminant data

Dune advance into a coastal forest, equatorial Brazil: A subsurface perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Buynevich, Ilya V.; Filho, Pedro Walfir M. Souza; Asp, Nils E.

2010-06-01

A large active parabolic dune along the coast of Pará State, northern Brazil, was analyzed using aerial photography and imaged with high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to map the subsurface facies architecture and point-source anomalies. Most high-amplitude (8-10 dB) subsurface anomalies are correlated with partially buried mangrove trees along the leading edge (slipface) of the advancing dune. Profiles along a 200-m long basal stoss side of the dune reveal 66 targets, most of which lie below the water table and are thus inaccessible by other methods. Signal amplitudes of point-source anomalies are substantially higher than those associated with the reflections from continuous subsurface features (water table, sedimentary layers). When complemented with exposures and excavations, GPR provides the best means of rapid continuous imaging of the geological record of complex interactions between vegetation and aeolian deposition.

Working Smarter Not Harder - Developing a Virtual Subsurface Data Framework for U.S. Energy R&D

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, K.; Baker, D.; Bauer, J.; Dehlin, M.; Jones, T. J.; Rowan, C.

2017-12-01

The data revolution has resulted in a proliferation of resources that span beyond commercial and social networking domains. Research, scientific, and engineering data resources, including subsurface characterization, modeling, and analytical datasets, are increasingly available through online portals, warehouses, and systems. Data for subsurface systems is still challenging to access, discontinuous, and varies in resolution. However, with the proliferation of online data there are significant opportunities to advance access and knowledge of subsurface systems. The Energy Data eXchange (EDX) is an online platform designed to address research data needs by improving access to energy R&D products through advanced search capabilities. In addition, EDX hosts private, virtualized computational workspaces in support of multi-organizational R&D. These collaborative workspaces allow teams to share working data resources and connect to a growing number of analytical tools to support research efforts. One recent application, a team digital data notebook tool, called DataBook, was introduced within EDX workspaces to allow teams to capture contextual and structured data resources. Starting with DOE's subsurface R&D community, the EDX team has been developing DataBook to support scientists and engineers working on subsurface energy research, allowing them to contribute and curate both structured and unstructured data and knowledge about subsurface systems. These resources span petrophysical, geologic, engineering, geophysical, interpretations, models, and analyses associated with carbon storage, water, oil, gas, geothermal, induced seismicity and other subsurface systems to support the development of a virtual subsurface data framework. The integration of EDX and DataBook allows for these systems to leverage each other's best features, such as the ability to interact with other systems (Earthcube, OpenEI.net, NGDS, etc.) and leverage custom machine learning algorithms and

Physico-chemical and Mineralogical Characterisation of Subsurface ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Studies were carried out on subsurface sediments obtained around the Gaborone landfill area Botswana, in order to characterize their mineralogy and physico-chemistry, appraise any contaminant inputs from the landfill and assess their ability to attenuate contaminants from the landfill. Physico-chemical properties ...

Some ecological mechanisms to generate habitability in planetary subsurface areas by chemolithotrophic communities: the Río Tinto subsurface ecosystem as a model system.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Remolar, David C; Gómez, Felipe; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Schelble, Rachel T; Rodríguez, Nuria; Amils, Ricardo

2008-02-01

Chemolithotrophic communities that colonize subsurface habitats have great relevance for the astrobiological exploration of our Solar System. We hypothesize that the chemical and thermal stabilization of an environment through microbial activity could make a given planetary region habitable. The MARTE project ground-truth drilling campaigns that sampled cryptic subsurface microbial communities in the basement of the Río Tinto headwaters have shown that acidic surficial habitats are the result of the microbial oxidation of pyritic ores. The oxidation process is exothermic and releases heat under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These microbial communities can maintain the subsurface habitat temperature through storage heat if the subsurface temperature does not exceed their maximum growth temperature. In the acidic solutions of the Río Tinto, ferric iron acts as an effective buffer for controlling water pH. Under anaerobic conditions, ferric iron is the oxidant used by microbes to decompose pyrite through the production of sulfate, ferrous iron, and protons. The integration between the physical and chemical processes mediated by microorganisms with those driven by the local geology and hydrology have led us to hypothesize that thermal and chemical regulation mechanisms exist in this environment and that these homeostatic mechanisms could play an essential role in creating habitable areas for other types of microorganisms. Therefore, searching for the physicochemical expression of extinct and extant homeostatic mechanisms through physical and chemical anomalies in the Mars crust (i.e., local thermal gradient or high concentration of unusual products such as ferric sulfates precipitated out from acidic solutions produced by hypothetical microbial communities) could be a first step in the search for biological traces of a putative extant or extinct Mars biosphere.

Bond strength and stress measurements in thermal barrier coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gell, M.; Jordan, E. [Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States)

1995-10-01

Thermal barrier coatings have been used extensively in aircraft gas turbines for more than 15 years to insulate combustors and turbine vanes from the hot gas stream. Plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) provide metal temperature reductions as much as 300{degrees}F, with improvements in durability of two times or more being achieved. The introduction of TBCs deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) processes in the last five years has provided a major improvement in durability and also enabled TBCs to be applied to turbine blades for improved engine performance. To meet the aggressive Advanced Turbine Systems goals for efficiency, durability and the environment, it will be necessary to employ thermal barrier coatings on turbine airfoils and other hot section components. For The successful application of TBCs to ATS engines with 2600{degrees}F turbine inlet temperatures and required component lives 10 times greater than those for aircraft gas turbine engines, it is necessary to develop quantitative assessment techniques for TBC coating integrity with time and cycles in ATS engines. Thermal barrier coatings in production today consist of a metallic bond coat, such as an MCrAlY overlay coating or a platinum aluminide (Pt-Al) diffusion coating. During heat treatment, both these coatings form a thin, tightly adherent alumina (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) film. Failure of TBC coatings in engine service occurs by spallation of the ceramic coating at or near the bond coat to alumina or the alumina to zirconia bonds. Thus, it is the initial strength of these bonds and the stresses at the bond plane, and their changes with engine exposure, that determines coating durability. The purpose of this program is to provide, for the first time, a quantitative assessment of TBC bond strength and bond plane stresses as a function of engine time and cycles.

Modeling Subsurface Behavior at the System Level: Considerations and a Path Forward

Science.gov (United States)

Geesey, G.

2005-12-01

The subsurface is an obscure but essential resource to life on Earth. It is an important region for carbon production and sequestration, a source and reservoir for energy, minerals and metals and potable water. There is a growing need to better understand subsurface possesses that control the exploitation and security of these resources. Our best models often fail to predict these processes at the field scale because of limited understanding of 1) the processes and the controlling parameters, 2) how processes are coupled at the field scale 3) geological heterogeneities that control hydrological, geochemical and microbiological processes at the field scale and 4) lack of data sets to calibrate and validate numerical models. There is a need for experimental data obtained at scales larger than those obtained at the laboratory bench that take into account the influence of hydrodynamics, geochemical reactions including complexation and chelation/adsorption/precipitation/ion exchange/oxidation-reduction/colloid formation and dissolution, and reactions of microbial origin. Furthermore, the coupling of each of these processes and reactions needs to be evaluated experimentally at a scale that produces data that can be used to calibrate numerical models so that they accurately describe field scale system behavior. Establishing the relevant experimental scale for collection of data from coupled processes remains a challenge and will likely be process-dependent and involve iterations of experimentation and data collection at different intermediate scales until the models calibrated with the appropriate date sets achieve an acceptable level of performance. Assuming that the geophysicists will soon develop technologies to define geological heterogeneities over a wide range of scales in the subsurface, geochemists need to continue to develop techniques to remotely measure abiotic reactions, while geomicrobiologists need to continue their development of complementary technologies

Use of a permeable biological reaction barrier for groundwater remediation at a uranium mill tailings remedial action (UMTRA) site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thombre, M.S.; Thomson, B.M.; Barton, L.L.

1997-01-01

Previous work at the University of New Mexico and elsewhere has shown that sulfate reducing bacteria are capable of reducing uranium from the soluble +6 oxidation state to the insoluble +4 oxidation state. This chemistry forms the basis of a proposed groundwater remediation strategy in which microbial reduction would be used to immobilize soluble uranium. One such system would consist of a subsurface permeable barrier which would stimulate microbial growth resulting in the reduction of sulfate and nitrate and immobilization of metals while permitting the unhindered flow of ground water through it. This research investigated some of the engineering considerations associated with a microbial reducing barrier such as identifying an appropriate biological substrate, estimating the rate of substrate utilization, and identifying the final fate of the contaminants concentrated in the barrier matrix. The performance of batch reactors and column systems that treated simulated plume water was evaluated using cellulose, wheat straw, alfalfa hay, sawdust, and soluble starch as substrates. The concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, and U(VI) were monitored over time. Precipitates from each system were collected and the precipitated U(IV) was determined to be crystalline UO 2 (s) by X-ray Diffraction. The results of this study support the proposed use of cellulosic substrates as candidate barrier materials

Fracture Mechanics Analyses of Subsurface Defects in Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Joggles Subjected to Thermo-Mechanical Loads

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Raju, Ivatury S.; Song, Kyongchan

2011-01-01

Coating spallation events have been observed along the slip-side joggle region of the Space Shuttle Orbiter wing-leading-edge panels. One potential contributor to the spallation event is a pressure build up within subsurface voids or defects due to volatiles or water vapor entrapped during fabrication, refurbishment, or normal operational use. The influence of entrapped pressure on the thermo-mechanical fracture-mechanics response of reinforced carbon-carbon with subsurface defects is studied. Plane-strain simulations with embedded subsurface defects are performed to characterize the fracture mechanics response for a given defect length when subjected to combined elevated-temperature and subsurface-defect pressure loadings to simulate the unvented defect condition. Various subsurface defect locations of a fixed-length substrate defect are examined for elevated temperature conditions. Fracture mechanics results suggest that entrapped pressure combined with local elevated temperatures have the potential to cause subsurface defect growth and possibly contribute to further material separation or even spallation. For this anomaly to occur, several unusual circumstances would be required making such an outcome unlikely but plausible.

Cultivating the Deep Subsurface Microbiome

Science.gov (United States)

Casar, C. P.; Osburn, M. R.; Flynn, T. M.; Masterson, A.; Kruger, B.

2017-12-01

Subterranean ecosystems are poorly understood because many microbes detected in metagenomic surveys are only distantly related to characterized isolates. Cultivating microorganisms from the deep subsurface is challenging due to its inaccessibility and potential for contamination. The Deep Mine Microbial Observatory (DeMMO) in Lead, SD however, offers access to deep microbial life via pristine fracture fluids in bedrock to a depth of 1478 m. The metabolic landscape of DeMMO was previously characterized via thermodynamic modeling coupled with genomic data, illustrating the potential for microbial inhabitants of DeMMO to utilize mineral substrates as energy sources. Here, we employ field and lab based cultivation approaches with pure minerals to link phylogeny to metabolism at DeMMO. Fracture fluids were directed through reactors filled with Fe3O4, Fe2O3, FeS2, MnO2, and FeCO3 at two sites (610 m and 1478 m) for 2 months prior to harvesting for subsequent analyses. We examined mineralogical, geochemical, and microbiological composition of the reactors via DNA sequencing, microscopy, lipid biomarker characterization, and bulk C and N isotope ratios to determine the influence of mineralogy on biofilm community development. Pre-characterized mineral chips were imaged via SEM to assay microbial growth; preliminary results suggest MnO2, Fe3O4, and Fe2O3 were most conducive to colonization. Solid materials from reactors were used as inoculum for batch cultivation experiments. Media designed to mimic fracture fluid chemistry was supplemented with mineral substrates targeting metal reducers. DNA sequences and microscopy of iron oxide-rich biofilms and fracture fluids suggest iron oxidation is a major energy source at redox transition zones where anaerobic fluids meet more oxidizing conditions. We utilized these biofilms and fluids as inoculum in gradient cultivation experiments targeting microaerophilic iron oxidizers. Cultivation of microbes endemic to DeMMO, a system

Stick–slip behavior identified in helium cluster growth in the subsurface of tungsten: effects of cluster depth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jinlong; Niu, Liang-Liang; Shu, Xiaolin; Zhang, Ying

2015-01-01

We have performed a molecular dynamics study on the growth of helium (He) clusters in the subsurface of tungsten (W) (1 0 0) at 300 K, focusing on the role of cluster depth. Irregular ‘stick–slip’ behavior exhibited during the evolution of the He cluster growth is identified, which is due to the combined effects of the continuous cluster growth and the loop punching induced pressure relief. We demonstrate that the He cluster grows via trap-mutation and loop punching mechanisms. Initially, the self-interstitial atom SIA clusters are almost always attached to the He cluster; while they are instantly emitted to the surface once a critical cluster pressure is reached. The repetition of this process results in the He cluster approaching the surface via a ‘stop-and-go’ manner and the formation of surface adatom islands (surface roughening), ultimately leading to cluster bursting and He escape. We reveal that, for the Nth loop punching event, the critical size of the He cluster to trigger loop punching and the size of the emitted SIA clusters are correspondingly increased with the increasing initial cluster depth. We tentatively attribute the observed depth effects to the lower formation energies of Frenkel pairs and the greatly reduced barriers for loop punching in the stress field of the W subsurface. In addition, some intriguing features emerge, such as the morphological transformation of the He cluster from ‘platelet-like’ to spherical, to ellipsoidal with a ‘bullet-like’ tip, and finally to a ‘bottle-like’ shape after cluster rupture. (paper)

Phosphate Barriers for Immobilization of Uranium Plumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, Peter C.

2004-01-01

Uranium contamination of the subsurface remains a persistent problem plaguing remedial design at sites across the U.S. that were involved with production, handling, storage, milling, and reprocessing of uranium for both civilian and defense related purposes. Remediation efforts to date have relied upon excavation, pump-and-treat, or passive remediation barriers (PRB?s) to remove or attenuate uranium mobility. Documented cases convincingly demonstrate that excavation and pump-and-treat methods are ineffective for a number of highly contaminated sites. There is growing concern that use of conventional PRB?s, such as zero-valent iron, may be a temporary solution to a problem that will persist for thousands of years. Alternatives to the standard treatment methods are therefore warranted. The core objective of our research is to demonstrate that a phosphorus amendment strategy will result in a reduction of dissolved uranium to below the proposed drinking water standard. Our hypothesis is that long-chain sodium polyphosphate compounds forestall precipitation of sparingly soluble uranyl phosphate compounds, which is paramount to preventing fouling of wells at the point of injection

Phosphate Barriers for Immobilization of Uranium Plumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Icenhower, Jonathan P.; Burns, Peter C.

2005-01-01

Uranium contamination of the subsurface remains a persistent problem plaguing remedial design at sites across the U.S. that were involved with production, handling, storage, milling, and reprocessing of uranium for both civilian and defense related purposes. Remediation efforts to date have relied upon excavation, pump-and-treat, or passive remediation barriers (PRB?s) to remove or attenuate uranium mobility. Documented cases convincingly demonstrate that excavation and pump-and-treat methods are ineffective for a number of highly contaminated sites. There is growing concern that use of conventional PRB's, such as zero-valent iron, may be a temporary solution to a problem that will persist for thousands of years. Alternatives to the standard treatment methods are therefore warranted. The core objective of our research is to demonstrate that a phosphorous amendment strategy will result in a reduction of dissolved uranium to below the proposed drinking water standard. Our hypothesis is that long-chain sodium polyphosphate compounds forestall precipitation of sparingly soluble uranyl phosphate compounds, which is paramount to preventing fouling of wells at the point of injection

Electrical resistivity determination of subsurface layers, subsoil ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Electrical resistivity determination of subsurface layers, subsoil competence and soil corrosivity at and engineering site location in Akungba-Akoko, ... The study concluded that the characteristics of the earth materials in the site would be favourable to normal engineering structures/materials that may be located on it.

PEBS: an international challenge for improve understanding of the natural barriers to isolate long-term radioactive waste; PEBS: un reto internacional para mejorar el conocimiento de las barreras naturales para aislar residuos radiactivos a largo plazo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaus, I.

