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For their contributions to high-temperature superconducting wire technology, an Argonne research team led by Vic Maroni (CMT) shared the 2000 Collaboration Success Award of the Council for Chemical Research.
The award was given to the Wire Development Group -- which includes research teams from Argonne, Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Massachusetts company, American Superconductor -- for laying the scientific and engineering groundwork for commercializing superconducting wires for transmission lines, motors, transformers, fault current limiters and other electric power applications.
High-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires can carry a large amount of electrical current with no resistance at temperatures in the range of 40 to 80 Kelvin, with significant gains in energy efficiency and cost savings. But most HTS materials are brittle ceramics, making them difficult to adapt to applications requiring long lengths of conductor.
The process for making these wires starts by making a powder that contains the correct proportions of oxides of bismuth, lead, strontium, calcium and copper. The powder is packed into a cylinder made of silver or silver alloy, drawn into long strands and packed together as a group of fine filaments. Then the silver-sheathed superconductor precursor is heated, causing the powder to react chemically and form superconducting material inside the silver sheath. Making the superconducting ceramic filaments thin and bundling them together allows the wires to tolerate a certain amount of bending.
The Wire Development Group is a coordinated team effort led by American Superconductor. Argonne researchers have worked mainly in two areas. Initially, they were involved with making the precursor powder, working out the proportions of each substance that would give rise to the superconducting material when heated. They also played a key role in developing the heat treatment process by optimizing the parameters that affect the powder's transition to superconductor. Argonne's work on the heat treatment process has contributed to impressive improvement in the HTS wire's performance, said Maroni.
The Council for Chemical Research works to enhance chemical research by promoting collaborations among university, industrial and government researchers.
-- Scott Jenkins
Tickets for Breakfast with Santa, the Argonne Club's annual holiday party, go on sale the week of Nov. 27 from 11:30 a.m to 1 p.m. at the Argonne-East Building 213 Cafeteria until the 600 available tickets are sold out.
Breakfast with Santa will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Building 213 Cafeteria. Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at the cafeteria at 9 a.m.
Tickets are $2 per child and are available in three time slots: 9 a.m. -11 a.m., 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Tickets are limited to 10 per customer.
Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase from Sodexho Marriott. Cookies and juice will be available free of charge.
The Argonne Club board will need three new members in 2001.
Officers serve three-year terms and help plan the Argonne Club's activities, like Breakfast with Santa, the Argonne-East employee picnic and group outings.
For more information, contact Jessie McHenry (OPA) at ext. 2-5545 or jessiemchenry@anl.gov; or Steve Hanuska (ASD) at ext. 2-4339 or hanuska@ aps.anl.gov.
A group of Argonne-West and Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC (BBWI) volunteers spent a day teaching hundreds of Girl Scouts about nuclear science in everyday life, a topic they hope will be the subject of an official scout patch.
Argonne-West's Mary Lou Dunzik Gougar (RPS), Maxine Klossner (FAC) and Amy Powell (NT), along with Hans Gougar, Frances Marshall and Bob and Glenna Seal of BBWI, spent the day guiding hands-on experiments, providing information and activity sheets, giving presentations and answering questions about nuclear science.
Participants included about 600 Girl Scouts camping at the Filer Fairgrounds near Twin Falls, Idaho. In the morning, 60 cadet and senior scouts spent an hour with the volunteers to learn about the history of nuclear science, experiment with Geiger counters and calculate their average annual natural radiation doses. In the afternoon, troops of all ages filed by the nuclear fair booth to perform a radiation hunt, collect "Atoms Family" coloring books and survey uranium ore and FiestawareTM (until 1969, the trademark dark-orange color of the tableware came from a slightly radioactive uranium compound used in the glaze).
The Girl Scouts Nuclear Science and Technology Interest Project Patch was originally proposed by national American Nuclear Society (ANS) members in 1992.
Although never included as part of the official Girl Scouts USA offerings, patch activities have been used by many ANS student and local sections to give workshops like the one at Twin Falls.
During the past six years, Mary Lou Dunzik Gougar has been working to update the patch activities, test it in the field (through the Penn State University Student Section and the Idaho Section) and coordinate with Girl Scouts USA administration in New York City to include the patch in their updated offerings. At the national ANS meeting in June, Gougar passed the baton to Wanda Munn, one of the original patch creators and an active member of ANS, the Society of Women Engineers and the Girl Scouts.
