Research
Highlights...
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INEEL's Sohal takes the heat. |
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| Number 50 |
February 28, 2000 |
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Beryllium
sensitivity test fights disease
A two-pronged research effort
at DOE's Los Alamos
National Laboratory will make it easier to identify people
sensitive to beryllium metal and help prevent workers from developing
chronic beryllium disease. A Los Alamos team has devised a new,
more accurate blood test to identify workers who are sensitized
to beryllium. The researchers also have pinpointed genetic markers
that indicate increased risk for a small number of workers who
are more likely to develop CBD. Los Alamos maintains the DOE's
capabilities for research and development in beryllium, a unique
metal used in nuclear weapons and, in the commercial sector,
for telescope mirrors and golf clubs.
[Kay Roybal,
505/665-0582,
k_roybal@lanl.gov]
Bioactive glass coating improves metal
bone implants
More than $2 billion
is spent yearly in this country on reconstructive surgery involving
implants for broken bones. One out of every five of these major
surgeries is performed to replace an implant that has failed
because metals rub against the bones and do not bond effectively.
The lifetimes of artificial hips, knees, and other medical reconstructive
devices could be significantly extended with the use of a biologically
active silicate glass coating that enables titanium and other
metal implants to bond with bone. This special coating, applied
in layers and liquified under extreme heat to make the bonds
uniform, will be tested in vivo over the next year by Antoni
Tomsia and Eduardo Saiz of the Materials Sciences Division of
DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory.
[Lynn Yarris, 510/486-5375,
lcyarris@lbl.gov]
Device
fights fire with fire
An instrument that
can detect tiny (nano) explosions could lead to a hand-held
instrument to screen people and luggage at airports or to
detect land mines. The technology from DOE's
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is based on miniature micro-machined
silicon cantilevers one-tenth the width of a human hair that
can detect tiny forces caused by heat-induced nano-explosions.
The device, which boasts parts-per-trillion sensitivity, works
by absorbing TNT molecules given off by explosives. As the
semiconductor material absorbs the TNT and is heated with
power from a simple battery, the TNT molecules undergo tiny
explosions that are detected by an optical beam.
[Ron Walli,
865/576-0226,
wallira@ornl.gov]
In search of the missing link: Methanogens
and methane
Microbiologists
at DOE's Idaho National Engineering
and Environmental Laboratory are searching for the link
between methane-producing microorganisms and frozen methane
gas deep in the ocean floor. Vast amounts of methane gas frozen
in ice crystals called hydrates are trapped in the ocean subsurface.
Understanding the role of microorganisms called methanogens
and the hydrate gas will help determine whether hydrates could
become a renewable energy resource for the future. Researcher
Mark Delwiche spent 14
grueling days on a drilling rig off the coast of Japan to
secure core samples that will be the basis of his research for
the next year.
[Deborah Hill, 208-526-4723,
dahill@inel.gov]
Massive
detector continues to reinvent itself
The DZero detector at DOE's
Fermilab is marching toward the deadline of a year from
now to complete its reinvention with new apparatus for observing
and recording the collisions of subatomic particles. DZero is
a 5,000-ton "Swiss watch" of tiny detector components, and hundreds
of thousands of electronic channels, used for recording the
results of collisions between protons and antiprotons in Fermilab's
Tevatron, the world's highest-energy particle accelerator. The
DZero upgrade involves stripping out and rebuilding its electronics
systems, and installing the latest generation of the tiny silicon
vertex detectors that monitor particle collisions. DZero and
its partner detector, CDF, are scheduled to be ready for operation
in March 2001.
[Mike Perricone,
630/840-5678,
mikep@fnal.gov]
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Expert
on heat transfer takes
success in stride
Manohar S. Sohal can
take the heat. More specifically, the engineer at the DOE's
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory knows
how to make heat flow from one thing into another.
During his 19 years
at INEEL Sohal has studied thermal phenomena ranging from the
casting of metals to the flow of liquid and vapor mixtures. He
has contributed to the safety of nuclear reactors by modeling
the interaction between core and coolant and has served as technical
project manager for several DOE programs. Before coming to the
lab, he helped develop the widely accepted theory of how bubbles
form during boiling. Currently, he is trying to improve the efficiency
of geothermal power plants by improved heat transfer.
For his many accomplishments
Sohal recently was elected a Fellow of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, an honor he accepts graciously. "It means
I'm old," he quips. "Joking aside, it means others think you deserve
recognition because it's given by your peers."
Sohal began studying
engineering as an undergraduate in India. "If you think back to
those days in that country it will tell you the story," he says.
"I came from a lower-middle-class family. And engineering was
the top profession. It was the most prestigious and highest paying.
And, of course, I enjoyed physics and math, there's no doubt about
it."
The intellectual challenges
of engineering inspire Sohal. "You pretty much have to scratch
your head," he says. "Am I doing the right thing? Will this work
out? Should I have thought something else? These things are not
obvious in the beginning."
In spite of his successes,
the soft-spoken father of two keeps his career in perspective.
"My family to me is the most important," he says. "That I strive
for. Having a happy family life comes first."
[Submitted
by DOE's Idaho National Engineering
and Environmental Laboratory]
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