2015-07-01

The radioactive materials have a wide range of applications ranging from nuclear reactors to the use of isotopes in industries, medicine or research centres. These technologies generate waste whose disposal systems are becoming more sophisticated, to the point of using artificial barriers able to isolate them from contact with other materials, precipitation, surface water and groundwater subsurface. In this context, the European project long term Performance of the engineered Barrier Systems (PeBS), funded by the seventh framework (Fp7) Euratom and has counted with the participation of ENRESA, reviewed the evolution of the performance of sealing and barrier systems of artificial barriers in relevant time scales through the development of a comprehensive method that includes experiments, models, and a consideration of the potential impacts of long-term security functions. (Author)

Patterns and drivers of bacterial α- and β-diversity across vertical profiles from surface to subsurface sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Luna, Gian Marco; Corinaldesi, Cinzia; Rastelli, Eugenio; Danovaro, Roberto

2013-10-01

We investigated the patterns and drivers of bacterial α- and β-diversity, along with viral and prokaryotic abundance and the carbon production rates, in marine surface and subsurface sediments (down to 1 m depth) in two habitats: vegetated sediments (seagrass meadow) and non-vegetated sediments. Prokaryotic abundance and production decreased with depth in the sediment, but cell-specific production rates and the virus-to-prokaryote ratio increased, highlighting unexpectedly high activity in the subsurface. The highest diversity was observed in vegetated sediments. Bacterial β-diversity between sediment horizons was high, and only a minor number of taxa was shared between surface and subsurface layers. Viruses significantly contributed to explain α- and β-diversity patterns. Despite potential limitations due to the only use of fingerprinting techniques, this study indicates that the coastal subsurface host highly active and diversified bacterial assemblages, that subsurface cells are more active than expected and that viruses promote β-diversity and stimulate bacterial metabolism in subsurface layers. The limited number of taxa shared between habitats, and between surface and subsurface sediment horizons, suggests that future investigations of the shallow subsurface will provide insights into the census of bacterial diversity, and the comprehension of the patterns and drivers of prokaryotic diversity in marine ecosystems. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Disabled Children and Home Exercises: Barriers to Compliance with Recommendations of Therapists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samaneh Ali-Abadi

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: Family Compliance to therapists’ recommendations on home exercise has an important role in success of rehabilitation programs for disabled children. This study intends to determine barriers to compliance of parents with prescribed home exercises. Materials & Methods: In present survey, parents of all of the 60 disabled children who were receiving occupational therapy, speech therapy or physiotherapy at Birjand’s rehabilitation clinics during September 2009 were interviewed. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, developed and validated by the researchers, containing questions about compliance and 21 barriers to compliance with recommended home exercises. Pearson chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to explore the risk of parental non-compliance to recommendations in case of facing each of the barriers. Independent sample t-test was used to explore the correlation of number of barriers with degree of parental compliance. Results: According to the study, the four main know abstacles consisting "lack of exercises devices in home" (P=0.003 "child’s (or cartaker’s unwillingness to do the home exercises" (P=0.024. parent’s (or cartaker’s concerns about child harming due to exercises (P=0.027, and Lack of necessary skills to perform the exercises (P=0.047 significantly increases the parents incompliance to home exercises. There was also a significant relationship between the number of perceived barriers and the degree of compliance (P=0.008. Conclusion: It seems that designing exercises in a way that children would love them and emphasizing on helping parents to acquire the tools, knowledge and expertise would improve parental compliance to home exercise.

First-Generation Female College Students' Financial Literacy: Real and Perceived Barriers to Degree Completion

Science.gov (United States)

Eitel, Susan J.; Martin, Jennifer

2009-01-01

First-generation female college students (FGFCS) make up a large portion of the diversity in higher education. Unfortunately "access" to education does not translate to success. Persistence and degree completion for these students is often undermined by seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The purposes of this study were to identify the financial…

Final Technical Report. Origins of subsurface microorganisms: Relating laboratory microcosm studies to a geologic time scale; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kieft, Thomas; Amy, Penny S.; Phillips, Fred M.

1998-01-01

This project was conducted as part of the Department of Energy's Deep Subsurface Science Program. It was part of a larger effort to determine the origins of subsurface microorganisms. Two hypotheses have been suggested for the origins of subsurface microorganisms: (1) microorganisms were deposited at the time of (or shortly after) geologic deposition of rocks and sediments (the in situ survival hypothesis), and (2) microorganisms have been transported from surface environments to subsurface rocks and sediments since the time of geologic deposition (transport hypothesis). These two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive. Depending on the geological setting, either one or both of these hypotheses may best explain microbial origins. Our project focused on the in situ survival hypothesis. We tested the hypothesis that microorganisms (individuals populations and communities) can survive long-term sequestration within subsurface sediments. Other objectives were to identify geologic conditions that favor long-term survival, identify physiological traits of microorganisms that favor long-term survival, and determine which groups of microorganisms are most likely to survive long-term sequestration in subsurface sediments. We tested this hypothesis using a combination of pure culture techniques in laboratory microcosms under controlled conditions and field experiments with buried subsurface sediments

Deep sequencing of subseafloor eukaryotic rRNA reveals active Fungi across marine subsurface provinces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Orsi

Full Text Available The deep marine subsurface is a vast habitat for microbial life where cells may live on geologic timescales. Because DNA in sediments may be preserved on long timescales, ribosomal RNA (rRNA is suggested to be a proxy for the active fraction of a microbial community in the subsurface. During an investigation of eukaryotic 18S rRNA by amplicon pyrosequencing, unique profiles of Fungi were found across a range of marine subsurface provinces including ridge flanks, continental margins, and abyssal plains. Subseafloor fungal populations exhibit statistically significant correlations with total organic carbon (TOC, nitrate, sulfide, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC. These correlations are supported by terminal restriction length polymorphism (TRFLP analyses of fungal rRNA. Geochemical correlations with fungal pyrosequencing and TRFLP data from this geographically broad sample set suggests environmental selection of active Fungi in the marine subsurface. Within the same dataset, ancient rRNA signatures were recovered from plants and diatoms in marine sediments ranging from 0.03 to 2.7 million years old, suggesting that rRNA from some eukaryotic taxa may be much more stable than previously considered in the marine subsurface.

African American Women Aspiring to the Superintendency: Lived Experiences and Barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Angel, Roma B.; Killacky, Jim; Johnson, Patricia R.

2013-01-01

Focused on the absence of a viable population of African American women in the superintendency, this study addressed barriers described by 10 credentialed, district-level Southern women who hold advanced education degrees coupled with years of leadership experience. This phenomenological study used interview methodology to uncover the lived…

Simulation and validation of concentrated subsurface lateral flow paths in an agricultural landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Q.; Lin, H. S.

2009-08-01

The importance of soil water flow paths to the transport of nutrients and contaminants has long been recognized. However, effective means of detecting concentrated subsurface flow paths in a large landscape are still lacking. The flow direction and accumulation algorithm based on single-direction flow algorithm (D8) in GIS hydrologic modeling is a cost-effective way to simulate potential concentrated flow paths over a large area once relevant data are collected. This study tested the D8 algorithm for simulating concentrated lateral flow paths at three interfaces in soil profiles in a 19.5-ha agricultural landscape in central Pennsylvania, USA. These interfaces were (1) the interface between surface plowed layers of Ap1 and Ap2 horizons, (2) the interface with subsoil water-restricting clay layer where clay content increased to over 40%, and (3) the soil-bedrock interface. The simulated flow paths were validated through soil hydrologic monitoring, geophysical surveys, and observable soil morphological features. The results confirmed that concentrated subsurface lateral flow occurred at the interfaces with the clay layer and the underlying bedrock. At these two interfaces, the soils on the simulated flow paths were closer to saturation and showed more temporally unstable moisture dynamics than those off the simulated flow paths. Apparent electrical conductivity in the soil on the simulated flow paths was elevated and temporally unstable as compared to those outside the simulated paths. The soil cores collected from the simulated flow paths showed significantly higher Mn content at these interfaces than those away from the simulated paths. These results suggest that (1) the D8 algorithm is useful in simulating possible concentrated subsurface lateral flow paths if used with appropriate threshold value of contributing area and sufficiently detailed digital elevation model (DEM); (2) repeated electromagnetic surveys can reflect the temporal change of soil water storage

Remediation of contaminated subsurface materials by a metal-reducing bacterium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorby, Y.A.; Amonette, J.E.; Fruchter, J.S.

1994-11-01

A biotic approach for remediating subsurface sediments and groundwater contaminated with carbon tetrachloride (CT) and chromium was evaluated. Cells of the Fe(iii)-reducing bacterium strain BrY were added to sealed, anoxic flasks containing Hanford groundwater, natural subsurface sediments, and either carbon tetrachloride, CT, or oxidized chromium, Cr(VI). With lactate as the electron donor, BrY transformed CT to chloroform (CF), which accumulated to about 1 0 % of the initial concentration of CT. The remainder of the CT was transformed to unidentified, nonvolatile compounds. Transformation of CT by BrY was an indirect process Cells reduced solid phase Fe(ill) to chemically reactive FE(II) that chemically transformed the chlorinated contaminant. Cr(VI), in contrast, was reduced by a direct enzymatic reaction in the presence or absence of Fe(III)-bearing sediments. These results demonstrate that Fe(ill)-reducing bacteria provide potential for transforming CT and for reducing CR(VI) to less toxic Cr(III). Technologies for stimulating indigenous populations of metal-reducing bacteria or for introducing specific metal-reducing bacteria to the subsurface are being investigated

SHARAD Detection of Subsurface Interfaces in Southern-Central Utopia Planitia

Science.gov (United States)

Stuurman, C. M.; Brothers, T. C.; Holt, J. W.; Kerrigan, M.; Osinski, G. R.

2013-12-01

Characterising the extent and distribution of subsurface ice in the middle-latitudes of Mars is an ongoing endeavour, with applications to both paleoclimate and future missions. Utopia Planitia has been posited as an ice-rich area by climate models, Gamma-Ray Spectrometer results suggestive of high hydrogen concentrations, and high densities of periglacial and glacial surface morphologies. The SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a radar sounder which transmits a 15-25 MHz chirped pulse. The data is recorded in the time delay and can be used to map and characterize Mars' subsurface. In the Utopia Planitia region, SHARAD data can potentially constrain modeling efforts, help locate potential water resources for future exploration, and give volumetric constraints on features that were previously only observed in two dimensions. Thus far, most mid-latitudinal reflectors using the SHARAD instrument have been associated with isolated surface morphologies, such as lobate debris aprons, lineated valley fill, and reflectors beneath volcanic flows. Recently, SHARAD radargrams over pedestal craters in the mid-latitudes have also yielded results suggestive of water-ice composition, and a massive, radar-transparent layer has been found in Arcadia Planitia. Overall, however, there has been a dearth of SHARAD evidence suggestive of the massive subsurface ice sheets predicted by climate models. This project analyzed several hundred SHARAD radargrams throughout Utopia Planitia. Subsurface reflectors were detected by visually inspecting radar data and comparing to simulated radargrams that predict off nadir surface echoes that can be confused with subsurface reflections. Regions of high amplitude subsurface reflections that do not appear in the simulated radargrams were thus interpreted as reflectors represenative of geologic contacts. SHARAD analysis revealed several reflectors in the Southern-Central Utopia Planitia region. These reflectors were

Modelling Nitrogen Transformation in Horizontal Subsurface Flow ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A mathematical model was developed to permit dynamic simulation of nitrogen interaction in a pilot horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland receiving effluents from primary facultative pond. The system was planted with Phragmites mauritianus, which was provided with root zone depth of 75 cm. The root zone was ...

Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-Dextran Extravasation as a Measure of Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability

Science.gov (United States)

Natarajan, Reka; Northrop, Nicole

2017-01-01

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is formed in part by vascular endothelial cells that constitute the capillaries and microvessels of the brain. The function of this barrier is to maintain homeostasis within the brain microenvironment and buffer the brain from changes in the periphery. A dysfunction of the BBB would permit circulating molecules and pathogens typically restricted to the periphery to enter the brain and interfere with normal brain function. As increased permeability of the BBB is associated with several neuropathologies, it is important to have a reliable and sensitive method that determines BBB permeability and the degree of BBB disruption. A detailed protocol is presented for assessing the integrity of the BBB by transcardial perfusion of a 10,000 Da FITC labeled dextran molecule and its visualization to determine the degree of extravasation from brain microvessels. PMID:28398646

Return-to-work barriers for workers with contact dermatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Holness, D Linn

2003-12-01

There is little information available regarding barriers to return-to-work (RTW) in workers with contact dermatitis. The purpose of this study was to survey occupational health and safety personnel to determine their perceptions regarding RTW barriers for workers with contact dermatitis. The study was conducted during an occupational health and safety research conference attended by stakeholders from labour, management, injured workers, government, safety associations, occupational health and safety practitioners and researchers. The attendees were presented with 3 pictures of varying degrees of work-related hand contact dermatitis and were asked to list the 3 key barriers or challenges in RTW for individuals with contact dermatitis. 21 individuals completed the survey. Issues identified in descending order of frequency were concern of ongoing dermatitis, ability to do the job safely, appearance, ability to accommodate, personal protective equipment, fear that the rash was contagious, workplace attitudes and pain. While some of these issues are potentially common to RTW situations in general, others are more specific to health problems which have a visible manifestation. Increased awareness of and attention to these possible barriers to RTW may lead to better RTW outcomes.

Geophysical data fusion for subsurface imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoekstra, P.; Vandergraft, J.; Blohm, M.; Porter, D.

1993-08-01

A geophysical data fusion methodology is under development to combine data from complementary geophysical sensors and incorporate geophysical understanding to obtain three dimensional images of the subsurface. The research reported here is the first phase of a three phase project. The project focuses on the characterization of thin clay lenses (aquitards) in a highly stratified sand and clay coastal geology to depths of up to 300 feet. The sensor suite used in this work includes time-domain electromagnetic induction (TDEM) and near surface seismic techniques. During this first phase of the project, enhancements to the acquisition and processing of TDEM data were studied, by use of simulated data, to assess improvements for the detection of thin clay layers. Secondly, studies were made of the use of compressional wave and shear wave seismic reflection data by using state-of-the-art high frequency vibrator technology. Finally, a newly developed processing technique, called ''data fusion,'' was implemented to process the geophysical data, and to incorporate a mathematical model of the subsurface strata. Examples are given of the results when applied to real seismic data collected at Hanford, WA, and for simulated data based on the geology of the Savannah River Site

In situ detection of anaerobic alkane metabolites in subsurface environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa eGieg

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Alkanes comprise a substantial fraction of crude oil and refined fuels. As such, they are prevalent within deep subsurface fossil fuel deposits and in shallow subsurface environments such as aquifers that are contaminated with hydrocarbons. These environments are typically anaerobic, and host diverse microbial communities that can potentially use alkanes as substrates. Anaerobic alkane biodegradation has been reported to occur under nitrate-reducing, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. Elucidating the pathways of anaerobic alkane metabolism has been of interest in order to understand how microbes can be used to remediate contaminated sites. Alkane activation primarily occurs by addition to fumarate, yielding alkylsuccinates, unique anaerobic metabolites that can be used to indicate in situ anaerobic alkane metabolism. These metabolites have been detected in hydrocarbon-contaminated shallow aquifers, offering strong evidence for intrinsic anaerobic bioremediation. Recently, studies have also revealed that alkylsuccinates are present in oil and coal seam production waters, indicating that anaerobic microbial communities can utilize alkanes in these deeper subsurface environments. In many crude oil reservoirs, the in situ anaerobic metabolism of hydrocarbons such as alkanes may be contibuting to modern-day detrimental effects such as oilfield souring, or may lead to more benefical technologies such as enhanced energy recovery from mature oilfields. In this review, we briefly describe the key metabolic pathways for anaerobic alkane (including n-alkanes, isoalkanes, and cyclic alkanes metabolism and highlight several field reports wherein alkylsuccinates have provided evidence for anaerobic in situ alkane metabolism in shallow and deep subsurface environments.

Integrating millennial and interdecadal shoreline changes: Morpho-sedimentary investigation of two prograded barriers in southeastern Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, T. S. N.; Tamura, T.; Hudson, J. P.; Woodroffe, C. D.

2017-07-01

Prograded barriers are distinctive coastal landforms preserving the position of past shorelines as low relief, shore-parallel ridges composed of beach sediments and commonly adorned with variable amounts of dune sand. Prograded barriers have been valued as coastal archives which contain palaeoenvironmental information, however integrating the millennial timescale geological history of barriers with observed inter-decadal modern beach processes has proved difficult. Technologies such as airborne LiDAR, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) were utilised at Boydtown and Wonboyn, in southeastern Australia, and combined with previously reported radiocarbon dates and offshore seismic and sedimentological data to reconstruct the morpho-sedimentary history of prograded barrier systems. These technologies enabled reconstruction of geological timescale processes integrated with an inter-decadal model of ridge formation explaining the GPR-imaged subsurface character of the barriers. Both the Boydtown and Wonboyn barriers began prograding 7500-8000 years ago when sea level attained at or near present height along this coastline and continued prograding until the present-day with an initially slower rate of shoreline advancement. Sources of sediment for progradation appear to be the inner shelf and shoreface with a large shelf sand body likely contributing to progradation at Wonboyn. The Towamba River seems to have delivered sediment to Twofold Bay during flood events after transitioning to a mature estuarine system sometime after 4000 cal. yr BP. Some of this material appears to have been reworked onto the Boydtown barrier, increasing the rate of progradation in the seaward 50% of the barrier deposited over the past 1500 years. The GPR imaged beachfaces are shown to have similar geometry to beach profiles following recent storm events and a model of ridge formation involving cut and fill of the beachface, and dune building in the

Unconventional energy resources in a crowded subsurface: Reducing uncertainty and developing a separation zone concept for resource estimation and deep 3D subsurface planning using legacy mining data.

