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At least 181 records · Page 10

Handling and Treatment of Sodium-Potassium Alloy (NaK) after the Loss of Key Personnel - 19002

In September 2010, during cleanup and removal efforts associated with a glovebox containing a sodium-potassium alloy (NaK) cooling system, a NaK reaction event occurred. Near the end of the evolution, which was at a Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) research facility at the Idaho National Laboratory, a 2 to 3-ounce sample of NaK was being transferred from a metal can to a polyethylene bottle so it could be sent to the disposal outlet for verification analysis. During the transfer, a reaction of the NaK with ambient air was observed in both the metal can and sample container. The potential for a reaction was identified during the planning of this activity and mitigating steps were included in the procedures. In response, the two containers were flooded with argon, closed, and observed overnight. No additional reaction was noted. The sample container and metal can were packaged into a 10-gallon drum and transferred to a permitted storage location pending disposal. While the other containers generated from the deactivation and decommissioning activity were sent off-site for disposal, the 10-gal drum remained due to concerns by a staff specialist that the material could contain potassium superoxide (KO{sub 2}) as a result of the reaction event. The intent at that time was to treat the NaK in a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)-permitted treatment facility at MFC, instead of sending it off-site for disposal. The container was labeled, inspected, and managed as a hazardous waste. Due to the complexities associated with safely handling and treating NaK and KO{sub 2}, the container remained in storage. Treatment and disposal of the NaK and KO{sub 2} container was revisited in 2016, when researchers and chemists were consulted regarding the potential for superoxide formation and the best means to safely store and treat the container. The facility came to realize that due to the retirements of key personnel, it needed to provide current employees operational experience with the handling and treatment of NaK. An outside company was identified and contracted to provide training and consulting services. Several Battelle Energy Alliance, Inc. (BEA) personnel then attended an alkali metals safety training class. The training course provided participants with classroom and hands-on instruction associated with: - Hazards associated with handling and using sodium and NaK; - Proper personal protection equipment, spill control techniques, and first aid; - Common design approaches for buildings, systems, and equipment used to contain sodium and NaK; - What to expect in the event of a water reaction and how to respond; - How to properly prepare for a fire and contain/extinguish small metal fires; - A hands-on demonstration of NaK reaction and controls. Following the training, a procedure was developed to open the container, and inspect and treat the NaK. In June 2017, facility operations personnel successfully completed the inspection and treatment of the NaK drum, eliminating the legacy liability. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Risk Analysis of Radiological Release from Pu-238 Targets During Manual Handling

Pu-238 Isotope Production Targets are routinely installed in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) core, transferred, and stored in the spent fuel canal. These evolutions involve manual handling and manipulation of the targets underwater using long handled tools. The ATR Safety Analysis Report (SAR) postulates a design basis accident which results in damage from manual manipulation of targets, and radiological consequences must be determined for receptors inside the reactor facility, as well as public receptors. This presentation presents the analysis used to determine the radiological consequences due to potential target damage in the ATR canal. The analysis considered radionuclide release fractions, damage ratios for handling evolutions, and entrainment of radionuclides in the canal water.

Advanced Test Reactor↗

The Empty DOESC Handling Tool Verification and Redesign

The handling tool for the Department of Energy Standard Canister (DOESC) is made of six simultaneously movable jaws to apply pressure to the inside surface of the DOESC to allow for their transport when empty (Figure 1). The verification of the handling tool requires analyzing the point of contact of the tool and the canister to see how the roundness effects the handling tool.

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗

Handling Gene and Protein Names in the Age of Bioinformatics: The Special Challenge of Secreted Multimodular Bacterial Enzymes such as the cbhA/cbh9A Gene of Clostridium thermocellum

An increasing number of researchers working in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, bioengineering, bioinformatics and other related fields of science are using biological molecules. As the scientific background of the members of different scientific communities is more diverse than ever before, the number of scientists not familiar with the rules for non-ambiguous designation of genetic elements is increasing. However, with biological molecules gaining importance through biotechnology, their functional and unambiguous designation is vital. Unfortunately, naming genes and proteins is not an easy task. In addition, the traditional concepts of bioinformatics are challenged with the appearance of proteins comprising different modules with a respective function in each module. This article highlights basic rules and novel solutions in designation recently used within the community of bacterial geneticists, and we discuss the present-day handling of gene and protein designations. As an example we will utilize a recent mischaracterization of gene nomenclature. We make suggestions for better handling of names in future literature as well as in databases and annotation projects. Our methodology emphasizes the hydrolytic function of multi-modular genes and extracellular proteins from bacteria.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Good Practice for Safe Handling of Lithium Metal Anode and High Energy Rechargeable Lithium Metal Batteries

