| Argonne's Ceramicrete recycles n-waste
A patented material developed by DOE's Argonne National Laboratory to stabilize low-level mixed and fission-product wastes may soon find use back in nuclear reactors. A research agreement between Argonne and Eagle Picher Industries of Quapaw, Okla., will use the material, called Ceramicrete, in castable shielding for nuclear reactors; containers for spent nuclear fuel transportation; and storage, biological shielding, medical treatments, and pumpable emergency shielding material for use in nuclear disaster areas. The technology will first be demonstrated on a pilot-plant basis and then later adapted for commercial uses. The project is sponsored by DOE through the United States Industry Coalition in support of the DOE's Initiatives of Proliferation Prevention program.
"Green" high-performance cement is hot stuff
Fifteen years of materials chemistry research funded by DOE's Office of
Geothermal Technologies has resulted in the development of products that benefit both industry and the environment by scientists at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory. One success for use in geothermal wells is a high-efficiency cement, made mainly from recycled fly ash in an environmentally friendly process needing no harsh chemicals. In three years of DOE-funded tests in 5,500-foot-deep, 280ºC wells in Indonesia, this heat and carbon-dioxide resistant cement has performed so well that it is now used commercially in Italy and Japan, and South America
may soon follow suit.
New technique allows faster identification of ultratrace metals
A novel extension of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, an analytical technique pioneered at DOE's Ames Laboratory, is easing the identification of ultratrace metals in biological systems. Developed by senior chemist Sam Houk, the combination of ICP-MS with chromatography allows measurements at part-per-trillion levels and is faster, more sensitive and more selective than conventional schemes. The measurements help scientists better comprehend the effects of both radioactive and nonradioactive elements in biology and environmental sciences. "Since the DOE has radioactive elements in storage, monitoring their binding to proteins and DNA at very low concentrations is of great environmental importance," Houk says.
One of a kind
Not quite 5 years old, Hall C at DOE's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is performing like a seasoned pro. Lab staff are currently preparing for five experiments that will run concurrently through 1999. This $23 million research hall is unique in the Lab's experimental facilities with its ability to accommodate a variable array of equipment for complex extended investigations. Seven experiments have been completed in the last five years with results published in journals. Chair of the User Group board of directors, Don Geesaman puts it, "Results from Hall C experiments are having a big impact in the field of nuclear physics."
Splats and the art of thermal plasma spraying
A water balloon will make a different splat depending on how hard it is thrown and how big and full it is. Engineers who spray ceramic and metallic droplets to coat surfaces need consistent splats to ensure strong, durable coatings. Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory engineer James Fincke is identifying sources of particle variation in a spray coating process by studying particles' in-flight behavior and the splats they make on impact. His state-of-the-art laser-based system can simultaneously gauge the size, velocity and temperature of 10,000 particles in the spray per second. They are investigating what particle characteristics yield splats that bond into the best coatings.
Annealing restores chilled crystals
Protein crystals grown in space are perfectly formed; however, they must be flash-cooled for preservation. In a process called macromolecular crystal annealing, Gerry Bunick of DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is thawing protein crystals grown in space and refreezing them, which reverses the damage caused by the quick freezing process. The annealing technique will make the crystals more suitable for X-ray diffraction analysis research back on Earth. The NASA-funded experiment, one of a series that has flown on the space shuttle and Mir, is also likely to spend time on the International Space Station.
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Faster than a speeding neutrino
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| Janet Conrad
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Janet Conrad is a whimsical physicist who travels at nearly the speed of light.
One moment she is teaching at Columbia University in New York City. The next moment she is researching neutrinos and working with students at DOE's Fermilab in Batavia, IL. She also raises dahlias, studies photography, and meets up with her husband, a physicist at New Mexico State University.
Conrad describes herself as "self-propelled."
She recently won the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers beginning their careers. The award comes with a $500,000 research grant, which Conrad has already earmarked: some $40,000 will go to an education project developing connections between physics and medicine; the rest, to purchasing phototubes for the MiniBooNE neutrino experiment at Fermilab's Booster accelerator, for which she is the spokesperson.
When Conrad was in fifth grade, "Star Trek" hooked her on astronomy. But as an undergraduate at Swarthmore, she was mesmerized by a course in quantum mechanics and switched to particle physics.
"Quantum mechanics is a totally different way of thinking than the structured world of mechanics," she explains. "It opens up all sorts of possibilities: If the universe is completely open and goes on forever, then there is some finite probability-very tiny, of course-that a purple unicorn will appear."
From the beginning, she wanted to be an experimentalist, not a theorist.
"I like to build things," she says. "I really enjoy having something there when I'm finished."
Last year, Conrad gave the plenary talk at the world-famous International Conference on High-Energy Physics, followed by invited talks at universities in Sweden and Germany. She says she can't imagine life getting any better.
Conrad sums it up: "I'm paid to do what I love to do."
Submitted by DOE's Fermilab |