Science.gov (United States)

Monaghan, Alison A

2017-12-01

Over significant areas of the UK and western Europe, anthropogenic alteration of the subsurface by mining of coal has occurred beneath highly populated areas which are now considering a multiplicity of 'low carbon' unconventional energy resources including shale gas and oil, coal bed methane, geothermal energy and energy storage. To enable decision making on the 3D planning, licensing and extraction of these resources requires reduced uncertainty around complex geology and hydrogeological and geomechanical processes. An exemplar from the Carboniferous of central Scotland, UK, illustrates how, in areas lacking hydrocarbon well production data and 3D seismic surveys, legacy coal mine plans and associated boreholes provide valuable data that can be used to reduce the uncertainty around geometry and faulting of subsurface energy resources. However, legacy coal mines also limit unconventional resource volumes since mines and associated shafts alter the stress and hydrogeochemical state of the subsurface, commonly forming pathways to the surface. To reduce the risk of subsurface connections between energy resources, an example of an adapted methodology is described for shale gas/oil resource estimation to include a vertical separation or 'stand-off' zone between the deepest mine workings, to ensure the hydraulic fracturing required for shale resource production would not intersect legacy coal mines. Whilst the size of such separation zones requires further work, developing the concept of 3D spatial separation and planning is key to utilising the crowded subsurface energy system, whilst mitigating against resource sterilisation and environmental impacts, and could play a role in positively informing public and policy debate. Copyright © 2017 British Geological Survey, a component institute of NERC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrothermal Fluid Permeability, Temperature, and Nutrient Fluxes: Three Controls on the Structure and the Dynamics of Subsurface Extremophilic Microbe Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, M. P.; Yang, J.

2002-05-01

We continue to develop a set of models whose aim is to provide broad constraints on the range of possible community structures for subsurface thermally-tolerant microbes. We combine studies of the three-dimensional internal structure of the dike and sill complexes of active volcanoes, studies of the scale- and direction-dependent 3-D in-situ permeability of intrusive and extrusive rocks from in-situ and laboratory data, numerical modelling of hydrothermal convection in volcanic interiors, data on the optimal metabolic and life-limiting thermal requirements of extremophilic microbes, with the set of nutrients and nutrient pathways required for the survival of given species of thermophiles and hyperthermophiles. With this mix of data bases and analysis tools, we can begin to divine a set of broad theoretical guidelines for constraining the structure and dynamics of extremophilic communities in the subsurface environments of volcanoes. We are searching for the first-order controls on transport. The effects of mineral attachment, detachment, and microbial reproduction may be incorporated in refinements of this basic model. Critical thermal intervals and/or isotherms that correlate with (1) optimal metabolic and (2) life-limiting temperatures for thermophilic microbes are, e.g., in degrees Celcius: Thermus thermophilius [70, 85]; Thermomicrobium roseum [70-75, 85]; Thermus aquaticus [70, 79]; and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius [70-75, 90]. Numerical models of the convective migration of thermophilic (50-80 C), and hyperthermophilic (80-113 C) microbes and their macromolecular amino acid building blocks (113- ~200 C) have been developed that explicitly incorporate the roles of fractures and fluid properties. Fluid transport properties are evaluated through the optimal metabolic and life-limiting temperate ranges and beyond. These models quantify our intuition with respect to controls on community structure and dynamics. Important relationships appear to be: (1) Great

VISUALIZATION OF REGISTERED SUBSURFACE ANATOMY

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

A system and method for visualization of subsurface anatomy includes obtaining a first image from a first camera and a second image from a second camera or a second channel of the first camera, where the first and second images contain shared anatomical structures. The second camera and the secon....... A visual interface displays the registered visualization of the first and second images. The system and method are particularly useful for imaging during minimally invasive surgery, such as robotic surgery....

Subsurface temperatures and surface heat flow in the Michigan Basin and their relationships to regional subsurface fluid movement

Science.gov (United States)

Vugrinovich, R.

1989-01-01

Linear regression of 405 bottomhole temperature (BHT) measurements vs. associated depths from Michigan's Lower Peninsula results in the following equation relating BHT and depth: BHT(??C) = 14.5 + 0.0192 ?? depth(m) Temperature residuals, defined as (BHT measured)-(BHT calculated), were determined for each of the 405 BHT's. Areas of positive temperature residuals correspond to areas of regional groundwater discharge (determined from maps of equipotential surface) while areas of negative temperature residuals correspond to areas of regional groundwater recharge. These relationships are observed in the principal aquifers in rocks of Devonian and Ordovician age and in a portion of the principal aquifer in rocks of Silurian age. There is a similar correspondence between high surface heat flow (determined using the silica geothermometer) and regional groundwater discharge areas and low surface heat flow and regional groundwater recharge areas. Post-Jurassic depositional and tectonic histories suggest that the observed coupling of subsurface temperature and groundwater flow systems may have persisted since Jurassic time. Thus the higher subsurface palaeotemperatures (and palaeogeothermal gradients) indicated by recent studies most likely pre-date the Jurassic. ?? 1989.

Subsurface structures in the northern Mare Imbrium measured by Chang'E-3 and SELENE

Science.gov (United States)

Kumamoto, A.; Ishiyama, K.; Feng, J.

2016-12-01

Subsurface structures in the northern Mare Imbrium measured by Chang'E-3 and SELENE have been compared. In Chang'E-3 mission, subsurface radar sounding at (19.51W, 44.12N) was performed by Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) onboard the Yutu rover. The LPR was pulse radar operated at two frequencies: 60 MHz and 500 MHz. During its operation period from December 2013 to January 2014, the LPR observed subsurface echoes along the rover's track with total distance of 114 m. From the observation in 60 MHz, the subsurface echoes from buried regolith layers at depths of 35, 50, 140, 240, and 360 m were reported (Xiao et al., 2015). In SELENE mission, global subsurface radar sounding of the moon was performed by Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) onboard the SELENE (Kaguya) spacecraft from the polar orbit with an altitude of 100 km. The LRS was chirp radar operated in a frequency range from 4-6 MHz. So the range resolution of LRS was 75 m in vacuum. During operation period from December 2007 to September 2008, subsurface echoes from all areas of the Moon was observed with a lateral resolution of 76 m. From the global observation, the subsurface echoes from the buried regolith layers in the neraside maria including Mare Imbrium at depths of several hundred meters were reported (Ono et al., 2009).In the present study, we focus on SELENE/LRS data obtained at (19.50W, 44.12N) which is the nearest to the Chang'E-3 landing site. While clear and large-scale subsurface reflectors, as found in Ono et al. (2009), are not found in it, we can identify some echo components from the depths of 140 ( 2000 ns), 240 ( 4000 ns), and 360 m ( 6000 ns). Further analyses utilizing high-resolution data from Chang'E-3/LPR and large-scale data from SELENE/LRS, we will be able to determine the thickness and large-scale structures of the buried regolith layers found by the both radars, and discuss their formation processes in volcanic history of Mare Imbrium.

STOMP, Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases, theory guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.D.; Oostrom, M.

1996-10-01

This guide describes the simulator's governing equations, constitutive functions and numerical solution algorithms of the STOMP (Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases) simulator, a scientific tool for analyzing multiple phase subsurface flow and transport. The STOMP simulator's fundamental purpose is to produce numerical predictions of thermal and hydrologic flow and transport phenomena in variably saturated subsurface environments, which are contaminated with volatile or nonvolatile organic compounds. Auxiliary applications include numerical predictions of solute transport processes including radioactive chain decay processes. In writing these guides for the STOMP simulator, the authors have assumed that the reader comprehends concepts and theories associated with multiple-phase hydrology, heat transfer, thermodynamics, radioactive chain decay, and nonhysteretic relative permeability, saturation-capillary pressure constitutive functions. The authors further assume that the reader is familiar with the computing environment on which they plan to compile and execute the STOMP simulator. The STOMP simulator requires an ANSI FORTRAN 77 compiler to generate an executable code. The memory requirements for executing the simulator are dependent on the complexity of physical system to be modeled and the size and dimensionality of the computational domain. Likewise execution speed depends on the problem complexity, size and dimensionality of the computational domain, and computer performance. One-dimensional problems of moderate complexity can be solved on conventional desktop computers, but multidimensional problems involving complex flow and transport phenomena typically require the power and memory capabilities of workstation or mainframe type computer systems

Anthropogenic effects on the subsurface thermal and groundwater environments in Osaka, Japan and Bangkok, Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, Makoto; Shimada, Jun; Fukuda, Yoichi; Yamano, Makoto; Onodera, Shin-ichi; Kaneko, Shinji; Yoshikoshi, Akihisa

2009-04-15

Anthropogenic effects in both Osaka and Bangkok were evaluated to compare the relationships between subsurface environment and the development stage of both cities. Subsurface thermal anomalies due to heat island effects were found in both cities. The Surface Warming Index (SWI), the departure depth from the steady geothermal gradient, was used as an indicator of the heat island effect. SWI increases (deeper) with the magnitude of heat island effect and the elapsed time starting from the surface warming. Distributions of subsurface thermal anomalies due to the heat island effect agreed well with the distribution of changes in air temperature due to the same process, which is described by the distribution of population density in both Osaka and Bangkok. Different time lags between groundwater depression and subsidence in the two cities was found. This is attributed to differences in hydrogeologic characters, such as porosity and hydraulic conductivity. We find that differences in subsurface degradations in Osaka and Bangkok, including subsurface thermal anomalies, groundwater depression, and land subsidence, depends on the difference of the development stage of urbanization and hydrogeological characters.

SOLID OXYGEN SOURCE FOR BIOREMEDIATION IN SUBSURFACE SOILS

Science.gov (United States)

Sodium percarbonate was encapsulated in poly(vinylidene chloride) to determine its potential as a slow-release oxygen source for biodegradation of contaminan ts in subsurface soils. In laboratory studies under aqueous conditions, the encapsulated sodium percarbonate was estimate...

Complex Systems Science for Subsurface Fate and Transport Report from the August 2009 Workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-03-01

The subsurface environment, which encompasses the vadose and saturated zones, is a heterogeneous, geologically complex domain. Believed to contain a large percentage of Earth's biomass in the form of microorganisms, the subsurface is a dynamic zone where important biogeochemical cycles work to sustain life. Actively linked to the atmosphere and biosphere through the hydrologic and carbon cycles, the subsurface serves as a storage location for much of Earth's fresh water. Coupled hydrological, microbiological, and geochemical processes occurring within the subsurface environment cause the local and regional natural chemical fluxes that govern water quality. These processes play a vital role in the formation of soil, economically important fossil fuels, mineral deposits, and other natural resources. Cleaning up Department of Energy (DOE) lands impacted by legacy wastes and using the subsurface for carbon sequestration or nuclear waste isolation require a firm understanding of these processes and the documented means to characterize the vertical and spatial distribution of subsurface properties directing water, nutrient, and contaminant flows. This information, along with credible, predictive models that integrate hydrological, microbiological, and geochemical knowledge over a range of scales, is needed to forecast the sustainability of subsurface water systems and to devise ways to manage and manipulate dynamic in situ processes for beneficial outcomes. Predictive models provide the context for knowledge integration. They are the primary tools for forecasting the evolving geochemistry or microbial ecology of groundwater under various scenarios and for assessing and optimizing the potential effectiveness of proposed approaches to carbon sequestration, waste isolation, or environmental remediation. An iterative approach of modeling and experimentation can reveal powerful insights into the behavior of subsurface systems. State-of-science understanding codified

Complex Systems Science for Subsurface Fate and Transport Report from the August 2009 Workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The subsurface environment, which encompasses the vadose and saturated zones, is a heterogeneous, geologically complex domain. Believed to contain a large percentage of Earth's biomass in the form of microorganisms, the subsurface is a dynamic zone where important biogeochemical cycles work to sustain life. Actively linked to the atmosphere and biosphere through the hydrologic and carbon cycles, the subsurface serves as a storage location for much of Earth's fresh water. Coupled hydrological, microbiological, and geochemical processes occurring within the subsurface environment cause the local and regional natural chemical fluxes that govern water quality. These processes play a vital role in the formation of soil, economically important fossil fuels, mineral deposits, and other natural resources. Cleaning up Department of Energy (DOE) lands impacted by legacy wastes and using the subsurface for carbon sequestration or nuclear waste isolation require a firm understanding of these processes and the documented means to characterize the vertical and spatial distribution of subsurface properties directing water, nutrient, and contaminant flows. This information, along with credible, predictive models that integrate hydrological, microbiological, and geochemical knowledge over a range of scales, is needed to forecast the sustainability of subsurface water systems and to devise ways to manage and manipulate dynamic in situ processes for beneficial outcomes. Predictive models provide the context for knowledge integration. They are the primary tools for forecasting the evolving geochemistry or microbial ecology of groundwater under various scenarios and for assessing and optimizing the potential effectiveness of proposed approaches to carbon sequestration, waste isolation, or environmental remediation. An iterative approach of modeling and experimentation can reveal powerful insights into the behavior of subsurface systems. State-of-science understanding codified in models

Microbial communities in the deep subsurface

Science.gov (United States)

Krumholz, Lee R.

The diversity of microbial populations and microbial communities within the earth's subsurface is summarized in this review. Scientists are currently exploring the subsurface and addressing questions of microbial diversity, the interactions among microorganisms, and mechanisms for maintenance of subsurface microbial communities. Heterotrophic anaerobic microbial communities exist in relatively permeable sandstone or sandy sediments, located adjacent to organic-rich deposits. These microorganisms appear to be maintained by the consumption of organic compounds derived from adjacent deposits. Sources of organic material serving as electron donors include lignite-rich Eocene sediments beneath the Texas coastal plain, organic-rich Cretaceous shales from the southwestern US, as well as Cretaceous clays containing organic materials and fermentative bacteria from the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Additionally, highly diverse microbial communities occur in regions where a source of organic matter is not apparent but where igneous rock is present. Examples include the basalt-rich subsurface of the Columbia River valley and the granitic subsurface regions of Sweden and Canada. These subsurface microbial communities appear to be maintained by the action of lithotrophic bacteria growing on H2 that is chemically generated within the subsurface. Other deep-dwelling microbial communities exist within the deep sediments of oceans. These systems often rely on anaerobic metabolism and sulfate reduction. Microbial colonization extends to the depths below which high temperatures limit the ability of microbes to survive. Energy sources for the organisms living in the oceanic subsurface may originate as oceanic sedimentary deposits. In this review, each of these microbial communities is discussed in detail with specific reference to their energy sources, their observed growth patterns, and their diverse composition. This information is critical to develop further understanding of subsurface

An investigation of bergmounds as analogs to erosion control factors on protective barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamness, M.A.

1993-09-01

Included in several of the final disposal strategies proposed in the Interim Hanford Waste Management Plan (DOE-RL 1986a) is design of a protective barrier to isolate the underlying waste sites from the environment. The conceptual protective barrier design requires a fine-grained sediment to retain precipitation near the top of the barrier where evapotranspiration can recycle the moisture back into the atmosphere. The design incorporates gravel into the topsoil as one way to reduce its erosion. Information is needed to determine the optimal ratio of gravel to topsoil needed to reduce erosion without significantly reducing evapotranspiration, and its effect on erosion. Bergmounds are mounds with a gravelly surface that were formed about 13,000 years ago and represent natural analogs to the topsoil portion of the protective barrier. The primary goal of this study was to identify characteristics of bergmounds and the effects of these characteristics, especially the gravelly surface, on the amount and rate of erosion. A secondary goal was to apply a technique normally used to estimate vegetation cover to measure percent gravel cover, and to compare this technique with particle size distribution based on weight percent. Four bergmounds were investigated for this study, two in a windy site and two in a more sheltered site. Each bergmound was sampled in eight locations. Two methods were used to estimate the amount of surface gravel: the ocular point-intercept method which estimates the percent gravel cover, and sieved samples of the surface sediments which measure the percent gravel by weight. Holes were dug at each bergmound's eight sampling sites to examine and sample the subsurface sediments

Developing a trend prediction model of subsurface damage for fixed-abrasive grinding of optics by cup wheels.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhichao; Cheng, Haobo

2016-11-10

Fixed-abrasive grinding by cup wheels plays an important role in the production of precision optics. During cup wheel grinding, we strive for a large removal rate while maintaining fine integrity on the surface and subsurface layers (academically recognized as surface roughness and subsurface damage, respectively). This study develops a theoretical model used to predict the trend of subsurface damage of optics (with respect to various grinding parameters) in fixed-abrasive grinding by cup wheels. It is derived from the maximum undeformed chip thickness model, and it successfully correlates the pivotal parameters of cup wheel grinding with the subsurface damage depth. The efficiency of this model is then demonstrated by a set of experiments performed on a cup wheel grinding machine. In these experiments, the characteristics of subsurface damage are inspected by a wedge-polishing plus microscopic inspection method, revealing that the subsurface damage induced in cup wheel grinding is composed of craterlike morphologies and slender cracks, with depth ranging from ∼6.2 to ∼13.2  μm under the specified grinding parameters. With the help of the proposed model, an optimized grinding strategy is suggested for realizing fine subsurface integrity as well as high removal rate, which can alleviate the workload of subsequent lapping and polishing.

