Research Highlights
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FNAL’s Robert “Obie” Oberholtzer Page 2 Number 239 July 16, 2007 Wind turbine blade test Next for sequencing: Eucalyptus Research facilities planned DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory DOE’s National Renewable Energy and Joint Genome Institute are part Highlights . Laboratory will work with consortiums of an ambitious international effort to from Texas and Massachusetts to design, decode the genome of Eucalyptus, one build and operate new facilities to of the world’s most valuable fi ber and test the next generation of giant wind paper-producing trees and only the turbine blades. The ultimate goal is second tree to have its DNA sequenced. to test blades up to 330 ft. (100m) in The DNA sequence of the 600-million- length. Rapid growth in wind turbine nucleotide tree genome will be size during the past two decades has generated under the auspices of DOE’s outstripped the existing capabilities JGI in a project co-led by ORNL’s Gerald of NREL’s National Wind Technology Tuskan. The genus Eucalyptus includes Center, which operates the only facility some of the fastest growing woody in North America capable of full-scale plants in the world and is one of the testing of megawatt-size wind turbine most widely planted forest trees in the blades. NREL will continue testing blades world. Eucalyptus offers extraordinary at its facility in Colorado. opportunities for comparative genomic [Sarah Barba, 303/275-3023, analysis with Populus, the fi rst tree [email protected]] sequenced, which was published in the journal Science in 2006. [Bill Cabage, 865/574-4399, [email protected]] Ultrasound technology tracks microbial growth in fermentations NETL develops next generation An acoustic technology developed fl ame ionization sensor system at DOE’s Pacifi c Northwest National Researchers from the combustion Laboratory eliminates the need for and advanced sensors teams at DOE’s laborious and costly sampling of slurries National Energy Technology Laboratory in large containers. Fermentation- have developed the next generation based industries, such as beer and of fl ame ionization sensor for in-situ DOE Pulse highlights work pharmaceuticals, could benefi t from the turbine combustion monitoring. The being done at the Department technology’s non-invasive, continuous fi rst generation of NETL’s patented of Energy’s national laborato- and objective “listening” technique Combustion Control and Diagnostics ries. DOE’s laboratories house in tracking microbial growth through Sensor (CCADS) senses fl ame fl ashback world-class facilities where the different process phases. This and lean blow out by measuring more than 30,000 scientists acoustic-based technology is attached resistance across the fl ame. The new and engineers perform cutting- to the outside of a large tank or vat, Intelligent CCADS Electronics system edge research spanning DOE’s much like those used to make beer and determines both the resistance and science, energy, national secu- medicinal drugs. It tracks the size and capacitance of a fl ame. The addition of rity and environmental quality concentration of particles within opaque the fl ame capacitance measurement is missions. DOE Pulse (www.ornl. slurries. The ultrasound technology expected to improve the quantifi cation gov/news/pulse/) is distributed is also useful for measuring cell or of the fuel/air equivalence ratio in the every two weeks. For more organism growth and population in combustor, a key parameter for ultra-low information, please contact fermentations. emissions performance. Jeff Sherwood (jeff.sherwood@ [Andrea Turner, 509/375-3893, [Linda Morton, 304/285-4543, hq.doe.gov, 202-586-5806). [email protected]] [email protected]] A breakthrough event at Idaho National Laboratory ‘OBIE’ KEEPS SEARCH FOR SLAC HIGGS RUNNING n Wednesday, June 27, SLAC celebrated More than 1300 physicists a major construction milestone for the from all over the world use OLinac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). the Tevatron particle collider Tunneling crews broke through the fi nal few inches of at DOE’s Fermi National the Undulator Transport Hall into daylight after nearly Accelerator Laboratory to search three months and 560 feet of digging. The event for the elusive Higgs particle, marks partial completion of one end of the 1,700+ foot one of the greatest mysteries tunnel. in particle physics. Scientists The event was webcast live from the construction believe this hypothetical particle site, a short video of which is now available here is key to explaining the origin of Robert “Obie” (Requires Real mass for elementary particles. Oberholtzer Player.) An While scientists working on the collider interactive experiments are often in the limelight, hundreds of dashboard engineers and technicians are crucial as well to keep detailing the the search for the Higgs particle going. Robert LCLS project is “Obie” Oberholtzer, Fermilab senior engineering also available associate, is one of the people at the laboratory here. who work around the clock to keep the Fermilab Upon accelerator complex running day and night. When completion in there is an electrical or mechanical problem with Tunnel Crew 2009, the LCLS one of the accelerators, Oberholtzer is called in to will be the world’s fi rst hard X-ray free electron laser. help fi x it. By producing ultra-fast, ultra-bright pulses of X-ray “Obie is probably one of the leading contenders light, scientists will be able to use the LCLS much as a for the person most called to come in during off camera’s fl ash to freeze images of atoms and molecules hours,” said Roger Dixon, head of the Fermilab in motion. Such processes occur on timescales that Accelerator Division. “He frequently spends a large until now have been out of reach of even the most fraction of his weekend at the lab solving electrical sophisticated instruments—molecules vibrate and problems. If we come across something diffi cult, react with each other on the order of quadrillionths Obie is who we call.” of a second. Opening the door to this world of Oberholtzer fi rst came to the lab in 1968. femtosecond dynamics will deepen our understanding He worked on the construction, installation and of process such as how chemical bonds form and break commissioning of the Antiproton Source, which and how electrons behave within atoms, potentially supplies antiprotons for the collider experiments. He revolutionizing a range of fi elds from physics to biology has applied his expertise to the accelerator complex and medicine. ever since. In the 1990s, Oberholtzer worked on The LCLS is a collaboration among SLAC, University electrical components for the upgrade of the Linear of California Los Angeles, and Los Alamos, Argonne Accelerator. During the construction of the Main and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. Injector Accelerator he helped install fi ve million feet of cable. Submitted by DOE’s Stanford Linear Keeping the Antiproton Source operational is Accelerator Center one of Oberholtzer’s many responsibilities today. Although he could retire, Oberholtzer promised he would stay until the Tevatron shuts down in a couple of years. “My job is interesting because I never have to do the same thing over and over,” Oberholtzer said. “It’s always something new and different.” —Amelia Williamson Submitted by DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.