los alamos wins six r&d 100 awards · require tanks of carbon dioxide to make soft drinks from...

LOS ALAMOS WINSSIX R&D 100 AWARDS

DEFENSE RESEARCH BENEFITS THE PRIVATE SECTOR

L os Alamos has shown its technical excellence by winning six R&D 100 awards. This year Los Alamos had its

highest win-to-entry ratio, netting oneaward for every three of its entries.

The six awards, which include a winshared by Los Alamos, Oak Ridge,Lawrence Livermore, and Sandianational laboratories, gives Los Alamosa total of 52 awards won during thepast decade. Los Alamos has wonmore awards than any other nationallaboratory since 1988.

The R&D 100 awards program, now in its35th year, honors the most significant prod-

ucts, materials, processes, software, or systemswith commercial promise. The awards program is

international in its scope and technologies are nominatedin open competition. The Illinois-based

R&D Magazine uses technicalcriteria to pick the most important, unique, and useful entries.

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A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THEPUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE OF

LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY, AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION / EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER, IS OPERATED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF ENERGY UNDER CONTRACT NO. W-7405-ENG-36

LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE, MS-A118

LOS ALAMOS, NM 87545


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MANAGING EDITORMeredith Coonley

(505) 665-3982 • E-Mail: [email protected]

STAFF WRITERTheresa Salazar

CONTRIBUTING EDITORJames Rickman

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSDiane Banegas • Kelly Stoddard

PHOTOGRAPHYLos Alamos National Laboratory

PRINTING COORDINATORSG.D. Archuleta • Sandra Lopez


PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE, MS P355

LOS ALAMOS, NM 87545

Los Alamos award winners ran the gamut — from a computer programthat helps scientists predict the movement of oil and gas through under-ground reservoirs to an environmentally friendly method ofdry-cleaning clothing with carbon dioxide.

Other winning technologies include a way to determine the size of frag-ments of deoxyribonucleic acid, the fundamental building block of life,and a simple test for detecting failure in concrete, a fundamental build-ing block of another sort.

“Los Alamos’ success in developing products with a high degree of com-mercial potential — even as it carries out its national security mission ofreducing the global nuclear danger — shows that our national laborato-ries can benefit the private sector,” said Charryl Berger, leader of LosAlamos’ Civilian and Industrial Technology Program Office. “LosAlamos once again has shown its success in using scientific excellence toidentify key problems facing industry and to identify scientific solutionsthat benefit society as a whole.”

This issue of Dateline: Los Alamos features the Laboratory’s six winningtechnologies. Brief descriptions of the Laboratory’s other 13 entries arealso included in this issue.


The High Performance Storage System, developed by Los Alamos researchers and their partners in government

and industry, uncorks existing data-storage bottlenecks for amyriad of government and commercial applications. Today’s computer models and simulations, digitized information libraries,and high-energy physics data require a large amount of storage space.Unfortunately, system bottlenecks that interfere with users’ ability toretrieve data quickly frequently develop. The primary objective of theHPSS is to move very large data sets very quickly — at least 100 timesfaster than what is available with today’s software systems. This speed ispossible because unlike traditional data-storage systems, the HPSS isdistributed on a network, not on a centralized storage computer.

HPSS accomplishes those tasks using commonly available network andstorage technologies and many different devices. It makes data availableto all networked computingsites, regardless of their sizeor location. All computer andstorage nodes may beattached directly to the net-work so that data istransferred by the most directroute at network speeds with-out interruption by a storagecomputer or “middleman.”

HPSS inaugurates the use of“Data Movers” — specializedsoftware that the HPSS storage-control system uses to send large datastreams, such as complex images and visualization objects, directly tothe requesting computers without having to pass through the storageserver itself. HPSS takes itself “out-of-the-loop” so that the only limitingfactor is the maximum speed of the network.

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THE HIGH PERFORMANCESTORAGE SYSTEM

INNOVATIVE ARCHITECTURE SPEEDS

DATA PROCESSING BY REMOVING THE MIDDLEMAN

ÈHPSS increases

both theperformance

and capac ity ofstorage

systems forlarge-sca le

computat ionand other

appl icat ions.

One of the major innovations of the High Performance Storage System isthe scalable architecture that supports a very-high performance, parallelinput/output function. What this means to the user is that whileinputting a large amount of data, output of very large data sets can takeplace at the same time.

Another characteristic of HPSS is that it scales extremely well in manydimensions. This increases the data transfer rate, storage capacity, filesize, the number of files, and number of simultaneous users or clients.

Another benefit of the Los Alamos software is the information protec-tion HPSS offers both from unauthorized use and from corruption. HPSSassures that only authenticated users and clients gain access to the datapermitted to them.

HPSS offers adaptability and flexibility in its hardware by making it pos-sible to incorporate newer, faster devices and new technologies into thenetwork. Moreover, the modularity of the system makes it easy to incor-porate new pieces of software into the system as they are developed.

HPSS is already being used in very large modeling and simulation appli-cations and in the storage of astronomy and high-energy physics data.Additionally, plans are under way to use HPSS for storage of oil explo-ration data, digitized film libraries, and medical records.

Another storage mechanism would link several supercomputing installa-tions that are geographically dispersed. For example, HPSS will link thethree Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative national laboratories(Los Alamos, Sandia, and Livermore). Another will link Sandia and OakRidge national laboratories to the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center.

