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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

First-Principles Cost Analysis of Advanced High-Temperature Nuclear Plants

Due to the vast number of recent nuclear reactor innovations, particularly those pertaining to generation IV reactor types like high-temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) and sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), and the newer deployment strategies envisioned, such as use of small modular reactors (SMRs) or even microreactors, reliable, detailed, and complete costs of these nuclear innovations are needed in wide availability. The types of models that generally achieve these objectives are those incorporating the fundamental nature of the real-world systems they aspire to predict, such as first-principles models. Furthermore, first principles models typically offer predictiveness that is not attained by most other types of individual-models. However, detailed, first-principles cost modeling of nuclear reactors and entire nuclear plants is relatively limited. To address this limitation in the availability of detailed, predictive models based on fundamentals, we recently developed a range of cost models, mostly based on first-principles methodologies, to project full lifecycle costs (LCCs) of nuclear power plants (NPPs) based on multiple parallel SM-HTG-pebble bed reactors (PBRs) and SM-SFRs.

Prosser, Jacob H. [Strategic Analysis, Inc., Arlin↗
DOE OSTI2025

First-Principles Cost Analysis of Advanced High-Temperature Nuclear Plants

Due to the vast number of recent nuclear reactor innovations, particularly those pertaining to generation IV reactor types like high-temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) and sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), and the newer deployment strategies envisioned, such as use of small modular reactors (SMRs) or even microreactors, reliable, detailed, and complete costs of these nuclear innovations are needed in wide availability. The types of models that generally achieve these objectives are those incorporating the fundamental nature of the real-world systems they aspire to predict, such as first-principles models. Furthermore, first principles models typically offer predictiveness that is not attained by most other types of individual-models. However, detailed, first-principles cost modeling of nuclear reactors and entire nuclear plants is relatively limited. To address this limitation in the availability of detailed, predictive models based on fundamentals, we recently developed a range of cost models, mostly based on first-principles methodologies, to project full lifecycle costs (LCCs) of nuclear power plants (NPPs) based on multiple parallel SM-HTG-pebble bed reactors (PBRs) and SM-SFRs.

Prosser, Jacob H. [Strategic Analysis, Inc., Arlin↗
NASA NTRS1994

Generalized implementation of software safety policies

As part of a research program in the engineering of software for safety-critical systems, we are performing two case studies. The first case study, which is well underway, is a safety-critical medical application. The second, which is just starting, is a digital control system for a nuclear research reactor. Our goal is to use these case studies to permit us to obtain a better understanding of the issues facing developers of safety-critical systems, and to provide a vehicle for the assessment of research ideas. The case studies are not based on the analysis of existing software development by others. Instead, we are attempting to create software for new and novel systems in a process that ultimately will involve all phases of the software lifecycle. In this abstract, we summarize our results to date in a small part of this project, namely the determination and classification of policies related to software safety that must be enforced to ensure safe operation. We hypothesize that this classification will permit a general approach to the implementation of a policy enforcement mechanism.

Knight, John C.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Modeling of 2008 Kasatochi Volcanic Sulfate Direct Radiative Forcing: Assimilation of OMI SO2 Plume Height Data and Comparison with MODIS and CALIOP Observations

Volcanic SO2 column amount and injection height retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with the Extended Iterative Spectral Fitting (EISF) technique are used to initialize a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) to simulate the atmospheric transport and lifecycle of volcanic SO2 and sulfate aerosol from the 2008 Kasatochi eruption, and to subsequently estimate the direct shortwave, top-of-the-atmosphere radiative forcing of the volcanic sulfate aerosol. Analysis shows that the integrated use of OMI SO2 plume height in GEOS-Chem yields: (a) good agreement of the temporal evolution of 3-D volcanic sulfate distributions between model simulations and satellite observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarisation (CALIOP), and (b) an e-folding time for volcanic SO2 that is consistent with OMI measurements, reflecting SO2 oxidation in the upper troposphere and stratosphere is reliably represented in the model. However, a consistent (approx. 25 %) low bias is found in the GEOS-Chem simulated SO2 burden, and is likely due to a high (approx.20 %) bias of cloud liquid water amount (as compared to the MODIS cloud product) and the resultant stronger SO2 oxidation in the GEOS meteorological data during the first week after eruption when part of SO2 underwent aqueous-phase oxidation in clouds. Radiative transfer calculations show that the forcing by Kasatochi volcanic sulfate aerosol becomes negligible 6 months after the eruption, but its global average over the first month is -1.3W/sq m, with the majority of the forcing-influenced region located north of 20degN, and with daily peak values up to -2W/sq m on days 16-17. Sensitivity experiments show that every 2 km decrease of SO2 injection height in the GEOS-Chem simulations will result in a approx.25% decrease in volcanic sulfate forcing; similar sensitivity but opposite sign also holds for a 0.03 m increase of geometric radius of the volcanic aerosol particles. Both sensitivities highlight the need to characterize the SO2 plume height and aerosol particle size from space. While more research efforts are warranted, this study is among the first to assimilate both satellite-based SO2 plume height and amount into a chemical transport model for an improved simulation of volcanic SO2 and sulfate transport.