Great differences in the critical erosion threshold between surface and subsurface sediments: A field investigation of an intertidal mudflat, Jiangsu, China

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Benwei; Wang, Ya Ping; Wang, Li Hua; Li, Peng; Gao, Jianhua; Xing, Fei; Chen, Jing Dong

2018-06-01

Understanding of bottom sediment erodibility is necessary for the sustainable management and protection of coastlines, and is of great importance for numerical models of sediment dynamics and transport. To investigate the dependence of sediment erodibility on degree of consolidation, we measured turbidity, waves, tidal currents, intratidal bed-level changes, and sediment properties on an exposed macrotidal mudflat during a series of tidal cycles. We estimated the water content of surface sediments (in the uppermost 2 cm of sediment) and sub-surface sediments (at 2 cm below the sediment surface). Bed shear stress values due to currents (τc), waves (τw), and combined current-wave action (τcw) were calculated using a hydrodynamic model. In this study, we estimate the critical shear stress for erosion using two approaches and both of them give similar results. We found that the critical shear stress for erosion (τce) was 0.17-0.18 N/m2 in the uppermost 0-2 cm of sediment and 0.29 N/m2 in sub-surface sediment layers (depth, 2 cm), as determined by time series of τcw values and intratidal bed-level changes, and values of τce, obtained using the water content of bottom sediments, were 0.16 N/m2 in the uppermost 2 cm and 0.28 N/m2 in the sub-surface (depth, 2 cm) sediment. These results indicate that the value of τce for sub-surface sediments (depth, 2 cm) is much greater than that for the uppermost sediments (depth, 0-2 cm), and that the τce value is mainly related to the water content, which is determined by the extent of consolidation. Our results have implications for improving the predictive accuracy of models of sediment transport and morphological evolution, by introducing variable τce values for corresponding sediment layers, and can also provide a mechanistic understanding of bottom sediment erodibility at different sediment depths on intertidal mudflats, as related to differences in the consolidation time.

Microbial transformations of natural organic compounds and radionuclides in subsurface environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, A.J.

1985-10-01

A major national concern in the subsurface disposal of energy wastes is the contamination of ground and surface waters by waste leachates containing radionuclides, toxic metals, and organic compounds. Microorganisms play an important role in the transformation of organic compounds, radionuclides, and toxic metals present in the waste and affect their mobility in subsurface environments. Microbial processes involved in dissolution, mobilization, and immobilization of toxic metals under aerobic and anaerobic conditions are briefly reviewed. Metal complexing agents and several organic acids produced by microbial action affect mobilization of radionuclides and toxic metals in subsurface environments. Information on the persistence of and biodegradation rates of synthetic as well as microbiologically produced complexing agents is scarce but important in determining the mobility of metal organic complexes in subsoils. Several gaps in knowledge in the area of microbial transformation of naturally occurring organics, radionuclides, and toxic metals have been identified, and further basic research has been suggested. 31 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

Final Report: A Model Management System for Numerical Simulations of Subsurface Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zachmann, David

2013-10-07

The DOE and several other Federal agencies have committed significant resources to support the development of a large number of mathematical models for studying subsurface science problems such as groundwater flow, fate of contaminants and carbon sequestration, to mention only a few. This project provides new tools to help decision makers and stakeholders in subsurface science related problems to select an appropriate set of simulation models for a given field application.

Sprache als Barriere (Language as a Barrier)

Science.gov (United States)

Mattheier, Klaus

1974-01-01

The concept of language barrier has its derivations in the fields of dialectology, sociology and psychology. In contemporary usage however, the concept has two meanings i.e. regional-cultural barrier and socio-cultural barrier. (Text is in German.) (DS)

Fusion barrier distributions in 28,30Si + 124Sn reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danu, L.S.; Nayak, B.K.; Biswas, D.C.; Saxena, A.; Thomas, R.G.; Mirgule, E.T.; Choudhury, R.K.

2009-01-01

The coupling of various degrees of freedom such as static deformation, inelastic excitation and nucleon transfer with the relative motion gives rise to a distribution of barrier in heavy ion induced fusion reactions. The barrier distribution is a fingerprint of the reaction characterizing the important channel couplings. The relative importance of various couplings in fusion reaction is of topical interest. In an earlier study with deformed projectiles 28,30 Si on 115 In target, it was observed that the barrier distributions get affected due to coulomb reorientation of the deformed projectile nuclei in the field of target nucleus thus giving rise to fusion hindrance at sub-barrier energies. In that study, we considered deformed projectile rotational and positive Q-value transfer channel couplings to relative motion in fusion for investigation of Coulomb reorientation and no inelastic coupling of the 115 In target was considered. In the present work, we have extended the measurements with 124 Sn target and inelastic coupling of target has been considered in the coupled channel calculations. The fusion barrier distributions for 28,30 Si + 124 Sn systems have been obtained by quasi-elastic scattering measurements at backward angles and the results compared with the predictions of coupled channel calculations

Source Release Modeling for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's Subsurface Disposal Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, B.H.

2002-01-01

A source release model was developed to determine the release of contaminants into the shallow subsurface, as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) evaluation at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's (INEEL) Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA). The output of the source release model is used as input to the subsurface transport and biotic uptake models. The model allowed separating the waste into areas that match the actual disposal units. This allows quantitative evaluation of the relative contribution to the total risk and allows evaluation of selective remediation of the disposal units within the SDA

Ultrafast spin injection from Cd1-x Mn x Te magnetic barriers into a CdTe quantum well studied by pump-probe spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoshima, I.; Nishibayashi, K.; Souma, I.; Murayama, A.; Oka, Y.

2006-01-01

Spin injection from diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) barriers of Cd 1- x Mn x Te into a quantum well (QW) of CdTe is studied, by means of pump-probe absorption spectroscopy in magnetic fields. Fast decay characteristics of circularly polarized differential absorbances of spin-polarized excitons in the DMS barrier show the exciton injection time of 6 ps from the barriers into the QW. In accordance with the fast relaxation of the spin-polarized excitons from the barrier, we observe the rise of circular polarization degree for the differential absorption of the CdTe QW in magnetic fields, evidently indicating the spin injection. In addition, the circular polarization degree up to 0.3 is developed in the well immediately after pumping, originating from the fast relaxation of a heavy hole (hh) spin less than 0.2 ps, due to the giant Zeeman effect caused by the penetration of the hh wave function into the DMS barriers

Effects of rainfall patterns and land cover on the subsurface flow generation of sloping Ferralsols in southern China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Duan

Full Text Available Rainfall patterns and land cover are two important factors that affect the runoff generation process. To determine the surface and subsurface flows associated with different rainfall patterns on sloping Ferralsols under different land cover types, observational data related to surface and subsurface flows from 5 m × 15 m plots were collected from 2010 to 2012. The experiment was conducted to assess three land cover types (grass, litter cover and bare land in the Jiangxi Provincial Soil and Water Conservation Ecological Park. During the study period, 114 natural rainfall events produced subsurface flow and were divided into four groups using k-means clustering according to rainfall duration, rainfall depth and maximum 30-min rainfall intensity. The results showed that the total runoff and surface flow values were highest for bare land under all four rainfall patterns and lowest for the covered plots. However, covered plots generated higher subsurface flow values than bare land. Moreover, the surface and subsurface flows associated with the three land cover types differed significantly under different rainfall patterns. Rainfall patterns with low intensities and long durations created more subsurface flow in the grass and litter cover types, whereas rainfall patterns with high intensities and short durations resulted in greater surface flow over bare land. Rainfall pattern I had the highest surface and subsurface flow values for the grass cover and litter cover types. The highest surface flow value and lowest subsurface flow value for bare land occurred under rainfall pattern IV. Rainfall pattern II generated the highest subsurface flow value for bare land. Therefore, grass or litter cover are able to convert more surface flow into subsurface flow under different rainfall patterns. The rainfall patterns studied had greater effects on subsurface flow than on total runoff and surface flow for covered surfaces, as well as a greater effect on surface

A new model of equilibrium subsurface hydration on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Hecht, M. H.

2011-12-01

One of the surprises of the Odyssey mission was the discovery by the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) suite of large concentrations of water-equivalent hydrogen (WEH) in the shallow subsurface at low latitudes, consistent with 5-7% regolith water content by weight (Mitrofanov et al. Science 297, p. 78, 2002; Feldman et al. Science 297, p. 75, 2002). Water at low latitudes on Mars is generally believed to be sequestered in the form of hydrated minerals. Numerous attempts have been made to relate the global map of WEH to specific mineralogy. For example Feldman et al. (Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L16702, 2004) associated an estimated 10% sulfate content of the soil with epsomite (51% water), hexahydrite (46% water) and kieserite (13% water). In such studies, stability maps have been created by assuming equilibration of the subsurface water vapor density with a global mean annual column mass vapor density. Here it is argued that this value significantly understates the subsurface humidity. Results from the Phoenix mission are used to suggest that the midday vapor pressure measured just above the surface is a better proxy for the saturation vapor pressure of subsurface hydrous minerals. The measured frostpoint at the Phoenix site was found to be equal to the surface temperature by night and the modeled temperature at the top of the ice table by day (Zent et al. J. Geophys. Res., 115, E00E14, 2010). It was proposed by Hecht (41st LPSC abstract #1533, 2010) that this phenomenon results from water vapor trapping at the coldest nearby surface. At night, the surface is colder than the surface of the ice table; by day it is warmer. Thus, at night, the subsurface is bounded by a fully saturated layer of cold water frost or adsorbed water at the surface, not by the dry boundary layer itself. This argument is not strongly dependent on the particular saturation vapor pressure (SVP) of ice or other subsurface material, only on the thickness of the dry layer. Specifically, the diurnal

2012 Groundwater Monitoring Report Central Nevada Test Area, Subsurface Corrective Action Unit 443

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-04-01

The Central Nevada Test Area was the site of a 0.2- to 1-megaton underground nuclear test in 1968. The surface of the site has been closed, but the subsurface is still in the corrective action process. The corrective action alternative selected for the site was monitoring with institutional controls. Annual sampling and hydraulic head monitoring are conducted as part of the subsurface corrective action strategy. The site is currently in the fourth year of the 5-year proof-of-concept period that is intended to validate the compliance boundary. Analytical results from the 2012 monitoring are consistent with those of previous years. Tritium remains at levels below the laboratory minimum detectable concentration in all wells in the monitoring network. Samples collected from reentry well UC-1-P-2SR, which is not in the monitoring network but was sampled as part of supplemental activities conducted during the 2012 monitoring, indicate concentrations of tritium that are consistent with previous sampling results. This well was drilled into the chimney shortly after the detonation, and water levels continue to rise, demonstrating the very low permeability of the volcanic rocks. Water level data from new wells MV-4 and MV-5 and recompleted well HTH-1RC indicate that hydraulic heads are still recovering from installation and testing. Data from wells MV-4 and MV-5 also indicate that head levels have not yet recovered from the 2011 sampling event during which several thousand gallons of water were purged. It has been recommended that a low-flow sampling method be adopted for these wells to allow head levels to recover to steady-state conditions. Despite the lack of steady-state groundwater conditions, hydraulic head data collected from alluvial wells installed in 2009 continue to support the conceptual model that the southeast-bounding graben fault acts as a barrier to groundwater flow at the site.

Reactive diffusion in Sc/Si multilayer X-ray mirrors with CrB2 barrier layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pershyn, Y.P.; Zubarev, E.N.; Kondratenko, V.V.; Sevryukova, V.A.; Kurbatova, S.V.

2011-01-01

Processes undergoing in Sc/Si multilayer X-ray mirrors (MXMs) with periods of ∝27 nm and barrier layers of CrB 2 0.3- and 0.7-nm thick within the temperature range of 420-780 K were studied by methods of small-angle X-ray reflectivity (λ=0.154 nm) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. All layers with the exception of Sc ones are amorphous. Barrier layers are stable at least up to a temperature of 625 K and double the activation energy of diffusional intermixing at moderate temperatures. Introduction of barriers improves the thermal stability of Sc/Si MXMs at least by 80 degrees. Diffusion of Si atoms through barrier layers into Sc layers with formation of silicides was shown to be the main degradation mechanism of MXMs. A comparison of the stability for Sc/Si MXMs with different barriers published in the literature is conducted. The ways of further improvement of barrier properties are discussed. (orig.)

Lead poisoning and the blood-brain barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hertz, M.H.; Bolwig, T.G.; Grandjean, P.; Westergaard, E.

1981-01-01

Lead exposure may produce varying degrees of neuropsychiatric manifestations from discrete phenomena, quite often seen in children and as an occupational disease, to the rare fulminant lead encephalopathy. It was determined whether or not damage of the blood-brain barrier permeability in adult rats, as has been demonstr rated in neonatal animals exposed to lead, could also play a role. Massive lead exposure did not induce any change in the transfer (facilitated diffusion) of phenylalanine and tyrosine measured by means of the indicator dilution technique. Ultrastructural examination, after application of horseradish peroxidase, did not reveal any pahtological changes in the permeability to the tracer. It is concluded that in adult rats, in contrast to neonatal anmials, the observed pathological signs clearly seen in the chronically exposed animals must be ascribed to a noxious influence of lead on the extravascular side of the blood-brain barrier. (author)

Application of in situ vitrification in the soil subsurface: Engineering-scale testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luey, J.; Seiler, D.K.

1995-03-01

Engineering-scale testing to evaluate the initiation and propagation of the in situ vitrification (ISV) process in the soil subsurface has been completed. Application of ISV in the soil subsurface both increases the applicable treatment depth (beyond a demonstrated 5 m) and allows treatment of local contamination, such as liquid seepage trenches (found on many US Department of Energy sites) that were designed to remove contamination at the bottom of the trench. The following observations and conclusions resulted from the test data: the ISV process can be initiated in the soil subsurface and propagated in both vertical directions, with the downward direction providing greater ease of operation; energy efficiency to process a kilogram of soil was 20% better than for an ISV melt initiated at the soil surface, increased efficiency was attributed to insulation from the soil overburden; the feasibility of initiating the process with a planar starter path was confirmed, thus increasing the number of options for initiating the process in the field; soil subsidence was pronounced and requires attention before field demonstration of subsurface ISV. Further field work at pilot-scale is recommended for this new ISV application. The key step will be the placement of starter material at depth to initiate the process

The Search for Sustainable Subsurface Habitats on Mars, and the Sampling of Impact Ejecta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paula Lindgren

2010-07-01

Full Text Available On Earth, the deep subsurface biosphere of both the oceanic and the continental crust is well known for surviving harsh conditions and environments characterized by high temperatures, high pressures, extreme pHs, and the absence of sunlight. The microorganisms of the terrestrial deep biosphere have an excellent capacity for adapting to changing geochemistry, as the alteration of the crust proceeds and the conditions of their habitats slowly change. Despite an almost complete isolation from surface conditions and the surface biosphere, the deep biosphere of the crustal rocks has endured over geologic time. This indicates that the deep biosphere is a self-sufficient system, independent of the global events that occur at the surface, such as impacts, glaciations, sea level fluctuations, and climate changes. With our sustainable terrestrial subsurface biosphere in mind, the subsurface on Mars has often been suggested as the most plausible place to search for fossil Martian life, or even present Martian life. Since the Martian surface is more or less sterile, subsurface settings are the only place on Mars where life could have been sustained over geologic time. To detect a deep biosphere in the Martian basement, drilling is a requirement. However, near future Mars sample return missions are limited by the mission’s payload, which excludes heavy drilling equipment and restrict the missions to only dig the topmost meter of the Martian soil. Therefore, the sampling and analysis of Martian impact ejecta has been suggested as a way of accessing the deeper Martian subsurface without using heavy drilling equipment. Impact cratering is a natural geological process capable of excavating and exposing large amounts of rock material from great depths up to the surface. Several studies of terrestrial impact deposits show the preservation of pre-impact biosignatures, such as fossilized organisms and chemical biological markers. Therefore, if the Martian

Modelling of real area of contact between tool and workpiece in metal forming processes including the influence of subsurface deformation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Martins, Paulo A. F.; Bay, Niels Oluf

2016-01-01

New equipment for testing asperity deformation at various normal loads and subsurface elongations is presented. Resulting real contact area ratios increase heavily with increasing subsurface expansion due to lowered yield pressure on the asperities when imposing subsurface normal stress parallel ...... for estimating friction in the numerical modelling of metal forming processes.......New equipment for testing asperity deformation at various normal loads and subsurface elongations is presented. Resulting real contact area ratios increase heavily with increasing subsurface expansion due to lowered yield pressure on the asperities when imposing subsurface normal stress parallel...... to the surface. Finite element modelling supports the presentation and contributes by extrapolation of results to complete the mapping of contact area as function of normal pressure and one-directional subsurface strain parallel to the surface. Improved modelling of the real contact area is the basis...