The High Performance Storage System would tackle the storage ofmassive quantities of data envisioned in the National InformationInfrastructure and in the Human Genome Project. Other storage andretrieval problems in animation and entertainment, airline reservationssystems, and fingerprint systems would be solved with HPSS.

HPSS is a key technology that will move “ultracomputing” into the nextcentury. It is a cooperative effort between Los Alamos, LawrenceLivermore, Oak Ridge, and Sandia national laboratories, and IBM.

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DryWash™ is a fast, nontoxic dry-cleaning process that uses liquid carbon dioxide as the cleaning solvent. Efficient and

environmentally friendly, DryWash™ removes oils, sweat, anddirt from a wide variety of fabrics, including specialty itemssuch as fur, leather, suede, and garments with sequins. The process — developed by Los Alamos, Global Technologies LLC, andHughes Environmental System Inc., both of El Segundo, Calif. — canbe used worldwide by neighborhood dry cleaners, hotels, military instal-lations, corporate facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals. Futureapplications may include dishwashing, nuclear laundry, and decontami-nating machined parts.

Because liquid carbon dioxide is an odorless, nonflammable, nonhaz-ardous solvent, it is a desirable alternative to perchloroethylene, orPERC, the hazardous solvent currently used by most dry cleaners. TheDryWash™ process will help the dry-cleaning industry comply withenvironmental regulations by minimizing their hazardous wastes andemission. It cleans in half the time requiredfor conventional dry-cleaning processes andreduces dry-cleaning costs by loweringenergy consumption, cleaning time, andlabor costs. And DryWash™ gets clothescleaner and brighter by reducing soil rede-position on fabrics.

The dry-cleaning industry is under severepressure from regulators to develop anacceptable and economical alternative toPERC. Although the researchers arestill optimizing the DryWash™ process,research results indicate the new processcould revolutionize the dry-cleaningindustry worldwide.

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CLEAN CLOTHES WITHDRYWASH™

LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE CLEANS CLOTHES

WITHOUT HAZARDOUS, POLLUTING CHEMICALS

ÓThis food sta inmight sendanyone scurry ing to a dry c leaner. Butrather thancleaning th ispolyester swatch inperchloroethylene(PERC) , thehazardoussolvent that dryc leanerstypica l ly use, the sta in wasremoved withdense-phasecarbon diox ide.

At pressures between 800 and 1,000 pounds per square inch, carbondioxide acts like a liquid and serves as an organic, entirely recyclablesolvent that extracts dirt from clothing. When the liquid carbon dioxideis allowed to return to its gaseous state, dirt just falls out. Repressurized,the carbon dioxide can be used again. The only waste generated by theprocess is the volume of dirt removed from the garments.

For dry cleaners to switch over to DryWash™ technology, they would needto replace their standard equipment with a high-pressure apparatus tosafely operate a liquid carbon dioxide cleaning process. However, a distri-bution network is already in place for restaurants and other businesses thatrequire tanks of carbon dioxide to make soft drinks from a soda fountain.

Los Alamos gained expertise in the use of carbon dioxide as an alterna-tive to chemical solvents from defense program applications. Carbondioxide at high pressure can replace solvents used to clean plutoniumweapons components.

The DryWash™ project is supported by the Department of Energy’sOffice of Industrial Technologies and the Environmental ProtectionAgency’s Design for the Environmental Program in the PollutionPrevention and Toxics Branch.

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O R G A N I C A N A L Y S I S

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A ll major oil and gas companies use computer simulations to predict the flow of oil and gas in

underground reservoirs. Such predictions enable companiesto determine the best recovery strategies; however, currentproduction simulations are limited because they run onsmall, slow, single-processor computer systems.


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SOFTWARE FOR MODELINGBIG OIL RESERVOIRS

FALCON IMPROVES MODELING ACCURACY

AND COST EFFICIENCY


Worldwide, reservoirs produce 70 millionbarrels of crude oil per day. Of thisproduction, 40 million barrels are fromhuge fields that cannot be modeled withpresent-day computer simulation software.

Falcon software developed by LosAlamos; Amoco of Tulsa, Okla.; CrayResearch (a Silicon Graphics company) ofEagan, Minn.; and PGS Tigress Ltd. of theUnited Kingdom makes it possible tomodel large, economically important oilfields in their entirety.

This next-generation version of Falcon software lets oil and gas compa-nies perform best- and worst-case analyses of their fields and calculate“what if” operational scenarios for reservoirs. Both features are crucialto developing thrifty recovery strategies. Oil and gas companies can useFalcon to make important resource recovery decisions. These decisionsinclude appraising the value of oil and gas fields for leasing decisions,developing recovery procedures for current and future fields, develop-ing short- and long-term economic strategies, and planning thedevelopment of facilities at production sites.

Although 60 percent of world’s oil production is from large fields thatextend over hundreds of square miles and contain thousands of wells,no simulator before Falcon could model fields of this size.

Today’s commercial simulators run simulation studies on large fields bydividing the area into segments. Significant errors can arise whensegment studies are used to estimate oil and gas rates and recoveries foran entire field. A 30 percent error rate in the production rate of the wellscan mean the difference between a profitable and unprofitable field.

In addition, a large amount of data about the field falls through thecracks with current simulation studies because of processes that averagedata to approximate large areas. Given that an exploratory license fordata collection can cost a company $50 million per field, the data is toopricey to throw away. By eliminating the need for averaging data, Falconis more cost-effective as well as more accurate.