High-energy rechargeable lithium metal batteries have been intensively revisited in recent years. Since more researchers started to use pouch cell as the platform to study the fundamentals at relevant scales, safe testing and handling of lithium metal and high-energy lithium metal batteries have become critical. Cautions and safety procedures are needed when handling cycled pouch cells with pulverized lithium particles inside. From cell design, electrode preparation, cell fabrication to testing procedure, this work aims to discuss all possible root causes that may initiate cell internal shorting and raise safety concerns. Safe transfer and disposal of cycled pouch cells are also discussed. The insights provided in this article are applicable for the research on high-energy lithium-ion batteries as well and may inspire more safety strategies to accelerate research innovation by using large-format batteries as the testing vehicle and conduct the research safely.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Adapting a Low-Cost and Open-Source Commercial Pipetting Robot for Nanoliter Liquid Handling

Nanoliter liquid handling capabilities in bioanalytical workflows can reduce reagent costs and improve sample processing efficiency. Here we report the successful modification of a low-cost commercially available pipetting robot, the Opentrons 1 (OT1), using inexpensive 3D-printed parts to accommodate low-nanoliter volumes. The pipetting accuracy and precision of the modified OT1 for 50 nL volumes of water was 0.2% and 2%, respectively. The accuracy and precision at 20 nL was 1% and 3.8%, respectively. The platform was successfully applied to the preparation of low-nanogram proteomic samples for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The modified OT1 is thus an effective platform for nanoliter liquid handling and, at a total cost of less than $6000 including the commercial liquid handler and all modifications, is far less expensive and more versatile than other platforms with similar capabilities, placing this technology within reach of a far broader scientific community.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Improving AHU Performance by Minimizing Approach Temperature, Reducing Air Maldistribution, and Efficiently Handling Sensible and Latent Loads (Phase 1 Interim Final Technical Report)

Residential air handling units (AHUs) have stayed the same in form and efficiency for the past 30+ years, with incremental improvements made to address safety, functionality, and energy-efficiency. The purpose of this research in Phase I, Topic 9a: Next Generation Residential Air Handlers, was to improve AHU performance by minimizing heat exchanger (HX) approach temperature, reducing air maldistribution, and developing alternative system configurations which more efficiently handle sensible and latent loads. In this research Optimized Thermal Systems (OTS) developed, modeled, and evaluated multiple alternative system concepts. A dual vapor compression system separate sensible and latent cooling (SSLC) concept was studied to inform work on alternative concepts and to show best-case performance benefit. System concepts included ejector enhanced vapor compression cycles, desiccant assisted dehumidification, dual evaporator SSLC, and alternative AHU HX configurations. A dual vapor compression system showed COP improvement of 20%, however, required additional components, increased unit size, and increased cost. Two types of ejector enhanced vapor compression cycles with dual evaporators improved system COP by 9 to 11%, and reduced AHU losses by as much as 18%, with design changes limited to the AHU, no unit physical size increase, and a moderate increase to system first cost. Desiccant assisted air-conditioning required increased air flow rate resulting in higher fan power and the desiccant wheel increased sensible heat load leading to increased compressor power and reduced system COP. Dual evaporator cycles were found to degrade performance due to increased expansion losses. Optimized single slab HX designs used in place of the traditional A-coil HX led to 44–49% reduction in aluminum, 47–60% less refrigerant charge, and improved HX velocity distribution.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Annual Summary Report for the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility—FY 2024

This Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 annual summary report (ASR) documents the continued adequacy of the performance assessment (PA), the composite analysis (CA), and associated operating disposal- authorization statement (ODAS) technical-basis documents for the Remote-Handled (RH) Low-Level Waste (LLW) Disposal Facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Annual review of the adequacy of the PA and CA for the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RHLLW) Disposal Facility ensures that conclusions of the analyses remain valid in accordance with requirements of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 435.1, “Radioactive Waste Management.” In FY 2024, no significant operational changes or other activities occurred that would cause deviation from the assumptions in the PA and CA pertaining to disposal geometry, verification of waste characteristics, tracking disposal inventories against total limits, facility-closure design, or institutional controls. Nineteen waste canister shipments were received at the RHLLW Disposal Facility, and all nineteen waste canisters were emplaced in disposal vaults.