Wang, J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

The evolution dynamical processes of Ural blocking through the lens of local finite-amplitude wave activity budget analysis

Understanding the formation and evolution mechanisms of Ural blocking (UB) is of great importance for the prediction of UB and relevant extremes in east Asia. Using the 6-hourly ERA-Interim reanalysis data, this study quantifies the conservative and nonconservative processes in the lifecycle of UB through the lens of the hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian local finite-amplitude wave activity (LWA) diagnostics. It is found that (i) as a wave activity source, eddy heat flux works to not only initiate the UB, but also prevent the wave activity of the blocking from dispersing downstream---the key characteristic of blocking; (ii) both the wave propagation and wave advection mechanisms are indispensable for the evolution of UB, playing a tug-of-war on the downstream development of wave activity; (iii) Throughout the lifespan of UB, diabatic heating provides the most important damping mechanism for the wave activity both upstream and downstream; and (IV) irreversible PV mixing appears to compensate the eddy PV flux during the wave breaking stage of blocking.

Blocking, wave activity, eddy-mean flow interactio↗
DOE OSTI2022

Techno-Economic Wind Blade Manufacturing Model to Identify Opportunities for Cost Improvements Phase II IACMI Project 4.6/4.8

In IACMI Project 4.6 and IACMI Project 4.8, an Excel-based Techno-Economic Model (TEM) of the manufacturing process for composite wind turbine blades and a DELMIA Factory Flow Simulation of a generic wind blade manufacturing facility was developed. Together, these two tools provide a combined economic modeling capability that accounts for the material, labor, overhead and full-lifecycle operating costs associated with wind blade manufacturing as well as the impact of process flow and factory layout on overall manufacturing efficiency. The tools provide a novel means of detailed comparative analysis of the economic feasibility of proposed technologies and process changes for blade manufacturing. The modeling tools were developed with close support from members of industry and visits to multiple blade manufacturing facilities. With industry oversight, a detailed generalized manufacturing process plan and facility layout were developed with manufacturing parameters, material costs and economic factors based on historical data. Dassault Systèmes and the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) contributed to the development of the Techno-Economic Model by providing macros to enable the generation of Bill of Material (BOM) data from a 3D blade design in either CATIA or NuMAD format, respectively. The TEM was built with the capability to directly import a Bill of Materials for economic analysis, and with the addition of the macros provided by Dassault and UTD, the TEM can directly import blade designs from both CATIA and NuMAD file formats. The modeling tools developed in Project 4.6 were used to investigate four wind blade manufacturing concepts in detail and select one to explore with laboratory-scale experimentation in Project 4.8. The four manufacturing concepts that were investigated were down-selected by the full project team from a larger list of concepts. The selections were made based on a number of criteria ranking viability and level of interest for each concept. The ‘One-Step Close’ manufacturing concept was ultimately selected for investigation in Project 4.8 and the demonstration was performed at the NREL CoMET facility. The TPI advanced manufacturing facility in Warren, RI contributed the production of several prototype components, the designs for which were developed by Janicki Industries. The demonstration project provided clear indication of the viability of the One-Step Close manufacturing concept for blade manufacturing and good validation of the Techno-Economic Model’s prediction of its economic impact.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Lighting Policy Options to Incentivize the Circular Economy

Energy codes and energy efficiency policy are primed for significant shifts in the coming decade. Consumers are increasingly asking manufacturers to take responsibility for products over the course of the product lifespan, including at end-of-life. Consumer demand for social and environmental responsibility may push new codes and policies that incentivize the circular economy. Within the lighting sector, for example, rapid innovations have created large energy savings but also created a complex waste stream. Traditional energy code approaches to lighting efficiency have considered only lighting power density or energy-based metrics. Shifting codes and policy to consider environmental impacts of the product lifecycle could include circular economy mechanisms such as product deposits or service-based business models. In this paper we consider the possible structures for both codes and policies, and provide an analysis of the merits of each policy using life cycle assessment and sustainability index (SI).