For more information about the Girl Scouts patch, contact Gougar at mldgougar@anl.gov or Munn at wimunn@aol.com.
-- Mary Lou Dunzik Gougar
Argonne's open enrollment ends Wednesday, Nov. 22. Any medical election change must be received in Human Resources' Benefits Office on that date.
Employees who want to participate in a flexible spending account for 2001 must submit the required forms to Payroll by Nov. 22. A new flexible spending account form must be completed each year to continue participation.
Entries are being sought for the 2001 R&D 100, Discover, and Green Chemistry awards.
This year there is a brief online "intent to submit" form that is due to the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) by Monday, Nov. 27. Draft entries for Discover and Green Chemistry awards are due to OTT Friday, Dec. 8, and R&D 100 draft entries are due to OTT Wednesday, Jan. 17.
This year, due to funding constraints, OTT will pay entry fees for R&D 100 award entries, but all other costs (including those associated with winning) are the responsibility of participating divisions.
For more information or to submit an entry, visit the internal technology transfer Web site. For more information, contact Shari Zussman (OTT) at ext. 2-5936 or zussman@anl.gov.
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Argonne News will not be distributed on Friday, Nov. 24. All copies will be delivered on Monday, Nov. 27.
Deadline for news items, seminar listings and classified ads for that issue will be noon Monday, Nov. 20.
The Argonne Guest House Restaurant will close for the Thanksgiving holiday after dinner Wednesday, Nov. 22, and reopen for lunch Monday, Nov. 27. Sandwiches will be available 24 hours a day in the gift shop.
The 5 to 9 Grill will be closed Thursday, Nov. 23 and will reopen Friday, Nov. 24. The grill is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Wine connoisseurs take note: the 2000 Beaujolais nouveau arrives at the Argonne Guest House Wednesday, Nov. 29, and will be served through Friday, Dec. 1, at a special series of dinners.
Beaujolais nouveau is made from young Gamay grapes picked less than two months before bottling. It is shipped out by land, sea and air, and uncorked on the third Thursday of November, starting at midnight local time. This year's vintage is predicted to be "robust, typical, well bred, generous, and mouthwatering," according to IntoWine, the online publication of the Wine Education Center.
A special menu to complement the wine will include fried brie with fresh fruit and cracker, roasted loin of pork, grilled ahi tuna, and blackened ribeye steak with wild mushroom pasta. Dessert selections will include créme brulée, fruit tart and apple cherry crisp.
Hours are from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Reservations are requested; call ext. 5-2008 or (630) 739-6000.
Quality hardcover books will go on sale in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria Thursday, Nov. 30.
The book fair, sponsored by Sodexho Marriott, will feature books at 30 percent to 70 percent lower than retail prices. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.
English As Second Language classes will be held at Argonne-East beginning Tuesday, Nov. 28. Employees with any level of English ability are welcome.
The classes, sponsored by Human Resources, are designed to help non-native speakers improve and fine-tune their English language skills on the job. Participants will improve in the following areas: vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, reading, comprehension and writing.
The class (HR534) will begin on Nov. 28 in Building 201, Room 238, and will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for 10 weeks. The $400 cost includes textbook. A $30 pretest is required for all new participants.
To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410 or visit the HR web site .
A recycled toy drive will be held at Argonne-East through Dec. 13. Toys will be donated to local charities.
Toys will be collected at the Argonne Fire Station. Toy guns and toys in poor condition cannot be accepted.
Electronics and Computing Technologies will offer several classes in office computer software at Argonne-East during December.
Full class descriptions and schedules are available online. Unless otherwise noted, classes will be held in Building 221, Room A142, are limited to 10 participants, and cost $195. For information about enrollment procedures, contact Diane Cavazos (ECT) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos@anl.gov.
Advanced Word 2000 (ECT378) -- Prerequisites: Introduction and
Intermediate Word. Monday, Dec. 4, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Advanced Excel 2000 (ECT379) --
Prerequisites: Introduction and Intermediate Excel 2000.
Tuesday, Dec. 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Advanced Access 2000 (ECT380) --
Prerequisite: Intermediate Access 2000. Wednesday, Dec. 6, 8:30
a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Class size limited to eight.
Microsoft Outlook 2000 (ECT377) -- Thursday, Dec.
7, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