Falcon simulates fluid flow in three dimensions and models the differentfluid phases of oil, gas, and water. To simulate a reservoir, Falcon imple-ments a mathematical model that solves the equations that govern fluid

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ÕThis Fa lcons imulat ionshows o i lsaturat ion of a100-square-mi le reservoirf ie ld after 25years ofoperat ion. Thegr id used forth is s imulat ionconta ins 2 .3mi l l ion ce l l s .

flow in a permeable medium — such as a petroleum reservoir. Falconalso accounts for the flow of chemical components that were originallyin the reservoir or that were injected into it. In addition, a geologicaldescription that includes data such as the depth, thickness, permeability,and porosity of reservoir rock is entered into the simulation. Processingso many geological measurements results in a description with millionsof discrete grid points.

Falcon achieves its high performance on large-scale computerarchitectures by reformulating mathematical methods to make themsuitable for computers consisting of thousands of processors. This taskrequires a complex coordination of thousands of complicated processesthat must communicate and synchronize properly to provide the correctmathematical answer.

Essentially, all the computations are divided equally among the participat-ing computer processors. Because nearly all of the necessary computationshave been reformulated for parallel processing — fewer than 1 percent aresequential — Falcon is 100 times faster than its competitors.

The most important feature contained in the Falcon code is a breakthroughlinear-solver algorithm that solves fully implicit linear systems bothreliably and efficiently on massively parallel computers.

The algorithm is the key to Falcon’s success because in the past, linearsystems, typically requiring 30 percent to more than 70 percent of thetotal computation time, have been difficult to solve efficiently onparallel computers.

The problem is particularly acute for fully implicit simulations, whichthe oil industry uses to solve the fluid-flow equations in fields contain-ing complex physics, such as complex phase-change behavior. Falcon’slinear solver enables oil and gas companies to model complex fields onthe world’s fastest computers.

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I nstead of simply coating or covering automobile, aircraft, and machine tool pieces, Los Alamos researchers have

been instrumental in the development and initialcommercialization of a new way to chemically change amaterial’s surface for improved performance. Previousmethods such as electroplating produce hazardous wastebyproducts. The Plasma Source Ion Implantation method issafe, versatile, and potentially more economical.The PSII process implants nitrogen or carbon ions into appropriatemetallic surfaces to harden their surfaces and make them wear longer.

The technique is not a coating process, but a way to transformthe component material surface into a protective “armor.” Inaddition, the process may be used to enhance the adhesion ofsome more traditional coatings that are subsequently appliedto the surface in a related plasma-based process.

Automobile parts, for example, are immersed in a cloud ofionized gas. Short pulses of negative high voltage are thenapplied to the parts. As a result, the positively charged ionsare accelerated and bury themselves in the surface. The

treated part does not suffer from the problems usually associated withconventional coating techniques, such as poor adhesion, or delamina-tion (the splitting of layers).

Electroplating has been widely used, but it produces hazardous effluents.PSII does not use hazardous or carcinogenic chemicals, nor does itrequire elevated target temperatures.

Traditional implantation methods require costly linear accelerators toproduce the ions and complicated manipulators to rotate the object toensure total coverage. The PSII process is a completely differentapproach. Instead of hurling ions at the part, the part is immersed in aplasma sea of ions. In effect, the target itself becomes the accelerator.

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PLASMA SOURCEION IMPLANTATION

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY MAKES MATERIALS’

SURFACES STRONGER AND LONGER LASTING

ÓA v iew ins idethe PS I I processchamber,wherea luminumautomotivepistons arebeing treatedto improvetheir wearpropert ies . Theglow is fromthe argon gasionized ins idethe chamber by radio-frequencyf ie lds . Theargon plasma isbeing used in ac leaningprocess inpreparat ion forimplantat ion.

This same process can be modified to specific needs using ions such ascarbon, oxygen, or other ions produced from gaseous precursors. Thisprocess is environmentally friendly because it has the potential to reduceor eliminate wet-chemical processes, such as hard-chrome plating forcoating manufacturing tools, that may leave toxic wastes.

The technology could extend the lifetimes of some parts as much as 10to 50 times. The process can be used to improve the surfaces of large,complex parts weighing many tons, as well as a large number of smaller,individual components. This versatility offers the potential foreconomic treatment of whole new classes of components that are notsuitable for surface enhancement by more conventional means. Theversatility also allows more environmentally friendly surface enhance-ment of some components now treated by conventional means.

To date, Los Alamos researchers and their partners — Empire HardChrome, General Motors, North Star Research, and the University ofWisconsin — have successfully treated pistons and other automotivecomponents and tools, such as drill bits and dies, at the world’s largestPSII facility in Los Alamos.

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A Los Alamos technology that counts and sorts cells, chromosomes, and molecules is the foundation for a

new biomedical technique that rapidly and accuratelymeasures the size of individual DNA fragments. Thetechnique has the potential to speed up genetics research,and the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.


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HOME-GROWN TECHNOLOGYMEASURES UP

TO A NEW CHALLENGETECHNIQUE RAPIDLY AND ACCURATELY SIZES DNA


Researchers from Los Alamos developed the technique — known as“Rapid Size Analysis of Individual DNA Fragments” — from flowcytometry technology pioneered at Los Alamos nearly a quarter century ago.

Molecular biologists routinely analyze large fragments of DNA to identifytheir sources, detect mutations, and provide a quality-control check forthe recombinant DNA libraries used in geneticsresearch. The distribution of fragment sizes ischaracteristic of the bacteria strain or the individ-ual and can be an indication of a genetic disease.

