Cross Border Business Cycle Impacts on the El Paso Housing Market

There is comparatively little empirical evidence regarding the impacts of cross border business cycle fluctuations on metropolitan housing markets located near international boundaries. This study examines the impacts of economic conditions in Mexico on sales of existing single-family houses in El Paso, Texas. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these impacts are fairly notable. Annual frequency data from the University of Texas at El Paso Border Region Modeling Project are used to test this possibility. Results indicate that solid empirical evidence of such a linkage is elusive.Business Cycles, Border Housing Markets

Hot Corrosion at Air-Ports in Kraft Recovery Boilers

Hot corrosion can occur on the cold-side of airports in Kraft recovery boilers. The primary corrosion mechanism involves the migration of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide vapors through leaks in the furnace wall at the airports and their subsequent condensation. It has been reported that stainless steel is attacked much faster than carbon steel in composite tubes, and that carbon steel tubing, when used with a low-chromium refractory, does not exhibit this type of corrosion. For hot corrosion fluxing of metal oxides, either acidic or basic fluxing takes place, with a solubility minimum at the basicity of transition between the two reactions. For stainless steel, if the basicity of the fused salt is between the iron and chromium oxide solubility minima, then a synergistic effect can occur that leads to rapid corrosion. The products of one reaction are the reactants of the other, which eliminates the need for rate-controlling diffusion. This effect can explain why stainless steel is attacked more readily than carbon steel

Oxidation in a temperature gradient

The effects of a temperature gradient and heat flux on point defect diffusion in protective oxide scales were examined. Irreversible thermodynamics were used to expand Fick's first law of diffusion to include a heat flux term--a Soret effect. Oxidation kinetics were developed for the oxidation of cobalt and for nickel doped with chromium. Research in progress is described to verify the effects of a heat flux by oxidizing pure cobalt in a temperature gradient above 800 C, and comparing the kinetics to isothermal oxidation. The tests are being carried out in the new high temperature gaseous corrosion and corrosion/erosion facility at the Albany Research Center

Cross Border Business Cycle Impacts on the El Paso Housing Market

There is comparatively little empirical evidence regarding the impacts of cross border business cycle fluctuations on metropolitan housing markets located near international boundaries. This study examines the impacts of economic conditions in Mexico on sales of existing single-family houses in El Paso, Texas. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these impacts are fairly notable. Annual frequency data from the University of Texas at El Paso Border Region Modeling Project are used to test this possibility. Results indicate that solid empirical evidence of such a linkage is elusive

Cross Border Business Cycle Impacts on the El Paso Housing Market

There is comparatively little empirical evidence regarding the impacts of cross border business cycle fluctuations on metropolitan housing markets located near international boundaries. This study examines the impacts of economic conditions in Mexico on sales of existing single-family houses in El Paso, Texas. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these impacts are fairly notable. Annual frequency data from the University of Texas at El Paso Border Region Modeling Project are used to test this possibility. Results indicate that solid empirical evidence of such a linkage is elusive

Electrostatic potential and valence modulation in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films

The Mn valence in thin film La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 was studied as a function of film thickness in the range of 1–16 unit cells with a combination of non-destructive bulk and surface sensitive X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques. Using a layer-by-layer valence model, it was found that while the bulk averaged valence hovers around its expected value of 3.3, a significant deviation occurs within several unit cells of the surface and interface. These results were supported by first principles calculations. The surface valence increases to up to Mn3.7+, whereas the interface valence reduces down to Mn2.5+. The change in valence from the expected bulk value is consistent with charge redistribution due to the polar discontinuity at the film-substrate interface. The comparison with theory employed here illustrates how this layer-by-layer valence evolves with film thickness and allows for a deeper understanding of the microscopic mechanisms at play in this effect. These results offer insight on how the two-dimensional electron gas is created in thin film oxide alloys and how the magnetic ordering is reduced with dimensionality

Electrochemical Noise Sensors for Detection of Localized and General Corrosion of Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines. Final Report for the Period July 2001-October 2002

The U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory funded a Natural Gas Infrastructure Reliability program directed at increasing and enhancing research and development activities in topics such as remote leak detection, pipe inspection, and repair technologies and materials. The Albany Research Center (ARC), U.S. Department of Energy was funded to study the use of electrochemical noise sensors for detection of localized and general corrosion of natural gas transmission pipelines. As part of this, ARC entered into a collaborative effort with the corrosion sensor industry to demonstrate the capabilities of commercially available remote corrosion sensors for use with the Nation's Gas Transmission Pipeline Infrastructure needs. The goal of the research was to develop an emerging corrosion sensor technology into a monitor for the type and degree of corrosion occurring at key locations in gas transmission pipelines

Cathodic Protection of the Yaquina Bay Bridge

The Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport, Oregon, was designed by Conde B. McCullough and built in 1936. The 3,223-foot (982 m) structure is a combination of concrete arch approach spans and a steel through arch over the shipping channel. Cathodic protection is used to prevent corrosion damage to the concrete arches. The Oregon Department of Transportation (Oregon DOT) installed a carbon anode coating (DAC-85) on two of the north approach spans in 1985. This anode was operated at a current density of 6.6 mA/m2(0.6 mA/ft2). No failure of the conductive anode was observed in 1990, five years after application, or in 2000, 15 years after application. Thermal-sprayed zinc anodes 20 mils (0.5 mm) thick were applied to half the south approach spans beginning in 1990. Thermal-sprayed zinc anodes 15 mils (0.4 mm) thick were applied to the remaining spans in 1996. These anodes were operated at a current density of 2.2 mA/m2(0.2 mA/ft2). In 1999, four zones on the approach spans were included in a two-year field trial of humectants to improve zinc anode performance. The humectants LiNO3 and LiBr were applied to two zones; the two adjacent zones were left untreated as controls. The humectants substantially reduced circuit resistance compared to the controls