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MgB2 is proving to be a very promising superconductor. Until recently, the low critical field of pure MgB2 had inhibited its use for higher-field applications, such as for high energy physics experiments. Yet, recent advances have demonstrated a dramatic enhancement of the upper critical field (Hc2) when MgB2 is doped with C or SiC. However, in all cases, the resulting material typically has de ...

Fouling occurs whenever gas or liquid flows through the pipes of heat exchangers, costing billions of dollars worldwide as well as increased energy use. If fouling were reduced, a corresponding reduction could be made in the heat exchanger surface area, providing more efficient heat transfer and enabling the use of lower-cost alloys as materials of construction. To address these fouling problems ...

Low-noise, high quality seismometers are needed to support DOE responsibilities with respect to the monitoring of nuclear explosions. The ideal seismometer would inherently generate a digital signal as the inertial mass moves relative to the seismometer frame or ground reference. Because of the difficulty of building a seismometer suspension that is immune to temperature variations, it is desira ...

X-ray spectroscopy and micro-spectroscopy experiments at synchrotron sources (such as the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory and the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) are limited by the count rate and energy resolution limitations of solid state x-ray fluorescence detectors. This project will further develop highly sensitive and efficient multilayer array a ...

Target performance is a key element for the successful operation of a RIB (Radioactive Ion Beam) facility used in Nuclear Physics research. The tilted target is a promising approach for a fast release target, in that it would provide considerable yields in the spallation region of the residual mass distribution. However, the development of this target will require that a number of important iss ...

Important components within the fragmentation target system of the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) ¿ e.g., the permanent magnets of the EM pump of the liquid lithium target loop and the high temperature superconductor (HTS) windings of the superconducting magnets of the fragment separator ¿ are subject to performance degradation by radiation. However, no data exists concerning the performance o ...

The development of data acquisition (DAQ) systems occupies a large amount of effort for almost any particle physics experiment. Unfortunately, the development of custom logic and hardware is generally specific to each experiment. Furthermore, DAQ development does not take full advantage of such advances as higher-performance Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), in part due to the lack of prog ...

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) auxiliary power units (APUs) in the 1¿5 kWe range represent a significant market entry point for fuel cells, and have the capability of reducing fuel consumption of idling trucks by nearly half a billion gallons of diesel per year (along with a corresponding reduction in NOx and PM emissions). However, one of the market barriers to the introduction of SOFC APUs is th ...

The increased utilization of abundant domestic and renewable biofeedstocks as fuels would contribute substantially to reducing the need for imported oil. Renewable fuels have emerged as attractive alternatives to their petroleum based counterparts, offering several environmental benefits. Despite these benefits, the high cost of biofuels ¿ as a result of several energy intensive production step ...

In an effort to decrease dependency on foreign oil, the United States has recently implemented new strategies to increase demand for alternative renewable fuels. One highly favorable alternative is the conversion of biomass to bioenergy. Although the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee set forth goals for biomass to supply 5% of the nation¿s power, 20% of transportatio ...