As scientists obtain a better understanding of thehuman genome, analyzing DNA will becomecommonplace in clinical medicine as well.Physicians will be able to treat infections fasterand more accurately because determining if apatient is infected with, say, an antibiotic-resistantbacterial strain will take hours instead of days.Right now a culture must be grown before theDNA can be extracted and studied.

The new rapid-analysis method eliminates the time-consuming step ofgrowing a bacterial population, allowing treatment specific to the infectiousstrain to begin much faster, thereby reducing a patient’s risk and suffering.

Flow cytometers use laser beams to illuminate cells and other particlestagged with fluorescent dyes. The cells flow single file, like beads on astring, through one or more laser beams that excite the dyes bound tocells. The cells are counted, analyzed, and catalogued based on theintensity and spectral properties of their emission signals.

A conventional flow cytometer can identify and catalog hundreds ofthousands of cells in a few minutes, whereas a pathologist using amicroscope might analyze hundreds of cells in an hour. Flow cytome-ters are found in laboratories, hospitals, and universities around theworld. The technology forms the basis for a $300-million-a-year businessfor two U.S. companies.

Applying flow cytometry to the problem of sizing DNA fragmentsrequired several modifications to produce a system sensitive enough tomeasure individual DNA fragments that contain only one ten-thousandthof the DNA in mammalian cells.

First, the researchers slowed down the speed with which the fragmentsflowed through the laser beam by a factor of 1,000. As a result, dye

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ÕA microscopelens behind thef low ce l lco l lectsf luorescenceemitted byindiv idualsta ined DNAfragments asthey passthrough anargon- ion laser beam.

attached to the DNA fluoresces about 10,000 times, giving theresearchers much more information about individual fragments. Second,the technique uses a solid-state laser about the size of a cigarette packageas the excitation source. Third, a highly sensitive photon-countingdetector makes the device the first all-digital flow cytometer. After thedetector records a photon, it sends a signal to a personal computer thatcontinuously records the number of photons detected and theirdetection times.

Together, these changes converted a conventional flow cytometer into thesimplest, most sensitive analytical device yet developed for analyzing DNA.

Although capable of measuring fragments as small as 212 base pairs, thetechnique is best suited to analyzing fragments greater than 10,000 basepairs in length. Base pairs form the “steps” of a DNA molecule’s spiralstaircase. The ability to size larger fragments is significant because untilnow only a time-consuming technique known as “pulsed-fieldelectrophoresis” could measure such big DNA fragments.

The Los Alamos technique has other advantages. It can size DNAfragments that exhibit either linear or circular conformation. With gelelectrophoresis, the current technology, supercoiled and circular DNAmust be straightened out before analysis — an extra step. Straighteningthe DNA is not necessary before sizing with the Los Alamos technology.

And it’s fast. The technique can analyze 100 fragments per second,allowing enough data to be collected in 3 minutes to determine accu-rately a distribution of fragment sizes in a DNA sample. Each sample iscounted, resulting in a histogram, or record of the number of fragmentsof each size.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This technology was featured in last month’s issue ofDateline: Los Alamos.

Many of the nation’s bridges, dams, runways, roads, and culverts are cracking up. In 1993, the Federal

Highway Administration reported that more than 230,000miles of U.S. roads needed immediate repair or repair within5 years. The cost of fixing this problem is projected to be atleast $210 billion. One of theprincipal culprits: alkali-silicareaction — ASR — which canprematurely degrade andweaken concrete structures. Anew technique developed by LosAlamos researchers can detectASR deterioration quickly,inexpensively, and safely.Concrete is a mixture of cement, aggregate, and water. ASR occurs whenalkali in the cement attacks silica-rich components of the aggregate. Thereaction causes the concrete to fracture. Diagnosing the presence of ASRbefore fractures occur has always been difficult and time-consuming.

When applied to a sample concrete core, Los Alamos’ ASR Detect™reveals the presence of this destructive reaction in less than 5 minutesthrough colorful staining that is easy to recognize and interpret. Thissafe, “low-tech” method uses nonradioactive agents and is perfect foron-site use, allowing many structures to be analyzed quickly.

To evaluate degrading concrete and to prescribe treatment, engineersmust know what is causing the deterioration. Is it ASR or somethingelse? (Other possible causes include freeze-thaw and formation of themineral ettringite.) Although ASR has been known for almost 60 years,

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DIAGNOSINGDEGRADING CONCRETEBEFORE IT CRACKS UP

NEW TECHNIQUE IS QUICK, INEXPENSIVE, AND SAFE

ÕASR canshorten aconcretestructure’s l i fe .When appl iedto a sampleconcrete core,ASR Detect™reveals thepresence of thedestruct ivea lka l i -s i l icareact ion.

its effects can be difficult to differentiate from other effects, and thecommon diagnostic procedures are time-consuming, difficult to use,expensive, and produce environmentally unfriendly wastes that needspecial disposal.

ASR Detect™’s two reagents react with two gels associated with ASR. InASR-containing concrete, the result is a brightly colored surface showingthe presence of the targeted gels; ASR-free concrete is unaffected.

For a low cost per sample concrete core, ASR Detect™ allows a completediagnosis without the need for special equipment or extensive training,making this method ideal for in-field analysis. The user simply appliesthe reagents to a fracture surface on a concrete core drilled from a suspectstructure, then rinses off the excess. On ASR-contaminated concrete, theresulting stains are immediately recognizable to the naked eye.