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗

Understanding the Significance of Biochemistry in the Storage, Handling, Purification, and Sampling of Amphiphilic Mycolactone

Mycolactone, the amphiphilic macrolide toxin secreted by Mycobacterium ulcerans , plays a significant role in the pathology and manifestations of Buruli ulcer (BU). Consequently, it follows that the toxin is a suitable target for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for this disease. Yet, several challenges have deterred such development. For one, the lipophilic nature of the toxin makes it difficult to handle and store and contributes to variability associated with laboratory experimentation and purification yields. In this manuscript, we have attempted to incorporate our understanding of the lipophilicity of mycolactone in order to define the optimal methods for the storage, handling, and purification of this toxin. We present a systematic correlation of variability associated with measurement techniques (thin-layer chromatography (TLC), mass spectrometry (MS), and UV-Vis spectrometry), storage conditions, choice of solvents, as well as the impact of each of these on toxin function as assessed by cellular cytotoxicity. We also compared natural mycolactone extracted from bacterial culture with synthesized toxins in laboratory (solvents, buffers) and physiologically relevant (serum) matrices. Our results point to the greater stability of mycolactone in organic, as well as detergent-containing, solvents, regardless of the container material (plastic, glass, or silanized tubes). They also highlight the presence of toxin in samples that may be undetectable by any one technique, suggesting that each detection approach captures different configurations of the molecule with varying specificity and sensitivity. Most importantly, our results demonstrate for the very first time that amphiphilic mycolactone associates with host lipoproteins in serum, and that this association will likely impact our ability to study, diagnose, and treat Buruli ulcers in patients.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Modeled Electricity Demand Profiles for Electric Port Cargo Handling Equipment in the United States

Electric port cargo handling equipment (eCHE) hourly load datasets for the top 25 U.S. cargo airports (by tonnage), as described in Polemis et al. (2025). Please cite as: Polemis, Katerina, Andrew Kotz, Kara Podkaminer, and Brennan Borlaug. 2025. Hourly Load Profile Dataset for Electric Port Cargo Handling Equipment in the United States. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-5400-92141. https://www.nlr.gov/docs/fy25osti/92141.pdf

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Radial Internal Material Handling System (RIMS) for Circular Habitat Volumes

A Radial Internal Material Handling System (RIMS) has been developed to service a circular floor area in variable gravity. On planetary surfaces, pressurized human habitable volumes will require a means to carry heavy equipment between various locations within the volume of the habitat, regardless of the partial gravity (Earth, moon, Mars, etc). On the NASA Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU), a vertical cylindrical volume, it was determined that a variety of heavy items would need to be carried back and forth from deployed locations to the General Maintenance Work Station (GMWS) when in need of repair, and other equipment may need to be carried inside for repairs, such as rover parts and other external equipment. The vertical cylindrical volume of the HDU lent itself to a circular overhead track and hoist system that allows lifting of heavy objects from anywhere in the habitat to any other point in the habitat interior. In addition, the system is able to hand off lifted items to other material handling systems through the side hatches, such as through an airlock. This paper describes the RIMS system which is scalable for application in a variety of circular habitat volumes.

deep space habitats↗

Handling Qualities of Large Rotorcraft in Hover and Low Speed

According to a number of system studies, large capacity advanced rotorcraft with a capability of high cruise speeds (approx.350 mph) as well as vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) flight could alleviate anticipated air transportation capacity issues by making use of non-primary runways, taxiways, and aprons. These advanced aircraft pose a number of design challenges, as well as unknown issues in the flight control and handling qualities domains. A series of piloted simulation experiments have been conducted on the NASA Ames Research Center Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) in recent years to systematically investigate the fundamental flight control and handling qualities issues associated with the characteristics of large rotorcraft, including tiltrotors, in hover and low-speed maneuvering.

Large Rotorcraft↗

NASA's Center Innovation Fund (CIF) Internal Research and Development (IRAD) Handling Qualities Study on the Mikrolar Motion Platform Test Report

In order to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Extravehicular Activity and Surface Mobility Program (EHP), system engineers, designers, and researchers embarked on a yearlong challenge to develop a new lunar rover-based motion table simulator to study handling qualities of lunar rovers in the lunar South Pole region, support development research for any lunar rover vendor, and provide a lunar training capability for future lunar/planetary astronauts. In 1989, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine (RAF-IAM) stated that motion platforms are the only simulation devices capable of fully stimulating the body motion sensors. They confirmed that motion platforms can impart accelerations to the whole body and therefore exercise the automatic motion feedback-loop that operators are used to. With both visual and motion cues handling the vehicle becomes more realistic. Strachan (2019) con-firms motion cueing from a well set-up motion platform has been found to be important especially in conditions such as night or reduced visibility where motion cues may be more relied upon

