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At least 181 records · Page 10

Presentation on the INL Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility FY-2024 Annual Summary Report

The abstract below is from the report INL/RPT-24-82600. The powerpoint presentation contains information taken from the report. 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 Low Level Waste (RHLLW) Disposal Facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Annual review of the adequacy of the PA and CA for RHLLW Disposal Facility ensures that conclusions of the analyses remain valid in accordance with requirements of the U.S. 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↗

FPMS_XPeRT_INL_Poster

As nuclear energy expands and experimental programs increasingly rely on the facilities at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for reactor and fuel testing, research capabilities must also expand to meet these demands. A new Fission Product Monitoring System (FPMS) has been deployed at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Auxiliary Lead-out Experiment (ALE) House to support this expanding fuel testing mission. By tracking gaseous fission products releases from test fuel in near real-time, release rates, calculated from FPMS data, can be used to characterize the effectiveness of fuel cladding, especially for Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) fuel concepts. The new iteration of the FPMS supports up to 14 fission product monitors for online fission-product tracking via gamma-ray spectroscopy of the experiment’s effluent gas. Each monitor consists of a nominally 10% HPGe detector housed in a copper-lined lead shield with a warm gas trap. The new system features gamma-ray count rate information with a five-second temporal resolution and provides isotopic activity every five minutes, capable of resolving multiple overlapping fission product releases over a broad range of activities in near real-time. This work includes data from ATR cycle 175D data to demonstrate these capabilities. The hourly resolution data shows general trends and significant releases over the cycle, while the 5-minute resolution data allows for a more detailed examination of events due to unexpected particle releases.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗

Zirate INL Welcome

Overview of INL and all the capabilities at the lab.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

INL_Intern_Poster_ColeBailey [Poster]

Understanding the thermophysical properties of molten salts is crucial for the advancement of nuclear fuels. This project presents the design of a custom differential thermal analyzer (DTA) that utilizes non-contact ultrasonic mixing to agitate samples and prevent supercooling. The supercooling effect occurs when a liquid is below its freezing point without solidifying. This can be observed when a liquid in a freezer instantly transitions to its solid phase upon disturbance. By avoiding this effect, accurate transition temperatures of molten salts can be gathered for future applications. Initial mixing results were promising, leading to further refinement of the waveguides using ABAQUS to maximize input energy into the fluid. Future work will focus on integrating both mixing and cooling in conjunctions to observe the avoided effect.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗

History and status of spent fuel treatment at the INL Fuel Conditioning Facility

Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) had an illustrious operational history from 1964 to 1994 as one of the first sodium-cooled fast reactors to use sodium-bonded metallic driver fuels and blankets. EBR-II was a testbed for fuel development and reactor design principles. Following shutdown, it was decided to use electrometallurgical methods to treat the spent fuel and blanket materials for final disposition. Here, this paper provides a brief history of U.S. liquid metal cooled reactor development with emphasis on EBR-II, and a technical description of the electrometallurgical methods.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Review of the General-Purpose Heat Source Module Reduction and Monitoring Processing at INL

A thorough review of the Module Reduction and Monitoring (MRM) process was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of processing. The degree of reduction was calculated using the mass balance of oxygen contained in carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) removed from all fuel processed between January 2014 through August 2019. The plutonia was slightly reduced from O/Pu ratio of 2.0 to a range of 1.991 to 1.999. The review evaluated publications generated when MRM processing was developed and performed at the Mound Laboratory. A similar degree of reduction was measured at Mound in the 1982 paper authored by Ernie Johnson as well as MRM processing of IHS-60 and some Cassini-era fuel. The original 1982 paper documenting the reduction process reported a mass balance reduction to 1.9931 yet reported a total reduction to ~1.98 (Johnson 1990). The IHS-60 and Cassini reductions were calculated at 1.995 and 1.997 using the number of moles of CO and CO 2 removed as published in a clad pressurization investigation report (Merten, et all 1995). MRM process changes are recommended to improve the accuracy of the CO partial pressure calcualtion.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Status Report on the INL IES Plug-and-Play Framework