Characterization of accumulated precipitates during subsurface iron removal

KAUST Repository

Van Halem, Doris; De Vet, W. W. J. M.; Verberk, Jasper Q J C; Amy, Gary L.; Van Dijk, Hans C.

2011-01-01

The principle of subsurface iron removal for drinking water supply is that aerated water is periodically injected into the aquifer through a tube well. On its way into the aquifer, the injected O2-rich water oxidizes adsorbed Fe 2+, creating a

Wireless Sensor Network Based Subsurface Contaminant Plume Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-16

Sensor Network (WSN) to monitor contaminant plume movement in naturally heterogeneous subsurface formations to advance the sensor networking based...time to assess the source and predict future plume behavior. This proof-of-concept research aimed at demonstrating the use of an intelligent Wireless

Barrier mechanisms in the Drosophila blood-brain barrier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha Jane Hindle

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The invertebrate blood-brain barrier field is growing at a rapid pace and, in recent years, studies have shown a physiologic and molecular complexity that has begun to rival its vertebrate counterpart. Novel mechanisms of paracellular barrier maintenance through GPCR signaling were the first demonstrations of the complex adaptive mechanisms of barrier physiology. Building upon this work, the integrity of the invertebrate blood-brain barrier has recently been shown to require coordinated function of all layers of the compound barrier structure, analogous to signaling between the layers of the vertebrate neurovascular unit. These findings strengthen the notion that many blood-brain barrier mechanisms are conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates, and suggest that novel findings in invertebrate model organisms will have a significant impact on the understanding of vertebrate BBB functions. In this vein, important roles in coordinating localized and systemic signaling to dictate organism development and growth are beginning to show how the blood-brain barrier can govern whole animal physiologies. This includes novel functions of blood-brain barrier gap junctions in orchestrating synchronized neuroblast proliferation, and of blood-brain barrier secreted antagonists of insulin receptor signaling. These advancements and others are pushing the field forward in exciting new directions. In this review, we provide a synopsis of invertebrate blood-brain barrier anatomy and physiology, with a focus on insights from the past 5 years, and highlight important areas for future study.

Subsurface Contamination Focus Area technical requirements. Volume 1: Requirements summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nickelson, D.; Nonte, J.; Richardson, J.

1996-10-01

This document summarizes functions and requirements for remediation of source term and plume sites identified by the Subsurface Contamination Focus Area. Included are detailed requirements and supporting information for source term and plume containment, stabilization, retrieval, and selective retrieval remedial activities. This information will be useful both to the decision-makers within the Subsurface Contamination Focus Area (SCFA) and to the technology providers who are developing and demonstrating technologies and systems. Requirements are often expressed as graphs or charts, which reflect the site-specific nature of the functions that must be performed. Many of the tradeoff studies associated with cost savings are identified in the text

Biostratigraphy of the Garau Formation in Naft well subsurface stratigraphic section, South Kermanshah

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y., Ezampanah,

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In order to biostratigraphy of the Garau Formation in the centeral Lurestan, one subsurface section (Naft well in Naft anticline, south Kermanshah was selected and studied. The drilled thickness of the Garau Formation in this section is up to 485 meters and lithologically composed of argillaceous limestones and dark gray marls. In this research 1150 thin sections of subsurface Naft well section were studied. In biostratigraphic studies of the Garau Formation in study section 61 species belong to 17 genera of planktonic foraminifera were recognized and 9 biozones were identified. Based on distribution of fossils and biozones identificated, the age of the Garau Formation in drilled part of the subsurface Naft well section is Early Aptian to Early Cenomanian.

Contents and composition of organic matter in subsurface soils affected by land use and soil mineralogy

Science.gov (United States)

Ellerbrock, Ruth H.; Kaiser, Michael

2010-05-01

Land use and mineralogy affect the ability of surface as well as subsurface soils to sequester organic carbon and their contribution to mitigate the greenhouse effect. This study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of land use (i.e., arable and forest) and soil mineralogy on contents and composition of soil organic matter (SOM) from subsurface soils. Seven soils different in mineralogy (Albic and Haplic Luvisol, Colluvic and Haplic Regosol, Haplic and Vertic Cambisol, Haplic Stagnosol) were selected within Germany. Soil samples were taken from forest and adjacent arable sites. First, particulate and water soluble organic matter were separated from the subsurface soil samples. From the remaining solid residues the OM(PY) fractions were separated, analyzed for its OC content (OCPY) and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. For the arable subsurface soils multiple regression analyses indicate significant positive relationships between the soil organic carbon contents and the contents of i) exchangeable Ca and oxalate soluble Fe, and Alox contents. Further for the neutral arable subsurface soils the contents OCPY weighted by its C=O contents were found to be related to the contents of Ca indicating interactions between OM(PY) and Ca cations. For the forest subsurface soils (pH <5) the OCPY contents were positively related with the contents of Na-pyrophosphate soluble Fe and Al. For the acidic forest subsurface soils such findings indicate interactions between OM(PY) and Fe3+ and Al3+ cations. The effects of land use and soil mineralogy on contents and composition of SOM and OM(PY) will be discussed.

Single and Multipolarimetric P-Band SAR Tomography of Subsurface Ice Structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Banda, Francesco; Dall, Jørgen; Tebaldini, Stefano

2016-01-01

In this paper, first results concerning the characterization of the subsurface of ice sheets and glaciers through single and multipolarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) tomography (TomoSAR) are illustrated. To this aim, the processing of data acquired in the framework of the European Space...... that scattering in the upper layers of glacial subsurface can be achieved up to an extent of about 20–60 m, conditional on the different types of glaciological zone observed. Moreover, clear morphological structures have been found beneath the ice surface at one of the investigated sites....

Broadband Counter-Wound Spiral Antenna for Subsurface Radar Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Yong, Lim

2003-01-01

Subsurface radar also known as ground-penetrating radar is increasingly being used for the detection and location of buried objects such as mines and structure that are found within the upper regions...

An Evaluation of Subsurface Microbial Activity Conditional to Subsurface Temperature, Porosity, and Permeability at North American Carbon Sequestration Sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilson, B. [Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); Mordensky, S. [Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); Verba, Circe [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); Rabjohns, K. [Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); Colwell, F. [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States); Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States). College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

2016-06-21

Several nations, including the United States, recognize global climate change as a force transforming the global ecosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the evolving climate. Reduction of atmospheric CO₂ levels is a goal for many nations and carbon sequestration which traps CO₂ in the Earth’s subsurface is one method to reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels. Among the variables that must be considered in developing this technology to a national scale is microbial activity. Microbial activity or biomass can change rock permeability, alter artificial seals around boreholes, and play a key role in biogeochemistry and accordingly may determine how CO₂ is sequestered underground. Certain physical parameters of a reservoir found in literature (e.g., temperature, porosity, and permeability) may indicate whether a reservoir can host microbial communities. In order to estimate which subsurface formations may host microbes, this report examines the subsurface temperature, porosity, and permeability of underground rock formations that have high potential to be targeted for CO₂ sequestration. Of the 268 North American wellbore locations from the National Carbon Sequestration Database (NATCARB; National Energy and Technology Laboratory, 2015) and 35 sites from Nelson and Kibler (2003), 96 sequestration sites contain temperature data. Of these 96 sites, 36 sites have temperatures that would be favorable for microbial survival, 48 sites have mixed conditions for supporting microbial populations, and 11 sites would appear to be unfavorable to support microbial populations. Future studies of microbe viability would benefit from a larger database with more formation parameters (e.g. mineralogy, structure, and groundwater chemistry), which would help to increase understanding of where CO₂ sequestration could be most efficiently implemented.

Energy as a Constraint on Habitability in the Subsurface

Science.gov (United States)

Hoehler, T.

2008-12-01

All living things must obtain energy from the environment to grow, to maintain a metabolic steady state, or simply to preserve viability. The availability of energy sources in the environment thus represents a key factor in determining the size, distribution, and activity of biological populations, and ultimately constrains the possibility for life itself. Lacking the abundant energy provided by solar radiation or the products of oxygenic photosynthesis, life in subsurface environments may be limited by energy availability as much as any other factor. The biological requirement for energy is expressed in two dimensions - analogous to the power and voltage requirements of electrical devices - and consideration and quantification of these requirements establishes quantitative boundary conditions on subsurface habitability. The magnitude of these requirements depends significantly on physicochemical environment, as does the provision of biologically-accessible energy from subsurface sources. With this conceptual basis, we are developing an 'energy balance' model that is designed to ultimately predict the habitability of a given environment, with respect to a given metabolism, in quantitative terms (as 'biomass density potential'). The model will develop from conceptual to quantitative as experimental and observational work constrains and quantifies, in natural populations adapted to low energy conditions, the magnitude of the biological energy requirements and the impacts of physicochemical environmental conditions on energy demand and supply.

Influence of cutting parameters on the depth of subsurface deformed layer in nano-cutting process of single crystal copper.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Quanlong; Bai, Qingshun; Chen, Jiaxuan; Su, Hao; Wang, Zhiguo; Xie, Wenkun

2015-12-01

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulation is performed to study the nano-cutting process of single crystal copper realized by single-point diamond cutting tool in this paper. The centro-symmetry parameter is adopted to characterize the subsurface deformed layers and the distribution and evolution of the subsurface defect structures. Three-dimensional visualization and measurement technology are used to measure the depth of the subsurface deformed layers. The influence of cutting speed, cutting depth, cutting direction, and crystallographic orientation on the depth of subsurface deformed layers is systematically investigated. The results show that a lot of defect structures are formed in the subsurface of workpiece during nano-cutting process, for instance, stair-rod dislocations, stacking fault tetrahedron, atomic clusters, vacancy defects, point defects. In the process of nano-cutting, the depth of subsurface deformed layers increases with the cutting distance at the beginning, then decreases at stable cutting process, and basically remains unchanged when the cutting distance reaches up to 24 nm. The depth of subsurface deformed layers decreases with the increase in cutting speed between 50 and 300 m/s. The depth of subsurface deformed layer increases with cutting depth, proportionally, and basically remains unchanged when the cutting depth reaches over 6 nm.

A spectral blanking-out controller for demonstration of information barrier technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Suping; Gong Jian; Hu Guangchun; Zhang Jianhua

2006-01-01

Information barrier technology has become more and more important in the R and D of radiation fingerprint verification associated with classified items such as nuclear warheads, nuclear components and military-used nuclear materials. The function of information barriers is two-fold: one is to prevent the classified information from leaking out; the other is to provide creditable verification. To fulfill these two functions, the information barriers for a viable verification system (including all its hardware and software) must be designed on the basic principles of protecting classified information and the ability to authenticate. The Spectral Blanking-out Controller (SBC) is developed to illustrate the two functions of the information barriers and to explore some practice measures to meet the required design fundamentals. This paper briefs the task assigned to the SBC, the specific design concerns and the practical information barrier measures. The R and D of the SBC embodies the concepts of information barrier technology and has to conform to the basic guidelines: If a verification system is expected to possess strict information barriers, the design of the system must be integrative with due considerations given to the factors such as the efficiency of the verification technique, the possible measures to protect the classified information from directly or indirectly leaking out, the complete openness in all aspects of the system for the inspectors to authenticate the system for the sake of achieving certain degree of confidence on the verification results. (authors)

Using lagged dependence to identify (de)coupled surface and subsurface soil moisture values

Science.gov (United States)

Carranza, Coleen D. U.; van der Ploeg, Martine J.; Torfs, Paul J. J. F.

2018-04-01

Recent advances in radar remote sensing popularized the mapping of surface soil moisture at different spatial scales. Surface soil moisture measurements are used in combination with hydrological models to determine subsurface soil moisture values. However, variability of soil moisture across the soil column is important for estimating depth-integrated values, as decoupling between surface and subsurface can occur. In this study, we employ new methods to investigate the occurrence of (de)coupling between surface and subsurface soil moisture. Using time series datasets, lagged dependence was incorporated in assessing (de)coupling with the idea that surface soil moisture conditions will be reflected at the subsurface after a certain delay. The main approach involves the application of a distributed-lag nonlinear model (DLNM) to simultaneously represent both the functional relation and the lag structure in the time series. The results of an exploratory analysis using residuals from a fitted loess function serve as a posteriori information to determine (de)coupled values. Both methods allow for a range of (de)coupled soil moisture values to be quantified. Results provide new insights into the decoupled range as its occurrence among the sites investigated is not limited to dry conditions.

Surface Modification and Surface - Subsurface Exchange Processes on Europa

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, C. B.; Molaro, J.; Hand, K. P.

2017-12-01

The surface of Jupiter's moon Europa is modified by exogenic processes such as sputtering, gardening, radiolysis, sulfur ion implantation, and thermal processing, as well as endogenic processes including tidal shaking, mass wasting, and the effects of subsurface tectonic and perhaps cryovolcanic activity. New materials are created or deposited on the surface (radiolysis, micrometeorite impacts, sulfur ion implantation, cryovolcanic plume deposits), modified in place (thermal segregation, sintering), transported either vertically or horizontally (sputtering, gardening, mass wasting, tectonic and cryovolcanic activity), or lost from Europa completely (sputtering, plumes, larger impacts). Some of these processes vary spatially, as visible in Europa's leading-trailing hemisphere brightness asymmetry. Endogenic geologic processes also vary spatially, depending on terrain type. The surface can be classified into general landform categories that include tectonic features (ridges, bands, cracks); disrupted "chaos-type" terrain (chaos blocks, matrix, domes, pits, spots); and impact craters (simple, complex, multi-ring). The spatial distribution of these terrain types is relatively random, with some differences in apex-antiapex cratering rates and latitudinal variation in chaos vs. tectonic features. In this work, we extrapolate surface processes and rates from the top meter of the surface in conjunction with global estimates of transport and resurfacing rates. We combine near-surface modification with an estimate of surface-subsurface (and vice versa) transport rates for various geologic terrains based on an average of proposed formation mechanisms, and a spatial distribution of each landform type over Europa's surface area. Understanding the rates and mass balance for each of these processes, as well as their spatial and temporal variability, allows us to estimate surface - subsurface exchange rates over the average surface age ( 50myr) of Europa. Quantifying the timescale

Model for the prediction of subsurface strata movement due to underground mining

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Jianwei; Liu, Fangyuan; Li, Siyuan

2017-12-01

The problem of ground control stability due to large underground mining operations is often associated with large movements and deformations of strata. It is a complicated problem, and can induce severe safety or environmental hazards either at the surface or in strata. Hence, knowing the subsurface strata movement characteristics, and making any subsidence predictions in advance, are desirable for mining engineers to estimate any damage likely to affect the ground surface or subsurface strata. Based on previous research findings, this paper broadly applies a surface subsidence prediction model based on the influence function method to subsurface strata, in order to predict subsurface stratum movement. A step-wise prediction model is proposed, to investigate the movement of underground strata. The model involves a dynamic iteration calculation process to derive the movements and deformations for each stratum layer; modifications to the influence method function are also made for more precise calculations. The critical subsidence parameters, incorporating stratum mechanical properties and the spatial relationship of interest at the mining level, are thoroughly considered, with the purpose of improving the reliability of input parameters. Such research efforts can be very helpful to mining engineers’ understanding of the moving behavior of all strata over underground excavations, and assist in making any damage mitigation plan. In order to check the reliability of the model, two methods are carried out and cross-validation applied. One is to use a borehole TV monitor recording to identify the progress of subsurface stratum bedding and caving in a coal mine, the other is to conduct physical modelling of the subsidence in underground strata. The results of these two methods are used to compare with theoretical results calculated by the proposed mathematical model. The testing results agree well with each other, and the acceptable accuracy and reliability of the

SUBSURFACE VOLATIZATION AND VENTILATION SYSTEM (SVVS) - INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY REPORT

Science.gov (United States)

This report summarizes the findings associated with a Demonstration Test of Environmental Improvement Technologies’ (EIT) Subsurface Volatilization and Ventilation System (SVVS) process. The technology was evaluated under the EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) ...

Sub-Surface Oil Monitoring Cruise (GU1002, EK60)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Objectives were to evaluate ability of acoustic echosounder measurements to detect and localize a sub-surface plume of oil or related hydrocarbons released from the...

Observation to Theory in Deep Subsurface Microbiology Research: Can We Piece It Together?

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, F. S.; Thurber, A. R.

2016-12-01

Three decades of observations of microbes in deep environments have led to startling discoveries of life in the subsurface. Now, a few theoretical frameworks exist that help to define Stygian life. Temperature, redox gradients, productivity (e.g., in the overlying ocean), and microbial power requirements are thought to determine the distribution of microbes in the subsurface. Still, we struggle to comprehend the spatial and temporal spectra of Earth processes that define how deep microbe communities survive. Stommel diagrams, originally used to guide oceanographic sampling, may be useful in depicting the subsurface where microbial communities are impacted by co-occurring spatial and temporal phenomena that range across exponential scales. Spatially, the geological settings that influence the activity and distribution of microbes range from individual molecules or minerals all the way up to the planetary-scale where geological formations, occupying up to 105 km3, dictate the bio- and functional geography of microbial communities. Temporally, life in the subsurface may respond in time units familiar to humans (e.g., seconds to days) or to events that unfold over hundred millennial time periods. While surface community dynamics are underpinned by solar and lunar cycles, these cycles only fractionally dictate survival underground where phenomena like tectonic activity, isostatic rebound, and radioactive decay are plausible drivers of microbial life. Geological or planetary processes that occur on thousand or million year cycles could be uniquely important to microbial viability in the subsurface. Such an approach aims at a holistic comprehension of the interaction of Earth system dynamics with microbial ecology.