Motion Table↗

Natural and Engineered Features Supporting Environmental Performance of Idaho National Laboratory’s Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility

The Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RH LLW) Disposal Facility has been designed and constructed to receive waste generated at the INL site in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) and Naval Reactors (NR) missions. The facility has been designed to receive legacy RH LLW currently in storage at INL facilities and new waste generated by nuclear research programs. RH LLW to be received at the facility is solid waste consisting of surface contaminated debris; ion exchange resins used to purify cooling and canal water; activated metals generated during reactor core change outs and Naval spent fuel management; and nuclear Research & Development. Disposal of INL's RH LLW poses unique disposal challenges due to high radiation levels (contact rates up to 600 Sv/hr [60,000 Rem/hr]) that require remote handling and adequate shielding for transportation and disposal. The facility has been designed to meet the requirements of DOE Order 435.1 [1], including the all-pathways dose, air pathway dose, inadvertent intruder doses, and radon emissions limits. This paper presents an overview of natural and engineered design features that support the safety case and enhance the environmental performance of the facility. These include location selection, use of reinforced pre-cast concrete vaults; a robust hydraulic drainage system; use of steel waste canisters for waste disposal; the facility monitoring system; facility layout; and crediting waste forms. The facility performance assessment (PA) [2] developed to meet the requirements of DOE Order 435.1 “Radioactive Waste Management” credits each of these protective features. Releases from waste forms disposed of at this facility are limited by corrosion of the steel waste canisters which will ultimately allow contact with infiltrating water followed by transport of radionuclides from the vault system. The steel waste canisters were credited for their ability to limit water contact with the waste based on the demonstrated ability of the reinforced pre-caste concrete vaults to provide long-term structural protection of the steel waste canisters. Verification of hydraulic and concrete performance was conducted through laboratory data, field infiltration tests supported by a robust monitoring system, and numerical modeling. Releases into the vault system from activated metals are based on site-specific corrosion data. Radionuclide transport from the vault system from all waste forms is based on site-specific climatological, hydrologic, and stratigraphic data. At INL, the groundwater pathway historically and appropriately has received the most attention. By crediting aspects of the natural system, the engineered vault system, and the waste, estimated radiologic doses via the groundwater pathway are minimal. Air pathway doses were reduced by differentially crediting corrosion of aluminum and stainless steel activated metals resulting in the pathway being screened out of the PA. Groundwater and inadvertent intruder doses were reduced through selective facility layout. This paper provides an overview of the system-wide protective features incorporated into the facility design along with an extensive reference list to supporting technical papers and analyses that provide data and interpretation.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Results of Modeling and Simulation Support to Specia Nuclear Material Handling Facility Operations - 16053

Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) is the sole designer and provider of nuclear powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies in the United States to build nuclear powered submarines. As part of the upkeep of aircraft carriers, the ships return to NNS once in their lifetime for a complex overhaul and to be refueled. In support of overhaul operations NNS maintains a state of the art Special Nuclear Material (SNM) handling facility. Due to the complex nature of the operations that occur within this facility, during the design and initial operation of the building NNS developed a facility simulation model to provide decision support during the project planning and operational phases. This tool allows users to experiment with process times, process order, equipment utilization, personnel utilization and spatial utilization. By capturing the planned operations, time distributions for operations, equipment sizes and uses and personnel requirements, the tool accurately reflects the planned use of the facility. This realism allows the user to experiment with any aspect of the facility, in a controlled and cost effective space, and determine how changes or potential delays may impact overall facility operations. Thus the model allows for rapid exploration of multiple scenarios to determine likely outcomes, allowing a user to identify risks well ahead of their realization and explore mitigation strategies in a controlled space, to determine the ideal path forward. The tool was successful during the initial operation of the facility in helping to identify and mitigate risks related to the complex operations occurring during SNM handling. The tool is now in use to support planning for the next series of operations that will occur within the facility. The initial operations the model supported occurred during the deactivation of the USS Enterprise, and future operation will focus on the overhaul of Nimitz class aircraft carriers. The NNS planning team is currently using the tool to assess potential risks and challenges that are identified as potentially impacting the schedule and timelines for these overhaul processes. In addition, the NNS development team is working to add new operational steps to the model, capturing work that is occurring near the facility, but which directly impacts the facilities operational abilities. In conjuncture with the engineering planning division, the NNS development team has run over 20 complex scenarios through the tool. The team has provided output from these scenarios to both NNS personnel and government representatives. To date the model has successfully supported the identification of several feasible paths to incorporate new processes, dictated by the work to support a overhaul vs a deactivation. The model also provides a spatial arrangement component that allows users to experiment with different equipment placement within the facility. Due to the fidelity of the model, arranging equipment with the spatial component allows a user to set up the facility in an experimental layout and run the processes inside the facility to determine if the layout will be feasible, or if it would impact operational capabilities. Additionally, the spatial component allows for visual collaboration between stakeholders to ensure all operational personnel are aware of the current and planned layout, and that they do not locate equipment or work stations in locations that would interfere with facility operations. The spatial component, in combination with the simulation component, has resulted in several documented improvements in process. These include: the identification of additional equipment which could be stored outside the facility, without impacting operations, to increase space; confirmation of the ideal placement of a large water tank; and identification of several risks related to planned equipment storage area, allowing the team to develop new plans and avoid realizing the risk. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Upgrading the JET Remote Handling System - 18356