Dillon, Heather↗
DOE OSTI2020

Deconstructing the Nuclear Supply Chain Cyber-Attack Surface

The nuclear supply chain cyber-attack surface is a large, complex network of interconnected stakeholders and activities. The global economy has widened and deepened the supply chain resulting in larger numbers of geographically dispersed locations and increased difficulty ensuring the authenticity and security of digital assets. Although the nuclear industry has made significant strides in securing facilities from cyber-attacks, the supply chain remains vulnerable. This paper provides further details on each of the elements in the Digital I&C System Supply Chain Cyber-Attack Surface, including supply chain lifecycle activities, key stakeholders, touchpoints, and attack types. Deconstructing this attack surface provides insights into supply chain threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences. These insights will lead to improvements in cybersecurity supply chain risk analysis, development of new cybersecurity supply chain processes and tools, and enhancement of overall supply chain resilience.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Digital Engineering Vision for DOME: Facilitating Design, Deployment, and Operations [Poster]

DOME is a planned microreactor test facility at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex. It is a complex system with several interdependent sub-systems such as the reactor (up to 20 MWth), radioactive confinement, temperature and pressure regulation system, ventilation system, etc. The engineering design process for such a system traditionally involves several documents from various sources and the system information is scattered across these documents. Digital engineering represents a paradigm shift through which systems are designed using digital models and integrated data. The digital engineering vision for DOME utilizes a model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach. The system architecture, physical components, control logic, and verification experiments are all designed using MathWorks MATLAB and Simulink. This hierarchical model can combine data from multiple sources at various levels of abstraction. It can be used to simulate the facility’s operations and to test the system using different sets of parameters. Its capabilities can be expanded by interfacing it with high-fidelity multi-physics models, risk analysis tools, etc. The same model can evolve into a digital twin that can monitor operations and conduct predictive analysis using real-time sensor data from the facility. The eventual goal of this effort is to transform the end-to-end engineering of nuclear facilities in every phase of their lifecycle, including design, deployment, and operations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

SinhaRoy_TechPresentation_2024 [Slides]

DOME is a planned microreactor test facility at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex. It is a complex system with several interdependent sub-systems such as the reactor (up to 20 MWth), radioactive confinement, temperature and pressure regulation system, ventilation system, etc. The engineering design process for such a system traditionally involves several documents from various sources and the system information is scattered across these documents. Digital engineering represents a paradigm shift through which systems are designed using digital models and integrated data. The digital engineering vision for DOME utilizes a model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach. The system architecture, physical components, control logic, and verification experiments are all designed using MathWorks MATLAB and Simulink. This hierarchical model can combine data from multiple sources at various levels of abstraction. It can be used to simulate the facility’s operations and to test the system using different sets of parameters. Its capabilities can be expanded by interfacing it with high-fidelity multi-physics models, risk analysis tools, etc. The same model can evolve into a digital twin that can monitor operations and conduct predictive analysis using real-time sensor data from the facility. The eventual goal of this effort is to transform the end-to-end engineering of nuclear facilities in every phase of their lifecycle, including design, deployment, and operations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS2014

The OSIRIS-Rex Asteroid Sample Return: Mission Operations Design

The OSIRIS-REx mission employs a methodical, phased approach to ensure success in meeting the missions science requirements. OSIRIS-REx launches in September 2016, with a backup launch period occurring one year later. Sampling occurs in 2019. The departure burn from Bennu occurs in March 2021. On September 24, 2023, the SRC lands at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). Stardust heritage procedures are followed to transport the SRC to Johnson Space Center, where the samples are removed and delivered to the OSIRIS-REx curation facility. After a six-month preliminary examination period the mission will produce a catalog of the returned sample, allowing the worldwide community to request samples for detailed analysis.Traveling and returning a sample from an Asteroid that has not been explored before requires unique operations consideration. The Design Reference Mission (DRM) ties together space craft, instrument and operations scenarios. The project implemented lessons learned from other small body missions: APLNEAR, JPLDAWN and ESARosetta. The key lesson learned was expected the unexpected and implement planning tools early in the lifecycle. In preparation to PDR, the project changed the asteroid arrival date, to arrive one year earlier and provided additional time margin. STK is used for Mission Design and STKScheduler for instrument coverage analysis.