Final report - Microbial pathways for the reduction of mercury in saturated subsurface sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamar barkay; Lily Young; Gerben Zylstra

2009-08-25

Mercury is a component of mixed wastes that have contaminated vast areas of the deep subsurface as a result of nuclear weapon and energy production. While this mercury is mostly bound to soil constituents episodes of groundwater contamination are known in some cases resulting in potable water super saturated with Hg(0). Microbial processes that reduce Hg(II) to the elemental form Hg(0) in the saturated subsurface sediments may contribute to this problem. When we started the project, only one microbial pathway for the reduction of Hg(II), the one mediated by the mer operon in mercury resistant bacteria was known. As we had previously demonstrated that the mer mediated process occurred in highly contaminated environments (Schaefer et al., 2004), and mercury concentrations in the subsurface were reported to be low (Krabbenhoft and Babiarz, 1992), we hypothesized that other microbial processes might be active in reducing Hg(II) to Hg(0) in saturated subsurface environments. The specific goals of our projects were: (1) Investigating the potential for Hg(II) reduction under varying electron accepting conditions in subsurface sediments and relating these potential to mer gene distribution; and (2) Examining the physiological and biochemical characteristics of the interactions of anaerobic bacteria with mercury. The results are briefly summarized with references to published papers and manuscripts in preparation where details about our research can be found. Additional information may be found in copies of our published manuscripts and conference proceedings, and our yearly reports that were submitted through the RIMS system.

Instrumented Moles for Planetary Subsurface Regolith Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, L. O.; Coste, P. A.; Grzesik, A.; Knollenberg, J.; Magnani, P.; Nadalini, R.; Re, E.; Romstedt, J.; Sohl, F.; Spohn, T.

2006-12-01

Soil-like materials, or regolith, on solar system objects provide a record of physical and/or chemical weathering processes on the object in question and as such possess significant scientific relevance for study by landed planetary missions. In the case of Mars, a complex interplay has been at work between impact gardening, aeolian as well as possibly fluvial processes. This resulted in regolith that is texturally as well as compositionally layered as hinted at by results from the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions which are capable of accessing shallow subsurface soils by wheel trenching. Significant subsurface soil access on Mars, i.e. to depths of a meter or more, remains to be accomplished on future missions. This has been one of the objectives of the unsuccessful Beagle 2 landed element of the ESA Mars Express mission having been equipped with the Planetary Underground Tool (PLUTO) subsurface soil sampling Mole system capable of self-penetration into regolith due to an internal electro-mechanical hammering mechanism. This lightweight device of less than 900 g mass was designed to repeatedly obtain and deliver to the lander regolith samples from depths down to 2 m which would have been analysed for organic matter and, specifically, organic carbon from potential extinct microbial activity. With funding from the ESA technology programme, an evolved Mole system - the Instrumented Mole System (IMS) - has now been developed to a readiness level of TRL 6. The IMS is to serve as a carrier for in situ instruments for measurements in planetary subsurface soils. This could complement or even eliminate the need to recover samples to the surface. The Engineering Model hardware having been developed within this effort is designed for accommodating a geophysical instrument package (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, HP3) that would be capable of measuring regolith physical properties and planetary heat flow. The chosen design encompasses a two-body Mole

Prairie Pothole Region wetlands and subsurface drainage systems: Key factors for determining drainage setback distances

Science.gov (United States)

Tangen, Brian; Wiltermuth, Mark T.

2018-01-01

Use of agricultural subsurface drainage systems in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America continues to increase, prompting concerns over potential negative effects to the Region's vital wetlands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects a large number of wetlands through conservation easements that often utilize standard lateral setback distances to provide buffers between wetlands and drainage systems. Because of a lack of information pertaining to the efficacy of these setback distances for protecting wetlands, information is required to support the decision making for placement of subsurface drainage systems adjacent to wetlands. We used qualitative graphical analyses and data comparisons to identify characteristics of subsurface drainage systems and wetland catchments that could be considered when assessing setback distances. We also compared setback distances with catchment slope lengths to determine if they typically exclude drainage systems from the catchment. We demonstrated that depth of a subsurface drainage system is a key factor for determining drainage setback distances. Drainage systems located closer to the surface (shallow) typically could be associated with shorter lateral setback distances compared with deeper systems. Subsurface drainage systems would be allowed within a wetland's catchment for 44–59% of catchments associated with wetland conservation easements in North Dakota. More specifically, results suggest that drainage setback distances generally would exclude drainage systems from catchments of the smaller wetlands that typically have shorter slopes in the adjacent upland contributing area. For larger wetlands, however, considerable areas of the catchment would be vulnerable to drainage that may affect wetland hydrology. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service easements are associated with > 2,000 km2 of wetlands in North Dakota, demonstrating great potential to protect these systems from drainage depending on policies for installing

Quantal and thermal zero point motion formulae of barrier transmission probability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takigawa, N.; Alhassid, Y.; Balantekin, A.B.

1992-01-01

A Green's function method is developed to derive quantal zero point motion formulae for the barrier transmission probability in heavy ion fusion reactions corresponding to various nuclear intrinsic degrees of freedom. In order to apply to the decay of a hot nucleus, the formulae are then generalized to the case where the intrinsic degrees of freedom are in thermal equilibrium with a heat bath. A thermal zero point motion formula for vibrational coupling previously obtained through the use of influence functional methods naturally follows, and the effects of rotational coupling are found to be independent of temperature if the deformation is rigid

Performance Indicators for Uranium Bioremediation in the Subsurface: Basis and Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Long, Philip E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Yabusaki, Steven B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2006-12-29

The purpose of this letter report is to identify performance indicators for in situ engineered bioremediation of subsurface uranium (U) contamination. This report focuses on in situ treatment of groundwater by biostimulation of extant in situ microbial populations (see http://128.3.7.51/NABIR/generalinfo/primers_guides/03_NABIR_primer.pdf for background information on bioremediation of metals and radionuclides). The treatment process involves amendment of the subsurface with an electron donor such as acetate, lactate, ethanol or other organic compound such that in situ microorganisms mediate the reduction of U(VI) to U(IV). U(VI) precipitates as uraninite or other insoluble U phase. Uranium is thus immobilized in place by such processes and is subject to reoxidation that may remobilize the reduced uranium. Related processes include augmenting the extant subsurface microbial populations, addition of electron acceptors, and introduction of chemically reducing materials such as zero-valent Fe. While metrics for such processes may be similar to those for in situ biostimulation, these related processes are not directly in the scope of this letter report.

Characteristics of Nitrogen Loss through Surface-Subsurface Flow on Red Soil Slopes of Southeast China

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Haijin; Liu, Zhao; Zuo, Jichao; Wang, Lingyun; Nie, Xiaofei

2017-12-01

Soil nitrogen (N) loss related to surface flow and subsurface flow (including interflow and groundwater flow) from slope lands is a global issue. A lysimetric experiment with three types of land cover (grass cover, GC; litter cover, LC; and bare land, BL) were carried out on a red soil slope land in southeast China. Total Nitrogen (TN) loss through surface flow, interflow and groundwater flow was observed under 28 natural precipitation events from 2015 to 2016. TN concentrations from subsurface flow on BL and LC plots were, on average, 2.7-8.2 and 1.5-4.4 times greater than TN concentrations from surface flow, respectively; the average concentration of TN from subsurface flow on GC was about 36-56% of that recorded from surface flow. Surface flow, interflow and groundwater flow contributed 0-15, 2-9 and 76-96%, respectively, of loss load of TN. Compared with BL, GC and LC intercepted 83-86% of TN loss through surface runoff; GC intercepted 95% of TN loss through subsurface flow while TN loss through subsurface flow on LC is 2.3 times larger than that on BL. In conclusion, subsurface flow especially groundwater flow is the dominant hydrological rout for N loss that is usually underestimated. Grass cover has the high retention of N runoff loss while litter mulch will increase N leaching loss. These findings provide scientific support to control N runoff loss from the red soil slope lands by using suitable vegetation cover and mulching techniques.

Estimating Impacts of Agricultural Subsurface Drainage on Evapotranspiration Using the Landsat Imagery-Based METRIC Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kul Khand

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Agricultural subsurface drainage changes the field hydrology and potentially the amount of water available to the crop by altering the flow path and the rate and timing of water removal. Evapotranspiration (ET is normally among the largest components of the field water budget, and the changes in ET from the introduction of subsurface drainage are likely to have a greater influence on the overall water yield (surface runoff plus subsurface drainage from subsurface drained (TD fields compared to fields without subsurface drainage (UD. To test this hypothesis, we examined the impact of subsurface drainage on ET at two sites located in the Upper Midwest (North Dakota-Site 1 and South Dakota-Site 2 using the Landsat imagery-based METRIC (Mapping Evapotranspiration at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration model. Site 1 was planted with corn (Zea mays L. and soybean (Glycine max L. during the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons, respectively. Site 2 was planted with corn for the 2013 growing season. During the corn growing seasons (2009 and 2013, differences between the total ET from TD and UD fields were less than 5 mm. For the soybean year (2010, ET from the UD field was 10% (53 mm greater than that from the TD field. During the peak ET period from June to September for all study years, ET differences from TD and UD fields were within 15 mm (<3%. Overall, differences between daily ET from TD and UD fields were not statistically significant (p > 0.05 and showed no consistent relationship.

Denitrifying bacteria from the terrestrial subsurface exposed to mixed waste contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Stefan; Prakash, Om; Gihring, Thomas; Akob, Denise M.; Jasrotia, Puja; Jardine, Philip M.; Watson, David B.; Brown, Steven David; Palumbo, Anthony Vito; Kostka, Joel

2010-01-01

In terrestrial subsurface environments where nitrate is a critical groundwater contaminant, few cultivated representatives are available with which to verify the metabolism of organisms that catalyze denitrification. In this study, five species of denitrifying bacteria from three phyla were isolated from subsurface sediments exposed to metal radionuclide and nitrate contamination as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge (OR-IFRC). Isolates belonged to the genera Afipia and Hyphomicrobium (Alphaproteobacteria), Rhodanobacter (Gammaproteobacteria), Intrasporangium (Actinobacteria) and Bacillus (Firmicutes). Isolates from the phylum Proteobacteria were confirmed as complete denitrifiers, whereas the Gram-positive isolates reduced nitrate to nitrous oxide. Ribosomal RNA gene analyses reveal that bacteria from the genus Rhodanobacter comprise a diverse population of circumneutral to moderately acidophilic denitrifiers at the ORIFRC site, with a high relative abundance in areas of the acidic source zone. Rhodanobacter species do not contain a periplasmic nitrite reductase and have not been previously detected in functional gene surveys of denitrifying bacteria at the OR-IFRC site. Sequences of nitrite and nitrous oxide reductase genes were recovered from the isolates and from the terrestrial subsurface by designing primer sets mined from genomic and metagenomic data and from draft genomes of two of the isolates. We demonstrate that a combination of cultivation, genomic and metagenomic data are essential to the in situ characterization of denitrifiers and that current PCR-based approaches are not suitable for deep coverage of denitrifying microorganisms. Our results indicate that the diversity of denitrifiers is significantly underestimated in the terrestrial subsurface.

Molecular Simulation towards Efficient and Representative Subsurface Reservoirs Modeling

KAUST Repository

Kadoura, Ahmad Salim

2016-01-01

This dissertation focuses on the application of Monte Carlo (MC) molecular simulation and Molecular Dynamics (MD) in modeling thermodynamics and flow of subsurface reservoir fluids. At first, MC molecular simulation is proposed as a promising method

Method and apparatus for producing a porosity log of a subsurface formation corrected for detector standoff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, L.S.; Mills, W.R.; Stromswold, D.C.

1991-01-01

This paper describes a method and apparatus for producing a porosity log of a substance formation corrected for detector stand of. It includes: lowering a logging tool having a neutron source and a neutron detector into the borehole, irradiating the subsurface formation with neutrons from the neutron source as the logging tool is traversed along the subsurface formation, recording die-away signals representing the die-away of nuclear radiation in the subsurface formation as detected by the neutron detector, producing intensity signals representing the variations in intensity of the die-away signals, producing a model of the die-away of nuclear radiation in the subsurface formation having terms varying exponentially in response to borehole, formation and background effects on the die-away of nuclear radiation as detected by the detector

Degree-degree correlations in directed networks with heavy-tailed degrees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hoorn, W.L.F.; Litvak, Nelli

2013-01-01

In network theory, Pearson's correlation coefficients are most commonly used to measure the degree assortativity of a network. We investigate the behavior of these coefficients in the setting of directed networks with heavy-tailed degree sequences. We prove that for graphs where the in- and

Deep reservoir and barrier rock units in Bavaria. An overview; Tiefliegende Speicher- und Barrieregesteinskomplexe in Bayern. Ein Ueberblick

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diepolder, Gerold W.; Schulz, Uta [Bayerisches Landesamt fuer Umweltschutz, Muenchen (Germany). Geologischer Dienst

2011-07-01

In order to meet the challenges of sustainable development the capture and sequestration of CO{sub 2} (CCS) is generally accepted as one option for the mitigation of climate change. Within the scope of the project ''Information system on geological storage options in Germany'' 23 potential reservoir and barrier rock suites of the deeper subsurface in Bavaria have been re-evaluated based on existing data and reports. Focused on the feasibility of CO{sub 2}-sequestration only areas at a depth of more than 800 m have been investigated in two major basins: the deeper parts of the Franconian Basin and the Molasse Basin. Due to the heterogeneous distribution of borehole data with large areas completely lacking information and, in many cases, insufficient lithological characterisations many formations are described rather cursory. Mapping of the spatial distribution is confined to four examples from the project's deliverables showing typical and complex situations. Contour maps of strate as well as isopach maps produced within the project's scope are mentioned. A reasonable regionalisation of porosity and permeability data was not feasible. Competing subsurface uses strongly restricting the utilisation of CO{sub 2}-sequestration are summarised. Owing to insufficient data available all statements made and summary maps depicted in this report are rather vague even at the 1: 1m. overview scale. Thus, an appraisal of the effective suitability of particular areas for geological storage of CO{sub 2} requires additional investigations in detail considering all structural features and the reach of impact of competing subsurface rights. (orig.)

Earth analysis methods, subsurface feature detection methods, earth analysis devices, and articles of manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

West, Phillip B [Idaho Falls, ID; Novascone, Stephen R [Idaho Falls, ID; Wright, Jerry P [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-09-27

Earth analysis methods, subsurface feature detection methods, earth analysis devices, and articles of manufacture are described. According to one embodiment, an earth analysis method includes engaging a device with the earth, analyzing the earth in a single substantially lineal direction using the device during the engaging, and providing information regarding a subsurface feature of the earth using the analysis.

Assessment of a Hydroxyapatite Permeable Reactive Barrier to Remediate Uranium at the Old Rifle Site Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, Robert C.; Szecsody, James; Rigali, Mark J.; Vermuel, Vince; Leullen, Jon

2016-01-01

We have performed an initial evaluation and testing program to assess the effectiveness of a hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) permeable reactive barrier and source area treatment to decrease uranium mobility at the Department of Energy (DOE) former Old Rifle uranium mill processing site in Rifle, western Colorado. Uranium ore was processed at the site from the 1940s to the 1970s. The mill facilities at the site as well as the uranium mill tailings previously stored there have all been removed. Groundwater in the alluvial aquifer beneath the site still contains elevated concentrations of uranium, and is currently used for field tests to study uranium behavior in groundwater and investigate potential uranium remediation technologies. The technology investigated in this work is based on in situ formation of apatite in sediment to create a subsurface apatite PRB and also for source area treatment. The process is based on injecting a solution containing calcium citrate and sodium into the subsurface for constructing the PRB within the uranium plume. As the indigenous sediment micro-organisms biodegrade the injected citrate, the calcium is released and reacts with the phosphate to form hydroxyapatite (precipitate). This paper reports on proof-of-principle column tests with Old Rifle sediment and synthetic groundwater.