This report discusses the advancements and status of the flexible plug-and-play framework development currently ongoing that aims to integrate Modelica/Dymola with the Risk Analysis and Virtual ENvironment (RAVEN) software in terms of both Functional Mock-Up Interface (FMI)/Functional Mock-Up Unit (FMU) construction and usage, which aims to ease the sharing and simulation of complex dynamic models. This report discusses the FMI/FMU development advancements, overall focusing on the deployment of methodologies for RAVEN to export and use FMI/FMU of both Python-based models and advanced AI-constructed algorithms.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

LLNL Macroscopic Anisotropic Explosives Research At INL National Security Test Range: Shot Narrative

This series of experiments is exploring new frontiers in explosives science, technology, and engineering. The extensive list of experiment shots is necessary to sort out what works and what does not work in searching for an environment that supports anisotropic detonation properties in explosives. These experiments have been designed to serve as an economical and efficient first-cut determination as to whether there is any validity to an explosive analog to a series circuit of electrical diodes. That is, the detonation moves more easily in the “forward” direction than the “backward” direction. The basic data gleaned from these experiments will be used to design experiments that will be shot in the 10 kg tank at the High Explosives Application Facility (HEAF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In turn, those shots that will be heavy in diagostics and instrumentation, providing basic data that will be used by simulation code developers in creating high explosive models that account for air gap and oblique explosive surfaces undergoing sympathetic detonation.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Independent Technical Review of INL Aluminum-Clad Spent Nuclear Fuel (ASNF) Oxide Layer Radiolytic Gas Generation Resolution: Task 2

PNNL staff performed an independent technical review (ITR) of the aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) program Task 2. The objective of Task 2 is to determine G-values for the radiolytic production of gaseous molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) from the aluminum oxyhydroxide layers present on ASNF cladding. The G-values need to be defensible, bounding, but not overly conservative. As part of the ITR, the team reviewed program documents, Task 2 work plans, and results to date. In addition, the team held three separate video conferences with the program research staff to ask clarifying questions and obtain additional detail. The PNNL ITR team concludes that if the program follows the methodology and rigor outlined in the test matrices, the program will develop G-values for a defensible technical basis of extended storage of ASNF. Recommendations for improvement are given.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

INL Report: Multiphysics Modeling and Simulation of Deimos, an Advanced Reactor Experiment

When designing a novel reactor, nuclear experiments are essential to validate the predictive capability of modeling/simulation tools and to justify the investment of a full-scale prototype. Being able to accurately predict temperature reactivity coefficients is of high importance to reactor designers as it impacts the safety and performance of the system. Deimos is a proposed graphite-moderated, beryllium-reflected, high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fueled experiment for NCERC. Deimos is a valuable experiment for validating the predictive performance of modeling and simulation tools since it comprises a relatively thermal energy spectrum with 84% thermal neutrons causing fission, 15% epithermal neutrons causing fission, and 1% fast neutrons causing fission. Additionally, by electrically heating the experiment, reactivity can be validated at various temperatures. Deimos will serve as a testbed for future advanced reactor concepts.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Development of INL Ultrasonic Thermometer

This document summarizes the development at Idaho National Laboratory of an ultrasonic thermometer. The ultrasonic thermometer is a temperature sensor capable of multi-point measurements at very high temperatures with a high level of radiation tolerance. All of the components of the ultrasonic thermometer have been improved over the course of this work. The base technology, a magnetosrictive transducer, has been shown to be highly radiation tolerant. The solenoidal coil used in the transducer has been redesigned to operate at higher frequencies that previously possible. Materials used for the acoustic waveguide (the sensing portion of the device) have been tested and ideal candidates identified. Finally, a solution to the sticking issue (diffusion bonding between the waveguide and a protective sheath) has been developed and tested.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Task 2 INL Updated Test Matrix and Updated Milestones

Test plan for FY20 work on ASNF work. Current Status and Proposed Test Matrix: Corrosion testing has been delayed due to iron contamination of corroded samples – investigations as to the source of this is underway and plans for mitigation for the next round in place. Completed pristine Al1100 coupon irradiations under argon and nitrogen atmospheres of various relative humidities were undertaken and reported in December 2019. This work contributed to Milestone 2.6 and Milestone 2.8. The agreed total absorbed doses for this work were 250, 500, 750, and 1000 kGy. However, the new proposed work to be undertaken at SRNL includes total doses of 50 and 100 kGy. Additional total gamma doses will also include pre-corroded samples, so thorough comparisons can be made. Samples in helium head spaces will be prioritized.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