And the stains reveal more about ASR than its presence. Theirdistribution shows the extent of ASR in the concrete, and theirproximity to different components of the aggregate gives clues to thesource of trouble. Previously, only one type of ASR gel was known, butASR Detect™ identifies two ASR gels (one becomes yellow, the otherpink). The different colors indicate the state of ASR’s progression, withyellow signaling that degradation had begun and pink warning thatdegradation is advancing.

An important future application will be to evaluate the ASR potential ofa particular concrete mix before it is used in a construction project. Inother words, a concrete made from a particular cement and a particularaggregate could be tested. Or, various ASR preventatives could be testedfor their effectiveness in a particular concrete mix. The use of ASRDetect™ to evaluate concrete mix designs is possible because LosAlamos’ method is such a sensitive indicator of the ASR gel, even in thereaction’s beginning stages.

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AUTOMATED CHEMICAL ANALYSIS SYSTEM

The Automated Chemical Analysis System processes soil samples for thedetection and determination of polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures:hazardous chemicals originally used as heat-transfer fluids. These so-called

“PCBs” are a significant contaminant at a number ofgovernment and industrial sites. Not only do PCBshave great chemical stability, they are also a potentialcarcinogen and the Environmental Protection Agencywishes to eliminate them from the environment. LosAlamos is leading a national laboratory effort thatincludes Oak Ridge, Sandia, Pacific Northwest, andIdaho Engineering to process soil samples for the

detection and determination of PCBmixtures using the AutomatedChemical Analysis System. Transportedto the contaminated site in an18-wheel semitrailer truck, thesystem uses standardized modules toprovide consistent and reproducibleanalytical results. Individual modules

can be removed or added to the system. This built-in flexibility eventu-ally will allow scientists to conduct myriad analyses for applications thatrange from environmental cleanup and waste management to food andpharmaceutical characterization and petrochemical processing.

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AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED

THREE-PHASE CENTRIFUGE

Approximately 100 million barrels of environ-mentally hazardous oil sludge must becleaned up in the United States alone, andmore than 2.5 million barrels are discardedannually. Worldwide, the figures are muchhigher. Much of this oil sludge comes fromrefineries, but a large portion is a byproduct ofoil field production. Los Alamos and CentechInc. of Casper, Wyo., have combined an

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ÕThe Automated

Chemica lAnalys is System

consists ofsevera l

integratedStandard

LaboratoryModules. Arobot arm

transports asample from

module tomodule. The

inset at r ightshows the

Human-ComputerInterfacesoftware

module used toautomate an

ent i re chemica lana lys is .

A centr i fugeoperat ing at awaste d isposa ls i te for o i lf ie lds . Thetanks conta ins ludge that hasbeen left overby otherc leaningmethods. Thes ludge isseparated intopipel ine-qual i tyo i l , reusablewater , andharmless so l ids .

Ô

ingeniously designed centrifuge and an intelligent “fuzzy” controller.Computer software with fuzzy intelligence makes decisions based on aconstruct of rules that captures the expertise and experience of a highlyskilled human operator. The fuzzy software substantially improves analready successful centrifuge technology by automating control of thecentrifuge for environmental cleanup and oil recovery. The automati-cally controlled three-phase centrifuge will separate oil field and oilrefinery wastes into salable oil, reusable water, and harmless solids. Itwill efficiently clean up oil spills that cause serious environmentalproblems and it can also be used in separation processes conducted bythe steel industry.

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ERUPT: COMPREHENSIVE VOLCANO SIMULATOR

Because observing volcanic activity at close range is extremelydangerous, truly devastating volcanic events are generallyrecorded at a distance that obscures what is happening withthe volcano itself. To raise awareness, which can save lives inan emergency, volcanologists and public officials need a wayto communicate volcanic risks to the public, especially inareas close to active or potentially active volcanoes. ERUPTsoftware meets that challenge by accurately portrayingvolcanic activity and its related hazards in an easily appreciated

visual format. Through a simplegraphical interface, the user displaysreal-time animations of the flow oflava and ash clouds and, as the lavaand ash are deposited in color-codedlayers, builds two- and three-dimensional representations of avolcano or volcanic field. Developed

by Los Alamos and marketed by RockWare Inc. of Golden, Colo.,ERUPT software for personal computers is the first computer programof any kind to simulate practically any kind of volcanic activity, makingit a useful teaching, research, and civil defense tool.

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ÓAn actua lERUPTs imulat ion(bottom) of the1975 erupt ionof Mt.Ngauruhoe,New Zea land.The s imulat ionshows anerupt ionproducingbi l lowingclouds of ashand gas thatr ise severa lmi les into thesky whi lepyroc last icf lows andsurges (hotava lanches ofash and rock)race down thevolcano'ss lopes.