0↗
NASA NTRS2014

Usability/Sentiment for the Enterprise and ENTERPRISE

The purpose of the Sentiment of Search Study for NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is to gain insight into the intranet search environment. With an initial usability survey, the authors were able to determine a usability score based on the Systems Usability Scale (SUS). Created in 1986, the freely available, well cited, SUS is commonly used to determine user perceptions of a system (in this case the intranet search environment). As with any improvement initiative, one must first examine and document the current reality of the situation. In this scenario, a method was needed to determine the usability of a search interface in addition to the user's perception on how well the search system was providing results. The use of the SUS provided a mechanism to quickly ascertain information in both areas, by adding one additional open-ended question at the end. The first ten questions allowed us to examine the usability of the system, while the last questions informed us on how the users rated the performance of the search results. The final analysis provides us with a better understanding of the current situation and areas to focus on for improvement. The power of search applications to enhance knowledge transfer is indisputable. The performance impact for any user unable to find needed information undermines project lifecycle, resource and scheduling requirements. Ever-increasing complexity of content and the user interface make usability considerations for the intranet, especially for search, a necessity instead of a 'nice-to-have'. Despite these arguments, intranet usability is largely disregarded due to lack of attention beyond the functionality of the infrastructure (White, 2013). The data collected from users of the JSC search system revealed their overall sentiment by means of the widely-known System Usability Scale. Results of the scores suggest 75%, +/-0.04, of the population rank the search system below average. In terms of a grading scaled, this equated to D or lower. It is obvious JSC users are not satisfied with the current situation, however they are eager to provide information and assistance in improving the search system. A majority of the respondents provided feedback on the issues most troubling them. This information will be used to enrich the next phase, root cause analysis and solution creation.

Meza, David↗
DOE OSTI2025

Technoeconomic Analysis (TEA)

Techno-economic analysis (TEA) for the DuraMAT Consortium includes the following areas: linking solar photovoltaic (PV) technology trends to reliability implications; providing a framework to calculate technology costs, yielding insights useful for research decision-making, proposals, technology selection, and publications; and examining technology tradeoffs considering lifecycle project economics. This poster highlights results from the first and second iterations of the DuraMAT Technology Scouting reports as well as the updated Simplified PV Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) Calculator.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Life Cycle Inventories and Data Gap Analysis for Rare Earth Elements: Neodymium and Dysprosium from Mining to Magnets

The United States demand for Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) magnets, produced from rare earth elements (REEs) such as (Nd) and Dysprosium (Dy), far exceeds its nascent domestic production capacity, rendering it reliant on vulnerable global supply chains dominated by China. To guide research and development investments in securing U.S. REE supply, defensible benchmark metrics across environmental, economic, and social dimensions are needed. In this study, we built globally-representative, process-based cradle-to-cradle life cycle inventories for Nd and Dy in NdFeB magnets lifecycles, encompassing primary material acquisition, beneficiation, smelting and refining, metal processing, specialty alloy and chemical transformation, subcomponent manufacturing, consumer application (use phase) and end-of-life management. We carried out detailed literature review, and applied process engineering principles to build industry-representative upscaled life cycle inventories for both metals. We used these models to conduct bottom-up literature review and gap analysis on existing literature, compilation of data sources for each life cycle stage (and transformations where necessary), and a preliminary technoeconomic analysis (TEA)/life cycle costing analysis (LCCA). Findings from this work emphasize the need for metal specific, representative REE LCIs to establish robust benchmarks for advancing sustainable REE technologies and guiding R&D in REE supply chains.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Build-to-Replace Strategy to Reduce Operations and Maintenance Costs for Advanced Reactors

This paper targets the reduction of fixed operations and maintenance (O&M) costs for advanced reactor (AR) designs. This goal will be severely constrained if the underlying assumptions of O&M approaches and practices are not questioned and reexamined, especially today when changes can be implemented effectively and efficiently. Achieving a reduction in AR O&M costs requires a completely new way of thinking -a paradigm shift- not through incremental, technology-focused approaches alone. Here, we address this challenge by evaluating the impact of moving to a shorter design life for major structures, systems, and components and shorter, more predictable refurbishment cycles as modeled by the commercial airline industry: the build-to-replace approach. This paper provides a brief overview of this different mindset to O&M applied to ARs and it provided a set of analytical tools based on multi-objective optimization to identify the benefits of such an approach. In conclusion, we provide a direct example analysis of a build-to-replace scenario by identifying and evaluating scenarios for reduced system and component lifetimes and associated replacement and refurbishment schedules to evaluate impacts on O&M costs and other lifecycle elements, such as structure, system, and component reliability.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Leveraging NREL's ResStock & ComStock Dataset to Evaluate Building Stock Electrification: Preprint