Assessment of a Hydroxyapatite Permeable Reactive Barrier to Remediate Uranium at the Old Rifle Site Colorado.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, Robert C.; Szecsody, James (PNNL); Rigali, Mark J.; Vermuel, Vince (PNNL); Leullen, Jon (AECOM)

2016-02-01

We have performed an initial evaluation and testing program to assess the effectiveness of a hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) permeable reactive barrier and source area treatment to decrease uranium mobility at the Department of Energy (DOE) former Old Rifle uranium mill processing site in Rifle, western Colorado. Uranium ore was processed at the site from the 1940s to the 1970s. The mill facilities at the site as well as the uranium mill tailings previously stored there have all been removed. Groundwater in the alluvial aquifer beneath the site still contains elevated concentrations of uranium, and is currently used for field tests to study uranium behavior in groundwater and investigate potential uranium remediation technologies. The technology investigated in this work is based on in situ formation of apatite in sediment to create a subsurface apatite PRB and also for source area treatment. The process is based on injecting a solution containing calcium citrate and sodium into the subsurface for constructing the PRB within the uranium plume. As the indigenous sediment micro-organisms biodegrade the injected citrate, the calcium is released and reacts with the phosphate to form hydroxyapatite (precipitate). This paper reports on proof-of-principle column tests with Old Rifle sediment and synthetic groundwater.

Degree-degree dependencies in directed networks with heavy-tailed degrees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Hoorn, W.L.F.; Litvak, Nelly

2015-01-01

In network theory, Pearson’s correlation coefficients are most commonly used to measure the degree assortativity of a network. We investigate the behavior of these coefficients in the setting of directed networks with heavy-tailed degree sequences. We prove that for graphs where the in- and

FACT (Version 2.0) - Subsurface Flow and Contaminant Transport Documentation and User's Guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleman, S.E.

2000-05-05

This report documents a finite element code designed to model subsurface flow and contaminant transport, named FACT. FACT is a transient three-dimensional, finite element code designed to simulate isothermal groundwater flow, moisture movement, and solute transport in variably saturated and fully saturated subsurface porous media.

Surface-subsurface turbulent interaction at the interface of a permeable bed: influence of the wall permeability

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, T.; Blois, G.; Best, J.; Christensen, K. T.

2017-12-01

Coarse-gravel river beds possess a high degree of permeability. Flow interactions between surface and subsurface flow across the bed interface is key to a number of natural processes occurring in the hyporheic zone. In fact, it is increasingly recognized that these interactions drive mass, momentum and energy transport across the interface, and consequently control biochemical processes as well as stability of sediments. The current study explores the role of the wall permeability in surface and subsurface flow interaction under controlled experimental conditions on a physical model of a gravel bed. The present wall model was constructed by five layers of cubically arranged spheres (d=25.4mm, where d is a diameter) providing 48% of porosity. Surface topography was removed by cutting half of a diameter on the top layer of spheres to render the flow surface smooth and highlight the impact of the permeability on the overlying flow. An impermeable smooth wall was also considered as a baseline of comparison for the permeable wall flow. To obtain basic flow statistics, low-frame-rate high-resolution PIV measurements were performed first in the streamwise-wall-normal (x-y) plane and refractive-index matching was employed to optically access the flow within the permeable wall. Time-resolved PIV experiments in the same facility were followed to investigate the flow interaction across the wall interface in sptaio-temporal domain. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the first and second order velocity statistics as well as the amplitude modulation for the flow overlying the permeable smooth wall will be presented.

Potential for Nitrogen Fixation and Nitrification in the Granite-Hosted Subsurface at Henderson Mine, CO

Science.gov (United States)

Swanner, Elizabeth D.; Templeton, Alexis S.

2011-01-01

The existence of life in the deep terrestrial subsurface is established, yet few studies have investigated the origin of nitrogen that supports deep life. Previously, 16S rRNA gene surveys cataloged a diverse microbial community in subsurface fluids draining from boreholes 3000 feet deep at Henderson Mine, CO, USA (Sahl et al., 2008). The prior characterization of the fluid chemistry and microbial community forms the basis for the further investigation here of the source of NH4+. The reported fluid chemistry included N2, NH4+ (5–112 μM), NO2− (27–48 μM), and NO3− (17–72 μM). In this study, the correlation between low NH4+ concentrations in dominantly meteoric fluids and higher NH4+ in rock-reacted fluids is used to hypothesize that NH4+ is sourced from NH4+-bearing biotite. However, biotite samples from the host rocks and ore-body minerals were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy and none-contained NH4+. However, the nitrogenase-encoding gene nifH was successfully amplified from DNA of the fluid sample with high NH4+, suggesting that subsurface microbes have the capability to fix N2. If so, unregulated nitrogen fixation may account for the relatively high NH4+ concentrations in the fluids. Additionally, the amoA and nxrB genes for archaeal ammonium monooxygenase and nitrite oxidoreductase, respectively, were amplified from the high NH4+ fluid DNA, while bacterial amoA genes were not. Putative nitrifying organisms are closely related to ammonium-oxidizing Crenarchaeota and nitrite-oxidizing Nitrospira detected in other subsurface sites based upon 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Thermodynamic calculations underscore the importance of NH4+ as an energy source in a subsurface nitrification pathway. These results suggest that the subsurface microbial community at Henderson is adapted to the low nutrient and energy environment by their capability of fixing nitrogen, and that fixed nitrogen may support subsurface biomass via

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands for mitigation of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The feasibility of using constructed wetlands (CWs) for the mitigation of pesticide runoff has been studied in the last decade. However, a lack of related data was verified when subsurface flow constructed wetlands (SSF CWs) are considered for this purpose. In the present work, SSF CWs were submitted to continuous ...

The significance of the subsurface in urban renewal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hooimeijer, F.L.; Maring, Linda

2018-01-01

The subsurface is a technical space, the “engine room of the city,” that incorporates the vital functions of water and energy supply, communication systems, sewers and drainage. Natural systems too – crucial for stable, dry, cool and nature inclusive cities – are also largely dependent on the

Approaches to identifying reservoir heterogeneity and reserve growth opportunities from subsurface data: The Oficina Formation, Budare field, Venezuela

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamilton, D.S.; Raeuchle, S.K.; Holtz, M.H. [Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, TX (United States)] [and others

1997-08-01

We applied an integrated geologic, geophysical, and engineering approach devised to identify heterogeneities in the subsurface that might lead to reserve growth opportunities in our analysis of the Oficina Formation at Budare field, Venezuela. The approach involves 4 key steps: (1) Determine geologic reservoir architecture; (2) Investigate trends in reservoir fluid flow; (3) Integrate fluid flow trends with reservoir architecture; and (4) Estimate original oil-in-place, residual oil saturation, and remaining mobile oil, to identify opportunities for reserve growth. There are three main oil-producing reservoirs in the Oficina Formation that were deposited in a bed-load fluvial system, an incised valley-fill, and a barrier-strandplain system. Reservoir continuity is complex because, in addition to lateral facies variability, the major Oficina depositional systems were internally subdivided by high-frequency stratigraphic surfaces. These surfaces define times of intermittent lacustrine and marine flooding events that punctuated the fluvial and marginal marine sedimentation, respectively. Syn and post depositional faulting further disrupted reservoir continuity. Trends in fluid flow established from initial fluid levels, response to recompletion workovers, and pressure depletion data demonstrated barriers to lateral and vertical fluid flow caused by a combination of reservoir facies pinchout, flooding shale markers, and the faults. Considerable reserve growth potential exists at Budare field because the reservoir units are highly compartment by the depositional heterogeneity and structural complexity. Numerous reserve growth opportunities were identified in attics updip of existing production, in untapped or incompletely drained compartments, and in field extensions.

SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE: SUBSURFACE VOLATILIZATION AND VENTILATION SYSTEM (SVVS)

Science.gov (United States)

The Subsurface Volatilization and Ventilation System is an integrated technology used for attacking all phases of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in soil and groundwater. The SVVS technology promotes insitu remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with or-ga...

The effect of pH on hydrolysis, cross-linking and barrier properties of starch barriers containing citric acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsson, Erik; Menzel, Carolin; Johansson, Caisa; Andersson, Roger; Koch, Kristine; Järnström, Lars

2013-11-06

Citric acid cross-linking of starch for e.g. food packaging applications has been intensely studied during the last decade as a method of producing water-insensitive renewable barrier coatings. We managed to improve a starch formulation containing citric acid as cross-linking agent for industrial paper coating applications by adjusting the pH of the starch solution. The described starch formulations exhibited both cross-linking of starch by citric acid as well as satisfactory barrier properties, e.g. fairly low OTR values at 50% RH that are comparable with EVOH. Furthermore, it has been shown that barrier properties of coated papers with different solution pH were correlated to molecular changes in starch showing both hydrolysis and cross-linking of starch molecules in the presence of citric acid. Hydrolysis was shown to be almost completely hindered at solution pH≥4 at curing temperatures≤105 °C and at pH≥5 at curing temperatures≤150 °C, whereas cross-linking still occurred to some extent at pH≤6.5 and drying temperatures as low as 70 °C. Coated papers showed a minimum in water vapor transmission rate at pH 4 of the starch coating solution, corresponding to the point where hydrolysis was effectively hindered but where a significant degree of cross-linking still occurred. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subsurface Conditions Controlling Uranium Incorporation in Iron Oxides: A Redox Stable Sink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fendorf, Scott

2016-01-01

Toxic metals and radionuclides throughout the U.S. Department of Energy Complex pose a serious threat to ecosystems and to human health. Of particular concern is the redox-sensitive radionuclide uranium, which is classified as a priority pollutant in soils and groundwaters at most DOE sites owing to its large inventory, its health risks, and its mobility with respect to primary waste sources. The goal of this research was to contribute to the long-term mission of the Subsurface Biogeochemistry Program by determining reactions of uranium with iron (hydr)oxides that lead to long-term stabilization of this pervasive contaminant. The research objectives of this project were thus to (1) identify the (bio)geochemical conditions, including those of the solid-phase, promoting uranium incorporation in Fe (hydr)oxides, (2) determine the magnitude of uranium incorporation under a variety of relevant subsurface conditions in order to quantify the importance of this pathway when in competition with reduction or adsorption; (3) identify the mechanism(s) of U(VI/V) incorporation in Fe (hydr)oxides; and (4) determine the stability of these phases under different biogeochemical (inclusive of redox) conditions. Our research demonstrates that redox transformations are capable of achieving U incorporation into goethite at ambient temperatures, and that this transformation occurs within days at U and Fe(II) concentrations that are common in subsurface geochemical environments with natural ferrihydrites - inclusive of those with natural impurities. Increasing Fe(II) or U concentration, or initial pH, made U(VI) reduction to U(IV) a more competitive sequestration pathway in this system, presumably by increasing the relative rate of U reduction. Uranium concentrations commonly found in contaminated subsurface environments are often on the order of 1-10 μM, and groundwater Fe(II) concentrations can reach exceed 1 mM in reduced zones of the subsurface. The redox-driven U(V) incorporation

Subsurface Conditions Controlling Uranium Incorporation in Iron Oxides: A Redox Stable Sink

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fendorf, Scott [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

2016-04-05

Toxic metals and radionuclides throughout the U.S. Department of Energy Complex pose a serious threat to ecosystems and to human health. Of particular concern is the redox-sensitive radionuclide uranium, which is classified as a priority pollutant in soils and groundwaters at most DOE sites owing to its large inventory, its health risks, and its mobility with respect to primary waste sources. The goal of this research was to contribute to the long-term mission of the Subsurface Biogeochemistry Program by determining reactions of uranium with iron (hydr)oxides that lead to long-term stabilization of this pervasive contaminant. The research objectives of this project were thus to (1) identify the (bio)geochemical conditions, including those of the solid-phase, promoting uranium incorporation in Fe (hydr)oxides, (2) determine the magnitude of uranium incorporation under a variety of relevant subsurface conditions in order to quantify the importance of this pathway when in competition with reduction or adsorption; (3) identify the mechanism(s) of U(VI/V) incorporation in Fe (hydr)oxides; and (4) determine the stability of these phases under different biogeochemical (inclusive of redox) conditions. Our research demonstrates that redox transformations are capable of achieving U incorporation into goethite at ambient temperatures, and that this transformation occurs within days at U and Fe(II) concentrations that are common in subsurface geochemical environments with natural ferrihydrites—inclusive of those with natural impurities. Increasing Fe(II) or U concentration, or initial pH, made U(VI) reduction to U(IV) a more competitive sequestration pathway in this system, presumably by increasing the relative rate of U reduction. Uranium concentrations commonly found in contaminated subsurface environments are often on the order of 1-10 μM, and groundwater Fe(II) concentrations can reach exceed 1 mM in reduced zones of the subsurface. The redox-driven U(V) incorporation

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) facies delineated shallow sedimentary records along a recently prograding coastal barrier adjoining the Bay of Bengal: Paradeep, Odisha, India

Science.gov (United States)

Layek, M. K.; Sengupta, P.; Mukherjee, A.

2017-12-01

Sea-level fluctuations, triggered by progradation of beach or marine regression, can be of various time-scales. The fluctuating history of a shoreline along a coastal barrier can be identified from the sedimentary features of accretion or erosion. The necessity of the understanding of the complex barrier dynamics and subsurface along the Paradeep coast (in the state of Odisha, India), adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, has been growing since the number of the harbor industrial projects and the inhabitants of this major port city of India increases. In this study area, high resolution ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey and its interpretation by GPR facies analysis, which considers the pattern/set of reflected electromagnetic signals, has proved to be a useful method for shallow-subsurface (up to 8 m) imaging. In order to perform this task, a GPR system with 200 MHZ antenna was employed to survey along (17 profiles) and across (21 profiles) the microtidal coastal barrier of Paradeep. The shapes and sizes of the accretional and erosional features like beach-ridge deposits, washover deposits, channel-and-fill, and scour-and-fill are delineated on the radargram after processing by Radan7® software. The internal geometry of the beach ridge is mapped accurately after the radar facies analysis which suggests the longshore drift of sediments from the nearby river mouths of Mahanadi, Devi and their tributaries. This GPR facies analysis revealed the existence of two types of palaeo-tidal channels of the study area - (a) larger channels which are perpendicular to the shoreline having channel width of about 400 m with maximum depth of 4.5 m from the surface and (b) smaller channels (width up to 60 m) which flow parallel to the shoreline. In case of Paradeep coastal barrier, seaward-dipping beach progradational facies is positioned within oblique erosional surfaces (13°-36°) below the horizontal erosional surface or facies boundary. This lead to delineate the cycles of erosion

Large temporal scale and capacity subsurface bulk energy storage with CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Saar, M. O.; Fleming, M. R.; Adams, B. M.; Ogland-Hand, J.; Nelson, E. S.; Randolph, J.; Sioshansi, R.; Kuehn, T. H.; Buscheck, T. A.; Bielicki, J. M.

2017-12-01

Decarbonizing energy systems by increasing the penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE) technologies requires efficient and short- to long-term energy storage. Very large amounts of energy can be stored in the subsurface as heat and/or pressure energy in order to provide both short- and long-term (seasonal) storage, depending on the implementation. This energy storage approach can be quite efficient, especially where geothermal energy is naturally added to the system. Here, we present subsurface heat and/or pressure energy storage with supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and discuss the system's efficiency, deployment options, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, compared to several other energy storage options. CO2-based subsurface bulk energy storage has the potential to be particularly efficient and large-scale, both temporally (i.e., seasonal) and spatially. The latter refers to the amount of energy that can be stored underground, using CO2, at a geologically conducive location, potentially enabling storing excess power from a substantial portion of the power grid. The implication is that it would be possible to employ centralized energy storage for (a substantial part of) the power grid, where the geology enables CO2-based bulk subsurface energy storage, whereas the VRE technologies (solar, wind) are located on that same power grid, where (solar, wind) conditions are ideal. However, this may require reinforcing the power grid's transmission lines in certain parts of the grid to enable high-load power transmission from/to a few locations.

Barriers of inter-organisational integration in vocational rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wihlman, Ulla; Lundborg, Cecilia Stålsby; Axelsson, Runo; Holmström, Inger

2008-06-19

A project of vocational rehabilitation was studied in Sweden between 1999 and 2002. The project included four public organisations: the social insurance office, the local health services, the municipal social service and the office of the state employment service. The aim of this paper was to analyse perceived barriers in the development of inter-organisational integration. Theories of inter-professional and inter-organisational integration, and theories on organisational change. In total, 51 semi-structured interviews and 14 focus group discussions were performed with actors within the project between 1999 and 2002. A thematic approach was used for the analysis of the data. THREE DIFFERENT MAIN THEMES OF BARRIERS EMERGED FROM THE DATA: A Uncertainty, B Prioritising own organisation and C Lack of communication. The themes are interconnected in an intricate web and hence not mutually exclusive. The barriers found are all related partly to organisational change in general and partly to the specific development of organisational integration. Prioritising of own organisation led to flaws in communication, which in turn led to a high degree of uncertainty within the project. This can be seen as a circular relationship, since uncertainty might increase focus on own organisation and lack of communication. A way to overcome these barriers would be to take the needs of the clients as a point of departure in the development of joint services and to also involve them in the development of inter-organisational integration.

Adaptive Multiscale Finite Element Method for Subsurface Flow Simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Esch, J.M.