FACSIM — A FACILITY SIMULATION PROGRAM

FOR NUCLEAR MATERIAL PROCESSING

The demand for nuclear energy is rising around the globe, and large newnuclear reprocessing and fuel fabrication plants are going up to helpmeet this demand. At the same time, the United States and Russia areproducing large amounts of surplus fissile material from dismantledweapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency and its memberstates are faced with the enor-mous challenge of ensuring thatnone of this fissile material isdiverted for nuclear weapons.Safeguarding plutonium is adifficult task because as fissilematerials move through a pro-cessing facility, they lose theiridentities through a series ofphysical and chemical changes.Traditional nuclear safeguardsrely on a combination of surveil-lance and material accountingprocedures such as measuringinputs, outputs, and inventories.However, in the high-throughput facilities made necessary by theexpanding nuclear energy market, supplementary safeguards measuresbased on much more detailed monitoring of the amounts and locationsof material in the facility are needed to meet current IAEA standards.FacSim is a computer program that simulates the full operating cycle atfacilities that process nuclear material, and it gives detailed informationon the locations and amounts of fissile material at any given time. Thisinformation can be used to evaluate and improve enhanced safeguardsmeasures such as monitoring material movements and individualprocess steps within the facility. In addition, it is possible to use FacSimin real time to track process operations and assure that they areconsistent with the stated facility design. FacSim is currently being usedto help plan and evaluate safeguards systems at several facilities aroundthe world.

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ÓRepresentat ionof a FacS imcalculat ion.Curves showplutoniuminventor ies inthe so lvent-extract ionvesse ls of thef i rst of threepur if icat ioncyc les at anuclear fuelreprocess ingplant .

FASTAC — AN ULTRAVIOLET SYSTEM FOR

CONTROLLING BACTERIA IN OPAQUE FLUIDS

Intense ultraviolet light is bacteria’s worstnightmare. Los Alamos and Triton ThalassicTechnologies Inc. of Ridgefield, Conn., havedeveloped a UV source optimized to operatewithin T3I’s patented flow chamber. Thelamp emits light concentrated around asingle wavelength and, as opaque industrialfluid or turbid water flows around theoutside of the lamp, the light kills or inacti-vates most of the bacteria contaminating thefluid. T3I’s FASTAC is the only ultravioletsystem available that can treat opaque fluids. As the first technology tooffer a safe and efficient replacement for the toxic chemicals currentlyused to treat metal-working fluids, FASTAC will reduce health risks formillions of industrial workers.

C O N T A C T : J O H N C O O G A N

( 5 0 5 ) 6 6 5 - 0 1 8 6 • E - M A I L : j c o o g a n @ l a n l . g o v

DETECTOR FOR NONINVASIVE FLUID

CHARACTERIZATION

The Detector for Noninvasive Fluid Characterization is the first instrumentthat rapidly characterizes liquids, gases, and solids on the basis of their

physical properties. It also identifies a largearray of industrial and hazardous toxicliquids inside sealed containers, when directaccess is not desirable or not possible.Portable and easy to hold with one hand, thedetector is highly suited to field use in awhole range of applications. All the operatorhas to do is press a few keys and in less than

20 seconds, the detector gathers data, completesthe analysis, and displays the name of the chemi-cal. The detector is composed of an electronicsbox, which includes a computer with a largechemical database of physical properties, and asensor head with two transducers. One transducer


18

ÓThis quartzlamp, with itssurface ofintenseultraviolet l ight,is a bacter ium’sworstnightmare.Operat ingwithin FASTAC’sspecia l lydesigned f lowchamber, thelamp emits l ightconcentratedaround a s inglewavelength. As opaqueindustr ia l f luidor turbid waterf low around theoutside of thelamp, the l ightki l ls orinact ivates mostof the bacteriacontaminatingthe f luid.

Transducers areattached to a

standard 4- l i terg lass bott le

conta in ing thechemica l to be

analyzed. Theoperator

presses a fewkeys and in less

than 20seconds, the

detectorgathers data,

completes theanalys is , anddisp lays thename of the

chemica l . Theinset shows a

s ingle drop ofl iquid being

held betweentwo miniature

transducers bysurface

tens ion. Thedetector wi l l

sense traces ofcontaminat ion

in one drop.

Ô


sends sound waves into the liquid, gas, or solid to be analyzed. Thephysical properties of the contents determine the interference pattern,or spectrum, picked up by the other transducer. The detector deter-mines multiple physical properties of the contents from the observedspectrum and matches these with the values in the computer library toidentify the contents. The detector identifies a large number of liquidsinside sealed containers; monitors mixtures, emulsions, and concentra-tion variations; and analyzes fluid samples as small as one drop.Originally designed for chemical weapons treaty verification and non-proliferation work, the instrument has a range of civilian uses in thefood and beverage, chemical and petroleum, and biomedical and health-care industries, and in customs and drug interdiction and basic research.

C O N T A C T : D I P E N S I N H A

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HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING,

HIGH-GRADIENT MAGNETIC SEPARATION

This advanced separation system removespollutants from solids, liquids, and gases.When combined with high-temperaturesuperconducting technology, magneticseparation becomes a versatile means ofdecontamination and resource recovery.Because it is a physical separation process,no chemical changes occur, which meansthe High-Temperature SuperconductingHigh-Gradient Magnetic Separationsystem introduces no pollution of its own.The HTS separator can be moved from

site to site to extract actinides such as plutonium, thorium,uranium, and americium out of soil. Developed by researchers atLos Alamos, Eriez Magnetic of Erie, Pa., and AmericanSuperconductor Corp. of Westborough, Mass., it can also beused to recover valuable compounds from medical waste waterand contaminants from industrial waste water. In addition, its

use in water treatment and purification could greatly improve effluenttreatment and water quality.

C O N T A C T : F . C O Y N E P R E N G E R

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19

ÓA s impl i f iedschemat ic ofhigh-gradientmagnet icseparat ion. Theinset (be low)shows aconcentrateds lurrycontaminatedwith copperoxide (darksolut ion) andthe pur i f iedwater (c learsolut ion) thatresults frommagnet icseparat ions.

QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHIC KEY GENERATOR

No one likes someone else reading his or her e-mail. Unfortunately,keeping communications secure in cyberspace is sometimes harder than

trying to have a private phone conversation on aparty line. The primary application of the quantumcryptographic key generator is to provide securecommunications over fiber-optic cables inmetropolitan areas where the two communicatingparties are separated by up to 100 kilometers. Thekey transmissions are sent one photon at a time,so they cannot be tapped because a photon is anindivisible elementary particle. The key generatorcan be used to provide secure communications

between banks, between off-site stock-trading centers and central stockexchanges, between corporate offices, and between offices of federalagencies such as the FBI or the National Security Agency. The samesystem also can be used to detect anyone who attempts to “eavesdrop.”The key generator produces software keys required to encode anddecode messages and distributes the keys over the same fiber-opticcables used to transmit the messages. Because the key generatorproduces keys required for encryption just before the encrypted messageis sent, they cannot be stolen beforehand.

C O N T A C T : R I C H A R D H U G H E S

( 5 0 5 ) 6 6 7 - 3 8 7 6 • E - M A I L : r x h @ l a n l . g o v

LOKI: PARALLEL SUPERCOMPUTING

WITH COMMODITY COMPONENTS

Loki is a general-purpose super-computer built by combining alarge number of off-the-shelfcomponents. Developed by LosAlamos, the California Instituteof Technology, and the GoddardSpace Flight Center of Greenbelt,Md., Loki provides a highlyreliable and flexible computingresource ideally suited to a widevariety of large computational


20

ÕQuantum

cryptographyal lows “A l ice”and “Bob” to

exchangemessages in

secrecy byus ing a

cryptographickey that i s

generated andshared us ing

the quantum-mechanica l

propert ies ofs ingle photons.Key generat ion

is control led byordinarypersonal

computers ,which a lsodisp lay theencrypted

messages thatare sent and

received.

Lok i ’s novelcommoditypara l le lprocessordes ign prov idesa h ighly re l iab leand f lex ib lesupercomputingresource idea l lysu ited to a widevar iety of largecomputat ionalproblems. Here,a sc ient istperformsastrophys icsresearch at theconsole in frontof Lok i .

Ó


problems. By using Loki methods, software, and development tools, anyresearch, engineering, or business organization can develop its owncommodity parallel processor design to provide a local supercomputingcapability. The Loki design provides general-purpose supercomputingcapability in the range of $55,000, which is less than one-third the priceof its nearest competitor.

C O N T A C T : M I C H A E L W A R R E N

( 5 0 5 ) 6 6 5 - 5 0 2 3 • E - M A I L : m s w a r r e n @ l a n l . g o v

MDH-1000: A HYDROGEN PURIFICATION SYSTEM

Ultrapure hydrogen is used topurify the silicon that goesinto microelectronic devices.Ultrapure hydrogen also isused to produce high-purityiron and steel, which have thesuperior magnetic propertiesneeded for high-efficiencyelectric motors, alternators,

and generators. The MDH-1000 system developed by Los Alamosresearchers not only provides hydrogen with a purity greater than99.9999 percent for these applications, but it also can recover thehydrogen used in them or in other industrial processes. The heart of thepurification system is a metal membrane that separates hydrogen fromother gases, with minimal auxiliary equipment, at flow rates 10 timesgreater than that of any other hydrogen filter. The materials in themembrane are sturdy and inexpensive and the whole MDH-1000 unit hasseveral safety features that help reduce the hazards of working withhydrogen. Semiconductor manufacturers can save about $160 million ayear by using the membrane technology employed by the MDH-1000 toproduce ultrapure hydrogen for purifying the silicon used in micro-electronic devices. In the future, ultrapure hydrogen will be needed forproton-exchange membrane fuel cells to generate electricity at central andremote power plants. The membrane technology was conceived,developed, and patented by Los Alamos. Generex Inc. of Tryon, N.C.,licensed the technology and developed the commercial product. To date,Generex has sold the MDH-1000 to companies in Sweden, Italy, and Korea.

C O N T A C T : R O B E R T D Y E

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21

ÓThe cabinet onthe leftconta ins thecompositemeta lmembrane thatseparatesultrapurehydrogen fromother gases,the heat ingunit for themeta lmembrane, andthe purgesystem thatprotects themembranefrom damageshould i tstemperaturedrop below thatrequired forproperoperat ion. Theunit on ther ight prov idesthe controllogic andelectr ica l powerfor thepur if icat ionsystem andindicates thetemperature ofthe membrane.

NANOPOROUS POLYMERS: “MAGIC MATERIALS”

FOR WATER PURIFICATION

A completely new class of polymer, nanoporouspolymeric materials reduce common organiccontamination in water to parts-per-trillion levels.Unlike conventional technologies such as activatedcarbon and zeolites, these new polymers workeffectively in both air and water. In fact, the bindingbetween organic contaminants and the polymer is100,000 times greater than the binding betweenorganic contaminants and activated carbon.A simple alcohol rinse releases the collectedcontamination from the polymer, enablingworkers to use the material again and again.The technology preserves municipal watersupplies by removing hazardous organiccompounds from drinking water or under-ground water. It also has potential applications in cleaning up toxicorganics at nuclear waste sites; oil or organic chemical spills, such astanker spills in oceans; and organic explosives, such as TNT, atDepartment of Energy and Department of Defense sites.

