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Electronics Could Take A Quantum Leap

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Physicists at DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Washington State University are firing positrons into quantum dots - particles 1/1,000th the diameter of a human hair - to characterize the size and electronic energy potential of the dot. Harnessing this energy by hooking several dots together could substantially enhance future electronics.

Funder: Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences
Meeting: American Physical Society

Center For Ion Mobility Spectrometry Established At INEEL

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ion mobility spectrometry is a highly sensitive and portable analytical technique that has potential applications in such diverse spheres as agriculture, environmental management, and drug discovery. This month, the DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory committed $1.7 million to establish a collaborative Center for Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
Meeting: PITTCON '99

New Technology Turns French Fry Oil Into Diesel Fuel

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The vegetable oil used to cook crispy, golden french fries may soon power diesel engines. Researchers at the DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have found that used french fry oil can be converted into an environmentally friendly diesel fuel faster and less expensively than current processes while producing an even higher grade fuel.

Funder: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, US Department of Energy

Human Identity Reduced To A Bar Code

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Miragen, a biotechnology company, are developing a technique that can display a "bar code" of antibodies normally present in the human body that is unique for each person and may become a powerful new tool for law enforcement.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

Textile "Sizing" Technology Goes Supercritical

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Before threads can be woven into fabric, they must be "sized," a process that adds a strengthening and smoothing coat to the threads. Researchers at the DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have found a way to force the sizing mixture into threads via a high-pressure "supercritical fluid." This method is faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than the conventional, centuries-old technology.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

Gamma-Ray Spectrum Catalogues Released On Web

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers and scientists now have access to on-line reference standards developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The updated Ge and original NaI(TI) Gamma-Ray Spectrum Catalogues, developed by the "Father of Gamma-Ray Spectrometry", the late physicist Russell Heath, have been released on the Internet at http://id.inel.gov/gamma.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

Shining Light On Sound

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Laser Ultrasonic Camera developed by researchers at the INEEL transforms sound waves into an image. The system produces a dynamic holographic image, in real time, of ultrasonic vibrations as they occur on the surface of an object. The pattern of vibrations can reveal an object's thickness, stiffness and imperfections.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

Water Travels Chaotically Through The Ground

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time, hydrogeologists are using chaos theory to model how water flows from the earth's surface to the aquifer. Understanding this process is crucial for protecting the aquifer from waterborne radioactive and organic contaminants. LBNL and INEEL scientists uncovered chaotic dynamics at the "clean up" scale, which takes place "one barrel at a time."

Funder: Department of Energy, Enviromental Management Science Program
Meeting: American Geophysical Union

Hurricane Chasers Look For Turbulent Times

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Teams of researchers from universities and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory chased hurricanes this last season to determine the structure of hurricane winds. The data will be used to reconstruct hurricanes at a national natural disaster test facility in the Idaho desert.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

First-Of-Its-Kind Scale Windstorm Center At INEEL Turns On Its Fans

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Engineers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have constructed a 1/14 scale model of a hurricane simulator. The Scale Windstorm Center creates hurricane-like winds for testing the hurricane-resistance of small-scale items. It is a pilot for the full-scale HomeSaver facility planned for 2003, which will be able to test 2-story houses.

Funder: Department of Energy, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

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