The Joint European Torus (JET) has employed advanced remote-maintenance techniques for over three decades to avoid exposing humans to a potentially hazardous environment and to develop techniques for future power-generating fusion reactors where environments will be too hazardous for any manned maintenance. As a unique application of robotics, virtual reality and operations management systems, JET's remote handling unit, now a part of RACE, has driven the state-of-the-art with each upgrade programme in its history. This conference paper presents the current capabilities of the JET remote handling system, and the future capabilities being delivered by its latest upgrade programme, which makes use of cutting edge advances. RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) aims to shape the technologies being developed for JET in such a way that they will have wider applications, such as in nuclear decommissioning. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Natural and Engineered Features Supporting Environmental Performance of Idaho National Laboratory's Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility - 19436

The Idaho National Laboratory's (INL's) Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RH LLW) Disposal Facility has been designed and constructed to receive waste generated at the INL site in support of the US DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) and Naval Reactors (NR) missions. The facility has been designed to receive legacy RH LLW currently in storage at INL facilities and new waste generated by nuclear research programs. RH LLW to be received at the facility is solid waste consisting of surface contaminated materials; ion exchange resins used to purify cooling and canal water; and activated metal components generated during reactor core change outs and Naval spent fuel management; and nuclear R and D. Disposal of INL's RH LLW poses unique disposal challenges due to high radiation levels (contact rates up to 600 Sv/hr [60,000 Rem/hr]) that require remote handling and adequate shielding for transportation and disposal. The facility has been designed to meet the requirements of DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, including the all-pathways dose, air pathway dose, inadvertent intruder doses, and radon emissions limits. This paper presents an overview of natural and engineered design features that support the safety case and enhance the environmental performance of the facility. These features include location selection, use of reinforced pre-cast concrete vaults; a robust hydraulic drainage system; use of steel waste canisters for waste disposal; the facility monitoring system; facility layout; and crediting waste forms. The facility performance assessment (PA) developed to meet the requirements of DOE Order 435.1, credits each of these protective features. Releases from waste forms disposed of at this facility are limited by corrosion of the steel waste canisters which will ultimately allow contact with infiltrating water followed by transport of radionuclides from the vault system. The steel waste canisters were credited for their ability to limit water contact with the waste based on the demonstrated ability of the reinforced pre-caste concrete vaults to provide long-term structural protection of the steel waste canisters. Verification of hydraulic and concrete performance was conducted through laboratory data, field infiltration tests supported by a robust monitoring system, and numerical modeling. Releases into the vault system from activated metals are based on site-specific corrosion data. Radionuclide transport from the vault system from all waste forms is based on site-specific climatological, hydrologic, and stratigraphic data. At INL, the groundwater pathway historically and appropriately has received the most attention. By crediting aspects of the natural system, the engineered vault system, and the waste, estimated radiologic doses via the groundwater pathway are minimal. Air pathway doses were reduced by differentially crediting corrosion of aluminum and stainless steel activated metals resulting in the pathway being screened out of the PA. Groundwater and inadvertent intruder doses were reduced through selective facility layout. This paper provides an overview of the system-wide protective features incorporated into the facility design along with an extensive reference list to supporting technical papers and analyses that provide data and interpretation. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Electrification Analysis: Container Ports' Cargo Handling Equipment

This one-page highlight details the key takeaways from a project that utilized NREL's Fleet Research, Energy Data, and Insights (FleetREDI) data analysis pipeline, the Electrification Analysis of Container Ports' Cargo Handling Equipment project. This project created a scalable solution to model energy demand per shipping container moved (kWh/TEU) for an all-electric cargo handling equipment fleet located at a maritime port. The model allows stakeholders to understand energy demand at each electric vehicle (EV) equipment level and is easily scalable to container demand and EV adoption rate projections.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