Award Data

75488-Pulsed ion sources are used in a variety of applications from heavy ion fusion to space propulsion. In order to optimize the ion beams that are produced, it is necessary to have a very high degree of reproducibility from pulse to pulse. Liquid metal ion sources have been shown to provide beams with extremely low noise and no significant charge state variation; however, the useful emitter c ...

75903-Neutron radiography, which uses nuclear reactors and accelerators as sources of neutrons, has been demonstrated to be an excellent method for imaging high-density, thick objects for the detection of corrosion, voids, and cracks, particular in nuclear power plants. Unfortunately, no high brightness neutron sources exist that are portable, inexpensive and capable of neutron radiography in sho ...

75352-Many DOE sites require the monitoring of radionuclide contamination in surface water, groundwater, soils, and the vadose zone ¿ often in real-time and with remote monitoring capability. However, existing site characterization procedures typically involve the collection and shipment of samples to an off-site laboratory, leading to costly delays in site remediation as well as to increased ri ...

76023-Among the contributors to atmospheric pollution, carboxylic acids (including mono- and dicarboxylic acids, aliphatic ketoacids, and aromatic acids) are an important class of oxygenated, organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols. To better understand their sources and atmospheric transformation processes, an automated method for measuring their concentration is required. This project will d ...

75374-In response to the DOE¿s desire to identify spin-off technology from its Magnetic Fusion Energy program, this project addresses the identification of unexploded ordnance, using a nuclear assay with neutrons produced by fusion reactions. In particular, a portable neutron source will be developed that is capable of detecting high explosives, particularly unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmin ...

75252 The development of fusion energy would be quickened if spin-off applications could be identified and commercialized. In this spirit, this project will develop a nuclear assay that uses a high intensity neutron source based on an inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) plasma device developed by the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. The nuclear assay will address one of the most criti ...

76205-Before hydrogen fuel can be economically produced by the bacterial fermentation of sugars and carbohydrates, increases in both the rate and yield of the process are required. Current processes exhibit modest rates and yields, which are only about one fourth that of competitive ethanol fuel fermentations. The target cost requirement is $1.50/kg hydrogen. This project will demonstrate that ...

76144-Heavy-ion fusion requires a high current and high brightness beam, but its specifications cannot be met with the highest intensity ion sources available. Current amplification, through longitudinal compression of the beam, will be needed to achieve these specifications, and ion beam drift compression has been identified as the preferred method. However, this concept has not been demonstrat ...

75880-This project will develop a novel energy converter for nuclear safeguards applications related to the monitoring of spent nuclear fuels. As a tamper-resistant, internally generated power source for safeguards monitoring, it will enable the use of other mature technologies to be applied for the real-time tracking and monitoring of spent nuclear fuels. In Phase I, the main elements of a new ...

72853-Ultrafast (sub-nanosecond), ultrahigh spatial resolution (sub-micron), and highly efficient scintillator detectors are required for many time-resolved energetic photon imaging and detection applications. However, current scintillator screens only can achieve spatial resolutions in the range of tens microns, response times in the range from hundreds nanoseconds to tens microsecond, and poor ...