Residential and commercial buildings accounted for 40% of U.S. energy consumption in 2022 and represent a significant opportunity for decarbonization through energy efficiency and electrification, and for grid planning. Building stock energy modeling is a powerful tool that can evaluate what-if scenarios as utilities, municipalities, policymakers, building owners and others work towards equitable building decarbonization and climate goals. This presentation will highlight several high-impact use cases of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)'s highly granular, bottom-up building stock energy modeling tools, ResStock and ComStock. These use cases cover a wide range of project scale, from neighborhood electrification analysis and municipality long-term energy planning, to state energy code development and national policy evaluation. This presentation will showcase specific real-world applications for which ResStock and ComStock have been utilized across the country, including California codes and standards cost-effectiveness analysis, New York City affordable housing electrification cost gap analysis, and California targeted electrification and gas decommissioning analysis. For each use case, this presentation will illustrate how ResStock and ComStock played a crucial role in accurately characterizing regional building stocks, providing discrete and aggregated end-use load shapes, and calculating lifecycle consumption, emissions, and costs for a variety of building electrification strategies and scenarios. Finally, this presentation will demonstrate how the data provided by ResStock and ComStock can help unlock significant outcomes for these use cases, including but not limited to, customer bill impact, incentive and program design, and energy equity analyses.

building stock modeling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Build-To-Replace Strategy to Reduce O&M Costs of Advanced Reactors

This paper targets the goal of reducing fixed operations and maintenance (O&M) costs to $2/MWh for advanced reactor (AR) designs, an order of magnitude reduction from current nuclear fleets. Such goal will be severely constrained if the underlying assumptions of O&M approaches and practices are not questioned and reexamined, especially today when changes can be implemented effectively and efficiently. Achieving a 90% reduction in AR O&M costs requires a completely new way of thinking – a paradigm shift – not through incremental, technology-focused approaches alone. Here, we address this challenge by evaluating the impact of moving to shorter design life for major structures, systems and components (SSCs) and shorter, more predictable refurbishment cycles as modeled by the commercial airline industry. This paper provides a brief overview of this different mindset to O&M applied to ARs: the build-to-replace approach. We provide a direct example of analysis of a build-to-replace scenario by identifying and evaluating scenarios for reduced system and component lifetimes and associated replacement and refurbishment schedules to evaluate impacts on O&M costs and other lifecycle elements such as SSC reliability.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Data Processing Pipeline To Extract A Knowledge Graph From Sec Documents For Socio-technical Analysis Of Critical Infrastructure Influence

The code is written in Python and consists of the following pipeline that is implemented in Apache Airflow. This pipeline intends to understand the companies that are directly or indirectly involved with a type of critical infrastructure system at some point in that system's lifecycle. The pipeline takes a configuration file that specifies a list of initial companies to consider, a geographic region of interest (disk) expressed as a latitude/longitude point and distance, and a set of SEC form types from which to extract entities and relations. There are three main components to this pipeline as currently implemented: Social Network Extraction, Critical Infrastructure Network Extraction, and Inference and Fusion. First, Social Network Extraction, implemented as the `organizations_sec` component of the workflow graph queries the SEC EDGAR webservice using the list of initial companies from the configuration file. Given this, it extracts metadata that documents the number of each type of form for the given set of companies and their location. This forms metadata represents a catalog of data sources for the extracted social network knowledge graph. The pipeline then downloads these forms from the website and saves them in a build directory for further processing. These documents are then parsed for entities and relations. Second, the Critical Network Extraction component extracts entities and relations for a critical infrastructure sector. Currently, we focus on Electric Vehicle charging stations and this information is available via the Department of Energy (DOE) database on fueling stations maintained by NREL. Third, the Inference and Fusion component relates the social network graph to the critical infrastructure graph in order to understand the impact of a company within a geographic region. Relations include ownership of the EV Charging Station asset as well as maintenance/ownership of the EV payment networks. The fused network can be represented in many ways and currently we emit a knowledge graph.

Weaver, GabrielA.↗