PNNL Coal Gasifier Transportation Logistics

This report provides Pacific Northwest National laboratory (PNNL) craftspeople with the necessary information and suggested configurations to transport PNNL’s coal gasifier from its current location at the InEnTec facility in Richland, Washington, to PNNL’s Laboratory Support Warehouse (LSW) for short-term storage. A method of securing the gasifier equipment is provided that complies with the tie-down requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Cargo Securement Rules

Impact of COVID-19 on public’s interest in radiotherapy and other cancer treatments: a cross-sectional Google Trends analysis

Background: COVID-19 has significantly impacted cancer care. While previous studies have emphasized treatment modification and prioritized the delivery of cancer care, few have examined this issue from the public perspective. Materials and methods: In the following study, we examine how public interest in various forms of cancer treatment has evolved during the pandemic using Google Trends. One-way ANOVA and linear regression tests were used to compare the mean search volume indices of three periods: pre-lockdown, lockdown, and reopening. Results/Conclusions: Our findings suggest that public interest in cancer treatments decreased during lockdown and returned after reopening but, in general, is still lower than pre-lockdown levels. Despite that, healthcare professionals should strive to provide timely cancer care, assuage patients’ fears of healthcare settings, and encourage patients to continue proper cancer screenings.

Majorana Thermosyphon Prototype Experimental Setup

This report presents the experimental setup of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR thermosyphon prototype cooling system. A nitrogen thermosyphon prototype of such a system has been built and tested at PNNL. This document presents the experimental setup of the prototype that successfully demonstrated the heat transfer performance of the system

Lateral Earth Pressure at Rest and Shear Modulus Measurements on Hanford Sludge Simulants

This report describes the equipment, techniques, and results of lateral earth pressure at rest and shear modulus measurements on kaolin clay as well as two chemical sludge simulants. The testing was performed in support of the problem of hydrogen gas retention and release encountered in the double- shell tanks (DSTs) at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. Wastes from single-shell tanks (SSTs) are being transferred to double-shell tanks (DSTs) for safety reasons (some SSTs are leaking or are in danger of leaking), but the available DST space is limited

Electrical Characterization of Thermally Activated Defects in n-Type Float-Zone Silicon

Float-zone (FZ) silicon is usually assumed to be bulk defect-lean and stable. However, recent studies have revealed that detrimental defects can be thermally activated in FZ silicon wafers and lead to a reduction of carrier lifetime by up to two orders of magnitude. A robust methodology which combines different characterization techniques and passivation schemes is used to provide new insight into the origin of degradation of 1 Ω·cm n-type phosphorus doped FZ silicon (with nitrogen doping during growth) after annealing at 500 °C. Carrier lifetime and photoluminescence experiments are first performed with temporary room temperature surface passivation which minimizes lifetime changes which can occur during passivation processes involving thermal treatments. Temperature- and injection-dependent lifetime spectroscopy is then performed with a more stable passivation scheme, with the same samples finally being studied by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Although five defect levels are found with DLTS, detailed analysis of injection-dependent lifetime data reveals that the most detrimental defect levels could arise from just two independent single-level defects or from one two-level defect. The defect parameters for these two possible scenarios are extracted and discussed

Spent Fuel Transportation Package Response to the Baltimore Tunnel Fire Scenario

On July 18, 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous (non-nuclear) materials derailed and caught fire while passing through the Howard Street railroad tunnel in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), one of the agencies responsible for ensuring the safe transportation of radioactive materials in the United States, undertook an investigation of the train derailment and fire to determine the possible regulatory implications of this particular event for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel by railroad. Shortly after the accident occurred, the USNRC met with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB, the U.S. agency responsible for determining the cause of transportation accidents), to discuss the details of the accident and the ensuing fire. Following these discussions, the USNRC assembled a team of experts from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to determine the thermal conditions that existed in the Howard Street tunnel fire and analyze the effects of this fire on various spent fuel transportation package designs. The Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) code, developed by NIST, was used to determine the thermal environment present in the Howard Street tunnel during the fire. The FDS results were used as boundary conditions in the COBRA-SFS and ANSYS® computer codes to evaluate the thermal performance of different package designs. The staff concluded that larger transportation packages resembling the HOLTEC Model No. HI STAR 100 and TransNuclear Model No. TN-68 would withstand a fire with thermal conditions similar to those that existed in the Baltimore tunnel fire event with only minor damage to peripheral components. This is due to their sizable thermal inertia and design specifications in compliance with currently imposed regulatory requirements. The staff also concluded that some components of smaller transportation packages resembling the NAC Model No. LWT, despite placement within an ISO container, could degrade. USNRC staff evaluated the radiological consequences of the package responses to the Baltimore tunnel fire. Though components in some packages heated up beyond their service temperatures, the staff determined that there would be no significant dose as a result of the fire for any of these and similar packages

