W.M. Keck Observatory, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on Applications for Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Instruments, 47899-47900 [2015-19598]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• International Trade Administration

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 153 (Monday, August 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47899-47900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19598]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


W.M. Keck Observatory, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on 
Applications for Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Instruments

    This is a decision pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Educational, 
Scientific, and Cultural Materials Importation Act of 1966 (Pub. L. 89-
651, as amended by Pub. L. 106-36; 80 Stat. 897; 15 CFR part 301). 
Related records can be viewed between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in Room 
3720, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC.
    Comments: None received. Decision: Approved. We know of no 
instruments of equivalent scientific value to the foreign instruments 
described below, for such purposes as each is intended to be used, that 
was being manufactured in the United States at the time of its order.
    Docket Number: 14-030. Applicant: W.M. Keck Observatory, Kamuela, 
HI 96743. Instrument: Next Generation Adaptive Optics (NGAO) Laser 
System. Manufacturer: Toptica Photonics AG, Germany. Intended Use: See 
notice at 80 FR 31890, June 4, 2015. Comments: None received. Decision: 
Approved. We know of no instruments of equivalent scientific value to 
the foreign instruments described below, for such purposes as this is 
intended to be used, that was being manufactured in the United States 
at the time of order. Reasons: The instrument will be used to provide a 
high quality ``artificial star'' in the atmosphere to remove the image 
blurring caused by the atmosphere, as part of a Laser Guide Star 
Adaptive Optics System. The system uses a technique called Adaptive 
Optics that measures the turbulence in Earth's atmosphere that causes 
blurring or ``twinkling'' by ``flexing'' or ``bending'' a deformable 
mirror at speeds of hundreds of times per second. The instrument is 
used to excite sodium atoms residing in the mesosphere above the 
Earth's surface creating an ``artificial star'' for measuring the 
atmosphere's turbulence. The instrument uses a laser of a precise 
wavelength of 589nm projected onto the sodium layer at 90km in the 
atmosphere, for which the stability, format and bandwidth are critical. 
The wavelength, amount of power, and spectral content required to 
resonant atoms 90km in the atmosphere are not commonly used in the 
laser industry.

    Docket Number: 15-003. Applicant: University of California Santa 
Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6105.

[[Page 47900]]

Instrument: Cryo Positioning Stage High Resonance. Manufacturer: 
Janssen Precision Engineering, the Netherlands. Intended Use: See 
notice at 80 FR 31890, June 4, 2015. Comments: None received. Decision: 
Approved. We know of no instruments of equivalent scientific value to 
the foreign instruments described below, for such purposes as this is 
intended to be used, that was being manufactured in the United States 
at the time of order. Reasons: The instrument will be used to construct 
a variable temperature (4-300 Kelvin) scanning probe microscope with 
sub-nanometer stability, optical access and microwave integration to 
measure nitrogen vacancy probes. There is no domestic instrument that 
combines six degrees of freedom of linear motion in a tool that 
operates at cryogenic temperatures (<4 Kelvin) and has a resonant 
frequency larger than 1 kHz.

    Docket Number: 15-013. Applicant: Washington State University, 
Pullman, WA 99164-1020. Instrument: CTK Reactor, High Pressure Reactor, 
Diff pump mass spectrometer. Manufacturer: OmniVac, Germany. Intended 
Use: See notice at 80 FR 31890-91, June 4, 2015. Comments: None 
received. Decision: Approved. We know of no instruments of equivalent 
scientific value to the foreign instruments described below, for such 
purposes as this is intended to be used, that was being manufactured in 
the United States at the time of order. Reasons: The instrument will be 
used to take measurements during an ongoing catalytic reaction, i.e. 
under `operando' reaction conditions so as to clarify mechanistic 
details during studies up to 100 bar so as to ensure optimal conditions 
for the production of fuels and other chemical feedstock such as 
detergents or lubricants. Such dynamic reaction studies will help 
elucidate the mechanisms of catalytic reactions such as the formation 
of transportation fuels from `synthesis gas' (Fischer Tropsch 
synthesis). While CTK informs about the early run-in period in a time-
resolved manner, the high pressure reactor allows the study of steady-
state reaction behavior at a bench scale for many hours. The 
Quantachrome system allows measurements of the specific surfaces areas 
of materials, which is required for the optimization of catalysts. The 
CTK reactor comprises a gas cleaning and dosing system, along with gas 
inlets using mass flow controllers. The central part of the reactor is 
made of quartz, and temperatures can be varied at choice. The high 
pressure reactor comprises gas cleaning and inlet pressure up to 100 
bar, surrounded by a temperature programmed oven which allows 
temperatures of up to 500 Celsius. The differential mass spectrometer 
serves to continuously control gas phase compositions and is equipped 
with a high-speed turbo molecular pump and rotary forevacuum pump. 
Sampling occurs with calibrated capillary at pressures controlled by 
ion gauges. The Quantachrome system allows specific surface areas to be 
determined using non-selective probe molecule adsorption at cryogenic 
temperatures.

    Dated: August 4, 2015.
Supriya Kumar,
Acting Director, Subsidies Enforcement Office, Enforcement and 
Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2015-19598 Filed 8-7-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P