2010-01-01

Natural geological formations generally show multiscale structural and functional heterogeneity evolving over many orders of magnitude in space and time. In subsurface hydrological simulations the geological model focuses on the structural hierarchy of physical sub units and the flow model addresses

Mechanistic assessment of hillslope transpiration controls of diel subsurface flow: a steady-state irrigation approach

Science.gov (United States)

H.R. Barnard; C.B. Graham; W.J. van Verseveld; J.R. Brooks; B.J. Bond; J.J. McDonnell

2010-01-01

Mechanistic assessment of how transpiration influences subsurface flow is necessary to advance understanding of catchment hydrology. We conducted a 24-day, steady-state irrigation experiment to quantify the relationships among soil moisture, transpiration and hillslope subsurface flow. Our objectives were to: (1) examine the time lag between maximum transpiration and...

Reconfigurable origami sonic barriers with tunable bandgaps for traffic noise mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Thota, M.; Wang, K. W.

2017-10-01

An origami sonic barrier composed of cylindrical inclusions attached onto an origami sheet is proposed. The idea allows for tunable sound blocking properties for application in attenuating complex traffic noise spectra. Folding of the underlying origami sheet transforms the periodicity of the inclusions between different Bravais lattices, viz. between a square and a hexagonal lattice, and such significant lattice re-configuration leads to drastic tuning of dispersion characteristics. The wave tuning capabilities are corroborated via performing theoretical and numerical investigations using a plane wave expansion method and an acoustic simulation package of COMSOL, while experiments are performed on a one-seventh scaled-down model of origami sonic barrier to demonstrate the lattice re-configuration between different Bravais lattices and the associated bandgap adaptability. Good sound blocking performance in the frequency range of traffic noise spectra combined with less efforts, required for actuating one-degree of freedom folding mechanism, makes the origami sonic barrier a potential candidate for mitigating complex traffic noise.

Japan's exploration of vertical holes and subsurface caverns on the Moon and Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Haruyama, J.; Kawano, I.; Kubota, T.; Yoshida, K.; Kawakatsu, Y.; Kato, H.; Otsuki, M.; Watanabe, K.; Nishibori, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Iwata, T.; Ishigami, G.; Yamada, T. T.

2013-12-01

Recently, gigantic vertical holes exceeding several tens of meters in diameter and depth were discovered on the Moon and Mars. Based on high-resolution image data, lunar holes and some Martian pits (called 'holes' hereafter) are probably skylights of subsurface caverns such as lava tubes or magma chambers. We are starting preparations for exploring the caverns through the vertical holes. The holes and subsurface caverns have high potential as resources for scientific studies. Various important geological and mineralogical processes could be uniquely and effectively observed inside these holes and subsurface caverns. The exposed fresh lava layers on the vertical walls of the lunar and Martian holes would provide information on volcanic eruption histories. The lava layers may also provide information on past magnetic fields of the celestial bodies. The regolith layers may be sandwiched between lava layers and may preserve volatile elements including solar wind protons that could be a clue to understanding past solar activities. Water molecules from solar winds or cometary/meteorite impacts may be stored inside the caverns because of mild temperatures there. The fresh lava materials forming the walls and floors of caverns might trap endogenic volatiles from magma eruptions that will be key materials for revealing the formation and early evolution of the Moon and Mars. Furthermore, the Martian subsurface caverns are highly expected to be life cradles where the temperatures are probably stable and that are free from ultra-violet and other cosmic rays that break chemical bonds, thus avoiding polymerization of molecules. Discovering extraterrestrial life and its varieties is one of our ultimate scientific purposes for exploring the lunar and Martian subsurface caverns. In addition to scientific interests, lunar and Martian subsurface caverns are excellent candidates for future lunar bases. We expect such caverns to have high potential due to stable temperatures; absence

Robotic and Human-Tended Collaborative Drilling Automation for Subsurface Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Brian; Cannon, Howard; Stoker, Carol; Davis, Kiel

2005-01-01

Future in-situ lunar/martian resource utilization and characterization, as well as the scientific search for life on Mars, will require access to the subsurface and hence drilling. Drilling on Earth is hard - an art form more than an engineering discipline. Human operators listen and feel drill string vibrations coming from kilometers underground. Abundant mass and energy make it possible for terrestrial drilling to employ brute-force approaches to failure recovery and system performance issues. Space drilling will require intelligent and autonomous systems for robotic exploration and to support human exploration. Eventual in-situ resource utilization will require deep drilling with probable human-tended operation of large-bore drills, but initial lunar subsurface exploration and near-term ISRU will be accomplished with lightweight, rover-deployable or standalone drills capable of penetrating a few tens of meters in depth. These lightweight exploration drills have a direct counterpart in terrestrial prospecting and ore-body location, and will be designed to operate either human-tended or automated. NASA and industry now are acquiring experience in developing and building low-mass automated planetary prototype drills to design and build a pre-flight lunar prototype targeted for 2011-12 flight opportunities. A successful system will include development of drilling hardware, and automated control software to operate it safely and effectively. This includes control of the drilling hardware, state estimation of both the hardware and the lithography being drilled and state of the hole, and potentially planning and scheduling software suitable for uncertain situations such as drilling. Given that Humans on the Moon or Mars are unlikely to be able to spend protracted EVA periods at a drill site, both human-tended and robotic access to planetary subsurfaces will require some degree of standalone, autonomous drilling capability. Human-robotic coordination will be important

An Assessment of Subsurface Intake Systems: Planning and Impact on Feed Water Quality for SWRO Facilities

KAUST Repository

Dehwah, Abdullah

2017-12-01

Subsurface intake systems are known to improve the feed water quality for SWRO plants. However, a little is known about the feasibility of implementation in coastal settings, the degree of water quality improvements provided by these systems, and the internal mechanisms of potential fouling compounds removal within subsurface intake systems. A new method was developed to assess the feasibility of using different subsurface intake systems in coastal areas and was applied to Red Sea coastline of Saudi Arabia. The methodology demonstrated that five specific coastal environments could support well intake systems use for small-capacity SWRO plants, whereas large-capacity SWRO facilities could use seabed gallery intake systems. It was also found that seabed intake system could run with no operational constraints based on the high evaporation rates and associated diurnal salinity changes along the coast line. Performance of well intake systems in several SWRO facilities along the Red Sea coast showed that the concentrations of organic compounds were reduced in the feed water, similar or better than traditional pretreatment methodologies. Nearly all algae, up to 99% of bacteria, between 84 and 100% of the biopolymer fraction of NOM, and a high percentage of TEP were removed during transport through the aquifer. These organics cause membrane biofouling and using well intakes showed a 50-75% lower need to clean the SWRO membranes compared to conventional open-ocean intakes. An assessment of the effectiveness of seabed gallery intake systems was conducted through a long-term bench-scale column experiment. The simulation of the active layer (upper 1 m) showed that it is highly effective at producing feed water quality improvements and acts totally different compared to slow sand filtration systems treating freshwater. No development of a “schmutzdecke” layer occurred and treatment was not limited to the top 10 cm, but throughout the full column thickness. Algae and

Monitoring subsurface coal fires in Jharia coalfield using ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

ing adverse effects on the regional environment ... subsurface coal fires and to study its lateral prop- ... as is the case with the recently developed Persis- .... using Statistical-Cost, Network-Flow Algorithm ..... dence of Kolkata (Calcutta) City, India during the 1990s ... a case study in the east of France; Int. J. Remote Sens.

Humid-air and aqueous corrosion models for corrosion-allowance barrier material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.H.; Atkins, J.E.; Andrews, R.W.

1995-01-01

Humid-air and aqueous general and pitting corrosion models (including their uncertainties) for the carbon steel outer containment barrier were developed using the corrosion data from literature for a suite of cast irons and carbon steels which have similar corrosion behaviors to the outer barrier material. The corrosion data include the potential effects of various chemical species present in the testing environments. The atmospheric corrosion data also embed any effects of cyclic wetting and drying and salts that may form on the corroding specimen surface. The humid-air and aqueous general corrosion models are consistent in that the predicted humid-air general corrosion rates at relative humidities between 85 and 100% RH are close to the predicted aqueous general corrosion rates. Using the expected values of the model parameters, the model predicts that aqueous pitting corrosion is the most likely failure mode for the carbon steel outer barrier, and an earliest failure (or initial pit penetration) of the 100-mm thick barrier may occur as early as about 500 years if it is exposed continuously to an aqueous condition at between 60 and 70 degrees C

Barriers and enablers that influence sustainable interprofessional education: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawlis, Tanya Rechael; Anson, Judith; Greenfield, David

2014-07-01

The effective incorporation of interprofessional education (IPE) within health professional curricula requires the synchronised and systematic collaboration between and within the various stakeholders. Higher education institutions, as primary health education providers, have the capacity to advocate and facilitate this collaboration. However, due to the diversity of stakeholders, facilitating the pedagogical change can be challenging and complex, and brings a degree of uncertainty and resistance. This review, through an analysis of the barriers and enablers investigates the involvement of stakeholders in higher education IPE through three primary stakeholder levels: Government and Professional, Institutional and Individual. A review of eight primary databases using 21 search terms resulted in 40 papers for review. While the barriers to IPE are widely reported within the higher education IPE literature, little is documented about the enablers of IPE. Similarly, the specific identification and importance of enablers for IPE sustainability and the dual nature of some barriers and enablers have not been previously reported. An analysis of the barriers and enablers of IPE across the different stakeholder levels reveals five key "fundamental elements" critical to achieving sustainable IPE in higher education curricula.

Subsurface intakes for seawater reverse osmosis facilities: Capacity limitation, water quality improvement, and economics

KAUST Repository

Missimer, Thomas M.

2013-08-01

The use of subsurface intake systems for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants significantly improves raw water quality, reduces chemical usage and environmental impacts, decreases the carbon footprint, and reduces cost of treated water to consumers. These intakes include wells (vertical, angle, and radial type) and galleries, which can be located either on the beach or in the seabed. Subsurface intakes act both as intakes and as part of the pretreatment system by providing filtration and active biological treatment of the raw seawater. Recent investigations of the improvement in water quality made by subsurface intakes show lowering of the silt density index by 75 to 90%, removal of nearly all algae, removal of over 90% of bacteria, reduction in the concentrations of TOC and DOC, and virtual elimination of biopolymers and polysaccharides that cause organic biofouling of membranes. Economic analyses show that overall SWRO operating costs can be reduced by 5 to 30% by using subsurface intake systems. Although capital costs can be slightly to significantly higher compared to open-ocean intake system costs, a preliminary life-cycle cost analysis shows significant cost saving over operating periods of 10 to 30. years. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Comparative Single-Cell Genomics of Chloroflexi from the Okinawa Trough Deep-Subsurface Biosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Fullerton, Heather; Moyer, Craig L

2016-05-15

Chloroflexi small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequences are frequently recovered from subseafloor environments, but the metabolic potential of the phylum is poorly understood. The phylum Chloroflexi is represented by isolates with diverse metabolic strategies, including anoxic phototrophy, fermentation, and reductive dehalogenation; therefore, function cannot be attributed to these organisms based solely on phylogeny. Single-cell genomics can provide metabolic insights into uncultured organisms, like the deep-subsurface Chloroflexi Nine SSU rRNA gene sequences were identified from single-cell sorts of whole-round core material collected from the Okinawa Trough at Iheya North hydrothermal field as part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition 331 (Deep Hot Biosphere). Previous studies of subsurface Chloroflexi single amplified genomes (SAGs) suggested heterotrophic or lithotrophic metabolisms and provided no evidence for growth by reductive dehalogenation. Our nine Chloroflexi SAGs (seven of which are from the order Anaerolineales) indicate that, in addition to genes for the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, exogenous carbon sources can be actively transported into cells. At least one subunit for pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase was found in four of the Chloroflexi SAGs. This protein can provide a link between the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and other carbon anabolic pathways. Finally, one of the seven Anaerolineales SAGs contains a distinct reductive dehalogenase homologous (rdhA) gene. Through the use of single amplified genomes (SAGs), we have extended the metabolic potential of an understudied group of subsurface microbes, the Chloroflexi These microbes are frequently detected in the subsurface biosphere, though their metabolic capabilities have remained elusive. In contrast to previously examined Chloroflexi SAGs, our genomes (several are from the order Anaerolineales) were recovered from a hydrothermally driven system and therefore provide a unique window into

Older Australians: Structural barriers to learning in later life.

Science.gov (United States)

Boulton-Lewis, Gillian; Aird, Rosemary; Buys, Laurie

2016-01-01

Learning in older age is associated with benefits including increases in skills, social interactions, self-satisfaction, coping ability, enjoyment, and resilience to age-related changes in the brain. It is also a fundamental component of active ageing and if active ageing objectives are to be met for the growing ageing population, barriers to learning need to be understood and addressed. This study aimed at determining the degree that structural factors deter people aged 55 years and older from engaging in learning activities. The data were obtained from survey (n=421) with a purposive sample of Australian Seniors aged 55 to 75+, and open ended follow up interviews (n=40). The survey responses to the 22 barriers to learning questions were ranked and quantified. The issues identified in the interviews shed further light on the survey data. The analyses revealed that factors related to educational institutions as well as infrastructure were commonly cited as barriers to participation in learning. In particular expense of educational programmes (55.1%), long travelling time (45.6%) other transportation difficulties (38.9%), lack of interest in offered programmes ((36.4) and lack of information about courses (31.1%) were seen as barriers. The interviews revealed and confirmed five main barriers; money, offerings of interest/availability, travel/transport, information, computer skills and being employed. The findings should provide policy makers, institutions, organizations and government with a list of areas where changes might be made so as to improve older people's opportunities for learning as they proceed through older age.

Underutilization of Mental Health Services among College Students: An Examination of System-Related Barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Carey N.; Wilcoxon, S. Allen

2015-01-01

Despite the documented benefits of counseling and mental health services on academic performance and degree attainment, only about 10% of psychologically distressed college students ever seek professional help. This investigation examined mental health care system-related barriers that might distinguish help seekers from nonhelp seekers among…

Subsurface remote sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schweitzer, Jeffrey S.; Groves, Joel L.

2002-01-01

Subsurface remote sensing measurements are widely used for oil and gas exploration, for oil and gas production monitoring, and for basic studies in the earth sciences. Radiation sensors, often including small accelerator sources, are used to obtain bulk properties of the surrounding strata as well as to provide detailed elemental analyses of the rocks and fluids in rock pores. Typically, instrument packages are lowered into a borehole at the end of a long cable, that may be as long as 10 km, and two-way data and instruction telemetry allows a single radiation instrument to operate in different modes and to send the data to a surface computer. Because these boreholes are often in remote locations throughout the world, the data are frequently transmitted by satellite to various locations around the world for almost real-time analysis and incorporation with other data. The complete system approach that permits rapid and reliable data acquisition, remote analysis and transmission to those making decisions is described

Smart parking barrier

KAUST Repository

Alharbi, Abdulrazaq M.

2016-05-06

Various methods and systems are provided for smart parking barriers. In one example, among others, a smart parking barrier system includes a movable parking barrier located at one end of a parking space, a barrier drive configured to control positioning of the movable parking barrier, and a parking controller configured to initiate movement of the parking barrier, via the barrier drive. The movable parking barrier can be positioned between a first position that restricts access to the parking space and a second position that allows access to the parking space. The parking controller can initiate movement of the movable parking barrier in response to a positive identification of an individual allowed to use the parking space. The parking controller can identify the individual through, e.g., a RFID tag, a mobile device (e.g., a remote control, smartphone, tablet, etc.), an access card, biometric information, or other appropriate identifier.

International Collaboration Activities on Engineered Barrier Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jove-Colon, Carlos F. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-08-31

The Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC) within the DOE Fuel Cycle Technologies (FCT) program has been engaging in international collaborations between repository R&D programs for high-level waste (HLW) disposal to leverage on gathered knowledge and laboratory/field data of near- and far-field processes from experiments at underground research laboratories (URL). Heater test experiments at URLs provide a unique opportunity to mimetically study the thermal effects of heat-generating nuclear waste in subsurface repository environments. Various configurations of these experiments have been carried out at various URLs according to the disposal design concepts of the hosting country repository program. The FEBEX (Full-scale Engineered Barrier Experiment in Crystalline Host Rock) project is a large-scale heater test experiment originated by the Spanish radioactive waste management agency (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos S.A. – ENRESA) at the Grimsel Test Site (GTS) URL in Switzerland. The project was subsequently managed by CIEMAT. FEBEX-DP is a concerted effort of various international partners working on the evaluation of sensor data and characterization of samples obtained during the course of this field test and subsequent dismantling. The main purpose of these field-scale experiments is to evaluate feasibility for creation of an engineered barrier system (EBS) with a horizontal configuration according to the Spanish concept of deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in crystalline rock. Another key aspect of this project is to improve the knowledge of coupled processes such as thermal-hydro-mechanical (THM) and thermal-hydro-chemical (THC) operating in the near-field environment. The focus of these is on model development and validation of predictions through model implementation in computational tools to simulate coupled THM and THC processes.

Use of large-scale multi-configuration EMI measurements to characterize heterogeneous subsurface structures and their impact on crop productivity

Science.gov (United States)