C O N T A C T : D E Q U A N L I

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RCSD: REMOTE CONTAINER-SAMPLING DEVICE

Hazardous materials response and environmental cleanup crews workday to day with potentially hazardous containers. These teams must

characterize the materials inside such drums beforethey can properly dispose of them. In some cases,merely piercing a container will cause it to explodeand release dangerous fumes or contaminants intothe environment. The explosion could be severeenough to harm workers in the immediate area.The Remote Container-Sampling Device can pierce,vent, sample, and neutralize the contents ofcontainers believed to hold unstable and hazardousmaterials. Portable and remotely operated, theRCSD reduces the possibility of spontaneous

22


ÕA largetransparent f i lmon an aluminumsupport iscovered withorganic-contaminatedwater droplets.Removing thewater dropletsrevealscorrespondingcolored dots,which indicatethat the organiccontaminantshave beenefficientlytransportedinto thenanoporouspolymer. Theinset shows thepolymer in itspure form ( left) ,and the polymerhaving absorbedtwo differentchemicals(middle andright). A r insewith a solventsuch as ethanolreturns thepolymer to itsoriginal state(pure form).

The RemoteConta iner-

Sampl ingDevice and i tsattachments.The RCSD canpierce, vent,sample, and

neutra l ize thecontents of

conta inersbel ieved to

hold unstableand hazardous

mater ia ls .

Ô

ignition through the use of a self-contained, breathing-apparatus aircylinder that provides a compressed-air power source. Potential users ofthis device include hazardous materials teams, fire and police depart-ments, hazardous device squads, and environmental cleanup crews.

C O N T A C T : D A V I D V O L Z

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ROAM: REAL-TIME OPTIMALLY ADAPTING MESHES

The military and industry spend hundreds of millions of dollars eachyear collecting, processing, and validating data to simulate terrain forapplications such as flight simulation, virtual reality, and sensor testingand evaluation. The challenge faced by all real-time terrain-renderingsoftware is to produce realistic and consistent scenes in milliseconds.ROAM is the first real-time terrain-generating software to operate by astrict error-minimization discipline: consequently it achieves precisedisplays with highly efficient use of graphical resources. ROAM operatesin two stages: a preprocessing stage and areal-time stage. The preprocessing softwareconstructs meshes of triangles that approxi-mate the desired terrain at progressivelycoarser levels of detail. The real-time terrainserver starts at the coarsest level of detail,where the preprocessor stops, and works inthe opposite direction; it locally subdividesthe meshes to produce a sequence ofnonuniform but continuous terrain meshes.Consequently, ROAM rapidly generateshigh-quality visualizations. ROAM also addresses vital concerns for howsimulated entities interact with terrain. ROAM’s resource allocations areguided to enable objects to move naturally over terrain while maintainingaccurate fields of view. ROAM was originally designed for the Navy andthe Air Force to support flight simulations for integrated tests of aircraftavionics. The computer codes that underlie ROAM are flexible and havewide applicability beyond terrain rendering. In the near future, ROAMmay play a role in developing a new category of interactive,multiplayer, virtual reality simulations for the entertainment, business,and medical markets, as well as finding further uses in military andscientific applications.

C O N T A C T : M U R R A Y W O L I N S K Y

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ÕThis i s a s ingleframe takenfrom a rea l-t ime terra ins imulat ionproduced us ingthe ROAMterra in server .The area shownis part of theSandiaMounta ins nearAlbuquerque,N.M.



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BRIEFLY …

LABORATORY FORMS NEW OFFICE TO ENHANCE COLLABORATIONS. Two Los Alamos programs,the office of Energy Technology and the Industrial Partnership Office, have merged into a single program calledthe Civilian and Industrial Technology Program Office. The merger will enhance the Laboratory’s role in civil-ian federal programs such as fossil fuel and energy efficiency technologies and will work to form synergisticpartnerships with industry sectors closely aligned with those civilian programs. Additionally, the office willseek to form strategic partnerships with industry that provide value to the Laboratory in terms of innovationand the ability of the partnership to enhance the Lab’s ability to meet its core mission. The new office willmore closely scrutinize Los Alamos’ areas of science and technology that will benefit from the industrialcollaboration and analyze the long-term benefits. “We’ll be looking for programs and partnerships, in eitherindustry or government, where the results of the work will help strengthen and revitalize the Laboratory’srole in non-defense federal and civilian programs,” said Charryl Berger, director of the new office. “We willfocus on innovation and creativity rather than the amount of money the collaboration might bring in.”C O N T A C T : C H A R R Y L B E R G E R , C I T I P - P O , ( 5 0 5 ) 6 6 5 - 9 0 9 0 • E - M A I L : c b e r g e r @ l a n l . g o v

24

IN THIS ISSUE:R&D 100

AWARD-WINNING

TECHNOLOGIES

HIGH-PERFORMANCE

STORAGE SYSTEMP A G E 3

DRYWASH™P A G E 5

FALCON SOFTWAREP A G E 6

ION IMPLANTATIONP A G E 9

RAPID SIZE DNAANALYSIS

P A G E 1 0

ASR DETECT™P A G E 1 3

13 OUTSTANDING

TECHNOLOGIESP A G E 1 5

Dateline: Los Alamos is available on theWorld Wide Web:

http://lib-www.lanl.gov/pubs/dateline.htm

LALP-97-1-9

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidAlbuquerque, NM

Permit No. 532

los alamos wins six r&d 100 awards · require tanks of carbon dioxide to make soft drinks from...

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