Design Optimization of DR3AM Vapor Polishing Device for ABS 3D-Printed Parts

3D printing is an additive manufacturing method that turns digital design into an actual product. A 3D-printed part sometimes requires post-processing to enhance its physical and mechanical properties. Acetone vapor polishing is one of those techniques which is highly beneficial in smoothing ABS 3D-printed parts. Previously, an acetone vapor polishing device has been developed which uses a mist maker. However, for a more efficient polishing method, an optimized vapor polishing device using heat has been fabricated in this study. To assess the efficiency of this device, the researchers test the dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, tensile strength, and impact strength of polished and unpolished ABS 3D-printed specimens. The findings showed that the surface smoothness of the polished cube specimens did not significantly alter its physical geometry. The tensile test reveals that the overall elasticity of the polished tensile specimen has increased significantly while the impact test also shows that the polished specimens have the capacity to sustain a resistive impact from a swinging pendulum. Thus, all testing procedures indicated that post-processing using the optimized vapor polishing device has improved the overall physical and mechanical properties of the polished specimens

Interim analysis results from the RESTORE-CLI, a randomized, double-blind multicenter phase II trial comparing expanded autologous bone marrow-derived tissue repair cells and placebo in patients with critical limb ischemia

Cell therapy is a novel experimental treatment modality for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) of the lower extremities and no other established treatment options. This study was conducted to assess the safety and clinical efficacy of intramuscular injection of autologous tissue repair cells (TRCs).A prospective, randomized double-blinded, placebo controlled, multicenter study (RESTORE-CLI) was conducted at 18 centers in the United States in patients with CLI and no option for revascularization. Enrollment of 86 patients began in April 2007 and ended in February 2010. For the prospectively planned interim analysis, conducted in February 2010, 33 patients had the opportunity to complete the trial (12 months of follow-up), and 46 patients had completed at least 6 months of follow-up. The interim analysis included analysis of both patient populations. An independent physician performed the bone marrow or sham control aspiration. The aspirate was processed in a closed, automated cell manufacturing system for approximately 12 days to generate the TRC population of stem and progenitor cells. An average of 136 ± 41 × 10 total viable cells or electrolyte (control) solution were injected into 20 sites in the ischemic lower extremity. The primary end point was safety as evaluated by adverse events, and serious adverse events as assessed at multiple follow-up time points. Clinical efficacy end points included major amputation-free survival and time to first occurrence of treatment failure (defined as any of the following: major amputation, death, de novo gangrene, or doubling of wound size), as well as major amputation rate and measures of wound healing.There was no difference in adverse or serious adverse events between the two groups. Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase in time to treatment failure (log-rank test, = .0053) and amputation-free survival in patients receiving TRC treatment, (log-rank test, = .038). Major amputation occurred in 19% of TRC-treated patients compared to 43% of controls ( = .14, Fisher exact test). There was evidence of improved wound healing in the TRC-treated patients when compared with controls at 12 months.Intramuscular injection of autologous bone marrow-derived TRCs is safe and decreases the occurrence of clinical events associated with disease progression when compared to placebo in patients with lower extremity CLI and no revascularization options

Indium‐Doped Silicon for Solar Cells—Light‐Induced Degradation and Deep‐Level Traps

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-02-28, rev-recd 2021-06-11, pub-electronic 2021-07-21Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: EPSRC (UK); Grant(s): EP/TO25131/1Funder: Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Government of the PhlippinesFunder: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100008382; Grant(s): UIDB/50025/2020, UIDP/50025/2020Indium‐doped silicon is considered a possible p‐type material for solar cells to avoid light‐induced degradation (LID), which occurs in cells made from boron‐doped Czochralski (Cz) silicon. Herein, the defect reactions associated with indium‐related LID are examined and a deep donor is detected, which is attributed to a negative‐U defect believed to be InsO2. In the presence of minority carriers or above bandgap light, the deep donor transforms to a shallow acceptor. An analogous transformation in boron‐doped material is related to the BsO2 defect that is a precursor of the center responsible for BO LID. The electronic properties of InsO2 are determined and compared to those of the BsO2 defect. Structures of the BsO2 and InsO2 defects in different charges states are found using first‐principles modeling. The results of the modeling can explain both the similarities and the differences between the BsO2 and InsO2 properties